Survey of peer review programs among pediatric radiologists: report from the SPR Quality and Safety Committee.

During the last 15 years, peer review has been widely incorporated into radiology quality improvement programs. However, current implementations are variable and carry concerns, including subjectivity of numerical scores and a sense of merely satisfying regulatory requirements. The Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Quality and Safety Committee sought to evaluate the state of peer review programs in pediatric radiology practices, including implementation methods, perceived functions, strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. We distributed an online 16-question survey to SPR members. Questions pertained to the type of peer review system, the use of numerical scores and comments, how feedback on discordances is given and received, and the use of peer learning conferences. We collected 219 responses (15% of survey invitations), 80% of which were from children's hospitals. Fifty percent of respondents said they use a picture archiving and communication system (PACS)-integrated peer review system. Comment-enhanced feedback for interpretive discordances was either very important or somewhat important to performance improvement in 86% of responses, compared to 48% with a similar perception of numerical scores. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they either rarely or never check their numerical scores, and 82% either strongly or somewhat agreed that comments are more effective feedback than numerical scores. Ninety-three percent either strongly or somewhat agreed that peer learning conferences would be beneficial to their practice. Forty-eight percent thought that their current peer review system should be modified. Survey results demonstrate that peer review systems in pediatric radiology practices are implemented variably, and nearly half of respondents believe their systems should be modified. Most respondents prefer feedback in the form of comments and peer learning conferences, which are thought to be more beneficial for performance improvement than numerical scores.

A Rare Cause of Acute Back Pain in a Young Adult: Case Report and Discussion of Calcific Discitis.

Calcific discitis in the adult population is very rare, with fewer than 40 cases reported in the literature. Most cases thus far have involved patients presenting with mid to upper back pain of acute to subacute onset. As it is a condition that is self-resolving with rare exception, the true incidence is likely underestimated. Another factor contributing to the underestimation of individuals with back pain in general is that many patients will treat themselves before presenting for care. Back pain is one of the most common presenting symptoms to primary care physician offices and represents an economic burden of billions of dollars annually. The utilization of MRI imaging and other diagnostic work-up amount to an important component of this cost and one that could possibly be reduced with early radiological identification of this condition. We present a case in which an adult patient presented with subacute lumbar back pain, eventually diagnosed as calcific discitis.

Imaging Findings of Ulceroglandular Tularemia.

Francisella tularensis, the causative organism in Tularemia, is a relatively rare disease. There are a few radiological clues to elucidate its presence when suspicion arises. There should be strong consideration for Tularemia in the differential of any patient with its classic symptoms, diffuse cervical lymphadenopathy with evidence of necrosis, and enlarged adenoids. Ultrasound may demonstrate suppurative lymphadenopathy suggestive of infection, as in the case presented. CT often will demonstrate the extent of lymphadenopathy. On chest radiography, tularemia pneumonia is often the presenting finding, which may demonstrate bilateral or lobar infiltrates. Additionally, hilar lymphadenopathy and pleural effusions are often associated findings. Cavitary lesions may be present, which are better delineated on CT scan. We present a case of a 7-year-old male who presented with a painful right-sided palpable neck mass for 9 days, who was diagnosed with Tularemia after numerous admissions.

Adenocarcinoma of the Appendix Presenting as a Palpable Right Thigh Mass.

Intra-abdominal and intra-pelvic pathologies initially presenting in extra-abdominal/pelvic locations is unusual. This spread predominantly occurs with infectious processes to sites including the buttock, thigh, and calf. The routes of extension into adjacent anatomically weak compartments include the pelvic outlet, greater sciatic foramen, obturator foramen, inguinal or femoral canal, weak bones, or along nerves and blood vessels. Malignant neoplasms of the appendix, while extremely rare and accounting for only 0.4% of all gastrointestinal cancers, is one of the intra-abdominal pathologies that can spread via these routes. Adenocarcinoma of the appendix accounts for 10-20% of primary appendiceal tumors. They usually present as acute appendicitis or as a right lower quadrant abdominal mass when associated with a mucocele. We report the unique case of mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma in a 57-year-old male who initially presented with a right thigh mass secondary to extension of the neoplasm from the right lower quadrant through the femoral canal. A similar presentation of a mucinous appendiceal cystadenoma has been previously reported, however, to our knowledge, this is the first case of a malignant appendiceal tumor extending into the thigh. We review the literature and discuss imaging findings and treatment of this tumor.

Crossed Aphasia in a Patient with Anaplastic Astrocytoma of the Non-Dominant Hemisphere.

Aphasia describes a spectrum of speech impairments due to damage in the language centers of the brain. Insult to the inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant cerebral hemisphere results in Broca's aphasia - the inability to produce fluent speech. The left cerebral hemisphere has historically been considered the dominant side, a characteristic long presumed to be related to a person's "handedness". However, recent studies utilizing fMRI have shown that right hemispheric dominance occurs more frequently than previously proposed and despite a person's handedness. Here we present a case of a right-handed patient with Broca's aphasia caused by a right-sided brain tumor. This is significant not only because the occurrence of aphasia in right-handed-individuals with right hemispheric brain damage (so-called "crossed aphasia") is unusual but also because such findings support dissociation between hemispheric linguistic dominance and handedness.

The physiology of adolescent sexual behaviour: A systematic review.

Objectives: To examine physiological influences of adolescent sexual behaviour, including associated psychosocial factors. Methods: Systematic review. Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria relating to adolescents, physiology and sexual behaviour. We excluded studies relating to abnormal development. Findings highlighted hormonal and gender differences. Females appear to be more influenced by psychosocial aspects, including the effects of peers, than males. Males may be more inclined to engage in unprotected sex with a greater number of partners. Early maturing adolescents are more likely to be sexually active at an early age. Conclusions: Hormonal, psychosocial context, and sexual preference need to be acknowledged in intervention development. Stage of readiness to receive information may differ according to gender and physiological maturity.

Disseminated Peritoneal Leiomyomatosis Status Post Laparoscopic Hysterectomy with Morcellation.

Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are common benign neoplasms, which develop from the muscular tissue of the uterus with an estimated incidence of 20-40% in women of reproductive age. In the early nineties, power morcellators were introduced and became commonly used during hysterectomy for symptomatic fibroids. However, if all fragments are not removed, they may parasitize to other blood supply and present as abdominal or pelvic masses. Unfortunate cases have also been reported in which uterine sarcomas seeded throughout the abdomen and pelvis secondary to morcellation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for fibroids is found to have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma. As a result, the FDA issued a press release in 2014 discouraging the use of power morcellators. Recently, the FDA approved a new containment device, the PneumoLiner, for use with certain power morcellation devices. However, it is unknown if this device will help to reduce the risk of seeding fibroids and unsuspected uterine malignancies. We present a case in which a patient who underwent morcellation therapy for symptomatic fibroids presented with recurrent abdominal and pelvic leiomyomas mimicking malignancy.

A systematic review of adolescent physiological development and its relationship with health-related behaviour: a protocol.

BACKGROUND: At any one time, there are one billion people worldwide who are in the second decade of their life, and 1.8 billion in the 10-24 age range. Whilst a great deal of focus has been placed on healthy early years development, the adolescent years are also a unique period of opportunity: exposure to health-influencing behaviours such as alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking, may serve to establish patterns that have significant health consequences in later life. Although there is often an emphasis on risk-taking and detrimental health behaviours during adolescence, these years also provide significant opportunities for behaviour to be shaped in positive ways that may improve longer term health outcomes. However, it is firstly important to understand the complex physiological changes that are taking place within the human body during this period and their relationship with health-related behaviour. Such knowledge can help to inform health policy and intervention development. AIM: The aim of this study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between physiological development and health-related behaviours in adolescence. METHODS: The principles of an integrative review will be used. Such reviews are of use where research has emerged in different fields, to combine existing knowledge and produce a more extensive understanding. Studies from a range of different methodological approaches, published or unpublished, will be included. A range of databases and literature depositories will be searched using a pre-defined search strategy. The review will include studies that focus on adolescents (nominally, those aged 10-24 years). We will seek papers that focus on both physiological development and health behaviour, or papers focusing solely on physiological development if there are clear implications for health behaviour. Studies with a focus on participants with specific health conditions will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently screen potential studies for eligibility and quality; members of the project team will act as third reviewers in the case of uncertainty or discrepancy. Further analyses (e.g. meta-analysis, meta-synthesis, meta-summary) will be decided upon, and sub-set analyses carried out. Finally, an integrative summation will be produced, giving a critical analysis of the results and providing conclusions and recommendations.

Anesthetic implications for patients with rate-responsive pacemakers.

One hundred thousand adults and children in the United States receive pacemakers each year, of which 85% are rate-responsive pacemakers (RRPs). Recent advances in the fields of computer programming and computer chip technology have led to the myriad development of RRPs, which contain sensors that automatically adjust the pacing rate to match the physiologic changes that occur during physical exertion. Because patients with RRPs may experience heart rate changes in the operating room due to ''normal'' sensor function, anesthesiologists must be aware of the new developments in RRP sensor technology to properly manage these patients. Increases in respiratory rate and tidal volume as well as the use of electrocautery have been reported to accelerate the paced rate of pacemakers with minute ventilation sensors. Likewise, patient movement and saws that produce vibrations can accelerate the paced rate of patients with piezoelectric crystal sensors. This paper discusses the history of pacemaker development, reviews the currently used RRP sensors, and recommends procedures for the perioperative management of these patients. Knowledge of sensor type and factors that stimulate them will help the anesthesiologist understand the cause of these changes so that he will be able to manage clinically significant hemodynamic changes due to RRP sensor activation.

Systemic thrombolysis: cure for prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis in the comorbid, non-surgical candidate.

Severe haemolytic anaemia is a rare complication of prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT). Emergent surgical replacement of the affected valve is normally the treatment of choice unless contraindicated, such as in high surgical risk patients. Systemic thrombolysis is the alternative to surgical valve replacement. The purpose of this report is to highlight the unique case of an elderly man with New York Heart Association class IV heart failure, history of extensive cardiopulmonary surgeries and haemorrhagic stroke, who presented with severe haemolytic anaemia secondary to prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis. After weighing the risks and benefits, our decision was to use systemic thrombolytic therapy, even in light of the patient's previous intracranial haemorrhage. Pretreatment and post-treatment Doppler echocardiography showed markedly reduced regurgitant jetting that ultimately resolved completely, thereby eliminating the underlying cause of haemolysis and achieving symptom resolution.