Quality indicators for breast cancer care: A systematic review

ObjectivesWe evaluated breast cancer (BC) care quality indicators (QIs) in clinical pathways and integrated health care processes.MethodsFollowing protocol registration (Prospero n^o: CRD42021228867), relevant documents were identified, without language restrictions, through a systematic search of bibliographic databases (EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE), health care valuable representatives and the World Wide Web in April 2021. Data concerning QIs, measurement tools and compliance standards were extracted from European and North American sources in duplicate with 98% reviewer agreement.ResultsThere were 89 QIs found from 22 selected documents (QI per document mean 13.5 with standard deviation 11.9). The Belgian (38 QIs) and the EUSOMA (European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists) (34 QIs) documents were the ones that best reported the QIs. No identical QI was identified in all the documents analysed. There were 67/89 QIs covering processes (75.3%) and 11/89 (12.4%) for each structure and outcomes QIs. There were 21/89 QIs for diagnosis (30.3%), 43/89 for treatment (48.3%), and 19/89 for staging, counselling, follow-up and rehabilitation (21.4%). Of 67 process QIs and 11 outcome QIs, 20/78 (26%) did not report a minimum standard of care. Shared decision making was only included as a QI in the Italian document.ConclusionMore than half of countries have not established a national clinical pathway or integrated breast cancer care process to achieve the excellence of BC care. There was heterogeneity in QIs for the evaluation of BC care quality. Over two-thirds of the clinical pathways and integrated health care processes did not provide a minimum auditable standard of care for compliance, leaving open the definition of best practice. There is a need for harmonisation of BC care QIs.     

Instability of the extensor digitorum tendons in Jaccoud arthropathy assessed by semi-dynamic MRI of the metacarpophalangeal joints

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that Jaccoud arthropathy (JA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with instability of the extensor digitorum (ED) tendons during flexion of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints by comparing the position of the ED tendons between SLE patients with JA and control subjects on hand MRI obtained with flexed and extended MCP joints.Materials and methodsThirty-two hands of SLE patients with JA (13 women and 3 men; mean age, 50.0 ± 12.2 [SD] years; age range: 26–68 years) and 24 hands of sex- and age-matched control subjects (20 women and 4 men; mean age, 50.1 ± 13.0 [SD] years; age range: 24–68 years) were included in the study. Axial spin echo T1-weighted MRI images of the second to fifth MCP joints in flexion and in extension were obtained. Two radiologists (R1 and R2) separately measured the amplitude and assessed the direction of the displacement of the ED tendons with respect to the midline at the level of each MCP joint. Statistical analysis included two-way ANOVA with random effects to assess differences in amplitude and Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test to assess differences in direction with P-values < 0.0083 and < 0.0063 considered as statistically significant respectively.ResultsAmplitude of the displacement of the ED tendons was statistically significantly greater in SLE patients with JA than in control subjects in flexion for both readers (median 58°, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 50°–65° vs. 20°, 95% CI: 16°–24°; P < 0.0001 for R1 and 54°, 95% CI: 47°–61° vs. 25°, 95% CI: 22°–28°; P < 0.0001 for R2) and in extension for one reader (17°, 95% CI: 15°–20° vs. 14°, 95% CI: 11°–16°; P = 0.0048 for R1 and 20°, 95% CI: 15°–25° vs. 16°, 95% CI: 12°–18°; P = 0.0292 for R2). Ulnar deviation of the ED tendons was statistically significantly more frequent in SLE patients with JA than in control subjects in flexion and in extension for both readers (P < 0.0001).ConclusionJA is associated with instability of the ED tendons in patients with SLE best depicted when MCP joints are flexed.     

磁敏感加权成像黑质“燕尾征”在帕金森病中的诊断价值

目的:探讨3.0 T磁敏感加权成像(susceptibility weighted imaging,SWI)中"燕尾征"缺失在帕金森病(Parkinson's dis-ease,PD)的诊断价值并分析黑质小体-1 (nigrosome-1)可视化与PD患者临床资料的相关性.方法:收集2017年9月至2019年11月于重庆医科大学附属第一医院神经内科住院的50例PD患者及年龄、性别与之匹配的57例非PD患者.所有受试者均接受3.0 T头颅SWI检查.在获得的SWI图像上,由2名临床医师采用盲法独立对双侧"燕尾征"进行评估.一侧"燕尾征"缺失即判定为PD.计算"燕尾征"缺失诊断PD的灵敏度、特异度、预测值和准确度,并分析nigrosome-1可视化与PD患者临床资料的相关性.结果:以临床诊断作为金标准,45例PD患者判断正确,评估者之间的一致性很高(k=0.963,P=0.000)."燕尾征"缺失诊断PD的灵敏度为90.0％,特异度为91.2％,阳性预测值为90.0％,阴性预测值为91.2％,准确度为90.7％.44例PD患者临床症状不对称,其中32例患者nigrosome-1可视化不对称.PD患者nigrosome-1可视化偏侧和临床症状偏侧比较差异无统计学意义(x2=5.756,P=0.056).11例PD患者双侧nigrosome-1全部缺失,纳入全部缺失组,其余PD患者为非全部缺失组.全部缺失组和非全部缺失组患者的汉密尔顿抑郁量表评分差异有统计学意义(U=126.500,P=-0.038),而病程、帕金森病统一评定量表第Ⅲ部分、改良Hoehn-Yahr(H-Y)分级、简易智能状态量表和蒙特利尔认知评估量表评分差异均无统计学意义(P=0.768、0.140、0.839、0.054、0.067).结论:"燕尾征"缺失诊断PD的准确率较高,缺失程度可能与PD患者的抑郁程度有关,对PD的诊断有一定参考价值.     

前列腺癌早期诊断的研究进展北大核心

前列腺癌(prostate cancer, PCa)是中老年男性常见恶性肿瘤之一,目前尚缺乏有效的晚期癌症治疗方法,因此早期诊断对于降低PCa死亡率至关重要。近年来,较多研究开发出多种新型诊断方法以改善对PCa诊断的准确性,同时避免过度诊疗,但其有效性及实用性尚需进一步验证。本文对目前新型生物标志物、联合成像技术及风险预测模型等的早期诊断技术进行总结,以期为临床研究提供指导作用。     

超声及应变式弹性成像预测超声引导下腘静脉置入血管鞘用于治疗下肢深静脉血栓形成成功与否

目的 分析超声及应变式弹性成像预测超声引导下置入腘静脉血管鞘治疗下肢深静脉血栓形成(DVT)成功与否的价值。方法 回顾性分析103例接受超声引导下置入患侧腘静脉血管鞘的DVT患者的术前超声资料,比较置入血管鞘失败与成功病例腘静脉超声及应变式弹性成像表现差异;绘制差异有统计学意义超声参数的受试者工作特征曲线,获得其预测血管鞘置入失败的阈值,对每个参数阈值赋值1分,得到联合超声评分,以实际置入结果为标准,评价超声单一参数及联合评分的预测效能。结果 103例中,对100例行单侧、3例行双侧腘静脉置入血管鞘,包括左侧腘静脉71支、右侧35支,共106支腘静脉;对其中95支腘静脉置入血管鞘成功(成功组),11支失败(失败组)。相比成功组,失败组腘静脉内径及腘静脉与腘动脉内径比值均较小,血栓为等或高回声,与血管壁边界模糊,腘静脉应变式弹性评分为硬。以超声单一参数及联合评分预测置入血管鞘成功与否的曲线下面积分别为0.909、0.926、0.865、0.899、0.958及0.940(P均＜0.001)。结论 患侧腘静脉超声及应变式弹性成像能有效预测对下肢DVT患者行超声引导下置入腘静脉血管鞘成功与否。     

基于功能磁共振成像的肝豆状核变性患者纹状体亚区损害及临床分析

目的基于功能磁共振成像分析肝豆状核变性（Wilson disease, WD）患者纹状体亚区神经功能损害及其与临床相关分析，探讨其神经心理学症状可能的致病机制。方法收集WD患者29例和健康志愿者30例，进行3.0 T磁共振功能磁共振成像及临床量表测试，采用mICA工具箱的group ICA功能将壳核和尾状核分成8个亚区，做全脑功能连接，提取功能连接异常区域的值与临床量表测试结果做相关性分析。结果与对照组相比，WD患者左侧尾状核中部与全脑未发现功能增强或减弱区域，余感兴趣区与全脑功能连接不同程度减弱。左侧尾状核前部（ROI5）-中扣带回功能连接值与简易智能状态量表（MMSE）值呈显著负相关（r=-0.47，P=0.009）；右侧尾状核前部（ROI6）-中扣带回功能连接值与MMSE值呈显著负相关（r=-0.46，P=0.011）；右侧尾状核中部（ROI8）-右侧岛叶功能连接值与MMSE值呈显著负相关（r=-0.38，P=0.041）。结论右侧尾状核前中部与背外侧前额叶功能连接减弱，双侧壳核前部与丘脑功能连接减弱，可能破坏皮质-纹状体-丘脑回路引起认知功能损害；参与记忆及动作相关认知的突显网络、默认模式网络的通路连接受阻则可能是WD患者认知障碍的神经病理机制。     

Measuring healthy female nulliparous pubovisceral muscle from diffusion kurtosis imaging

This study explores the feasibility of using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in the pelvic floor region and assesses the water diffusivity of the pubovisceral muscle. Twenty-seven healthy young nulliparous females underwent DKI at 3.0 T that included 15 gradient directions and three b values (0, 750, and 1500 s/mm²). The diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics values of the pubovisceral muscle were measured after image processing. Two independent sample t-tests, a paired-samples t-test, and a nonparametric hypothesis test were performed as appropriate to compare the differences among different metrics. Twenty-six subjects (mean ± standard deviation age, 25 ± 2 years) were successfully analyzed by measuring the diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis metrics of the bilateral pubovisceral muscles. The metrics included mean kurtosis, axial kurtosis, radial kurtosis, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. We found no statistically significant differences for these measurement values between the left and right pubovisceral muscles (p = 0.271–0.931). However, radial kurtosis was greater than axial kurtosis in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001) and axial diffusivity was lower than radial diffusivity in both pubovisceral muscles (p < 0.001). We deem the application of DKI technology to the pelvic floor region to be feasible.