Initial evaluation of a continuous speech recognition program for radiology

The aims of this work were to measure the accuracy of one continuous speech recognition product and dependence on the speaker's gender and status as a native or nonnative English speaker, and evaluate the product's potential for routine use in transcribing radiology reports. IBM MedSpeak/Radiology software, version 1.1 was evaluated by 6 speakers. Two were nonnative English speakers, and 3 were men. Each speaker dictated a set of 12 reports. The reports included neurologic and body imaging examinations performed with 6 different modalities. The dictated and original report texts were compared, and error rates for overall, significant, and subtle significant errors were computed. Error rate dependence on modality, native English speaker status, and gender were evaluated by performing ttests. The overall error rate was 10.3 +/- 3.3%. No difference in accuracy between men and women was found; however, significant differences were seen for overall and significant errors when comparing native and nonnative English speakers (P = .009 and P = .008, respectively). The speech recognition software is approximately 90% accurate, and while practical implementation issues (rather than accuracy) currently limit routine use of this product throughout a radiology practice, application in niche areas such as the emergency room currently is being pursued. This methodology provides a convenient way to compare the initial accuracy of different speech recognition products, and changes in accuracy over time, in a detailed and sensitive manner.     

Acanthamoeba keratitis: a comprehensive photographic reference of common and uncommon signs

There has been a significant increase in the number of reported cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis reported internationally over the last 24 months. Diagnosing Acanthamoeba keratitis is often difficult and part of the difficulty is attributed to the variability of presentation. This article provides a comprehensive photographic reference of common and uncommon clinical signs of Acanthamoeba keratitis.     

Neurodevelopmental outcome in high-risk preterm infants treated with inhaled nitric oxide

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is used to treat preterm infants with hypoxaemic respiratory failure. In this study we describe the long-term survival and neurodevelopmental status of high-risk preterm infants enrolled into a randomized controlled trial of iNO therapy. Information regarding long-term outcome was available for all 25 children enrolled in the original trial who survived until discharge from hospital. Formal, blinded, developmental assessment and neurological examinations were performed in 21 out of 22 children still alive at 30 mo of age, corrected for prematurity. No significant differences were found in long-term mortality (12/20 vs 8/22, RR 1.65, 95% CI 0.87-3.3), neurodevelopmental delay (4/7 vs 9/14, RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.37-1.75), severe neurodisability (0/7 vs 5/14, p = 0.12) or cerebral palsy (0/7 vs 2/14, p = 0.53) between iNO-treated and control infants. CONCLUSION: In this study there was no evidence of a significant effect on either survival or long-term neurodevelopmental status in infants treated with iNO.     

Surviving the 'heartsink' experience

The authors describe a pilot workshop designed to help doctorsachieve a greater understanding of and ability to cope withtheir ‘heartsink’ patients. Participants were askedto list their personal objectives in attending and a numberof cases were discussed in the group. A ‘heartsink survivalkit’ was provided which consisted of skills and strategieswhich are useful in difficult consultations and an approachto reassessing the goals of the relationship which might promotea more realistic understanding. The workshop was videotapedand two scenarios are presented. The implications for furthertraining are discussed.     

Primitive neuroectodermal tumours of the cerebrum

Summary Eighteen cases of cerebral tumour composed partly or totally of primitive embryonal cells are reported. These lesions comprise 2.8% of all primary cerebral hemisphere tumours in the histopathology files of The Royal Marsden Hospital between 1971 and 1980 inclusive. Most exhibited some degree of differentiation towards neuronal or glial elements and, as more than one type of differentiation was often present in the same lesion, we agree with others that the term primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) is more appropriate to describe these lesions than terms based on histogenesis. The extent of the primitive component varied, but usually accounted for more than 80% of the tumour. Although the tumours bear some similarities to posterior fossa medulloblastomas, they exhibit important differences in histology, immunohistology, natural history and response to treatment. Nearly all PNETs examined expressed some glial fibrillary acidic (GFAP) both in primitive areas and zones of astrocytic differentiation. GFAP staining may thus be of value in distinguishing PNETs from undifferentiated non-neurogenic tumours. Of 14 patients referred for radiotherapy, the survival rate at 3 years was 29% (\414) and 5 years 25% (\312). Patients with tumours in which at least 90% of the tissue was undifferentiated exhibited an extremely poor prognosis with none of 9 patients still alive at 3 years in contrast to 3 of 5 patients (60%) with tumours showing less than 90% undifferentiation. Radical tumour removal, where feasible, followed by irradiation of the whole cerebrospinal axis is recommended. Adjuvant chemotherapy with such agents as CCNU and Vincristine may be of value: the 3 long term survivors in the present series (7–11 years), including one who presented disseminated intracranial disease, received such adjuvant treatment.     

Reference values for radial bone width and mineral content using single photon absorptiometry in healthy children aged 4 to 10 years

Bone width and mineral content were measured in 420 healthy Cambridge children aged 4 to 10 years using single photon absorptiometry. The results are expressed first in the form of standard centile charts, with additional prediction charts which provide body-size-adjusted estimates for the measurements, and interpretation centiles for comparing these estimates with the actual measurements. The values obtained are similar to those reported for American children aged five to six years after adjusting for body-size differences. We suggest that appropriate application of these prediction charts will facilitate the use of single photon absorptiometry in monitoring and treating children who have disorders of bone growth and mineralization.