Ten-year outcomes of a prospective population-based incidence cohort of inflammatory bowel disease patients from Canterbury, New Zealand.

Background And Aim: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a progressive condition where ongoing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to complications such as strictures, and fistulae. The long-term outcomes of newly diagnosed patients under current medical therapy can be used to plan health service provision and guide patients.

Methods: Prospective population-based data on all incident patients diagnosed with IBD in Canterbury was gathered in 2014 ( = 205).

Ultrasound assessment of gastrointestinal luminal contents: a narrative review.

Gastro-intestinal ultrasound (GIUS) is a non-invasive and cost-effective tool, widely used as a first-line diagnostic method in patients presenting with abdominal complaints, especially in patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In this setting, gastro-intestinal ultrasound has been especially used to evaluate the bowel wall features (thickening, stratification, vascularization) and complications related to IBD (fistulas, abscesses). Nevertheless, gastro-intestinal ultrasound can be also used to detect and evaluate the content of several segments of the gut.

Moving beyond Symptom Criteria to Diagnose and Treat Functional Disorders: Patient-Reported Symptoms of Functional Lower Gastrointestinal Disorders Correlate Poorly with Objective Assessment of Luminal Contents Seen on Intestinal Ultrasound.

The diagnosis of lower functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is currently based on subjective and unreliable patient-reported symptoms, with significant clinical overlap between diagnosed phenotypes. Objective biomarkers are urgently sought. Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) can objectively and non-invasively assess luminal contents.

Comparative Analysis of Body Image Dissatisfaction, Depression, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: A Case-Control Study.

(1) Objective: This case-control study investigated body image dissatisfaction, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with type 1 diabetes. (2) Methods: A total of 35 adults with diabetes and an equal number of age- and gender-matched controls were included. Assessment tools used were the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire (BIDQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the RAND 36-Item Health Survey.

Pharmacist-Driven Therapeutic Infliximab Monitoring at the Point of Care Using Rapidly Assessed Drug Levels in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Therapeutic monitoring of infliximab is limited by the time lag between drug-level measurement and dose adjustment, along with the cost of dose escalation. Strategies for dose reduction in stable patients on maintenance infliximab at supratherapeutic levels are uncertain. This study determined the feasibility of a pharmacist-driven strategy for immediate dose adjustment using a sliding scale at the point of care in stable patients with inflammatory bowel disease on maintenance therapy.

Interrater reliability of the assessment of disease activity by gastrointestinal ultrasound in a prospective cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: Gastrointestinal ultrasound is a radiological investigation for monitoring patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, the reliability of the findings depends on the reproducibility of results between different operators. Thus, the study aim was to assess the interrater reliability of gastrointestinal ultrasound in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease between gastroenterologists with varying GIUS experience.

Rising Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Background: A population-based study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Canterbury province of New Zealand demonstrated an incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) of 16.5 per 100,000 population in 2004, along with a high rate of IBD overall. At the time, this was one of the highest rates of CD in the world.

Waiting times for gynaecological cancer surgery.

Aim: This study sought to identify the perceived acceptable waiting times for gynaecological cancer surgery and to audit actual waiting times for gynaecological cancer patients in a tertiary referral service.

Methods: Women attending Gynaecological Outpatients and staff at Christchurch Women's Hospital were surveyed to determine their opinion regarding the acceptable waiting times from referral to diagnosis, diagnosis to treatment plan, and treatment plan to surgery for women with gynaecological cancer. The actual waiting times for patients who had surgery for gynaecological cancer over two 6-month periods at Christchurch Women's Hospital were audited.

Management of risk factors: a survey of New Zealand vascular surgeons.

Aim: Patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease (POAD) suffer significant morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events that may be reduced by appropriate risk factor management. The aim of this study was to document the opinion of New Zealand vascular surgeons regarding risk factor management in patients with POAD.

Methods: A questionnaire was emailed to 42 New Zealand vascular surgeons.