A survey of barriers and facilitators to the adoption of buprenorphine prescribing after implementation of a New Jersey-wide incentivized DATA-2000 waiver training program.

BACKGROUND: Opioid-involved overdose deaths continue to rise in the US, despite availability of highly effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD), in part due to the insufficient number of treatment providers. Barriers include the need for providers to gain expertise and confidence in providing MOUD to their patients who need these treatments. To mitigate this barrier, New Jersey sponsored a buprenorphine training program with financial incentives for participation, which met the then existing requirement for the DATA-2000 waiver. In a 2019 follow-up survey, participants reported on barriers and facilitators to subsequent buprenorphine prescribing. METHODS: Participants in the training program completed a 10-min electronic survey distributed via email. The survey addressed demographics, practice characteristics, current buprenorphine prescribing, and barriers and facilitators to adoption and/or scale up of buprenorphine prescribing. RESULTS: Of the 440 attendees with a valid email address, 91 individuals completed the survey for a response rate of 20.6%. Of the 91 respondents, 89 were eligible prescribers and included in the final analysis. Respondents were predominantly female (n = 55, 59.6%) and physicians (n = 55, 61.8%); representing a broad range of specialties and practice sites. 65 (73%) of respondents completed the training and DEA-registration, but only 31 (34.8%) were actively prescribing buprenorphine. The most frequently cited barriers to buprenorphine prescribing were lack of access to support services such as specialists in addiction, behavioral health services, and psychiatry. The most frequently reported potential facilitators were integrated systems with direct access to addiction specialists and psychosocial services, easier referral to behavioral health services, more institutional support, and improved guidance on clinical practice standards for OUD treatment. CONCLUSION: More than half (52.3%) of those who completed incentivized training and DEA registration failed to actively prescribe buprenorphine. Results highlight provider perceptions of inadequate availability of support for the complex needs of patients with OUD and suggest that broader adoption of buprenorphine prescribing will require scaling up support to clinicians, including increased availability of specialized addiction and mental health services.

Comparison of Short-Tau Inversion Recovery With Short-Tau Inversion Recovery-Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction for Spine Imaging at 1.5 T in the Setting of Metallic Implants.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the image quality of short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and the STIR-slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) sequence for postsurgery spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with metallic spinal implants who underwent spinal 1.5 T MRI with STIR and STIR-SEMAC sequences between July 2016 and November 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. Qualitative assessments were performed using 5-point scales; higher scores indicated better image quality. For screw metal artifact analysis, scores were obtained for artifacts on vertebral bodies and neural foramina, screw artifact widths, and bone marrow signal intensities. For patient-based analysis, scores were obtained for imaging quality and fat suppression quality, signal intensity, and cerebrospinal fluid noise. A paired t test was performed for statistical analyses. RESULTS: We analyzed 163 screws in 29 patients. In the screw metal artifact analysis, the vertebral body and neural foramen scores were significantly higher for the STIR-SEMAC images than for the STIR (all P < 0.001). The artifact width in the STIR-SEMAC images (9.8 ± 3.4 mm) was significantly smaller than that in the STIR images (16.0 ± 4.7 mm, P < 0.001). In patient-based analysis, the fat suppression and imaging quality scores were significantly higher for the STIR-SEMAC images than for the STIR images (all P < 0.001). The cerebrospinal fluid signal intensity, noise, and signal-to-noise ratios were significantly higher for the STIR images (all P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Short-tau inversion recovery-SEMAC sequences provide good metallic artifact reduction and fat suppression for postsurgery spine 1.5 T MRI.

Feasibility of Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Musculoskeletal Tumors with Optimized Post-Labeling Delay.

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to perform perfusion imaging without administration of contrast media. However, the reliability of ASL for musculoskeletal tumors and the influence of post-labeling delay (PLD) have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of ASL with different PLDs in the imaging of musculoskeletal tumors. Forty-five patients were enrolled and were divided into a malignant group, a hypervascular benign group, a hypovascular benign group and a control group. The tissue blood flow (TBF) of the lesions and normal muscles was measured and the lesion-to-muscle TBF ratio and differences were calculated. The results showed that both the TBF of lesions and muscles increased as the PLD increased, and the TBF of muscles correlated significantly and positively with the TBF of lesions (all p < 0.05). The TBF and lesion-to-muscle TBF differences of the malignant lesions were significantly higher than those of the hypovascular benign lesions and the control group in all PLD groups (all p < 0.0125) and only those of the hypervascular benign lesions in the longest PLD (3025 ms) group (p = 0.0120, 0.0116). In conclusion, ASL detects high TBF in malignant tumors and hypervascular benign lesions, and a longer PLD is recommended for ASL to differentiate musculoskeletal tumors.

Availability of buprenorphine/naloxone films and naloxone nasal spray in community pharmacies in 11 U.S. states.

BACKGROUND: Prompt access to prescribed buprenorphine/naloxone films (BUP/NX) and naloxone nasal spray (NNS) is vital for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), but multiple studies have documented pharmacy-level barriers. METHODS: A cross-sectional secret shopper telephone audit was conducted in a sample of 5734 actively licensed pharmacies in 11 U.S. states from May 2020-April 2021. Primary outcomes included availability of 14 generic BUP/NX 8/2 mg and one unit of NNS 4 mg. Outcomes were compared by pharmacy type, county metropolitan status, state Medicaid expansion status, and state drug overdose death rate. RESULTS: Data from 4984 pharmacies (3402 chain and 1582 independent) were analyzed. Both medications were available in 41.2 % of pharmacies, BUP/NX was available in 48.3%, and NNS was available in 69.5%. Chain pharmacies were significantly more likely than independent pharmacies to have both medications available, to have each medication available individually, and to be willing to order BUP/NX. Pharmacies in metropolitan counties were more likely to have BUP/NX available than pharmacies in non-metropolitan counties, pharmacies in Medicaid expansion states were more likely to have both medications available and to have NNS available than pharmacies in non-expansion states, and pharmacies in states with high drug overdose death rates were more likely to have NNS available than pharmacies in states with low drug overdose death rates. CONCLUSIONS: BUP/NX and NNS are not readily accessible in many U.S. pharmacies. Deficits in access are most pronounced in independent pharmacies, though county- and state-level factors may also influence availability of these essential medications.

Reliability of Gradient-Echo Magnetic Resonance Elastography of Lumbar Muscles: Phantom and Clinical Studies.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has been used to successfully characterize the mechanical behavior of healthy and diseased muscles, but no study has been performed to investigate the reliability of MRE on lumbar muscles. The objective of this work was to determine the reliability of MRE techniques on lumbar muscles in both ex vivo phantom and in vivo human studies. In this study, fresh porcine leg muscles were used in the phantom study, and 80 healthy adults (38.6 ± 11.2 years, 40 women) were recruited in the human study. Five repeated stiffness maps were obtained from both the phantom and human muscles by using a gradient-echo MRE sequence with a pneumatic vibration on a 1.5 T MR scanner. The technical failure rate, coefficient of variation (CV), and quality score were assessed to evaluate the reliability of MRE, respectively. Analysis of variance was performed to compare the stiffness between different lumbar muscles, and the difference was significant if p < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction. The results showed that the MRE achieved a zero technical failure rate and a low CV of stiffness (6.24 ± 1.41%) in the phantom muscles. However, in the human study, the MRE exhibited high CVs of stiffness (21.57%−25.24%) in the lumbar muscles, and the technical failure rate was higher in psoas muscles (60.0−66.3% in) than in paraspinal muscles (0.0−2.5%). Further, higher quality scores were noticed in paraspinal muscles (7.31−7.71) than those in psoas muscles (1.83−2.06). In conclusion, the MRE was a reliable technique to investigate the mechanical property of lumbar muscles, but it was less reliable to assess stiffness in psoas muscles than paraspinal muscles.

Prospective clinical trial on the learning curve of high-intensity-focused ultrasound for the treatment of breast fibroadenoma.

INTRODUCTION: High-intensity-focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a safe and feasible treatment option for breast fibroadenoma. However, its learning curve has not been described in the medical literature. METHODS: All patients with biopsy-proven fibroadenoma considered indicated for HIFU were screened for eligibility for HIFU treatment. A total of 60 patients were recruited according to the pre-defined sample size calculation. RESULTS: Sixty consecutive patients were divided into three cohorts in chronological order. The mean tumor volume shrinkage rates in cohorts 1, 2, and 3 at 6 months post-HIFU ablation were 38%, 34%, and 59%, respectively. Significant tumor shrinkage was observed from case 41 onward (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the mean tumor volume shrinkage rates in cohorts 1, 2, and 3 at 12 months post-HIFU ablation were 45%, 51%, and 71%, respectively. Significant tumor shrinkage was observed from case 41 onwards (p < 0.0473). The mean procedure time for the first 20 patients was 48.5 (range 45-75) minutes, while that in the second 20 patients was 39.7 (range 20-60) minutes, and that in the last 20 patients was 28.9 (range 15-45) minutes. The treatment time was significantly shorter from case 41 onwards (p = 0.0481). CONCLUSION: Treatment outcomes and treatment time improved significantly after performing approximately 40 HIFU procedures.

Could ductoscopy alleviate the need of microdochectomy in pathological nipple discharge?

BACKGROUND: Microdochectomy is the gold-standard for definitive diagnosis for pathological nipple discharge (PND); however, problem of over-treating exists since majority of PND are self-limiting and due to benign causes. Ductoscopy may assist diagnosis, and triage patients for intervention or expectant management. This study aimed to evaluate if ductoscopy could reduce unnecessary microdochectomy but not compromising the diagnosis of malignancy. METHOD: A multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in consecutive patients of PND without a suspected malignancy on routine diagnostic evaluation. Ductoscopy was performed with attempts to remove intraductal lesions if they were found. Microdochectomy was carried out if there were positive intraductal lesions, but failed endoscopic extraction, or failed ductoscopy and persistent PND. Efficacy of ductoscopy was determined by cannulation success rate, number of avoided surgery and number of missed malignancy. RESULTS: In a 3-year period between 2016 and 2018, a total of 223 ductoscopy were performed and 94.2% had successful cannulation. Within such, 59.5% (N = 125) had intraductal mass identified, and 82 microdochectomy were carried out. The final histology showed 15 malignancy, making the overall malignancy rate 6.7%. Ductoscopy successful and negative patients (N = 85, 37.8%) were triaged for surveillance and the malignancy rate is 0% in a median follow-up of 2 years; hence, microdochectomy was avoided. CONCLUSION: PND with non-suspicious conventional imaging and negative ductoscopy have rare malignancy rate which makes subsequent microdochectomy unnecessary. However, intraductal mass in ductoscopy is a predictor for malignancy so definitive histology diagnosis is mandatory.

Predicting Outcome in Mammary Phyllodes Tumors: Relevance of Clinicopathological Features.

BACKGROUND: Phyllodes tumors (PTs) of the breast are uncommon fibroepithelial neoplasms. Most behave in a benign fashion but they also have the potential to recur locally or to metastasize. METHODS: In the current study involving 290 PTs (181 benign, 76 borderline, and 33 malignant) from three hospitals over an 11-year period, we assessed the relationship between histologic parameters (including histologic features affecting grade and surgical margin status), postoperative adjuvant treatment, and local recurrences and distant metastases. RESULTS: An involved surgical margin was the only factor associated with increased risk of local recurrences (hazard ratio [HR] 4.673, p = 0.003), but not for distant metastases. For local recurrences, a wider margin did not confer additional benefits. None of the histologic factors were predictive for local recurrences. In contrast, distant metastases were correlated with histologic parameters, particularly an infiltrative border (HR 10.935, p = 0.012) and the presence of necrosis (HR 15.311, p = 0.007). In this series, all local recurrences were found in patients without radiotherapy, regardless of surgical margin status. CONCLUSION: A negative surgical margin is mandatory for the effective local control of PT recurrence, and a minimal margin clearance may be sufficient. For distant metastases, the inherent characteristics of PTs are important, thus it may be prudent to evaluate additional histologic features, including necrosis, for patients' prognostication.

Myoepithelial carcinoma of tibia mimic giant cell tumor: a case report with emphasis on MR features.

Intraosseous myoepithelial carcinoma is an extremely rare type of bone tumor that most often presents in the long tubular bones, but also occurs in small tubular bones and the axial skeleton. We report the radiographic images and complete magnetic resonance (MR) features of a 44-year-old male with right knee pain of 7 months' duration. The radiographic findings and convention MR images indicated a giant cell tumor of the bone. The dynamic contrast-enhanced images showed a patent with the early wash-in and early wash-out usually noted in a giant cell tumor of the bone. Only water restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) showed the malignant impression. Care should be taken when conventional images indicate giant cell tumor of the bone, as intraosseous myoepithelial carcinoma, although rare, can mimic this more common diagnosis. Further studies with DWI are warranted.

Fracture of the polyethylene tibial post in the posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis: arthrographic and CT arthrographic diagnosis.

Fracture of the polyethylene tibial post in the posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis is often delayed in diagnosis due to its nonspecific symptoms and the radiolucent characteristic of polyethylene on conventional radiography. Therefore, the diagnosis is always established by arthroscopy. Notwithstanding recent advances in imaging modalities, we are presently aware of only two related case reports on MRI and even no reports about arthrographic or CT-arthrographic diagnosis of fractured tibial post. We hereby report a case of a 58-year-old female patient who developed recurrent knee pain during the third year after total knee arthroplasty. The displaced polyethylene tibial post was clearly outlined by administered contrast material in the posterior knee. Under the diagnosis of fracture of the tibial post, the patient underwent isolated replacement of the broken polyethylene insert. Her knee pain significantly improved after the operation.

Coexistence of Ductal Carcinoma Within Mammary Phyllodes Tumor: A Review of 557 Cases From a 20-year Region-wide Database in Hong Kong and Southern China.

INTRODUCTION: Phyllodes tumor (PT) is an uncommon fibroepithelial tumor of the breast showing predominately proliferation of the stromal component. The presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive ductal carcinoma is rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed. Patients who were treated for PT in 5 hospitals in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China over a period of 20 years (1997-2016) were evaluated. All pathology slides were reported by specialist pathologists. Patients with coexisting ductal carcinoma were identified. RESULTS: A total of 557 patients were included in this cohort; 363 (65.2%) patients had benign PT, 130 (23.3%) had borderline PT, and 64 (11.5%) had malignant PT. There were 6 (1.1%) patients with coexisting ductal carcinoma in the PT; 5 were DCIS and 1 was invasive ductal carcinoma. The median age was 46.5 years (range, 25-54 years). Ductal carcinoma occurred more frequently in malignant PT than in benign or borderline PT (4.7% vs. 0.6%; P = .02). However, malignant PT was not associated with higher DCIS grade (P = .1). All patients underwent surgery with clear resection margins. After a median follow-up interval of 70 months (range, 2-101 months), all patients remained disease- and recurrence-free. CONCLUSION: We report 6 additional uncommon cases of ductal carcinoma complicating PT. The presence of ductal carcinoma was not adverse prognosticator as these are usually incidental and situated within the harboring PT.

Mammary phyllodes tumour: a 15-year multicentre clinical review.

AIMS: Phyllodes tumour (PT) is an uncommon fibroepithelial tumour of the breast. It has a spectrum of aggressiveness in biological behaviour with chance of local recurrence and, occasionally, metastasis. METHODS: A 15-year retrospective review from a multicentre database in Hong Kong was performed. RESULTS: Clinical and pathological records of 465 patients with 469 PTs between 1998 and 2014 were reviewed. Median age of occurrence was 44 years (range 12-86 years). 281 (59.9%) PTs were benign, 124 (26.4%) were borderline and 64 (13.6%) were malignant. About half of all PTs (239, 51.5%) were between 2 and 5 cm while another 186 (40.1%) were >5 cm in size. Most PT (84.6%) were radiologically benign. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) was feasible in 384 (82%) patients, whereas 84 (18%) patients had mastectomy. Multivariate analysis found that positive surgical margin (P<0.001) and BCS (P<0.001) were the only significant risk factors for local recurrence, while large tumour size (P=0.008) and malignant PT histotype (P<0.001) were the only significant risk factors for metastasis. Long-term prognosis of benign and borderline PT was excellent. After median follow-up interval of 85 months (range 12-180 months), the disease-specific survival of benign, borderline and malignant PT were 99.6%, 100% and 90.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Local recurrence of PTs occurs irrespective of the tumour grade. Surgical margin is the only amendable factor to reduce the chance of recurrence.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: initial presentation with a preosseous lesion of the scalp and its MRI appearance.

This case subject is a 1-year-old girl presenting with recurrent diffuse soft-tissue swelling of the scalp and periorbital region. Her family denied any known history of trauma. There was no obvious discoloration or local heat at the lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed diffuse soft tissue swelling of the scalp manifesting as high signal intensity on T2-weighted images and low signal intensity on T1-weighted images with diffuse enhancement after gadolinium-contrast administration. Biopsy yielded inconclusive pathological results. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) was not suspected until malformation of the patient's toes was noticed. The scalp lesion underwent spontaneous regression, and subsequent radiographs of the chest and cervical spine revealed heterotopic ossifications of the neck and thorax. Early diagnosis of FOP is vital because trauma, unnecessary biopsy and intramuscular injection are known to cause acceleration of heterotopic ossifications. Previous studies reported diffuse soft tissue swelling at the posterior neck, thoracic wall or paraspinal region as preosseous lesions of FOP (Shiva Kumar et al. Neurology. 2010;74(6):e20, Merchant et al. Pediatr Radiol. 2006;36(10):1108-11, Hagiwara et al. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2003;181(4):1145-7). To our knowledge, diffuse soft tissue swelling of the scalp as a preosseous lesion of FOP and associated MRI findings have not yet been reported. We believe that awareness of preosseous lesions presenting as diffuse soft tissue swelling, in addition to shortening and valgus deformity of the great toes, is an important diagnostic clue for establishing FOP.

Posteromedial olecranon impingement of the pitching elbow: Additional findings provided by CT.

PURPOSE: Posteromedial olecranon impingement (PMOI) is the most common diagnosis in baseball players with throwing-induced elbow injuries. CT imaging manifestations of PMOI have seldom been previously reported. Our purpose is to investigate the additional value of CT imaging in the evaluation of PMOI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2010 to December 2013, 47 baseball players with throwing-induced elbow pain received imaging studies (CT and/or MRI) of the elbow at our institution. After retrospectively reviewing the clinical records and imaging studies, 31 of the 47 players were diagnosed with PMOI by the criteria of posteromedial elbow pain with clinical consistency for PMOI and characteristic osteoarthrosis at the posteromedial ulnotrochlear articulation (posteromedial olecranon space, PMOS) detected by CT and/or MRI. The imaging modalities of these 31 players including radiography, CT, and MRI were reviewed by 2 experienced musculoskeletal radiologists. RESULTS: The most common imaging manifestations of PMOI by CT or MRI include joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis, and osteophytes at the PMOS. CT was superior to MRI with a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference in detecting joint space narrowing, medial olecranon subluxation, as well as the number of loose bodies. In contrast, bone marrow edema and associated soft tissue injuries in PMOI are more readily observed on MRI. CONCLUSIONS: CT is superior in identifying some imaging features of PMOI. Whenever PMOI is diagnosed in the pitching elbow of a baseball player, CT should be considered prior to surgical intervention as it will often provide additional information to the surgeon that may alter surgical management.

Development of an Automated Bone Mineral Density Software Application: Facilitation Radiologic Reporting and Improvement of Accuracy.

The conventional method of bone mineral density (BMD) report production by dictation and transcription is time consuming and prone to error. We developed an automated BMD reporting system based on the raw data from a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner for facilitating the report generation. The automated BMD reporting system, a web application, digests the DXA's raw data and automatically generates preliminary reports. In Jan. 2014, 500 examinations were randomized into an automatic group (AG) and a manual group (MG), and the speed of report generation was compared. For evaluation of the accuracy and analysis of errors, 5120 examinations during Jan. 2013 and Dec. 2013 were enrolled retrospectively, and the context of automatically generated reports (AR) was compared with the formal manual reports (MR). The average time spent for report generation in AG and in MG was 264 and 1452 s, respectively (p < 0.001). The accuracy of calculation of T and Z scores in AR is 100 %. The overall accuracy of AR and MR is 98.8 and 93.7 %, respectively (p < 0.001). The mis-categorization rate in AR and MR is 0.039 and 0.273 %, respectively (p = 0.0013). Errors occurred in AR and can be grouped into key-in errors by technicians and need for additional judgements. We constructed an efficient and reliable automated BMD reporting system. It facilitates current clinical service and potentially prevents human errors from technicians, transcriptionists, and radiologists.

Dabigatran for stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: focus in the geriatric population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of dabigatran for stroke prevention in the elderly population. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (1948-June 2013), Web of Science (1980-June 2013), and Google Scholar were used to identify relevant literature. Search terms included dabigatran, dabigatran etexilate, geriatric, elderly. STUDY SELECTION: All articles evaluating the use of dabigatran in the elderly were considered for inclusion. Data derived from controlled clinical studies were given priority for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Only the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy trial has evaluated dabigatran etexilate for the prevention of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. A post hoc analysis of this study was completed to identify the risks and benefits of therapy in patients 75 years of age and older. Numerous case reports and case series have been published that suggest an increased risk of bleeding in the elderly. Large observational studies, however, have not supported the hypotheses generated by these case reports. DATA SYNTHESIS: Since the approval of dabigatran etexilate, numerous case reports have suggested the potential dangers of bleeding complications, especially given that there is no known antidote. Observational studies have challenged these case reports and suggest that the increased risk of bleeding is similar or lower compared with warfarin therapy. The increased reporting of bleeding complications may be a result of reporting bias. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age alone should not exclude the use of dabigatran. Clinicians should base their decision on patient characteristics and careful assessment of risk versus benefit.

Imaging features of posterior limbus vertebrae.

Posterior limbus vertebra (PLV) is the retropulsion of the vertebral ring apophysis resulting from disc herniation through posterior ring physis. Large PLV can cause spinal stenosis, and small PLV can be mistaken as intraspinal disc herniation. Although the clinical presentations were similar, the surgery was quite different. We had experienced preoperative misdiagnosed cases and the surgery could not be finished. Therefore we analyzed the imaging features of PLV in 34 patients in order to prompt appropriate preoperative diagnosis and surgical planning.