Polysomnography and ApneaGraph in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether ApneaGraph (AG) and polysomnography (PSG) deliver comparable results in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders. PROCEDURES: A prospective study was performed, which included 14 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), hypopnea index (HI), apnea index (AI), obstructive, central and mixed apnea, oxygen saturation (SaO2), pulse and body position were simultaneously assessed by PSG and AG in each individual. RESULTS: There was a good correlation between measurements of AG and PSG for AHI, pulse, SaO2, body position and central apnea. However, our study showed differences between PSG and AG for AI (p = 0.002), HI (p = 0.013), mixed apnea (p = 0.003) and obstructive apnea (p = 0.013). AG indicated that 2/14 patients had a pure upper airway obstruction, 6/14 patients had a predominance of lower obstruction and 6/14 patients had a predominance of upper obstruction. CONCLUSION: AG provides comparable results for AHI, pulse, SaO2, body position and central apnea when compared to PSG, but not for the rest of the measurements. Using AG, the distribution of sites of obstructive events could be identified in this study in all of the patients.

Influence of nerve of origin and tumor size of vestibular schwannoma on dynamic posturography findings.

CONCLUSION: Condition 5-score (C5S) and vestibular ratio (VER) correlate, but condition-6-score (C6S) and mean overall balance score (MOBS) do not, with the size of an inferior vestibular nerve (IVN) vestibular schwannoma (VS). In IVN VS patients the visual system plays a major role in the maintenance of postural stability. OBJECTIVES: To test whether the size of a superior vestibular nerve (SVN) or IVN VS, as measured on MRI scans, correlates with computerized dynamic platform posturography (CDPP) findings and whether CDPP findings could preoperatively predict the nerve of origin of the VS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Seventy-five consecutive VS patients were evaluated. C5S, C6S, VER, and MOBS were evaluated. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated between the tumor's larger dimension and each of the four parameters for SVN and IVN VS. The nerve of VS origin was identified intraoperatively. To test for differences between CDPP findings of the SVN and IVN groups of VS patients, the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney sum rank test was applied. RESULTS: Larger dimension of VS was correlated with C5S and VER in IVN VS patients (r = - 0.358, p=0.008 and r = - 0.356, p=0.008, respectively). Neither C6S nor MOBS showed any significant correlation with the tumor's larger dimension. None of the four scores showed any significant difference between the SVN and IVN groups of VS patients.

Prognostic factors determining long-term survival in well-differentiated thyroid cancer: an analysis of four hundred eighty-four patients undergoing therapy and aftercare at the same institution.

OBJECTIVES: Identification of the prognostic factors relevant for long-term survival in differentiated thyroid cancer in a homogenously treated patient cohort in order to allow a better initial risk stratification. METHODS: Four hundred eighty-four (358 females/126 males) patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (330 papillary [68.2%]; 154 follicular [31.8%]) were included. Inclusion criteria consisted of treatment with a uniform therapy scheme and continuous aftercare in the same institution. Initial diagnosis was between 1975-1995 (age at diagnosis, 14-84 years, median, 49.7). Tumor stage: pT1, n = 92; pT2, 211; pT3, 58; pT4, 123. Low-risk: