The impact of MRI combined with visual rating scales on the clinical diagnosis of dementia: a prospective study.

Objectives: Dementia is foremost a clinical diagnosis. However, in diagnosing dementia, it is advocated to perform at least one neuroimaging study. This has two purposes: to rule out potential reversible dementia (PRD), and to help determine the dementia subtype.

Use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound for posttraumatic nonunions of the tibia: a review of patients treated in the Netherlands.

Background: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound is effective in fresh fracture healing, resulting in a 40% reduction in healing time. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of ultrasound treatment on established tibia nonunions.

Methods: The study group consists of all Dutch patients of posttraumatic consecutive nonunion of the tibia, who started their ultrasound treatment between January 2000 and February 2003.

Value of breast imaging in women with painful breasts: observational follow up study.

Objectives: To determine the value of breast imaging in patients with localised or diffuse pain in the breast in whom physical examination shows no abnormalities.

Design: Observational follow up study.

Setting: Radiology department of a teaching hospital in the Netherlands.

Nonpalpable, probably benign breast lesions in general practice: the role of follow-up mammography.

A nonpalpable, probably benign lesion is frequently detected on mammograms. The aim of this paper was to determine the role of follow-up mammography as an alternative to surgical biopsy of these lesions, in patients from a general practice population. In a prospective study we estimated the compliance rate of general practitioners and patients with the recommendations for mammographic follow-up of nonpalpable, probably benign lesions.

[Mammographic surveillance of breast cancer patient relatives; implementation of guidelines formulated by the Netherlands College of General Practitioners].

Objective: To determine the implementation of the guidelines for mammographic screening of breast cancer relatives formulated by the Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG), in daily practice.

Design: Prospective, descriptive.

Setting: Kennemer Gasthuis, location EG, Haarlem, the Netherlands.

Mammographic surveillance of asymptomatic breast cancer relatives in general practice: rate of re-attendance and GP- and patient-related barriers.

Background: Several guidelines have been formulated for mammographic screening of breast cancer relatives. No studies have examined the adherence of GPs and their patients to these recommendations.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the rate of re-attendance of breast cancer relatives for mammographic screening requested by GPs and specify the barriers for non-attending follow-up mammography.

CT before and after ERCP: detection of pancreatic pseudotumor, asymptomatic retroperitoneal perforation, and duodenal diverticulum.

Background: A prospective study was done to investigate the occurrence of morphologic changes after ERCP that present as pancreatic pseudotumor on CT scan. Fifty-eight patients underwent CT before and after ERCP. In addition, post-ERCP complications and the value of routinely obtained CT before ERCP were assessed.

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of breast imaging in the detection of cancer.

In an observational follow-up study we determined whether the combined use of mammography and breast ultrasonography is an appropriate diagnostic tool to select patients with symptomatic breast disease who need additional pathological evaluation. Mammography and ultrasound were used as complementary diagnostic modalities in 3014 consecutively referred and mainly symptomatic patients. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated according to standard procedures.

Iohexol vs. ioxaglate in lower extremity angiography: a comparative randomized double-blind study in 80 patients.

The aim of this study was to detect clinically relevant differences between iohexol 300 mgI/ml and ioxaglate 320 mgI/ml in lower extremity arteriography. In this randomized double-blind study, 40 patients were examined with iohexol and 40 patients with ioxaglate. Adverse events were evaluated by recording the time of onset and the duration of possible adverse events: during or immediately following the contrast medium injections, after 6 h, and after 24 h following these injections.

Mycotic aneurysm of the suprarenal abdominal aorta.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causes of bacteriaemia. Haemodialysis patients are likely to develop bacteriaemia due to S. aureus, probably because they are often carriers of S.

Noninvasive long-term follow-up after coarctation repair.

Thirty patients operated on for aortic coarctation while less than 3 years of age underwent magnetic resonance imaging, digital subtraction angiography, and bicycle exercise testing 14 to 33 years (mean, 22 years) after operation. Diameters of the aorta at the site of the anastomosis, of the distal arch, and of the aorta at the level of the diaphragm were measured in the images. Blood pressures were obtained from the right arm and leg before and after exercise.

The contribution of colour Doppler flow imaging to the study of cerebral haemodynamics in the neonate.

We investigated the contribution of colour Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) to duplex-ultrasonography of the neonatal brain. In pre- and full-term infants, CDFI facilitated spectral analysis of blood flow velocity wave forms in most major intracranial arteries, enabling blood flow velocity measurements. Moreover CDFI depicted major deep and superficial veins, enabling venous blood flow velocity measurements.

[Prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants using intratracheally administered surfactants].

Objective: To study the effects of administration of surfactant immediately after birth (prophylactic) or after 6 hr (therapeutic) to 81 Dutch preterm infants from a multicentre trial.

Setting: University Hospital Leiden and Sint Joseph Hospital, Veldhoven.

Design: A randomized controlled trial with stratification for biochemical lung (im)maturity.

Value of cranial ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in predicting neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.

In this prospective study, cranial ultrasound was performed to detect periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia in 33 preterm infants of less than 32 weeks' gestation. At 44 weeks postmenstrual age magnetic resonance imaging was performed to detect the stage of myelination. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed at 3 years of age in 31 children (2 children died in the first year of life).

Double outlet left ventricle: diagnosis with magnetic resonance imaging.

A complex congenital cardiac malformation in a female patient was evaluated several times by angiocardiography and echocardiography in childhood but a definite diagnosis was not established. Segmental analysis of the heart and the great vessels by magnetic resonance imaging when the patient was 34, however, showed a double outlet left ventricle in which the aorta was situated anterior to and to the left of the pulmonary trunk and an associated subaortic ventricular septal defect with pulmonary valve stenosis. This is the first time that this extremely rare cardiac malformation has been diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Indomethacin-induced changes in renal blood flow velocity waveform in premature infants investigated with color Doppler imaging.

Renal dysfunction has been recognized as an adverse effect of indomethacin treatment and is probably secondary to impairment of renal blood flow. We therefore evaluated renal artery blood flow velocity in 15 premature infants with a symptomatic ductus arteriosus before and during the first 12 hours after a single intravenous dose of 0.1 mg/kg of indomethacin.

Effect of indomethacin on superior mesenteric artery blood flow velocity in preterm infants.

In 15 preterm infants with symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus, blood flow velocity changes in the superior mesenteric artery were investigated with Doppler ultrasound just before and during the first 12 hours after a single dose of indomethacin. Indomethacin administration led to an instantaneous decrease in all infants of temporal mean flow velocity in the superior mesenteric artery, which was maximal 10 minutes after administration of indomethacin, followed by a more sustained recovery, slightly greater than baseline values, 12 hours after indomethacin treatment. Simultaneously determined temporal mean flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery, used as an indicator of changes in cerebral blood flow, had a similar pattern as in the mean flow velocity in the superior mesenteric artery (r = 0.

Prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome in the preterm infant: MR-staged myelination compared with cranial US.

In this prospective study, 26 very preterm infants underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain at 44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) for staging of myelination. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed at 1 year of age. A significant correlation was demonstrated between delayed myelination and neurodevelopmental outcome (Chi 2 = 16.

Does very preterm birth impair myelination of the central nervous system?

Myelination of the central nervous system (CNS) can be demonstrated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Myelin formation may be reduced in conditions of neonatal "undernutrition". Very preterm infants have a reduced postnatal growth rate when compared with intrauterine fetuses of the same gestational age.

Superior mesenteric artery blood flow velocity and estimated volume flow: duplex Doppler US study of preterm and term neonates.

To obtain information about intestinal hemodynamics of healthy neonates, the authors assessed velocity and volume of blood flow with duplex Doppler sonography in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) in 91 stable preterm and term neonates. Blood flow velocity in the SMA and estimated volume blood flow increased linearly with gestational age and increasing body weight. The mean estimated volume blood flow (+/- standard deviation) was 43 mL/kg/min +/- 13 and did not depend on differences in body weight.

Early detection of delayed myelination in preterm infants.

Myelination of the central nervous system can be demonstrated with magnetic resonance imaging. The influence of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia on cerebral myelination was studied using magnetic resonance imaging. The subjects were 33 preterm infants of less than 30 weeks' gestation studied at 44 weeks' postmenstrual age: 11 infants with periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage, 7 with periventricular leukomalacia, and 15 without periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia.