BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:A prospective evaluation of spiral CT angiography (SCTA) as the sole pre-operative imaging modality for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:Spiral CT angiography was compared with conventional transfemoral angiography in 30 patients and results correlated with surgical findings in 22 patients. The following features were assessed: renal artery number and disease; upper and lower aneurysm extent; aneurysm size; perianeurysmal inflammation; iliac artery disease; radiation dose; and contrast usage.

RESULTS:Spiral CT angiography agreed with conventional angiography in all cases of severe stenosis or occlusion of renal arteries and had 90% agreement overall for renal artery disease. Two of nine accessory renal arteries seen at conventional angiography were missed. For showing aneurysm extent SCTA was 100% sensitive, and performed better than conventional angiography. Aneurysm size was better shown with SCTA. In iliac disease SCTA, as performed in this study, was poor for mild-moderate disease, but detected four of six severely stenosed/occluded iliac arteries seen at conventional angiography. Prospective sensitivity for perianeurysmal inflammation was 33%. Radiation dose for SCTA was approximately twice and contrast dose approximately three times that for conventional angiography.

CONCLUSION:Spiral CT angiography can provide all the necessary imaging information to plan aneurysm repair in the non-claudicant.

背景与目标： 目的 : 对螺旋ct血管造影 (SCTA) 作为腹主动脉瘤修复的唯一术前成像方式的前瞻性评估。
材料和方法 : 将30例患者的螺旋ct血管造影与常规经股动脉造影进行了比较，结果与22例患者的手术结果相关。评估了以下特征: 肾动脉数量和疾病; 上，下动脉瘤范围; 动脉瘤大小; 动脉瘤周围炎症; 髂动脉疾病; 辐射剂量; 和造影剂使用。
结果 : 在所有严重肾动脉狭窄或闭塞的病例中，螺旋ct血管造影与常规血管造影一致，并且在肾动脉疾病方面总体上90% 一致。在常规血管造影中观察到的9条副肾动脉中有2条被遗漏。对于显示动脉瘤范围，SCTA 100% 敏感，并且比常规血管造影更好。SCTA能更好地显示动脉瘤大小。在本研究中进行的SCTA在轻度-中度疾病中较差，但在常规血管造影术中发现了六个严重狭窄/闭塞的动脉中的四个。33% 了对动脉瘤周围炎症的前瞻性敏感性。SCTA的辐射剂量约为常规血管造影的两倍，造影剂剂量约为常规血管造影的三倍。
结论 : 螺旋ct血管造影可以提供所有必要的成像信息，以计划非幽闭者的动脉瘤修复。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The selective promotion of clinical services which have proven effectiveness is a movement that is gaining momentum within healthcare. Outcome evaluation in treatment services for alcohol dependency is given as an example of the methodological issues associated with the establishment of clinical efficacy. It is argued that the adoption of clear protocols for assessment, treatment and outcome are a prerequisite of the process. There are costs associated with in-house follow-up studies but the benefits of feedback are evident for patients and for staff providing their care. Although exposing service providers (and commissioners) to the possibility of negative feedback, outcome evaluation in the treatment of alcohol dependency should be an integral part of provision. The principle of systematic assessment of efficacy applies to healthcare provision generally and should include management, teaching, purchasing and policymaking.

背景与目标： 有选择地推广已证明有效的临床服务是一项在医疗保健领域获得动力的运动。以酒精依赖治疗服务中的结果评估为例，介绍了与建立临床疗效相关的方法学问题。有人认为，采用明确的评估，治疗和结果协议是该过程的先决条件。内部随访研究有相关的成本，但反馈的好处对患者和提供护理的员工是显而易见的。尽管使服务提供者 (和专员) 面临负面反馈的可能性，但酒精依赖治疗中的结果评估应成为提供的组成部分。功效的系统评估原则通常适用于医疗保健，应包括管理，教学，购买和决策。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:To determine the clinical importance and relative value of reinterpreting brain CT imaging studies by subspecialty experts regarding changes in clinical management. METHODS:Computerized records were queried at two institutions during the years 2002-2003 for both primary interpretation by board-certified nonneuroradiologists and secondary interpretation by three neuroradiologists. A total of 1,081 cases were reviewed. Each case was initially interpreted as an emergent or urgent study. The reinterpreted studies were scored as concordant or discordant by the subspecialty experts. The discordant studies were then categorized as a "major discordance" if there was a change in clinical management, or as a "minor discordance" if there was no impact or change in clinical management. RESULTS:Of the 1,081 studies reviewed, 14 studies were identified as discordant (1.3%). Of those discordant studies, four were categorized as major discrepancies necessitating a change in clinical management (0.4 %). Ten were categorized as minor discrepancies (0.9%). There were no permanent adverse outcomes with respect to morbidity and mortality as a result of any discrepancy. CONCLUSION:The vast majority of interpreted head CT cases read by board-certified general radiologists do not result in discordant interpretations as verified by subspecialty experts. Discordant interpretations did not result in changes in clinical management in most cases. Double reading of head CTs by subspecialty experts appears to be an inefficient method of substantially improving imaging health quality outcomes.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:MR digital subtraction angiography (MR-DSA) is a contrast-enhanced MR angiographic sequence that enables time-resolved evaluation of the cerebral circulation. OBJECTIVE:We describe the feasibility and technical success of our attempts at MR-DSA for the assessment of intracranial pathology in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We performed MR-DSA in 15 children (age range 5 days to 16 years) referred for MR imaging because of known or suspected intracranial pathology that required a dynamic assessment of the cerebral vasculature. MR-DSA consisted of a thick (6-10 mm) slice-selective RF-spoiled fast gradient-echo sequence (RF-FAST) acquired before and during passage of an intravenously administered bolus of Gd-DTPA. The images were subtracted and viewed as a cine loop. RESULTS:MR-DSA was performed successfully in all patients. High-flow lesions were shown in four patients; these included vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation, dural fistula, and two partially treated arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Low-flow lesions were seen in three patients, all of which were tumours. Normal flow was confirmed in eight patients including two with successfully treated AVMs, and in three patients with cavernomas. CONCLUSION:Our early experience suggests that MR-DSA is a realistic, non-invasive alternative to catheter angiography in certain clinical settings.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The aim of this pilot study was to investigate anaesthetists' assessment of the ability of patients to increase cardiac output over a range of clinical scenarios and of their perceived 'likelihood of transfusion' in these scenarios. Specialist anaesthetists were given a questionnaire with clinical cues in the form of diagnoses about theoretical patients. They were asked to use 100 mm visual analogue scales (VAS) for their assessments of each patient's cardiac reserve and their 'likelihood of transfusion' of these patients; the endpoints of the VAS being 'Very low' (0 mm) to 'High' (100 mm), and 'Do not transfuse' (0 mm) to 'Transfuse' (100 mm) respectively. The assessment of patients' cardiac output reserve by anaesthetists (n = 54) showed great variation; for example, a patient with severe aortic stenosis was perceived overall to have a limited ability to increase cardiac output (mean VAS 16 mm) but there was considerable variation between anaesthetists (25-75 percentiles 10 mm to 21 mm). Assessment of 'likelihood of transfusion' (n = 42) also had great variation; as an example a patient with 'angina' with a haemoglobin of 95 g l(-1) was perceived overall to have an average likelihood of transfusion of 50 mm, but the 25-75 percentiles ranged from 33 mm to 71 mm. This study suggests that inter-anaesthetist variability in the assessment of a patient's 'cardiac output reserve' and his 'likelihood of transfusion' is large.

背景与目标： : 这项初步研究的目的是调查麻醉师对患者在一系列临床情况下增加心输出量的能力的评估，以及他们在这些情况下感知到的 “输血可能性”。以理论患者的诊断形式向专科麻醉师提供了一份带有临床线索的问卷。他们被要求使用100毫米视觉模拟量表 (VAS) 来评估每个患者的心脏储备和这些患者的 “输血可能性”; VAS的终点是 “非常低” (0毫米) 到 “高” (100毫米)，和 “不输血” (0毫米) 分别转换为 “输血” (100毫米)。麻醉师 (n = 54) 对患者心输出量储备的评估显示出很大的差异; 例如，总体上认为患有严重主动脉瓣狭窄的患者增加心输出量的能力有限 (平均VAS 16毫米)，但麻醉师之间存在相当大的差异 (25-75个百分位数10毫米至21毫米)。“输血可能性” 的评估 (n = 42) 也有很大的差异; 例如，具有95g l(-1) 血红蛋白的 “angina” 患者总体上被认为平均输血可能性为50毫米，但25-75个百分位数范围为33毫米至71毫米。这项研究表明，在评估患者的 “心输出量储备” 和他的 “输血可能性” 时，麻醉师间的变异性很大。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Several case reports have raised serious concerns about the safety of shoulder surgery in the beach-chair position, related to global cerebral hypoperfusion. We summarize our experiences with 15,014 cases of shoulder arthroscopy over an 11-year period. Our primary aim was to evaluate the incidence of intraoperative or immediate postoperative neurologic events and secondarily to relate other perioperative complications. METHODS:We searched our online deidentified departmental quality improvement and patient safety database for adverse outcomes associated with arthroscopic shoulder surgery performed in the beach-chair position for the 11-year period between April 2001 and November 2011, as well as our hospital-system database and a statewide database. This was compared with the total number of such cases, available from our department billing database. RESULTS:The total rate of adverse events was 0.37%. Neurologic abnormalities suggestive of acute cerebral ischemia or hemorrhage did not occur in the immediate perioperative period. One new neurologic deficit was reported, secondary to ischemic stroke, which occurred 24 hours after the surgery. The most frequent complications detected were unplanned return to care (0.067%), local anesthetic systemic toxicity (0.053%), and airway compromise requiring unplanned intubation (0.033%). Complications were infrequent and did not vary in incidence over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS:This retrospective study suggests that intraoperative or immediate postoperative stroke is rare when surgery is conducted in beach-chair position in conjunction with regional anesthesia, propofol sedation, and spontaneous respiration via natural airway.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:To evaluate the indications and outcomes of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) performed within the first 2 weeks of presentation in the management of patients with acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). METHODS:A retrospective chart review from January 1998 to May 2011 identified 128 SJS/TEN patients admitted to Loyola University Medical Center Burn intensive care unit. The degree of initial ocular surface inflammation was graded as mild, moderate, or severe within the first 2 weeks of admission. Patients were managed either medically or with amniotic membrane (AM). Outcomes were graded as good [best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA)>20/40], fair (BCVA 20/40 to 20/200 or with ocular surface discomfort, requiring contact lens or reconstructive surgeries), or poor (BCVA<20/200). RESULTS:Of the 182 eyes (91 patients) with documented inpatient eye examinations, 108 eyes (59.4%) had mild or no initial ocular involvement, 37 eyes (20.3%) had moderate, and 37 eyes (20.3%) had severe inflammation. Of the 29 patients (58 eyes) with greater than 1 month of follow-up, 17 patients (33 eyes) were treated with medical management and 13 patients (25 eyes) were treated with early AM. One of the 23 eyes with moderate or severe presentation treated with early AMT (4.3%) resulted in a poor outcome within 3 months compared with 8 of 23 eyes (34.8%) that were medically managed (P=0.022). CONCLUSIONS:We present the first case-control study of the use of AM in the management of acute SJS/TEN. Early use of AMT prevents severe vision loss in SJS/TEN patients with initial moderate or severe ocular surface inflammation.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Existing methods to predict recovery after severe traumatic brain injury lack accuracy. The aim of this study is to determine the prognostic value of quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS:In a multicenter study, the authors prospectively enrolled 105 patients who remained comatose at least 7 days after traumatic brain injury. Patients underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging, including DTI in 20 preselected white matter tracts. Patients were evaluated at 1 yr with a modified Glasgow Outcome Scale. A composite DTI score was constructed for outcome prognostication on this training database and then validated on an independent database (n=38). DTI score was compared with the International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials Score. RESULTS:Using the DTI score for prediction of unfavorable outcome on the training database, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.75-0.91). The DTI score had a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 95% for the prediction of unfavorable outcome. On the validation-independent database, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.54-0.94). On the training database, reclassification methods showed significant improvement of classification accuracy (P < 0.05) compared with the International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials score. Similar results were observed on the validation database. CONCLUSIONS:White matter assessment with quantitative DTI increases the accuracy of long-term outcome prediction compared with the available clinical/radiographic prognostic score.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The Shozu Herpes Zoster (SHEZ) Study was designed to clarify the incidence of and predictive and immunological factors for herpes zoster in a defined community-based Japanese population. As part of this series, a total of 5683 residents aged ≥50 years received a varicella-zoster virus (VZV) skin test with VZV antigen, and 48 h later, the erythema and oedema were assessed by measuring the longest diameter. The diameters of both the erythema and oedema decreased with the increasing age of the subject. Sixty-three subjects contracted herpes zoster within a year after receiving the VZV skin test. Analysis of the herpes zoster incidence rate vs. the skin test reaction revealed that the shorter the diameter of erythema or oedema, the greater the likelihood of herpes zoster. These results demonstrated that the VZV skin test is an excellent surrogate marker for predicting the risk of herpes zoster.

背景与目标： : Shozu带状疱疹 (SHEZ) 研究旨在阐明以社区为基础的日本人群中带状疱疹的发生率以及预测和免疫学因素。作为本系列的一部分，共有5683名年龄 ≥ 50岁的居民接受了VZV抗原的水痘病毒 (VZV) 皮肤测试，48小时后，通过测量最长直径来评估红斑和水肿。随着受试者年龄的增长，红斑和水肿的直径均减小。接受VZV皮肤测试后一年内，有63名受试者感染了带状疱疹。对带状疱疹发病率与皮肤测试反应的分析表明，红斑或水肿的直径越短，带状疱疹的可能性越大。这些结果表明，VZV皮肤测试是预测带状疱疹风险的出色替代指标。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: INTRODUCTION:The goal of burn care is that 'the quality of the outcome must be worth the pain of survival'. More research is needed to understand how best to deliver care for patients with burns to achieve this aim. Loss of independence, function as well as loss of income for patients with burns and carers cause a significant burden at both individual and societal levels. Much is being done to advance knowledge in the clinical care field; however, there has been a paucity of research exploring psychosocial outcomes. This paper describes the study background and methods, as implemented in an Australian cohort study of psychosocial outcomes after major burn injuries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:In this inception cohort study, a target sample of 230 participants, aged 18 years or over, admitted to a single statewide burns centre with a burn injury are identified by hospital staff for inclusion. Baseline survey data are collected either in person or by telephone within 28 days of the injury and participants then followed up with telephone interviews at 3, 6 and 12 months postburn. Injury and burns treatment information is collected from medical records. Social support is measured as a predictor variable using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Outcome data are collected via standardised measures in the domains of Quality of Life (SF-12, EQ-5D, BSHS-B), depression (PHQ-9), post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-C, PAS), community integration (CIQ-R) and Quality-Adjusted Life Years (EQ-5D). Additional survey questions measure life satisfaction, return to work and public services utilisation at 12 months postinjury. Data analysis methods will include analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Hospital-based and University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committees have approved the protocol. Results from the study will be disseminated at national and international conferences, in peer-reviewed journals and in a doctoral thesis. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12616000828426). Retrospectively registered on 23 June 2016; pre-results.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVES:We evaluated the functional and oncological outcomes of transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) in patients with previously untreated supraglottic carcinoma compared with the outcomes in salvage cases after radiation-based treatment. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective case-control study at a single academic tertiary care institution. The functional outcomes were stratified by prior irradiation and were assessed at baseline, less than 1 week after operation, and at last follow-up. RESULTS:Five patients underwent TLM for previously untreated disease, and 5 previously irradiated patients underwent salvage TLM for local failure. No patient required tracheostomy. There was no local recurrence after TLM as primary therapy, and none of those patients required radiotherapy. One salvage patient developed local recurrence. The duration of feeding tube dependence (p = 0.049) and the rates of chronic aspiration (more than 1 month after operation; p = 0.048) were significantly higher in the salvage TLM cases than in the previously untreated cases. The median scores on the PSS-HN Understandability of Speech were 75 ("usually understandable") in the salvage group and 100 ("always understandable") in the previously untreated group. CONCLUSIONS:Both local control and function were better in the previously untreated patients than in the salvage patients. Our findings provide support for the use of TLM as a primary treatment modality for selected supraglottic carcinomas, but also suggest a potential for functional recovery in both previously untreated and salvage cases.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Statistics on treatment rates for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) show that the number of ESRD patients per million population in the United Kingdom has increased slowly in recent years. The British Transplantation Society issued questionnaires in 1983 and 1984 to determine the number of patients transplanted, the number of suitable patients, and the facilities needed to enable all suitable patients to receive treatment. While there is a high transplant rate, the percentage of ESRD patients on dialysis is low, and there is a "socially unacceptable deficit" with respect to treatment of diabetics and the elderly.

背景与目标： : 有关终末期肾病 (ESRD) 患者治疗率的统计数据表明，英国每百万人口中ESRD患者的数量近年来增长缓慢。英国移植学会1983年和1984发放了问卷，以确定移植的患者人数、合适的患者人数以及使所有合适的患者都能接受治疗所需的设施。尽管移植率很高，但接受透析的ESRD患者的百分比却很低，并且在糖尿病患者和老年人的治疗方面存在 “社会上不可接受的缺陷”。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :A large-scale study was carried out in order to determine the contamination level of antineoplastic drugs in pharmacies and to investigate the suitability and effects of wipe sample monitoring at regular intervals. A specific study design was developed. The 130 participating pharmacies were divided into a study and a control group, carrying out five and two wipe sampling cycles, respectively. The work practice was analyzed using questionnaires to identify factors that influence the contamination level. From 1269 wipe samples, 774 (61%) were contaminated with at least one of the analyzed cytotoxic drugs: cyclophosphamide, docetaxel, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, ifosfamide, methotrexate, and paclitaxel. A significant decrease of the contamination with cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil was observed in the study group. The Monitoring-Effect Study of Wipe Sampling in Pharmacies method has proven to be a reliable and affordable tool for contamination control. Based on the 90th percentile of the contamination values, a substance-independent performance-based guidance value of 0.1ng cm(-2) has been derived.

背景与目标： : 进行了大规模研究，以确定药房中抗肿瘤药物的污染水平，并调查定期擦拭样品监测的适用性和效果。开发了一个特定的研究设计。将130家参与的药房分为研究组和对照组，分别进行了五个和两个擦拭采样周期。使用问卷调查对工作实践进行了分析，以确定影响污染水平的因素。从1269擦拭样品中，774 (61%) 被至少一种分析的细胞毒性药物污染: 环磷酰胺，多西他赛，依托泊苷，5-氟尿嘧啶，吉西他滨，异环磷酰胺，甲氨蝶呤和紫杉醇。在研究组中观察到环磷酰胺和5-氟尿嘧啶的污染显着减少。药房擦拭采样方法的监测效果研究已被证明是控制污染的可靠且负担得起的工具。根据污染值的第90个百分位数，得出了与物质无关的基于性能的指导值0.1ng cm(-2)。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of pregnancies among women with moderate to complex congenital heart disease or pulmonary hypertension over a 12-year period, resulting in a cohort of 107 cases in 65 women. Neuraxial analgesia or anaesthesia was provided in 84%, 89% and 95% of spontaneous vaginal, operative vaginal and caesarean deliveries, respectively. The caesarean delivery rate was 43% compared to our institution average of 27% over the same period (p = 0.02), and 38% had operative vaginal deliveries compared to a 10.5% institution rate (p < 0.01). Invasive monitoring was used in 28% of all deliveries. There were one maternal and two neonatal deaths. This study provides detailed anaesthetic and peripartum management of women with congenital heart disease, a patient population in whom evidence-based practice and data are largely lacking. We observed a predominance of neuraxial anaesthetic techniques, increased caesarean and operative delivery rates, and favourable maternal and neonatal outcomes. Multicentre studies and registries to compare anaesthetic and obstetric management strategies further and delineate risk factors for adverse outcomes are required.

背景与目标： : 我们对12年的中度至复杂先天性心脏病或肺动脉高压妇女的妊娠进行了回顾性队列分析，结果在65名妇女中进行了107例病例的队列研究。分别在84%，89% 和95% 自发阴道，手术阴道和剖腹产时提供了神经镇痛或麻醉。与同期的机构平均27% 相比，剖腹产率43% (p = 0.02)，与10.5% 机构相比，38% 进行了阴道分娩 (p <0.01)。侵入性监测用于28% 所有分娩。有1名产妇和2名新生儿死亡。这项研究提供了先天性心脏病妇女的详细麻醉和围产期管理，先天性心脏病是一个缺乏循证实践和数据的患者人群。我们观察到神经麻醉技术占主导地位，剖腹产和手术分娩率提高，孕产妇和新生儿结局良好。需要进行多中心研究和注册，以进一步比较麻醉和产科管理策略，并描述不良结局的风险因素。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:To identify early clinical factors that are correlated with death or severe disability in paediatric patients who have sustained an injury by hanging or strangulation. METHODS:A retrospective review of all patient records from January 1, 1997, to September 30, 2007, was conducted. Patient records were identified by International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Canada diagnostic codes for asphyxia, strangulation, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, hanging, hypoxemia, hypoxia or anoxia. RESULTS:A total of 109 records were identified. Of these, 41 met the inclusion criteria for the study. Of 19 (46%) children who were pulse-less and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 16 died and the survivors were severely disabled. Of the 22 (54%) children who were found with a pulse, 18 made a full recovery. CONCLUSIONS:Children who are pulseless at discovery for hanging injuries are at high risk of death or severe disability. Early clinical and neurophysiological indicators should be applied systematically to best guide clinicians and parents in their decision making.

背景与目标：