Implementation of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project in the United States.

The North American site in the INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project was North Seattle, Washington State, USA. The majority of the data were collected from within Seattle City, which has approximately 12 300 births per year. The sample for the Newborn Cross-Sectional Study (NCSS) was drawn from two hospitals (Swedish Medical Center and the University of Washington) covering almost 80% of deliveries within the target population. The Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) sample was recruited from several antenatal clinics serving the University of Washington Medical Center and Providence Everett Medical Center. Special activities to encourage participation and raise awareness of the studies included furnishing the recruitment sites with fliers designed by the Project Coordinating Unit, and presenting the studies to clinical staff to encourage providers to refer appropriate patients. One of the major challenges at this site was the low recruitment rate in the early phase of the FGLS because of the high rates of smoking, maternal age >35 years and body mass index >30 years. This was remedied by the inclusion of other ancillary clinics, as well as increased advertising among the general public.

Standardization of fetal ultrasound biometry measurements: improving the quality and consistency of measurements.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a standardization exercise prior to commencing a fetal growth study involving multiple sonographers can reduce interobserver variation. METHODS: In preparation for an international study assessing fetal growth, nine experienced sonographers from eight countries participated in a standardization exercise consisting of theoretical and practical sessions. Each performed a set of seven standard fetal measurements on pregnant volunteers at 20-37 weeks' gestation, and these were repeated by the lead sonographer; all measurements were taken in a blinded fashion. After this the sonographers had hands-on practice and feedback sessions on other volunteers. This process was repeated three times. Measurement differences between sonographers and the lead sonographer, expressed as a gestational-age-specific Z-score, between the first and third scans were compared using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and variance was assessed using Pitman's test. Interobserver agreement was also assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and all images were scored for quality in a blinded fashion. RESULTS: At baseline the level of agreement and image scoring were high. A significant reduction in the differences between sonographers and the lead sonographer were seen for fetal biometry overall (head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length) between the first and third scans (median Z-scores, 0.46 and 0.24; P = 0.005), and a reduction in the variance was also observed (P < 0.001). The ICCs for measurement pairs for every fetal measurement showed a clear trend of increasing ICC (better agreement) with consecutive training scan sessions, although no improvement in image scores was seen. CONCLUSION: Even for experienced sonographers, a standardization exercise before starting a study of fetal biometry can improve consistency of measurements. This could be of relevance for studies assessing fetal growth in multicenter sites.

Factors predicting survival, changes in activity limitations, and disability in a geriatric post-stroke population.

This study is based on data for individuals with a history of stroke taken from the NIA-sponsored Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA), 1984-1990. It provides information on the factors predicting survival and changes in disability and activity limitations in this cohort with stroke or cerebrovascular accident over the period of two years, 1984 to 1986. The results indicate that individuals who were less than 80 years old had higher chances of survival and were likely to show reduced activity limitations and disabilities. It was also observed that the individuals who were in excellent health were more likely to survive despite a history of stroke. Individuals with severe activity limitations had a very low incidence of survival over the two-year period. Further, the results of this study support the contention that the increased use of health care resources in the form of visits to physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes results in improved survival and lower disability and activity limitations among the elderly.

Chronic hepatic artery occlusion with collateral formation: imaging findings and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The imaging findings, clinical presentation, and outcome in post liver transplantation patients with hepatic arterial collaterals are reviewed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult post orthotopic liver transplantation patients who underwent an angiography at our institution for suspected hepatic arterial abnormality during an approximately 10-year period were included in our study. A retrospective review of all cases that had hepatic arterial collaterals detected on angiography was then performed. Angiographic findings were correlated with the findings on ultrasound and other imaging studies. Liver function at the time of angiography was recorded. Clinical outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 129 angiographies performed in the approximately 10-year period, 24 (19.4%) were found to have collaterals on angiography. Maximum size of the collaterals seen on angiography was 3 mm. Twenty patients (83%) with collaterals are currently alive. Twelve patients (50%) had a normal outcome and did not develop any complications on follow-up; however, the rest developed complications. Eleven patients (41.7%) had complication related to the liver ischemia and 2 patients (8.3%) developed malignancy (posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease). CONCLUSION: Collaterals seen in patients with chronic hepatic artery occlusion are usually small in caliber and their significance is unclear. Recognition and understanding of this phenomenon is important as this subset of patients may not need urgent surgical re-exploration/vascular intervention.

Pictorial review. Hepatic vascular shunts: embryology and imaging appearances.

The purpose of this pictorial review is to understand the embryological basis of the development of congenital hepatic vascular shunts and to review the multimodality imaging appearances of congenital and acquired hepatic vascular shunts. Hepatic vascular shunts are commonly seen in imaging. Familiarity with their characteristic appearances is important in order to accurately characterise these shunts and diagnose the underlying disorders.

Case report. Duplication of the portal vein: a rare congenital anomaly.

Complex developmental changes occur during embryonic life as the vitelline veins evolve into the portal vein. Duplication of the portal vein is an uncommon anomaly. Complications of this anomaly include variceal bleeding, portal hypertension and duodenal obstruction. We report a case of this uncommon anomaly and present an embryological perspective as to the cause for this abnormal configuration of the portal veins.

Postrenal transplant non-EBV multiple myeloma of donor origin.

Multiple myeloma occurring after solid organ transplantation is a rare condition, with only a few case reports found in the literature. We report a case of Epstein-Barr virus-negative, posttransplant multiple myeloma in a 67-year-old female, presenting 18 months after renal transplantation. Interestingly, fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of the tumor revealed a Y chromosome in the majority of the cells, indicating that the neoplasm was derived from the donor kidney. To our knowledge, this represents the first reported case with these features.