An expert-supported monitoring system for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice: results of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the long-term effectiveness of a general practice monitoring system with respiratory expert recommendations for general practitioners' management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), compared with usual care.

Design, Settings And Participants: A multicentre randomised controlled trial of patients with COPD, clustered by general practices; 200 participants were recruited to maintain at least 75 participants per group for analysis. The trial took place from July 2005 to February 2008 in the south-western region of the Netherlands.

Current clinical guideline definitions of airflow obstruction and COPD overdiagnosis in primary care.

The aim of the present study was to establish the agreement between two recommended definitions of airflow obstruction in symptomatic adults referred for spirometry by their general practitioner, and investigate how rates of airflow obstruction change when pre-bronchodilator instead of post-bronchodilator spirometry is performed. The diagnostic spirometric results of 14,056 adults with respiratory obstruction were analysed. Differences in interpretation between a fixed 0.

Results of two years expenience with fluorescence bronchoscopy in detection of preinvasive bronchial neoplasia.

The aim of the study was to determine whether use of fluorescence bronchoscopy improves the detection of preinvasive neoplastic bronchial lesions. The data of all patients who underwent fluorescence bronchoscopy and in whom bronchial biopsies were taken, were analyzed. Most patients were at risk for preinvasive lesions.

Exercise-induced spontaneous hemothorax insinuates trauma; yet unmasks a lament disorder.

The investigation for a plausible explanation of the development of massive spontaneous hemothorax during exercise in two patients led to the disclosure of two different malignancies. The first patient (pleural fibrosarcoma) passed away shortly after diagnosis. The second patient is alive without signs of disease (peripheral neuro-ectodermal tumor, PNET) since the diagnosis was made 3 years before.

Bronchial intraepithelial neoplastic lesions in head and neck cancer patients: results of autofluorescence bronchoscopy.

To determine the efficacy of autofluorescence bronchoscopy for detection of bronchial intraepithelial neoplastic lesions in head and neck cancer patients, we analyzed data from head and neck cancer patients who underwent both white light bronchoscopy and autofluorescence bronchoscopy for the rates of detection of intraepithelial neoplastic lesions. The results of the histopathologic examination were compared with the bronchoscopic findings. The sensitivity for detection of intraepithelial neoplastic lesions was calculated.

Outcome of bronchial carcinoma in situ.

Introduction: The proportion of patients with carcinoma in situ in whom invasive cancer will develop is not known. It is important for clinical decision making to know the outcome of these lesions. The same applies for studies assessing the effectiveness of chemoprevention treatment or endobronchial therapy.

Tissue effects of bronchoscopic electrocautery: bronchoscopic appearance and histologic changes of bronchial wall after electrocautery.

Study Objectives: To study tissue effects of bronchoscopic electrocautery (BE).

Design: In six patients with non-small cell lung cancer, a BE procedure was performed immediately before surgery. After patients were placed on ventilation, normal mucosa on different carinae was treated with a cautery probe (2-mm(2) surface area) at a power setting of 30 W with a variable time of application of 1 to 5 s.

High-resolution CT in patients with intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid tumors treated with bronchoscopic therapy.

Study Objective: To evaluate the extent to which high-resolution CT (HRCT) can predict the clinical outcome of bronchoscopic treatment with curative intent in patients with intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid tumors.

Design: An observational study.

Setting: Bronchoscopy unit and radiology department of a university hospital.

Nd-YAG laser vs bronchoscopic electrocautery for palliation of symptomatic airway obstruction: a cost-effectiveness study.

Study Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of the Nd-YAG laser and bronchoscopic electrocautery for palliation in patients with symptomatic tumor obstruction.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: Bronchoscopy unit of a university hospital.

Assessment of sleep complaints and sleep-disordered breathing in a consecutive series of obese patients.

Background/objective: The prevalence of sleep-related complaints (SRC) and the frequency of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in obese patients has not been studied extensively. We investigated SRC and SDB in a group of obese persons as part of a preoperative workup for weight reduction (bariatric) surgery.

Methods: All consecutive patients attending a weight-loss clinic for evaluation for bariatric surgery were asked to complete a questionnaire.

Prevalence and severity of sleep disordered breathing in a group of morbidly obese patients.

Background: Obesity may be complicated by sleep disordered breathing (SDB). The presence of SDB is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Patient characteristics, pulmonary function tests and daytime arterial blood gas analyses may help to identify patients with SDB.

Bronchoscopic treatment of intraluminal typical carcinoid: a pilot study.

Objective: The curative potential of various bronchoscopic treatments such as Nd:YAG laser, photodynamic therapy, and brachytherapy for the treatment of intraluminal tumor has been reported previously. Bronchoscopic treatment can be used to treat small intraluminal tumor with curative intent, such as in patients with roentgenologically occult squamous cell cancer. In a retrospective study, we showed that bronchoscopic treatment provided excellent local control with surgical proof of cure in 6 of 11 patients with intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid.

Radiographically occult lung cancer treated with fibreoptic bronchoscopic electrocautery: a pilot study of a simple and inexpensive technique.

The curative potential of bronchoscopic intervention, e.g. photodynamic therapy (PDT) and brachytherapy, for resectable radiographically occult lung cancer has been reported previously.