Background and Objectives: To determine whether chest CT-scan in patients with cervical or endometrial cancer is of additional value for planning initial treatment and work-up. Methods: A retrospective analysis was pe...Background and Objectives: To determine whether chest CT-scan in patients with cervical or endometrial cancer is of additional value for planning initial treatment and work-up. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 465 patients diagnosed with cervical or endometrial cancer between January 2003 and December 2007. All patients who underwent a chest CT-scan before treatment were included for analysis. Results: Out of 465 patients 74 patients underwent a pre-treatment chest CT-scan (cervical cancer, n = 58, and endometrial cancer, n = 26). Abnormalities were detected in 53.4% (31/58) and 73.1% (19/26) of patients with cervical and endometrial cancer, respectively. The majority of abnormalities were presumed to be benign, yet work-up was adjusted in 28.6% (13/58 and 11/26), and therapy was adjusted in 17.6% (6/58, and 7/26) of patients with cervical and endometrial cancer. Pulmonary metastasis were observed in 10.3% (6/58) and 24.1% (7/26) of patients with cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer, respectively. Most patients with pulmonary metastasis presented with extended disease based on clinical examination. Conclusions: Chest CT scans in patients with cervical and endometrial cancer frequently demonstrate abnormalities that are most likely benign, yet work-up is adjusted in a substantial number of cases. Therefore, chest CT-scan is only recommended for those patients with a clinical suspicion of extended disease.展开更多
The symptom cluster of shortness of breath(SOB) contributes significantly to the outpatient workload of cardiology services. The workup of these patients includes blood chemistry and biomarkers, imaging and functional...The symptom cluster of shortness of breath(SOB) contributes significantly to the outpatient workload of cardiology services. The workup of these patients includes blood chemistry and biomarkers, imaging and functional testing of the heart and lungs. A diagnosis of diastolic heart failure is inferred through the exclusion of systolic abnormalities, a normal pulmonary function test and normal hemoglobin, coupled with diastolic abnormalities on echocardiography. Differentiating confounders such as obesity or deconditioning in a patient with diastolic abnormalities is difficult. While the most recent guidelines provide more avenues for diagnosis, such as incorporating the left atrial size, little emphasis is given to understanding left atrial function, which contributes to at least 25% of diastolic left ventricular filling; additionally, exercise stress testing to elicit symptoms and test the dynamics of diastolic parameters, especially when access to the "gold standard" invasive tests is lacking, presents clinical translational gaps. It is thus important in diastolic heart failure work up to understand left atrial mechanics and the role of exercise testing to build a comprehensive argument for the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure in a patient presenting with SOB.展开更多
文摘Background and Objectives: To determine whether chest CT-scan in patients with cervical or endometrial cancer is of additional value for planning initial treatment and work-up. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 465 patients diagnosed with cervical or endometrial cancer between January 2003 and December 2007. All patients who underwent a chest CT-scan before treatment were included for analysis. Results: Out of 465 patients 74 patients underwent a pre-treatment chest CT-scan (cervical cancer, n = 58, and endometrial cancer, n = 26). Abnormalities were detected in 53.4% (31/58) and 73.1% (19/26) of patients with cervical and endometrial cancer, respectively. The majority of abnormalities were presumed to be benign, yet work-up was adjusted in 28.6% (13/58 and 11/26), and therapy was adjusted in 17.6% (6/58, and 7/26) of patients with cervical and endometrial cancer. Pulmonary metastasis were observed in 10.3% (6/58) and 24.1% (7/26) of patients with cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer, respectively. Most patients with pulmonary metastasis presented with extended disease based on clinical examination. Conclusions: Chest CT scans in patients with cervical and endometrial cancer frequently demonstrate abnormalities that are most likely benign, yet work-up is adjusted in a substantial number of cases. Therefore, chest CT-scan is only recommended for those patients with a clinical suspicion of extended disease.
文摘The symptom cluster of shortness of breath(SOB) contributes significantly to the outpatient workload of cardiology services. The workup of these patients includes blood chemistry and biomarkers, imaging and functional testing of the heart and lungs. A diagnosis of diastolic heart failure is inferred through the exclusion of systolic abnormalities, a normal pulmonary function test and normal hemoglobin, coupled with diastolic abnormalities on echocardiography. Differentiating confounders such as obesity or deconditioning in a patient with diastolic abnormalities is difficult. While the most recent guidelines provide more avenues for diagnosis, such as incorporating the left atrial size, little emphasis is given to understanding left atrial function, which contributes to at least 25% of diastolic left ventricular filling; additionally, exercise stress testing to elicit symptoms and test the dynamics of diastolic parameters, especially when access to the "gold standard" invasive tests is lacking, presents clinical translational gaps. It is thus important in diastolic heart failure work up to understand left atrial mechanics and the role of exercise testing to build a comprehensive argument for the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure in a patient presenting with SOB.
