Imaging in congenital deformities of the spinal cord.

Vertebromedullary malformations are a heterogeneous group of anomalies of mesenchymal and neuroectodermal tissue differentiation or closure in the midline of the back. On the basis of an embryological analysis, the authors describe the more common malformations, placing them at different times of onset and describing the pathological features and radiological findings based on the use of the most appropriate imaging techniques. The most common malformations have been divided into dysraphic and nondysraphic types and malformations affecting the vertebral bodies. The most complex malformations are detected during the antenatal period by ultrasound or foetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conversely, during the postnatal period, when the patient's clinical conditions do not warrant emergency surgical treatment, the disorder can be better defined with a detailed MRI scan of the brain and spinal cord. In less complex dysraphisms, although MRI is the imaging modality of choice, it may be useful to integrate the study with plain radiography (X-ray) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for a better assessment of the skeletal components. In these disorders, the use of imaging is aimed at both identifying malformative defects and postoperative follow-up of more complex forms.

Persistence of the antihypertensive efficacy of amlodipine and nifedipine GITS after two 'missed doses': a randomised, double-blind comparative trial in Asian patients.

Suboptimal management of hypertension is often a result of poor patient compliance in the form of missed doses of their antihypertensive medication. This multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group trial was designed to compare the persistence of the antihypertensive efficacy of the amlodipine and nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) after two 'missed doses', and also to compare the drugs' overall efficacy and safety in Asian patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. Following a 2-week placebo run-in period, 222 patients were randomised to receive either amlodipine (5 mg daily, increased after 6 weeks if necessary to 10 mg daily, n=109) or nifedipine GITS (30 mg daily, increased after 6 weeks if necessary to 60 mg daily; n=113) for 12 weeks. A placebo was then substituted for further 2 days with continuous ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. The increases in the last 9 h of mean ambulatory BP on day 2 after treatment withdrawal were significantly less with amlodipine than with nifedipine GITS: 4.4+/-7.0 vs 11.2+/-11.3 mmHg for systolic BP (P