Bronchodilator response in the lung health study over 11 yrs.

Long-term changes in bronchodilator response in people with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were assessed in this study. Changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in response to isoproterenol was measured in 4,194 participants in the Lung Health Study annually for 5 yrs, and again 11 yrs after study entry. Responses were quantitated in terms of mL (absolute), as per cent of the pre-bronchodilator value (relative), and as a per cent of the predicted normal value (% predicted). At baseline, the mean pre-bronchodilator FEV1 was 75.4% predicted, and responses were small. Relative and percentage predicted responses were similar in males and females; and correlated positively with methacholine reactivity, and negatively with smoking intensity and age. Baseline bronchodilator responses did not correlate with subsequent decline in FEV1. There was a substantial increase in response over the first year of the study, largely due to smoking cessation, with larger increases in those who stopped smoking. After the first year absolute responses changed little in those who maintained smoking cessation, but increased in those who did not. Mean relative and percentage predicted responses increased in all participants throughout the study. There was substantial annual variability of absolute response, and it was poorly reproducible in individual participants. In conclusion, smoking cessation increased bronchodilator response, and response did not predict the rate of decline of forced expiratory volume in one second.

Smoking reduction and the rate of decline in FEV(1): results from the Lung Health Study.

Previous findings from the Lung Health Study have shown that smoking cessation and sustained abstinence substantially reduce the rate of decline in forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) among smokers with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when compared with continuing smoking. Intermittent quitters demonstrated rates of FEV(1) decline intermediate between those of sustained quitters and continuing smokers. In this study, data from 1,980 participants were analysed from 10 centres of the Lung Health Study in the USA and Canada. All participants were smokers with mild-to-moderate COPD who were unable to quit smoking at any time during the 1st yr of the study. No linear relationship was found between reduction in cigarettes per day and changes in FEV(1) during the 1st yr of the study. However, examination of the data revealed that this relationship was nonlinear. Further analysis found that smokers who reduced their cigarettes per day to very low amounts had smaller declines in FEV(1) than those who did not. Reduction in cigarettes per day was associated with only minimal changes in the presence of chronic respiratory symptoms. In conclusion, compensatory changes in smoking behaviour may account for the limited and unpredictable impact of smoking reduction on lung function decline and symptom prevalence when compared with smoking cessation.

Artifacts in 3D rotational angiography: an experimental study.

PURPOSE: To investigate artifacts in three-dimensional rotational angiography (3D-RA) in an experimental model and to evaluate which parameters influence their distribution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 3D-RA was carried out in a circular vessel phantom filled with contrast medium. Two different rotational angulations were used: 160 degrees causing 64 images and 180 degrees causing 90 or 120 images. The images were transferred to one workstation for reconstruction of axial slices and then to another workstation for 3D reconstructions. The 3D reconstructions were compared with standardized threshold settings. RESULTS: The artifacts occurred where the vessel had a longer path parallel to the rotation plane and became increasingly pronounced when the threshold level was raised. The artifacts decreased in size when rotation angle and number of projections were increased. CONCLUSION: The quality of the 3D reconstructions from RA was degraded by beam-hardening and sampling artifacts. The sampling artifacts were diminished by increasing both the rotation angle and the number of projections. The distortions in the 3D reconstructions caused by beam-hardening remain to be resolved. The threshold values also had a considerable influence on the 3D reconstructions.

Multicenter evaluation of a new laser guidance system for computed tomography intervention.

PURPOSE: To measure the accuracy of laser-guided punctures and to evaluate the usefulness of the developed laser-guided system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 67 patients referred for computed-tomography-guided puncture. The majority of the punctured lesions were located in the chest (28 patients) or abdomen (19 patients). The mean diameter of the lesion was 3.1 cm, and the mean path length was 6.8 cm. The laser guide was movable along a horizontal or vertical rail and not physically connected to the CT unit. The angle of insertion was entered manually into the display of the unit by the interventional radiologist. A prospective multicenter trial was carried out. RESULTS: A mean of 1.1 needle passes were necessary to reach the target, and in 55 (84.6%) of the patients the target was reached on the first needle pass. The mean deviation of the needle from the preselected angle was 1.8 degrees. The mean targeting time (from the initial localizing scan until the needle was in the target) was 15.6 min. In every case, both the usefulness and the ease of use of the laser guidance system were subjectively evaluated on a 5-point scale; the mean usefulness score was 4.5, while the mean ease of use score was 4.7. CONCLUSION: Different users at four different centers found the laser guidance system useful and easy to use. A high level of accuracy of the puncture angle was obtained in most cases.

Ultrasound-guided large needle core biopsy of the axilla.

PURPOSE: To study the diagnostic yield and safety aspects of large needle core biopsy of pathologic lesions in the axillary region using a semi-automatic biopsy gun. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A series of 21 consecutive large needle core (14G, 2.1 mm) biopsies of the axilla was evaluated. The biopsies were performed under ultrasound guidance with one (n = 13) or two (n = 8) needle passes. The results were correlated to the clinical, mammographic, ultrasound and surgical histopathologic findings. RESULTS: In 18 patients, specimens large enough for diagnosis were retrieved. In two patients the specimens were insufficient and non-diagnostic. In one patient with a non-malignant yield the result was false-negative. No neural or vascular injury occurred. CONCLUSION: The procedure might be safely employed in the diagnosis of ultrasonographically demonstrable lesions of the axilla, whenever specimens larger than those obtainable with a fine needle are desired.

Semiautomatic core biopsy. A modified biopsy technique in breast diseases.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a semiautomatic gun to retrieve diagnostic core specimens of lesions in the breast and the axillary region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a series of 180 consecutive core biopsies (2.1 mm), 145 (142 breasts and 3 axillae) were performed with a semiautomatic gun (18 stereotaxic and 127 US-guided) from lesions presenting mammographically as microcalcifications (n = 15) and opacities (n = 130). The gun did not work satisfactorily in 34 lesions, which were tumors with a very hard consistency. One additional patient was excluded because of technical failure. Biopsy diagnoses in the 145 patients were correlated to surgical histopathology, follow-up mammograms and/or clinical findings. RESULTS: Histologic examination of the specimens resulted in correct diagnoses in 89% (129/145) of the total material and in 87% (108/124) of cancers. In 107 cases, in which only 1 specimen was obtained, 83 of 89 cancers (87%) were detected. Length of specimens ranged from 3 mm (n = 2) to 17 mm (n = 31). Among patients with a 17-mm-long specimen, there was only 1 false-negative diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The semiautomatic gun provided diagnostic specimens in a majority of cases and could be used as an alternative to the automatic guns when size or location of the lesions necessitates a high precision. It was not suitable for use in very hard tumors.

Behaviour of the 2.1-mm (14 G) automated biopsy needle in phantoms.

PURPOSE: To study the behaviour of the 2.1-mm (14 G) core biopsy needle in targets of different consistencies and to correlate the needle behaviour to lengths of the samples. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A series of butter blocks at temperatures of -5 degrees C, -2 degrees C, +1 degrees C, +4 degrees C, +7 degrees C, +10 degrees C, +13 degrees C, +16 degrees C and +19 degrees C simulating lesions of different hardness in human breast, were passed with needles (3 passes at each temperature). Inner needle behaviour was studied both with and without outer cannula effect. RESULTS: At +4 degrees C to +13 degrees C the needle had a curved course, deviated to the side of its tip. At +4 degrees C, the needle was most deviated (range 4, 8, 10 degrees ) and the samples were largest (8, 12, 12 mm). At -5 degrees C to +1 degrees C the needle was bent, the cannula was not triggered and no sample was obtained. At +16 degrees C and +19 degrees C the needle had a straight course and the length of the sample was decreasing. CONCLUSION: Behaviour of the inner needle as well as the cannula depends on the hardness of the target. Targets of intermediate hardness yield adequate samples when the inner needle takes a curved course deviated toward the tip and get restored by the cannula.

Midline or transverse abdominal incision for right-sided colon cancer-a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of the type of abdominal incision on post-operative pain and pulmonary function was investigated in patients operated upon for a right-sided cancer of the large bowel. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-three patients scheduled for a right hemicolectomy due to a right-sided colon cancer were randomized to a median vertical (M) or a transverse incision (T). Forty patients, 23 with a M and 17 with a T incision, completed the study and could be evaluated. Pain at rest and after physical activity was assessed with a visual analogue scale, and was also measured as reflected in the need for analgesics. Respiratory function was assessed with pre- and post-operative spirometry. RESULTS: Pain after activity was significantly less in patients with a T incision. This group also needed less analgesia. Vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1.0) were profoundly reduced after surgery in both groups of patients, but improvement of respiratory function was faster in patients with a transverse incision. No problem with access to the operative field was noted. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a transverse incision is preferable to a midline incision and should be used in right hemicolectomy. This abdominal incision reduces effort-induced pain and interferes less with post-operative pulmonary function, and may reduce the risk of pulmonary complications.

Characteristics of participants who stop smoking and sustain abstinence for 1 and 5 years in the Lung Health Study.

BACKGROUND: This study describes baseline and Year 1 predictors of abstinence from smoking for the 3,523 intervention participants who had complete annual 5-year follow-up data in the Lung Health Study (LHS). METHODS: The LHS enrolled 5,887 smokers, aged 35 to 60 years, of whom 3,923 were offered a cessation intervention. Of these, 22% achieved biochemically verified abstinence for 5 years. Logistic regressions were performed. The first outcome variable was abstinence from smoking at 1 year. Then for those who were quit at 1 year, the outcome variable was 5 years of sustained abstinence. RESULTS: All participants who were not using nicotine gum after 1 year in the study were more likely to sustain cessation over 5 years than were gum users at year 1 (OR ranged from 0.31 to 0.44 for four age- and sex-specific groups). Baseline number of previous quit attempts was negatively associated with 5-year quitting success among younger and older men (OR = 0.82 and 0.83). Older participants who were less likely to associate smoking with emotional coping had higher abstinence rates at 5 years of follow-up (OR = 0.89 and 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Different mechanisms may be responsible for achieving cessation in age/gender groups. These results have implications for planning successful interventions.

[At the threshold of functional ultrasound]. / På tröskeln till funktionellt ultraljud.

Ultrasound diagnosis is the globally predominant single radiological modality in terms of its utilisation rate. Its relative simplicity in use, and its speed, reliability, low cost, and lack of risk, are all factors associated with its increasingly widespread use. The possibility of monitoring processes in real time opens up new approaches to ultrasound-assisted tumour treatment, biopsy, and blood flow and perfusion studies. The development of an ultrasound-specific contrast medium removed the last obstacle to functional ultrasonography and its use in the evaluation of tumour treatment.

Abdominal US for diagnosis of pancreatic tumor: prospective cohort analysis.

PURPOSE: To elucidate the accuracy of abdominal ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all patients referred for pancreatic US during 1988-1990, data on malignant disease and survival were analyzed by using the Swedish Death and Cancer Registries. Nine hundred nineteen patients were entered into the analysis. In 140 of them, a clinical diagnosis of tumor in the pancreatic area was confirmed within 1 year after US. These tumors were primary pancreatic tumors (n = 102), common bile duct and duodenal cancers (n = 17), and metastases in the pancreatic area (n = 21). RESULTS: The sensitivity of US in the detection of all tumors in the pancreatic area was 88.6% (124 of 140 patients), which was similar to that for the detection of exocrine pancreatic cancer, 90% (79 of 88 patients). There were nine false-positive US examinations, for a specificity of 98.8% (770 of 779 patients). Systematic sampling of 94 investigations confirmed an association between US accuracy and presence of clinical symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Significant differences in the sensitivity (P < .05) and accuracy (P < .01) of diagnosis were observed between three experienced investigators. CONCLUSION: Study results support the use of US as a first-line diagnostic examination in patients suspected of having pancreatic tumor. Dependency on the investigator's experience with US mandates continuous evaluation of its performance.

Fetal cardiocentesis in care of severe Kell immunisation.

This case report demonstrates how severe a Kell immunisation can be. Fetal anemia and hydrops fetalis in the second trimester required six intrauterine transfusions, two by cardiocentesis. At 4 years of age the child has shown no abnormalities.

Effects of multiple attempts to quit smoking and relapses to smoking on pulmonary function. Lung Health Study Research Group.

The effect of intermittent smoking on pulmonary function was assessed among participants in the Lung Health Study, 5887 adult smokers with evidence of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), followed up for 5 years. The mean annual rate of loss in FEV1% of predicted after year 1 was smallest for those who quit at some point during the first year of the study and stayed quit (-0.33%/year, +/-0.05%), intermediate for those who smoked intermittently during the study (-0.58%/year, +/-0.05%) and greatest for those who continued to smoke throughout the study (-1.18%/year, +/-0.03%). Surprisingly, those who made several attempts to quit smoking had less loss of lung function at comparable cumulative doses of cigarettes than those who continued to smoke. Quitting smoking for an interval followed by relapse to smoking appeared to provide a measurable and lasting benefit in comparison to continuous smoking. In this early COPD population, not only quitting smoking but attempts to quit smoking can prevent some loss of lung function. These results provide some encouragement to exsmokers who relapse on their way to complete cessation.

Objective responses after fractionated infusional brachytherapy of unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinomas.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma is poor. Therefore, the treatment potential of an intratumoral infusional brachytherapy using macroaggregated human albumin in combination with radioactive chromic phosphate [32P] was investigated in this group of patients. METHODS: Seventeen patients with unresectable tumors received intratumoral infusional brachytherapy. Treatment and assessment of response was performed with the aid of ultrasonography. RESULTS: Four patients had complete response with a duration ranging from 2-57 weeks and 5 patients had partial response with a duration ranging from 4-21 weeks, corresponding to an objective response of 53% (9 of 17 patients). Six of these patients were alive 33-57 weeks after treatment. Radiation necrosis was observed in 1 patient after a 19,000-gray cumulative radiation dose and a slight decrease in blood counts was observed in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intratumoral infusional brachytherapy using radioactive colloidal chromic phosphate has the potential to reduce inoperable pancreatic tumors with few side effects.

Ultrasound-guided 1.2-mm cutting-needle biopsies of head and neck tumours.

PURPOSE: To establish the role of ultrasound-guided cutting-needle biopsy in the diagnostic-work-up of tumours in the head and neck region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-two patients (74 biopsies) with tumours in the head and neck were biopsied by means of a biopsy gun fitted with a 1.2-mm biopsy needle (midsized-needle biopsy, MNB). Twenty-four biopsies were taken from salivary glands, 29 from lymph nodes, and 21 from miscellaneous locations. Thirty-three of the patients were biopsied by MNB under ultrasound guidance after a blinded fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was considered non-diagnostic or non-representative. RESULTS: In 91% of the cases, the MNB diagnosis was identical to the final diagnosis (surgical or radiological/clinical follow-up: at least 6 months), 9% were false-negative/ non-representative. In 17/33 patients MNB was considered to provide more diagnostic information than FNAB, the methods had equal accuracy in 12 patients, and in 4 patients the information already gained with FNAB was superior to that provided by MNB. The non-diagnostic sampling rate for FNAB was 25% versus 3% for MNB. In 26 patients with malignant lymphoma, MNB results were diagnostically correct in all but 2 cases. FNAB was correct in 2 of 9 cases. There were no biopsy-related complications. CONCLUSION: MNB was found to be safe and to possess a high degree of diagnostic accuracy, and could therefore, particularly in patients with lymphoma, be considered a diagnostic alternative to FNAB.

Sonographic assessment of symphyseal joint distention intra partum.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate whether there is a distention of the symphysis pubis intra partum and whether a history of pelvic pain during pregnancy is associated with increased distention during delivery. METHODS: Using ultrasonography, the width of the symphysis pubis was measured on two occasions during delivery; firstly, upon engagement of the fetal head in the pelvic inlet, secondly, when the largest diameter of the fetal head was at the level of the ischiadic spines. The first measurement was conducted in 24 patients, the second measurement was obtained in 16 of these patients. RESULTS: The average width of the symphysis pubis at onset of labor was 5.8 mm. The average distention of the symphysis during labor was 1.1 mm for those without pelvic pain and 0.2 mm for those with a history of pelvic pain during pregnancy (p = 0.02). Parity and ensuing birth weight had no statistically significant influence on degree of distention. CONCLUSION: The symphyseal distention during labor is minimal regardless of parity and size of the child. No added symphyseal distensibility was found in patients with a history of pelvic pain.

Magnetic resonance angiography in the resectability assessment of suspected pancreatic tumours.

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate MRI, including MR angiography (MRA), in the preoperative assessment of the resectability of suspected malignancy of the pancreas. A total of 17 patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma and planned surgery were investigated with conventional angiography, ultrasonography with Doppler technique, MRI and MRA. The MRA protocol included both 2D inflow angiography and 3D phase-contrast angiography. Surgery was carried out in 13 patients. The image quality of MRA was judged satisfactory in all cases. The findings with respect to vascular involvement agreed between the radiological methods in all but 3 cases. When the findings were correlated with the final diagnosis, one false-negative case was found for each of the three methods. The results suggest that MRI with MRA, including both the phase-contrast and inflow techniques, has a similar diagnostic value to that of conventional angiography and ultrasonography in the preoperative assessment of the portal venous system in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Further studies are needed to establish the optimal diagnostic procedure.

Induction of apoptosis in neuroendocrine tumors of the digestive system during treatment with somatostatin analogs.

The extent of apoptosis identified by in situ DNA nick end labelling (TUNEL) on tissue samples obtained from patients with neuroendocrine tumors was correlated with the clinical outcome in patients treated with high-dose somatostatin analog (lanreotide 12 mg/day), n = 8, or other biotherapy including interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), n = 4, low-dose somatostatin analog (octreotide or lanreotide), n = 3, or a combination of both, n = 1. Biopsies were obtained before the start of treatment and/or after 6 months and 12 months. After 6 months of treatment, 5 patients receiving high-dose somatostatin analog showed a biochemical response (decrease in different neuroendocrine tumor markers) and 4 of these showed an increase in apoptotic index (AI: percentage of apoptotic cells) by 1.94 +/- 1.71%. At 12 months, AI was also increased in patients with a biochemical response (4.22 +/- 3.93%). However, none showed a decrease in tumor size on computerized tomography (CT) and none of the patients treated with low-dose somatostatin analog or IFN-alpha showed any significant increase in AI during treatment. In an experimental model, nude mice were xenografted with the neuroendocrine cell line (BON-1). From the 2nd day of tumor implantation, they received treatment with either placebo, high-dose octreotide, IFN-alpha, or a combination of both, for 28 days. In mice receiving treatment with high-dose octreotide (300 microg/kg, t.i.d) there was a threefold increase in apoptotic cells as compared to the placebo group (p = 0.0084), while the combination group had few cells with ultra-structural changes indicating apoptosis and the IFN-alpha treated group showed no significant changes. However, tumor growth inhibition was more pronounced in the combination group (p = 0.0011). This probably denotes that tumor growth inhibition could be achieved more efficiently by blocking the cell cycle than by inducing apoptosis. We concluded that treatment with high-dose somatostatin analogs may induce apoptosis in neuroendocrine tumors, while this is not found during treatment with low-dose somatostatin analogs or IFN-alpha. We also found that an increase in AI during high-dose somatostatin analog treatment was correlated with the biochemical response, but not with the tumor size as detected by CT in patients or with the tumor mass in the experimental model.

Lung density for assessment of hydration status in hemodialysis patients using the computed tomographic densitometry technique.

The density of the lung reflects the total mass of fluid, air, and dry lung tissue per unit volume of the lung. Lung density can be measured by evaluation of attenuation of an electron beam with computed tomography (CT). This technique has been shown to be sufficiently reliable and sensitive to distinguish normal from abnormal lung water. The aim of this study was to find out whether lung density properly reflects the hydration status in hemodialysis patients in comparison with other standard methods. Fourteen hemodialysis patients, with an ultrafiltration ranging from 0.3 to 4.5 liters per session, underwent CT measurements of lung density, ultrasonographic measurements of the diameter of the inferior vena cava after quiet expiration (IVCe) and quiet inspiration (IVCi), and measurements of the hematocrit and plasma levels of the biochemical hydration markers cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). These measurements were performed before and 3.5 to 4 hours after termination of dialysis. Quantitative estimates of lung density were obtained within pixels with CT numbers ranging between -1000 and -100 Hounsfield Units (HU), and compared with normal data from 18 normal controls. In normal controls, the lung density ranged from -800 to -730 HU. In hemodialysis patients, lung density was significantly higher than normal before dialysis (-678 +/- 96 HU, P < 0.01) and significantly decreased after dialysis (-706 +/- 92 HU, P < 0.05), indicating a decrease in fluid content of the lung. The density was normalized in 5 patients. A significant correlation was found between lung density and IVCe both before and after dialysis (r = 0.8, P < 0.01 for both). Change in density was significantly correlated to amount of ultrafiltration (r = 0.67, P < 0.01) and percent change in blood volume (r = 0.63, P < 0.05), indicating that lung density is greatly affected by changes in the extracellular fluid volume, mainly the intravascular volume. In conclusion, lung water reflects the hydration status in hemodialysis patients and can be monitored by measuring the lung density by CT. Accordingly, normalization of lung density can help to achieve a proper dry weight in these patients.