Low diffusion capacity of the lung predicts pneumothorax and chest drainage after CT-guided lung biopsy.

Objectives: Complications after CT-guided lung biopsy is a burden both for the individual patient and for the overall healthcare. Pneumothorax is the most common complication. This study determined the association between lung function tests and pneumothorax and chest drainage following CT-guided lung biopsy in consecutive patients in a large university hospital.

Diagnostic yield, complications, pathology and anatomical features in CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of mediastinal tumours.

Objectives: This study presents the experiences of percutaneous CT-guided needle biopsy at a university hospital in Norway.

Methods: A retrospective examination of all mediastinal biopsy procedures between April 2015 and August 2019 was performed at Akershus University Hospital in Norway. We registered patient and procedure characteristics, along with lesion pathology and characteristics including localization according to anatomical and Felson mediastinal compartments.

Predictors of pneumothorax and chest drainage after percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy: A prospective study.

Objectives: We present an analysis of predictors of pneumothorax, and pneumothorax requiring chest drainage after CT-guided lung biopsy, in one of the largest Scandinavian dataset presented.

Methods: We prospectively registered 875 biopsy procedures from 786 patients in one institution from January 27, 2012, to March 1, 2017, and recorded complications including pneumothorax with or without chest drainage, and multiple variables we assumed could be associated with complications. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of pneumothorax and pneumothorax requiring chest drainage.

Molecularly matched therapy in the context of sensitivity, resistance, and safety; patient outcomes in end-stage cancer - the MetAction study.

In precision cancer medicine, the challenge is to prioritize DNA driver events, account for resistance markers, and procure sufficient information for treatment that maintains patient safety. The MetAction project, exploring how tumor molecular vulnerabilities predict therapy response, first established the required workflow for DNA sequencing and data interpretation (2014-2015). Here, we employed it to identify molecularly matched therapy and recorded outcome in end-stage cancer (2016-2019).

Implementing precision cancer medicine in the public health services of Norway: the diagnostic infrastructure and a cost estimate.

Objective: Through the conduct of an individual-based intervention study, the main purpose of this project was to build and evaluate the required infrastructure that may enable routine practice of precision cancer medicine in the public health services of Norway, including modelling of costs.

Methods: An eligible patient had end-stage metastatic disease from a solid tumour. Metastatic tissue was analysed by DNA sequencing, using a 50-gene panel and a study-generated pipeline for analysis of sequence data, supplemented with fluorescence in situ hybridisation to cover relevant biomarkers.

Elevated d-dimer cut-off values for computed tomography pulmonary angiography-d-dimer correlates with location of embolism.

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a potentially fatal condition, and making a timely diagnosis can be challenging. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the modality of choice, and this contributes to the increasing load on emergency room CT scanners. Our purpose was to investigate whether an elevated d-dimer cut-off could reduce the demand for CTPA while maintaining a high sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV).

Reliability and validity of a Norwegian version of the Epworth sleepiness scale.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a Norwegian version of the self-administered Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS).

Materials And Methods: Two samples responded to the ESS: (1) 226 patients previously evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea, of whom 51 also responded to a retest 2 weeks later, and (2) 37 ambulant patients complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness, who were referred to multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT). We assessed internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability with weighted kappa (Kw) or an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Predictors of symptoms of anxiety and depression in obstructive sleep apnea.

Background And Purpose: To assess factors associated with anxiety and depression in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Patients And Methods: The study was comprised of a postal survey with a hospital chart review. Questionnaires were mailed to 242 previously hospitalised patients with OSAS.

Reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire.

The aim of this study was to validate the Norwegian version of a self-administered 30-item quality of life questionnaire designed to assess disorders of excessive sleepiness, the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ). In total 226 patients previously evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea were included in the study. The patients received a postal questionnaire with the FOSQ, the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire, and a scale for assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness, the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS).

[Coding of diagnoses in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease--economic consequences].

Background: We wanted to assess the quality of coding of diagnoses and procedures, the resulting DRG classification and the financial consequences of coding errors for the hospital owner in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Material And Methods: We identified 330 hospitalizations in the Central Hospital of Akershus 1 January to 30 November 1999 in DRG 088 (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases) after an initial DRG classification. The patients' discharge summaries were reviewed for errors in coding of diagnoses and procedures and, where applicable, recoded.