Transforaminal intrathecal delivery of nusinersen using cone-beam computed tomography for children with spinal muscular atrophy and extensive surgical instrumentation: early results of technical success and safety

Abstract

Background

Nusinersen, the only treatment approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), is delivered intrathecally. Many children with SMA have extensive spinal instrumentation and deformities, often precluding the use of standard approaches for gaining intrathecal access. Furthermore the anatomical distortion that often occurs with rotoscoliosis can complicate the use of fluoroscopic guidance. Compared to fluoroscopy, CT affords superior guidance for complex needle placements. This opens up alternatives to the posterior (interlaminar) technique, including transforaminal and caudal approaches.

Objective

This study describes the early results of technical success, complications and radiation dose of intrathecal delivery of nusinersen using cone-beam CT guidance with two-axis fluoroscopic navigational overlay.

Materials and methods

We conducted a retrospective review of 15 consecutive nusinersen injections performed in four children with SMA and extensive spinal hardware precluding standard posterior lumbar puncture techniques. These children were treated using transforaminal thecal access employing cone-beam CT with navigational overlay. We analyzed results including technical success, complications and total fluoroscopy time.

Results

All procedures were technically successful. No major complications and one minor complication were reported; the minor complication was a post-procedural neuropathic headache that was attributed to procedural positioning and was treated successfully with gabapentin. The average procedural fluoroscopy time and air kerma were 1.9 min and 55.8 mGy, respectively.

Conclusion

Cone-beam CT guidance with two-axis navigational overlay is a safe, effective method for gaining transforaminal intrathecal access in children with spinal abnormalities and hardware precluding the use of standard techniques.

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Diabetes mellitus in a patient with glycogen storage disease type Ia: a case report

Glycogen storage disease type Ia is a genetic disorder that is associated with persistent fasting hypoglycemia and the inability to produce endogenous glucose. The development of diabetes with glycogen storage...

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[Analysis of uterus cervical cancer screening campaign results in Conakry, Guinea].

[Analysis of uterus cervical cancer screening campaign results in Conakry, Guinea].

Bull Cancer. 2017 Nov 07;:

Authors: Leno DWA, Diallo FD, Camara AY, Magassouba M, Komano FD, Traore A, Niamy D, Tolno J, Cissoko O, Bangoura M, Keita N

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Reduce morbidity and death rates of women with cervical cancer in Guinea.
METHODOLOGY: This was a five-day cross-sectional study carried out in two successive years (2012 and 2013) at the CERFFO-PCG in Conakry. The target population was women aged 25-49. Approximately 500 women for 2012 and 900 women were expected in these cervical screening campaigns by visual methods (IVA and IVL) with immediate treatment of precancerous lesions. After histologic confirmation of the cancer lesions, the management was carried out according to the protocols in force in the country. We performed a simple descriptive analysis and the results expressed as a percentage and on average.
RESULTS: The target population represented 60.4% in 2012 and 76.2% in 2013, of the total number of women received. The incidence rate of high-grade intraepithelial lesions and cancers increased from 2.6% in 2012 to 0.9% in 2013. In 2012, the 57 precancerous lesions were treated with immediate treatment and 10 cases of cancers out of the 16 had a surgical treatment. Also in 2013, all precancerous lesions were treated immediately and 2 cancers out of the 4 benefited from surgery.
CONCLUSION: Our research shows that, with creativity, flexibility, good organization and efficient use of resources, morbidity and death rates of women with cervical cancer in a very resources can be significantly reduced.

PMID: 29126586 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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[Information booklet for related hematopoietic stem cell donors: Guidelines from the Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC)].

[Information booklet for related hematopoietic stem cell donors: Guidelines from the Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC)].

Bull Cancer. 2017 Nov 07;:

Authors: Polomeni A, Tardieu L, Ainaoui M, Andrianne C, Bancillon N, Chapel V, Chevallier N, Evrard S, Fournier I, Gargallo G, Godin S, Issarni D, Le Bars L, Renaud B, Yakoub-Agha I, Wallart A, De Bentzmann N

Abstract
Providing information to living donors is first and foremost a legal obligation as well as an ethical one, not to mention necessary to health care provision. It's been shown that quality of information concerning the procedure's practical aspects, scheduling of clinical tests and examinations, withdrawing stem cells for the donation, post-donation symptoms, and support provided by healthcare teams, directly impacts the donor's quality of experience. Taking this into consideration our group decided it was essential to create an informational support for donors in the form of a booklet to be provided in different hematopoietic stem cell transplant centers across France. In September 2016 in Lille, France, the Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC) organized the 7th allergenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation clinical practices harmonization workshops. As part of these workshops, our group worked collectively to develop a basis of indispensable information to be included in the booklet and presented using clear and accessible language.

PMID: 29126585 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Is it possible to improve prognostic value of NCCN-IPI in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma? The prognostic significance of comorbidities

Abstract

The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) has been re-evaluated in the rituximab-treated diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Accordingly, National Comprehensive Cancer Network-IPI (NCCN-IPI) has been introduced to estimate prognosis of DLBCL patients. However, comorbidities that frequently affect elderly DLBCL patients were not analyzed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of comorbidities using Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in 962 DLBCL patients. According to CCI, majority of patients (73.6%) did not have any comorbidity, while high CCI (≥ 2) was observed in 71/962 (7.4%) patients, and in 55/426 (12.9%) of the elderly patients aged ≥ 60 years. When the CCI was analyzed in a multivariate model along with the NCCN-IPI parameters, it stood out as a threefold independent risk factor of a lethal outcome. Also, we have developed a novel comorbidity-NCCN-IPI (cNCCN-IPI) by adding additional 3 points if the patient had a CCI ≥ 2. Four risk groups emerged with the following patient distribution in low, low-intermediate, high-intermediate, and high group: 3.4, 34.3, 49.4, and 12.5%, respectively. The prognostic value of the new cNCCN-IPI was 2.1% improved compared to that of the IPI, and 1.3% improved compared to that of the NCCN-IPI (p < 0.05). This difference was more pronounced in elderly patients, in whom the cNCCN-IPI showed a 5.1% better discriminative power compared to that of the IPI, and 3.6% better compared to the NCCN-IPI. The NCCN-IPI enhanced by the CCI and combined with redistributed risk groups is better for differentiating risk categories in unselected DLBCL patients, especially in the elderly.

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Portable abdomen radiography: moving to thickness-based protocols

Abstract

Background

Default pediatric protocols on many digital radiography systems are configured based on patient age. However, age does not adequately characterize patient size, which is the principal determinant of proper imaging technique. Use of default pediatric protocols by inexperienced technologists can result in patient overexposure, inadequate image quality, or repeated examinations.

Objective

To ensure diagnostic image quality at a well-managed patient radiation exposure by transitioning to thickness-based protocols for pediatric portable abdomen radiography.

Materials and methods

We aggregated patient thickness data, milliamperes (mAs), kilovoltage peak (kVp), exposure index (EI), source-to-detector distance, and grid use for all portable abdomen radiographs performed in our pediatric hospital in a database with a combination of automated and manual data collection techniques. We then analyzed the database and used it as the basis to construct thickness-based protocols with consistent image quality across varying patient thicknesses, as determined by the EI.

Results

Retrospective analysis of pediatric portable exams performed at our adult-focused hospitals demonstrated substantial variability in EI relative to our pediatric hospital. Data collection at our pediatric hospital over 4 months accumulated roughly 800 portable abdomen exams, which we used to develop a thickness-based technique chart.

Conclusion

Through automated retrieval of data in our systems' digital radiography exposure logs and recording of patient abdomen thickness, we successfully developed thickness-based techniques for portable abdomen radiography.

http://ift.tt/2AC8cy3

Portable abdomen radiography: moving to thickness-based protocols

Abstract

Background

Default pediatric protocols on many digital radiography systems are configured based on patient age. However, age does not adequately characterize patient size, which is the principal determinant of proper imaging technique. Use of default pediatric protocols by inexperienced technologists can result in patient overexposure, inadequate image quality, or repeated examinations.

Objective

To ensure diagnostic image quality at a well-managed patient radiation exposure by transitioning to thickness-based protocols for pediatric portable abdomen radiography.

Materials and methods

We aggregated patient thickness data, milliamperes (mAs), kilovoltage peak (kVp), exposure index (EI), source-to-detector distance, and grid use for all portable abdomen radiographs performed in our pediatric hospital in a database with a combination of automated and manual data collection techniques. We then analyzed the database and used it as the basis to construct thickness-based protocols with consistent image quality across varying patient thicknesses, as determined by the EI.

Results

Retrospective analysis of pediatric portable exams performed at our adult-focused hospitals demonstrated substantial variability in EI relative to our pediatric hospital. Data collection at our pediatric hospital over 4 months accumulated roughly 800 portable abdomen exams, which we used to develop a thickness-based technique chart.

Conclusion

Through automated retrieval of data in our systems' digital radiography exposure logs and recording of patient abdomen thickness, we successfully developed thickness-based techniques for portable abdomen radiography.

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