Distensibility of forearm veins in haemodialysis patients on duplex ultrasound testing using three provocation methods.

Objective: It is well-known that vasodilatator function is affected in patients with renal failure. We hypothesized impaired venous forearm distensibility in haemodialysis patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate which provocation method generated 'maximal' venous distensibility in the forearm of haemodialysis patients compared to healthy volunteers by using duplex ultrasound.

Dialysis fistulae patency and preoperative diameter ultrasound measurements.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the possibility of defining a vascular diameter with a practical cut-off point, which predicts a successful patency for radiocephalic arteriovenous fistulae in dialysis patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively gathered data. Consecutive patients (n=148) with chronic renal failure, needing vascular access for haemodialysis, were included if they underwent duplex ultrasound examination to evaluate preoperatively the vascular status and diameters for radiocephalic arteriovenous fistulae (RCAVF) construction.

Cross-national comparisons of the Cambridge Cognitive Examination-revised: the CAMCOG-R: results from the European Harmonization Project for Instruments in Dementia.

Background: Transnational and psychometrically appropriate versions of instruments used in the diagnosis of dementia are essential for comparing information between different countries. The Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly incorporates a brief neuropsychological test battery, Cambridge Cognitive Examination (recently revised version), which provides objective data on performance across a number of cognitive domains.

Objective: To harmonise the Cambridge Cognitive Examination between seven European countries.