Ultrasound biomicroscopy diagnosis of congenital glaucoma

BACKGROUND: In children with congenital glaucoma the assessment of the anterior chamber and the chamber angle might be difficult since scarring and opacities of the cornea are often seen. The purpose of our study was to reveal in vivo--morphology of the anterior segment in patients with congenital glaucoma and opaque cornea. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 46 eyes of 23 children with different degrees of corneal opacities we performed ultrasoundbiomicroscopy (UBM) of the anterior chamber after having performed a complete ophthalmological examination in general anesthesia. RESULTS: Massive abnormalities of the anterior segment morphology were detected in 5 eyes with completely cloudy cornea. In eyes with partial opacity of the cornea, UBM gave additional information concerning the anterior chamber angle topography, as iris remnants in aniridia, or anterior synechia. CONCLUSION: Especially in cases with extensive corneal opacities the UBM allows us to get morphological and topographic information about the anterior segment and helps to establish an individual strategy for surgical management.     

Technetium 99m-MIBI-SPECT: A highly sensitive diagnostic tool for localization of parathyroid adenomas

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the value of technetium 99m-MIBI scintigraphy using the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technique for preoperative localization of smaller (相似文献   

Cost-effectiveness of PET in the management algorithms of lung tumors: comparison of health economic data

Modelling is an accepted, valid and often necessary method for assessing economic effectiveness in terms of cost per life year gained. Comparing an alternative strategy (a) with a baseline strategy (bl), the incremental cost (COSTa-COSTbl) divided by the incremental life expectancy (LEa-LEbl) defines the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Taking watchful waiting as the low-cost baseline strategy for the management of solitary pulmonary nodules, the ICER of positron emission tomography (PET) [3218 euros (EUR) per life year saved (LYS)] was more favourable than that of exploratory surgery (4210 EUR/LYS) or that of transthoracic needle biopsy (6120 EUR/LYS). Changing the baseline strategy to exploratory surgery, the use of PET led to cost savings and additional life expectancy in case of an intermediate pretest probability of malignancy. For management of potentially operable non-small cell lung cancer the use of PET in patients with normalisized mediastinal lymph nodes on CT was most cost-effective (143 EUR/LYS), and the costs of PET were almost balanced by a better selection of patients for beneficial cancer resection. Using PET in patients with enlarged lymph nodes on CT, the ICER raised to 36,667 EUR/LYS. When PET or CT were positive for mediastinal lymph nodes, the exclusion from biopsy confirmation led to cost savings that did not justify the expected reduction in life expectancy. Economic data from the USA and Japan also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of PET-based algorithms for the management of lung tumours.     

Procedure guideline for thyroid scintigraphy (version 2)

The version 2 of the procedure guideline for thyroid scintigraphy is an update of the procedure guideline published in 1999. The procedure guideline considers the current amendment of legislative rules (Richtlinie Strahlenschutz in der Medizin 2002). Indication and use of radiopharmaceuticals have to be confirmed by the specialist in nuclear medicine. Activities of 75 MBq technetium-99m, respectively of 10 MBq iodine-123 should not be exceeded without an individual justification. The interpretation of the scintigraphy requires the knowledge of the patients' history, the palpation of the neck, the laboratory parameters, and of the sonography. The interpretation of the technetium-99m uptake requires the knowledge of TSH concentration.     

Multifocal intraocular lens implantation in patients with traumatic cataract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the postoperative outcome and complication rate of cataract extraction with implantation of a zonal-progressive multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) for traumatic cataract. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, comparative trial. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-one eyes of 51 subjects with traumatic cataract caused by nonpenetrating, penetrating, and perforating ocular trauma at two university institutions with more than 12 months follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Temporal clear corneal phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation was performed in all eyes. In 29 subjects, a zonal-progressive optic multifocal IOL (Array SA40-N Allergan, Irvine, CA) was implanted, whereas 22 subjects received a monofocal IOL and served as controls. RESULTS: Preoperative subjects demographics, mean postoperative spherical equivalent, astigmatism, and uncorrected and best-corrected distance visual acuity were similar in the two groups. Subjects with a multifocal IOL achieved a significantly better uncorrected near visual acuity than subjects with monofocal IOL (0.24 vs. 0.40; P = 0.0001). With distance correction only, mean near visual acuity was 0.21 vs. 0.43 (P = 0.0001). Best-corrected near visual acuity was 0.17 for both groups (P = 0.91), with +1.24 diopters (D) for the multifocal group and +2.45 D for the monofocal group (P = 0.0001). Spectacle dependency differed significantly between the two groups, with 18 (81%) subjects of the monofocal group commonly requiring an additional plus add for near tasks compared with 5 (17%) subjects in the multifocal group (P = 0.001). Stereopsis was superior in the multifocal group (P < 0.001), with 20 (69%) and 16 (55%) patients with a multifocal IOL responding positively to the Lang and Titmus tests, respectively. In the monofocal group, only eight (36%) and five (22%) subjects gave correct answers. CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal IOL implantation is a viable alternative to monofocal pseudophakia in subjects with traumatic cataract.     

UBM-guided chamber angle surgery for glaucoma management: an experimental study

PURPOSE: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the potential of ultrasound bimicroscopy (UBM)-guided chamber angle surgery as an alternative or supplement to gonioscopy and intraocular microendoscopy for intraoperative control. METHODS: In 15 porcine cadaver eyes, mechanical goniopuncture or punctual Er:YAG laser trabecular ablation was performed without operating microscope or gonioscopy, but with real-life ultrasound biomicroscopy monitoring with a 50 MHz transducer. Intraoperative localization of the microsurgical instruments and tissue-instrument contact were qualitatively evaluated. RESULTS: The instruments could be clearly visualized within the chamber angle and disturbing artefacts were only minimal when using mechanically fixed instruments in slow motion. Topographic localization, tissue contact, and penetration depth of the instruments entering the scleral were well illustrated as far as the technical resolution limits of UBM would allow. CONCLUSIONS: UBM can be used intraoperatively to monitor the correct manoeuvring of microsurgical instruments in selected ab interno procedures. Some adaptations and further modifications of the technique presented here will be necessary before UBM-guided surgery can be considered for clinical use in humans.