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PubMed2007

Urologic radiology during pregnancy.

The pregnant patient presents a unique diagnostic challenge to the urologist because the well-being of both the mother and fetus must be considered. Radiation exposure to the fetus during gestation presents risks such as cell death and teratogenic effects, carcinogenesis, and genetic effects, which must be considered when selecting diagnostic tests. However, with the exercise of good clinical judgment and the use of the armamentarium of diagnostic imaging modalities available, the pregnant patient can be managed with minimal, if any radiation exposure to the fetus.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

Clinical trial design for microarray predictive marker discovery and assessment.

Transcriptional profiling technologies that simultaneously measure the expression of thousands of mRNA species represent a powerful new clinical research tool. Similar to previous laboratory analytical methods including immunohistochemistry, PCR and in situ hybridization, this new technology may also find its niche in routine diagnostics. Outcome predictors discovered by these methods may be quite different from previous single-gene markers. These novel tests will probably combine the information embedded in the expression of multiple genes with mathematical prediction algorithms to formulate classification rules and predict outcome. The performance of machine learning-algorithm-based diagnostic tests may improve as they are trained on larger and larger sets of samples, and several generations of tests with improving accuracy may be introduced sequentially. Several gene-expression profiling-technology platforms are mature enough for clinical testing. The most important next step that is needed for further progress is the development and validation of multigene predictors in prospectively designed clinical trials to determine the true accuracy and clinical value of this new technology. This manuscript reviews methodological and statistical issues relevant to clinical trial design to discover and validate multigene predictors of response to therapy.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Evaluation of diagnostic procedures in Swedish patients with schizophrenia and related psychoses.

We aimed to estimate the value of structured interviews, medical records and Swedish register diagnoses for assessing lifetime diagnosis of patients with schizophrenia. Psychiatric records and diagnostic interviews of 143 Swedish patients diagnosed by their treating physician with schizophrenia and related disorders were scrutinized. Based on record analysis only, or a combined record and interview analysis, DSM-IV diagnoses were obtained by the OPCRIT algorithm. Independent of the OPCRIT algorithm, a standard research DSM-IV diagnosis, based on both record and interview analysis, was given by the research psychiatrist. Concordance rates for the different psychosis diagnoses were calculated. DSM-IV diagnoses based on records only, showed a good to excellent agreement with diagnoses based on records and interviews. Swedish register diagnoses displayed generally poor agreement with the research diagnoses. Nevertheless, 94% of subjects sometimes registered with a diagnosis of schizophrenic psychoses (i.e. schizophrenia, schizoaffective psychosis or schizophreniform disorder) displayed a standard research DSM-IV diagnosis of these disorders. For patients in long-term treatment for schizophrenia in Sweden, psychiatric record reviews should be optimal, cost effective and sufficient for assessment of lifetime research diagnoses of schizophrenia. For these patients a research interview adds little new information. The results further indicate that a Swedish register diagnosis of schizophrenic psychoses has a high positive predictive power to a standard research DSM-IV diagnosis of the disorders. It is concluded that for future Swedish large-scale genetic studies focusing on a broad definition of schizophrenia, it would be sufficient to rely on the Swedish register diagnoses of schizophrenic psychosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Acute HIV revisited: new opportunities for treatment and prevention.

Inability to recognize incident infection has traditionally limited both scientific and public health approaches to HIV disease. Recently, some laboratories have begun adding HIV nucleic acid amplification testing to HIV diagnostic testing algorithms so that acute (antibody-negative) HIV infections can be routinely detected within the first 1-3 weeks of exposure. In this review article, we will highlight critical opportunities for HIV treatment and prevention that are presented by these diagnostic strategies.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2001

Guidelines and algorithms: strategies for standardization of referral criteria in diagnostic radiology.

Guidelines can be regarded as special forms of algorithms and have been shown to be useful tools for supporting medical decision making. With the Council Directive 97/43/Euratom recommendations concerning referral criteria for medical exposure have to be implemented into national law of all EU member states. The time- and cost-consuming efforts of developing, implementing, and updating such guidelines are balanced by the acceptance in clinical practice and eventual better health outcomes. Clearly defined objectives with special attention drawn on national and regional differences among potential users, support from organisations with expertise in evidence-based medicine, separated development of the evidence component and the recommendations component, and large-scale strategies for distribution and implementation are necessary. Editors as well as users of guidelines for referral criteria have to be aware which expectations can be met and which cannot be fulfilled with this instrument; thus, dealing with guidelines requires a new form of "diagnostic reasoning" based on medical ethics.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Outpatient evaluation of venous diseases. Role of instrumental diagnostic methods].

Venous investigations have increasingly gained a large part in daily phlebological activity; with the currently available diagnostic tools it's now possible to achieve a "hemodynamic" evaluation in every single patient. This in mandatory for outpatients varicose veins surgery, where sites of reflux must be exactly mapped to avoid unnecessary dissections. The authors present a personal diagnostic protocol (algorithm), they carefully prepared to assess a large number of patients avoiding useless and time-consuming examinations. Results of 100 consecutive examinations are reported; only 15 highly-selected patients required the use imaging techniques studies (echoDoppler, venography). The authors believe that a standardized diagnostic protocol can effectively reduce the number of expensive examinations required and the patients waiting time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: delays in diagnosis and overutilization of imaging modalities.

Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis (IHPS) can usually be diagnosed by the detection of a pyloric olive on examination performed by an experience examiner. In babies with typical symptoms and a palpable olive, no further confirmation of diagnosis is required. We retrospectively reviewed the diagnostic evaluations of 93 consecutive patients with proven IHPS. Many patients who had the diagnosis confirmed on physical examination underwent one or more unnecessary and redundant studies. The performance of these studies was associated with delayed diagnosis and possibly with adverse clinical health problems. An algorithm for management of patients with suspected IHPS is proposed. Prompt examination by an experienced examiner is key to the evaluation of such patients.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders: algorithms for ICD-10 childhood autism and Wing and Gould autistic spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) is an interviewer-based schedule for use with parents and carers. In addition to its primary clinical purpose of helping the clinician to obtain a developmental history and description of the child or adult concerned, it can also be used to assist in providing a formal diagnostic category. METHOD: In this study we compared two algorithms based on the ninth revision of the schedule (DISCO 9). The algorithm for ICD-10 childhood autism comprised 91 individual, operationally defined items covering the behaviour outlined in the ICD-10 research criteria. The algorithm for the autistic spectrum disorder, as defined by Wing and Gould (1979), was based on 5 DISCO items that represented overarching categories of behaviour crucial for the diagnosis of autistic disorders. The aim of the study was to examine the implications for clinical diagnosis of these two different approaches. Parents of 36 children with clinical diagnoses of autistic disorder, 17 children with learning disability and 14 children with language disorders were interviewed by two interviewers. Algorithm diagnoses were applied to interview items in order to analyse the relationship between clinical and algorithm diagnoses and the inter-rater reliability between interviewers. RESULTS: Clinical diagnosis was significantly related to the diagnostic outputs for both algorithms. Inter-rater reliability was also high for both algorithms. The ICD childhood disorder algorithm produced more discrepant diagnoses than the Wing and Gould autistic spectrum algorithm. Analysis of the ICD-10 algorithm items and combination of items helped to explain the reason for these discrepancies. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the DISCO is a reliable instrument for diagnosis when sources of information are used from the whole interview. It is particularly effective for diagnosing disorders of the broader autistic spectrum.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Fourth updated ESACP consensus report on diagnostic DNA image cytometry.

A task force of experts in the field of diagnostic DNA image cytometry, invited by the ESACP, and further scientists or physicians revealing experience in that diagnostic procedure (names are given in Addendum A), agreed upon the following 4th updated Consensus Report on Standardised Diagnostic DNA Image Cytometry during the 7th International Congress of that society in Caen, 2001. This report is based on the three preceding ones [6,14,17]. It deals with the following items:- Critical review and update of the definitions given in the 1997 Consensus Update;- Review and detailed description of basic terms, principles and algorithms for diagnostic interpretation;- Recommendations concerning diagnostic or prognostic applications in specific fields of tumour pathology. This update is not aimed to substitute the 1997 consensus, but to make necessary addenda and give more detailed descriptions of those items not unequivocally to interpret by potential users of the methodology.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1996

Blunt injury of the small intestine and mesentery--the trauma surgeon's Achilles heel?

Eighteen patients with small intestine or mesenteric injury following blunt abdominal trauma were operated over a 34-month period. Early diagnosis and surgery, less than 6 hours after admission, was achieved in 10 patients (56%), seven of whom had haemorrhagic shock and had positive diagnostic peritoneal lavage or ultrasonography on admission. Three haemodynamically stable patients had a diagnostic abdominal computed tomography. Diagnosis was delayed in eight patients (44%) resulting in a gap between admission and surgery that varied from 20 hours to 46 days. The delay was related to lack of suspicion of injuries in haemodynamically stable patients despite a seat-belt sign, or false negative abdominal computed tomography. Diagnosis was delayed in six of seven patients (86%) where the only injury on admission was an isolated intestinal or mesenteric injury. In 11 patients there were associated abdominal or other system injuries. Late diagnosis was associated with an increased morbidity and longer hospital stay, relating to intestinal and mesenteric injury. In conclusion, a seat belt sign is highly suspicious of intestinal or mesenteric injury. Computed tomography was unreliable in diagnosing blunt intestinal and mesenteric injuries, and if equivocal, should be followed by diagnostic peritoneal lavage if nonoperative management is selected. Delayed diagnosis is often related to isolation of intestinal and mesenteric injury and results in increased morbidity and hospital stay. Every attempt should be made to reach a diagnosis within six hours of admission to the trauma unit. A management algorithm is proposed.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1990

Management of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac death is a major cause of death in the western world. Since a 1-year recurrence rate of 30% is expected in survivors of sudden death, treatment is mandatory. If an apparent cause (e.g. proarrhythmia or acute ischemia) exists, treatment is generally directed at its alleviation. However, in most patients no obvious cause is found. Both noninvasive and invasive diagnostic procedures are employed to uncover treatable etiologies. If a treatable cause is not found, an electrophysiological study may be employed to tailor antiarrhythmic therapy. At this point, many patients still cannot be offered an adequate antiarrhythmic treatment. For these patients, amiodarone, antiarrhythmic surgery or an implantable defibrillator may be appropriate options. Algorithms for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in survivors of sudden cardiac death are delineated.

Death, Sudden↗
PubMed2003

Small pulmonary nodules: volume measurement at chest CT--phantom study.

Three-dimensional methods for quantifying pulmonary nodule volume at computed tomography (CT) and the effect of imaging variables were studied by using a realistic phantom. Two fixed-threshold methods, a partial-volume method (PVM) and a variable method, were used to calculate volumes of 40 plastic nodules (largest dimension, <5 mm: 20 nodules with solid attenuation and 20 with ground-glass attenuation) of known volume. Tube current times (20 and 120 mAs), reconstruction algorithms (high and low frequency), and nodule characteristics were studied. Higher precision was associated with use of a PVM with predetermined pure nodule attenuation, high-frequency algorithm, and diagnostic CT technique (120 mAs). A PVM is promising for volume quantification and follow-up of nodules.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

[Diagnosis and treatment in polypous lesions of the gallbladder].

Experience in observation and treatment of 193 patients with polypous lesions of the gallbladder (PLGB) was analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 consisted of 102 operated patients including ones with polypous cholesterosis (59), hyperplastic polyps (21), adenomatous polyps (19), polyform cancer (3). Group 2 consisted of 91 non-operated patients. The structure of the disease was studied. Clinical and morphological classification of PLGB, indications for surgery and follow-up were developed. Proposed algorithm of diagnostic and treatment policy permits to reduce surgical activity in PLGB by 68.6% without detriment for diagnosis and treatment of polyform cancer of the gallbladder.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1999

The diagnostic power of motor unit potential analysis: an objective bayesian approach.

The notion of a "myopathic" or "neuropathic" electromyogram (EMG) is usually based on qualitative visual and acoustical impressions. Conventional quantification defines abnormality but not diagnosis, which requires interpretation of patterns of change. Discriminant analysis is a model for this multivariate decision. It tells how probable it is that a motor unit potential (MUP) comes from a normal, myopathic, or neuropathic muscle. Accumulation of single MUP information by a sequential Bayesian algorithm produced diagnostic probabilities above 0.95 in 91% of all muscles (223 biceps brachii muscles from 80 patients with motoneuron disorders, 56 patients with neuropathies, 71 patients with myopathies, and 34 controls). Two muscles from patients with neurogenic disorders were misclassified as "myopathic." Misclassification was more frequent only in myositis (4 of 28 muscles) and in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (2 of 4 muscles). MUP discriminant classification was as sensitive as, and more specific than, conventional quantitative EMG, which discriminated between myopathic and neuropathic in only 22% of the muscles. This rate was 59% for discriminant analysis. As a knowledge-based expert system, MUP discriminant analysis successfully distinguishes between myopathic, neuropathic, and unclassifiable MUP samples. It discloses more information than conventional quantitative MUP analysis.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2004

[Current diagnostic approach to pleural effusion].

Pleural effusion is a common pneumologic and interdisciplinary problem. Transudate/exsudate discrimination of the pleural fluid by thoracentesis remains the diagnostic basic algorithm. Regardless of a number of new markers, classical LIGHT's criteria comprising the pleural fluid protein- and LDH-values (or their serum ratio respectively) reveal the highest potency with an overall accuracy of 95 %. Expansion to cholesterol-determination (triplet test) may be helpful to identify transudates in indeterminate cases. The need for further local diagnostic evaluation is then usually restricted to exudates. Bacterial pleurisy, malignant and tuberculous effusion are the principal differential diagnoses. With the use of a variety of conventional biochemical, cytologic, immunologic and microbiologic investigations, thoracentesis will allow- or substantially narrow-diagnosis of exudates in about 70 %, with novel cell biological markers in some conditions up to 90 %. In bacterial pleurisy thoracentesis provides information directly relevant to management in terms of local interventions. It also constitutes a platform for more invasive imaging- or endoscopy-guided investigations with a focus on medical thoracoscopy (pleuroscopy). Blind needle biopsy is diagnostic in a range of 40 - 70 % both in malignancy and inflammatory disease, thoracoscopy may clarify exudative conditions in about 95 %. Thus malignancy may be specifically diagnosed in 97 % of cases, tuberculous effusion in virtually 100 %. The value of thoracoscopy is augmented by interventional options including complete evacuation of the pleural cavity, eventually followed by talc pleurodesis ("poudrage") in recurrent effusions or adhesiolysis, irrigation and fibrinolysis protocols in certain inflammatory conditions. These combined features as accomplished in local anesthesia on a remarkably high safety level characterise medical thoracoscopy as a gold standard tool for the management of pleural disease even in comparison to more elaborate surgical procedures.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1995

Sub-typing depression, III. Development of a clinical algorithm for melancholia and comparison with other diagnostic measures.

We describe the development of a clinical algorithm to differentiate melancholic from non-melancholic depression, using refined sets of 'endogeneity' symptoms together with clinician-rated CORE scores assessing psychomotor disturbance. Assignment by the empirically developed algorithm is contrasted with assignment by DSM-III-R and with several other melancholia sub-typing indices. Both the numbers of 'melancholics' assigned by the several systems and their capacity to distinguish 'melancholics' on clinical, demographic and a biological index test (the DST) varied across the systems with the algorithm being as 'successful' as several systems that include inter-episode and treatment response variables. Analyses provide information on the criteria set developed for DSM-IV definition of 'melancholia'.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Management of in utero foetal death: Which assessment to undertake?].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of para-clinical exams prescribed in case of in utero foetal death, to result in the establishment of a new algorithm of diagnostic tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis on a series of 106 stillbirths gathered between September 1989 and December 1998 in the obstetrical and gynaecological department of the Lausanne University Hospital which is a tertiary centre. Stillbirth was defined as foetal death occurring as from the date of foetal viability. Thus, only pregnancies from 24 weeks and onwards were included in this series. We excluded all stillbirths occurring during medical termination of pregnancy and cases with incomplete data files. The Fretts' classification was used. The different exams asked by the physician were screened and we analysed their pertinence to determine the aetiological diagnosis for each case. The search for significant risk factors was also taken into account. We compared our management of in utero foetal death with data from the literature to propose a new algorithm. RESULTS: The aetiology of in utero foetal death could be attributed in ninety percent of the cases. The principal causes were in utero growth retardation (19.8%), foetal congenital and chromosomal anomalies (18.9%), infections (15.1%), placental abruption (7.5%), preeclampsia (5.6%), maternal diabetes (3.8%). The remaining 18.9% are divided in to miscellaneous causes. In 10.4% of the cases we could not find any explanation to the death of the foetus. The exams that yielded the most information when done were: foetal autopsy which was abnormal in 92.7%, placental investigation which was abnormal in 93% and the babygramme (X-ray of the foetal skeleton) which was abnormal in 53%. Maternal serology for infections was informative in 6.6% of the cases. CONCLUSION: We present here a protocol for the diagnostic management of stillbirth which is differentiated according to the circumstances surrounding the event. This should prove useful to reduce superfluous tests.

Abruptio Placentae↗