Clinical value of 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT in depressed bipolar I patients.

Regional cerebral blood flow was studied in 17 bipolar I depressed patients (DSM-IV criteria) with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Visual analysis of images revealed no abnormality in eight patients and abnormal findings in nine patients. In the nine patients with abnormal findings, all showed regional decreases of the uptake of (99m)Tc-D,L-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO, four in the frontal region, two in the basal ganglia, and three in both the frontal region and the basal ganglia).

Effects on weight and outcome of long-term olanzapine-topiramate combination treatment in bipolar disorder.

Olanzapine is an effective drug for the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder but is associated with burdensome weight gain. Topiramate is a novel anticonvulsant that may induce weight loss in some patients. This is the first study to address the long-term efficacy and impact on weight of the combination of olanzapine and topiramate in bipolar patients.

Adjunctive topiramate in bipolar II disorder.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of adjunctive topiramate in bipolar II patients who were either treatment-resistant to or unable to tolerate lithium, carbamazepine or valproate. Nineteen DSM-IV bipolar II patients received increasing doses of open-label topiramate as adjunctive therapy for their hypomanic (n=15) or depressive (n=4) symptoms. Sixteen patients completed the 12-week follow-up.

A randomized trial on the efficacy of group psychoeducation in the prophylaxis of recurrences in bipolar patients whose disease is in remission.

Background: Studies on individual psychotherapy indicate that some interventions may reduce the number of recurrences in bipolar patients. However, there has been a lack of structured, well-designed, blinded, controlled studies demonstrating the efficacy of group psychoeducation to prevent recurrences in patients with bipolar I and II disorder.

Methods: One hundred twenty bipolar I and II outpatients in remission (Young Mania Rating Scale score <6, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score <8) for at least 6 months prior to inclusion in the study, who were receiving standard pharmacologic treatment, were included in a controlled trial.

Quetiapine in the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Introduction: This prospective open-label study assessed the impact of add-on quetiapine in the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar patients.

Methods: Fourteen rapid cycling bipolar patients were treated with quetiapine, which was added to their ongoing medication regimen for 112 +/- 33 days. At the beginning of the study, five were manic, three were in a mixed state, three were depressed, two hypomanic and one was euthymic.

Lack of clinical relevance of routine chest radiography in acute psychiatric admissions.

To make clinically relevant recommendations for chest X-ray testing in acute psychiatric admissions, this study examined the current practice of this screening test in patients admitted to a University Hospital. The records of the 332 first consecutive admissions to the psychiatric ward were assessed. In 200 patients (60%) a chest X-ray was requested.