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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The impact of teeth and dental restorations on gray value distribution in cone-beam computer tomography: a pilot study

Int J Implant Dent. 2023 Sep 7;9(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s40729-023-00493-z.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of teeth and dental restorations on the facial skeleton’s gray value distributions in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

METHODS: Gray value selection for the upper and lower jaw segmentation was performed in 40 patients. In total, CBCT data of 20 maxillae and 20 mandibles, ten partial edentulous and ten fully edentulous in each jaw, respectively, were evaluated using two different gray value selection procedures: manual lower threshold selection and automated lower threshold selection. Two sample t tests, linear regression models, linear mixed models, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed to evaluate the influence of teeth, dental restorations, and threshold selection procedures on gray value distributions.

RESULTS: Manual threshold selection resulted in significantly different gray values in the fully and partially edentulous mandible. (p = 0.015, difference 123). In automated threshold selection, only tendencies to different gray values in fully edentulous compared to partially edentulous jaws were observed (difference: 58-75). Significantly different gray values were evaluated for threshold selection approaches, independent of the dental situation of the analyzed jaw. No significant correlation between the number of teeth and gray values was assessed, but a trend towards higher gray values in patients with more teeth was noted.

CONCLUSIONS: Standard gray values derived from CT imaging do not apply for threshold-based bone segmentation in CBCT. Teeth influence gray values and segmentation results. Inaccurate bone segmentation may result in ill-fitting surgical guides produced on CBCT data and misinterpreting bone density, which is crucial for selecting surgical protocols. Created with BioRender.com.

PMID:37676412 | DOI:10.1186/s40729-023-00493-z

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A comparison of bolus track and test bolus computed tomography pulmonary angiography and the implications on pulmonary and aortic vessel enhancement, effective dose and suboptimal scan rate

J Med Radiat Sci. 2023 Sep 7. doi: 10.1002/jmrs.724. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Bolus track and test bolus are the most commonly used contrast timing protocols to undertake computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). The aim of this study was to compare test bolus and bolus track contrast enhancement protocols in terms of enhancement of the pulmonary vessels and aorta, radiation dose and suboptimal scan rate to determine the optimal technique for CTPA.

METHODS: A total of 200 CTPA examinations (100 using each protocol) performed between January and February 2021 were assessed retrospectively. All scans were performed on a 2×128 Dual Source Siemens Drive Scanner. CT attenuation was measured in Hounsfield Units (HU), with measurements taken from the main pulmonary trunk, right pulmonary artery and left pulmonary artery, ascending and descending aorta. The mean effective dose was calculated from the dose-length product (DLP). The suboptimal scan rate was calculated as the percentage of examinations below 210HU.

RESULTS: The average HU of the pulmonary arteries was 358 HU ± SD 129.2 in the test bolus group and increased to 394 HU ± SD 133.9 in the bolus track group with a P value of ≤0.05. The average HU of the aorta was 235 HU ± SD 82.8 in the test bolus group and increased to 319 HU ± SD 91.8 in the bolus track group with a P value of <0.001. Although not statistically significant, the mean effective dose was reduced by 4.2% for the bolus track protocol (2.4 mSv vs. 2.5 mSv, P > 0.05). Fewer suboptimal scans were performed with the bolus track protocol (5 scans <210HU Bolus Track vs. 9 scans <210HU Test Bolus).

CONCLUSION: The bolus track protocol results in increased enhancement of the pulmonary arteries and aorta, with the added benefits of a lower suboptimal scan rate and lower effective dose.

PMID:37675768 | DOI:10.1002/jmrs.724

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Congenital Cervical Scoliosis Treated with Concave Side Distraction with Three-Dimensional Printed Titanium Cage

Orthop Surg. 2023 Sep 7. doi: 10.1111/os.13843. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Single-center, retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Hemivertebra resection is the only treatment option for congenital cervical scoliosis (CCS). However, this procedure is complex and technically demanding. It often requires a considerably long operation, and there is substantial intraoperative bleeding. Therefore, we have attempted to treat CCS with a concave side distraction comprising a three-dimensional (3D) printed titanium cage. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this technique for the treatment of patients with CCS.

METHODS: A series of 22 patients with CCS who underwent a concave side distraction technique between 2019 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Radiological measurements included the Cobb angle of the distraction segments, the kyphosis angle, the range of movement, and the distraction correction angle. Student’s t-test and Spearman correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The study included 12 males and 10 females whose ages ranged from 6 to 14 years old (9.8 ± 2.1 years old). Follow-up times ranged from 15 to 30 months (25.8 ± 3.6 months). Among 22 patients, two patients developed a postoperative C5 nerve root palsy and recovered after being treated with conservative treatment for 6 months. The duration of surgery ranged from 229 to 756 min (389 ± 112 min), and the estimated volume of blood loss ranged from 100 to 600mL (235 ± 121 mL). The coronal Cobb angle (p < 0.001), kyphosis angle (p < 0.05), and range of movement (p < 0.001) between the last follow-up and preoperative period were significantly different. A total of 28 segments were distracted, and the Cobb angle of the distraction segment ranged from 2.4 to 14.1° (8.5 ± 3.0°). There were six upper cervical spines (8.9 ± 1.9°) and 22 lower cervical spines (8.4 ± 3.2°) with no significant difference between them (p = 0.130). In addition, there was no correlation between the angle of the concave side distraction and patients’ age (r = 0.018, p = 0.315). The fusion was solid between the bone and the customized 3D-printed pore metal cage at the final follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The concave side distraction comprising a customized 3D-printed titanium cage implantation can provide satisfactory correction results and is a safe and reliable procedure for treating CCS.

PMID:37675762 | DOI:10.1111/os.13843

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The Influence of Compensatory Pelvic Tilt on Patient-reported Outcome Measurements in FAI Patients Who Received Arthroscopic Treatment

Orthop Surg. 2023 Sep 7. doi: 10.1111/os.13855. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Pelvic compensation is common in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) patients to reduce symptoms and increase range of motion. However, little attention was given to the postoperative clinical effect of pelvic compensation. Therefore, this study aims to compare the outcomes between pelvic compensation and normal pelvic position in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) patients after hip arthroscopy.

METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted from January 2019 to June 2022, recruited consecutive patients who were diagnosed with FAI and received subsequent arthroscopic treatment. All patients completed an X-ray in the anterior-posterior standing position before and 4 weeks after surgery. Patients with pelvic compensation were compared with those who did not. Functional outcomes included hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS), modified Harris (mHHS) score, and lower-extremity activity scale (LEAS). Secondary outcomes included the EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) and patient satisfaction. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze interobserver and intraobserver reliability.

RESULTS: Ninety patients with a mean age of 39.40 years were included in the study. No significant compensation changes were noted within groups after the elimination of impingement. The functional scores showed no significant difference between groups (p(HOOS) = 0.352, p(mHHS) = 0.183, p(LEAS) = 0.865). The EQ-5D revealed statistically better performance in usual activities in the compensatory group (p = 0.044). There are no significant between-group differences in patients’ satisfaction evaluations.

CONCLUSION: As assessed by Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), patients with compensatory pelvic tilt demonstrated similar clinical outcomes without extra adverse events to patients with normal pelvic positioning in short-term follow-ups. Furthermore, compensatory pelvic tilt did not significantly enhance the range of motion or functional outcome at short-term follow-ups.

PMID:37675759 | DOI:10.1111/os.13855

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Vesicoureteral Reflux and Renal Scarring in Infants after the First Febrile Urinary Tract Infection

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl. 2022 Aug;33(Supplement):S179-S183. doi: 10.4103/1319-2442.384190.

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in children. It is caused by bacteria and can lead to complications such as renal scarring in cases of late diagnosis and a lack of early treatment. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) occurs when urine flows from the bladder to the ureter and kidney, and is more common in children with UTI. VUR predisposes patients to pyelonephritis and can cause renal scarring. This retrospective study aimed to determine whether VUR was associated with the evolution to renal scarring in 132 infants aged 9 days to 24 months admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the first episode of febrile UTI (mean age = 4.48 months [standard deviation = 5.48]; 82 [62.1%] males; 50 [37.9%] females). Data from their medical records were investigated[INLINE:1]for VUR and renal scarring. The VUR was related to renal scarring (P = 0.001). C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in patients with VUR (P = 0.027) and renal scars (P = 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between VUR and renal scarring with the first UTI (P = 0.001). In conclusion, our study revealed a significant association of CRP with renal scarring (P = 0.05) and VUR and (P = 0.027).

PMID:37675748 | DOI:10.4103/1319-2442.384190

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Factors Affecting the Recovery of Renal Function in Geriatric Multiple Myeloma Patients after Hemodialysis

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl. 2022 Aug;33(Supplement):S105-S110. doi: 10.4103/1319-2442.384182.

ABSTRACT

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease of the elderly. Renal failure is a common complication in MM. In this study, we evaluated clinical and laboratory parameters that might contribute to the recovery of renal function in geriatric MM patients. Twenty-five geriatric patients aged >65 years were retrospectively compared with 20 patients aged <65 years with a diagnosis of MM and renal failure between October 2016 and October 2019. Variables that might be associated with the discontinuation of dialysis in these patients were examined in the 6 months of follow-up after the diagnosis. Among the geriatric patients aged >65 years, 100% remained on regular hemodialysis (HD) at the end of the follow-up period in contrast to eight patients (40%) in the younger group, and this was statistically significant P = 0.001. We have noticed that geriatric patients who required maintenance HD had lower mean hemoglobin concentrations (P = 0.02), and higher mean serum calcium (P = 0.03). Other factors were statistically insignificant. Our study showed that age of >65 years, hemoglobin levels, and serum calcium were significantly different between the group who recovered from renal failure and those who required a continuation of HD, but none was an independent prognostic factor for predicting the probability of recovery from severe renal failure and discontinuation of HD in both groups studied.

PMID:37675740 | DOI:10.4103/1319-2442.384182

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Application of respiratory sensing technique in CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of liver malignancies

J Cancer Res Ther. 2023 Aug;19(4):1019-1023. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_303_23.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and safety of respiratory sensing methods in nonvascular interventional therapy of liver tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 64 patients with primary liver cancer or liver metastasis were retrospectively analyzed. According to two widely used clinical techniques to limit respiratory movement-breath holding and respiratory sensing technology-they were randomly allocated into two groups: respiratory gated and respiratory training. We aimed to compare the application and effect of these two techniques in the nonvascular interventional therapy of liver tumors.

RESULTS: The puncture times of the respiratory-gated and respiratory training groups were 5.34 ± 2.47 and 8.41 ± 3.63 min, respectively. Puncture errors were 10.00 ± 2.65 and 12.81 ± 8.57 mm, respectively. Puncture adjustment times were 3.06 ± 1.26 and 4.87 ± 1.69 times, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory sensing technology has been effectively used to assist in puncturing liver malignant tumors using a radiofrequency (RF) ablation (RFA) system that is guided by computed tomography (CT) scans. It is superior to the classical breath-holding step puncture technique in terms of puncture time, puncture error, and puncture needle adjustment times.

PMID:37675731 | DOI:10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_303_23

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A preliminary study on the establishment of a cyst and cystic neoplasm tissue-mimicking model

J Cancer Res Ther. 2023 Aug;19(4):988-994. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2060_22.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: The present experimental models of cystic diseases are not adequate and require further investigation.

AIM: In this study, a new way of producing a tissue-mimicking model of cysts and cystic neoplasms was evaluated.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: To simulate cysts and cystic neoplasms, ex vivo rabbit normal bladders and VX2-implanted tumor bladders were produced, fixed, and embedded in agarose gel.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: The samples were classified into four groups based on tumor features and the maximal transverse diameter of the rabbit bladder, which were assessed using computer tomography (CT) imaging and statistically analyzed.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The t-test was used for analyzing enumeration data.

RESULTS: Twenty-one rabbit bladders (21/24) were successfully removed and prepped for this experiment, comprising eleven normal bladders (11/24) and ten implanted with VX2 tumors (10/24). The gelling ingredient used to form the visualization and fixation matrix was agarose at a concentration of 4 g/200 mL. The temperature of the agarose solution was kept constant at 40-45°C, which is the optimal temperature range for ex vivo normal bladder and implanted VX2 tumor bladder insertion. The average time required to embed and fix the bladders in agarose gel was 45.0 ± 5.2 minutes per instance. The gel-fixing matrix’s strength and light transmittance were enough for building the models.

CONCLUSION: We created an experimental tissue-mimicking model of cysts and cystic neoplasms with stable physicochemical features, a safe manufacturing method, and high repeatability. These models may be used to assist with cystic lesion diagnosis and treatment techniques.

PMID:37675727 | DOI:10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2060_22

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Clinical application of radiofrequency ablation-assisted coaxial trocar biopsies for pulmonary nodules at a high risk of bleeding

J Cancer Res Ther. 2023 Aug;19(4):972-977. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2193_22.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: The purpose of this study was to assess computed tomography (CT)-guided puncture biopsy of pulmonary nodules at a high risk of bleeding. First, a coaxial trocar technique was used to radiofrequency ablate small blood vessels in the puncture area, followed by a biopsy of the pulmonary nodule.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this procedure.

METHODS: In this retrospective research, we assessed the relevant data of 45 patients who had undergone needle biopsy of pulmonary nodules at a high risk of bleeding. Twenty-five of these patients had CT-guided coaxial radiofrequency ablation (RFA)-assisted biopsy (group A). The remaining 20 had undergone conventional CT-guided needle biopsy (group B). We equated the technical success rate and the incidence of complications such as bleeding, pneumothorax, and pain in the two groups of needle biopsies.

RESULTS: Both groups had a 100% success rate with puncture biopsy. The incidences of pneumothorax in groups A and B were 10% (2/20) and 24% (6/25), respectively; this difference is not significant (P > 0.050). The rates of bleeding in groups A and B were 10% (2/20) and 44% (11/25), respectively, and the rates of pain were 30% (6/20) and 60% (15/25), both of which were statistically significant (P = 0.030; P = 0.045, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided coaxial trocar technique for RFA-assisted biopsy of pulmonary nodules at a high risk of bleeding is effective and safe and can significantly reduce the risk of biopsy-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

PMID:37675725 | DOI:10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2193_22

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Incomplete radiofrequency ablation following transarterial chemoembolization accelerates the progression of large hepatocellular carcinoma

J Cancer Res Ther. 2023 Aug;19(4):924-932. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2296_22.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To examine post-operative progression and risk impact of insufficient radiofrequency ablation (RFA) following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the prognosis of large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2014 to January 2021 were analyzed. A total of 343 patients with large HCC (diameter >5 cm) who received TACE combined with RFA were enrolled and were divided into two groups: complete ablation (CA, n = 172) and insufficient ablation (IA, n = 171). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined by the Kaplan-Meier curve and compared with the log-rank test. To find parameters influencing OS and PFS, clinicopathological variables underwent univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and PFS rates of the CA group were significantly higher than that of the IA group (P < 0.001). 25 (41%) patients in local tumor progression (LTP), 36 (59%) in intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR), and 0 (0%) in extrahepatic distant recurrence (EDR) in the CA group. 51 (32.1%) patients in LTP, 96 (60.4%) patients in IDR, and 12 (7.5%) cases in EDR in the IA group. The recurrence patterns of the two groups were statistically significant difference (P = 0.039). In multivariate analysis, inadequate ablation and conjunction with TKIs were both significant risk factors for OS and PFS. Apart from these, older age and >7 cm of tumor size were indicators of poor OS and multiple tumors were indicators of poor PFS.

CONCLUSION: Insufficient ablation causes a poor survival outcome of TACE combined with RFA for large HCC, particularly, which can promote IDR.

PMID:37675718 | DOI:10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_2296_22