Patients with focal full-thickness cartilage lesions benefit less from ACL reconstruction at 2–5?years follow-up

Purpose

To investigate differences in patient-reported outcome after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction between patients with and without a concomitant full-thickness cartilage lesion.

Methods

30 primary ACL-reconstructed patients with an isolated concomitant full-thickness cartilage lesion and 59 matched controls without cartilage lesions were identified in the Norwegian National Knee Ligament Registry and included in the present study. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used as the outcome measure. At a median follow-up of 2.1?years (range, 2–5?years) after ACL reconstruction, 80 (90%) of the patients completed the KOOS.

Results

Preoperatively, there were no differences in KOOS between the study group and the control group. At follow-up, patients with full-thickness cartilage lesions reported significantly decreased scores compared to patients without cartilage lesions in the KOOS subscales pain (mean difference, 8.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8–15.3), activities in daily living (mean difference, 5.8; 95% CI, 0.3–11.2), sport/recreation (mean difference, 19.8; 95% CI, 5.3–34.3) and quality of life (mean difference, 17.2; 95% CI, 4.2–30.1). Patients with full-thickness cartilage lesions reported significantly less improvement from preoperative to follow-up than patients without cartilage lesions for the KOOS subscales pain (mean difference, 11.6; 95% CI, 3.2–19.9), sport/recreation (mean difference, 20.6; 95% CI, 8.1–33.1) and quality of life (mean difference, 16.3; 95% CI, 3.8–28.7).

Conclusions

ACL-injured patients with full-thickness cartilage lesions reported worse outcomes and less improvement after ACL reconstruction than those without cartilage lesions at 2–5?years follow-up.

Level of evidence

Prognostic; prospective cohort study, Level I.     

Which concentration to choose in dual flow cardiac CT?: Dual flow cardiac CT

Purpose

An extensive number of protocols have been suggested to allow for functional diagnostics; however, no data is available about the minimal amount of contrast medium to achieve reliable imaging properties. None of the plethora of existing studies report a rational why the specific concentration was chosen.

Materials and methods

A total of 40 patients were included in this prospective, controlled study. They were divided up into four equal groups getting a different concentration (10%, 20%, 30% or 40%) of a second contrast medium bolus. Corresponding septal and right ventricular ROIs were compared. A visual score was established. Coronary attenuation was measured in the right and left coronary artery. Streak artifacts in the right atrium/ventricle were assessed.

Results

In the 10% contrast medium (CM) group only in 5/10 (50%) patients full septal delineation was reached. In all other groups full septal visualization was obtained.No group showed a relevant difference of mean density measured in HU units of the left ventricle or the coronary arteries. All study groups except of group 1 (10% CM) showed streak artifacts in the right atrium.

Conclusion

The dual flow protocol with a minimum concentration of 20% improves septal visualization as basis for left ventricular functional assessment, however, does not allow for reliable right ventricular or atrial visualization.There is no significant difference between the different concentration protocols in terms of coronary attenuation.     

Diffusion tensor imaging to aid subgenual cingulum target selection for deep brain stimulation in depression

Background: The most investigated target for deep brain stimulation in depression is the subgenual cingulate gyrus (Cg25) which has been shown to be a critical hub for signalling in the condition. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a form of MR sequence that can visualise white matter connections and potentially aid target selection. Objectives: To assess whether targets selected using DTI to find the area of maximal tract crossover (maximal isotropy) underlying the subgenual cingulum differ significantly in location from those selected using standard T(2) sequences. Methods: Fifty-nine non-depressed adult volunteers underwent MR imaging using T(1), T(2) and DTI sequences of the brain. Each patient had targets selected for both hemispheres using both T(2) and DTI sequences. The significance of the differences in coordinates in all three dimensions was tested using the paired t test. Results: There was a significant difference in the mediolateral (x) and dorsoventral (z) coordinates of DTI targets when compared with T(2) targets (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Targets within Cg25 selected using DTI are significantly different in location from those selected using T(2) sequences and have the potential to enhance treatment outcome by reducing the impact of interindividual variability.     

The definition of block "success" in the contemporary literature: are we speaking the same language?

ABSTRACT: A successful nerve block is the common goal that shapes modern regional anesthesia practice and research, yet the meaning of block "success" can be open to interpretation. For this Special Article, we reviewed all applicable randomized controlled trials published over the last decade to determine the most commonly used definitions of block success. We also sought to uncover which relevant indicators of block success are routinely reported in the contemporary literature. Twenty-two trials that explicitly designated the term block "success" as their primary outcome measure were identified. The most common definition of block success was the achievement of a surgical block within a designated period, used in half of the trials. Block success was inconsistently defined in the remaining 11 trials. Patient-related indicators of block success including postoperative pain and patient satisfaction were measured in only 4 trials, whereas anesthesiologist-related indicators such as block onset time and complications were reported most frequently. Surgeon- and hospital administrator-related indicators were not collected in any trial. We found that the definition of block success is highly variable in the contemporary regional anesthesia literature. Our findings underscore the clear and present need for a comprehensive definition of block success, whereas future research should endeavor to capture the indicators of block success that are important to all key perioperative stakeholders.     

Cost-effectiveness of maintenance hormonal therapy in patients with advanced low grade serous ovarian cancer

ObjectivesTo assess the cost-effectiveness of using maintenance hormonal therapy in patients with low grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSC).MethodsA simulated decision analysis with a Markov decision model over a lifetime horizon was performed using the base case of a 47-year old patient with stage IIIC, LGSC following first-line treatment with primary cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Two treatment strategies were analyzed - maintenance daily letrozole until disease progression and routine observation. The analysis was from the perspective of the healthcare payer. Direct medical costs were estimated using public data sources and previous literature and were reported in adjusted 2018 Canadian dollars. The model estimated lifetime cost, quality-adjusted life years (QALY), life years (LY), median overall survival (OS), and number of recurrences with each strategy. Cost-effectiveness was compared using an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). A strategy was considered cost-effective when the ICER was less than the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of $50,000 CAD per QALY. Deterministic sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the impact of changing key clinical and cost variables.ResultsMaintenance letrozole was the preferred strategy with an associated lifetime cost of $69,985 CAD ($52,620 USD) and an observed improvement of 0.91 QALYs and 1.55 LYs. The ICER for letrozole maintenance therapy was an additional $11,037 CAD ($8298 USD) per QALY. The modeled median OS was 150 months with maintenance letrozole and 126 months in the observation strategy. The maintenance letrozole strategy resulted in 34% and 17% fewer first recurrences at 5-year and 10-year follow-up, respectively.ConclusionMaintenance letrozole is a cost-effective treatment strategy in patients with advanced LGSC resulting in clinically-relevant improvement in QALYs, LYs, and fewer disease recurrences.