American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline: The Use of Advanced Technology in the Management of Persons With Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence-based recommendations regarding the use of advanced technology in the management of persons with diabetes mellitus to clinicians, diabetes-care teams, health care professionals, and other stakeholders. METHODS: The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) conducted literature searches for relevant articles published from 2012 to 2021. A task force of medical experts developed evidence-based guideline recommendations based on a review of clinical evidence, expertise, and informal consensus, according to established AACE protocol for guideline development. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes of interest included hemoglobin A1C, rates and severity of hypoglycemia, time in range, time above range, and time below range. RESULTS: This guideline includes 37 evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for advanced diabetes technology and contains 357 citations that inform the evidence base. RECOMMENDATIONS: Evidence-based recommendations were developed regarding the efficacy and safety of devices for the management of persons with diabetes mellitus, metrics used to aide with the assessment of advanced diabetes technology, and standards for the implementation of this technology. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced diabetes technology can assist persons with diabetes to safely and effectively achieve glycemic targets, improve quality of life, add greater convenience, potentially reduce burden of care, and offer a personalized approach to self-management. Furthermore, diabetes technology can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical decision-making. Successful integration of these technologies into care requires knowledge about the functionality of devices in this rapidly changing field. This information will allow health care professionals to provide necessary education and training to persons accessing these treatments and have the required expertise to interpret data and make appropriate treatment adjustments.

Imaging-guided Parenchymal Liver Biopsy: How We Do It.

Liver biopsies are performed for both focal and nonfocal lesions (parenchymal). In our center, majority of liver biopsies are performed for parenchymal liver disease. Parenchymal liver biopsy plays a key role in the diagnosis of various diffuse liver dysfunctions. Results of the biopsy help grade the disease, facilitating prognostication, which helps in planning specific treatment strategies. Imaging guidance is gaining wide acceptance as the standard procedure. Ultrasound (US) guidance is currently considered the most cost-effective and safe way to perform parenchymal liver biopsies. Radiologists worldwide and particularly in the United States are increasingly performing this procedure. Radiologists performing biopsies generally use the cutting needle. Different needle sizes, techniques and preference for biopsy of the right or left lobe have been described. We attribute these preferences to prior training and individual radiologist's comfort level. We describe the algorithm followed at our institution for performing percutaneous US-guided parenchymal liver biopsy. While clinical societies have recommended a minimum of 40 liver biopsies as a requirement for proficiency of clinicians, specific to radiology trainees/fellows interested in pursuing a career in intervention, we feel a total of 20 liver biopsies (includes assisted and independently performed biopsies under supervision) should be adequate training.

Addenda to the radiology report: what are we trying to convey?

PURPOSE: The aims of this paper are to describe addenda to radiology reports and to discuss the communication gaps in radiology addenda reaching referring physicians. The authors examine impediments to compliance with an addendum policy and suggest possible solutions. METHODS: A total of 62,500 radiology reports were reviewed to analyze the occurrence of report addenda. Addenda types were separated into clinical, generated by radiologists, and administrative (for billing or regulatory reasons). Two radiologists reviewed all clinical addenda and classified them as significant or not significant. Significant addenda were further analyzed for various aspects. An e-mail survey was also conducted to assess prevailing practices in academic departments of radiology. RESULTS: There were 1,069 reports with addenda (1.7%). Of these, 575 were generated by radiologists. Forty-nine (8.5%) were for clinically significant errors and 526 (91.5%) were not. Of the 49 significant addenda, 9 (18%) were fully compliant with departmental addendum policies, 27 (55%) were noncompliant, and 13 (27%) were partially compliant. Of the 49 clinically significant addenda, 17 (55%) were dictated within 1 hour and 40 (82%) within 24 hours of the finalized original reports. CONCLUSIONS: Poor compliance with an addendum policy was found. The reasons for noncompliance and possible remedies are discussed, with the hope of beginning a dialogue in the radiology literature on the risks of poor communication processes and the benefits of full implementation of well thought-out addendum policies.

Clinical profile of 128 subjects operated for primary hyperparathyroidism

From 1960 to 1990, one hundred twenty eight (128) subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism were operated in the University Hospital. The medical records were reviewed. Serum and urine chemistries were done by conventional methods, serum PTH was done by RIA's (N-, C-, and midregion) and intact by IRMA and 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol by a non equilibrium receptor assay from calf thymus and preceded by double Sep-Pak chromatography. The distal third of the radius (nondominant arm) was used to evaluate radial bone density (RBD), using single photon absorptiometry (Norland) and the lumbar bone density (LBD) was measured by dual energy X Ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The RBD was done in 41 females and 15 males and the LBD in 12 females and 4 males. The series comprised 95 females, age range from 15 to 79 years, and 33 males, age range from 14 to 69 years. Prominent clinical features included nephrolithiasis in 72 subjects (56 per cent), osteitis fibrosa cystica in 2, isolated familial hyperparathyroidism in 4 subjects in one family, 7 subjects with MEN-1 in 3 families, and 4 subjects with MEN-2 in one family. Only 7 subjects were asymptomatic. Serum calcium was elevated in all, serum alkaline phosphatase was elevated in 24 per cent and urinary hydroxiproline was increased in 48 per cent. Serum phosphorus was low in 92 per cent. PTH assay was either elevated or inappropriately normal for the serum calcium in all patients tested. Serum 1,25 D was elevated in 57 per cent. The PTH level was positively correlated with the serum calcium (r = 0.70), but had no significant correlation with the serum phosphorus and the 1,25 D. The RBD expressed as the standard deviation from that of the mean for age and sex matched controls was > or = 2 SD below the mean in 39 per cent of females and in 40 per cent of males. In contrast to the RBD none of the subjects tested had a LBD > or = 2 SD below the age and sex adjusted mean. 103 subjects had adenomas, 20 primary hyperplasia, 2 carcinomas and in 3 surgical exploration was unsuccessful. As to the outcome of Surgery, 117 (93 per cent) were cured. Thus, in this series, successful surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism is the rule. Primary hyperparathroidism is rarely asymptomatic and appendicular bone disease and nephrolithiasis are commonly seen.

Pheochromocytoma: a twenty year experience at the University Hospital

Durante los últimos 20 años (1970-90), hemos tenido 24 pacientes con feocromocitomas: 19 diagnosticados clínicamente y 5 en autopsia. Sus edades variaron de 17 a 74 años (promedio de 43.2) y el número de varones (14), fueron mayor que el de las hembras (n=10). La mayoría de los sujetos tuvieron síntomas (95%) consistentes en la tríada típica de dolor de cabeza, palpitaciones y sudoración. El hallazgo más frecuente fue la hipertensión (95%), la cual fue sostenida en 60% y paroxística en 35% de los casos. Un 25% (n=6) de casos tenía tumores bilaterales, todos familiares. Quince eran tumores adrenales solitarios (63%) y 3 (12.5%) eran extra-adrenales: 2 en el abdomen (órgano de Zuckerbandl) y uno intratorácico (paraganglioma del atrio derecho del corazón). De los 6 casos familiares, 4 estaban asociados a la enfermedad de Von Hipper-Lindau (VHL), mientras que 2 tenían el síndrome de neoplasia múltiple tipo 2 (MEN-II. Todos los casos familiares eran bilaterales y se hallaban en las adrenales. No hubo tumores malignos. Entre los 19 casos diagnosticados pre-operatoriamente, fueron positivas las pruebas en orina del ácido vanililmandélico (VMA) en 95% y la de catecolaminas totales en 100%. Se logró visualizar los tumores pre-operatoriamente por medio de tomografía computadorizada (CT) o por imagen de resonancia magnética (MRI) en 62% de los pacientes más recientes. En 5 casos más antiguos sólo se hizo el diagnóstico post-mortem: 3 murieron de hemorragias cerebrales, 1 de infarto del pons y otro en fallo cardíaco congestivo. Hubo dos muertes post-operatorias y otra, 13 años post-operación, de carcinoma medular del tiroides. De los 19 operados 13 (68% fueron curados. Se concluye que los feocromocitomas aún retienen un considerable potencial de morbilidad y alguna mortalidad. Estos raros tumores constituyen un reto diagnóstico clínico, pero conllevan una gran satisfacción para el médico que los atiende