Cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical lung volume reduction compared with endobronchial valve treatment in patients with severe emphysema.

Background: Lung volume reduction, either by surgery or bronchoscopically by endobronchial valve treatment have been shown to be a cost-effective alternative compared with conservative therapy. However, there is no comparative analysis of lung volume reduction by surgery and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction using endobronchial valves.

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to provide a cost-effectiveness analysis of lung volume reduction by surgery compared with bronchoscopic lung volume reduction using endobronchial valves.

Early Spirometry Following Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction with Endobronchial Valves.

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) by endobronchial valve (EBV) implantation has been shown to improve dyspnea, pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in highly selected patients with severe emphysema and hyperinflation. The most frequent adverse event is a pneumothorax (PTX), occurring in approximately one-fifth of the cases due to intrathoracic volume shifts. The majority of these incidents are observed within 48 h post-procedure.

Interdisciplinary consensus on management of premenstrual disorders in Switzerland.

Premenstrual disorders (PMD) can affect women throughout their entire reproductive years. In 2016, an interdisciplinary expert meeting of general gynecologists, gynecological endocrinologists, psychiatrists and psychologists from Switzerland was held to provide an interdisciplinary algorithm on PMD management taking reproductive stages into account. The Swiss PMD algorithm differentiates between primary and secondary PMD care providers incorporating different levels of diagnostic and treatment.

Prenatal myelomeningocele repair: Do bladders better?

Aims: Prenatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair has been proven to significantly reduce the need for hydrocephalus shunting and improve lower-extremity motor outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prenatal MMC repair on the urological outcome.

Methods: All patients who underwent fetal MMC repair at our institution are followed prospectively.

Three-Dimensional Modelling inside a Differential Pressure Laminar Flow Bioreactor Filled with Porous Media.

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics- (CFD-) model based on a differential pressure laminar flow bioreactor prototype was developed to further examine performance under changing culture conditions. Cell growth inside scaffolds was simulated by decreasing intrinsic permeability values and led to pressure build-up in the upper culture chamber. Pressure release by an integrated bypass system allowed continuation of culture.