Reducing seed waste and increasing value of dynamic intraoperative implantation of Pd-103 seeds in prostate brachytherapy.

Several nomograms exist for ordering palladium-103 seeds for permanent prostate seed implants (PSI). Excess seeds from PSIs pose additional radiation safety risks and increase the cost of care. This study compared five nomograms to clinical data from dynamic modified-peripheral intraoperative PSI to determine (a) the cause of excess seeds and (b) the optimal nomogram for our institution.

The outcome of carpal tunnel decompression in elderly patients.

Purpose: To determine the outcomes of carpal tunnel decompression in elderly patients and whether outcomes can be predicted by the severity of presurgical nerve conduction study results.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all patients over 70 years of age who had elective carpal tunnel release at Dunedin Hospital between April 1999 and April 2002 with a minimum of 1-year follow-up evaluation. A grading system for presurgical nerve conduction studies was formulated that scored patients from 1 to 6 according to severity.