Colonoscopy in the octogenarian population: diagnostic and survival outcomes from a large series of patients.

Objective: Our aim was to audit the diagnostic and survival outcomes of colonoscopy in octogenarians and to determine if it confers any survival benefit.

Methods: A review of a prospectively maintained database over a two year period between October 2005 and September 2007 was undertaken. Data on numerous outcome variables and survival were collected and analysed.

Could pre-mortem computerised tomography scans reduce the need for coroner's post-mortem examinations?

Introduction: Post-mortem examinations may result in considerable distress to the bereaved family. This audit was undertaken to examine whether computerised tomography (CT) scanning prior to death might reduce the need for post-mortems without compromising the accuracy of recording the cause of death.

Subjects And Methods: The case notes of 100 consecutive patients who had a coroner's post-mortem, because the cause of death was unknown, were reviewed by four senior clinicians.

Occipital condyle syndrome: self diagnosed.

We present the case of a 71-year-old man who presented to us with unilateral lower motor neuron hypoglossal palsy along with the characteristic occipital headache. He himself forwarded a paper on occipital condyle syndrome to the clinician who initially reviewed him. Later the patient underwent a series of investigations that confirmed the diagnosis of underlying prostatic carcinoma with widespread metastasis to bones including the base of the skull.

Changes in superior mesenteric artery blood flow after oral, enteral, and parenteral feeding in humans.

Objective: Alterations in splanchnic blood flow cause gut ischemia and may predispose to gut-derived sepsis. Increases in superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow occur follow the oral ingestion of food, but the effects of enteral nutrition (EN) on splanchnic perfusion are poorly defined and those of parenteral nutrition (PN) are unknown in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in SMA flow in healthy controls and patients receiving adjuvant nutrition.

Prospective evaluation of ultrasound in distal ileal and colonic obstruction.

Aim: To evaluate prospectively the usefulness of ultrasound in determining the site and cause of distal small bowel and colonic obstruction.

Materials And Methods: Ultrasound findings in 60 consecutive patients with suspected distal ileal or colonic obstruction were correlated with final surgical and radiological diagnoses. The diagnostic value of ultrasound was compared with plain abdominal radiography (AXR) for the presence and level of obstruction.

How well can radiographers triage x ray films in accident and emergency departments?

Objective: To assess the ability of radiographers to identify abnormal radiographs of patients attending accident and emergency departments.

Design: Prospective study over six weeks.

Setting: Teaching hospital casualty x ray department.

A double-blind comparison of iopromide and iopamidol in intravenous urography.

A randomised double-blind comparative study was performed to assess the imaging properties and side-effects of two non-ionic contrast media, iopromide and iopamidol, in intravenous urography in high risk patients. The results showed the two contrast media to be similar in their imaging efficacy and incidence of side-effects. Using 50 or 100 ml of iopromide or iopamidol (370 mgI/ml), the quality of nephrograms was found to be dose dependent but the quality of pyelograms was not dose dependent.