Minimally disruptive decompression and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

BACKGROUND: Posterior spinal procedures through tubular exposures have been described. However, tubes restrain visibility and require co-axial instrument manipulation, increasing difficulty and potentially compromising surgical results. An independent-blade retractor system overcomes the obstacles of working through a tube and has been used to perform minimally-disruptive decompression and instrumented tranforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). PURPOSE: To evaluate the advantages to patient recovery and surgical efficacy of this technique. METHODS/RESULTS: Retrospective review of technique employing a minimally-disruptive approach to decompression and transforaminal lumber interbody fusion (TLIF). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally-disruptive decompression and instrumented TLIF can be performed in a safe and effective manner using an independent-blade retractor system. Relative to traditional-open techniques, surgical goals can be accomplished, but with the benefits of minimally-disruptive surgery.     

166Ho-DOTMP radiation-absorbed dose estimation for skeletal targeted radiotherapy.

166Ho-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethylene-phosphonate (DOTMP) is a tetraphosphonate molecule radiolabeled with 166Ho that localizes to bone surfaces. This study evaluated pharmacokinetics and radiation-absorbed dose to all organs from this beta-emitting radiopharmaceutical. METHODS: After two 1.1-GBq administrations of 166Ho-DOTMP, data from whole-body counting using a gamma-camera or uptake probe were assessed for reproducibility of whole-body retention in 12 patients with multiple myeloma. The radiation-absorbed dose to normal organs was estimated using MIRD methodology, applying residence times and S values for 166Ho. Marrow dose was estimated from measured activity retained after 18 h. The activity to deliver a therapeutic dose of 25 Gy to the marrow was determined. Methods based on region-of-interest (ROI) and whole-body clearance were evaluated to estimate kidney activity, because the radiotracer is rapidly excreted in the urine. The dose to the surface of the bladder wall was estimated using a dynamic bladder model. RESULTS: In clinical practice, gamma-camera methods were more reliable than uptake probe-based methods for whole-body counting. The intrapatient variability of dose calculations was less than 10% between the 2 tracer studies. Skeletal uptake of 166Ho-DOTMP varied from 19% to 39% (mean, 28%). The activity of 166Ho prescribed for therapy ranged from 38 to 67 GBq (1,030-1,810 mCi). After high-dose therapy, the estimates of absorbed dose to the kidney varied from 1.6 to 4 Gy using the whole-body clearance-based method and from 8.3 to 17.3 Gy using the ROI-based method. Bladder dose ranged from 10 to 20 Gy, bone surface dose ranged from 39 to 57 Gy, and doses to other organs were less than 2 Gy for all patients. Repetitive administration had no impact on tracer biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, or organ dose. CONCLUSION: Pharmacokinetics analysis validated gamma-camera whole-body counting of 166Ho as an appropriate approach to assess clearance and to estimate radiation-absorbed dose to normal organs except the kidneys. Quantitative gamma-camera imaging is difficult and requires scatter subtraction because of the multiple energy emissions of 166Ho. Kidney dose estimates were approximately 5-fold higher when the ROI-based method was used rather than the clearance-based model, and neither appeared reliable. In future clinical trials with 166Ho-DOTMP, we recommend that dose estimation based on the methods described here be used for all organs except the kidneys. Assumptions for the kidney dose require further evaluation.     

The National Summit on Preconception Care: A Summary of Concepts and Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 35 partner organizations have engaged in developing an agenda for Preconception Health. A summit was held in June 2005 to discuss the current state of knowledge regarding preconception care and convene a select panel to develop recommendations and action steps for improving the health of women, children, and families through advances in clinical care, public health, and community action. A Select Panel on Preconception Care, convened by CDC, deliberated critical related issues and created refined definition of preconception care. The panel also developed a strategic plan with goals, recommendations, and action steps for improving preconception health. The recommendations and action steps are specific to the implementation of health behavior, access, consumer demand, research, and surveillance activities for monitoring and improving the health of women, children and families. The outcome of the deliberations is the CDC publication of detailed recommendations and action steps in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series, Recommendations and Reports.

     

Infectious diseases physicians' preferences for continuing medical education on antimicrobial resistance and other general topics.

A 19-item survey instrument was designed and mailed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America to its membership to determine the media preferred by infectious diseases physicians for continuing medical education on general topics and on antimicrobial resistance. The objective of the survey was to offer the developers of educational programs knowledge on which to base more-effective ways to deliver educational materials to physicians in this specialty.     

Familial risk assessment for early-onset coronary heart disease.

PURPOSE: We examined the performance of a familial risk assessment method that stratifies risk for early-onset coronary heart disease by considering the number of relatives with coronary disease, degree of relationship, lineage, and age at diagnosis. METHODS: By using data from the HealthStyles 2003 survey, we assessed the associations between familial risk and early-onset coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity. By using area under the curve statistics, we evaluated the discriminatory ability of various risk assessment models. RESULTS: Of 4,035 respondents, 60% were female and 72% were white, with a mean age of 48.8 years. After adjustment for demographics, strong and moderate risk were significantly associated with approximately a five- and twofold risk of early-onset coronary disease, respectively. After adjustment for demographics and personal history of cardiovascular disease, strong familial risk was also significantly associated with diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity. A risk assessment model that included familial risk, demographics, and personal history of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity was most optimal with an area under the curve statistic of 87.2% CONCLUSIONS: Familial risk assessment can stratify risk for early-onset coronary heart disease. Several conditions associated with increased familial risk can be prevented. These results have important implications for risk assessment and risk-reducing interventions.     

Improvement of oral colonic lavage with supplemental simethicone

We have noted that colons of patients prepared for colonoscopy with Golytely, a nonabsorbable electrolyte lavage solution, frequently contain foam which may obscure small mucosal lesions. Therefore, a randomized, blinded controlled trial was performed to determine the prevalence of Golytely-induced foam and the effect of supplemental simethicone in decreasing the prevalence of foam. Foam was present in 32% of colons prepared with Golytely alone but in none of the colons prepared with Golytely supplemented with simethicone. In addition, only 5% of colons prepared with supplemental simethicone had residual stool noted at the time of colonoscopy, a significant improvement over the 39% prevalence of residual stool in colons prepared with Golytely alone. Addition of simethicone to Golytely lavage decreases the prevalence of colonic foam and residual stool.     

Cardiovascular calcification in end-stage renal disease.

Cardiovascular diseases are common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among dialysis patients are substantially higher than in the general population. The reasons for this high incidence are multiple. They include traditional factors such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, sodium overload, and elevated homocysteine levels as well as disturbances of mineral metabolism, specifically abnormalities in phosphorus and calcium homeostasis. This review will describe the specific cardiovascular complications related to calcifications in ESRD, the implications of the abnormalities of mineral metabolism in its pathogenesis and the current imaging techniques available for the detection of cardiovascular calcifications. Excess of calcium load contributes to the development of cardiac calcifications; therefore, alternative strategies to diminish exogenous calcium load should be considered in patients with ESRD.