Adipose Tissue Impacts Radiofrequency Ablation Lesion Size: Results of an Ex Vivo Poultry Model.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a common treatment in which radiofrequency (RF) is used to heat neural tissue and reduce pain. The impact of adipose content in tissue on the lesion size may impact efficacy, and to date, there is little, if any, data comparing its influence on RFA. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the influence of adipose tissue on RF lesion size. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled, ex vivo study. SETTING: Academic institution in a procedural setting. METHODS: RF lesions were created using 20-G 10-mm protruding electrode (PE) needles inserted into unbrined chicken breasts and thighs at 21°C. RF current was applied for 90 seconds at 80°C. Chicken breasts were used as the control group and chicken thighs were used as the high adipose variant. Four different groups were examined: 1- Standard 20 g RFA needle, 2- 20 g RFA PE needle, 3- Standard RFA needle with lidocaine 2% injectate, and 4- Standard RFA needle with iohexol 240 mg injectate. There were 12 lesions performed in each group; length, width, and depth were measured. RESULTS: The control group had significantly deeper lesions in all 4 cohorts. Lesions' lengths were smaller in the fat-rich group. The control and PE cohorts showed a significant difference in width between the 2 fat-rich and nonfatty groups. LIMITATIONS: Radiofrequency ablation was performed at room temperature and not heated to physiological temperature. This was an ex vivo study, thus factors of human anatomy and physiology could not be evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Adipose tissue content was inversely related to lesion size in all samples. This factor should be considered when assessing methods of enhancing lesion size in human models.

Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Tenotomy of the Iliotibial Band for Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Longitudinal Observational Study With One-Year Durability Results.

BACKGROUND: Upper lateral hip pain is a common complaint in adults and is referred to as greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) and is more prevalent among older women. This is a debilitating condition that could result in lower physical activity and quality of life, and higher unemployment rate. GTPS is a clinical diagnosis, and many cases improve with conservative medical management (CMM). However, there is still a gap between patients not responding to CMM and those who are not good surgical candidates. Thus, percutaneous ultrasound tenotomy (PUT) may be a valuable treatment option to limit this gap. OBJECTIVES: Demonstration of the one-year pain and functional outcomes, including sit to stand. SETTING: Academic tertiary care medical center. METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients with refractory trochanteric pain due to iliotibial band (ITB) tendinopathy. Fifty-six hips were treated; 8 patients underwent bilateral procedures. Electronic medical record review of consecutive patients who underwent ITB TENEX® was performed at Montefiore Medical Center from December 2019 to December 2021. Institutional guidelines recommended TENEX® for greater trochanteric pain refractory to conservative treatment and ultrasound (US) confirmed ITB tendinopathy (hypoechogenicity or thickened tendon > 6 mm). Pain level, as well as sit-to-stand, side-lying, and walking tolerance levels were evaluated at baseline preprocedure visit and one-year visit. Follow-up was performed by independent practitioners and corroborated by chart review. RESULTS: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) improved by 4 points across all patients. Seventy percent of patients endorsed pain relief at one-year visit. Median preprocedure NRS-11 was 9. The reported median NRS-11at one year was 5 (Wilcoxon signed rank NRS-11 demonstrated a Z score of -6.042 with P < 0.001). One-year analysis among all patients revealed 57%, 78%, and 66% improvement in side-lying, sit-to-stand, and walking tolerance levels, respectively. LIMITATIONS: We believe that our results must be confirmed with a randomized control trial with a control arm and more patients included. CONCLUSIONS: PUT of the ITB using the TENEX® tissue remodeling device could be a safe and effective treatment for ITB tendinopathy-associated GTPS.

A Cost Model for Neurological Diseases in Puerto Rico: Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Huntington's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: This article proposes an engineering-economics model to determine the total cost of a neurological disease along its temporal progression. The objective was to develop a planning tool faithful to the reality of this type of ailment as well as to that of Puerto Rico (PR). METHODS: The proposed model organizes a given neurological disease into 3 progressive phases of deterioration; in each, the model collects the typical associated costs and adjusts them based on their value over time. This way, the total cost of the ailment is calculated and its present day dollar value expressed. Model verification was carried out using data from Puerto Rico related to Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. RESULTS: The method demonstrated here considered Parkinson's disease in PR. Our model calculated a total annual cost of $64,915 for a patient at the medium stage. This figure is larger than estimates from other authors, which fall between $41,689 and $51,600 for the USA. This difference is partially due to the proposed model considering the individual's opportunity cost of the loss of productive years, an original contribution of our work. CONCLUSION: A neurological disease is one in which an individual goes through progressive phases of deterioration that will require significant economic resources. The model proposed here is designed across the commonalities between Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases and illustrated using costs from PR. As an additional contribution, it allows the consideration of the opportunity cost of lost productivity, a characteristic that makes it more realistic.

The Effect of Local Anesthetics and Contrast Agents on Radiofrequency Ablation Lesion Size.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a validated treatment option for the treatment of chronic pain in patients with lumbar spondylosis. Lesion size has been suggested to correlate with good clinical outcomes. This has created an abundance of scientific interest in the development of products with larger lesion characteristics. Needle characteristics, energy transfer, and heat rate are known to modify lesion size. Here, we demonstrate that common intraoperative solutions, such as lidocaine, iodine, and gadolinium-based products, can also affect lesion shape. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether lidocaine and contrast agents modify lesion characteristics during the performance of monopolar RFA. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled, ex vivo study using clinically relevant conditions and pre-injections. SETTING: Academic institution in a procedural setting. METHODS: RFA lesion size was compared among six cohorts: 1) lidocaine 1%, 2) lidocaine 2%, 3) iohexol 180, 4) iohexol 240, 5) gadodiamide, and 6) control (no fluid control). Radiofrequency (RF) current was applied for 90 seconds at 80°C via 20-gauge 100-mm standard RFA needles with 10-mm active tips in orgranic chicken breasts without preservative at room temperature (21°C). Twelve lesions were performed for each medication cohort. The length, width, and depth of each lesion were measured. The statistical significance between each medication group and the control group was evaluated by t test. RESULTS: The mean lesion surface area of monopolar RFA without any pre-injection used was 80.8 mm2. The mean surface area of the monopolar RF lesion with a pre-injection of 0.2 mL of 2% lidocaine was 114 mm2, and the mean surface area of the monopolar RF lesion with a pre-injection of 0.2 mL of iohexol 240 was 130.6 mm2. The statistical analysis demonstrated that the control group had significantly smaller lesion sizes than did the groups in which lidocaine 2% and iohexol 240 were used (P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences among the groups in which lidocaine 1%, iohexol 180, and gadodiamide were used. A notable difference was a 20% longer lesion with iohexol 240 compared with the control group and a 20% wider lesion with lidocaine 2% compared with the control group. LIMITATIONS: In vivo anatomy within a human was not used in this study, nor were the chicken breasts heated to physiological temperature. Randomization of pieces of chicken breast did not occur, and thus intrinsic differences among the chicken breast pieces could play a confounding role. CONCLUSIONS: Lidocaine 2% and iohexol 240, when used as pre-injections in RFAs, were found to be associated with statistically significant increases in lesion surface area. However, RFAs with lidocaine 1%, iohexol 180, or gadodiamide were not found to produce a statistically significant difference in lesion size compared with monopolar RFA without the use of injectate.

Observational study of population genomic screening for variants associated with endocrine tumor syndromes in a large, healthcare-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: In current care, patients' personal and self-reported family histories are primarily used to determine whether genetic testing for hereditary endocrine tumor syndromes (ETS) is indicated. Population genomic screening for other conditions has increased ascertainment of individuals with pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants, leading to improved management and earlier diagnoses. It is unknown whether such benefits occur when screening broader populations for P/LP ETS variants. This manuscript assesses clinical utility outcomes of a large, unselected, healthcare-based genomic screening program by describing personal and family history of syndrome-related features, risk management behaviors after result disclosure, and rates of relevant post-disclosure diagnoses in patient-participants with P/LP ETS variants. METHODS: Observational study of individuals informed of a P/LP variant in MEN1, RET, SDHAF2, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, or VHL through Geisinger's MyCode Community Health Initiative between June 2016 and October 2019. Electronic health records (EHRs) of participants were evaluated for a report of pre-disclosure personal and self-reported family histories and post-disclosure risk management and diagnoses. RESULTS: P/LP variants in genes of interest were identified in 199 of 130,490 (1 in 656) adult Geisinger MyCode patient-participants, 80 of which were disclosed during the study period. Eighty-one percent (n = 65) did not have prior evidence of the result in their EHR and, because they were identified via MyCode, were included in further analyses. Five participants identified via MyCode (8%) had a personal history of syndrome-related features; 16 (25%) had a positive self-reported family history. Time from result disclosure to EHR review was a median of 0.7 years. Post-disclosure, 36 (55.4%) completed a recommended risk management behavior; 11 (17%) were diagnosed with a syndrome-related neoplasm after completing a risk management intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Broader screening for pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants associated with endocrine tumor syndromes enables detection of at-risk individuals, leads to the uptake of risk management, and facilitates relevant diagnoses. Further research will be necessary to continue to determine the clinical utility of screening diverse, unselected populations for such variants.

Rehabilitation and In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) guidelines endorse early rehabilitation to improve outcomes in hospitalized patients, but the evidence base to support this recommendation is lacking. We examined the association between early rehabilitation and in-hospital deaths in COVID-19 patients. METHOD: A single-center retrospective study, involving 990 COVID-19 patients (42.4% women, mean age 67.8 years) admitted between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020 to a community hospital, was conducted. Association of rehabilitation during hospitalization with in-hospital mortality was examined using logistic regression analysis adjusted for demographics, length of stay, body mass index, comorbid illnesses, functional status as well as for COVID-19 presentations, treatments, and complications. RESULTS: Over the 3-month study period, 475 (48.0%) inpatients were referred for rehabilitation. Patients who received rehabilitation were older (73.7 ± 14.0 vs 62.3 ± 17.2). There were 61 hospital deaths (12.8%) in the rehabilitation group and 165 (32.0%) in the nonrehabilitation group. Receiving rehabilitation was associated with an 89% lower in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06-0.19) after adjusting for multiple confounders and COVID-19 disease markers. In sensitivity analyses, the results were significant in subpopulations defined by age group, sex, race, length of hospitalization, or pulmonary presentations. Each additional rehabilitation session was associated with a 29% lower risk of in-hospital mortality (OR per session: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.64-0.79) in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSION: Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, receiving early rehabilitation was associated with lower in-hospital mortality. Our findings support implementation of rehabilitation services for COVID-19 patients in acute care settings, but further research from randomized clinical trials is needed.