Comparison of FEV6 and FVC for detection of airway obstruction in a community hospital pulmonary function laboratory.

The National Lung Health Education Program recommends that primary care providers perform spirometry tests on cigarette smoking patients 45 years or older in order to detect airways obstruction and aid smoking cessation efforts [Ferguson GT, Enright Pl, Buist AS, et al. Office spirometry for lung health assessment in adults: a consensus statement from the national lung education program. Chest 2000; 117: 1146-61].

Spatial mapping of the brachial plexus using three-dimensional ultrasound.

Imaging of the brachial plexus with MRI and standard two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound has been reported, and 2D ultrasound-guided regional anaesthetic block is an established technique. The aim of this study was to map the orientation of the brachial plexus in relation to the first rib, carotid and subclavian arteries, using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound. A free-hand optically tracked 3D ultrasound system was used with a 12 MHz transducer.

3D reconstruction of the skeletal anatomy of the normal neonatal foot using 3D ultrasound.

Currently imaging plays a limited role in the assessment of the neonate with a foot deformity. The aim of this study was to establish a technique for examining the neonatal foot with three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US). 3D US was attempted on the normal feet of 20 infants (9 male, 11 female) under 6 weeks old (range 35-41 days).

Processing and visualizing three-dimensional ultrasound data.

This paper describes techniques for the visualization and processing of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound data. The nature of such data demands specialized algorithms, which differ from those employed for other medical imaging modalities. In this paper, the emphasis is placed on generic processing techniques, which are relevant across a wide range of 3D ultrasound application domains.

Effect of antihypertensive agents on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary disease and normal blood pressure: the CAMELOT study: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: The effect of antihypertensive drugs on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal blood pressure remains uncertain.

Objective: To compare the effects of amlodipine or enalapril vs placebo on cardiovascular events in patients with CAD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Double-blind, randomized, multicenter, 24-month trial (enrollment April 1999-April 2002) comparing amlodipine or enalapril with placebo in 1991 patients with angiographically documented CAD (>20% stenosis by coronary angiography) and diastolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg.

A case of endometrial carcinoma detected using transrectal ultrasound.

Transvaginal ultrasound is commonly used in the investigation of postmenopausal bleeding. In this article, we report the use of transrectal ultrasound in the assessment of postmenopausal bleeding and detection of an endometrial carcinoma, where other methods of assessment were unsuccessful.

The role of the health care ombudsman.

Beginning in the 1990s, with increased attention focused on the alleged abuses and arbitrary decision making by MCOs, several states began enacting legislation to establish health care ombudsmen. A variety of states, including the District of Columbia, are now considering health care ombudsman legislation. This article focuses on the varying role, functions, and duties of the health care ombudsman in each of these states and their benefit to the health care environment.

Contemporary concepts in endodontics: 2003 and beyond.

Recent changes have made it possible to perform endodontic treatment more efficiently, with improved precision and greater patient acceptance. This article reviews these various concepts and highlights how endodontics now can be performed with enhanced abilities and clinical results.

Two- and three-dimensional ultrasound in the development of a needle-free injection system.

Ultrasound was used to assess a needle-free injection device for both intradermal and subcutaneous injections. The aim of this study was, first, to differentiate intradermal from subcutaneous injections, both in vivo and in vitro using 2D ultrasound, and second, to quantify the amount of injectate that actually arrives within the dermis or subcutaneous tissues using volume measurements derived from high-resolution 3D ultrasound data sets, using a freehand system (Stradx), developed by the Cambridge University Departments of Engineering and Radiology. For the in vitro study the devices were filled with dye and injected into a pig preparation.

Small-gap insertion-device development at the National Synchrotron Light Source--performance of the new X13 mini-gap undulator.

The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) 2.8 GeV electron storage ring continues to set high standards in insertion-device research and development. The Chasman-Green NSLS lattice design provides for dispersion-free long straight sections in addition to a very small vertical beta function.

Developing a metadata data model for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a large and comprehensive health survey utilizing leading edge technologies to produce national estimates of health measures and the nutritional status of the U.S. population.

Focused parathyroid surgery with intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement as a day-case procedure.

Background: This study assessed the feasibility, efficacy and safety of focused parathyroidectomy combined with intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) measurement in a day-case setting.

Methods: Over 28 months 50 consecutive patients (mean age 63 (range 33-92) years) with clear evidence of unifocal disease on sestamibi scanning or ultrasonography underwent unilateral neck exploration via a small lateral incision. Blood samples for measurement of IOPTH were taken at induction of anaesthesia, before adenoma excision and after adenoma excision (at 5, 10 and 20 min).

Safety and efficacy of sildenafil citrate for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder: a double-blind, placebo controlled study.

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in spontaneously or surgically postmenopausal women with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD).

Materials And Methods: Sildenafil (a 50 mg dose adjustable to 100 or 25 mg) was evaluated in a 12-week, double-blind, placebo controlled study in 202 postmenopausal women with FSAD who had protocol specified estradiol and free testosterone concentrations, and/or were receiving estrogen and/or androgen replacement therapy. Patients were excluded if emotional, relationship or historical abuse issues contributed significantly to sexual dysfunction.

Rapid registration for wide field of view freehand three-dimensional ultrasound.

A freehand scanning protocol is the only way to acquire arbitrary large volumes of three-dimensional ultrasound (US) data. For some applications, multiple freehand sweeps are required to cover the area of interest. Aligning these multiple sweeps is difficult, typically requiring nonrigid image-based registration as well as the readings from the spatial locator attached to the US probe.

Ultrasound of the male anterior urethra.

Ascending and descending techniques are used to demonstrate the male anterior urethra. The authors developed an ultrasound approach with the patient compressing his own urethra manually during voiding to achieve distension of the urethra with urine. The subsequent sonourethrography is more accurate than conventional fluoroscopic contrast studies in defining urethral filling defects and is as accurate for the demonstration of strictures.

High-definition freehand 3-D ultrasound.

This paper describes a high-definition freehand 3-D ultrasound (US) system, with accuracy surpassing that of previously documented systems. 3-D point location accuracy within a US data set can be achieved to within 0.5 mm.

Genital self-image as a component of sexual health: relationship between genital self-image, female sexual function, and quality of life measures.

Thirty-one patients completed a Genital Self-Image Scale along with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000), Sexual Distress Scale (Derogatis et al., 2001), Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al.

Vertical root fractures: clinical and radiographic diagnosis.

Background: Early detection and management of vertical root fractures, or VRFs, remain a vexing issue that has caused needless suffering for patients as well as for dentists. The authors present techniques to aid the dentist in recognizing VRFs.

Methods: During a five-year period, the authors examined 36 patients who had VRFs.

Descending urethral ultrasound of the native and reconstructed urethra in patients with hypospadias.

A retrospective study, over a 7 year period, examining the use of descending urethral ultrasound in corrected and uncorrected hypospadias was performed. 15 examinations were performed on 14 patients; 12 patients had undergone previous surgery for hypospadias, ranging from urethral reconstruction to stricture dilatation. Eight strictures, four irregular urethras, two normal post-operative urethras and one urethral valve were demonstrated.

Sensorless freehand 3-D ultrasound using regression of the echo intensity.

In freehand 3-D ultrasound (US), a position sensor is attached to the probe of a 2-D US machine. The resulting 3-D data permit flexible visualisation and more accurate volume measurement than can be achieved using 2-D B-scans alone; however, the use of the position sensor can be inconvenient for the clinician. The objective is, thus, to replace the sensor with a technique for estimating the probe trajectory based on the B-scan images, themselves.

Seeking help for sexual function complaints: what gynecologists need to know about the female patient's experience.

Objective: To further explore the patient experience of seeking help for a sexual function complaint.

Design: Survey administered on a Web-based instrument.

Setting: Healthy volunteers visiting an online Website.

US-guided core-needle biopsy of the thyroid gland.

Purpose: To evaluate safety, yield, and accuracy of ultrasonography (US)-guided core-needle biopsy of the thyroid gland.

Materials And Methods: Findings at 209 consecutive core-needle biopsies of lesions of the thyroid gland in 198 patients (median age, 48 years; age range, 14-80 years) were retrospectively reviewed. In 138 (66%), findings at previous fine-needle aspiration cytologic (FNAC) analysis were nondiagnostic on one to five occasions.

Correction of probe pressure artifacts in freehand 3D ultrasound.

We present an algorithm which combines non-rigid image-based registration and conventional position sensing to correct probe-pressure-induced registration errors in freehand three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volumes. The local accuracy of image-based registration enables the accurate freehand acquisition of high resolution (>15 MHz) 3D ultrasound data, opening the way for 3D musculoskeletal examinations. External position sensor readings guarantee the large-scale positional accuracy of the data.