Improvement of nebulised antibiotic delivery in cystic fibrosis

AIM—To investigate deposition patterns and to assess the delivery rate of two nebuliser systems in children with cystic fibrosis (CF).
METHODS—Thirty three children with CF on regular treatment with nebulised antibiotics had radioisotope scans performed using technetium-99m labelled aerosol antibiotic generated by a Ventstream nebuliser (median mass diameter (MMD), 3.3 µm; delivery rate, 0.075 ml/min) under conditions similar to their routine home practice. The inhomogeneity of the images was scored on a 1-10 rating scale (a low score indicating even distribution of the antibiotic), and stomach deposition was measured as a percentage of overall deposition. Twenty patients had a repeat scan using an Optimist nebuliser (MMD, 1.8 µm; delivery rate, 0.02 ml/min).
RESULTS—The mean inhomogeneity scores were 5.4 in the Ventstream group and 3.5 in the Optimist group. Mean stomach deposition was 17.3% in the 33 patients using the Ventstream nebuliser. There was an inverse relation between height and stomach deposition (r = 0.69). In the 20 patients who had both nebulisers, the mean percentages of stomach deposition for the Ventstream and Optimist nebulisers were 11.8% and 1.6%, respectively. The Ventstream nebuliser delivered antibiotic at an average 2.8 times faster rate than the Optimist nebuliser.
IMPLICATIONS—A smaller particle size results in a more homogenous distribution of the antibiotic in the lungs with decreased stomach deposition. This should not be seen as a recommendation to use the Optimist nebuliser because more antibiotic was delivered to most parts of the lung with the Ventstream because of its increased delivery rate.

     

Outcome of congenital lung abnormalities detected antenatally

To determine the outcome of congenital lung abnormalities, data were collected retrospectively between January 1991 and December 1996 on any foetus found to have a lung lesion on antenatal ultrasound. A total of 23 foetuses had lung lesions on antenatal ultrasound. In two foetuses the antenatal ultrasound showed bilateral enlarged "bright" echogenic lungs with evidence of hydrops. Both pregnancies were terminated and tracheal atresia was confirmed. In 15 foetuses the antenatal ultrasound appearance was of a unilateral "bright" echogenic lung. There was one case of bronchial atresia and two cases of congenital lobar emphysema, which all had surgery. In nine cases there was a reduction in the size of the lesion on serial antenatal ultrasounds and no lesion was detected after birth. In three cases a small lesion was present after birth on chest radiography. In six foetuses the antenatal ultrasound appearance was of unilateral cystic or mixed cystic and echogenic lung lesions. Two pregnancies were terminated; both had congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. Four pregnancies were continued and three infants had surgery soon after birth and were confirmed to have had congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. One infant has been managed conservatively. In conclusion, a definitive diagnosis cannot usually be made antenatally. A large lesion on initial scan does not necessarily predict a poor outcome. The natural history of small asymptomatic postnatal lesions is unknown and a long-term prospective study is needed to determine the outcome of these lesions.     

Color Doppler of the splenic artery in the prenatal diagnosis of heterotaxic syndromes

The objective of this paper is to determine whether color and pulsed Doppler of the splenic artery is helpful in the prenatal diagnosis of polysplenia or asplenia in heterotaxic syndromes. Over a 3-year period, localization of the splenic artery by color and pulsed Doppler was attempted on all fetuses with the diagnosis of heterotaxic syndromes. Postnatal follow-up was obtained on all neonates. The diagnosis of heterotaxic syndromes was performed on eight fetuses during the study period. Mean gestational age at diagnosis was 20.1 weeks. All fetuses had situs ambiguous and complex cardiac abnormalities. All pregnancies were managed expectantly and none were terminated. The splenic artery was imaged by color and pulsed Doppler in 6 of 8 fetuses, all with one or multiple spleens confirmed postnatally. The splenic artery could not be imaged in two fetuses, both with asplenia confirmed postnatally. The perinatal mortality rate was 88% (7 of 8) and the one surviving infant is currently alive and well at 3 years of age. Color and pulsed Doppler of the splenic artery can aid in the prenatal diagnosis of heterotaxic syndromes. This information is of value and should result in improved prenatal counseling and management of affected pregnancies.     

Automatic image registration of diagnostic and radiotherapy treatment planning CT head images

PURPOSE: Accurate image registration is an essential step to integrate information from diagnostic and radiotherapy treatment planning (RTP) CT images. In this paper a fully automatic algorithm is presented to quickly register such diagnostic and RTP CT head scans. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The registration algorithm, which regards one image as the moved version of the other, was applied to seven clinically obtained diagnostic and RTP CT data set pairs. During the RTP scan patients were in treatment position and wearing mold masks. Hence, patient position differed strongly in both image sets. Registrations were inspected visually and compared with results obtained minimizing the sum-of-square difference. RESULTS: Registrations were accurate upon visual inspection. Differences between the two algorithms were at subvoxel level. All cases were successfully registered, using several different starting points. Registration calculations took 1-2 minutes. Minimization of the sum-of-square difference took 1-1.5 hours. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a fast and accurate image registration is achieved without prior segmentation or feature extraction and that the algorithm is robust, which makes it clinically applicable.     

VEDex (vincristine, epirubicin dexamethasone): an effective and well tolerated palliative chemotherapy regimen for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

An evaluation was carried out of the efficacy and toxicity of a novel weekly palliative chemotherapy regimen comprising vincristine, epirubicin and dexamethasone (VEDex) in 57 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated at this centre. The age range was 34-88 years and the median age was 67 years. Twenty-three patients (40%) had low grade disease and 4 patients (7%) had transformed NHL. Thirty patients (53%) had high grade NHL; 7 had relapsed after conventional chemotherapy and were not fit for high-dose chemotherapy, 7 were heavily pre-treated, 8 had received prior radiotherapy and 8 had not received any prior therapy. Responding patients received a total of 8 weeks of treatment, but treatment could be repeated at a later stage if required. The overall response rate was 66.6%; 11 patients (19.3%) achieved a complete response and 27 (47.3%) achieved a partial response. A further 11 patients (19.3%) had stable disease. Twenty-four patients (42.1%) reported complete resolution of symptoms and 21 (36.8%) had partial resolution of symptoms. The median survival from the onset of treatment was 6 months. Grade III neutropenia was seen in 9 patients (15.8%). Other toxicity included nausea and vomiting grade II (3.5%), grade III (1.8%) and alopecia grade III (1.8%). There were no treatment related deaths. We conclude that VEDex is an effective palliative treatment in patients with indolent or aggressive lymphoma with poor performance status or who have been heavily pre-treated. It is well tolerated in the elderly.