The impact of radiologists' expertise on screen results decisions in a CT lung cancer screening trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuvelmans, Marjolein A.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Jong, Pim A. de; Mali, Willem P.; Groen, Harry J.M.

2015-01-01

To evaluate the impact of radiological expertise on screen result decisions in a CT lung cancer screening trial. In the NELSON lung cancer screening trial, the baseline CT result was based on the largest lung nodule's volume. The protocol allowed radiologists to manually adjust screen results in cases of high suspicion of benign or malignant nodule nature. Participants whose baseline CT result was based on a solid or part-solid nodule were included in this study. Adjustments by radiologists at baseline were evaluated. Histology was the reference for diagnosis or to confirm benignity and stability on subsequent CT examinations. A total of 3,318 participants (2,796 male, median age 58.0 years) were included. In 195 participants (5.9 %) the initial baseline screen result was adjusted by the radiologist. Adjustment was downwards from positive or indeterminate to negative in two and 119 participants, respectively, and from positive to indeterminate in 65 participants. None of these nodules turned out to be malignant. In 9/195 participants (4.6 %) the screen result was adjusted upwards from negative to indeterminate or indeterminate to positive; two nodules were malignant. In one in 20 cases of baseline lung cancer screening, nodules were reclassified by the radiologist, leading to a reduction of false-positive screen results. (orig.)

WE-B-207-00: CT Lung Cancer Screening Part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

WE-B-207-00: CT Lung Cancer Screening Part 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-06-15

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

Patient experience of CT colonography and colonoscopy after fecal occult blood test in a national screening programme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plumb, Andrew A.; Taylor, Stuart A.; Halligan, Steve [University College London, Centre for Medical Imaging, Division of Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Ghanouni, Alex; Von Wagner, Christian [University College London, Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, London (United Kingdom); Rees, Colin J. [Durham University School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham (United Kingdom); Hewitson, Paul [University of Oxford, Health Services Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford (United Kingdom); Nickerson, Claire; Wright, Suzanne [Fulwood House, NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, Sheffield (United Kingdom)

2017-03-15

To investigate patient experience of CT colonography (CTC) and colonoscopy in a national screening programme. Retrospective analysis of patient experience postal questionnaires. We included screenees from a fecal occult blood test (FOBt) based screening programme, where CTC was performed when colonoscopy was incomplete or deemed unsuitable. We analyzed questionnaire responses concerning communication of test risks, test-related discomfort and post-test pain, as well as complications. CTC and colonoscopy responses were compared using multilevel logistic regression. Of 67,114 subjects identified, 52,805 (79 %) responded. Understanding of test risks was lower for CTC (1712/1970 = 86.9 %) than colonoscopy (48783/50975 = 95.7 %, p < 0.0001). Overall, a slightly greater proportion of screenees found CTC unexpectedly uncomfortable (506/1970 = 25.7 %) than colonoscopy (10,705/50,975 = 21.0 %, p < 0.0001). CTC was tolerated well as a completion procedure for failed colonoscopy (unexpected discomfort; CTC = 26.3 %: colonoscopy = 57.0 %, p < 0.001). Post-procedural pain was equally common (CTC: 288/1970,14.6 %, colonoscopy: 7544/50,975,14.8 %; p = 0.55). Adverse event rates were similar in both groups (CTC: 20/2947 = 1.2 %; colonoscopy: 683/64,312 = 1.1 %), but generally less serious with CTC. Even though CTC was reserved for individuals either unsuitable for or unable to complete colonoscopy, we found only small differences in test-related discomfort. CTC was well tolerated as a completion procedure and was extremely safe. CTC can be delivered across a national screening programme with high patient satisfaction. (orig.)

The impact of radiologists' expertise on screen results decisions in a CT lung cancer screening trial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heuvelmans, Marjolein A.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Medical Imaging - North East Netherlands, Groningen (Netherlands); University of Groningen / University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Radiology, Groningen (Netherlands); Oudkerk, Matthijs [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Medical Imaging - North East Netherlands, Groningen (Netherlands); Jong, Pim A. de; Mali, Willem P. [University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Radiology, Utrecht (Netherlands); Groen, Harry J.M. [University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Pulmonology, Groningen (Netherlands)

2014-11-04

To evaluate the impact of radiological expertise on screen result decisions in a CT lung cancer screening trial. In the NELSON lung cancer screening trial, the baseline CT result was based on the largest lung nodule's volume. The protocol allowed radiologists to manually adjust screen results in cases of high suspicion of benign or malignant nodule nature. Participants whose baseline CT result was based on a solid or part-solid nodule were included in this study. Adjustments by radiologists at baseline were evaluated. Histology was the reference for diagnosis or to confirm benignity and stability on subsequent CT examinations. A total of 3,318 participants (2,796 male, median age 58.0 years) were included. In 195 participants (5.9 %) the initial baseline screen result was adjusted by the radiologist. Adjustment was downwards from positive or indeterminate to negative in two and 119 participants, respectively, and from positive to indeterminate in 65 participants. None of these nodules turned out to be malignant. In 9/195 participants (4.6 %) the screen result was adjusted upwards from negative to indeterminate or indeterminate to positive; two nodules were malignant. In one in 20 cases of baseline lung cancer screening, nodules were reclassified by the radiologist, leading to a reduction of false-positive screen results. (orig.)

Implementation of lung cancer CT screening in the Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jesper Holst; Sørensen, Jens Benn; Saghir, Zaigham

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: We review the current knowledge of CT screening for lung cancer and present an expert-based, joint protocol for the proper implementation of screening in the Nordic countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experts representing all the Nordic countries performed literature review...... and concensus for a joint protocol for lung cancer screening. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Areas of concern and caution are presented and discussed. We suggest to perform CT screening pilot studies in the Nordic countries in order to gain experience and develop specific and safe protocols for the implementation...

Estimating radiation risk induced by CT screening for Korean population

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Won Seok; Yang, Hye Jeong; Min, Byung In

2017-02-01

The purposes of this study are to estimate the radiation risks induced by chest/abdomen computed tomography (CT) screening for healthcare and to determine the cancer risk level of the Korean population compared to other populations. We used an ImPACT CT Patient Dosimetry Calculator to compute the organ effective dose induced by CT screening (chest, low-dose chest, abdomen/pelvis, and chest/abdomen/pelvis CT). A risk model was applied using principles based on the BEIR VII Report in order to estimate the lifetime attributable risk (LAR) using the Korean Life Table 2010. In addition, several countries including Hong Kong, the United States (U.S.), and the United Kingdom, were selected for comparison. Herein, each population exposed radiation dose of 100 mSv was classified according to country, gender and age. For each CT screening the total organ effective dose calculated by ImPACT was 6.2, 1.5, 5.2 and 11.4 mSv, respectively. In the case of Korean female LAR, it was similar to Hong Kong female but lower than those of U.S. and U.K. females, except for those in their twenties. The LAR of Korean males was the highest for all types of CT screening. However, the difference of the risk level was negligible because of the quite low value.

WE-B-207-02: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: A Dosimetry Summary of CT Participants in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, C.

2015-01-01

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

WE-B-207-02: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: A Dosimetry Summary of CT Participants in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C. [National Cancer Institute (United States)

2015-06-15

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

[CT-Screening for Lung Cancer - what is the Evidence?

Science.gov (United States)

Watermann, Iris; Reck, Martin

2018-04-01

In patients with lung cancer treatment opportunities and prognosis are correlated to the stage of disease with a chance for curative treatment in patients with early stage disease. Therefore, early detection of lung cancer is of paramount importance for improving the prognosis of lung cancer patients.The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) has already shown that low-dose CT increases the number of identified early stage lung cancer patients and reduces lung cancer related mortality. Critically considered in terms of CT-screening are false-positive results, overdiagnosis and unessential invasive clarification. Preliminary results of relatively small European trials haven´t yet confirmed the results of the NLST-study.Until now Lung Cancer Screening by low dose CT-scan or other methods is neither approved nor available in Germany.To improve the efficacy of CT-Screening and to introduce early detection of lung cancer in standard practice, additional, complementing methods should be further evaluated. One option might be the supplementary analysis of biomarkers in liquid biopsies or exhaled breath condensates. In addition, defining the high-risk population is of great relevance to identify candidates who might benefit of early detection programs. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Cost analysis of colorectal cancer screening with CT colonography in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantellini, Paola; Lippi, Giuseppe; Sali, Lapo; Grazzini, Grazia; Delsanto, Silvia; Mallardi, Beatrice; Falchini, Massimo; Castiglione, Guido; Carozzi, Francesca Maria; Mascalchi, Mario; Milani, Stefano; Ventura, Leonardo; Zappa, Marco

2018-06-01

Unit costs of screening CT colonography (CTC) can be useful for cost-effectiveness analyses and for health care decision-making. We evaluated the unit costs of CTC as a primary screening test for colorectal cancer in the setting of a randomized trial in Italy. Data were collected within the randomized SAVE trial. Subjects were invited to screening CTC by mail and requested to have a pre-examination consultation. CTCs were performed with 64- and 128-slice CT scanners after reduced or full bowel preparation. Activity-based costing was used to determine unit costs per-process, per-participant to screening CTC, and per-subject with advanced neoplasia. Among 5242 subjects invited to undergo screening CTC, 1312 had pre-examination consultation and 1286 ultimately underwent CTC. Among 129 subjects with a positive CTC, 126 underwent assessment colonoscopy and 67 were ultimately diagnosed with advanced neoplasia (i.e., cancer or advanced adenoma). Cost per-participant of the entire screening CTC pathway was €196.80. Average cost per-participant for the screening invitation process was €17.04 and €9.45 for the pre-examination consultation process. Average cost per-participant of the CTC execution and reading process was €146.08 and of the diagnostic assessment colonoscopy process was €24.23. Average cost per-subject with advanced neoplasia was €3777.30. Cost of screening CTC was €196.80 per-participant. Our data suggest that the more relevant cost of screening CTC, amenable of intervention, is related to CTC execution and reading process.

Whole-Body CT Screening--Should I or Shouldn't I Get One?

Science.gov (United States)

... Procedures Medical Imaging Medical X-ray Imaging Whole-Body CT Screening--Should I or shouldn't I ... What are the risks and benefits of whole-body CT screening? Many people believe incorrectly that a ...

The Danish randomized lung cancer CT screening trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jesper H; Ashraf, Haseem; Dirksen, Asger

2009-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography (CT) has not yet been evaluated in randomized clinical trials, although several are underway. METHODS: In The Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial, 4104 smokers and previous smokers from 2004 to 2006 were randomized to either...... lung cancer. Ten of these had stage I disease. Eleven of 17 lung cancers at baseline were treated surgically, eight of these by video assisted thoracic surgery resection. CONCLUSIONS: Screening may facilitate minimal invasive treatment and can be performed with a relatively low rate of false......-positive screen results compared with previous studies on lung cancer screening....

Non- or full-laxative CT colonography vs. endoscopic tests for colorectal cancer screening: A randomised survey comparing public perceptions and intentions to undergo testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghanouni, Alex; Wardle, Jane; Von Wagner, Christian [University College London, Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, London (United Kingdom); Halligan, Steve; Plumb, Andrew; Boone, Darren [University College London, Centre for Medical Imaging, London (United Kingdom)

2014-07-15

Compare public perceptions and intentions to undergo colorectal cancer screening tests following detailed information regarding CT colonography (CTC; after non-laxative preparation or full-laxative preparation), optical colonoscopy (OC) or flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS). A total of 3,100 invitees approaching screening age (45-54 years) were randomly allocated to receive detailed information on a single test and asked to return a questionnaire. Outcomes included perceptions of preparation and test tolerability, health benefits, sensitivity and specificity, and intention to undergo the test. Six hundred three invitees responded with valid questionnaire data. Non-laxative preparation was rated more positively than enema or full-laxative preparations [effect size (r) = 0.13 to 0.54; p < 0.0005 to 0.036]; both forms of CTC and FS were rated more positively than OC in terms of test experience (r = 0.26 to 0.28; all p-values < 0.0005). Perceptions of health benefits, sensitivity and specificity (p = 0.250 to 0.901), and intention to undergo the test (p = 0.213) did not differ between tests (n = 144-155 for each test). Despite non-laxative CTC being rated more favourably, this study did not find evidence that offering it would lead to substantially higher uptake than full-laxative CTC or other methods. However, this study was limited by a lower than anticipated response rate. (orig.)

Smoking habits in the randomised Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial with low-dose CT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ashraf, Haseem; Saghir, Zaigham; Dirksen, Asger

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: We present the final results of the effect of lung cancer screening with low-dose CT on the smoking habits of participants in a 5-year screening trial. METHODS: The Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial (DLCST) was a 5-year screening trial that enrolled 4104 subjects; 2052 were randomised...... to annual low-dose CT (CT group) and 2052 received no intervention (control group). Participants were current and ex-smokers (≥4 weeks abstinence from smoking) with a tobacco consumption of ≥20 pack years. Smoking habits were determined annually. Missing values for smoking status at the final screening...... round were handled using two different models. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in annual smoking status between the CT group and control group. Overall the ex-smoker rates (CT + control group) significantly increased from 24% (baseline) to 37% at year 5 of screening (p

Healthcare costs in the Danish randomised controlled lung cancer CT-screening trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, J.F.; Siersma, V.; Pedersen, Jesper H.

2014-01-01

: This registry study was nested in a randomised controlled trial (DLCST). 4104 participants, current or former heavy smokers, aged 50-70 years were randomised to five annual low dose CT scans or usual care during 2004-2010. Total healthcare costs and healthcare utilisation data for both the primary...... and the secondary healthcare sector were retrieved from public registries from randomisation - September 2011 and compared between (1) the CT-screening group and the control group and, (2) the control group and each of the true-positive, false-positive and true-negative groups. RESULTS: The median annual costs per...... participant were significantly higher in the CT-screening group (Euros [EUR] 1342, interquartile range [IQR] 750-2980) compared with the control group (EUR 1190, IQR 590-2692) (pcost of the CT-screening programme was excluded, there was no longer a statistically significant difference...

Screenings of lung cancer with low dose spiral CT: results of a three year pilot study and design of the randomised controlled trial Italung-CT; Screening della neoplasia polmonare con TC spirale a bassa dose: risultati di uno studio pilota triennale e disegno dello studio clinico randomizzato Italung-CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Picozzi, Giulia [Firenze Univ., Firenze (Italy). Radiodiagnostica I-Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Clinica; Paci, Enrico [Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Careggi, Firenze (Italy). Unita' di Epidemiologia Clinica e Descrittiva Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica; Lopes Pegna, Andrea [Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Careggi, Firenze (Italy). U.O. Pneumologia] [and others

2005-02-01

Purpose: To report the results of a three-year observational pilot study of lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography (CT) and to present the study design of a randomised clinical trial named as Italung CT. Materials and methods: Sixty (47 males and 13 females, mean age 64{+-}4.5 years) heavy smokers (at least 20 packs-year) underwent three low-dose spiral CT screening tests one year apart on a single slice or multislice CT scanner. Indeterminate nodules were managed according to the recommendations of the Early Lung Cancer Action Project. Results: Indeterminate nodules were observed in 33 (55%) of the subjects (60% at the baseline screening test, 24% at the first annual test and 16% at the second annual test). The size of the largest indeterminate nodule was <5mm in diameter in 20 subjects. 10 of whom showed the nodule at the baseline test. Forty-five subjects (75%) completed the first annual test and 42 (70%) the second annual test. One (1.6%) prevalent lung cancer (adenosquamous carcinoma) and one (2.2%) incident lung cancer (small cell cancer at the first annual examination) were observed, as well as pulmonary localisation of Hodgkin's lymphoma (at the second annual test). In addition, one subject underwent lung surgery for a chondromatous hamartoma. Conclusions: The results of the pilot study are substantially in line with those of other observational studies of greater sample size. This justifies optimism about the reliability of the results in the screened arm of the Italung Ct trial which hast just began. [Italian] Scopo: Riportare i risultati di uno studio pilota osservazionale di screening della neoplasia polmonare con TC a bassa dose della durata di tre anni e presentare il disegno dello studio clinico randomizzato Italung-CT. Materiale e metodi: Sessanta (47 uomini e 13 donne, eta' media 64{+-}4,5 anni) forti fumatori (almeno 20 pacchetti/anno) sono stati sottoposti ad un esame basale e a due controlli annuali con TC single o

Risk-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis of lung cancer screening by spiral CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iinuma, Takeshi

1999-01-01

Mass screening of lung cancer has been widely performed using indirect chest X-ray method in Japan. However reduction of the mortality for lung cancer is questioned. We have proposed that recently developed spiral CT should be adopted for the screening of lung cancer, since CT has an excellent detectability for small nodule. Lung Cancer Screening CT (LSCT) has been developed by author's group using spiral CT with low dose and light weight in order to make a mobile unit. In this paper risk-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis are described for the LSCT screening of lung cancer. As a risk, radiation carcinogenesis due to exposure from LSCT are compared with gain of life-expectancy by screening and men of 40 years or more and women of 45 years or more are justified. The cost per person-year is estimated for LSCT screening which is better than that of present method, although total cost is higher. The LSCT screening could be recommended if total cost is affordable. (author)

WE-D-207-00: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: Moving Forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

In the United States, Lung Cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than the next four cancers combined. In addition, the 5 year survival rate for lung cancer patients has not improved over the past 40 to 50 years. To combat this deadly disease, in 2002 the National Cancer Institute launched a very large Randomized Control Trial called the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). This trial would randomize subjects who had substantial risk of lung cancer (due to age and smoking history) into either a Chest X-ray arm or a low dose CT arm. In November 2010, the National Cancer Institute announced that the NLST had demonstrated 20% fewer lung cancer deaths among those who were screened with low-dose CT than with chest X-ray. In December 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended the use of Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT and a little over a year later (Feb. 2015), CMS announced that Medicare would also cover Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT. Thus private and public insurers are required to provide Lung Cancer Screening programs using CT to the appropriate population(s). The purpose of this Symposium is to inform medical physicists and prepare them to support the implementation of Lung Screening programs. This Symposium will focus on the clinical aspects of lung cancer screening, requirements of a screening registry for systematically capturing and tracking screening patients and results (such as required Medicare data elements) as well as the role of the medical physicist in screening programs, including the development of low dose CT screening protocols. Learning Objectives: To understand the clinical basis and clinical components of a lung cancer screening program, including eligibility criteria and other requirements. To understand the data collection requirements, workflow, and informatics infrastructure needed to support the tracking and reporting components of a screening program. To understand the role of the medical physicist in

Coronary calcium screening with dual-source CT: reliability of ungated, high-pitch chest CT in comparison with dedicated calcium-scoring CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutt, Antoine; Faivre, Jean-Baptiste; Remy, Jacques; Remy-Jardin, Martine [CHRU et Universite de Lille, Department of Thoracic Imaging, Hospital Calmette (EA 2694), Lille (France); Duhamel, Alain; Deken, Valerie [CHRU et Universite de Lille, Department of Biostatistics (EA 2694), Lille (France); Molinari, Francesco [Centre Hospitalier General de Tourcoing, Department of Radiology, Tourcoing (France)

2016-06-15

To investigate the reliability of ungated, high-pitch dual-source CT for coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening. One hundred and eighty-five smokers underwent a dual-source CT examination with acquisition of two sets of images during the same session: (a) ungated, high-pitch and high-temporal resolution acquisition over the entire thorax (i.e., chest CT); (b) prospectively ECG-triggered acquisition over the cardiac cavities (i.e., cardiac CT). Sensitivity and specificity of chest CT for detecting positive CAC scores were 96.4 % and 100 %, respectively. There was excellent inter-technique agreement for determining the quantitative CAC score (ICC = 0.986). The mean difference between the two techniques was 11.27, representing 1.81 % of the average of the two techniques. The inter-technique agreement for categorizing patients into the four ranks of severity was excellent (weighted kappa = 0.95; 95 % CI 0.93-0.98). The inter-technique differences for quantitative CAC scores did not correlate with BMI (r = 0.05, p = 0.575) or heart rate (r = -0.06, p = 0.95); 87.2 % of them were explained by differences at the level of the right coronary artery (RCA: 0.8718; LAD: 0.1008; LCx: 0.0139; LM: 0.0136). Ungated, high-pitch dual-source CT is a reliable imaging mode for CAC screening in the conditions of routine chest CT examinations. (orig.)

Adherence to Radiology Recommendations in a Clinical CT Lung Screening Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Alshora, Sama; McKee, Brady J; Regis, Shawn M; Borondy Kitts, Andrea K; Bolus, Christopher C; McKee, Andrea B; French, Robert J; Flacke, Sebastian; Wald, Christoph

2018-02-01

Assess patient adherence to radiologist recommendations in a clinical CT lung cancer screening program. Patients undergoing CT lung cancer screening between January 12, 2012, and June 12, 2013, were included in this institutional review board-approved retrospective review. Patients referred from outside our institution were excluded. All patients met National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines Lung Cancer Screening high-risk criteria. Full-time program navigators used a CT lung screening program management system to schedule patient appointments, generate patient result notification letters detailing the radiologist follow-up recommendation, and track patient and referring physician notification of missed appointments at 30, 60, and 90 days. To be considered adherent, patients could be no more than 90 days past due for their next recommended examination as of September 12, 2014. Patients who died, were diagnosed with cancer, or otherwise became ineligible for screening were considered adherent. Adherence rates were assessed across multiple variables. During the study interval, 1,162 high-risk patients were screened, and 261 of 1,162 (22.5%) outside referrals were excluded. Of the remaining 901 patients, 503 (55.8%) were male, 414 (45.9%) were active smokers, 377 (41.8%) were aged 65 to 73, and >95% were white. Of the 901 patients, 772 (85.7%) were adherent. Most common reasons for nonadherence were patient refusal of follow-up exam (66.7%), inability to successfully contact the patient (20.9%), and inability to obtain the follow-up order from the referring provider (7.8%); 23 of 901 (2.6%) were discharged for other reasons. High rates of adherence to radiologist recommendations are achievable for in-network patients enrolled in a clinical CT lung screening program. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Lung cancer screening with thoracic X‑ray and CT : Current situation].

Science.gov (United States)

von Stackelberg, O; Kauczor, H-U

2016-09-01

Attempts at the early detection of lung cancer using imaging methods began as far back as the 1950s. Several studies attempted to demonstrate a reduction of lung cancer mortality by chest radiography screening but all were unsuccessful. Even the first small screening studies using computed tomography (CT) could not demonstrate a reduction in lung cancer-specific mortality until in 2011 the results of the largest randomized controlled low-dose CT screening study in the USA (NLST) were published. The NLST results could show a significant 20 % reduction of lung cancer mortality in elderly and heavy smokers using CT. Confirmation of the NLST results are urgently needed so that the data of the largest European study (NELSON) are eagerly awaited. Pooled with the data from several smaller European studies these results will provide important information and evidence for the establishment of future CT screening programs in Europe. Randomized controlled trials are the basis of evidence-based medicine; therefore, the positive results of the methodologically very good NLST study cannot be ignored, even if it is the only such study completed so far with highly convincing conclusions. The NLST results clearly demonstrate that positive effects for the health of the population can only be expected if the processes are clearly defined and the quality is assured.

Quantitative assessment of smoking-induced emphysema progression in longitudinal CT screening for lung cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, H.; Mizuguchi, R.; Matsuhiro, M.; Kawata, Y.; Niki, N.; Nakano, Y.; Ohmatsu, H.; Kusumoto, M.; Tsuchida, T.; Eguchi, K.; Kaneko, M.; Moriyama, N.

2015-03-01

Computed tomography has been used for assessing structural abnormalities associated with emphysema. It is important to develop a robust CT based imaging biomarker that would allow quantification of emphysema progression in early stage. This paper presents effect of smoking on emphysema progression using annual changes of low attenuation volume (LAV) by each lung lobe acquired from low-dose CT images in longitudinal screening for lung cancer. The percentage of LAV (LAV%) was measured after applying CT value threshold method and small noise reduction. Progression of emphysema was assessed by statistical analysis of the annual changes represented by linear regression of LAV%. This method was applied to 215 participants in lung cancer CT screening for five years (18 nonsmokers, 85 past smokers, and 112 current smokers). The results showed that LAV% is useful to classify current smokers with rapid progression of emphysema (0.2%/year, pemphysema in CT screening for lung cancer.

Lung cancer incidence and mortality in National Lung Screening Trial participants who underwent low-dose CT prevalence screening: a retrospective cohort analysis of a randomised, multicentre, diagnostic screening trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Patz, Edward F; Greco, Erin; Gatsonis, Constantine; Pinsky, Paul; Kramer, Barnett S; Aberle, Denise R

2016-05-01

Annual low-dose CT screening for lung cancer has been recommended for high-risk individuals, but the necessity of yearly low-dose CT in all eligible individuals is uncertain. This study examined rates of lung cancer in National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) participants who had a negative prevalence (initial) low-dose CT screen to explore whether less frequent screening could be justified in some lower-risk subpopulations. We did a retrospective cohort analysis of data from the NLST, a randomised, multicentre screening trial comparing three annual low-dose CT assessments with three annual chest radiographs for the early detection of lung cancer in high-risk, eligible individuals (aged 55-74 years with at least a 30 pack-year history of cigarette smoking, and, if a former smoker, had quit within the past 15 years), recruited from US medical centres between Aug 5, 2002, and April 26, 2004. Participants were followed up for up to 5 years after their last annual screen. For the purposes of this analysis, our cohort consisted of all NLST participants who had received a low-dose CT prevalence (T0) screen. We determined the frequency, stage, histology, study year of diagnosis, and incidence of lung cancer, as well as overall and lung cancer-specific mortality, and whether lung cancers were detected as a result of screening or within 1 year of a negative screen. We also estimated the effect on mortality if the first annual (T1) screen in participants with a negative T0 screen had not been done. The NLST is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00047385. Our cohort consisted of 26 231 participants assigned to the low-dose CT screening group who had undergone their T0 screen. The 19 066 participants with a negative T0 screen had a lower incidence of lung cancer than did all 26 231 T0-screened participants (371·88 [95% CI 337·97-408·26] per 100 000 person-years vs 661·23 [622·07-702·21]) and had lower lung cancer-related mortality (185·82 [95% CI 162·17

Application of PET and PET/CT imaging for cancer screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yenkung; Hu Fenglan; Shen Yehyou; Liao, A.C.; Hung, T.Z.; Su, Chentau; Chen Liangkuang

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential application of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and PET/CT for cancer screening in asymptomatic individuals. Methods: The subjects consisted of 3631 physical check up examinees (1947 men, 1684 women; mean age ±SD, 52.1±8.2 y) with non-specific medical histories. Whole-body FDG PET (or PET/CT), ultrasound and tumor markers were performed on all patients. Focal hypermetabolic areas with intensities equal to or exceeding the level of FDG uptake in the brain and bladder were considered abnormal and interpreted as neoplasia. Follow-up periods were longer than one year. Results: Among the 3631 FDG PET (including 1687 PET/CT), ultrasound and tumor markers examinations, malignant tumors were discovered in 47 examinees (1.29%). PET findings were true-positive in 38 of the 47 cancers (80.9%). In addition, 32 of the 47 cancers were performed with the PET-CT scan. PET detected cancer lesions in 28 of the 32 examinees. However, the CT detected cancer lesions in only 15 of 32 examinees. Conclusion: The sensitivity of FDG PET in the detection of a wide variety of cancers is high. Most cancer can be detected with FDG PET in a resectable stage. CT of the PET/CT for localization and characteristics of the lesion shows an increased specificity of the PET scan. Using ultrasound and tumor markers may complement the PET scan in cancer screening for hepatic and urologic neoplasms. (authors)

Lung cancer screening with thoracic X-ray and CT. Current situation; Lungenkarzinomscreening mit Roentgenthorax oder CT. Aktuelle Datenlage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stackelberg, O. von; Kauczor, H.U. [Universitaetsklinikum Heidelberg, Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologe, Heidelberg (Germany); Translationales Lungen Forschungszentrum Heidelberg (TLRC), Mitglied des Deutschen Zentrums fuer Lungenforschung (DZL), Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-09-15

Attempts at the early detection of lung cancer using imaging methods began as far back as the 1950s. Several studies attempted to demonstrate a reduction of lung cancer mortality by chest radiography screening but all were unsuccessful. Even the first small screening studies using computed tomography (CT) could not demonstrate a reduction in lung cancer-specific mortality until in 2011 the results of the largest randomized controlled low-dose CT screening study in the USA (NLST) were published. The NLST results could show a significant 20 % reduction of lung cancer mortality in elderly and heavy smokers using CT. Confirmation of the NLST results are urgently needed so that the data of the largest European study (NELSON) are eagerly awaited. Pooled with the data from several smaller European studies these results will provide important information and evidence for the establishment of future CT screening programs in Europe. Randomized controlled trials are the basis of evidence-based medicine; therefore, the positive results of the methodologically very good NLST study cannot be ignored, even if it is the only such study completed so far with highly convincing conclusions. The NLST results clearly demonstrate that positive effects for the health of the population can only be expected if the processes are clearly defined and the quality is assured. (orig.) [German] Bestrebungen zur Frueherkennung von Lungenkrebs mit bildgebenden Methoden gibt es schon lange. Alle Studien, die eine Reduktion der Lungenkrebsmortalitaet mittels Roentgenthoraxscreening nachzuweisen versuchten, scheiterten. Auch die ersten kleineren Screeningstudien mit der CT konnten keine Reduktion der Lungenkrebssterblichkeit nachweisen, bis 2011 die Ergebnisse der bisher groessten randomisierten kontrollierten Niedrigdosis-CT-Screeningstudie (NLST) aus den USA veroeffentlicht wurden. Diese konnten eine signifikante 20 %ige Reduktion der Lungenkrebssterblichkeit bei Personen, die aelter und starke

Comparative reading support system for lung cancer CT screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Mitsuru; Saita, Shinsuke; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Eguchi, Kenji; Kaneko, Masahiro; Moriyama, Noriyuki

2010-01-01

The comparative reading is performed using current and past images of the same case obtained from lung cancer CT screening. The result of this is useful for the early detection of lung cancer. Our paper describes the efficiency improvement of comparative reading using 10 mm slice thickness CT images by developing the system consists of slice registration method, pulmonary nodule registration method, and quantitative evaluation method of pulmonary nodule's degree of change. The proposed system is applied to CT images scanned for 1107 times of 85 cases with 198 pulmonary nodules and is evaluated by comparing it with the reading result of the doctors. We show the effectiveness of the system. (author)

Ultra-low-dose lung screening CT with model-based iterative reconstruction: an assessment of image quality and lesion conspicuity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Yun Hye; Lee, Geewon; Lee, Ji Won; Hong, Seung Baek; Suh, Young Ju; Jeong, Yeon Joo

2018-05-01

Background Reducing radiation dose inevitably increases image noise, and thus, it is important in low-dose computed tomography (CT) to maintain image quality and lesion detection performance. Purpose To assess image quality and lesion conspicuity of ultra-low-dose CT with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and to determine a suitable protocol for lung screening CT. Material and Methods A total of 120 heavy smokers underwent lung screening CT and were randomly and equally assigned to one of five groups: group 1 = 120 kVp, 25 mAs, with FBP reconstruction; group 2 = 120 kVp, 10 mAs, with MBIR; group 3 = 100 kVp, 15 mAs, with MBIR; group 4 = 100 kVp, 10 mAs, with MBIR; and group 5 = 100 kVp, 5 mAs, with MBIR. Two radiologists evaluated intergroup differences with respect to radiation dose, image noise, image quality, and lesion conspicuity using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Chi-square test. Results Effective doses were 61-87% lower in groups 2-5 than in group 1. Image noises in groups 1 and 5 were significantly higher than in the other groups ( P image quality was best in group 1, but diagnostic acceptability of overall image qualities in groups 1-3 was not significantly different (all P values > 0.05). Lesion conspicuities were similar in groups 1-4, but were significantly poorer in group 5. Conclusion Lung screening CT with MBIR obtained at 100 kVp and 15 mAs enables a ∼60% reduction in radiation dose versus low-dose CT, while maintaining image quality and lesion conspicuity.

Recruitment for 'A pilot study of randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of lung cancer screening by thoracic CT'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagawa, Motoyasu; Tanaka, Makoto; Mizukami, Satoru

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of lung cancer screening by thoracic computed tomography (CT), a randomized controlled trial was planned in Japan. The randomized trial was designed as follows: participants were randomly assigned into 2 groups, CT group and XP group; XP group would receive 10 times of lung cancer screening by chest x-ray annually for 10 years; smokers in CT group would receive 10 times of lung cancer screening by thoracic CT annually for 10 years; non-smokers in CT group would receive 3 times of lung cancer screening by thoracic CT and 7 times of chest x-ray during 10 years. A pilot study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the trial. A letter for recruitment to participate in the above trial was mailed to the citizens in Hakui City, who were 50-64 years old and underwent regular lung cancer screening using chest x-ray this year. In the letter we explained that the efficacy of lung cancer screening by thoracic CT had not been proved yet; only half of the participants could undergo thoracic CT screening; thoracic CT screening might cause unfavorable consequences like radiation exposure, false positives or overdiagnosis. Of 329 persons who received the letter of recruitment, 117 replied. After meeting with us for detailed explanation, 111 persons participated in the above randomized trial. The compliance of recruitment is high (approximately one third) and the above trial may be feasible. (author)

WE-B-207-01: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: Background, Findings and Participant Dosimetry Summary of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, R.

2015-01-01

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

WE-B-207-01: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Medical Physicist: Background, Findings and Participant Dosimetry Summary of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruger, R. [Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI (United States)

2015-06-15

The US National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a multi-center randomized, controlled trial comparing a low-dose CT (LDCT) to posterior-anterior (PA) chest x-ray (CXR) in screening older, current and former heavy smokers for early detection of lung cancer. Recruitment was launched in September 2002 and ended in April 2004 when 53,454 participants had been randomized at 33 screening sites in equal proportions. Funded by the National Cancer Institute this trial demonstrated that LDCT screening reduced lung cancer mortality. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cited NLST findings and conclusions in its deliberations and analysis of lung cancer screening. Under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF favorable recommendation regarding lung cancer CT screening assisted in obtaining third-party payers coverage for screening. The objective of this session is to provide an introduction to the NLST and the trial findings, in addition to a comprehensive review of the dosimetry investigations and assessments completed using individual NLST participant CT and CXR examinations. Session presentations will review and discuss the findings of two independent assessments, a CXR assessment and the findings of a CT investigation calculating individual organ dosimetry values. The CXR assessment reviewed a total of 73,733 chest x-ray exams that were performed on 92 chest imaging systems of which 66,157 participant examinations were used. The CT organ dosimetry investigation collected scan parameters from 23,773 CT examinations; a subset of the 75,133 CT examinations performed using 97 multi-detector CT scanners. Organ dose conversion coefficients were calculated using a Monte Carlo code. An experimentally-validated CT scanner simulation was coupled with 193 adult hybrid computational phantoms representing the height and weight of the current U.S. population. The dose to selected organs was calculated using the organ dose library and the abstracted scan

A practical approach to radiological evaluation of CT lung cancer screening examinations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xie, Xueqian; Heuvelmans, Marjolein A.; van Ooijen, Peter M. A.; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn

2013-01-01

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The Dutch-Belgian Randomized Lung Cancer Screening Trial (Dutch acronym: NELSON) was launched to investigate whether screening for lung cancer by low-dose multidetector computed tomography (CT) in high-risk patients will lead

The efficacy of low-dose helical CT screening as an option for health examination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishi, Kazuma; Hara, Shigeko; Kurosaki, Atsuko; Fujii, Takeshi; Yoshimura, Kunihiko

2007-01-01

We retrospectively evaluated the results of low-dose helical CT screening as an option for health examinations. From November 2002 to October 2005, CT screening was performed in 2,306 individuals (men 1,766, women 540, mean age 56.1 years). Among them, 71 individuals (3.1%) were diagnosed as having active thoracic diseases consisting of 14 neoplasms and 57 non-neoplastic diseases. Of 14 patients with neoplastic lesions, 13 had lung cancer, 1 of whom had double primary lung cancer, and 1 had atypical adenomatous hyperplasia. The mean diameter of the 14 lung cancers was 14.4 mm. The histology of these lesions was adenocarcinoma in 13 and squamous cell carcinoma in 1. The pathological stage was IA in 12 patients and IIA in 1. All patients underwent surgical resection. On the other hand, emphysema was diagnosed in 40 asymptomatic individuals based on CT and spirometry, and smoking cessation was strongly implemented for those who were current smokers. CT screening is useful for detecting not only early lung cancer but also non-neoplastic lung diseases. (author)

Imaging evaluation of infants with neuroblastoma detected by VMA screening spot test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujioka, M.; Saiki, N.; Aihara, T.; Yamamoto, K.

1988-01-01

In the Saitama Prefecture in Japan, VMA (vanillyl manderic acid) screening spot test for detection of neuroblastoma has been performed in 173,046 infants in the years 1981-1986 and 15 infants were found to have neuroblastoma. Two infants had mediastinal tumors and the remainder, 13, had intraabdominal tumors. Only 7 infants had palpable masses. Although CT was documented to be the best imaging procedure to provide sufficient information for treatment, conventional radiographic examinations of the chest and abdomen, and abdominal ultrasonography were able, as initial imaging procedures, to detect reasonably small neuroblastomas in infants with a positive VMA screening test. (orig.)

Cost-effectiveness analysis on the results of screening of lung cancer using helical CT conducted by the anti-lung cancer association (ALCA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iinuma, Takeshi; Kaneko, Masahiro; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Misawa, Jun

1999-01-01

To compare Yen/person saved in lung cancer screening using helical CT with Yen/person in the screening using conventional direct chest X-rays conducted under the Anti-lung cancer association program of the Tokyo Health Service Association. A mathematical model for cancer screening was used to estimate net number of person relieved from lung cancer by the screening and net cost required for the screening. Finally cost-effectiveness ratios in terms of Yen/person saved were calculated and compared between the two programs. Several important variables employed in the model were as follows: 5 year survival rate in chest X-ray group was 50%, and the rate in helical CT group was 75%. Cost of screening in the chest X-ray group was 15,000 Yen, and that in the helical CT group was 25,000 Yen. Cost/person screened was 14,470 Yen for chest X-ray and 21,890 Yen for helical CT. Cost/person saved was 267 x 10 5 Yen in X-ray group and 112 x 10 5 Yen in CT group. Thus the cost was higher, but cost-effectiveness ratio was better in the CT screening group. Helical CT can be adopted for lung cancer screening in stead of chest X-ray if total cost is affordable. (author)

Low-dosage helical CT applications for chest medical checkup and lung cancer screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Ping; Cui Fa; Liang Huanqing; Zheng Minfei

2005-01-01

Objective: A discussion on low-dosage helical CT applications on chest medical checkup and lung cancer screening. Methods: On the 100 chest medical check up with three different of protocols, including standard-dosage (the tube current was 230 mAs) were compared with low-dose (tube current was 50 mAs or 30 mAs). Results: Low-dosage helical CT scan provides excellent images. In 100 chest medical checkup, 39 nodules or masses were revealed, enlarged lymph node was noted in 1 case; emphysema or bullae was demonstrated in 3 segments; thickening of bronchial wall was shown in 2 cases; and localized pleural thickening was found in 1 case. Conclusion: In chest checkup or lung cancer screening low-dosage helical CT (tube current 30 mAs) will not only guarantee image quality but also reduce the radiation dose during the examination. (authors)

Utility of multiple rule out CT screening of high-risk atraumatic patients in an emergency department-a feasibility study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Mia M; Hasselbalch, Rasmus B; Raaschou, Henriette

2018-01-01

malignant tumors in 10 (10%) cases. The mean size specific radiation dose was 15.9 mSv (± 3.1 mSv). CONCLUSION: Screening with a multi-rule out CT scan of high-risk patients in an ED is feasible and result in discovery of clinically unrecognized diagnoses and malignant tumors, but at the cost of radiation......BACKGROUND: Several large trials have evaluated the effect of CT screening based on specific symptoms, with varying outcomes. Screening of patients with CT based on their prognosis alone has not been examined before. For moderate-to-high risk patients presenting in the emergency department (ED......), the potential gain from a CT scan might outweigh the risk of radiation exposure. We hypothesized that an accelerated "multiple rule out" CT screening of moderate-to-high risk patients will detect many clinically unrecognized diagnoses that affect change in treatment. METHOD: Patients ≥ 40 years, triaged as high...

Cancerogenesis Risks between 64 and 320 Row Detector CT for Coronary CTA Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atif N Khan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study compares cancerogenesis risks posed by the 64 row detector and the 320 row detector computed tomography scanners used during coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA following decennial screening guidelines. Material and Methods: Data of the radiation absorbed after CCTA by lung, thyroid, and female breast in patients between 50 and 70 years of age obtained from prior published literature for the 64 row CT scanner were compared with data from our study using 320 row detector CT scanner. Data from the 64 row and the 320 row detector CT scanners was used to determine lifetime attributable risks (LAR of cancer based on the biological effects of ionizing radiation (BEIR VII report. Results: The relative reduction of LAR (% for 50-, 60-, and 70-year-old patients undergoing scanning with the 320 row detector CT scanner was 30% lower for lung, and more than 50% lower for female breast when compared with results from 64 row detector CT scanner. The use of 320 row detector CT would result in a combined cumulative cancer incidence of less than 1/500 for breast in women and less than 1/1000 for lung in men; By comparison, this is much lower than other more common risk factors: 16-fold for lung cancer in persistent smokers, 2-fold for breast cancer with a first degree family member history of breast cancer, and 10-fold for thyroid cancer with a family member with thyroid cancer. Decennial screening would benefit at least 355,000 patients from sudden cardiac death each year, 94% of whom have significant coronary artery disease, with at least one stenosis >75%. LAR for thyroid cancer was negligible for both scanners. Conclusion: Lung and female breast LAR reductions with 320 row detector compared with 64 row detector CT are substantial, and the benefits would outweigh increased cancer risks with decennial screening in the age group of 50-70 years.

CT-Screening for lung cancer does not increase the use of anxiolytic or antidepressant medication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaerlev, Linda; Iachina, Maria; Pedersen, Jesper Holst

2012-01-01

CT screening for lung cancer has recently been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality, but screening may have adverse mental health effects. We calculated risk ratios for prescription of anti-depressive (AD) or anxiolytic (AX) medication redeemed at Danish pharmacies for participants in The Danish...... Lung Cancer Screening Trial (DLCST)....

High prevalence of bronchiectasis in adults. Analysis of CT findings in a health screening program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwak, Hyun-Jung; Moon, Ji-Yong; Choi, Vo-Won; Kim, Tae-Hyung; Sohn, Jang-Won; Yoon, Ho-Joo; Shin, Dong-Ho; Park, Sung-Soo; Kim, Sang-Heon

2010-01-01

Bronchiectasis is one of the common chronic respiratory diseases and associated with respiratory morbidity and mortality. However, neither its prevalence nor its etiology is well-defined. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of bronchiectasis in adults. In a retrospective study, we analyzed radiologic findings on chest computed tomography (CT) images performed as part of a health-screening program. From January to December 2008, 1,409 (24.6%) of 5,727 participants in the screening program of a health promotion center at a university hospital underwent chest CT scans based on the subject's decision. Bronchiectasis was diagnosed, if there was abnormal bronchial dilatation in any area of both lungs on chest CT. Respiratory symptoms, smoking status, and past medical history were also analyzed to define clinical characteristics and risk factors of bronchiectasis. Of 1,409 patients (aged 23-86 years), who were screened for respiratory diseases using chest CT for one year in a health promotion center, 129 patients (9.1%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis. The prevalence of bronchiectasis was higher in females than in males (11.5% vs. 7.9%, p=0.022) and increased with age. Respiratory symptoms were reported in 53.7% of subjects. Previous history of tuberculosis (TB) (odds ratio (OR) 4.61, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 2.39-8.88, p=0.001) and age (OR 2.49, 95% Cl 1.56-3.98, p=0.001) were significantly associated with bronchiectasis. This retrospective analysis of chest CT findings in health screening examinees revealed a very high prevalence of bronchiectasis in adults. Previous TB infection is one of the major causes of bronchiectasis. (author)

New approach to lung cancer screening with helical volume CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midorikawa, S.; Hashimoto, N.; Katakura, T.; Suzuki, K.

1990-01-01

This paper evaluates the relationship between reducing radiation dose to the patient and maintaining the clinical quality of the chest image in lung cancer screening by helical-volume CT (HVCT). The authors evaluated the changing relationship between radiation dose and clinical quality after changing the HVCY scanning conditions (such as stroke of patient transport and section thickness) as well as adding copper filters of various thickness and using high-voltage x-ray examination to complement CT examinations. The authors were able to reduce radiation dose by changing the HVCT scanning conditions (eg, stroke of 20 mm/sec, with a section thickness of 10 mm)

Do doctors understand the test characteristics of lung cancer screening?

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Richard; Breyer, Marie; Breyer-Kohansal, Robab; Urban, Matthias; Funk, Georg-Christian

2018-04-01

Screening for lung cancer with a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan is estimated to prevent 3 deaths per 1000 individuals at high risk; however, false positive results and radiation exposure are relevant harms and deserve careful consideration. Screening candidates can only make an autonomous decision if doctors correctly inform them of the pros and cons of the method; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether doctors understand the test characteristics of lung cancer screening. In a randomized trial 556 doctors (members of the Austrian Respiratory Society) were invited to answer questions regarding lung cancer screening based on online case vignettes. Half of the participants were randomized to the group 'solutions provided' and received the correct solutions in advance. The group 'solutions withheld' had to rely on prior knowledge or estimates. The primary endpoint was the between-group difference in the estimated number of deaths preventable by screening. Secondary endpoints were the between-group differences in the prevalence of lung cancer, prevalence of a positive screening results, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and false negative rate. Estimations were also compared with current data from the literature. The response rate was 29% in both groups. The reduction in the number of deaths due to screening was overestimated six-fold (95% confidence interval CI: 4-8) compared with the actual data, and there was no effect of group allocation. Providing the correct solutions to doctors had no systematic effect on their answers. Doctors poorly understand the test characteristics of lung cancer screening. Providing the correct solutions in advance did not improve the answers. Continuing education regarding lung cancer screening and the interpretation of test characteristics may be a simple remedy. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02542332).

Clinical application of low-dose CT combined with computer-aided detection in lung cancer screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Zushan; Hou Hongjun; Xu Yan; Ma Daqing

2010-01-01

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of chest low-dose CT (LDCT) combined with computer-aided detection (CAD) system for lung cancer screening in high risk population. Methods: Two hundred and nineteen healthy candidates underwent 64-slice LDCT scan. All images were reviewed in consensus by two radiologists with 15 years of thoracic CT diagnosis experience. Then the image data were analyzed with CAD alone. Finally images were reviewed by two radiologists with 5 years of CT diagnosis experience with and without CT Viewer software. The sensitivity, false positive rate of CAD for pulmonary nodule detection were calculated. SPSS 11.5 software and Chi-square test were used for the statistics. Results: Of 219 candidates ,104(47.5% ) were detected with lung nodules. There were 366 true nodules confirmed by the senior radiologists. The CAD system detected 271 (74.0%) true nodules and 424 false-positive nodules. The false-positive rate was 1.94/per case. The two junior radiologists indentifid 292 (79.8%), 286(78.1%) nodules without CAD and 336 (91.8%), 333 (91.0%) nodules with CAD respectively. There were significant differences for radiologists in indentifying nodules with or without CAD system (P<0.01). Conclusions: CAD is more sensitive than radiologists for indentifying the nodules in the central area or in the hilar region of the lung. While radiologists are more sensitive for the peripheral and sub-pleural nodules,or ground glass opacity nodules, or nodules smaller than 4 mm. CAD can not be used alone. The detection rate can be improved with the combination of radiologist and CAD in LDCT screen. (authors)

Localized thin-section CT with radiomics feature extraction and machine learning to classify early-detected pulmonary nodules from lung cancer screening

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Shu-Ju; Wang, Chih-Wei; Pan, Kuang-Tse; Wu, Yi-Cheng; Wu, Chen-Te

2018-03-01

Lung cancer screening aims to detect small pulmonary nodules and decrease the mortality rate of those affected. However, studies from large-scale clinical trials of lung cancer screening have shown that the false-positive rate is high and positive predictive value is low. To address these problems, a technical approach is greatly needed for accurate malignancy differentiation among these early-detected nodules. We studied the clinical feasibility of an additional protocol of localized thin-section CT for further assessment on recalled patients from lung cancer screening tests. Our approach of localized thin-section CT was integrated with radiomics features extraction and machine learning classification which was supervised by pathological diagnosis. Localized thin-section CT images of 122 nodules were retrospectively reviewed and 374 radiomics features were extracted. In this study, 48 nodules were benign and 74 malignant. There were nine patients with multiple nodules and four with synchronous multiple malignant nodules. Different machine learning classifiers with a stratified ten-fold cross-validation were used and repeated 100 times to evaluate classification accuracy. Of the image features extracted from the thin-section CT images, 238 (64%) were useful in differentiating between benign and malignant nodules. These useful features include CT density (p  =  0.002 518), sigma (p  =  0.002 781), uniformity (p  =  0.032 41), and entropy (p  =  0.006 685). The highest classification accuracy was 79% by the logistic classifier. The performance metrics of this logistic classification model was 0.80 for the positive predictive value, 0.36 for the false-positive rate, and 0.80 for the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Our approach of direct risk classification supervised by the pathological diagnosis with localized thin-section CT and radiomics feature extraction may support clinical physicians in determining

Screening cervical spine CT in the emergency department, phase 3: increasing effectiveness of imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffith, Brent; Vallee, Phyllis; Krupp, Seth; Jung, Melissa; Slezak, Michelle; Nagarwala, Jumana; Loeckner, C Patrick; Schultz, Lonni R; Jain, Rajan

2014-02-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a clinical education initiative on the appropriate utilization of screening cervical spine CT in the emergency department. The purpose was to assess if clinical education can produce stricter adherence to the ACR Appropriateness Criteria and improve the utilization of screening CT examinations in the emergency department. Institutional review board approval was obtained for this HIPAA-compliant study. All adult patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center with blunt trauma prompting screening cervical spine CT were eligible. For each study, the requesting clinician completed a survey selecting all clinical indications. CT examinations were evaluated by a board-certified radiologist blinded to survey data. Results were compared with retrospective and prospective studies performed before the institution of the education initiative. Of the 388 cervical spine CT examinations performed, 12 (3.1%) were positive for acute cervical spine injury, compared to only 1.0% before the clinical education program (phase 2). Of the 376 examinations without injury, 13% met all 5 National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study criteria for nonimaging (down from 16.1% in phase 2), and 15 (4%) required no imaging when both National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study and abbreviated Canadian cervical spine rule criteria were applied. Implementation of a clinical education initiative resulted in improved adherence to ACR Appropriateness Criteria and improved clinical effectiveness of the studies by increasing fracture detection rate. Initiatives such as these could potentially influence imaging overutilization without burdening emergency department clinicians with excessive roadblocks to image ordering. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Volumetric CT-images improve testing of radiological image interpretation skills

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Ravesloot, Cécile J., E-mail: C.J.Ravesloot@umcutrecht.nl [Radiology Department at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht, Room E01.132 (Netherlands); Schaaf, Marieke F. van der, E-mail: M.F.vanderSchaaf@uu.nl [Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences at Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht (Netherlands); Schaik, Jan P.J. van, E-mail: J.P.J.vanSchaik@umcutrecht.nl [Radiology Department at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht, Room E01.132 (Netherlands); Cate, Olle Th.J. ten, E-mail: T.J.tenCate@umcutrecht.nl [Center for Research and Development of Education at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht (Netherlands); Gijp, Anouk van der, E-mail: A.vanderGijp-2@umcutrecht.nl [Radiology Department at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht, Room E01.132 (Netherlands); Mol, Christian P., E-mail: C.Mol@umcutrecht.nl [Image Sciences Institute at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht (Netherlands); Vincken, Koen L., E-mail: K.Vincken@umcutrecht.nl [Image Sciences Institute at University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508 GA Utrecht (Netherlands)

2015-05-15

Rationale and objectives: Current radiology practice increasingly involves interpretation of volumetric data sets. In contrast, most radiology tests still contain only 2D images. We introduced a new testing tool that allows for stack viewing of volumetric images in our undergraduate radiology program. We hypothesized that tests with volumetric CT-images enhance test quality, in comparison with traditional completely 2D image-based tests, because they might better reflect required skills for clinical practice. Materials and methods: Two groups of medical students (n = 139; n = 143), trained with 2D and volumetric CT-images, took a digital radiology test in two versions (A and B), each containing both 2D and volumetric CT-image questions. In a questionnaire, they were asked to comment on the representativeness for clinical practice, difficulty and user-friendliness of the test questions and testing program. Students’ test scores and reliabilities, measured with Cronbach's alpha, of 2D and volumetric CT-image tests were compared. Results: Estimated reliabilities (Cronbach's alphas) were higher for volumetric CT-image scores (version A: .51 and version B: .54), than for 2D CT-image scores (version A: .24 and version B: .37). Participants found volumetric CT-image tests more representative of clinical practice, and considered them to be less difficult than volumetric CT-image questions. However, in one version (A), volumetric CT-image scores (M 80.9, SD 14.8) were significantly lower than 2D CT-image scores (M 88.4, SD 10.4) (p < .001). The volumetric CT-image testing program was considered user-friendly. Conclusion: This study shows that volumetric image questions can be successfully integrated in students’ radiology testing. Results suggests that the inclusion of volumetric CT-images might improve the quality of radiology tests by positively impacting perceived representativeness for clinical practice and increasing reliability of the test.

Computed Tomography (CT) -- Head

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician ... CT or CAT scan, is a diagnostic medical test that, like traditional x-rays, produces multiple images ...

Computed Tomography (CT) -- Sinuses

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician ... CT or CAT scan, is a diagnostic medical test that, like traditional x-rays, produces multiple images ...

Study on the testing standards of quality assurance for CT image

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jingxin; Yang Haishan; Liu Gang; Wang Liyun

2000-01-01

Objective: To establish national testing standards of quality assurance for CT image. Methods: 104 sets of CT system were tested using quality assurance test phantoms and devices including American RMI 461A, RMI 463, MDH 1015 C with ION Chamber, Sweden UNF 9004 kvp meter. These CT were made from different manufacturers including out of date of CT and state-of-art spiral CT system. Thirteen kinds of standards on CT from different countries and 87 sets of technical specifications of CT were collected. The results of the test were compared using phantoms of RMI, Victoreen, Catphan on the same CT system (Siemens HQS). Results: Based on the test results of this study, with reference to the foreign standards and some of regulations in China, CT test items should include high contrast resolution, low contrast resolution, noise, uniformity, mean CT unit, dose slice thickness, localization light, positioning of patient support and gantry tilt. Standards including acceptance test, status test, and constancy test were made in specification. Among them, constancy test equals to IEC 122-2-6; items and results in acceptance test are stricter than in the status test; and low contrast resolution, uniformity, localization light accuracy and positioning of patient support in the acceptance test are even stricter than that in foreign standards. Conclusion: The testing standards of quality assurance for CT developed in this study shows practical and useful in China, which supplemented to the existing international standards

Glucose screening tests during pregnancy

Science.gov (United States)

Oral glucose tolerance test - pregnancy; OGTT - pregnancy; Glucose challenge test - pregnancy; Gestational diabetes - glucose screening ... screening test between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. The test may be done earlier if you ...

Deep convolutional neural networks for automatic coronary calcium scoring in a screening study with low-dose chest CT

Science.gov (United States)

Lessmann, Nikolas; Išgum, Ivana; Setio, Arnaud A. A.; de Vos, Bob D.; Ciompi, Francesco; de Jong, Pim A.; Oudkerk, Matthjis; Mali, Willem P. Th. M.; Viergever, Max A.; van Ginneken, Bram

2016-03-01

The amount of calcifications in the coronary arteries is a powerful and independent predictor of cardiovascular events and is used to identify subjects at high risk who might benefit from preventive treatment. Routine quantification of coronary calcium scores can complement screening programs using low-dose chest CT, such as lung cancer screening. We present a system for automatic coronary calcium scoring based on deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The system uses three independently trained CNNs to estimate a bounding box around the heart. In this region of interest, connected components above 130 HU are considered candidates for coronary artery calcifications. To separate them from other high intensity lesions, classification of all extracted voxels is performed by feeding two-dimensional 50 mm × 50 mm patches from three orthogonal planes into three concurrent CNNs. The networks consist of three convolutional layers and one fully-connected layer with 256 neurons. In the experiments, 1028 non-contrast-enhanced and non-ECG-triggered low-dose chest CT scans were used. The network was trained on 797 scans. In the remaining 231 test scans, the method detected on average 194.3 mm3 of 199.8 mm3 coronary calcifications per scan (sensitivity 97.2 %) with an average false-positive volume of 10.3 mm3 . Subjects were assigned to one of five standard cardiovascular risk categories based on the Agatston score. Accuracy of risk category assignment was 84.4 % with a linearly weighted κ of 0.89. The proposed system can perform automatic coronary artery calcium scoring to identify subjects undergoing low-dose chest CT screening who are at risk of cardiovascular events with high accuracy.

Abdominal and Pelvic CT

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Computed Tomography (CT) - Abdomen ...

Computed Tomography (CT) -- Head

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Computed Tomography (CT) - Head ...

Computed Tomography (CT) -- Sinuses

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Computed Tomography (CT) - Sinuses ...

Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed Tomography)

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician ... CT or CAT scan, is a diagnostic medical test that, like traditional x-rays, produces multiple images ...

Screening for distant metastases in head and neck cancer patients by chest CT or whole body FDG-PET: A prospective multicenter trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senft, Asaf; Bree, Remco de; Hoekstra, Otto S.; Kuik, Dirk J.; Golding, Richard P.; Oyen, Wim J.G.; Pruim, Jan; Hoogen, Frank J. van den; Roodenburg, Jan L.N.; Leemans, C. Rene

2008-01-01

Background and purpose: The aim of the study was to define the added value of whole body FDG-PET in screening for distant metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and risk factors. Materials and methods: In a multi-center prospective study between 1998 and 2003, 145 consecutive HNSCC patients with risk factors for distant metastases underwent chest CT and whole body FDG-PET for screening of distant metastases. The data of 92 evaluable patients who developed distant metastases or who had a follow-up of at least 12 months were analyzed. Besides their performance in clinical practice, the operational characteristics of PET and CT using ROC analyses were investigated. Results: Pretreatment screening identified distant metastases in 19 patients (21%). FDG-PET had a higher sensitivity (53% vs. 37%) and positive predictive value (80% vs. 75%) than CT. The combination of CT and FDG-PET had the highest sensitivity (63%). The ROC analyses of the five point ordinal scales revealed that the 'area under the curve' (AUC) of FDG-PET was significantly higher as compared to CT. Conclusion: In HNSCC patients with risk factors, pretreatment screening for distant metastases by chest CT is improved by FDG-PET

CT colonography versus double-contrast barium enema for screening of colorectal cancer: comparison of radiation burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Neri, Emanuele; Faggioni, Lorenzo; Cerri, Francesca; Turini, Francesca; Angeli, Simone; Cini, Lorenzo; Perrone, Franco; Paolicchi, Fabio; Bartolozzi, Carlo

2010-10-01

Our aim is to compare the radiation dose associated with a low-dose CT colonography (CTC) protocol for colorectal cancer screening with that delivered by double-contrast barium enema (DCBE). CTC of twenty asymptomatic individuals (M:F = 10:10) participating to a colorectal cancer screening program and DCBE of fifteen patients (M:F = 6:9) were evaluated. For CTC, absorbed dose was determined by calculating the dose-length product for each CTC examination from measurements on a CT dose phantom equipped with a CT ion chamber. For DCBE, the free-in-air Kerma at the patient's X-ray entry surface and the Kerma-area product during fluoroscopy and fluorography were measured with a Barracuda system, with fluoroscopy times being recorded blinded to the performing operator. Effective dose at CTC was 2.17 ± 0.12 mSv, with good and excellent image quality in 14/20 (70%) and 6/20 cases (30%), respectively. With DCBE, effective patient dose was 4.12 ± 0.17 mSv, 1.9 times greater than CTC (P < 0.0001). Our results show that effective dose from screening CTC is substantially lower than that from DCBE, suggesting that CTC is the radiological imaging technique of the large bowel with the lowest risk of stochastic radiation effects.

Test equality between two binary screening tests with a confirmatory procedure restricted on screen positives.

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Lui, Kung-Jong; Chang, Kuang-Chao

2015-01-01

In studies of screening accuracy, we may commonly encounter the data in which a confirmatory procedure is administered to only those subjects with screen positives for ethical concerns. We focus our discussion on simultaneously testing equality of sensitivity and specificity between two binary screening tests when only subjects with screen positives receive the confirmatory procedure. We develop four asymptotic test procedures and one exact test procedure. We derive sample size calculation formula for a desired power of detecting a difference at a given nominal [Formula: see text]-level. We employ Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the performance of these test procedures and the accuracy of the sample size calculation formula developed here in a variety of situations. Finally, we use the data obtained from a study of the prostate-specific-antigen test and digital rectal examination test on 949 Black men to illustrate the practical use of these test procedures and the sample size calculation formula.

Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Test Results

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... AQ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FAQ187 GYNECOLOGIC PROBLEMS Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Test Results • What is cervical cancer screening? • What causes abnormal cervical cancer screening test ...

Longitudinal follow-up study of smoking-induced emphysema progression in low-dose CT screening of lung cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, H.; Matsuhiro, M.; Kawata, Y.; Niki, N.; Nakano, Y.; Ohmatsu, H.; Kusumoto, M.; Tsuchida, T.; Eguchi, K.; Kaneko, Masahiro; Moriyama, N.

2014-03-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major public health problem that is predicted to be third leading cause of death in 2030. Although spirometry is traditionally used to quantify emphysema progression, it is difficult to detect the loss of pulmonary function by emphysema in early stage, and to assess the susceptibility to smoking. This study presents quantification method of smoking-induced emphysema progression based on annual changes of low attenuation volume (LAV) by each lung lobe acquired from low-dose CT images in lung cancer screening. The method consists of three steps. First, lung lobes are segmented using extracted interlobar fissures by enhancement filter based on fourdimensional curvature. Second, LAV of each lung lobe is segmented. Finally, smoking-induced emphysema progression is assessed by statistical analysis of the annual changes represented by linear regression of LAV percentage in each lung lobe. This method was applied to 140 participants in lung cancer CT screening for six years. The results showed that LAV progressions of nonsmokers, past smokers, and current smokers are different in terms of pack-year and smoking cessation duration. This study demonstrates effectiveness in diagnosis and prognosis of early emphysema in lung cancer CT screening.

Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed Tomography)

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Full Text Available Toggle navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed ...

CT screening for lung cancer. Update 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henschke, C.I.; Yip, R.; Yankelevitz, D.F.

2009-01-01

Screening for a cancer should be considered when the cancer is significant in terms of incidence and mortality, treatment of early stage disease is better than treatment of late stage disease, and there is a screening regimen that provides for earlier diagnosis rather than later, symptom-prompted diagnosis. Lung cancer qualifies as it kills more people than any other cancer worldwide. In the United States it kills more people than colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined and more women than breast cancer. The fundamental concepts of screening are presented. Screening for a cancer is a repetitive process, starting with the baseline round followed by repeat rounds of screening at set intervals. The regimen of screening defines the initial diagnostic test and the sequence of tests to be performed leading to a rule-in diagnosis of the cancer. The regimen should provide lead time of the diagnosis of the cancer. The regimen for the first, baseline round may be different from the regimen for the repeat rounds as the former is inherently different from the subsequent repeat rounds. Baseline screening identifies a greater proportion of cancers with a longer latent (asymptomatic) phase than repeat screening, called length bias. Length bias exists for any screening program, regardless of the design of the study or the cancer. Repeat rounds of screening identify the same proportion of cancer diagnoses found in absence of screening for people having the same risk of the cancer and these repeat rounds of screening can be pooled. It is also a consequence of length bias that cancers found in repeat rounds are earlier in their latent phase than those of the baseline round, a less frequently mentioned consequence. Overdiagnosis bias, another bias of screening, can occur in two ways: a cancer' detected by the screening, pathologically proven, that is not life-threatening even when not resected and a genuine life-threatening cancer that is diagnosed and treated but the person dies

High affective risk perception is associated with more lung cancer-specific distress in CT screening for lung cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bunge, Eveline M.; van den Bergh, Karien A. M.; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; van Klaveren, Rob J.; de Koning, Harry J.

2008-01-01

Screening for cancer can cause distress. People who perceive their risk of cancer as high may be more vulnerable to distress. This study evaluated whether participants of a lung cancer Computed Tomography (CT) screening trial with a high affective risk perception of developing lung cancer had a

Comparison of a new digital KM screen test with conventional Hess and Lees screen tests in the mapping of ocular deviations.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorisdottir, Rannveig Linda; Sundgren, Johanna; Sheikh, Rafi; Blohmé, Jonas; Hammar, Björn; Kjellström, Sten; Malmsjö, Malin

2018-05-28

To evaluate the digital KM screen computerized ocular motility test and to compare it with conventional nondigital techniques using the Hess and Lees screens. Patients with known ocular deviations and a visual acuity of at least 20/100 underwent testing using the digital KM screen and the Hess and Lees screen tests. The examination duration, the subjectively perceived difficulty, and the patient's method of choice were compared for the three tests. The accuracy of test results was compared using Bland-Altman plots between testing methods. A total of 19 patients were included. Examination with the digital KM screen test was less time-consuming than tests with the Hess and Lees screens (P digital KM screen). Patients found the test with the digital KM screen easier to perform than the Lees screen test (P = 0.009) but of similar difficulty to the Hess screen test (P = 0.203). The majority of the patients (83%) preferred the digital KM screen test to both of the other screen methods (P = 0.008). Bland-Altman plots showed that the results obtained with all three tests were similar. The digital KM screen is accurate and time saving and provides similar results to Lees and Hess screen testing. It also has the advantage of a digital data analysis and registration. Copyright © 2018 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose helical CT in Korea: experiences at the Samsung Medical Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, Semin; Lee, Kyung Soo; Chung, Myung Jin; Kim, Tae Sung; Kim, Hojoong; Kwon, O Jung; Choi, Yoon-Ho; Rhee, Chong H

2005-06-01

To determine overall detection rates of lung cancer by low-dose CT (LDCT) screening and to compare histopathologic and imaging differences of detected cancers between high- and low-risk groups, this study included 6,406 asymptomatic Korean adults with >or=45 yr of age who underwent LDCT for lung cancer screening. All were classified into high- (>or=20 pack-year smoking; 3,353) and low-risk (3,053; <20 pack-yr smoking and non-smokers) groups. We compared CT findings of detected cancers and detection rates between high- and low-risk. At initial CT, 35% (2,255 of 6,406) had at least one or more non-calcified nodule. Lung cancer detection rates were 0.36% (23 of 6,406). Twenty-one non-small cell lung cancers appeared as solid (n=14) or ground-glass opacity (GGO) (n=7) nodules. Cancer likelihood was higher in GGO nodules than in solid nodules (p<0.01). Fifteen of 23 cancers occurred in high-risk group and 8 in low-risk group (p=0.215). Therefore, LDCT screening help detect early stage of lung cancer in asymptomatic Korean population with detection rate of 0.36% on a population basis and may be useful for discovering early lung cancer in low-risk group as well as in high-risk group.

Diagnostic work-up of pulmonary nodules. Management of pulmonary nodules detected with low-dose CT screening; Abklaerung von Lungenrundherden. Management durch Frueherkennungsuntersuchungen detektierter pulmonaler Rundherde

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Wormanns, D. [Evangelische Lungenklinik Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

2016-09-15

Pulmonary nodules are the most frequent pathological finding in low-dose computed tomography (CT) scanning for early detection of lung cancer. Early stages of lung cancer are often manifested as pulmonary nodules; however, the very commonly occurring small nodules are predominantly benign. These benign nodules are responsible for the high percentage of false positive test results in screening studies. Appropriate diagnostic algorithms are necessary to reduce false positive screening results and to improve the specificity of lung cancer screening. Such algorithms are based on some of the basic principles comprehensively described in this article. Firstly, the diameter of nodules allows a differentiation between large (>8 mm) probably malignant and small (<8 mm) probably benign nodules. Secondly, some morphological features of pulmonary nodules in CT can prove their benign nature. Thirdly, growth of small nodules is the best non-invasive predictor of malignancy and is utilized as a trigger for further diagnostic work-up. Non-invasive testing using positron emission tomography (PET) and contrast enhancement as well as invasive diagnostic tests (e.g. various procedures for cytological and histological diagnostics) are briefly described in this article. Different nodule morphology using CT (e.g. solid and semisolid nodules) is associated with different biological behavior and different algorithms for follow-up are required. Currently, no obligatory algorithm is available in German-speaking countries for the management of pulmonary nodules, which reflects the current state of knowledge. The main features of some international and American recommendations are briefly presented in this article from which conclusions for the daily clinical use are derived. (orig.) [German] Lungenrundherde sind die haeufigsten pathologischen Befunde bei Untersuchungen mit der Niedrigdosis-CT zur Lungenkrebsfrueherkennung. Fruehstadien des Lungenkarzinoms manifestieren sich meist als Rundherd

Contrast enhanced CT of spinal cord angioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Takahiko; Ebitani, Tsutomu; Honma, Takao; Sofue, Muroto; Nakamura, Shigeru

1982-01-01

Contrast enhanced CT on 6 patients with spinal cord angioma showed enhancement in 2 of them. The conditions to produce contrast enhancement were the window width of 100 - 200, and the window level of 0 - 50. In spinal cord angioma, contrast enhanced CT is presently only an adjunct to angiography and myelography. Nevertheless, contrast enhanced CT is useful in the screening test for spinal cord angioma, in the patients who are nonindicated to angiography, and in the postoperative follow-up. (Ueda, J.)

Your Radiologist Explains CT Colonography

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Full Text Available ... commonly known, virtual colonoscopy. Virtual colonoscopy is a diagnostic imaging test that is used to screen the large intestine or colon for cancer and growths called polyps. This procedure uses low-dose CT or CAT scanning ... Disorders Video: The Basketball Game: An ...

Philips Gemini TF64 PET/CT Acceptance Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González Gonzalez, Joaquín J.; Calderón Marin, Carlos F.; Varela Corona, Consuelo; Machado Tejeda, Adalberto; González Correa, Héctor J.

2016-01-01

The Philips Gemini TF64 is the first PET/CT scanner installed in Cuba at the Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in 2014. It is a third generation fully tridimensional whole body PET scanner with time-of-flight (TOF) technology combined with a 64-slice Brilliance CT scanner. The CT detector module contains 672x64 solid state detector, incorporating GOS scintillators, optical diodes and electronic signal channels arranged in 64 side by side arcs, with 672 detectors in each arc. There are sixteen 0.75 mm individual detector elements around the center and four 1.5 mm elements at each end, resulting in a 24 mm total detection length. The PET detector consists of 28 pixelar modules of a 23x44 array of 4x4x22 mm3 of LYSO crystals arranged in an Anger-logic detector design. The hardware coincidence-timing window for this scanner is set at 4 ns and delayed coincidence window technique is used to estimate the random coincidences in collected data. In this study the performance characteristics of PET/CT scanner were measured as part of the program tests of acceptance for clinical use.Methodology. The performance characteristics of CT scanner were evaluated by manufacturer protocol using Philips system performance phantom. Some additional geometrical tests were performed by the user. The intrinsic measurements of energy resolution as well as timing resolution, which define the TOF performance of PET scanner, were performed following the recommendations of manufacturer using 18 F. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, counting rate performance, image quality and accuracy were measured according to the NEMA NU-2 2007 procedures. Additionally, to characterize the effect of TOF reconstruction on lesion contrast and noise, the standard NEMA torso phantom was reconstructed with and without TOF capability. The accuracy of PET/CT image registration was tested according to the manufacturer protocol using an image alignment calibration holder with 6 point sources of 22

High-Throughput Testing of Urogenital and Extragenital Specimens for Detection of Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae with Cobas® CT/NG.

Science.gov (United States)

Marlowe, Elizabeth M; Hardy, David; Krevolin, Mark; Gohl, Peter; Bertram, Alexander; Arcenas, Rodney; Seiverth, Britta; Schneider, Tanja; Liesenfeld, Oliver

2017-09-01

We compared the analytical and clinical performance of cobas ® CT/NG for use on the Cobas ® 6800/8800 Systems with the Cobas ® 4800 CT/NG Test from urogenital and extragenital specimens in over 12,000 specimens from both male and female subjects in Germany and the United States. The analytical sensitivity was ≤40 EB/ml for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and ≤1 CFU/ml for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). Using clinical specimens, the overall percent agreement with the Cobas ® 4800 CT/NG Test was >98.5%. Across urogenital specimens, there were 93 discrepant specimens; 76 (93.8%) of 81 CT discrepant specimens were 6800+/4800- and 10 (83.3%) of 12 NG discrepant specimens were 6800+/4800-. Sequencing verified CT results for 45 (61.6%) of 73 samples positive by 6800 and 1 (20%) of 5 positive by 4800. Similarly, 7 (70.0%) of 10 NG samples positive by 6800 and 1 of 2 positive by 4800 were confirmed by sequencing. Among discrepant extragenital specimens (all 6800+/4800-), 7 (50%) of 14 oropharyngeal and 23 (76.7%) of 30 anorectal CT discordant samples were confirmed as CT positive by sequencing; all 8 anorectal and 20 (90.9%) of 22 oropharyngeal NG discordant results were also confirmed as NG positive. In conclusion, Cobas ® CT/NG for use on the Cobas ® 6800/8800 Systems provides high-throughput automated solutions for sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening programs.

Neonatal cystic fibrosis screening test

Science.gov (United States)

Cystic fibrosis screening - neonatal; Immunoreactive trypsinogen; IRT test; CF - screening ... Cystic fibrosis is a disease passed down through families. CF causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in ...

Virtual Colonoscopy Screening With Ultra Low-Dose CT and Less-Stressful Bowel Preparation: A Computer Simulation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Wang, Su; Li, Lihong; Fan, Yi; Lu, Hongbing; Liang, Zhengrong

2008-10-01

Computed tomography colonography (CTC) or CT-based virtual colonoscopy (VC) is an emerging tool for detection of colonic polyps. Compared to the conventional fiber-optic colonoscopy, VC has demonstrated the potential to become a mass screening modality in terms of safety, cost, and patient compliance. However, current CTC delivers excessive X-ray radiation to the patient during data acquisition. The radiation is a major concern for screening application of CTC. In this work, we performed a simulation study to demonstrate a possible ultra low-dose CT technique for VC. The ultra low-dose abdominal CT images were simulated by adding noise to the sinograms of the patient CTC images acquired with normal dose scans at 100 mA s levels. The simulated noisy sinogram or projection data were first processed by a Karhunen-Loeve domain penalized weighted least-squares (KL-PWLS) restoration method and then reconstructed by a filtered backprojection algorithm for the ultra low-dose CT images. The patient-specific virtual colon lumen was constructed and navigated by a VC system after electronic colon cleansing of the orally-tagged residue stool and fluid. By the KL-PWLS noise reduction, the colon lumen can successfully be constructed and the colonic polyp can be detected in an ultra low-dose level below 50 mA s. Polyp detection can be found more easily by the KL-PWLS noise reduction compared to the results using the conventional noise filters, such as Hanning filter. These promising results indicate the feasibility of an ultra low-dose CTC pipeline for colon screening with less-stressful bowel preparation by fecal tagging with oral contrast.

Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed Tomography)

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Full Text Available ... navigation Test/Treatment Patient Type Screening/Wellness Disease/Condition Safety En Español More Info Images/Videos About Us ... or better than those obtained by CT scanning. Working together, your primary care physician or ... Safety in Pediatric Imaging's "Image Gently" Campaign top of ...

Automated assessment of aortic and main pulmonary arterial diameters using model-based blood vessel segmentation for predicting chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in low-dose CT lung screening

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Sugiura, Toshihiko; Tanabe, Nobuhiro; Kusumoto, Masahiko; Eguchi, Kenji; Kaneko, Masahiro

2018-02-01

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by obstruction of the pulmonary vasculature by residual organized thrombi. A morphological abnormality inside mediastinum of CTEPH patient is enlargement of pulmonary artery. This paper presents an automated assessment of aortic and main pulmonary arterial diameters for predicting CTEPH in low-dose CT lung screening. The distinctive feature of our method is to segment aorta and main pulmonary artery using both of prior probability and vascular direction which were estimated from mediastinal vascular region using principal curvatures of four-dimensional hyper surface. The method was applied to two datasets, 64 lowdose CT scans of lung cancer screening and 19 normal-dose CT scans of CTEPH patients through the training phase with 121 low-dose CT scans. This paper demonstrates effectiveness of our method for predicting CTEPH in low-dose CT screening.

Review of Autism Screening Tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farin Soleimani

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that onset in the first 3 years of life and led to lifelong disability.Despite the early onset of symptoms, diagnosis of thissyndromedoes not happenuntil severalyears later, somany childrenlosethe opportunityfor earlyintervention.There arevarious toolsforscreening anddiagnosis, buttheirdesign, strengths and weaknesses aredifferent. The aim of this study was assess these tools from various aspects to provide a comprehensive view. Materials and methods: This study is a narrative literature review on screeningtoolsof autism. Comprehensive searches of the scientific literature were conducted in textbooks and 8 electronic databases(proquest,wiley,google scholar,SID,Scopus, Web of Science ،Science Direct ، and Medline and Pediatric book. language restriction (Persian and English was applied. The search strategy consisted of keywords and medical subject headings for autism and various screening tests. Result: In this study, 28 screening tests were identified from 1992 to 2014. CHAT is oldest test and the most recent test is CAST The minimum age that can perform the screening is six months that related to ITC. Minimum time of testing was 5 minutes  for CHAT and the maximum time was 90-120 minutes for ASIEP-3.RAADS-R test was the highest specificity and specificity (100% and the lowest specificity was 14% in ESAT test Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that any of the autism screening tools consider specific skill and various aspects of the disease, careful evaluation is need to choose proper test.

Detection of flat colorectal polyps at screening CT colonography in comparison with conventional polypoid lesions

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Sakamoto, Takashi; Urata, Joji [Diagnostic Imaging Center, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, Kumamoto (Japan); Mitsuzaki, Katsuhiko; Matsuda, Katsuhiko; Kawakami, Megumi [Medical Examination Center, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, Kumamoto (Japan); Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamamura, Sadahiro; Yamashita, Yasuyuki [Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto Univ., Kumamoto (Japan)], e-mail: utsunomi@kumamoto-u.ac.jp

2012-09-15

Background: Although the screening of small, flat polyps is clinically important, the role of CT colonography (CTC) screening in their detection has not been thoroughly investigated. Purpose: To evaluate the detection capability and usefulness of CTC in the screening of flat and polypoid lesions by comparing CTC with optic colonoscopy findings as the gold standard. Material and Methods: We evaluated the CTC detection capability for flat colorectal polyps with a flat surface and a height not exceeding 3 mm (n = 42) by comparing to conventional polypoid lesions (n = 418) according to the polyp diameter. Four types of reconstruction images including multiplanar reconstruction, volume rendering, virtual gross pathology, and virtual endoscopic images were used for visual analysis. We compared the abilities of the four reconstructions for polyp visualization. Results: Detection sensitivity for flat polyps was 31.3 %, 44.4 %, and 87.5 % for lesions measuring 2-3 mm, 4-5 mm, and {>=}6 mm, respectively; the corresponding sensitivity for polypoid lesions was 47.6 %, 79.0 %, and 91.7 %. The overall sensitivity for flat lesions (47.6%) was significantly lower than polypoid lesions (64.1%). Virtual endoscopic imaging showed best visualization among the four reconstructions. Colon cancers were detected in eight patients by optic colonoscopy, and CTC detected colon cancers in all eight patients. Conclusion: CTC using 64-row multidetector CT is useful for colon cancer screening to detect colorectal polyps while the detection of small, flat lesions is still challenging.

Comparative economic evaluation of data from the ACRIN National CT Colonography Trial with three cancer intervention and surveillance modeling network microsimulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanness, David J; Knudsen, Amy B; Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Iris; Rutter, Carolyn M; Gareen, Ilana F; Herman, Benjamin A; Kuntz, Karen M; Zauber, Ann G; van Ballegooijen, Marjolein; Feuer, Eric J; Chen, Mei-Hsiu; Johnson, C Daniel

2011-11-01

To estimate the cost-effectiveness of computed tomographic (CT) colonography for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in average-risk asymptomatic subjects in the United States aged 50 years. Enrollees in the American College of Radiology Imaging Network National CT Colonography Trial provided informed consent, and approval was obtained from the institutional review board at each site. CT colonography performance estimates from the trial were incorporated into three Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network CRC microsimulations. Simulated survival and lifetime costs for screening 50-year-old subjects in the United States with CT colonography every 5 or 10 years were compared with those for guideline-concordant screening with colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy plus either sensitive unrehydrated fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), and no screening. Perfect and reduced screening adherence scenarios were considered. Incremental cost-effectiveness and net health benefits were estimated from the U.S. health care sector perspective, assuming a 3% discount rate. CT colonography at 5- and 10-year screening intervals was more costly and less effective than FOBT plus flexible sigmoidoscopy in all three models in both 100% and 50% adherence scenarios. Colonoscopy also was more costly and less effective than FOBT plus flexible sigmoidoscopy, except in the CRC-SPIN model assuming 100% adherence (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: $26,300 per life-year gained). CT colonography at 5- and 10-year screening intervals and colonoscopy were net beneficial compared with no screening in all model scenarios. The 5-year screening interval was net beneficial over the 10-year interval except in the MISCAN model when assuming 100% adherence and willingness to pay $50,000 per life-year gained. All three models predict CT colonography to be more costly and less effective than non-CT colonographic screening but net beneficial compared with no

Prevalence of emphysematous changes as shown by low-dose spiral CT screening images in 6144 healthy subjects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nawa, Takeshi

2002-01-01

We assessed the prevalence of emphysematous changes among healthy workers and retired persons, using subjective evaluations of low-dose spiral CT images obtained during thoracic CT screenings for lung cancer. Among 6144 male participants (50-69 years old; mean age, 57), we detected 686 cases (11.2%) with emphysematous changes. The majority (95.3%) of CT-detected emphysema cases were in current or former smokers, and 169 cases (24.6%) showed significant obstructive impairment. Of 236 cases with emphysematous changes in the internal region (more than 20 mm from the costal margin), 98 (41.5%) had significant obstructive impairment. Smoking was found to be the major risk factor for CT-detected emphysema. Longitudinal observation of the emphysema cases, as well as health care support for cessation of smoking, is very important. (author)

Burden of waiting for surveillance CT colonography in patients with screen-detected 6-9 mm polyps

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Tutein Nolthenius, Charlotte J. [University of Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, PO Box 22700, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Boellaard, Thierry N.; Nio, C.Y.; Bipat, Shandra; Stoker, Jaap [University of Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, PO Box 22700, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Haan, Margriet C. de [Meander Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Amersfoort (Netherlands); Thomeer, Maarten G.J. [Erasmus University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Montauban van Swijndregt, Alexander D. [Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise [University of Amsterdam, Public Health, Academic Medical Center, PO Box 22700, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kuipers, Ernst J. [Erasmus University Medical Center, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Erasmus University Medical Center, Internal medicine, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Dekker, Evelien [University of Amsterdam, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, PO Box 22700, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2016-11-15

We assessed the burden of waiting for surveillance CT colonography (CTC) performed in patients having 6-9 mm colorectal polyps on primary screening CTC. Additionally, we compared the burden of primary and surveillance CTC. In an invitational population-based CTC screening trial, 101 persons were diagnosed with <3 polyps 6-9 mm, for which surveillance CTC after 3 years was advised. Validated questionnaires regarding expected and perceived burden (5-point Likert scales) were completed before and after index and surveillance CTC, also including items on burden of waiting for surveillance CTC. McNemar's test was used for comparison after dichotomization. Seventy-eight (77 %) of 101 invitees underwent surveillance CTC, of which 66 (85 %) completed the expected and 62 (79 %) the perceived burden questionnaire. The majority of participants (73 %) reported the experience of waiting for surveillance CTC as 'never' or 'only sometimes' burdensome. There was almost no difference in expected and perceived burden between surveillance and index CTC. Waiting for the results after the procedure was significantly more burdensome for surveillance CTC than for index CTC (23 vs. 8 %; p = 0.012). Waiting for surveillance CTC after primary CTC screening caused little or no burden for surveillance participants. In general, the burden of surveillance and index CTC were comparable. (orig.)

Older adults’ preferences for colorectal cancer-screening test attributes and test choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kistler CE

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Christine E Kistler,1–3 Thomas M Hess,4 Kirsten Howard,5,6 Michael P Pignone,2,3,7 Trisha M Crutchfield,2,3,8 Sarah T Hawley,9 Alison T Brenner,2 Kimberly T Ward,2 Carmen L Lewis10 1Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, 2Cecil G Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 3Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 4Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; 5Institute for Choice, University of South Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 6School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 7Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, 8Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 9Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 10Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA Background: Understanding which attributes of colorectal cancer (CRC screening tests drive older adults’ test preferences and choices may help improve decision making surrounding CRC screening in older adults.Materials and methods: To explore older adults’ preferences for CRC-screening test attributes and screening tests, we conducted a survey with a discrete choice experiment (DCE, a directly selected preferred attribute question, and an unlabeled screening test-choice question in 116 cognitively intact adults aged 70–90 years, without a history of CRC or inflammatory bowel disease. Each participant answered ten discrete choice questions presenting two hypothetical tests comprised of four attributes: testing procedure, mortality reduction, test frequency, and complications. DCE responses were used to estimate each participant’s most important attribute and to simulate their preferred test among three existing CRC-screening tests. For each individual, we compared the DCE

SU-E-I-34: Evaluating Use of AEC to Lower Dose for Lung Cancer Screening CT Protocols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arbique, G; Anderson, J; Guild, J; Duan, X; Malguria, N; Omar, H; Brewington, C; Zhang, D

2015-01-01

Purpose: The National Lung Screening Trial mandated manual low dose CT technique factors, where up to a doubling of radiation output could be used over a regular to large patient size range. Recent guidance from the AAPM and ACR for lung cancer CT screening recommends radiation output adjustment for patient size either through AEC or a manual technique chart. This study evaluated the use of AEC for output control and dose reduction. Methods: The study was performed on a multidetector helical CT scanner (Aquillion ONE, Toshiba Medical) equipped with iterative reconstruction (ADIR-3D), AEC was adjusted with a standard deviation (SD) image quality noise index. The protocol SD parameter was incrementally increased to reduce patient population dose while image quality was evaluated by radiologist readers scoring the clinical utility of images on a Likert scale. Results: Plots of effective dose vs. body size (water cylinder diameter reported by the scanner) demonstrate monotonic increase in patient dose with increasing patient size. At the initial SD setting of 19 the average CTDIvol for a standard size patient was ∼ 2.0 mGy (1.2 mSv effective dose). This was reduced to ∼1.0 mGy (0.5 mSv) at an SD of 25 with no noticeable reduction in clinical utility of images as demonstrated by Likert scoring. Plots of effective patient diameter and BMI vs body size indicate that these metrics could also be used for manual technique charts. Conclusion: AEC offered consistent and reliable control of radiation output in this study. Dose for a standard size patient was reduced to one-third of the 3 mGy CTDIvol limit required for ACR accreditation of lung cancer CT screening. Gary Arbique: Research Grant, Toshiba America Medical Systems; Cecelia Brewington: Research Grant, Toshiba America Medical Systems; Di Zhang: Employee, Toshiba America Medical Systems

Automated quantification of emphysema in CT studies of the lung

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archer, D.C.; deKemp, R.A.; Coblentz, C.L.; Nahmias, C.

1991-01-01

Emphysema by definition is a pathologic diagnosis. Recently, in vivo quantification of emphysema from CT with point counting and with a GE 9800 CT scanner program called Density Mask has been described. These methods are laborious and time-consuming, making them unsuitable for screening. The propose of this paper is to create a screening test for emphysema. The authors developed a computer program that quantifies the amount of emphysema from standard CT-scans. The computer was programmed to recognize the lung edges on each section by identifying abrupt changes in CT numbers; grow regions within each lung to identify and separate the lungs from other structures; count regions of lung containing CT numbers measuring <-900 HU corresponding to areas of emphysema; and calculation the percentage of emphysema present from the volume of normal emphysematous lung. The programs were written in C and urn on a Sun 4/100 workstation

Chemical compatibility screening test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nigrey, P.J.; Dickens, T.G.

1997-12-01

A program for evaluating packaging components that may be used in transporting mixed-waste forms has been developed and the first phase has been completed. This effort involved the screening of ten plastic materials in four simulant mixed-waste types. These plastics were butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer rubber, cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), fluorocarbon (Viton or Kel-F), polytetrafluoroethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), isobutylene-isoprene copolymer rubber (butyl), polypropylene, and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). The selected simulant mixed wastes were (1) an aqueous alkaline mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite; (2) a chlorinated hydrocarbon mixture; (3) a simulant liquid scintillation fluid; and (4) a mixture of ketones. The testing protocol involved exposing the respective materials to 286,000 rads of gamma radiation followed by 14-day exposures to the waste types at 60 degrees C. The seal materials were tested using vapor transport rate (VTR) measurements while the liner materials were tested using specific gravity as a metric. For these tests, a screening criterion of 0.9 g/hr/m 2 for VTR and a specific gravity change of 10% was used. Based on this work, it was concluded that while all seal materials passed exposure to the aqueous simulant mixed waste, EPDM and SBR had the lowest VTRs. In the chlorinated hydrocarbon simulant mixed waste, only Viton passed the screening tests. In both the simulant scintillation fluid mixed waste and the ketone mixture simulant mixed waste, none of the seal materials met the screening criteria. For specific gravity testing of liner materials, the data showed that while all materials with the exception of polypropylene passed the screening criteria, Kel-F, HDPE, and XLPE offered the greatest resistance to the combination of radiation and chemicals

Pre-screening Discussions and Prostate-Specific Antigen Testing for Prostate Cancer Screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jun; Zhao, Guixiang; Hall, Ingrid J

2015-08-01

For many men, the net benefit of prostate cancer screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests may be small. Many major medical organizations have issued recommendations for prostate cancer screening, stressing the need for shared decision making before ordering a test. The purpose of this study is to better understand associations between discussions about benefits and harms of PSA testing and uptake of the test among men aged ≥40 years. Associations between pre-screening discussions and PSA testing were examined using self-reported data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Unadjusted prevalence of PSA testing was estimated and AORs were calculated using logistic regression in 2014. The multivariate analysis showed that men who had ever discussed advantages of PSA testing only or discussed both advantages and disadvantages were more likely, respectively, to report having had a test within the past year than men who had no discussions (ptesting with their healthcare providers were more likely (AOR=2.75, 95% CI=2.00, 3.79) to report getting tested than men who had no discussions. Discussions of the benefits or harms of PSA testing are positively associated with increased uptake of the test. Given the conflicting recommendations for prostate cancer screening and increasing importance of shared decision making, this study points to the need for understanding how pre-screening discussions are being conducted in clinical practice and the role played by patients' values and preferences in decisions about PSA testing. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Segmentation algorithm of colon based on multi-slice CT colonography

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yizhong; Ahamed, Mohammed Shabbir; Takahashi, Eiji; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Suzuki, Masahiro; Iinuma, Gen; Moriyama, Noriyuki

2012-02-01

CT colonography is a radiology test that looks at people's large intestines(colon). CT colonography can screen many options of colon cancer. This test is used to detect polyps or cancers of the colon. CT colonography is safe and reliable. It can be used if people are too sick to undergo other forms of colon cancer screening. In our research, we proposed a method for automatic segmentation of the colon from abdominal computed Tomography (CT) images. Our multistage detection method extracted colon and spited colon into different parts according to the colon anatomy information. We found that among the five segmented parts of the colon, sigmoid (20%) and rectum (50%) are more sensitive toward polyps and masses than the other three parts. Our research focused on detecting the colon by the individual diagnosis of sigmoid and rectum. We think it would make the rapid and easy diagnosis of colon in its earlier stage and help doctors for analysis of correct position of each part and detect the colon rectal cancer much easier.

Exploring avenues for best use of cytotechnologists in non-gynaecological cytology: Double screening or independent sign-out.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, G; Haddad, M; Cormier, K

2018-02-01

Cytotechnologist (CT) screening workload has been decreasing due to the falling number of Papanicolaou tests. This continuing trend has prompted exploration of ways to best employ the CT skillset. One potential way of more effective use is by having two CTs double screen non-gynaecological (NGC) cases to assess whether this improves screening quality and concordance with pathologists. Another is evaluating the CT's performance on low-complexity negative NGC cases for a potential independent CT sign-out without pathologist review. In total, 1119 NGC cases were reviewed; 577 screened by two CTs and 542 screened by one CT. All cases were signed out by a pathologist and all CT interpretations were compared to the pathologist final diagnoses. The disagreements were classified based on degree of discrepancy. The extra workload by adding the second screener was assessed. The agreement rate between the CT's screening interpretation and pathologist's interpretation did not improve by adding a second CT compared to a single screener (91.5% vs 92.9%, respectively). CT to pathologist concordance was very high on low complexity NGC cases (voided urine, fluid, sputum) whether screened and interpreted as negative by one CT (97.3%) or two CTs (99.3%). Double screening of NGC cases by two cytotechnologists prior to pathologist sign-out does not improve screening quality and is not cost-effective. The high concordance between the CTs and pathologists in this limited group of low complexity negative cases suggests that such cases could be signed out independently by cytotechnologists. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Estimation of the exposure and a risk-benefit analysis for a CT system designed for a lung cancer mass screening unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishizawa, K.; Matsumoto, T.; Sakashita, K.; Tateno, Y.; Miyamoto, T.; Iwai, K.; Shimura, A.; Takagi, H.

1996-01-01

Organ or tissue doses from examination by a computed tomography system called LSCT were determined by in-phantom measurement. LSCT has been developed for lung cancer screening, with spiral scanning capability. Dose measurements were performed under the actual screening conditions of the chest CT examination. The effective dose recommended by ICRP 60 was evaluated using the organ or tissue doses. Risk-benefit analysis in the LSCT screening was also performed. The resultant effective dose per LSCT examination was 3.6 mSv and surface dose was 7.6 mGy. It was half to a third lower than the doses by traditional CT systems. The risk-benefit analysis of LSCT showed that the benefit will exceed the risk for Japanese over forty years for men and over forty-five for women. (Author)

Computed tomographic characteristics of interval and post screen carcinomas in lung cancer screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scholten, Ernst T.; Horeweg, Nanda; Koning, Harry J. de; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Mali, Willem P.T.M.; Jong, Pim A. de

2015-01-01

To analyse computed tomography (CT) findings of interval and post-screen carcinomas in lung cancer screening. Consecutive interval and post-screen carcinomas from the Dutch-Belgium lung cancer screening trial were included. The prior screening and the diagnostic chest CT were reviewed by two experienced radiologists in consensus with knowledge of the tumour location on the diagnostic CT. Sixty-one participants (53 men) were diagnosed with an interval or post-screen carcinoma. Twenty-two (36 %) were in retrospect visible on the prior screening CT. Detection error occurred in 20 cancers and interpretation error in two cancers. Errors involved intrabronchial tumour (n = 5), bulla with wall thickening (n = 5), lymphadenopathy (n = 3), pleural effusion (n = 1) and intraparenchymal solid nodules (n = 8). These were missed because of a broad pleural attachment (n = 4), extensive reticulation surrounding a nodule (n = 1) and extensive scarring (n = 1). No definite explanation other than human error was found in two cases. None of the interval or post-screen carcinomas involved a subsolid nodule. Interval or post-screen carcinomas that were visible in retrospect were mostly due to detection errors of solid nodules, bulla wall thickening or endobronchial lesions. Interval or post-screen carcinomas without explanation other than human errors are rare. (orig.)

Computed tomographic characteristics of interval and post screen carcinomas in lung cancer screening

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Scholten, Ernst T. [University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology, Utrecht (Netherlands); Kennemer Gasthuis, Department of Radiology, Haarlem (Netherlands); Horeweg, Nanda [Erasmus University Medical Centre, Department of Public Health, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Erasmus University Medical Centre, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Koning, Harry J. de [Erasmus University Medical Centre, Department of Public Health, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn [University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Radiology, Groningen (Netherlands); University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Center for Medical Imaging-North East Netherlands, Groningen (Netherlands); Oudkerk, Matthijs [University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Center for Medical Imaging-North East Netherlands, Groningen (Netherlands); Mali, Willem P.T.M.; Jong, Pim A. de [University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2015-01-15

To analyse computed tomography (CT) findings of interval and post-screen carcinomas in lung cancer screening. Consecutive interval and post-screen carcinomas from the Dutch-Belgium lung cancer screening trial were included. The prior screening and the diagnostic chest CT were reviewed by two experienced radiologists in consensus with knowledge of the tumour location on the diagnostic CT. Sixty-one participants (53 men) were diagnosed with an interval or post-screen carcinoma. Twenty-two (36 %) were in retrospect visible on the prior screening CT. Detection error occurred in 20 cancers and interpretation error in two cancers. Errors involved intrabronchial tumour (n = 5), bulla with wall thickening (n = 5), lymphadenopathy (n = 3), pleural effusion (n = 1) and intraparenchymal solid nodules (n = 8). These were missed because of a broad pleural attachment (n = 4), extensive reticulation surrounding a nodule (n = 1) and extensive scarring (n = 1). No definite explanation other than human error was found in two cases. None of the interval or post-screen carcinomas involved a subsolid nodule. Interval or post-screen carcinomas that were visible in retrospect were mostly due to detection errors of solid nodules, bulla wall thickening or endobronchial lesions. Interval or post-screen carcinomas without explanation other than human errors are rare. (orig.)

Diagnostic value of CT-colonography as compared to colonoscopy in an asymptomatic screening population: a meta-analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haan, Margriet C. de; Gelder, Rogier E. van; Bipat, Shandra; Stoker, Jaap; Graser, Anno

2011-01-01

Previous meta-analyses on CT-colonography included both average and high risk individuals, which may overestimate the diagnostic value in screening. A meta-analysis was performed to obtain the value of CT-colonography for screening. A search was performed using PubMed, Embase and Cochrane. Article selection and critical appraisal was done by two reviewers. Inclusion criteria: prospective, randomized trials or cohort studies comparing CT-colonography with colonoscopy (≥50 participants), ≥95% average risk participants ≥50 years. Study characteristics and 2 x 2 contingency Tables were recorded. Sensitivity and specificity estimates were calculated per patient and per polyp (≥6 mm, ≥10 mm), using univariate and bivariate analyses. Five of 1,021 studies identified were included, including 4,086 participants ( 2 -values showed substantial heterogeneity, especially for 6-9 mm polyps and adenomas: 68.1% vs. 78.6% (sensitivity per patient). Estimated sensitivities for patients with polyps or adenomas ≥ 6 mm were 75.9% and 82.9%, corresponding specificities 94.6% and 91.4%. Estimated sensitivities for patients with polyps or adenomas ≥ 10 mm were 83.3% and 87.9%, corresponding specificities 98.7% and 97.6%. Estimated sensitivities per polyp for advanced adenomas ≥ 6 mm and ≥ 10 mm were 83.9% and 83.8%. Compared to colonoscopy, CT-colonography has a high sensitivity for adenomas ≥ 10 mm. For (advanced) adenomas ≥ 6 mm sensitivity is somewhat lower. (orig.)

42 CFR 410.17 - Cardiovascular disease screening tests.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cardiovascular disease screening tests. 410.17... § 410.17 Cardiovascular disease screening tests. (a) Definition. For purposes of this subpart, the... Part B covers cardiovascular disease screening tests when ordered by the physician who is treating the...

Breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer screening tests and overdiagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Minsoo

The purpose of this study was to examine overdiagnosis and overtreatment related to cancer screening and to review relevant reports and studies. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and gray literature was conducted for relevant studies published between January 2000 and December 2015 reporting breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer screening tests and overdiagnosis. This study revealed no dichotomy on where screening would lower risk or cause overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Many screening tests did both, that is, at population level, there were both benefit (decreased disease-specific mortality) and harm (overdiagnosis and overtreatment). Therefore, we need to consider a balanced argument with citations for the potential benefits of screening along with the harms associated with screening. Although the benefits and harms can only be tested through randomized trials, important data from cohort studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, and modeling work can help define the extent of benefits and harms in the population. The health care cycle that prompt patients to undergo periodic screening tests is self-reinforcing. In most developed countries, screening test recommendations encourage periodic testing. Therefore, patients are continuing their screening. It is necessary for patients to become wise consumers of screening tests and make decisions with their physicians regarding further testing and treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation dose reduction for CT lung cancer screening using ASIR and MBIR: a phantom study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathieu, Kelsey B; Ai, Hua; Fox, Patricia S; Godoy, Myrna Cobos Barco; Munden, Reginald F; de Groot, Patricia M; Pan, Tinsu

2014-03-06

The purpose of this study was to reduce the radiation dosage associated with computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening while maintaining overall diagnostic image quality and definition of ground-glass opacities (GGOs). A lung screening phantom and a multipurpose chest phantom were used to quantitatively assess the performance of two iterative image reconstruction algorithms (adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR)) used in conjunction with reduced tube currents relative to a standard clinical lung cancer screening protocol (51 effective mAs (3.9 mGy) and filtered back-projection (FBP) reconstruction). To further assess the algorithms' performances, qualitative image analysis was conducted (in the form of a reader study) using the multipurpose chest phantom, which was implanted with GGOs of two densities. Our quantitative image analysis indicated that tube current, and thus radiation dose, could be reduced by 40% or 80% from ASIR or MBIR, respectively, compared with conventional FBP, while maintaining similar image noise magnitude and contrast-to-noise ratio. The qualitative portion of our study, which assessed reader preference, yielded similar results, indicating that dose could be reduced by 60% (to 20 effective mAs (1.6 mGy)) with either ASIR or MBIR, while maintaining GGO definition. Additionally, the readers' preferences (as indicated by their ratings) regarding overall image quality were equal or better (for a given dose) when using ASIR or MBIR, compared with FBP. In conclusion, combining ASIR or MBIR with reduced tube current may allow for lower doses while maintaining overall diagnostic image quality, as well as GGO definition, during CT lung cancer screening.

Teleradiology based CT colonography to screen a population group of a remote island; at average risk for colorectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefere, Philippe; Silva, Celso; Gryspeerdt, Stefaan; Rodrigues, António; Vasconcelos, Rita; Teixeira, Ricardo; Gouveia, Francisco Henriques de

2013-01-01

Purpose: To prospectively assess the performance of teleradiology-based CT colonography to screen a population group of an island, at average risk for colorectal cancer. Materials and methods: A cohort of 514 patients living in Madeira, Portugal, was enrolled in the study. Institutional review board approval was obtained and all patients signed an informed consent. All patients underwent both CT colonography and optical colonoscopy. CT colonography was interpreted by an experienced radiologist at a remote centre using tele-radiology. Per-patient sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated for colorectal adenomas and advanced neoplasia ≥6 mm. Results: 510 patients were included in the study. CT colonography obtained a per-patient sensitivity, specificity, PPV and, NPV for adenomas ≥6 mm of 98.11% (88.6–99.9% 95% CI), 90.97% (87.8–93.4% 95% CI), 56.52% (45.8–66.7% 95% CI), 99.75% (98.4–99.9% 95% CI). For advanced neoplasia ≥6 mm per-patient sensitivity, specificity, PPV and, NPV were 100% (86.7–100% 95% CI), 87.07% (83.6–89.9% 95% CI), 34.78% (25.3–45.5% 95% CI) and 100% (98.8–100% 95% CI), respectively. Conclusion: In this prospective trial, teleradiology-based CT colonography was accurate to screen a patient cohort of a remote island, at average risk for colorectal cancer

Teleradiology based CT colonography to screen a population group of a remote island; at average risk for colorectal cancer

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Lefere, Philippe, E-mail: radiologie@skynet.be [VCTC, Virtual Colonoscopy Teaching Centre, Akkerstraat 32c, B-8830 Hooglede (Belgium); Silva, Celso, E-mail: caras@uma.pt [Human Anatomy of Medical Course, University of Madeira, Praça do Município, 9000-082 Funchal (Portugal); Gryspeerdt, Stefaan, E-mail: stefaan@sgryspeerdt.be [VCTC, Virtual Colonoscopy Teaching Centre, Akkerstraat 32c, B-8830 Hooglede (Belgium); Rodrigues, António, E-mail: nucleo@nid.pt [Nucleo Imagem Diagnostica, Rua 5 De Outubro, 9000-216 Funchal (Portugal); Vasconcelos, Rita, E-mail: rita@uma.pt [Department of Engineering and Mathematics, University of Madeira, Praça do Município, 9000-082 Funchal (Portugal); Teixeira, Ricardo, E-mail: j.teixeira1947@gmail.com [Department of Gastroenterology, Central Hospital of Funchal, Avenida Luís de Camões, 9004513 Funchal (Portugal); Gouveia, Francisco Henriques de, E-mail: fhgouveia@netmadeira.com [LANA, Pathology Centre, Rua João Gago, 10, 9000-071 Funchal (Portugal)

2013-06-15

Purpose: To prospectively assess the performance of teleradiology-based CT colonography to screen a population group of an island, at average risk for colorectal cancer. Materials and methods: A cohort of 514 patients living in Madeira, Portugal, was enrolled in the study. Institutional review board approval was obtained and all patients signed an informed consent. All patients underwent both CT colonography and optical colonoscopy. CT colonography was interpreted by an experienced radiologist at a remote centre using tele-radiology. Per-patient sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated for colorectal adenomas and advanced neoplasia ≥6 mm. Results: 510 patients were included in the study. CT colonography obtained a per-patient sensitivity, specificity, PPV and, NPV for adenomas ≥6 mm of 98.11% (88.6–99.9% 95% CI), 90.97% (87.8–93.4% 95% CI), 56.52% (45.8–66.7% 95% CI), 99.75% (98.4–99.9% 95% CI). For advanced neoplasia ≥6 mm per-patient sensitivity, specificity, PPV and, NPV were 100% (86.7–100% 95% CI), 87.07% (83.6–89.9% 95% CI), 34.78% (25.3–45.5% 95% CI) and 100% (98.8–100% 95% CI), respectively. Conclusion: In this prospective trial, teleradiology-based CT colonography was accurate to screen a patient cohort of a remote island, at average risk for colorectal cancer.

European position statement on lung cancer screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oudkerk, Matthijs; Devaraj, Anand; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn

2017-01-01

Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT can save lives. This European Union (EU) position statement presents the available evidence and the major issues that need to be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of low-dose CT lung cancer screening in Europe. This statement identified...... specific actions required by the European lung cancer screening community to adopt before the implementation of low-dose CT lung cancer screening. This position statement recommends the following actions: a risk stratification approach should be used for future lung cancer low-dose CT programmes...... need to set a timeline for implementing lung cancer screening....

FDG-PET/CT detection of very early breast cancer in women with breast microcalcification lesions found in mammography screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Nang-Jing; Chou, Chen-Pin; Pan, Huay-Ben; Chang, Tsung-Hsien; Hu, Chin; Chiu, Yu-Li; Fu, Ting-Ying; Chang, Hong-Tai

2015-01-01

To assess the efficacy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography with the glucose analogue 2-[ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET/CT) in Taiwanese women with early breast cancer detected by mammography screening. Dual-time-point imaging of whole-body supine and breast prone scans using FDG-PET/CT were performed sequentially in the pre-operative stage. A total of 11,849 patients underwent screening mammography, of whom 1,209 (10.2%) displayed positive results. After further investigation, 54 patients underwent FDG-PET/CT. Post-operative pathology examinations revealed malignancies in 26 lesions, including invasive breast cancer in 11 cases and non-invasive breast cancer in 15 cases, as well as benign disease in 30 lesions. The FDG-PET/CT findings from the whole-body scans were positive for 9 of 11 invasive breast cancers (81.8%) and 3 of 15 non-invasive cancers (20%), and they were negative for all benign lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of FDG-PET/CT with whole-body supine imaging were 46.2%, 100%, 100% and 68.2%, respectively. Breast prone imaging revealed another patient with ductal carcinoma in situ, increasing the sensitivity to 50%. Importantly, positive PET findings were significantly correlated with tumour histology (P = 0.006), tumour size (P = 0.039) and Ki-67 expression (P = 0.011). FDG-PET/CT with whole-body scanning demonstrated high sensitivity to invasive breast cancer, limited sensitivity to non-invasive breast cancer, and high specificity for breast cancer. FDG-PET/CT might be useful for differentiating tumour invasiveness. However, the good PPV but poor NPV do not allow the physician to discard the biopsy.

New reference object for metrological performance testing of industrial CT systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, Pavel; Hiller, Jochen; Cantatore, Angela

2012-01-01

This paper presents a new reference object, so called “CT ball plate”, used for metrological performance testing of industrial CT systems, and discusses both the calibration procedure using a tactile coordinate measuring machine and the first results carried out using an industrial CT scanner....... This artefact can be used to determine several characteristics of the CT system like, probing errors of spheres, length measuring errors between sphere centers, measurement errors in the whole CT volume and effects in connection with image artefacts....

Five year colorectal cancer outcomes in a large negative CT colonography screening cohort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, David H.; Pooler, B.D.; Pickhardt, Perry J. [University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Radiology, Madison, WI (United States); Weiss, Jennifer M. [University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Madison, WI (United States)

2012-07-15

To assess the 5-year incidence of clinically presenting colorectal cancers following a negative CT colonography (CTC) screening examination, as few patient outcome data regarding a negative CTC screening result exist. Negative CTC screening patients (n = 1,050) in the University of Wisconsin Health system over a 14-month period were included. An electronic medical record (EMR) review was undertaken, encompassing provider, colonoscopy, imaging and histopathology reports. Incident colorectal cancers and other important GI tumours were recorded. Of the 1,050 cohort (mean [{+-}SD] age 56.9 {+-} 7.4 years), 39 (3.7%) patients were excluded owing to lack of follow-up within our system beyond the initial screening CTC. The remaining 1,011 patients were followed for an average of 4.73 {+-} 1.15 years. One incident colorectal adenocarcinoma represented a crude cancer incidence of 0.2 cancers per 1,000 patient years. EMR revealed 14 additional patients with clinically important GI tumours including: advanced adenomas (n = 11), appendiceal goblet cell carcinoid (n = 1), appendiceal mucinous adenoma (n = 1) and metastatic ileocolonic carcinoid (n = 1). All positive patients including the incident carcinoma are alive at the time of review. Clinically presenting colorectal adenocarcinoma is rare in the 5 years following negative screening CTC, suggesting that current strategies, including non-reporting of diminutive lesions, are appropriate. (orig.)

Five year colorectal cancer outcomes in a large negative CT colonography screening cohort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, David H.; Pooler, B.D.; Pickhardt, Perry J.; Weiss, Jennifer M.

2012-01-01

To assess the 5-year incidence of clinically presenting colorectal cancers following a negative CT colonography (CTC) screening examination, as few patient outcome data regarding a negative CTC screening result exist. Negative CTC screening patients (n = 1,050) in the University of Wisconsin Health system over a 14-month period were included. An electronic medical record (EMR) review was undertaken, encompassing provider, colonoscopy, imaging and histopathology reports. Incident colorectal cancers and other important GI tumours were recorded. Of the 1,050 cohort (mean [±SD] age 56.9 ± 7.4 years), 39 (3.7%) patients were excluded owing to lack of follow-up within our system beyond the initial screening CTC. The remaining 1,011 patients were followed for an average of 4.73 ± 1.15 years. One incident colorectal adenocarcinoma represented a crude cancer incidence of 0.2 cancers per 1,000 patient years. EMR revealed 14 additional patients with clinically important GI tumours including: advanced adenomas (n = 11), appendiceal goblet cell carcinoid (n = 1), appendiceal mucinous adenoma (n = 1) and metastatic ileocolonic carcinoid (n = 1). All positive patients including the incident carcinoma are alive at the time of review. Clinically presenting colorectal adenocarcinoma is rare in the 5 years following negative screening CTC, suggesting that current strategies, including non-reporting of diminutive lesions, are appropriate. (orig.)

Short Report: Acceptability and Feasibility of Rapid Chlamydial, Gonococcal, and Trichomonal Screening and Treatment in Pregnant Women in Six Low-to-Middle Income Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, C L; Bristow, C C; Hoff, N A; Wynn, A; Nguyen, M; Medina-Marino, A; Cabeza, J; Rimoin, A W; Klausner, J D

2018-03-09

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infections during pregnancy are linked with adverse birth outcomes. However, few countries have prenatal CT, NG, or TV screening programs. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of CT, NG, and TV screening and treatment among pregnant women across six low-to-middle income countries. A total 1,817 pregnant women were screened for CT, NG, and TV in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Haiti, South Africa, and Vietnam. An additional 640 pregnant women were screened for CT in Peru. Screening occurred between December 2012 and October 2017. Acceptability of screening was evaluated at each site as the proportion of eligible women who agreed to participate in screening. Feasibility of treatment was calculated as the proportion of women who tested positive that received treatment. Acceptability of screening and feasibility of treatment was high across all six sites. Acceptability of screening ranged from 85-99%, and feasibility of treatment ranged from 91-100%. The high acceptability of screening and treatment for CT, NG, and TV among pregnant women supports further research to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prenatal CT, NG, and TV screening programs.

Reliability analysis of visual ranking of coronary artery calcification on low-dose CT of the thorax for lung cancer screening: comparison with ECG-gated calcium scoring CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yoon Kyung; Sung, Yon Mi; Cho, So Hyun; Park, Young Nam; Choi, Hye-Young

2014-12-01

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is frequently detected on low-dose CT (LDCT) of the thorax. Concurrent assessment of CAC and lung cancer screening using LDCT is beneficial in terms of cost and radiation dose reduction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the reliability of visual ranking of positive CAC on LDCT compared to Agatston score (AS) on electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated calcium scoring CT. We studied 576 patients who were consecutively registered for health screening and undergoing both LDCT and ECG-gated calcium scoring CT. We excluded subjects with an AS of zero. The final study cohort included 117 patients with CAC (97 men; mean age, 53.4 ± 8.5). AS was used as the gold standard (mean score 166.0; range 0.4-3,719.3). Two board-certified radiologists and two radiology residents participated in an observer performance study. Visual ranking of CAC was performed according to four categories (1-10, 11-100, 101-400, and 401 or higher) for coronary artery disease risk stratification. Weighted kappa statistics were used to measure the degree of reliability on visual ranking of CAC on LDCT. The degree of reliability on visual ranking of CAC on LDCT compared to ECG-gated calcium scoring CT was excellent for board-certified radiologists and good for radiology residents. A high degree of association was observed with 71.6% of visual rankings in the same category as the Agatston category and 98.9% varying by no more than one category. Visual ranking of positive CAC on LDCT is reliable for predicting AS rank categorization.

Testing Precision Screening for Breast Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

An NCI research article about individualized approaches that could help identify those at risk of breast cancer who need to be screened and testing screening intervals that are appropriate for each person’s level of risk.

Prevalance rate of low-dose CT lung cancer screening. Results of a questionnaire survey of member facilities of Japan society of ningen dock with special concerns regarding the actual status and disincentives for implementing such screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takizawa, Hirotaka

2012-01-01

We conducted a survey of member facilities of the Japan Society of Ningen Dock to elucidate the actual status of chest computed tomography (CT) screening and the reasons for not being able to change to low-dose CT. We sent a questionnaire consisting of 9 items to 531 member facilities in July 2010, response by facsimile to obtain an analysis. The prevalence rate of low-dose CT lung cancer screening slightly increased to 35% in comparison with the former survey done in November 2008. Some facilities indicated some shift in tube current to a lower range even though this was insufficient to meet the definition of low-dose CT. This reflects their thinking of ''Even with knowledge, there is strong hesitation to change to low-dose CT''. Among the reasons why they did not change to low-dose CT, a priority for high quality images was the top reason among problems of devices and performance. Informed consent was not yet adequate. It is necessary for manufactures to develop better technology to improve the image quality of low-dose CT and to report enough information to clinicians. On the medical side, perception of the necessity for appropriate reduction of radiation dose and the decision to move to low-dose CT would be of crucial significance for facility heads as well as radiologists and technicians. (author)

Physician-patient discussions of controversial cancer screening tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, A S; Shridharani, K V; Lou, W; Bernstein, J; Horowitz, C R

2001-02-01

Screening mammography for younger women and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement have controversial benefits and known potential adverse consequences. While providing informed consent and eliciting patient preference have been advocated for these tests, little is known about how often these discussions take place or about barriers to these discussions. We administered a survey to medical house staff and attending physicians practicing primary care. The survey examined physicians' likelihood of discussing screening mammography and PSA testing, and factors influencing the frequency and quality of these discussions. For the three scenarios, 16% to 34% of physicians stated that they do not discuss the screening tests. The likelihood of having a discussion was significantly associated with house staff physicians' belief that PSA screening is advantageous; house staff and attending physicians' intention to order a PSA test, and attending physicians' intention to order a mammogram; and a controversial indication for screening. The most commonly identified barriers to discussions were lack of time, the complexity of the topic, and a language barrier. Physicians report they often do not discuss cancer screening tests with their patients. Our finding that physicians' beliefs and intention to order the tests, and extraneous factors such as time constraints and a language barrier, are associated with discussions indicates that some patients may be inappropriately denied the opportunity to choose whether to screen for breast and prostate cancer.

Imaging and screening in lung cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Giaj Levra

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Lung cancer is the main cause of death for neoplasia in the world. Hence it’s growing the necessity to investigate screening tests to detect tumoral lesions at the early stages: several trials have been performed to establish the best method, target and frequence of the screening to offer. CT, X-ray, PET, sputum citology and CAD software are here analyzed, together with the associated statistics and bias.

Comparison the diagnostic value of serological and molecular methods for screening and detecting Chlamydia trachomatis in semen of infertile men: A cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amin Khoshakhlagh

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT with damaging effects on sperm quality parameters can often cause infertility in men. Objective: The main objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of polymerase chain reaction (PCR and enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA for screening and detecting CT in semen samples of infertile men. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 465 men referring to the clinical laboratory of Royan Institute were chosen for primary screening and detection of the presence of CT. 93 samples were normozoospermia with normal sperm parameters i.e. sperm number, motility and morphology (Asymptomatic and 372 had abnormal sperm parameters (Symptomatic in semen analysis. ELISA test was performed as the screening test. Samples with optical density (OD >0.200 were selected as the case and asymptomatic samples with OD 0.400 as the ELISA positive, the diagnostic value of CT-ELISA positive in symptomatic and asymptomatic infertile patients were 0.019 (7 of 372 and 0.021 (2 of 93, respectively. There was no relationship between the presence of CT infection and different sperm abnormalities. Conclusion: The anti-CT IgA ELISA test may be introduced as an appropriate tool for screening purpose in the seminal plasma to select suspicious samples for PCR confirmatory tests.

Physician–Patient Discussions of Controversial Cancer Screening Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Andrew S.; Shridharani, Kanan V.; Lou, Wendy; Bernstein, Jeffrey; Horowitz, Carol R.

2016-01-01

Background Screening mammography for younger women and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement have controversial benefits and known potential adverse consequences. While providing informed consent and eliciting patient preference have been advocated for these tests, little is known about how often these discussions take place or about barriers to these discussions. Methods We administered a survey to medical house staff and attending physicians practicing primary care. The survey examined physicians’ likelihood of discussing screening mammography and PSA testing, and factors influencing the frequency and quality of these discussions. Results For the three scenarios, 16% to 34% of physicians stated that they do not discuss the screening tests. The likelihood of having a discussion was significantly associated with house staff physicians’ belief that PSA screening is advantageous; house staff and attending physicians’ intention to order a PSA test, and attending physicians’ intention to order a mammogram; and a controversial indication for screening. The most commonly identified barriers to discussions were lack of time, the complexity of the topic, and a language barrier. Conclusions Physicians report they often do not discuss cancer screening tests with their patients. Our finding that physicians’ beliefs and intention to order the tests, and extraneous factors such as time constraints and a language barrier, are associated with discussions indicates that some patients may be inappropriately denied the opportunity to choose whether to screen for breast and prostate cancer. PMID:11165455

21 CFR 866.2420 - Oxidase screening test for gonorrhea.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Oxidase screening test for gonorrhea. 866.2420... screening test for gonorrhea. (a) Identification. An oxidase screening test for gonorrhea is an in vitro... of gonorrhea. (b) Classification. Class III (premarket approval) (transitional device). (c) Date PMA...

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Courtney; Kim, David H; Bartel, Twyla B; Cash, Brooks D; Chang, Kevin J; Feig, Barry W; Fowler, Kathryn J; Garcia, Evelyn M; Kambadakone, Avinash R; Lambert, Drew L; Levy, Angela D; Marin, Daniele; Peterson, Christine M; Scheirey, Christopher D; Smith, Martin P; Weinstein, Stefanie; Carucci, Laura R

2018-05-01

This review summarizes the relevant literature regarding colorectal screening with imaging. For individuals at average or moderate risk for colorectal cancer, CT colonography is usually appropriate for colorectal cancer screening. After positive results on a fecal occult blood test or immunohistochemical test, CT colonography is usually appropriate for colorectal cancer detection. For individuals at high risk for colorectal cancer (eg, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn colitis), optical colonoscopy is preferred because of its ability to obtain biopsies to detect dysplasia. After incomplete colonoscopy, CT colonography is usually appropriate for colorectal cancer screening for individuals at average, moderate, or high risk. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment. Copyright © 2018 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Indicators for monitoring screening programs with primary HPV test.

Science.gov (United States)

Zorzi, Manuel; Giorgi Rossi, Paolo

2017-01-01

following scientific evidence produced in numerous studies, as well as national and international guidelines, organized cervical cancer screening programs in Italy have gradually introduced the HPV test as primary screening test, replacing cytology. As public health interventions, screening programs must ensure equity, improvement in quality of life, and adequate information for the population involved with regards to benefits and possible risks; therefore, it is essential for quality to be constantly checked at every phase of the project.The Italian Cervical Screening Group (Gruppo Italiano per lo Screening Cervicale, GISCi) has written a handbook for the calculation and interpretation of cervical screening program monitoring indicators that take into account the new protocol based on primary HPV test with cytology triage. based on the European guidelines and Italian recommendations on primary HPVbased screening, the working group, which includes professionals from all the fields involved in cervical screening, identified the essential points needed to monitor the screening process, the accuracy of individual tests, and early outcomes, defining a specific indicator for each aspect. The indicators were grouped as follows: baseline indicators, indicators for test repeat after one year, cumulative indicators, and waiting times. For every indicator, the source of data, calculation formula, any standards or critical thresholds, and interpretation were defined. The standards are based on the results of NTCC trials or Italian pilot studies. the main indicators proposed for the organization are the following: number of invitations, compliance with first invitation, with one-year test repeat and with colposcopy; for test and process accuracy, a cohort approach was utilised, where indicators are based on women who must be followed for at least one year, so as to integrate the results obtained after the first HPV test with the outcome of the test's repetition after one year

Osteoblastic lesion screening with an advanced post-processing package enabling in-plane rib reading in CT-images.

Science.gov (United States)

Seuss, Hannes; Dankerl, Peter; Cavallaro, Alexander; Uder, Michael; Hammon, Matthias

2016-05-20

To evaluate screening and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of osteoblastic rib lesions using an advanced post-processing package enabling in-plane rib reading in CT-images. We retrospectively assessed the CT-data of 60 consecutive prostate cancer patients by applying dedicated software enabling in-plane rib reading. Reading the conventional multiplanar reconstructions was considered to be the reference standard. To simulate clinical practice, the reader was given 10 s to screen for sclerotic rib lesions in each patient applying both approaches. Afterwards, every rib was evaluated individually with both approaches without a time limit. Sensitivities, specificities, positive/negative predictive values and the time needed for detection were calculated depending on the lesion's size (largest diameter  10 mm). In 53 of 60 patients, all ribs were properly displayed in plane, in five patients ribs were partially displayed correctly, and in two patients none of the ribs were displayed correctly. During the 10-s screening approach all patients with sclerotic rib lesions were correctly identified reading the in-plane images (including the patients without a correct rib segmentation), whereas 14 of 23 patients were correctly identified reading conventional multiplanar images. Overall screening sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values were 100/27.0/46.0/100 %, respectively, for in-plane reading and 60.9/100/100/80.4 %, respectively, for multiplanar reading. Overall diagnostic (no time limit) sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values of in-plane reading were 97.8/92.8/74.6/99.5 %, respectively. False positive results predominantly occurred for lesions <5 mm in size. In-plane reading of the ribs allows reliable detection of osteoblastic lesions for screening purposes. The limited specificity results from false positives predominantly occurring for small lesions.

Cold Leak Tests of LHC Beam Screens

CERN Document Server

Collomb-Patton, C; Jenninger, B; Kos, N

2009-01-01

In order to guide the high energy proton beams inside its two 27 km long vacuum rings, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva, makes use of superconducting technology to create the required magnetic fields. More than 4000 beam screens, cooled at 7 20 K, are inserted inside the 1.9 K beam vacuum tubes to intercept beam induced heat loads and to provide dynamic vacuum stability. As extremely high helium leak tightness is required, all beam screens have been leak tested under cold conditions in a dedicated test stand prior to their installation. After describing the beam screen design and its functions, this report focuses on the cold leak test sequence and discusses the results.

Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis screening and treatment of pregnant women in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Science.gov (United States)

Bristow, Claire C; Mathelier, Patricia; Ocheretina, Oksana; Benoit, Daphne; Pape, Jean W; Wynn, Adriane; Klausner, Jeffrey D

2017-10-01

In Haiti, routine screening for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) among pregnant women is not conducted; yet these sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are associated with adverse birth and newborn health outcomes. We aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of screening and the prevalence of STIs among pregnant women in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Pregnant women of at least 18 years of age who attend Haitian Study Group for Kaposi's sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) clinics in Port-au-Prince, Haiti provided self-collected vaginal swab specimens. Laboratory testing was done with Xpert® CT/NG and Xpert® TV. The results of this study showed that of the 322 pregnant women who visited GHESKIO for their regular scheduled appointments, 300 (93.2%) consented for CT, NG, and TV testing. Of those, 107 women (35.7%) tested positive for at least one STI. There were 42 (14.7%) cases of CT, 8 (2.8%) NG, and 83 (29.0%) TV infections. Most infections were treated - 122 of 133 (91.7%). In summary, we found that it was highly acceptable and feasible to implement CT, NG, and TV screening among pregnant women in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We found high prevalence of STIs among pregnant women, which suggest that STI screening in this population may be warranted.

Screening and Invasive Testing in Twins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Monni

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Prenatal screening and testing for trisomy 21 in twin pregnancies poses a number of challenges: the exact estimate of the a priori risk of trisomy 21, the choice of prenatal screening test and/or invasive techniques to employ for the diagnosis and the impact of the result on the options of treatment in case of discordant results within a twin pair or among multiples. These different aspects are discussed below while recognizing that many issues remain unresolved.

Lung Cancer Screening (PDQ®)—Patient Version

Science.gov (United States)

Lung cancer screening with low-dose spiral CT scans has been shown to decrease the risk of dying from lung cancer in heavy smokers. Learn more about tests to detect lung cancer and their potential benefits and harms in this expert-reviewed summary.

Helical CT in the primary trauma evaluation of the cervical spine: an evidence-based approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blackmore, C.C. [Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Radiology; Center for Cost and Outcomes Research, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (United States); Dept. of Radiology, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA (United States); Mann, F.A. [Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Radiology; Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle (United States); Wilson, A.J. [Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Radiology

2000-11-01

This review provides a summary of the cost-effectiveness, clinical utility, performance, and interpretation of screening helical cervical spine CT for trauma patients. Recent evidence supports the use of helical CT as a cost-effective method for screening the cervical spine in high-risk trauma patients. Screening cervical spine CT can be performed at the time of head CT to lower the cost of the evaluation, and when all short- and long-term costs are considered, CT may actually save money when compared with traditional radiographic screening. In addition to having higher sensitivity and specificity for cervical spine injury, CT screening also allows more rapid radiological clearance of the cervical spine than radiography. Patients who are involved in high-energy trauma, who sustain head injury, or who have neurological deficits are candidates for CT screening. Screening with CT may enhance detection of other potentially important injuries of the cervical region. (orig.)

Cognitive Screening Tests Versus Comprehensive Neuropsychological Test Batteries: A National Academy of Neuropsychology Education Paper†.

Science.gov (United States)

Roebuck-Spencer, Tresa M; Glen, Tannahill; Puente, Antonio E; Denney, Robert L; Ruff, Ronald M; Hostetter, Gayle; Bianchini, Kevin J

2017-06-01

The American Medical Association Current Procedural Panel developed a new billing code making behavioral health screening a reimbursable healthcare service. The use of computerized testing as a means for cognitive screening and brief cognitive testing is increasing at a rapid rate. The purpose of this education paper is to provide information to clinicians, healthcare administrators, and policy developers about the purpose, strengths, and limitations of cognitive screening tests versus comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Screening tests are generally brief and narrow in scope, they can be administered during a routine clinical visit, and they can be helpful for identifying individuals in need of more comprehensive assessment. Some screening tests can also be helpful for monitoring treatment outcomes. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments are multidimensional in nature and used for purposes such as identifying primary and secondary diagnoses, determining the nature  and severity of a person's cognitive difficulties, determining functional limitations, and planning treatment and rehabilitation. Cognitive screening tests are expected to play an increasingly important role in identifying individuals with cognitive impairment and in determining which individuals should be referred for further neuropsychological assessment. However, limitations of existing cognitive screening tests are present and cognitive screening tests should not be used as a replacement for comprehensive neuropsychological testing. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Image processing algorithm of computer-aided diagnosis in lung cancer screening by CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Shinji

2004-01-01

In this paper, an image processing algorithm for computer-aided diagnosis of lung cancer by X-ray CT is described, which has been developed by my research group for these 10 years or so. CT lung images gathered at the mass screening stage are almost all normal, and lung cancer nodules will be found as the rate of less than 10%. To pick up such a very rare nodules with the high accuracy, a very sensitive detection algorithm is requested which is detectable local and very slight variation of the image. On the contrary, such a sensitive detection algorithm introduces a bad effect that a lot of normal shadows will be detected as abnormal shadows. In this paper I describe how to compromise this complicated subject and realize a practical computer-aided diagnosis tool by the image processing algorithm developed by my research group. Especially, I will mainly focus my description to the principle and characteristics of the Quoit filter which is newly developed as a high sensitive filter by my group. (author)

Reliable categorisation of visual scoring of coronary artery calcification on low-dose CT for lung cancer screening: validation with the standard Agatston score

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Yi-Luan; Wu, Fu-Zong; Wang, Yen-Chi [Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung 813 (China); National Yang Ming University, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, Taipei (China); Ju, Yu-Jeng [National Taiwan University, Department of Psychology, Taipei (China); Mar, Guang-Yuan [Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung 813 (China); Chuo, Chiung-Chen [Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung 813 (China); Lin, Huey-Shyan [Fooyin University, School of Nursing, Kaohsiung (China); Wu, Ming-Ting [Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung 813 (China); National Yang Ming University, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, Taipei (China); National Yang Ming University, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei (China)

2013-05-15

To validate the reliability of the visual coronary artery calcification score (VCACS) on low-dose CT (LDCT) for concurrent screening of CAC and lung cancer. We enrolled 401 subjects receiving LDCT for lung cancer screening and ECG-gated CT for the Agatston score (AS). LDCT was reconstructed with 3- and 5-mm slice thickness (LDCT-3mm and LDCT-5mm respectively) for VCACS to obtain VCACS-3mm and VCACS-5mm respectively. After a training session comprising 32 cases, two observers performed four-scale VCACS (absent, mild, moderate, severe) of 369 data sets independently, the results were compared with four-scale AS (0, 1-100, 101-400, >400). CACs were present in 39.6 % (146/369) of subjects. The sensitivity of VCACS-3mm was higher than for VCACS-5mm (83.6 % versus 74.0 %). The median of AS of the 24 false-negative cases in VCACS-3mm was 2.3 (range 1.1-21.1). The false-negative rate for detecting AS {>=} 10 on LDCT-3mm was 1.9 %. VCACS-3mm had higher concordance with AS than VCACS-5mm (k = 0.813 versus k = 0.685). An extended test of VCACS-3mm for four junior observers showed high inter-observer reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.90) and good concordance with AS (k = 0.662-0.747). This study validated the reliability of VCACS on LDCT for lung cancer screening and showed that LDCT-3mm was more feasible than LDCT-5mm for CAD risk stratification. (orig.)

Development of test bolus tracking method and usefulness in coronary CT angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Takayoshi; Takahashi, Daichi

2009-01-01

The test bolus tracking (TBT) method is a new injection method of contrast medium that we developed. The TBT method is an injection technique that continuously performs the test bolus injection and the main bolus injection, such that the best acquisition of scan timing and the improvement of examination efficiency can be expected. We compared the TBT method and the test injection method by coronary CT angiography. The results demonstrated that the contrast enhancement of the coronary arteries was high and the variation of the CT value was also small in the TBT method. When the scan timing expected by the TI method and the TBT method were compared, it was different of two seconds or more by the case with 43%. However, the variation of CT value was small for the TBT method in these cases. Therefore, the TBT method is a very useful method for coronary CT angiography (CCTA). (author)

Evidence-based investigation of the influence of computer-aided detection of polyps on screening of colon cancer with CT colonography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Hiroyuki

2008-01-01

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is a CT examination of the colon for colorectal neoplasms. Recent large-scale clinical trials have demonstrated that CTC yields sensitivity comparable to optical colonoscopy in the detection of clinically significant polyps in a screening population, making CTC a promising technique for screening of colon cancer. For CTC to be a clinically practical means of screening, it must reliably and consistently detect polyps with high accuracy. However, high-level expertise is required to interpret the resulting CT images to find polyps, resulting in variable diagnostic accuracy among radiologists in the detection of polyps. A key technology to overcome this problem and to bring CTC to prime time for screening of colorectal cancer is computer-aided detection (CAD) of polyps. CAD automatically detects the locations of suspicious polyps in CTC images and presents them to radiologists. CAD has the potential to increase diagnostic performance in the detection of polyps as well as to reduce variability of the diagnostic accuracy among radiologists. This paper presents an evidence-based investigation of the influence of CAD on screening of colon cancer with CTC by describing the benefits of using CAD in the diagnosis of CTC, the fundamental CAD scheme for the detection of polyps in CTC, its detection performance, the effect on the improvement of detection performance, as well as the current and future challenges in CAD. (author)

Helical CT for lung-cancer screening. 3. Fundamental study for ultra-low-dose CT by application of small tube current and filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Shigeki; Koyama, Shuji; Tusaka, Masatoshi; Maekoshi, Hisashi; Satake, Hiroko; Ishigaki, Takeo.

1996-01-01

In order to develop ultra-low-dose helical CT for lung cancer screening, the effect of reduction of the tube current to 20 mA and application of a 10 mm thick aluminium filter upon radiation dose and image quality was evaluated with a phantom. Exposure dose at the center of a gantry and absorbed dose at the center of an acrylic phantom at 20 mA with the filter were 15% and 29% of the dose at 50 mA without the filter, respectively. For reduction of absorbed dose, reduction of the tube current was more useful than application of the filter. Image noise at 20 mA with the filter was double that at 50 mA without the filter. Neither reduction of the tube current nor application of the filter changed full width at half maximum on section sensitivity of the Z-axis. Although reduction of the tube current did not affect the difference in CT values between an acrylic sphere and styroform, application of the filter caused a reduction of 4.5% in the difference in CT values. Neither reduction of the tube current nor application of the filter affected the contrast resolution of the high-contrast phantom; however, that of the low-contrast phantom deteriorated. Although improvement of the filter and evaluation of clinical images are necessary, reduction of the tube current to 20 mA and application of the aluminium filter appear to be a promising method for ultra-low-dose helical CT of the lung. (author)

Initial screening test for blunt cerebrovascular injury: Validity assessment of whole-body computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Laser, Adriana; Kufera, Joseph A; Bruns, Brandon R; Sliker, Clint W; Tesoriero, Ronald B; Scalea, Thomas M; Stein, Deborah M

2015-09-01

Our whole-body computed tomography protocol (WBCT), used to image patients with polytrauma, consists of a noncontrast head computed tomography (CT) followed by a multidetector computed tomography (40- or 64- slice) that includes an intravenous, contrast-enhanced scan from the face through the pelvis. WBCT is used to screen for blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) during initial CT imaging of the patient with polytrauma and allows for early initiation of therapy with the goal of avoiding stroke. WBCT has not been directly compared with CT angiography (CTA) of the neck as a screening tool for BCVI. We hypothesize that WBCT is a valid modality to diagnose BCVI compared with neck CTA, thus screening patients with polytrauma for BCVI and limiting the need for subsequent CTA. A retrospective review of the trauma registry was conducted for all patients diagnosed with BCVI from June 2009 to June 2013 at our institution. All injuries, identified and graded on initial WBCT, were compared with neck CTA imaging performed within the first 72 hours. Sensitivity was calculated for WBCT by the use of CTA as the reference standard. Proportions of agreement also were calculated between the grades of injury for both imaging modalities. A total of 319 injured vessels were identified in 227 patients. On initial WBCT 80 (25%) of the injuries were grade I, 75 (24%) grade II, 45 (14%) grade III, 41 (13%) grade IV, and 58 (18%) were classified as indeterminate: 27 vertebral and 31 carotid lesions. Twenty (6%) of the 319 injuries were not detected on WBCT but identified on subsequent CTA (9 grade I, 7 grade II, 4 grade III); 6 vertebral and 14 carotid. For each vessel type and for all vessels combined, WBCT demonstrated sensitivity rates of over 90% to detect BCVI among the population of patients with at least one vessel injured. There was concordant grading of injuries between WBCT and initial diagnostic CTA in 154 (48% of all injuries). Lower grade injures were more discordant than higher

Screening tests for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae using the cobas 4800 PCR system do not require a second test to confirm: an audit of patients issued with equivocal results at a sexual health clinic in the Northwest of England, U.K.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, Mark J; Smith, Godfrey; Hart, Ian J; Alloba, Fath

2012-11-01

To assess the clinical utility of supplementary PCRs following a positive cobas 4800 CT/NG PCR screening test result. Laboratory reports, for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae, issued to genitourinary medicine patients between April 2010 and April 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Positive reports were routinely confirmed by supplementary PCRs and N gonorrhoeae culture. Clinical records of patients with unconfirmed positive (equivocal) reports were retrieved to determine if the infection was confirmed by a second sample obtained at patient recall and the impact of this process on antibiotic management. Over 15 000 patients were tested during the study period. The prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhoea was 972 (5.75%) and 76 (0.50%), respectively. A further 78 chlamydia and 2 gonorrhoea equivocal reports were issued. Only 56 (72%) patients with an equivocal chlamydia report returned to the clinic, and of these, only 41 (73%) gave a second sample to retest. Positive predictive value (PPV) of the PCR screening test was calculated at 98.0% and 97.5% for detection of chlamydia infection from urine and rectal swabs, respectively. Most patients accepted antibiotic treatment before their infection status had been confirmed. Prevalence of gonorrhoea infection was low but the PPV of the screening PCR in urine specimens remained high (98.75%). Equivocal reports introduce delays to patient management, while the risk of unnecessary antibiotic therapy appears acceptable to most patients. The cobas 4800 CT/NG PCR screening assay can achieve UK testing standards (PPV >90%) for chlamydia, and low prevalence gonorrhoea in urine without supplementary tests. A patient-led confirmation algorithm is proposed.

Full-Body CT Scans - What You Need to Know

Science.gov (United States)

... Procedures Medical Imaging Medical X-ray Imaging Full-Body CT Scans - What You Need to Know Share ... if you are thinking of having a whole-body screening: Whole-body CT screening has not been ...

Colon distension, perceived burden and side-effects of CT-colonography for screening using hyoscine butylbromide or glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Haan, Margriet C.; Boellaard, Thierry N.; Bossuyt, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jaap

2012-01-01

Objective: Compare colonic distension and perceived burden of CT-colonography between participants receiving hyoscine butylbromide (buscopan) and glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant. Materials and methods: Data were collected within a screening trial. Participants received 20 mg buscopan

[Generalized neonatal screening based on laboratory tests].

Science.gov (United States)

Ardaillou, Raymond; Le Gall, Jean-Yves

2006-11-01

Implementation of a generalized screening program for neonatal diseases must obey precise rules. The disease must be severe, recognizable at an early stage, amenable to an effective treatment, detectable with a non expensive and widely applicable test; it must also be a significant public health problem. Subjects with positive results must be offered immediate treatment or prevention. All screening programs must be regularly evaluated. In France, since 1978, a national screening program has been organized by a private association ("Association française pour le dépistage et la prévention des handicaps de l'enfant") and supervised by the "Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie" and "Direction Générale de la Sante". Five diseases are now included in the screening program: phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease (the latter only in at-risk newborns). Toxoplasmosis is a particular problem because only the children of mothers who were not tested during the pregnancy or who seroconverted are screened. Neonatal screening for phenylketonuria and hypothyrodism is unanimously recommended. Screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia is approved in most countries. Cases of sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis are more complex because--not all children who carry the mutations develop severe forms;--there is no curative treatment;--parents may become anxious, even though the phenotype is sometimes mild or even asymptomatic. Supporters of screening stress the benefits of early diagnosis (which extends the life expectancy of these children, particularly in the case of sickle cell disease), the fact that it opens up the possibility of prenatal screening of future pregnancies, and the utility of informing heterozygous carriers identified by familial screening. Neonatal screening for other diseases is under discussion. Indeed, technical advances such as tandem mass spectrometry make it possible to detect about 50

Non-small cell lung cancer brain metastasis screening in the era of positron emission tomography-CT staging: Current practice and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Mauricio E; Debowski, Maciej; Hukins, Craig; Fielding, David; Fong, Kwun M; Bettington, Catherine S

2018-05-10

Several clinical guidelines indicate that brain metastasis screening (BMS) should be guided by disease stage in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We estimate that screening is performed more broadly in practice, and patients undergo brain imaging at considerable cost with questionable benefit. Our aim was to quantify the use and detection rate of BMS in a contemporary cohort staged with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT). We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from three major lung cancer referral centres in Brisbane between January 2011 and December 2015. Patients included had a new diagnosis of NSCLC and had undergone a PET-CT to stage extra-cranial disease. BMS was defined as dedicated brain imaging with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) or magnetic resonance (MR), in the absence of clinically apparent neurological deficits. A total of 1751 eligible cases were identified and of these 718 (41%) underwent BMS. The majority had CE-CT imaging (n = 703). Asymptomatic brain metastases (BM) were detected in 18 patients (2.5%). Of these patients, 12 had concurrent non-brain metastases. Only six patients (0.8%) had BM alone. The rate of detection increased with N-stage (P = 0.02) and overall stage (P < 0.001). It was 0.5%, 1%, 1.6% and 7.3% for stage I, II, III and IV respectively. The overall screening rate increased with T-stage (P = 0.001), N-Stage (P < 0.001) and overall stage (P < 0.001). Non-small cell lung cancer BMS practices remain at odds with published guidelines. The low number of occult BMs detected supports the existing international recommendations. Rationalising BMS would minimise the burden on patients and the health care system. © 2018 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Screening Tests for Birth Defects

Science.gov (United States)

... that best fit your needs. What are the advantages and disadvantages of diagnostic tests compared with screening ... Us Contact Us Copyright Information Privacy Statement RSS Advertising Opportunities Careers at ACOG Sitemap Website Feedback American ...

The use of screening tests in aviation medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruge, A.

2000-01-01

Pilots have to submit themselves in regular intervals to medical examinations in order to avoid a sudden incapacitation that could endanger flight safety. In Germany these examinations include screening tests to detect an illness in an early phase and to guide the pilot to keep up his/her health. European Joint Aviation Requirements have no provisions for screening tests. Under Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM flight crews in Germany will have to undergo special medical radiation protection examinations. The introduction of any screening tests that give information about individual reactions to cosmic radiation exposure are very unlikely if results are not kept confidential, as this would limit the choice of profession. Flight crews should be made aware of these tests. (orig.) [de

[Comparison of eight screening tests for ant-HCV antibody].

Science.gov (United States)

Deguchi, Matsuo; Kagita, Masanori; Yamashita, Naoko; Nakano, Takasi; Tahara, Kazuko; Asari, Seishi; Iwatani, Yoshinori

2002-09-01

We compared eight HCV screening tests for detection of anti-HCV antibody; Ortho Quick Chaser HCV Ab (QC), Ortho HCV Ab ELISA III (ELISA), Ortho HVC Ab PA test III (PA), Lumipulse II Ortho HCV (LUMI), IMx HCV.DAINAPACKII (IMx), ARCHITECT HCV (ARCH), Immucheck.F-HCV C50 Ab (Immu), RANREAM HCV Ab Ex II (RAN). Sera from six hundred patients were examined by these eight screening tests. The positive rates of the eight screening tests were from 9.0% to 13.2%. Forty-five sera showed discrepant results between the eight screening tests, and about half of them showed weak positive reaction and/or false positive. Twenty-five of the forty-five sera were negative for ant-HCV antibody in the CHIRON RIBA III confirmatory test, and forty-four of them were negative for HCV-RNA in the PCR method. The agreement rates between the two reagents were from 95.5% to 99.2%, but were not always high between the two reagents that used similar antigen. The specificities and sensitivities evaluated by using the RIBA III confirmatory test were excellent in ELISA, LUMI, IMx, ARCH and Immu. Three BBI seroconversion panels were used to compare the positive readings in the initial stage of HCV infection by eight screening tests. ELISA and ARCH showed the earliest positive readings, and then IMx, LUMI = RAN, PA, QC and Immu in this order. These findings indicate that ELISA and ARCH were the most excellent in the sensitivity, specificity and early diagnosis of HCV infection. However, we must pay attention to the weak positive reaction in the screening tests, because there is a possibility of "false positive".

Determination of liquid's molecular interference function based on X-ray diffraction and dual-energy CT in security screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Li; YangDai, Tianyi

2016-01-01

A method for deriving the molecular interference function (MIF) of an unknown liquid for security screening is presented. Based on the effective atomic number reconstructed from dual-energy computed tomography (CT), equivalent molecular formula of the liquid is estimated. After a series of optimizations, the MIF and a new effective atomic number are finally obtained from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile. The proposed method generates more accurate results with less sensitivity to the noise and data deficiency of the XRD profile. - Highlights: • EDXRD combined with dual-energy CT has been utilized for deriving the molecular interference function of an unknown liquid. • The liquid's equivalent molecular formula is estimated based on the effective atomic number reconstructed from dual-energy CT. • The proposed method provides two ways to estimate the molecular interference function: the simplified way and accurate way. • A new effective atomic number of the liquid could be obtained.

Testing the tests--an empirical evaluation of screening tests for the detection of cognitive impairment in aviators.

Science.gov (United States)

Stokes, A F; Banich, M T; Elledge, V C

1991-08-01

The FAA has expressed concern that flight safety could be compromised by undetected cognitive impairment in pilots due to conditions such as substance abuse, mental illness, and neuropsychological problems. Interest has been shown in the possibility of adding a brief "mini-mental exam," or a simple automated test-battery to the standard flight medical to screen for such conditions. The research reported here involved the empirical evaluation of two "mini-mental exams," two paper-and-pencil test batteries, and a prototype version of an automated screening battery. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were calculated for each sub-task in a discriminant study of 54 pilots and 62 individuals from a heterogeneous clinical population. Results suggest that the "mini-mental exams" are poor candidates for a screening test. The automated battery showed the best discrimination performance, in part because of the incorporation of dual-task tests of divided attention performance. These tests appear to be particularly sensitive to otherwise difficult-to-detect cognitive impairments of a mild or subtle nature. The use of an automated battery of tests as a screening instrument does appear to be feasible in principle, but the practical success of a screening program is heavily dependent upon the actual prevalence of cognitive impairment in the medical applicant population.

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Computed Tomography Screening Workshop 2011 report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Field, John K; Smith, Robert A; Aberle, Denise R

2011-01-01

national screening programs; (iii) develop guidelines for the clinical work-up of "indeterminate nodules" resulting from CT screening programmers; (iv) guidelines for pathology reporting of nodules from lung cancer CT screening programs; (v) recommendations for surgical and therapeutic interventions...... of suspicious nodules identified through lung cancer CT screening programs; and (vi) integration of smoking cessation practices into future national lung cancer CT screening programs....

Co-Testing of Cervical Screening Tests in Detection of High Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smita Asthana

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Co-testing performance for detection of high grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN has not been adequately addressed from Low Resource Countries (LRCs. Where isolated tests do not have adequate performance, further explorations are recommended. Aim: To evaluate the co-testing of conventional cervical screening tests such as Papanicolaou (Pap and Visual Inspection Cervix with Acetic Acid (VIA, with care HPV on Cervical Samples (CHPV or on Vaginal Samples (VHPV in the detection of high grade CIN. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on ever married women of age 30 to 59 years in a rural community of Dadri. Women were screened by CHPV, VHPV, and Pap and VIA methods. Confirmation of screen positives was done by histology. Sensitivity, Specificity and likelihood ratios of different combinations of test determined to evaluate the performance. Results: Total eligible women, 66.2% (5032/7604 responded for screening. Analysis was performed on 4658, after excluding those who did not complete all screenings. Co-testing of CHPV (OR=246 or VHPV (OR=278 with Pap had highest association. Positive likelihood ratios of CHPV and VHPV with Pap in CIN II+ detection rates were 13.0 and 11.8 and in CIN III+ the detection rates were 18.0 and 16.0 respectively. Higher sensitivities and specificities were observed in co-testing for CIN III+ detection as against CIN II+ lesions. Conclusion: Choice of co-testing in a pair of tests for detection of high grade CIN is likely to depend on whether screening is targeted for developed or low resource country. VIA in isolation might not yield optimal results for LRCs.

Unconfirmed reactive screening tests and their impact on donor management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, M.; Khan, S.A.

2008-01-01

To determine the percentage of false positive testing for transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) using immunochromatographic test (ICT) as first line of screening tests and its effect on loss of volunteer blood donors. Over a period of three months, samples from blood bags of donors undergoing phlebotomy at teaching hospital blood banks in Lahore were screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) by immunochromatographic tests. Those found positive on initial screening were re-tested by ELISA method at the screening laboratory of the Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Service, Punjab. Lahore. Out of a total of 62090 voluntary blood donors, 469 donors were found to be initially reactive for either HIV, HBV or HCV. Amongst these 96 (0.15%) blood donors were found to have tested falsely positive for HIV, HBV or HCV as compared to testing by ELISA. False positive testing rate of 0.15% or 96 out of a total of 62090 donors is rather small in terms of loss of voluntary donors and appropriate utilization of available resources. Although immunochromatographic testing is not the gold standard, however it serves an important purpose of initial donor screening. (author)

correlation with µCT and biomechanical testing

OpenAIRE

Kentenich, Marie

2013-01-01

Purpose: Assessment of trabecular bone structure may enhance estimation of biomechanical strength and therefore improve diagnostic standards for osteoporosis. Still visualization of the trabecular microstructure in vivo is challenging. We tested the feasibility of assessing trabecular bone structure for evaluation of bone quality on intact human cadavers using multidetector CT (MDCT) in an experimental in situ and therefore simulated in vivo setup. Methods: Bone structure (BV/TV: ...

Evaluating the evidence: direct-to-consumer screening tests advertised online.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovett, Kimberly M; Mackey, Timothy K; Liang, Bryan A

2012-09-01

Unsupervised online direct-to-consumer (DTC) access to medical services has rapidly expanded to medical screening tests, which have not been critically evaluated for their evidence basis. The objective of this study is to identify the scope of online-advertised DTC screening tests, outline the evidence for use of available DTC testing and suggest regulatory reform to address the relevant issues. An observational study of website advertisements, testing services and counselling/follow-up services for DTC testing was conducted. Data were collected from websites between 4 April and 1 June 2011. Each website was assessed for tests offered, advertised indications and availability of counselling/follow-up services. Advertised testing indications were compared with US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations and/or specialty guidelines and categorized as Supported, Against, Insufficient Evidence or No Guidance. Of 20 companies identified as offering DTC screening tests, 95% (19/20) do not clearly offer pretest counselling, post-test counselling and/or test follow-up. One hundred and twenty-seven different tests were identified. Only 19/127 (15%) could be Supported for screening in a target group selected for testing; 38/127 (30%) were given recommendations to avoid use in specific target group(s) selected for testing ('Against recommendations'); 29/127 (23%) had Insufficient Evidence of value, and for 64/127 (50%) No Guidance could be given. Only 4/127 (3%) tests were Supported for general screening use. Virtually all identified medical tests advertised and offered DTC are not recommended for use in screening by evidence-based guidelines. Limited oversight may lead to inaccurate self-diagnosis, treatment and wasted health resources.

A phantom for testing of 4D-CT for radiotherapy of small lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, L.; Kron, T.; Taylor, M. L.; Callahan, J.; Franich, R. D.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The use of time-resolved four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) in radiotherapy requires strict quality assurance to ensure the accuracy of motion management protocols. The aim of this work was to design and test a phantom capable of large amplitude motion for use in 4D-CT, with particular interest in small lesions typical for stereotactic body radiotherapy. Methods: The phantom of “see-saw” design is light weight, capable of including various sample materials and compatible with several surrogate marker signal acquisition systems. It is constructed of polymethylmethacrylate (Perspex) and its movement is controlled via a dc motor and drive wheel. It was tested using two CT scanners with different 4D acquisition methods: the Philips Brilliance Big Bore CT (helical scan, pressure belt) and a General Electric Discovery STE PET/CT (axial scan, infrared marker). Amplitudes ranging from 1.5 to 6.0 cm and frequencies of up to 40 cycles per minute were used to study the effect of motion on image quality. Maximum intensity projections (MIPs), as well as average intensity projections (AIPs) of moving objects were investigated and their quality dependence on the number of phase reconstruction bins assessed. Results: CT number discrepancies between moving and stationary objects were found to have no systematic dependence on amplitude, frequency, or specific interphase variability. MIP-delineated amplitudes of motion were found to match physical phantom amplitudes to within 2 mm for all motion scenarios tested. Objects undergoing large amplitude motions (>3.0 cm) were shown to cause artefacts in MIP and AIP projections when ten phase bins were assigned. This problem can be mitigated by increasing the number of phase bins in a 4D-CT scan. Conclusions: The phantom was found to be a suitable tool for evaluating the image quality of 4D-CT motion management technology, as well as providing a quality assurance tool for intercenter/intervendor testing of commercial

Prospects for population screening and diagnosis of lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Field, John K; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Pedersen, Jesper Holst

2013-01-01

Deaths from lung cancer exceed those from any other type of malignancy, with 1·5 million deaths in 2010. Prevention and smoking cessation are still the main methods to reduce the death toll. The US National Lung Screening Trial, which compared CT screening with chest radiograph, yielded a mortality......, and pooled analysis of European CT screening trials, we discuss the main topics that will need consideration. These unresolved issues are risk prediction models to identify patients for CT screening; radiological protocols that use volumetric analysis for indeterminate nodules; options for surgical resection...

Susceptibility of pregnant women to toxoplasma infection--potential benefits for newborn screening.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ferguson, W

2008-08-20

Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) arises as a result of new acquisition of Toxoplasma infection by a susceptible woman during pregnancy. Early detection of CT through neonatal screening programmes could optimize management and improve infant outcome. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of Toxoplasma susceptibility in pregnant women. As detection of Toxoplasma antibodies in neonatal blood reflects maternal exposure history, maternal antibody seroprevalence was determined using anonymized residual blood from newborn screening cards. A total of 20,252 cards were tested in 1 year. 4,991 (24.6%) cards tested positive for Toxoplasma antibody. Results were stratified by county. Toxoplasma antibody seroprevalence rates of 25% indicated that Toxoplasma infection is common in Ireland and that up to 75% of women remain susceptible to primary infection during pregnancy. This study aimed to a) determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma antibody in pregnant women, and hence b) estimate the risk for acquisition of primary toxoplasmosis in pregnancy in order to support an application to fund a pilot newborn screening programme.

Implementation and organization of lung cancer screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jesper Johannes Holst; Ashraf, Haseem

2016-01-01

CT screening for lung cancer is now being implemented in the US and China on a widespread national scale but not in Europe so far. The review gives a status for the implementation process and the hurdles to overcome in the future. It also describes the guidelines and requirements for the structure...... and components of high quality CT screening programs. These are essential in order to achieve a successful program with the fewest possible harms and a possible mortality benefit like that documented in the American National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). In addition the importance of continued research in CT...

Screening for gestational diabetes: examining a breakfast meal test ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: This study was performed to analyse the carbohydrate quantity of the non-standardised breakfast meal test consumed as part of a screening test for gestational diabetes. Design: A prospective descriptive design was utilised. Setting: Screening for gestational diabetes was performed in the High-Risk Antenatal ...

Interobserver variability in visual evaluation of thoracic CT scans and comparison with automatic computer measurements of CT lung density

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winkler Wille, Mathilde Marie; Thomsen, Laura Hohwü; Dirksen, Asger

2012-01-01

lung density measurements, i.e. densitometry. Methods – In a pilot study 60 CT scans were selected from a sample of 3980 CT scans from The Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial (DLCST). The amount of emphysema in these scans was scored independently by two observers, who were blinded regarding clinical...... information. The lung was segmented automatically by in-house developed computer software, and the percentage of pixels below -950 HU was used as a surrogate marker for emphysema. The observer variability, as well as the correlation with the lung density measurements, was analysed using Spearman’s rank...... in emphysema grading. However, the agreement with the CT lung density measurement was poor, indicating that the two types of evaluation represent different aspects of emphysema. Most likely, they should be seen as complementary rather than competitive evaluations. Future comparison with physiological tests...

The psychological impact of test results following diagnostic coronary CT angiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Devcich, Daniel A; Ellis, Christopher J; Broadbent, Elizabeth; Gamble, Greg; Petrie, Keith J

2012-11-01

Coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography is an advanced cardiac imaging test commonly used for diagnosing early signs of ischemic heart disease. Despite its importance in cardiology, little is known about its psychological effect on patients. The present study sought to examine these effects in relation to illness perceptions, cardiac health behavior intentions, and subsequent health behaviors. Forty-five nonacute cardiac patients who were referred for diagnostic coronary CT angiography completed questionnaires prior to testing and following the receipt of test results, at which point illness perceptions and intentions to take cardiac medication, as well as diet and exercise intentions were measured. Exercise and dietary behaviors were measured at follow-up 6 weeks later. Changes on these variables were then compared between patients diagnosed with normal arteries and patients diagnosed with diseased arteries. Compared to positive-testing patients, patients with normal test results reported significant changes toward more positive illness perceptions following testing, with improvements in emotional effect of illness, illness concern, consequences, and personal control of illness. The illness perception of treatment control was seen as more important among positive-testing patients, whereas both groups reported increases in illness coherence. Health behavior intentions (cardiac medication intentions and exercise intentions) increased for positive-testing patients only, as did physical activity at follow-up. Diagnosis-dependent psychological effects can be detected following coronary CT angiography. These effects have important implications for patient health and health care in diagnostic contexts, and the results from this study can be used to guide further research in this area.

[Mass neonatal screening using biological testing].

Science.gov (United States)

Ardaillou, R; Le Gall, J-Y

2007-04-01

Implementation of a generalized screening program for neonatal diseases obeys precise guidelines. The disease must be severe, recognizable at an early stage, accessible to an effective treatment, detected with a non expansive and widely applicable test and it must represent an important health problem. In case of positive results, treatment or prevention shall be offered immediately and any screening program has to be regularly evaluated. There is in France since 1978 a national screening program that depends on a private association ("Association française pour le dépistage et la prévention des handicaps de l'enfant") and is supervised by the "Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie" and the "Direction Générale de la Sante". Presently, five diseases are included in the screening program: phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, the latter only in at risk newborns. Toxoplasmosis represents a particular problem because screening takes place only in children of mothers that have not been controlled during their pregnancy or in case of seroconversion. Neonatal screening of phenylketonuria and hypothyrodism is unanimously recommended. That of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is approved in most countries. The cases of sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis are more complex because: 1) all the children that carry the mutations are not affected with a severe disease; 2) there is no curative treatment; 3) parents given information are made anxious, sometimes wrongly if the disease is mild or asymptomatic. The supporters of the screening insist on the interest of an early diagnosis which makes longer the life time of these children, the possibility for the parents to utilize prenatal screening in case of a future pregnancy, and the information given to the heterozygous carriers following a familial screening. The question is raised of the extension of neonatal screening to other diseases. This is now

Colon distension, perceived burden and side-effects of CT-colonography for screening using hyoscine butylbromide or glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haan, Margriet C. de; Boellaard, Thierry N.; Bossuyt, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jaap

2012-01-01

Objective: Compare colonic distension and perceived burden of CT-colonography between participants receiving hyoscine butylbromide (buscopan) and glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant. Materials and methods: Data were collected within a screening trial. Participants received 20 mg buscopan intravenously or 1 mg of glucagon intravenously (if buscopan contra-indicated). Colon distension per segment was assessed using a 4-point scale (prone and supine). Data on perceived burden of CT-colonography were collected using a questionnaire two weeks after the examination. Outcome measures between groups were compared using propensity score matching. We used a stratified Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test statistic for quantitative and Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel statistics for categorical variables. Results: 541 participants were included: 336 (62%) received buscopan and 205 received glucagon. All buscopan recipients had an adequately distended colon, compared to 96% in the glucagon group (RR 7.31, 95% CI: 1.61–33.28). More glucagon recipients scored the insufflation as rather or extremely burdensome (25% vs. 16%; overall mean score 2.7 vs. 2.4; p < 0.001) and more found the entire CT-colonography rather or extremely burdensome (14% vs. 7%; 2.2 vs. 1.9; p = 0.001). Most frequently reported side effects were a dry mouth in the buscopan group (15%) and nausea in the glucagon group (13%). Conclusion: Compared to glucagon, premedication with buscopan results in significantly more adequately distended colons and a less burdensome procedure. When buscopan can be used, it is the preferred bowel relaxant.

Colon distension, perceived burden and side-effects of CT-colonography for screening using hyoscine butylbromide or glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haan, Margriet C. de, E-mail: margrietcdehaan@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Boellaard, Thierry N., E-mail: t.n.boellaard@amc.uva.nl [Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bossuyt, Patrick M., E-mail: p.m.bossuyt@amc.uva.nl [Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Stoker, Jaap, E-mail: j.stoker@amc.uva.nl [Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2012-08-15

Objective: Compare colonic distension and perceived burden of CT-colonography between participants receiving hyoscine butylbromide (buscopan) and glucagon hydrochloride as bowel relaxant. Materials and methods: Data were collected within a screening trial. Participants received 20 mg buscopan intravenously or 1 mg of glucagon intravenously (if buscopan contra-indicated). Colon distension per segment was assessed using a 4-point scale (prone and supine). Data on perceived burden of CT-colonography were collected using a questionnaire two weeks after the examination. Outcome measures between groups were compared using propensity score matching. We used a stratified Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test statistic for quantitative and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics for categorical variables. Results: 541 participants were included: 336 (62%) received buscopan and 205 received glucagon. All buscopan recipients had an adequately distended colon, compared to 96% in the glucagon group (RR 7.31, 95% CI: 1.61-33.28). More glucagon recipients scored the insufflation as rather or extremely burdensome (25% vs. 16%; overall mean score 2.7 vs. 2.4; p < 0.001) and more found the entire CT-colonography rather or extremely burdensome (14% vs. 7%; 2.2 vs. 1.9; p = 0.001). Most frequently reported side effects were a dry mouth in the buscopan group (15%) and nausea in the glucagon group (13%). Conclusion: Compared to glucagon, premedication with buscopan results in significantly more adequately distended colons and a less burdensome procedure. When buscopan can be used, it is the preferred bowel relaxant.

Cost-Effectiveness of 18f-Fdg Pet/Ct for Screening Distant Metastasis in Stage Ii/Iii Breast Cancer Patients of the UK, the United States and the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miquel-Cases, A.; Da Silva Teixeira, Sandra; Retel, Valesca; Retel, V.P.; Steuten, Lotte Maria Gertruda; Valdes Olmos, R.; Rutgers, E.; van Harten, Willem H.

2015-01-01

Objectives: 18F-FDG-PET/CT is accurate in detecting distant metastases (DM) in breast cancer patients scheduled for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. If DMs are screen-detected in an early phase, morbidity and mortality may be reduced. Because 18F-FDG-PET/CT comes at a significant cost, we compared its

Smoking cessation results in a clinical lung cancer screening program.

Science.gov (United States)

Borondy Kitts, Andrea K; McKee, Andrea B; Regis, Shawn M; Wald, Christoph; Flacke, Sebastian; McKee, Brady J

2016-07-01

Lung cancer screening may provide a "teachable moment" for promoting smoking cessation. This study assessed smoking cessation and relapse rates among individuals undergoing follow-up low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) in a clinical CT lung screening program and assessed the influence of initial screening results on smoking behavior. Self-reported smoking status for individuals enrolled in a clinical CT lung screening program undergoing a follow-up CT lung screening exam between 1st February, 2014 and 31st March, 2015 was retrospectively reviewed and compared to self-reported smoking status using a standardized questionnaire at program entry. Point prevalence smoking cessation and relapse rates were calculated across the entire population and compared with exam results. All individuals undergoing screening fulfilled the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Lung Cancer Screening v1.2012(®) high-risk criteria and had an order for CT lung screening. A total of 1,483 individuals underwent a follow-up CT lung screening exam during the study interval. Smoking status at time of follow-up exam was available for 1,461/1,483 (98.5%). A total of 46% (678/1,461) were active smokers at program entry. The overall point prevalence smoking cessation and relapse rates were 20.8% and 9.3%, respectively. Prior positive screening exam results were not predictive of smoking cessation (OR 1.092; 95% CI, 0.715-1.693) but were predictive of reduced relapse among former smokers who had stopped smoking for 2 years or less (OR 0.330; 95% CI, 0.143-0.710). Duration of program enrollment was predictive of smoking cessation (OR 0.647; 95% CI, 0.477-0.877). Smoking cessation and relapse rates in a clinical CT lung screening program rates are more favorable than those observed in the general population. Duration of participation in the screening program correlated with increased smoking cessation rates. A positive exam result correlated with reduced

European randomized lung cancer screening trials: Post NLST

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Field, JK; Klaveren, R; Pedersen, JH

2013-01-01

Overview of the European randomized lung cancer CT screening trials (EUCT) is presented with regard to the implementation of CT screening in Europe; post NLST. All seven principal investigators completed a questionnaire on the epidemiological, radiological, and nodule management aspects...

Characterization of test specimens produced in reduced size for X-ray microtomography (µ-CT tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. E. BERNARDES

Full Text Available Abstract The need to use reduced sample sizes, in order to attain improved spatial resolution in (µ-CT tests applied in Portland cement composites, makes researchers perform the fractionation of materials to obtain samples with dimensions compatible with the capacity of the scanning equipment, which might cause alterations in the microstructure under analysis. Therefore, a test specimen (TS with dimensions compatible with the scanning capacity of a microtomography system that operates with an X-ray tube and voltage ranging from 20 to 100 kV was proposed. Axial compression strength tests were made and their total porosity was assessed by an apparent density and solid fraction density ratio, which were obtained by means of mercury and helium pycnometry and µ-CT technique, respectively. The adoption of that TS has shown to be viable for providing a sample with a higher level of representation.

Fatigue damage observed non-destructively in fibre composite coupon test specimens by X-ray CT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Kristine Munk; Mikkelsen, Lars Pilgaard

2016-01-01

This study presents a method for monitoring the 3D fatigue damage progression on a micro-structural level in a glass fibre/polymer coupon test specimen by means of laboratory X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). A modified mount and holder made for the standard test samples to fit into the X-ray CT...... scanner along with a tension clamp solution is presented. Initially, the same location of the test specimen is inspected by ex-situ X-ray CT during the fatigue loading history, which shows the damage progression on a micro-structural level. The openings of individual uni-directional (UD) fibre fractures...

CT findings of inoperable lung carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gay, S.B.; Black, W.C.

1987-01-01

CT is useful in the evaluation of patients with newly diagnosed or highly suspected lung cancer. The principal role of CT is to screen those patients with metastatic disease beyond the hili from an attempt at curative thoracotomy. While CT is regarded as very sensitive, it is not considered highly specific, and thus a surgical procedure is usually recommended for definitive diagnosis of most ''positive'' CT findings. However, the authors demonstrate a few characteristic CT findings that are highly predictive of unresectable metastatic disease. These CT findings include massive mediastinal lymphadenopathy, diffuse mediastinal infiltration, pericardial involvement, vascular encasement, and advanced chest wall invasion

Potential role of 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in screening for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, Vikas; Brenner, Winfried; Tiling, Nikolaus; Ploeckinger, Ursula; Denecke, Timm

2016-01-01

Neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas (pNET) are observed in 8 - 17 % of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (vHLD), and 11 - 20 % of these patients develop metastatic disease. MRI and CT have a very high resolution; however, their sensitivity and specificity for the detection of pNET amongst cystic lesions in the pancreas of vHLD patients are generally considered insufficient. In contrast, 68 Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT demonstrates a high sensitivity for the diagnosis and staging of neuroendocrine tumours. In this study we investigated the potential role of 68 Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in screening of patients with vHLD. 68 Ga-DOTATOC PET/three-phase contrast-enhanced CT was performed according to guidelines in all consecutive vHLD patients between January 2012 and November 2015. All patients underwent additional MRI imaging of the abdomen, spine, and head. Chromogranin A (CgA) was determined at the time of the PET/CT examination. A lesion seen on 68 Ga-DOTATOC PET in the pancreas was defined as positive if the uptake was visually higher than in the surrounding tissues. Lesions were quantified using maximum SUV. Overall, 20 patients (8 men, 12 women; mean age 44.7 ± 11.1 years) were prospectively examined. Genetically, 12 patients had type 1 vHLD and 8 had type 2 vHLD. 68 Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT detected more pNET than morphological imaging (CT or MRI): 11 patients (55 %; 8 type 1, 3 type 2) vs. 9 patients (45 %; 6 type 1, 3 type 2). The concentration of CgA was mildly elevated in 2 of 11 patients with pNET. The mean SUVmax of the pancreatic lesions was 18.9 ± 21.9 (range 5.0 - 65.6). Four patients (36.4 %) had multiple pNETs. The mean size of the lesions on CT and/or MRI was 10.4 ± 8.3 mm (range 4 - 38 mm), and 41.1 % were larger than 10 mm. In addition, somatostatin receptor-positive cerebellar and spinal haemangioblastomas were detected in three patients (SUVmax 2.1 - 10.1). One patient presented with a solitary somatostatin receptor-positive lymph node metastasis. pNETs were

Preoperative screening: value of previous tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Macpherson, D S; Snow, R; Lofgren, R P

1990-12-15

To determine the frequency of tests done in the year before elective surgery that might substitute for preoperative screening tests and to determine the frequency of test results that change from a normal value to a value likely to alter perioperative management. Retrospective cohort analysis of computerized laboratory data (complete blood count, sodium, potassium, and creatinine levels, prothrombin time, and partial thromboplastin time). Urban tertiary care Veterans Affairs Hospital. Consecutive sample of 1109 patients who had elective surgery in 1988. At admission, 7549 preoperative tests were done, 47% of which duplicated tests performed in the previous year. Of 3096 previous results that were normal as defined by hospital reference range and done closest to the time of but before admission (median interval, 2 months), 13 (0.4%; 95% CI, 0.2% to 0.7%), repeat values were outside a range considered acceptable for surgery. Most of the abnormalities were predictable from the patient's history, and most were not noted in the medical record. Of 461 previous tests that were abnormal, 78 (17%; CI, 13% to 20%) repeat values at admission were outside a range considered acceptable for surgery (P less than 0.001, frequency of clinically important abnormalities of patients with normal previous results with those with abnormal previous results). Physicians evaluating patients preoperatively could safely substitute the previous test results analyzed in this study for preoperative screening tests if the previous tests are normal and no obvious indication for retesting is present.

Risk of breast cancer after false-positive test results in screening mammography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

von Euler-Chelpin, My Catarina; Risør, Louise Madeleine; Thorsted, Brian Larsen

2012-01-01

Screening for disease in healthy people inevitably leads to some false-positive tests in disease-free individuals. Normally, women with false-positive screening tests for breast cancer are referred back to routine screening. However, the long-term outcome for women with false-positive tests...

SU-E-P-46: Clinical Acceptance Testing and Implementation of a Portable CT Unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaFrance, M; Marsh, S; Hicks, R; O’Donnell-Moran, G

2015-01-01

Purpose: Planning for the first installation in New England of a new portable CT unit to be used in the Operating Room required the integration of many departments including Surgery, Neurosurgery, Information Services, Clinical Engineering, Radiology and Medical Physics/Radiation Safety. Acceptance testing and the quality assurance procedures were designed to optimize image quality and patient and personnel radiation exposure. Methods: The vendor’s protocols were tested using the CT Dosimetry phantoms. The system displayed the CTDIw instead of the CTDIvol while testing the unit. Radiation exposure was compared to existing CT scanners from installed CT units throughout the facility. Brainlab measures all 4 periphery slots on the CT Dosimetry phantom. The ACR measures only the superior slot for the periphery measurement. A comprehensive radiation survey was also performed for several locations. Results: The CTDIvol measurements were comparable for the following studies: brain, C-Spine, and sinuses. However, the mobile CT measurements were slightly higher than other CT units but within acceptable tolerance if measured using the ACR method.Based on scatter measurements, it was determined if any personnel were to stay in the OR Suite during image acquisition that the appropriate lead apron and thyroid shields had to be worn.In addition, to reduce unnecessary scatter, there were two mobile 6 foot wide shields (1/16″ lead equivalent) available to protect personnel in the room and adjacent areas. Conclusion: Intraoperative CT provides the physician new opportunities for evaluation of the progression of surgical resections and device placement at the cost of increasing the amount of trained personnel required to perform this procedure. It also brings with it challenges to keep the radiation exposure to the patients and staff within reasonable limits

SU-E-P-46: Clinical Acceptance Testing and Implementation of a Portable CT Unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LaFrance, M; Marsh, S; Hicks, R; O’Donnell-Moran, G [Baystate Health Systems, Inc., Springfield, MA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Planning for the first installation in New England of a new portable CT unit to be used in the Operating Room required the integration of many departments including Surgery, Neurosurgery, Information Services, Clinical Engineering, Radiology and Medical Physics/Radiation Safety. Acceptance testing and the quality assurance procedures were designed to optimize image quality and patient and personnel radiation exposure. Methods: The vendor’s protocols were tested using the CT Dosimetry phantoms. The system displayed the CTDIw instead of the CTDIvol while testing the unit. Radiation exposure was compared to existing CT scanners from installed CT units throughout the facility. Brainlab measures all 4 periphery slots on the CT Dosimetry phantom. The ACR measures only the superior slot for the periphery measurement. A comprehensive radiation survey was also performed for several locations. Results: The CTDIvol measurements were comparable for the following studies: brain, C-Spine, and sinuses. However, the mobile CT measurements were slightly higher than other CT units but within acceptable tolerance if measured using the ACR method.Based on scatter measurements, it was determined if any personnel were to stay in the OR Suite during image acquisition that the appropriate lead apron and thyroid shields had to be worn.In addition, to reduce unnecessary scatter, there were two mobile 6 foot wide shields (1/16″ lead equivalent) available to protect personnel in the room and adjacent areas. Conclusion: Intraoperative CT provides the physician new opportunities for evaluation of the progression of surgical resections and device placement at the cost of increasing the amount of trained personnel required to perform this procedure. It also brings with it challenges to keep the radiation exposure to the patients and staff within reasonable limits.

Computerized visuo-spatial memory test as a supplementary screening test for dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, Yohko; Yoshida, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Haruyasu

2010-06-01

To prepare for a super-aging society, effective dementia screening tests are required. The most salient deficit appearing from the early stages of dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a deterioration in memory. The Hasegawa Dementia Scale-revised (HDS-R) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) are widely used in Japan to screen for dementia. Both place an emphasis on memory function, but neither examines visuo-spatial memory (VSM) function, even though VSM deficits are a sensitive marker for the detection of conversion to dementia. Furthermore, brief tests of VSM that are appropriate for screening have not been standardized. Thus, in the present study, we devised a brief, computer-aided short-term VSM test. Sixty-six aged people were evaluated. Using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), it was found that 29 could be considered normal controls (NC; CDR 0), 10 had mild cognitive impairment (MCI; CDR 0.5), 15 had mild dementia (CDR 1), and 12 had moderate to severe dementia (CDR 2-3). The VSM test estimated how many locations each subject could memorize. Several numbered circles were shown on a monitor and subjects were required to memorize the location of these circles sequentially. After the numbers on the circles on the screen had disappeared, the subjects were required to indicate the circles in ascending order. A touch panel screen was used for this test to make it easier. The HDS-R was applied to subjects with MCI and dementia. The mean (+/-SD) VSM score in subjects with MCI (5.70 +/- 0.96) was significantly lower than that in NC subjects (6.69 +/- 0.82), but significantly higher than that in subjects classified as CDR 1 (4.67 +/- 0.87). There was no significant difference in VSM scores between subjects classified as CDR 1 and CDR 2-3 (3.80 +/- 0.80). There was a moderate significant correlation between VSM and HDS-R scores. In the present study, the VSM test detected differences in VSM function among NC subjects and subjects with MCI and mild dementia. The

Small median tumor diameter at cure threshold (lung cancers in male smokers predicts both chest X-ray and CT screening outcomes in a novel simulation framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldwasser, Deborah L; Kimmel, Marek

2013-01-01

The effectiveness of population-wide lung cancer screening strategies depends on the underlying natural course of lung cancer. We evaluate the expected stage distribution in the Mayo CT screening study under an existing simulation model of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression calibrated to the Mayo lung project (MLP). Within a likelihood framework, we evaluate whether the probability of 5-year NSCLC survival conditional on tumor diameter at detection depends significantly on screening detection modality, namely chest X-ray and computed tomography. We describe a novel simulation framework in which tumor progression depends on cellular proliferation and mutation within a stem cell compartment of the tumor. We fit this model to randomized trial data from the MLP and produce estimates of the median radiologic size at the cure threshold. We examine the goodness of model fit with respect to radiologic tumor size and 5-year NSCLC survival among incident cancers in both the MLP and Mayo CT studies. An existing model of NSCLC progression under-predicts the number of advanced-stage incident NSCLCs among males in the Mayo CT study (p-value = 0.004). The probability of 5-year NSCLC survival conditional on tumor diameter depends significantly on detection modality (p-value = 0.0312). In our new model, selected solution sets having a median tumor diameter of 16.2-22.1 mm at cure threshold among aggressive NSCLCs predict both MLP and Mayo CT outcomes. We conclude that the median lung tumor diameter at cure threshold among aggressive NSCLCs in male smokers may be small (<20 mm). Copyright © 2012 UICC.

Astrophysical tests of gravity: a screening map of the nearby universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabré, Anna; Vikram, Vinu; Jain, Bhuvnesh [Center for Particle Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6396 (United States); Zhao, Gong-Bo; Koyama, Kazuya, E-mail: annanusca@gmail.com, E-mail: vinu@sas.upenn.edu, E-mail: gong-bo.zhao@port.ac.uk, E-mail: bjain@physics.upenn.edu, E-mail: Kazuya.Koyama@port.ac.uk [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

2012-07-01

Astrophysical tests of modified gravity theories in the nearby universe have been emphasized recently by Hui 2009 and Jain 2011. A key element of such tests is the screening mechanism whereby general relativity is restored in massive halos or high density environments like the Milky Way. In chameleon theories of gravity, including all f(R) models, field dwarf galaxies may be unscreened and therefore feel an extra force, as opposed to screened galaxies. The first step to study differences between screened and unscreened galaxies is to create a 3D screening map. We use N-body simulations to test and calibrate simple approximations to determine the level of screening in galaxy catalogs. Sources of systematic errors in the screening map due to observational inaccuracies are modeled and their contamination is estimated. We then apply our methods to create a map out to 200 Mpc in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint using data from the Sloan survey and other sources. In two companion papers this map will be used to carry out new tests of gravity using distance indicators and the disks of dwarf galaxies. We also make our screening map publicly available.

Cancer screening tests for small animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Schleis, Stephanie E

2014-09-01

Cancer is increasingly more common. Several tests for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in companion animals have been developed. Screening tests discussed include those for lymphoid neoplasia, hemangiosarcoma, and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. None of these tests should be used in isolation for diagnosis. Vincristine and doxorubicin are mainstays in the treatment of canine lymphoma. However, it is important and accepted practice to test individuals of predisposed breeds for this mutation before administering these drugs in a lymphoma protocol. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Zagreb Amblyopia Preschool Screening Study: near and distance visual acuity testing increase the diagnostic accuracy of screening for amblyopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bušić, Mladen; Bjeloš, Mirjana; Petrovečki, Mladen; Kuzmanović Elabjer, Biljana; Bosnar, Damir; Ramić, Senad; Miletić, Daliborka; Andrijašević, Lidija; Kondža Krstonijević, Edita; Jakovljević, Vid; Bišćan Tvrdi, Ana; Predović, Jurica; Kokot, Antonio; Bišćan, Filip; Kovačević Ljubić, Mirna; Motušić Aras, Ranka

2016-02-01

To present and evaluate a new screening protocol for amblyopia in preschool children. Zagreb Amblyopia Preschool Screening (ZAPS) study protocol performed screening for amblyopia by near and distance visual acuity (VA) testing of 15 648 children aged 48-54 months attending kindergartens in the City of Zagreb County between September 2011 and June 2014 using Lea Symbols in lines test. If VA in either eye was >0.1 logMAR, the child was re-tested, if failed at re-test, the child was referred to comprehensive eye examination at the Eye Clinic. 78.04% of children passed the screening test. Estimated prevalence of amblyopia was 8.08%. Testability, sensitivity, and specificity of the ZAPS study protocol were 99.19%, 100.00%, and 96.68% respectively. The ZAPS study used the most discriminative VA test with optotypes in line as they do not underestimate amblyopia. The estimated prevalence of amblyopia was considerably higher than reported elsewhere. To the best of our knowledge, the ZAPS study protocol reached the highest sensitivity and specificity when evaluating diagnostic accuracy of VA tests for screening. The pass level defined at ≤0.1 logMAR for 4-year-old children, using Lea Symbols in lines missed no amblyopia cases, advocating that both near and distance VA testing should be performed when screening for amblyopia.

Improving STD testing behavior among high-risk young adults by offering STD testing at a vocational school

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoebe Christian JPA

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chlamydia trachomatis infection (CT is the most prevalent bacterial STD. Sexually active adolescents and young adults are the main risk group for CT. However, STD testing rates in this group are low since exposed individuals may not feel at risk, owing-at least in part-to the infection's largely asymptomatic nature. Designing new testing environments that are more appealing to young people who are most at risk of acquiring chlamydia can be an important strategy to improve overall testing rates. Here we evaluate the effect of a school-based sexual health program conducted among vocational school students, aiming to obtain better access for counseling and enhance students' STD testing behavior. Methods Adolescents (median age 19 years attending a large vocational school were provided with sexual health education. Students filled in a questionnaire measuring CT risk and were offered STD testing. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, we assessed differences between men and women in STD-related risk behavior, sexual problems, CT testing behavior and determinants of CT testing behavior. Results Of 345 participants, 70% were female. Of the 287 sexually active students, 75% were at high risk for CT; one third of women reported sexual problems. Of sexually active participants, 61% provided a self-administered specimen for STD testing. Independent determinants for testing included STD related symptoms and no condom use. All CT diagnoses were in the high-CT-risk group. In the high-risk group, STD testing showed an increased uptake, from 27% (previous self-reported test to 65% (current test. CT prevalence was 5.7%. Conclusions Vocational school students are a target population for versatile sexual health prevention. When provided with CT testing facilities and education, self selection mechanisms seemed to increase CT testing rate dramatically in this high-CT-risk population expressing sexual problems. Considering the relative ease

An experimental study on the noise properties of x-ray CT sinogram data in Radon space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Jing; Liang Zhengrong; Eremina, Daria; Wang Su; Manzione, James [Department of Radiology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794 (United States); Lu Hongbing [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' An, Shaanxi 710032 (China); Zhang Guangxiang; Chen, John [Department of Preventive Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794 (United States)], E-mail: jerome.liang@sunysb.edu

2008-06-21

Computed tomography (CT) has been well established as a diagnostic tool through hardware optimization and sophisticated data calibration. For screening purposes, the associated x-ray exposure risk must be minimized. An effective way to minimize the risk is to deliver fewer x-rays to the subject or lower the mAs parameter in data acquisition. This will increase the data noise. This work aims to study the noise property of the calibrated or preprocessed sinogram data in Radon space as the mAs level decreases. An anthropomorphic torso phantom was scanned repeatedly by a commercial CT imager at five different mAs levels from 100 down to 17 (the lowest value provided by the scanner). The preprocessed sinogram datasets were extracted from the CT scanner to a laboratory computer for noise analysis. The repeated measurements at each mAs level were used to test the normality of the repeatedly measured samples for each data channel using the Shapiro-Wilk statistical test merit. We further studied the probability distribution of the repeated measures. Most importantly, we validated a theoretical relationship between the sample mean and variance at each channel. It is our intention that the statistical test and particularly the relationship between the first and second statistical moments will improve low-dose CT image reconstruction for screening applications.

Multidetector CT of the colon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luboldt, W.; Hoepffner, N.; Holzer, K.

2003-01-01

Multidetector technology, enabling faster imaging, higher spatial resolution and reduction in radiation dose, increases the role of CT in colonic diagnostic. The higher spatial resolution in the z-direction also changes the way to analyze the images. Instead of reading axial sections, now the colon can be systematically assessed in 3D by scrolling through multiplanar reconstructions or in CT colonography by virtual endoscopy. With ongoing improvements in computer-aided diagnosis CT colonography becomes an alternative to fiberoptic colonocopy for screening (http://www.multiorganscreening.org). In this article we propose a CT examination protocol for the colon, describe the typical imaging findings of different colonic diseases, and summarize the current status of CT colonography. (orig.)

Human papillomavirus testing and genotyping in cervical screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rebolj, Matejka; Lynge, Elsebeth; Bonde, Jesper

2011-01-01

the incidence of cervical cancer, but has a low sensitivity for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and requires frequent testing. Several HPV tests have become available commercially. They appear to be more sensitive for high-grade CIN, and may further reduce the incidence of cervical cancer......Mass vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes 16 and 18 will, in the long term, reduce the incidence of cervical cancer, but screening will remain an important cancer control measure in both vaccinated and unvaccinated women. Since the 1960s, cytology screening has helped to reduce...

Air trapping on chest CT is associated with worse ventilation distribution in infants with cystic fibrosis diagnosed following newborn screening.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham L Hall

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In school-aged children with cystic fibrosis (CF structural lung damage assessed using chest CT is associated with abnormal ventilation distribution. The primary objective of this analysis was to determine the relationships between ventilation distribution outcomes and the presence and extent of structural damage as assessed by chest CT in infants and young children with CF. METHODS: Data of infants and young children with CF diagnosed following newborn screening consecutively reviewed between August 2005 and December 2009 were analysed. Ventilation distribution (lung clearance index and the first and second moment ratios [LCI, M(1/M(0 and M(2/M(0, respectively], chest CT and airway pathology from bronchoalveolar lavage were determined at diagnosis and then annually. The chest CT scans were evaluated for the presence or absence of bronchiectasis and air trapping. RESULTS: Matched lung function, chest CT and pathology outcomes were available in 49 infants (31 male with bronchiectasis and air trapping present in 13 (27% and 24 (49% infants, respectively. The presence of bronchiectasis or air trapping was associated with increased M(2/M(0 but not LCI or M(1/M(0. There was a weak, but statistically significant association between the extent of air trapping and all ventilation distribution outcomes. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that in early CF lung disease there are weak associations between ventilation distribution and lung damage from chest CT. These finding are in contrast to those reported in older children. These findings suggest that assessments of LCI could not be used to replace a chest CT scan for the assessment of structural lung disease in the first two years of life. Further research in which both MBW and chest CT outcomes are obtained is required to assess the role of ventilation distribution in tracking the progression of lung damage in infants with CF.

Evaluation of PET Scanner Performance in PET/MR and PET/CT Systems: NEMA Tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Demir, Mustafa; Toklu, Türkay; Abuqbeitah, Mohammad; Çetin, Hüseyin; Sezgin, H Sezer; Yeyin, Nami; Sönmezoğlu, Kerim

2018-02-01

The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) component of PET/computed tomography (CT) with new emerging PET/magnetic resonance (MR) of the same vendor. According to National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU2-07, five separate experimental tests were performed to evaluate the performance of PET scanner of General Electric GE company; SIGNATM model PET/MR and GE Discovery 710 model PET/CT. The main investigated aspects were spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, count rate performance, image quality, count loss and random events correction accuracy. The findings of this study demonstrated superior sensitivity (~ 4 folds) of PET scanner in PET/MR compared to PET/CT system. Image quality test exhibited higher contrast in PET/MR (~ 9%) compared with PET/CT. The scatter fraction of PET/MR was 43.4% at noise equivalent count rate (NECR) peak of 218 kcps and the corresponding activity concentration was 17.7 kBq/cc. Whereas the scatter fraction of PET/CT was found as 39.2% at NECR peak of 72 kcps and activity concentration of 24.3 kBq/cc. The percentage error of the random event correction accuracy was 3.4% and 3.1% in PET/MR and PET/CT, respectively. It was concluded that PET/MR system is about 4 times more sensitive than PET/CT, and the contrast of hot lesions in PET/MR was ~ 9% higher than PET/CT. These outcomes also emphasize the possibility to achieve excellent clinical PET images with low administered dose and/or a short acquisition time in PET/MR.

The problem of false-positive human papillomavirus DNA tests in cervical screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rebolj, Matejka; Pribac, Igor; Frederiksen, Maria Eiholm

2013-01-01

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing has been extensively studied in randomized controlled trials of primary cervical screening. Based on encouraging results concerning its high detection rates and a high negative predictive value for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), HPV testing...... will probably replace cytology in future primary cervical screening. However, HPV testing is associated with more frequent false-positive tests compared to cytology. False-positive tests are defined as positive screening tests which are not subsequently confirmed with high-grade CIN. Several authors have...

18F-FDG uptake in the stomach on screening PET/CT: value for predicting Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Shigeki; Ogura, Mayumi; Suzawa, Naohisa; Horiki, Noriyuki; Katsurahara, Masaki; Ogura, Toru; Sakuma, Hajime

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the value of 18 F-FDG uptake on screening PET/CT images for the prediction of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and chronic atrophic gastritis. Among subjects who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT for cancer screening from April 2005 to November 2015, PET/CT images were analyzed in 88 subjects who had gastrointestinal fiberscopy within 6 months. The volumes of interest (VOIs) were placed in the fornix, corpus and antrum of the stomach to determine maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and mean SUV (SUVmean). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic performance of SUV indicators in predicting H. pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis. SUV indicators of the stomach were significantly higher in subjects with H. pylori infection than those without (from P < 0.001 to P < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that SUVmean had the highest performance in predicting H. pylori infection (AUC 0.807) and chronic atrophic gastritis (AUC 0.784). SUVmean exhibited the sensitivity of 86.5 % and the specificity of 70.6 % in predicting H. pylori infection, and the sensitivity of 75.0 % and 78.6 % in predicting chronic atrophic gastritis. Assessment of 18 F-FDG uptake in the stomach reflecting active inflammation is useful in predicting patients with H. pylori infection and subsequent chronic atrophic gastritis which is closely associated with the risk of gastric neoplasms

Assessment of US score and CT number for diagnosis of fatty liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogasawara, Tetsuo; Tanda, Shigeru; Lim, Insu; Oota, Keisuke; Taima, Tadashi

1987-01-01

The author evaluates US and CT for diagnosis of fatty liver in 70 cases with fatty change of the liver. We tried to score the US findings of the fatty change, i.e., ''bright liver pattern'', ''liver-kidney contrast'', ''vascular blurring'', ''deep attenuation'', and the usefulness of the scoring was examined. Comparing with CT number, US score was more sensitive, but had no significant correlation with the amount of the fat in the liver and with the abnormality of the liver function tests. The results indicate that US should be used as a primary screening examination, and for the further evaluation of the fatty change of the liver, CT should be carried out. (author)

Abnormal ovarian cancer screening test result: women's informational, psychological and practical needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Patricia Y; Graves, Kristi D; Pavlik, Edward J; Andrykowski, Michael A

2007-01-01

Considerable effort has been devoted to the identification of cost-effective approaches to screening for ovarian cancer (OC). Transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) is one such screening approach. Approximately 5-7% of routine TVS screening tests yield abnormal results. Some women experience significant distress after receipt of an abnormal TVS screening test. Four focus groups provided in-depth, qualitative data regarding the informational, psychological, and practical needs of women after the receipt of an abnormal TVS result. Through question and content analytic procedures, we identified four themes: anticipation, emotional response, role of the screening technician, and impact of prior cancer experiences. Results provide initial guidance toward development of interventions to promote adaptive responses after receipt of an abnormal cancer screening test result.

Do negative screening test results cause false reassurance? A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Grace C; Harvie, Michelle N; French, David P

2017-11-01

It has been suggested that receiving a negative screening test result may cause false reassurance or have a 'certificate of health effect'. False reassurance in those receiving a negative screening test result may result in them wrongly believing themselves to be at lower risk of the disease, and consequently less likely to engage in health-related behaviours that would lower their risk. The present systematic review aimed to identify the evidence regarding false reassurance effects due to negative screening test results in adults (over 18 years) screened for the presence of a disease or its precursors, where disease or precursors are linked to lifestyle behaviours. MEDLINE and PsycINFO were searched for trials that compared a group who had received negative screening results to an unscreened control group. The following outcomes were considered as markers of false reassurance: perceived risk of disease; anxiety and worry about disease; health-related behaviours or intention to change health-related behaviours (i.e., smoking, diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption); self-rated health status. Nine unique studies were identified, reporting 55 measures in relation to the outcomes considered. Outcomes were measured at various time points from immediately following screening to up to 11 years after screening. Despite considerable variation in outcome measures used and timing of measurements, effect sizes for comparisons between participants who received negative screening test results and control participants were typically small with few statistically significant differences. There was evidence of high risk of bias, and measures of behaviours employed were often not valid. The limited evidence base provided little evidence of false reassurance following a negative screening test results on any of four outcomes examined. False reassurance should not be considered a significant harm of screening, but further research is warranted. Statement of contribution

Cost-effectiveness of implementing computed tomography screening for lung cancer in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Szu-Chun; Lai, Wu-Wei; Lin, Chien-Chung; Su, Wu-Chou; Ku, Li-Jung; Hwang, Jing-Shiang; Wang, Jung-Der

2017-06-01

A screening program for lung cancer requires more empirical evidence. Based on the experience of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), we developed a method to adjust lead-time bias and quality-of-life changes for estimating the cost-effectiveness of implementing computed tomography (CT) screening in Taiwan. The target population was high-risk (≥30 pack-years) smokers between 55 and 75 years of age. From a nation-wide, 13-year follow-up cohort, we estimated quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), loss-of-QALE, and lifetime healthcare expenditures per case of lung cancer stratified by pathology and stage. Cumulative stage distributions for CT-screening and no-screening were assumed equal to those for CT-screening and radiography-screening in the NLST to estimate the savings of loss-of-QALE and additional costs of lifetime healthcare expenditures after CT screening. Costs attributable to screen-negative subjects, false-positive cases and radiation-induced lung cancer were included to obtain the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio from the public payer's perspective. The incremental costs were US$22,755 per person. After dividing this by savings of loss-of-QALE (1.16 quality-adjusted life year (QALY)), the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was US$19,683 per QALY. This ratio would fall to US$10,947 per QALY if the stage distribution for CT-screening was the same as that of screen-detected cancers in the NELSON trial. Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer among high-risk smokers would be cost-effective in Taiwan. As only about 5% of our women are smokers, future research is necessary to identify the high-risk groups among non-smokers and increase the coverage. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A national survey of lung cancer specialists' views on low-dose CT screening for lung cancer in Korea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Wook Shin

Full Text Available Lung cancer specialists play an important role in designing and implementing lung cancer screening. We aimed to describe their 1 attitudes toward low-dose lung computed tomography (LDCT screening, 2 current practices and experiences of LDCT screening and 3 attitudes and opinions towards national lung cancer screening program (NLCSP. We conducted a national web-based survey of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiological oncologists who are members of Korean Association for Lung Cancer (N = 183. Almost all respondents agreed that LDCT screening increases early detection (100%, improves survival (95.1%, and gives a good smoking cessation counseling opportunity (88.6%. Most were concerned about its high false positive results (79.8% and the subsequent negative effects. Less than half were concerned about radiation hazard (37.2%. Overall, most (89.1% believed that the benefits outweigh the risks and harms. Most (79.2% stated that they proactively recommend LDCT screening to those who are eligible for the current guidelines, but the screening propensity varied considerably. The majority (77.6% agreed with the idea of NLCSP and its beneficial effect, but had concerns about the quality control of CT devices (74.9%, quality assurance of radiologic interpretation (63.3%, poor access to LDCT (56.3%, and difficulties in selecting eligible population using self-report history (66.7%. Most (79.2% thought that program need to be funded by a specialized fund rather than by the National Health Insurance. The opinions on the level of copayment for screening varied. Our findings would be an important source for health policy decision when considering for NLCSP in Korea.

42 CFR 410.18 - Diabetes screening tests.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... screening tests. (a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: Diabetes... receive the benefit: (1) Hypertension. (2) Dyslipidemia. (3) Obesity, defined as a body mass index greater...

The effect of inspiration on airway dimensions measured in CT images from the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Jens; Wille, Mathilde; Thomsen, Laura

2013-01-01

of the same subject using image registration. Mixed effect models were used to predict the relative change in lumen diameter (LD) and wall thickness (WT) in airways of generation 0 (trachea) to 6 based on relative changes in the segmented total lung volume (TLV). Results: On average, 1.0, 2.0, 3.9, 7.6, 15...... and Materials: We selected from the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial 978 subjects without COPD who were scanned annually for 5 years with low-dose multi-slice CT. Using in-house developed software, the lungs and airways were automatically segmented and corresponding airway branches were found in all scans......Purpose: Airway dimensions measured from CT are increasingly being used to investigate diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, we investigate the effect of differences in inspiration level on such measurements in voluntary inspiration breathhold scans. Methods...

Low-dose CT screening in an Asian population with diverse risk for lung cancer: A retrospective cohort study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Chin A.; Lee, Kyung Soo; Shin, Myung-Hee; Cho, Yun Yung; Choi, Yoon-Ho; Kwon, O. Jung; Shin, Kyung Eun

2015-01-01

To evaluate the performance of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer (LCA) detection in an Asian population with diverse risks for LCA. LCA screening was performed in 12,427 symptomless Asian subjects using either LDCT (5,771) or chest radiography (CXR) (6,656) in a non-trial setting. Subjects were divided into high-risk and non-high-risk groups. Data were collected on the number of patients with screening-detected LCAs and their survival in order to compare outcomes between LDCT and CXR screening with the stratification of risks considering age, sex and smoking status. In the non-high-risk group, a significant difference was observed for the detection of lung cancer (adjusted OR, 5.07; 95 % CI, 2.72-9.45) and survival (adjusted HR of LCA survival between LDCT vs. CXR group, 0.08; 95 % CI, 0.01-0.62). No difference in detection or survival of LCA was noticed in the high-risk group. LCAs in the non-high-risk group were predominantly adenocarcinomas (96 %), and more likely to be part-solid or non-solid compared with those in the high-risk group (p = 0.023). In the non-high-risk group, LDCT helps detect more LCAs and offers better survival than CXR screening, due to better detection of part solid or non-solid lung adenocarcinomas. (orig.)

Low-dose CT screening in an Asian population with diverse risk for lung cancer: A retrospective cohort study

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Yi, Chin A. [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kyung Soo [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Myung-Hee; Cho, Yun Yung [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Yoon-Ho [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Center for Health Promotion, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, O. Jung [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Kyung Eun [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kyung Hee University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-15

To evaluate the performance of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer (LCA) detection in an Asian population with diverse risks for LCA. LCA screening was performed in 12,427 symptomless Asian subjects using either LDCT (5,771) or chest radiography (CXR) (6,656) in a non-trial setting. Subjects were divided into high-risk and non-high-risk groups. Data were collected on the number of patients with screening-detected LCAs and their survival in order to compare outcomes between LDCT and CXR screening with the stratification of risks considering age, sex and smoking status. In the non-high-risk group, a significant difference was observed for the detection of lung cancer (adjusted OR, 5.07; 95 % CI, 2.72-9.45) and survival (adjusted HR of LCA survival between LDCT vs. CXR group, 0.08; 95 % CI, 0.01-0.62). No difference in detection or survival of LCA was noticed in the high-risk group. LCAs in the non-high-risk group were predominantly adenocarcinomas (96 %), and more likely to be part-solid or non-solid compared with those in the high-risk group (p = 0.023). In the non-high-risk group, LDCT helps detect more LCAs and offers better survival than CXR screening, due to better detection of part solid or non-solid lung adenocarcinomas. (orig.)

HERCA WG Medical Applications / WP justification. Survey about the situation in Europe regarding the use of CT on asymptomatic individuals outside screening programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-06-01

In recent years, commercial services offering CT scans to individuals for the detection of lung, cardiac and colorectal disease has been reported in the USA and in some parts of Europe (e.g. Germany and the UK). Some of these private services are associated with aggressive advertisement and are in conflict with the general principle of justification. Faced with this situation, in July 2012, HERCA WG Medical Applications launched a survey about the situation in Europe regarding the use of CT on asymptomatic individuals outside screening programs for group 2.c. This document presents the results of the survey

False-positive Human Papillomavirus DNA tests in cervical screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rebolj, Matejka; Pribac, Igor; Lynge, Elsebeth

2011-01-01

Based on data from randomised controlled trials (RCT) on primary cervical screening, it has been reported that the problem of more frequent false-positive tests in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA screening compared to cytology could be overcome. However, these reports predominantly operated...

The relationship of cancer characteristics and patient outcome with time to lung cancer diagnosis after an abnormal screening CT

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Sonavane, Sushilkumar K.; Watts, Jubal; Singh, Satinder P.; Nath, Hrudaya [University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Medicine, Department of Radiology- Cardiopulmonary section, Birmingham, AL (United States); Pinsky, Paul [National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention, Bethesda, MD (United States); Gierada, David S. [Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, St. Louis, MO (United States); Munden, Reginald [Wake Forest School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Winston Salem, NC (United States)

2017-12-15

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated a reduction in lung cancer and all-cause mortality with low-dose CT (LDCT) screening. The aim of our study was to examine the time to diagnosis (TTD) of lung cancer in the LDCT arm of the NLST and assess its relationship with cancer characteristics and survival. The subjects (N = 462) with a positive baseline screen and subsequent lung cancer diagnosis within 3 years were evaluated by data and image review to confirm the baseline abnormality. The cases were analysed for the relationship between TTD and imaging features, cancer type, stage and survival for 7 years from baseline screen. Cancer was judged to be present at baseline in 397/462 cases. The factors that showed significant association (p value trend less than 0.05) with longer TTD included smaller nodule size, pure ground glass nodules (GGNs), smooth/lobulated margins, stages I/II, adenocarcinoma, and decreasing lung cancer mortality. The logistic regression model for lung cancer death showed significant inverse relationships with size less than 20 mm (OR = 0.32), pure GGNs (OR = 0.24), adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.57) and direct relationship with age (OR = 1.4). TTD after a positive LDCT screen in the NLST showed a strong association with imaging features, stage and mortality. (orig.)

The relationship of cancer characteristics and patient outcome with time to lung cancer diagnosis after an abnormal screening CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonavane, Sushilkumar K.; Watts, Jubal; Singh, Satinder P.; Nath, Hrudaya; Pinsky, Paul; Gierada, David S.; Munden, Reginald

2017-01-01

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated a reduction in lung cancer and all-cause mortality with low-dose CT (LDCT) screening. The aim of our study was to examine the time to diagnosis (TTD) of lung cancer in the LDCT arm of the NLST and assess its relationship with cancer characteristics and survival. The subjects (N = 462) with a positive baseline screen and subsequent lung cancer diagnosis within 3 years were evaluated by data and image review to confirm the baseline abnormality. The cases were analysed for the relationship between TTD and imaging features, cancer type, stage and survival for 7 years from baseline screen. Cancer was judged to be present at baseline in 397/462 cases. The factors that showed significant association (p value trend less than 0.05) with longer TTD included smaller nodule size, pure ground glass nodules (GGNs), smooth/lobulated margins, stages I/II, adenocarcinoma, and decreasing lung cancer mortality. The logistic regression model for lung cancer death showed significant inverse relationships with size less than 20 mm (OR = 0.32), pure GGNs (OR = 0.24), adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.57) and direct relationship with age (OR = 1.4). TTD after a positive LDCT screen in the NLST showed a strong association with imaging features, stage and mortality. (orig.)

Variation in the quality of CT images of the upper abdomen when CT automatic exposure control is employed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, Isao; Muramatsu, Yoshihisa; Nomura, Keiichi; Shimizu, Fuminori

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the reason for variation of image quality in the upper abdomen CT with the use of CT-automatic exposure control (AEC). The CT investigated was 3D modulation in the 16 multi detector row CT (MDCT) and lung cancer screening CT (LSCT) phantom was used to simulate the patient. When there was a phase difference, an image noise increase of around 15% at the maximum was accepted. It is concluded that the major reason for variation in image quality is respiratory motion and the importance of respiration control must be recognized. (author)

Psychosocial consequences in the Danish randomised controlled lung cancer screening trial (DLCST).

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Jakob F; Siersma, V; Pedersen, J H; Brodersen, J

2015-01-01

To measure the psychosocial consequences in the Danish lung cancer screening trial (DLCST) and compare those between the computed tomography (CT) group and the control group. This study was a single centre randomised controlled trial with five annual screening rounds. Healthy current or former heavy smokers aged 50-70 years (men and women) were randomised 1:1 to a CT group and a control group. Heavy smokers were defined by having smoked ≥20 pack years and former smokers by being abstinent ≤10 years. Both groups were invited annually to the screening clinic to complete the validated lung-cancer-specific questionnaire consequences of screening lung cancer (COS-LC). The CT group was also offered a low dose CT scan of the lungs. The COS-LC measures nine scales with psychosocial properties: Anxiety, Behaviour, Dejection, Negative impact on sleep, Self-blame, Focus on Airway Symptoms, Stigmatisation, Introvert, and Harm of Smoking. 4104 participants were randomised to the DLCST and the COS-LC completion rates for the CT group and the control group were 95.5% and 73.6%, respectively. There was a significant increase in negative psychosocial consequences from baseline through rounds 2-5 for both the CT group and the control group (mean increase >0, p0 and p<.033). Lung cancer CT-screening trials induced more negative psychosocial reactions in both the CT group and the control group compared with the baseline psychosocial profile. The CT group experienced less negative psychosocial consequences compared with the control group, which might be explained by reassurance among those with normal screening results. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00496977. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

No psychological distress in sportsmen aged 45 years and older after cardiovascular screening, including cardiac CT : The Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular events (MARC) study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schurink, M. M.; Braber, T. L.; Prakken, N. H. J.; Doevendans, P. A. F. M.; Backx, F. J. G.; Grobbee, D. E.; Rienks, R.; Nathoe, H. M.; Bots, M. L.; Velthuis, B. K.; Mosterd, A.

Background Psychological distress caused by cardiovascular pre-participation screening (PPS) may be a reason not to implement a PPS program. We assessed the psychological impact of PPS, including cardiac computed tomography (CT), in 318 asymptomatic sportsmen aged >= 45 years. Methods Coronary

Age determination of subdural hematomas with CT and MRI: A systematic review

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Sieswerda-Hoogendoorn, Tessa, E-mail: t.sieswerda@amc.nl [Section of Forensic Pediatrics, Department of Forensic Medicine, Netherlands Forensic Institute, PO Box 24044, 2490 AA The Hague (Netherlands); Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center/Emma Children' s Hospital, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Postema, Floor A.M., E-mail: f.a.postema@amc.nl [Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Verbaan, Dagmar, E-mail: d.verbaan@amc.nl [Department of Neurosurgery, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Majoie, Charles B., E-mail: c.b.majoie@amc.nl [Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center/Emma Children' s Hospital, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands); Rijn, Rick R. van, E-mail: r.r.vanrijn@amc.nl [Section of Forensic Pediatrics, Department of Forensic Medicine, Netherlands Forensic Institute, PO Box 24044, 2490 AA The Hague (Netherlands); Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center/Emma Children' s Hospital, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2014-07-15

Objectives: To systematically review the literature on dating subdural hematomas (SDHs) on CT and MRI scans. Methods: We performed a systematic review in MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane to search for articles that described the appearance of SDHs on CT or MRI in relation to time between trauma and scanning. Two researchers independently screened the articles, assessed methodological quality and performed data extraction. Medians with interquartile ranges were calculated. Differences were tested with a Mann–Whitney U or Kruskal–Wallis H test. Results: We included 22 studies describing 973 SDHs on CT and 4 studies describing 83 SDHs on MRI. Data from 17 studies (413 SDHs) could be pooled. There were significant differences between time intervals for the different densities on CT (p < 0.001). Time interval differed significantly between children and adults for iso- and hypodensity (p = 0.000) and hyperdensity (p = 0.046). Time interval did not differ significantly between abused and non-abused children. On MRI, time intervals for different signal intensities on T1 and T2 did not differ significantly (p = 0.108 and p = 0.194, respectively). Conclusions: Most time intervals of the different appearances of SDHs on CT and MRI are broad and overlapping. Therefore CT or MRI findings cannot be used to accurately date SDHs.

Age determination of subdural hematomas with CT and MRI: A systematic review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieswerda-Hoogendoorn, Tessa; Postema, Floor A.M.; Verbaan, Dagmar; Majoie, Charles B.; Rijn, Rick R. van

2014-01-01

Objectives: To systematically review the literature on dating subdural hematomas (SDHs) on CT and MRI scans. Methods: We performed a systematic review in MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane to search for articles that described the appearance of SDHs on CT or MRI in relation to time between trauma and scanning. Two researchers independently screened the articles, assessed methodological quality and performed data extraction. Medians with interquartile ranges were calculated. Differences were tested with a Mann–Whitney U or Kruskal–Wallis H test. Results: We included 22 studies describing 973 SDHs on CT and 4 studies describing 83 SDHs on MRI. Data from 17 studies (413 SDHs) could be pooled. There were significant differences between time intervals for the different densities on CT (p < 0.001). Time interval differed significantly between children and adults for iso- and hypodensity (p = 0.000) and hyperdensity (p = 0.046). Time interval did not differ significantly between abused and non-abused children. On MRI, time intervals for different signal intensities on T1 and T2 did not differ significantly (p = 0.108 and p = 0.194, respectively). Conclusions: Most time intervals of the different appearances of SDHs on CT and MRI are broad and overlapping. Therefore CT or MRI findings cannot be used to accurately date SDHs

Testing the Distance-Duality Relation in the Rh = ct Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, J.; Wang, F. Y.

2018-04-01

In this paper, we test the cosmic distance duality (CDD) relation using the luminosity distances from joint light-curve analysis (JLA) type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) sample and angular diameter distance sample from galaxy clusters. The Rh = ct and ΛCDM models are considered. In order to compare the two models, we constrain the CCD relation and the SNe Ia light-curve parameters simultaneously. Considering the effects of Hubble constant, we find that η ≡ DA(1 + z)2/DL = 1 is valid at the 2σ confidence level in both models with H0 = 67.8 ± 0.9 km/s/Mpc. However, the CDD relation is valid at 3σ confidence level with H0 = 73.45 ± 1.66 km/s/Mpc. Using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), we find that the ΛCDM model is very strongly preferred over the Rh = ct model with these data sets for the CDD relation test.

Appearances of screen-detected versus symptomatic colorectal cancers at CT colonography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plumb, Andrew A.; Pathiraja, Fiona; Taylor, Stuart A.; Halligan, Steve; Nickerson, Claire; Wooldrage, Katherine; Atkin, Wendy S.; Burling, David

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the morphology, radiological stage, conspicuity, and computer-assisted detection (CAD) characteristics of colorectal cancers (CRC) detected by computed tomographic colonography (CTC) in screening and symptomatic populations. Two radiologists independently analyzed CTC images from 133 patients diagnosed with CRC in (a) two randomized trials of symptomatic patients (35 patients with 36 tumours) and (b) a screening program using fecal occult blood testing (FOBt; 98 patients with 100 tumours), measuring tumour length, volume, morphology, radiological stage, and subjective conspicuity. A commercial CAD package was applied to both datasets. We compared CTC characteristics between screening and symptomatic populations with multivariable regression. Screen-detected CRC were significantly smaller (mean 3.0 vs 4.3 cm, p < 0.001), of lower volume (median 9.1 vs 23.2 cm 3 , p < 0.001) and more frequently polypoid (34/100, 34 % vs. 5/36, 13.9 %, p = 0.02) than symptomatic CRC. They were of earlier stage than symptomatic tumours (OR = 0.17, 95 %CI 0.07-0.41, p < 0.001), and were judged as significantly less conspicuous (mean conspicuity 54.1/100 vs. 72.8/100, p < 0.001). CAD detection was significantly lower for screen-detected (77.4 %; 95 %CI 67.9-84.7 %) than symptomatic CRC (96.9 %; 95 %CI 83.8-99.4 %, p = 0.02). Screen-detected CRC are significantly smaller, more frequently polypoid, subjectively less conspicuous, and less likely to be identified by CAD than those in symptomatic patients. (orig.)

Appearances of screen-detected versus symptomatic colorectal cancers at CT colonography

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Plumb, Andrew A.; Pathiraja, Fiona; Taylor, Stuart A.; Halligan, Steve [University College London, Centre for Medical Imaging, London (United Kingdom); Nickerson, Claire [Fulwood House, Public Health England, Sheffield (United Kingdom); Wooldrage, Katherine; Atkin, Wendy S. [Imperial College London, Department of Surgery and Cancer, London (United Kingdom); Burling, David [St Mark' s Hospital, Intestinal Imaging Centre, Harrow (United Kingdom)

2016-12-15

The aim of this study was to compare the morphology, radiological stage, conspicuity, and computer-assisted detection (CAD) characteristics of colorectal cancers (CRC) detected by computed tomographic colonography (CTC) in screening and symptomatic populations. Two radiologists independently analyzed CTC images from 133 patients diagnosed with CRC in (a) two randomized trials of symptomatic patients (35 patients with 36 tumours) and (b) a screening program using fecal occult blood testing (FOBt; 98 patients with 100 tumours), measuring tumour length, volume, morphology, radiological stage, and subjective conspicuity. A commercial CAD package was applied to both datasets. We compared CTC characteristics between screening and symptomatic populations with multivariable regression. Screen-detected CRC were significantly smaller (mean 3.0 vs 4.3 cm, p < 0.001), of lower volume (median 9.1 vs 23.2 cm{sup 3}, p < 0.001) and more frequently polypoid (34/100, 34 % vs. 5/36, 13.9 %, p = 0.02) than symptomatic CRC. They were of earlier stage than symptomatic tumours (OR = 0.17, 95 %CI 0.07-0.41, p < 0.001), and were judged as significantly less conspicuous (mean conspicuity 54.1/100 vs. 72.8/100, p < 0.001). CAD detection was significantly lower for screen-detected (77.4 %; 95 %CI 67.9-84.7 %) than symptomatic CRC (96.9 %; 95 %CI 83.8-99.4 %, p = 0.02). Screen-detected CRC are significantly smaller, more frequently polypoid, subjectively less conspicuous, and less likely to be identified by CAD than those in symptomatic patients. (orig.)

A Web-Based Respondent Driven Sampling Pilot Targeting Young People at Risk for Chlamydia Trachomatis in Social and Sexual Networks with Testing: A Use Evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Theunissen, Kevin; Hoebe, Christian; Kok, Gerjo; Crutzen, Rik; Kara-Zaïtri, Chakib; de Vries, Nanne; van Bergen, Jan; Hamilton, Robert; van der Sande, Marianne; Dukers-Muijrers, Nicole

2015-01-01

With the aim of targeting high-risk hidden heterosexual young people for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) testing, an innovative web-based screening strategy using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) and home-based CT testing, was developed, piloted and evaluated. Two STI clinic nurses encouraged 37 CT

Combining automatic tube current modulation with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for low-dose chest CT screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiang-Hong; Jin, Er-Hu; He, Wen; Zhao, Li-Qin

2014-01-01

To reduce radiation dose while maintaining image quality in low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) by combining adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and automatic tube current modulation (ATCM). Patients undergoing cancer screening (n = 200) were subjected to 64-slice multidetector chest CT scanning with ASIR and ATCM. Patients were divided into groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 (n = 50 each), with a noise index (NI) of 15, 20, 30, and 40, respectively. Each image set was reconstructed with 4 ASIR levels (0% ASIR, 30% ASIR, 50% ASIR, and 80% ASIR) in each group. Two radiologists assessed subjective image noise, image artifacts, and visibility of the anatomical structures. Objective image noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured, and effective dose (ED) was recorded. Increased NI was associated with increased subjective and objective image noise results (PASIR levels (PASIR had average subjective image noise scores and nearly average anatomical structure visibility scores, with a mean objective image noise of 23.42 HU. The EDs for groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 2.79 ± 1.17, 1.69 ± 0.59, 0.74 ± 0.29, and 0.37 ± 0.22 mSv, respectively. Compared to group 1 (NI = 15), the ED reductions were 39.43%, 73.48%, and 86.74% for groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Using NI = 30 with 50% ASIR in the chest CT protocol, we obtained average or above-average image quality but a reduced ED.

Advances in prenatal screening for Down syndrome: II first trimester testing, integrated testing, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Benn, Peter A

2002-10-01

The acceptability of prenatal screening and diagnosis of Down syndrome is dependent, in part, on the gestational age at which the testing is offered. First trimester screening could be advantageous if it has sufficient efficacy and can be effectively delivered. Two first trimester maternal serum screening markers, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), are useful for identifying women at increased risk for fetal Down syndrome. In addition, measurement of an enlarged thickness of the subcutaneous fluid-filled space at the back of the neck of the developing fetus (referred to as nuchal translucency or NT) has been demonstrated to be an indicator for these high-risk pregnancies. When these three parameters are combined, estimates for Down syndrome efficacy exceed those currently attainable in the second trimester. Women who are screen-positive in the first trimester can elect to receive cytogenetic testing of a chorionic villus biopsy. The first trimester tests could also, theoretically, be combined with the second trimester maternal serum screening tests (integrated screening) to obtain even higher levels of efficacy. There are, however, several practical limitations to first trimester and integrated screening. These include scheduling of testing within relatively narrow gestational age intervals, availability of appropriately trained ultrasonographers for NT measurement, risks associated with chorionic villus biopsy, and costs. There is also increasing evidence that an enlarged NT measurement is indicative of a high risk for spontaneous abortion and for fetal abnormalities that are not detectable by cytogenetic analysis. Women whose fetuses show enlarged NT, therefore, need first trimester counseling regarding their Down syndrome risks and the possibility of other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Follow-up ultrasound and fetal echocardiography in the second trimester are also indicated. First trimester

CT and PET-CT of a Dog with Multiple Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

KIM, Jisun; KWON, Seong Young; CENA, Rohani; PARK, Seungjo; OH, Juyeon; OUI, Heejin; CHO, Kyoung-Oh; MIN, Jung-Joon; CHOI, Jihye

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT A 10-year-old, intact female Yorkshire terrier had multiple pulmonary nodules on thoracic radiography and ultrasonography with no lesions elsewhere. Computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) were performed to identify metastasis and undetected primary tumors. On CT examination, pulmonary nodules had a hypoattenuating center with thin peripheral enhancement, suggesting ischemic or necrotizing lesion. In PET-CT at 47 min after intravenous injection of 11.1 MBq/kg of FDG, the maximum standardized uptake value of each pulmonary nodule was about from 3.8 to 6.4. There were no abnormal lesions except for four pulmonary nodules on the CT and PET-CT. Primary lung tumor was tentatively diagnosed, and palliative therapy using 2 mg/kg tramadol and 2.2 mg/kg carprofen twice per day was applied. After the dog’s euthanasia due to deteriorated clinical signs and poor prognosis, undifferentiated pulmonary adenocarcinoma was diagnosed through histopathologic and immunochemistry examination. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of CT and PET-CT features of canine pulmonary adenocarcinoma. In this case, multiple pulmonary adenocarcinoma could be determined on the basis of FDG PET-CT through screening the obvious distant metastasis and/or lymph node invasions and excluding unknown primary tumors. PMID:24389742

Estimation of diagnostic performance of dementia screening tests: Mini-Mental State Examination, Mini-Cog, Clock Drawing test and Ascertain Dementia 8 questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Li; Yan, Jing; Jin, Xiaoqing; Jin, Yu; Yu, Wei; Xu, Shanhu; Wu, Haibin; Xu, Ying; Liu, Caixia

2017-05-09

Dementia is one of the leading causes of dependence in the elderly. This study was conducted to estimate diagnostic performance of dementia screening tests including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Mini-Cog, Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and Ascertain Dementia 8 questionnaire (AD8) by Bayesian models. A total of 2015 participants aged 65 years or more in eastern China were enrolled. The four screening tests were administered and scored by specifically trained psychiatrists. The prior information of sensitivity and specificity of every screening test was updated via Bayes' theorem to a posterior distribution. Then the results were compared with the estimation based on National Institute of Aging-Alzheimer's Association criteria (NIA-AA). The diagnostic characteristics of Mini-Cog, including sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, especially the Youden index, performed well, even better than the combinations of several screening tests. The Mini-Cog with excellent screening characteristics, spending less time, could be considered to be used as a screening test to help to screen patients with cognitive impairment or dementia early. And Bayesian method was shown to be a suitable tool for evaluating dementia screening tests. The Mini-Cog with excellent screening characteristics, spending less time, could be considered to be used as a screening test to help to screen patients with cognitive impairment or dementia early. And Bayesian method was shown to be a suitable tool for evaluating dementia screening tests.

Self-Sampling for Human Papillomavirus Testing: Increased Cervical Cancer Screening Participation and Incorporation in International Screening Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Sarah; Palmer, Christina; Bik, Elisabeth M.; Cardenas, Juan P.; Nuñez, Harold; Kraal, Laurens; Bird, Sara W.; Bowers, Jennie; Smith, Alison; Walton, Nathaniel A.; Goddard, Audrey D.; Almonacid, Daniel E.; Zneimer, Susan; Richman, Jessica; Apte, Zachary S.

2018-01-01

In most industrialized countries, screening programs for cervical cancer have shifted from cytology (Pap smear or ThinPrep) alone on clinician-obtained samples to the addition of screening for human papillomavirus (HPV), its main causative agent. For HPV testing, self-sampling instead of clinician-sampling has proven to be equally accurate, in particular for assays that use nucleic acid amplification techniques. In addition, HPV testing of self-collected samples in combination with a follow-up Pap smear in case of a positive result is more effective in detecting precancerous lesions than a Pap smear alone. Self-sampling for HPV testing has already been adopted by some countries, while others have started trials to evaluate its incorporation into national cervical cancer screening programs. Self-sampling may result in more individuals willing to participate in cervical cancer screening, because it removes many of the barriers that prevent women, especially those in low socioeconomic and minority populations, from participating in regular screening programs. Several studies have shown that the majority of women who have been underscreened but who tested HPV-positive in a self-obtained sample will visit a clinic for follow-up diagnosis and management. In addition, a self-collected sample can also be used for vaginal microbiome analysis, which can provide additional information about HPV infection persistence as well as vaginal health in general. PMID:29686981

Performance of an automatic dose control system for CT. Specifications and basic phantom tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagel, H.D. [Wissenschaft und Technik fuer die Radiolgoe, Dr. HD Nagel, Buchholz (Germany); Stumpp, P.; Kahn, T.; Gosch, D. [Universitaetsklinikum Leipzig (Germany). Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie

2011-01-15

Purpose: To assess the performance and to provide more detailed insight into the characteristics and limitations of devices for automatic dose control (ADC) in CT. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive study on DoseRight 2.0, the ADC system provided by Philips for its Brilliance CT scanners, was conducted. Phantom tests were carried out on a 64-slice scanner (Brilliance 64) using assorted quality control (QC) phantoms that allowed verification of the basic specifications. If feasible, the findings were verified by model calculations based on known specifications. Results: For all tests, the dose reductions and modulation characteristics fully met the values expected from the specifications. Adverse effects due to increased image noise were only moderate as a result of the 'adequate noise system' design that employs comparatively gentle modulation, and the additional use of adaptive filtration. Conclusion: Simple tests with QC phantoms allow evaluation of the most relevant characteristics of devices for ADC in CT. (orig.)

Value of Virtual Colonoscopy with 64 Row CT in Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaleska-Dorobisz, Urszula; Łasecki, Mateusz; Nienartowicz, Ewa; Pelak, Joanna; Słonina, Joanna; Olchowy, Cyprian; Ścieżka, Marek; Sąsiadek, Marek

2014-01-01

Virtual colonoscopy (VC) enables three-dimensional view of walls and internal lumen of the colon as a result of reconstruction of multislice CT images. The role of VC in diagnosis of the colon abnormalities systematically increases, and in many medical centers all over the world is carried out as a screening test of patients with high risk of colorectal cancer. We analyzed results of virtual colonoscopy of 360 patients with clinical suspicion of colorectal cancer. Sensitivity and specificity of CT colonoscopy for detection of colon cancers and polyps were assessed. Results of our research have shown high diagnostic efficiency of CT colonoscopy in detection of focal lesions in large intestine of 10 mm or more diameter. Sensitivity was 85.7%, specificity 89.2%. Virtual colonoscopy is noninvasive and well tolerated by patients imaging method, which permits for early detection of the large intestine lesions with specificity and sensitivity similar to classical colonoscopy in screening exams in patients suspected for colorectal cancer. Good preparation of the patients for the examination is very important for proper diagnosis and interpretation of this imaginge procedure

Quantification of Aortic Valve Calcifications Detected During Lung Cancer-Screening CT Helps Stratify Subjects Necessitating Echocardiography for Aortic Stenosis Diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hee Young; Kim, Sung Mok; Lee, Kyung Soo; Park, Seung Woo; Chung, Myung Jin; Cho, Hyoun; Jung, Jung Im; Jang, Hye Won; Jung, Sin-Ho; Goo, Juna

2016-05-01

No study has been published on aortic valve calcification (AVC) extent at lung cancer screening low-dose CT (LDCT) and its relationship with aortic stenosis (AS). The purpose of this study was to estimate the cutoff value of AVC on LDCT for detecting AS in asymptomatic Asian subjects. Six thousand three hundred thirty-eight subjects (mean age, 55.9 years ± 8.6) self-referred to health-promotion center underwent LDCT, coronary calcium scoring CT (CSCT), and echocardiography. AVC was quantified using Agatston methods on CT. AVC extent on LDCT was compared with that on CSCT, and AVC threshold for diagnosing AS was calculated. Clinical factors associated with AS and AVC were sought.AVC was observed in 403 subjects (64.9 years ± 8.7) on LDCT (6.4%), and AVC score measured from LDCT showed strong positive correlation with that from CSCT (r = 0.83, P AVC score for detecting AS was 138.37 with sensitivity of 90.0% and specificity 83.2%. On multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.09-1.12) and hypertension (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.10-1.76) were associated with the presence of AVC, whereas AVC extent at LDCT (OR = 104.32, 95% CI: 16.16-673.70) was the only significant clinical factor associated with AS; AVC extent on LDCT (OR = 104.32, 95% CI: 16.16-673.70) was the significant clinical factor associated with AS.The AVC extent on LDCT is significantly related to the presence of AS, and we recommend echocardiography for screening AS based on quantified AVC values on LDCT.

77 FR 4544 - CPSC Symposium on Phthalates Screening and Testing Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-30

... Screening and Testing Methods AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The... symposium on phthalates screening and testing methods. The symposium will be held at the CPSC's National... submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2012-0008, by any of the following methods: Electronic...

Potential role of {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in screening for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasad, Vikas; Brenner, Winfried [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin (Germany); Tiling, Nikolaus; Ploeckinger, Ursula [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Interdisziplinaeren Stoffwechsel-Centrum, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Berlin (Germany); Denecke, Timm [Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Department of Radiology, Berlin (Germany)

2016-10-15

Neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas (pNET) are observed in 8 - 17 % of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (vHLD), and 11 - 20 % of these patients develop metastatic disease. MRI and CT have a very high resolution; however, their sensitivity and specificity for the detection of pNET amongst cystic lesions in the pancreas of vHLD patients are generally considered insufficient. In contrast, {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT demonstrates a high sensitivity for the diagnosis and staging of neuroendocrine tumours. In this study we investigated the potential role of {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in screening of patients with vHLD. {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET/three-phase contrast-enhanced CT was performed according to guidelines in all consecutive vHLD patients between January 2012 and November 2015. All patients underwent additional MRI imaging of the abdomen, spine, and head. Chromogranin A (CgA) was determined at the time of the PET/CT examination. A lesion seen on {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET in the pancreas was defined as positive if the uptake was visually higher than in the surrounding tissues. Lesions were quantified using maximum SUV. Overall, 20 patients (8 men, 12 women; mean age 44.7 ± 11.1 years) were prospectively examined. Genetically, 12 patients had type 1 vHLD and 8 had type 2 vHLD. {sup 68}Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT detected more pNET than morphological imaging (CT or MRI): 11 patients (55 %; 8 type 1, 3 type 2) vs. 9 patients (45 %; 6 type 1, 3 type 2). The concentration of CgA was mildly elevated in 2 of 11 patients with pNET. The mean SUVmax of the pancreatic lesions was 18.9 ± 21.9 (range 5.0 - 65.6). Four patients (36.4 %) had multiple pNETs. The mean size of the lesions on CT and/or MRI was 10.4 ± 8.3 mm (range 4 - 38 mm), and 41.1 % were larger than 10 mm. In addition, somatostatin receptor-positive cerebellar and spinal haemangioblastomas were detected in three patients (SUVmax 2.1 - 10.1). One patient presented with a solitary somatostatin receptor-positive lymph

WE-D-207-01: Background and Clinical Implementation of a Screening Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aberle, D.

2015-01-01

In the United States, Lung Cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than the next four cancers combined. In addition, the 5 year survival rate for lung cancer patients has not improved over the past 40 to 50 years. To combat this deadly disease, in 2002 the National Cancer Institute launched a very large Randomized Control Trial called the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). This trial would randomize subjects who had substantial risk of lung cancer (due to age and smoking history) into either a Chest X-ray arm or a low dose CT arm. In November 2010, the National Cancer Institute announced that the NLST had demonstrated 20% fewer lung cancer deaths among those who were screened with low-dose CT than with chest X-ray. In December 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended the use of Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT and a little over a year later (Feb. 2015), CMS announced that Medicare would also cover Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT. Thus private and public insurers are required to provide Lung Cancer Screening programs using CT to the appropriate population(s). The purpose of this Symposium is to inform medical physicists and prepare them to support the implementation of Lung Screening programs. This Symposium will focus on the clinical aspects of lung cancer screening, requirements of a screening registry for systematically capturing and tracking screening patients and results (such as required Medicare data elements) as well as the role of the medical physicist in screening programs, including the development of low dose CT screening protocols. Learning Objectives: To understand the clinical basis and clinical components of a lung cancer screening program, including eligibility criteria and other requirements. To understand the data collection requirements, workflow, and informatics infrastructure needed to support the tracking and reporting components of a screening program. To understand the role of the medical physicist in

Opportunistic screening for osteoporosis by routine CT in Southern Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Alacreu, Elena; Moratal, David; Arana, Estanislao

2017-03-01

Feasibility evaluation of early detection of osteoporosis in oncologic patients by bone mineral density (BMD) on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans performed for other clinical indications, by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference. Abdominal CT images can identify patients with osteoporosis BMD without additional radiation exposure or cost. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of early detection of osteoporosis by bone mineral density (BMD) on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans performed in oncologic patients, comparing calibrated and uncalibrated measurements by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference. We also performed an external validation of a threshold of 160 Hounsfield units (HU), proposed as highly sensitive. Cohort comprised CT-DXA pairs within a 6-month period performed for any indication on 326 consecutive adults, aged 62.4 ± 12.38 years (mean ± standard deviation). CT attenuation of trabecular bone in HU was measured at the axial cross sections of L1, L2, L3, and L4 vertebrae. Vertebral compression fractures were assessed by sagittal reconstruction view. Diagnostic performance measures and the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) for diagnosing osteoporosis were calculated. BMD values were statistical significantly lower at any vertebral level from L1 to L4 for patients with osteoporosis defined by DXA (p < 0.001). Calibrated and uncalibrated BMD values were significantly correlated (R 2  = 0.833, p < 0.01). An uncalibrated L1 CT attenuation threshold of 160 HU was more than 90 % sensitive, and a threshold of 73 HU was more than 90 % specific for distinguishing osteoporosis BMD. Fifty-nine percent of patients with vertebral compression fracture had non-osteoporotic DXA T-scores. Abdominal CT images obtained for other reasons can identify patients with osteoporosis BMD without additional radiation exposure or cost. Uncalibrated values at L1 can

The Lung Screen Uptake Trial (LSUT): protocol for a randomised controlled demonstration lung cancer screening pilot testing a targeted invitation strategy for high risk and 'hard-to-reach' patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Quaife, Samantha L; Ruparel, Mamta; Beeken, Rebecca J; McEwen, Andy; Isitt, John; Nolan, Gary; Sennett, Karen; Baldwin, David R; Duffy, Stephen W; Janes, Samuel M; Wardle, Jane

2016-04-20

Participation in low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening offered in the trial context has been poor, especially among smokers from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds; a group for whom the risk-benefit ratio is improved due to their high risk of lung cancer. Attracting high risk participants is essential to the success and equity of any future screening programme. This study will investigate whether the observed low and biased uptake of screening can be improved using a targeted invitation strategy. A randomised controlled trial design will be used to test whether targeted invitation materials are effective at improving engagement with an offer of lung cancer screening for high risk candidates. Two thousand patients aged 60-75 and recorded as a smoker within the last five years by their GP, will be identified from primary care records and individually randomised to receive either intervention invitation materials (which take a targeted, stepped and low burden approach to information provision prior to the appointment) or control invitation materials. The primary outcome is uptake of a nurse-led 'lung health check' hospital appointment, during which patients will be offered a spirometry test, an exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) reading, and an LDCT if eligible. Initial data on demographics (i.e. age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation score) and smoking status will be collected in primary care and analysed to explore differences between attenders and non-attenders with respect to invitation group. Those who attend the lung health check will have further data on smoking collected during their appointment (including pack-year history, nicotine dependence and confidence to quit). Secondary outcomes will include willingness to be screened, uptake of LDCT and measures of informed decision-making to ensure the latter is not compromised by either invitation strategy. If effective at improving informed uptake of screening and reducing bias in participation, this invitation

The clinical utility of HPV DNA testing in cervical cancer screening strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatla, Neerja; Moda, Nidhi

2009-09-01

Cervical cancer continues to be the commonest cause of death among women in developing countries, largely due to the failure to the inability to sustain effective cytology-based screening programs. While this burden may come down following implementation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, screening will still be required. HPV DNA testing is a promising new technology for cervical cancer prevention and is the most reproducible of all cervical cancer screening tests. Presently, the two assays most widely used for the detection of genital types are the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Hybrid Capture 2 assays (hc2). Rapid, affordable tests are expected to be available soon. HPV DNA testing can be used in a variety of clinical scenarios that include primary screening in women older than 30 yr; as an adjunctive test to cytology; in the triage of women with an equivocal cytologic report, e.g., ASC-US; or for follow-up post-treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). HPV DNA testing can also be performed on self-collected samples, which allows screening in remote areas and also in women who refuse gynecologic examination.

A clinical comparison between Technegas SPECT, CT, and pulmonary function tests in patients with emphysema

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, Katashi; Nakano, Satoru; Tanabe, Masatada

1997-01-01

Pulmonary emphysema can be easily diagnosed by X-ray CT (CT) as low attenuation areas. Recently 99m Tc Technegas has been used for ventilation scintigraphy. The present study was undertaken to assess the usefulness of SPECT images using Technegas scintigraphy and CT, as compared with pulmonary function tests in patients with pulmonary emphysema. Fifteen patients were examined. We classified and defined the score according to the findings of Technegas scintigraphy (Technegas) images into four grades, from Score 0 to Score 3, and those of CT into five grades, from Score 0 to Score 4, both from normal to severe. The right lung was divided into nine segments, and the left into eight. To obtain the average of the entire lung, the total score from both lungs was divided by 17. These average scores in for SPECT and CT were compared with the results of pulmonary function tests. The average score of Technegas correlated well with % forced expiratory volume in one second (%FEV 1.0 ) (r=0.87), and forced expiratory volume in one second % (FEV 1.0 %) (r=0.83). These results were better than those provided by CT. The average scores of the upper and lower lung fields were also calculated. The score in the upper lung field was higher than that in the lower field. Technegas can assess ventilation impairment in pulmonary emphysema more easily than CT, especially in the upper lung field. (author)

CT colonography in faecal occult blood test positives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liedenbaum, M.H.

2010-01-01

CT colonography is a non-invasive imaging technique to visualise the colon. The colon is insufflated with CO2 or air and a CT-scan of the abdomen is performed. The performance of CT colonography is nearly equal to that of colonoscopy in the detection of large colonic polyps and carcinomas. This

Alkaline phosphatase as a screening test for osteomalacia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chinoy, Muhammad Amin; Javed, Muhammad Imran; Khan, Alamzeb; Sadruddin, Nooruddin

2011-01-01

Vitamin D deficiency remains common in children and adults in Pakistan despite adequate sunlight exposure. Diagnosis in adults is usually delayed and is made following pathological fractures that result in significant morbidity. The objective of this study was to see whether Serum Alkaline Phosphatase levels could be used as a screening test for osteomalacia. The Study was conducted at Fatima Hospital, Baqai Medical University, Gadap, Karachi, between July 2002 and June 2005. Serum calcium levels are commonly used to screen patients suspected of osteomalacia, and raised serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP) is considered a diagnostic finding. We used SALP to screen patients who presented with back or non-specific aches and pain of more than six months duration. Three hundred thirty-four (334) patients were screened of which 116 (35%) had raised SALP. Osteomalacia was diagnosed in 92 (79.3%) of these 116 either by plain radiographs, bone biopsy or isotope bone scan. Fifty-four (53.4%) of the 101 cases had a normal level of serum calcium. Osteomalacia is likely to be missed if only serum calcium is used to screen patients. Serum Alkaline Phosphate should be used as the preferred method for screening these patients.

Perceived effectiveness of HPV test as a primary screening modality among US providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Crystale Purvis; Saraiya, Mona

2015-09-01

The human papillomavirus (HPV) test, administered alone without the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, was recently recognized as a cervical cancer screening option in the United States by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved an HPV test for primary screening. Surveys of US internists, family practitioners, nurse practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists were conducted in 2009 and 2012 to investigate providers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the HPV test administered alone as a population-based screening modality (2009: N=1040, 141-494 per provider group; 2012: N=1039, 155-435 per provider group). The majority in each provider group agreed that the HPV test administered alone is an effective screening modality in 2009 (75.3%-86.1%) and 2012 (79.5%-91.8%), and agreement rose significantly during this time period among family practitioners (χ(2)=15.26, df=1, ptest administered alone is an effective cervical cancer screening modality was widespread among providers in both 2009 and 2012, however implementation of guidelines for screening with the HPV test may be influenced by many other factors including reimbursement and patient preferences. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lung cancer screening: Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyea Young

2015-01-01

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide as well as in Korea. A recent National Lung Screening Trial in U.S. revealed that low-dose CT (LDCT) screening reduced lung cancer specific mortality by 20% in high risk individuals as compared to chest radiograph screening. Based on this evidence, several expert societies in U.S. and Korean multisociety collaborative committee developed guidelines for recommendation of lung cancer screening using annual LDCT in high risk populations. In most of the societies high risk groups are defined as persons aged 55 to 74 years, who are current smokers with history of smoking of more than 30 packs per year or ex-smokers, who quit smoking up to 15 or more years ago. The benefits of LDCT screening are modestly higher than the harms in high risk individuals. The harms included a high rate of false-positive findings, over-diagnosis and radiation-related deaths. Invasive diagnostic procedure due to false positive findings may lead to complications. LDCT should be performed in qualified hospitals and interpreted by expert radiologists. Recently, the American College of Radiology released the current version of Lung cancer CT screening Reporting and Data Systems. Education and actions to stop smoking must be offered to current smokers

Lung cancer screening: Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyea Young [Dept. of Radiology, Center for Lung Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

2015-09-15

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide as well as in Korea. A recent National Lung Screening Trial in U.S. revealed that low-dose CT (LDCT) screening reduced lung cancer specific mortality by 20% in high risk individuals as compared to chest radiograph screening. Based on this evidence, several expert societies in U.S. and Korean multisociety collaborative committee developed guidelines for recommendation of lung cancer screening using annual LDCT in high risk populations. In most of the societies high risk groups are defined as persons aged 55 to 74 years, who are current smokers with history of smoking of more than 30 packs per year or ex-smokers, who quit smoking up to 15 or more years ago. The benefits of LDCT screening are modestly higher than the harms in high risk individuals. The harms included a high rate of false-positive findings, over-diagnosis and radiation-related deaths. Invasive diagnostic procedure due to false positive findings may lead to complications. LDCT should be performed in qualified hospitals and interpreted by expert radiologists. Recently, the American College of Radiology released the current version of Lung cancer CT screening Reporting and Data Systems. Education and actions to stop smoking must be offered to current smokers.

CT screening for lung cancer: Frequency of enlarged adrenal glands identified in baseline and annual repeat rounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Minxia [Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Capital Medical University, Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Beijing (China); Yip, Rowena; Yankelevitz, David Y.; Henschke, Claudia I. [Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States)

2016-12-15

To determine the frequency of adrenal enlargement of participants in a CT-screening program for lung cancer and demonstrate the progression during follow-up, separately for baseline and annual repeat rounds. HIPAA-compliant informed consent was obtained in 4,776 participants. The adrenal gland was defined as enlarged if it measured ≥6 mm at its largest diameter. Logistic regression analyses were performed. At baseline, 202 (4 %) of 4,776 participants had adrenal enlargement. Significant factors were age (OR = 1.4, 95 % CI: 1.2-1.7) and current smoker (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI: 1.3-2.4). Follow-up 7-18 months after baseline for 133 cases with adrenal enlargement <40 mm showed it decreased or was stable in 85 (64 %), and increased by <10 mm in 48 (36 %). Five (0.04 %) cases of adrenal enlargement were newly identified, none increased beyond 40 mm on follow-up. Adrenal enlargement was a significant predictor of a subsequent diagnosis of lung cancer (OR = 2.0, 95 % CI: 1.2-3.4). Participants with adrenal enlargement <40 mm identified at baseline and on repeat screening could be reasonably assessed on subsequent annual screening. Adrenal enlargement increased with increasing pack-years of smoking. Adrenal enlargement was an independent predictor of a subsequent diagnosis of lung cancer. (orig.)

No psychological distress in sportsmen aged 45 years and older after cardiovascular screening, including cardiac CT : The Measuring Athlete’s Risk of Cardiovascular events (MARC) study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schurink, M. M.; Braber, T. L.; Prakken, N. H J; Doevendans, P. A F M; Backx, F. J G; Grobbee, D. E.; Rienks, R.; Nathoe, H. M.; Bots, M. L.; Velthuis, B. K.; Mosterd, A.

2017-01-01

Background Psychological distress caused by cardiovascular pre-participation screening (PPS) may be a reason not to implement a PPS program. We assessed the psychological impact of PPS, including cardiac computed tomography (CT), in 318 asymptomatic sportsmen aged ≥45 years. Methods Coronary artery

Does offering prenatal screening influence pregnant women's attitudes regarding prenatal testing?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleinveld, J.H.; van den Berg, M.; van Eijk, J.T.; van Vugt, J.M.G.; van der Wal, G.; Timmermans, D.R.M.

2008-01-01

Objectives: This study aims to find out whether offering prenatal screening for Down syndrome and neural tube defects influences pregnant women's attitudes toward having a screening test. Methods: Women were randomised into a group that was offered prenatal screening and a group that was not offered

CT imaging of the internal human ear: Test of a high resolution scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettuzzi, M., E-mail: matteo.bettuzzi@unibo.it [Department of Physics, University of Bologna and National Institute of Nuclear Physics Section of Bologna (Italy); Brancaccio, R.; Morigi, M.P. [Department of Physics, University of Bologna and National Institute of Nuclear Physics Section of Bologna (Italy); Gallo, A. [Medicine Faculty, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro and INFN Cosenza (Italy); Strolin, S.; Casali, F. [Department of Physics, University of Bologna and National Institute of Nuclear Physics Section of Bologna (Italy); Lamanna, Ernesto [Medicine Faculty, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro and INFN Cosenza (Italy); Ariu, Marilu [CEFLA Dental Group, Imola (Italy)

2011-08-21

During the course of 2009, in the framework of a project supported by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, a number of tests were carried out at the Department of Physics of the University of Bologna in order to achieve a good quality CT scan of the internal human ear. The work was carried out in collaboration with the local 'S. Orsola' Hospital in Bologna and a company (CEFLA) already involved in the production and commercialization of a CT scanner dedicated to dentistry. A laboratory scanner with a simple concept detector (CCD camera-lens-mirror-scintillator) was used to see to what extent it was possible to enhance the quality of a conventional CT scanner when examining the internal human ear. To test the system, some conventional measurements were made, such as the spatial resolution calculation with the MTF and dynamic range evaluation. Different scintillators were compared to select the most suitable for the purpose. With 0.5 mm thick structured cesium iodide and a field of view of 120x120 mm{sup 2}, a spatial resolution of 6.5l p/mm at 5% MTF was obtained. The CT of a pair of human head phantoms was performed at an energy of 120 kVp. The first phantom was a rough representation of the human head shape, with soft tissue made of coarse slabs of Lucite. Some inserts, like small aluminum cylinders and cubes, with 1 mm diameter drilled holes, were used to simulate the channels that one finds inside the human inner ear. The second phantom is a plastic PVC fused head with a real human cranium inside. The bones in the cranium are well conserved and the inner ear features, such as the cochlea and semicircular channels, are clearly detectable. After a number of CT tests we obtained good results as far as structural representation and channel detection are concerned. Some images of the 3D rendering of the CT volume are shown below. The doctors of the local hospital who followed our experimentation expressed their satisfaction. The CT was compared to a

CT in dental osseointegration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witte, D.

1992-01-01

Computerised tomography (CT) plays a key role in the pre-surgical evaluation of the alveolar process for titanium dental implants. The successful replacement of lost teeth by tissue integrated tooth root implants is a major advance in clinical dentistry. The paper will discuss briefly the history of osseointegration and how CT is now involved in helping the edentulous patient. CT is considered as a quick and convenient method of obtaining excellent anatomical information about the maxilla. Conventional tomography is difficult to obtain and does not provide valuable cross-sectional images. Exact height and width calculations can be made as well as screening out patients with advanced bone resorption. 3 refs. 6 figs

A population screening test for antibody to measles virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, M.G.

1981-01-01

In areas where sporadic cases of measles continue to occur in spite of vaccination programs, the availability of a simple screening test for determination of seropositivity to measles virus is desirable. A sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) screening test (ST) for the detection of IgG antibody to measles virus, based on a solid phase RIA, is described. The assays were performed on polyvinyl microtiter plates for which the RIAST requires only 5 μl of serum per subject. Antigen consisted of a sonicated extract of measles virus-infected Vero cells. Rabbit antihuman IgG specific for the Fc-segment of human IgG, labelled with 125 I, was used to detect human IgG bound to viral antigen. The basic RIA method was characterized by carrying out full titrations of sera of 53 healthy adults, 10 children, and 13 patients with measles-associated illness. These sera were also tested by the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) technique; most of the measles sera were also tested by complement fixation (CF). RIAST results (expressed as binding ratios) obtained for 52 healthy adults are compared with their RIA serum titers. Of the 200 sera of patients of various ages tested by the RIAST, 63 borderline sera were also tested by HI. The RIAST, which does not require serum treatment other than inactivation, proved to be more sensitive as an indicator of seropositivity than HI. Implications of the results and practical applications of the screening test are discussed. (author)

Changes in screening behaviors and attitudes toward screening from pre-test genetic counseling to post-disclosure in Lynch syndrome families

Science.gov (United States)

Burton-Chase, Allison M.; Hovick, Shelly R.; Peterson, Susan K.; Marani, Salma K.; Vernon, Sally W.; Amos, Christopher I.; Frazier, Marsha L.; Lynch, Patrick M.; Gritz, Ellen R.

2013-01-01

Purpose This study examined colonoscopy adherence and attitudes towards colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in individuals who underwent Lynch syndrome genetic counseling and testing. Methods We evaluated changes in colonoscopy adherence and CRC screening attitudes in 78 cancer-unaffected relatives of Lynch syndrome mutation carriers before pre-test genetic counseling (baseline) and at 6 and 12 months post-disclosure of test results (52 mutation-negative, 26 mutation-positive). Results While both groups were similar at baseline, at 12 months post-disclosure, a greater number of mutation-positive individuals had had a colonoscopy compared with mutation-negative individuals. From baseline to 12 months post-disclosure, the mutation-positive group demonstrated an increase in mean scores on measures of colonoscopy commitment, self-efficacy, and perceived benefits of CRC screening, and a decrease in mean scores for perceived barriers to CRC screening. Mean scores on colonoscopy commitment decreased from baseline to 6 months in the mutation-negative group. Conclusion Adherence to risk-appropriate guidelines for CRC surveillance improved after genetic counseling and testing for Lynch syndrome. Mutation-positive individuals reported increasingly positive attitudes toward CRC screening after receiving genetic test results, potentially reinforcing longer term colonoscopy adherence. PMID:23414081

Screening for suppression in young children: the Polaroid Suppression test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pott, J.W.R.; Oosterveen, DK; Van Hof-van Duin, J

1998-01-01

Background: Assessment of monocular visual impairment during screening of young children is often hampered by lack of cooperation. Because strabismus, amblyopia, or anisometropia may lead to monocular suppression during binocular viewing conditions, a test was developed to screen far suppression in

Diagnostic value of serologic tests in celiac screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hosein Saneian

2012-01-01

Conclusions: According to our study results, there is no correlation between gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting diarrhea, anorexia, bulimia, and failure to thrive (FFT with celiac. TTG was the best screening test method to diagnose celiac disease and other tests such as AGA and EMA do not have high diagnostic value.

The Clinical and Economic Benefits of Co-Testing Versus Primary HPV Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening: A Modeling Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Felix, Juan C; Lacey, Michael J; Miller, Jeffrey D; Lenhart, Gregory M; Spitzer, Mark; Kulkarni, Rucha

2016-06-01

Consensus United States cervical cancer screening guidelines recommend use of combination Pap plus human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for women aged 30 to 65 years. An HPV test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014 for primary cervical cancer screening in women age 25 years and older. Here, we present the results of clinical-economic comparisons of Pap plus HPV mRNA testing including genotyping for HPV 16/18 (co-testing) versus DNA-based primary HPV testing with HPV 16/18 genotyping and reflex cytology (HPV primary) for cervical cancer screening. A health state transition (Markov) model with 1-year cycling was developed using epidemiologic, clinical, and economic data from healthcare databases and published literature. A hypothetical cohort of one million women receiving triennial cervical cancer screening was simulated from ages 30 to 70 years. Screening strategies compared HPV primary to co-testing. Outcomes included total and incremental differences in costs, invasive cervical cancer (ICC) cases, ICC deaths, number of colposcopies, and quality-adjusted life years for cost-effectiveness calculations. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were performed. In a simulation cohort of one million 30-year-old women modeled up to age 70 years, the model predicted that screening with HPV primary testing instead of co-testing could lead to as many as 2,141 more ICC cases and 2,041 more ICC deaths. In the simulation, co-testing demonstrated a greater number of lifetime quality-adjusted life years (22,334) and yielded $39.0 million in savings compared with HPV primary, thereby conferring greater effectiveness at lower cost. Model results demonstrate that co-testing has the potential to provide improved clinical and economic outcomes when compared with HPV primary. While actual cost and outcome data are evaluated, these findings are relevant to U.S. healthcare payers and women's health policy advocates seeking cost-effective cervical cancer screening

Willingness to take a screening test for colorectal cancer: a community-based survey in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Naing, Cho; Jun, Yip Kar; Yee, Wai Mun; Waqiyuddin, Syazana J D B T; Lui, Lau Chiew; Shaung, Ooi Yin; Haw, Fong Jenn

2014-03-01

The aims of the study were (i) to determine the knowledge and perceptions of colorectal cancer (CRC), (ii) to explore the willingness of the study population to take a screening test for CRC, and (iii) to identify factors affecting the willingness to take a screening test for CRC. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in a semiurban town in Malaysia using a pretested structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were determined for all important variables. A binary logistic regression model was introduced to identify independent predictors of the willingness to take a screening test. Factors influencing willingness were explored according to the constructs of the health belief model. Of the 256 respondents who had heard about CRC, the majority were aware of altered bowel habits (67.3%) or the presence of blood in stool or rectal bleeding (63.4%) as the warning symptoms. Although 38% of the respondents knew of colonoscopy as the screening test, 22% were not aware of any screening test for CRC. A majority (77.4%) showed willingness to take a screening test for CRC. In the multivariate analysis, 'having family or friends with history of CRC' and 'self-perceived risk' were the two significant variables for predicting the acceptance of CRC screening among the study population. Findings suggested that the respondents' knowledge of the CRC screening test was inadequate, albeit a high proportion expressed their intention to take screening tests. Health education on the CRC addressing available screening tests and the benefits of early screening for CRC should be scaled up.

Evaluation of physicochemical properties of root-end filling materials using conventional and Micro-CT tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Ferrari Esteves TORRES

Full Text Available Abstract Objective To evaluate solubility, dimensional stability, filling ability and volumetric change of root-end filling materials using conventional tests and new Micro-CT-based methods. Material and Methods Solubility (loss of mass after 7 and 30 days, and dimensional stability (in mm were evaluated in accordance with Carvalho-Junior, et al. 7 (2007. The filling ability and volumetric change (in mm3 were evaluated by Micro-CT (Bruker-MicroCT, Kontich, Belgium using resin models with cavities 3 mm deep and 1 mm in diameter. The cavities were filled with materials to evaluate filling ability, and then scanned by Micro-CT. After 7 and 30 days immersed in distilled water, the filled cavities were scanned again to evaluate the volumetric change. MTA Angelus (MTA, Biodentine (BIO and zinc oxide-eugenol cement (ZOE were evaluated. Data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA and Tukey's test with 5% significance level. Results The results suggested correlated or complementary data between the proposed tests. At 7 days, BIO showed higher solubility and at 30 days, showed higher volumetric change in comparison with MTA (p0.05 at 7 days. At 30 days, they presented similar solubility. BIO and MTA showed higher dimensional stability than ZOE (p<0.05. ZOE and BIO showed higher filling ability (p<0.05. Conclusions ZOE presented a higher dimensional change, and BIO had greater solubility after 7 days. BIO presented filling ability and dimensional stability, but greater volumetric change than MTA after 30 days. Micro-CT can provide important data on the physicochemical properties of materials complementing conventional tests.

A single-question screening test for drug use in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Peter C; Schmidt, Susan M; Allensworth-Davies, Donald; Saitz, Richard

2010-07-12

Drug use (illicit drug use and nonmedical use of prescription drugs) is common but underrecognized in primary care settings. We validated a single-question screening test for drug use and drug use disorders in primary care. Adult patients recruited from primary care waiting rooms were asked the single screening question, "How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for nonmedical reasons?" A response of at least 1 time was considered positive for drug use. They were also asked the 10-item Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10). The reference standard was the presence or absence of current (past year) drug use or a drug use disorder (abuse or dependence) as determined by a standardized diagnostic interview. Drug use was also determined by oral fluid testing for common drugs of abuse. Of 394 eligible primary care patients, 286 (73%) completed the interview. The single screening question was 100% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.6%-100%) and 73.5% specific (95% CI, 67.7%-78.6%) for the detection of a drug use disorder. It was less sensitive for the detection of self-reported current drug use (92.9%; 95% CI, 86.1%-96.5%) and drug use detected by oral fluid testing or self-report (81.8%; 95% CI, 72.5%-88.5%). Test characteristics were similar to those of the DAST-10 and were affected very little by participant demographic characteristics. The single screening question accurately identified drug use in this sample of primary care patients, supporting the usefulness of this brief screen in primary care.

Relationship between abdominal fat area measured by screening abdominal fat CT and metabolic syndrome in asymptomatic Korean individuals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Dae Woong; Park, Noh Hyuck; Park, Ji Yeon; Kim, Seon Jeong [Dept. of Radiology, MyoungJi Hospital, Seonam University College of Medicine, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

2017-07-15

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between abdominal fat as assessed by abdominal fat CT and metabolic syndrome (MS), especially in asymptomatic Korean individuals. Retrospectively, a medical record analysis was performed in a total of 111 patients with screening abdominal fat CT. The data such as visceral fat (VF), subcutaneous fat (SF) and VF/SF were elicited by abdominal fat CT, and we analyzed the relationship of VF, SF, and VF/SF with MS and cardiovascular risk factors. In males, VF and SF had a positive correlation with many cardiovascular risk factors and MS, but VF was superior to SF. In females, VF, but not SF, had a positive correlation with some cardiovascular risk factors and MS. The cut-off values of VF and SF to predict MS, which were calculated by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves, were as follows: the cut-off value of VF in men: 136.50 cm{sup 2}, the cut-off value of SF in men: 159.50 cm{sup 2}, and the cut-off value of VF in women: 134.50 cm{sup 2}. In conclusion, VF accumulation was the best predictor of MS and it had a positive correlation with cardiovascular risk factors in both sexes. SF also had a significant association with MS, especially in men, although it was not superior to VF.

Relationship between abdominal fat area measured by screening abdominal fat CT and metabolic syndrome in asymptomatic Korean individuals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Dae Woong; Park, Noh Hyuck; Park, Ji Yeon; Kim, Seon Jeong

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between abdominal fat as assessed by abdominal fat CT and metabolic syndrome (MS), especially in asymptomatic Korean individuals. Retrospectively, a medical record analysis was performed in a total of 111 patients with screening abdominal fat CT. The data such as visceral fat (VF), subcutaneous fat (SF) and VF/SF were elicited by abdominal fat CT, and we analyzed the relationship of VF, SF, and VF/SF with MS and cardiovascular risk factors. In males, VF and SF had a positive correlation with many cardiovascular risk factors and MS, but VF was superior to SF. In females, VF, but not SF, had a positive correlation with some cardiovascular risk factors and MS. The cut-off values of VF and SF to predict MS, which were calculated by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves, were as follows: the cut-off value of VF in men: 136.50 cm"2, the cut-off value of SF in men: 159.50 cm"2, and the cut-off value of VF in women: 134.50 cm"2. In conclusion, VF accumulation was the best predictor of MS and it had a positive correlation with cardiovascular risk factors in both sexes. SF also had a significant association with MS, especially in men, although it was not superior to VF

Knowledge and attitude of women regarding breast cancer screening tests in Eastern Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Izanloo, Azra; Ghaffarzadehgan, Kamran; Khoshroo, Fahimeh; Erfani Haghiri, Maryam; Izanloo, Sara; Samiee, Mohadeseh; Tabatabaei, Alireza; Mirshahi, Azadeh; Fakoor, Morteza; Moghadam, Najmeh Jafari; Sadrzadeh, Sayyed Majid

2018-01-01

According to recent statistics, there has been a rapid growth of breast cancer in developing countries. Thus, early detection is essential. This study is based on the perception of people in the Northeast of Iran regarding breast cancer screening. In a cross-sectional study, 1469 women were selected randomly in the period from April to November 2016. The study population consisted of women or their companions referring to outpatient clinics or people in public urban areas who filled out a breast cancer screening questionnaire in an interview. The patients' age was in the range of 14 to 84 years (mean = 38.8). More than 84% of interviewees were not informed of breast cancer and screening tests. The main reasons mentioned by patients for their failure to do screening tests was 'absence of any symptom or problem' and 'they did not think it was necessary'.There was not a significant difference between income level, marital status and knowledge of people about breast cancer screening tests (P > 0.05). However, employment, education level and family history had a positive effect on people's awareness of breast cancer and its screening tests (P economic classes was the main barrier to breast cancer screening. In this regard, organizing training programs by physicians and the media can help raise screening rates.

How to choose PET-CT or CT in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Practical experience in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, T.; Tao, X.; Liu, H.; Liu, S.; Zheng, X.

2010-01-01

How to use CT and PET-CT rationally to raise diagnosis, staging and prognostic assessment of lung cancer to a higher level at the best cost-effect ratio is a subject that Chinese clinicians and radiologists should face conscientiously. We review the rational application of CT and PET-CT in four aspects of lung cancer, including screening and detection, morphologic evaluation, haemodynamic or metabolic feature evaluation, and follow-up, staging and prognostic evaluation. As PET-CT is only available in class III-A hospitals today, CT is the most popular equipment in China. PET-CT is more valuable only in cases where CT presentation of lung cancer is atypical or difficult to determine, or in cases where the diagnosis of lung cancer has been initially confirmed, for which clinical staging and decision concerning on therapeutic regimens are needed. We also recommend the current strategies of CT and PET-CT managing of SPN in China. (orig.)

"Chair Stand Test" as Simple Tool for Sarcopenia Screening in Elderly Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, P A; Carneiro, J A O; Coqueiro, R S; Pereira, R; Fernandes, M H

2016-01-01

To investigate the association between sarcopenia and "chair stand test" performance, and evaluate this test as a screening tool for sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly women. Cross-sectional Survey. 173 female individuals, aged ≥ 60 years and living in the urban area of the municipality of Lafaiete Coutinho, Bahia's inland, Brazil. The association between sarcopenia (defined by muscle mass, strength and/or performance loss) and performance in the "chair stand test" was tested by binary logistic regression technique. The ROC curve parameters were used to evaluate the diagnostic power of the test in sarcopenia screening. The significance level was set at 5 %. The model showed that the time spent for the "chair stand test" was positively associated (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.01 - 1.16, p = 0.024) to sarcopenia, indicating that, for each 1 second increment in the test performance, the sarcopenia's probability increased by 8% in elderly women. The cut-off point that showed the best balance between sensitivity and specificity was 13 seconds. The performance of "chair stand test" showed predictive ability for sarcopenia, being an effective and simple screening tool for sarcopenia in elderly women. This test could be used for screening sarcopenic elderly women, allowing early interventions.

Incidence of interval cancers in faecal immunochemical test colorectal screening programmes in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Giorgi Rossi, Paolo; Carretta, Elisa; Mangone, Lucia; Baracco, Susanna; Serraino, Diego; Zorzi, Manuel

2018-03-01

Objective In Italy, colorectal screening programmes using the faecal immunochemical test from ages 50 to 69 every two years have been in place since 2005. We aimed to measure the incidence of interval cancers in the two years after a negative faecal immunochemical test, and compare this with the pre-screening incidence of colorectal cancer. Methods Using data on colorectal cancers diagnosed in Italy from 2000 to 2008 collected by cancer registries in areas with active screening programmes, we identified cases that occurred within 24 months of negative screening tests. We used the number of tests with a negative result as a denominator, grouped by age and sex. Proportional incidence was calculated for the first and second year after screening. Results Among 579,176 and 226,738 persons with negative test results followed up at 12 and 24 months, respectively, we identified 100 interval cancers in the first year and 70 in the second year. The proportional incidence was 13% (95% confidence interval 10-15) and 23% (95% confidence interval 18-25), respectively. The estimate for the two-year incidence is 18%, which was slightly higher in females (22%; 95% confidence interval 17-26), and for proximal colon (22%; 95% confidence interval 16-28). Conclusion The incidence of interval cancers in the two years after a negative faecal immunochemical test in routine population-based colorectal cancer screening was less than one-fifth of the expected incidence. This is direct evidence that the faecal immunochemical test-based screening programme protocol has high sensitivity for cancers that will become symptomatic.

Exposing exposure: automated anatomy-specific CT radiation exposure extraction for quality assurance and radiation monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Sodickson, Aaron; Warden, Graham I; Farkas, Cameron E; Ikuta, Ichiro; Prevedello, Luciano M; Andriole, Katherine P; Khorasani, Ramin

2012-08-01

To develop and validate an informatics toolkit that extracts anatomy-specific computed tomography (CT) radiation exposure metrics (volume CT dose index and dose-length product) from existing digital image archives through optical character recognition of CT dose report screen captures (dose screens) combined with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine attributes. This institutional review board-approved HIPAA-compliant study was performed in a large urban health care delivery network. Data were drawn from a random sample of CT encounters that occurred between 2000 and 2010; images from these encounters were contained within the enterprise image archive, which encompassed images obtained at an adult academic tertiary referral hospital and its affiliated sites, including a cancer center, a community hospital, and outpatient imaging centers, as well as images imported from other facilities. Software was validated by using 150 randomly selected encounters for each major CT scanner manufacturer, with outcome measures of dose screen retrieval rate (proportion of correctly located dose screens) and anatomic assignment precision (proportion of extracted exposure data with correctly assigned anatomic region, such as head, chest, or abdomen and pelvis). The 95% binomial confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for discrete proportions, and CIs were derived from the standard error of the mean for continuous variables. After validation, the informatics toolkit was used to populate an exposure repository from a cohort of 54 549 CT encounters; of which 29 948 had available dose screens. Validation yielded a dose screen retrieval rate of 99% (597 of 605 CT encounters; 95% CI: 98%, 100%) and an anatomic assignment precision of 94% (summed DLP fraction correct 563 in 600 CT encounters; 95% CI: 92%, 96%). Patient safety applications of the resulting data repository include benchmarking between institutions, CT protocol quality control and optimization, and cumulative

The Value of Calcium-scoring CT for Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease Screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Jung Hoan; An, Sung Min

2009-01-01

The cardiovascular disease has been known as a common cause of death for a long time in the west. The eating habits of Asia, including Korea, have changed recently, so that this disease is also a problem in Asia now. Annual Report on the Cause of Death Statistics from 1996 to 2006 reported that the cardiovascular disease would become the number one cause of death in the next years. Therefore we realize that more accurate examination is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of Calcium-scoring CT and the relationship between risk factor and quantitative scores of Calcium-scoring CT. Through this study we expect that the national public health will be improved. Seventy patients with chest pain were chosen at random. The patients were undergone both coronary CT antigraphy and Calcium - scoring CT at G hospital in Incheon from February 1 to June 30, 2008. The result of the Calcium-scoring CT showed its usefulness for Ischemic cardiovascular disease, with an accuracy similar to that of exercise/pharmacologic stress or ECG when it is difficult for a patient to exercise due to joint problems, aging or for other reasons.

Computer-aided diagnosis workstation and database system for chest diagnosis based on multi-helical CT images

Science.gov (United States)

Satoh, Hitoshi; Niki, Noboru; Mori, Kiyoshi; Eguchi, Kenji; Kaneko, Masahiro; Kakinuma, Ryutarou; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Masuda, Hideo; Machida, Suguru; Sasagawa, Michizou

2006-03-01

Multi-helical CT scanner advanced remarkably at the speed at which the chest CT images were acquired for mass screening. Mass screening based on multi-helical CT images requires a considerable number of images to be read. It is this time-consuming step that makes the use of helical CT for mass screening impractical at present. To overcome this problem, we have provided diagnostic assistance methods to medical screening specialists by developing a lung cancer screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected lung cancers in helical CT images and a coronary artery calcification screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected coronary artery calcification. We also have developed electronic medical recording system and prototype internet system for the community health in two or more regions by using the Virtual Private Network router and Biometric fingerprint authentication system and Biometric face authentication system for safety of medical information. Based on these diagnostic assistance methods, we have now developed a new computer-aided workstation and database that can display suspected lesions three-dimensionally in a short time. This paper describes basic studies that have been conducted to evaluate this new system. The results of this study indicate that our computer-aided diagnosis workstation and network system can increase diagnostic speed, diagnostic accuracy and safety of medical information.

Experiences with a self-test for Dutch breast screening radiologists: lessons learnt

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmers, J. M. H.; Verbeek, A. L. M.; Pijnappel, R. M.; Broeders, M. J. M.; den Heeten, G. J.

2014-01-01

To evaluate a self-test for Dutch breast screening radiologists introduced as part of the national quality assurance programme. A total of 144 radiologists were invited to complete a test-set of 60 screening mammograms (20 malignancies). Participants assigned findings such as location, lesion type

TH-AB-207A-12: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Effects of Further Dose Reduction On CAD Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, S; Lo, P; Hoffman, J; Kim, H; Hsu, W; Flores, C; Lee, G; Brown, M; McNitt-Gray, M

2016-01-01

Purpose: CT lung screening is already performed at low doses. In this study, we investigated the effects of further dose reduction on a lung-nodule CAD detection algorithm. Methods: The original raw CT data and images from 348 patients were obtained from our local database of National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) cases. 61 patients (17.5%) had at least one nodule reported on the NLST reader forms. All scans were acquired with fixed mAs (25 for standard-sized patients, 40 for large patients) on a 64-slice scanner (Sensation 64, Siemens Healthcare). All images were reconstructed with 1-mm slice thickness, B50 kernel. Based on a previously-published technique, we added noise to the raw data to simulate reduced-dose versions of each case at 50% and 25% of the original NLST dose (i.e. approximately 1.0 and 0.5 mGy CTDIvol). For each case at each dose level, a CAD detection algorithm was run and nodules greater than 4 mm in diameter were reported. These CAD results were compared to “truth”, defined as the approximate nodule centroids from the NLST forms. Sensitivities and false-positive rates (FPR) were calculated for each dose level, with a sub-analysis by nodule LungRADS category. Results: For larger category 4 nodules, median sensitivities were 100% at all three dose levels, and mean sensitivity decreased with dose. For the more challenging category 2 and 3 nodules, the dose dependence was less obvious. Overall, mean subject-level sensitivity varied from 38.5% at 100% dose to 40.4% at 50% dose, a difference of only 1.9%. However, median FPR quadrupled from 1 per case at 100% dose to 4 per case at 25% dose. Conclusions: Dose reduction affected nodule detectability differently depending on the LungRADS category, and FPR was very sensitive at sub-screening levels. Care should be taken to adapt CAD for the very challenging noise characteristics of screening. Funding support: NIH U01 CA181156; Disclosures (McNitt-Gray): Institutional research agreement, Siemens

TH-AB-207A-12: CT Lung Cancer Screening and the Effects of Further Dose Reduction On CAD Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, S; Lo, P; Hoffman, J; Kim, H; Hsu, W; Flores, C; Lee, G; Brown, M; McNitt-Gray, M [UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: CT lung screening is already performed at low doses. In this study, we investigated the effects of further dose reduction on a lung-nodule CAD detection algorithm. Methods: The original raw CT data and images from 348 patients were obtained from our local database of National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) cases. 61 patients (17.5%) had at least one nodule reported on the NLST reader forms. All scans were acquired with fixed mAs (25 for standard-sized patients, 40 for large patients) on a 64-slice scanner (Sensation 64, Siemens Healthcare). All images were reconstructed with 1-mm slice thickness, B50 kernel. Based on a previously-published technique, we added noise to the raw data to simulate reduced-dose versions of each case at 50% and 25% of the original NLST dose (i.e. approximately 1.0 and 0.5 mGy CTDIvol). For each case at each dose level, a CAD detection algorithm was run and nodules greater than 4 mm in diameter were reported. These CAD results were compared to “truth”, defined as the approximate nodule centroids from the NLST forms. Sensitivities and false-positive rates (FPR) were calculated for each dose level, with a sub-analysis by nodule LungRADS category. Results: For larger category 4 nodules, median sensitivities were 100% at all three dose levels, and mean sensitivity decreased with dose. For the more challenging category 2 and 3 nodules, the dose dependence was less obvious. Overall, mean subject-level sensitivity varied from 38.5% at 100% dose to 40.4% at 50% dose, a difference of only 1.9%. However, median FPR quadrupled from 1 per case at 100% dose to 4 per case at 25% dose. Conclusions: Dose reduction affected nodule detectability differently depending on the LungRADS category, and FPR was very sensitive at sub-screening levels. Care should be taken to adapt CAD for the very challenging noise characteristics of screening. Funding support: NIH U01 CA181156; Disclosures (McNitt-Gray): Institutional research agreement, Siemens

Solubility tests and the peripheral blood film method for screening ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective. To determine the cost benefit of screening for sicklecell disease among infants at district health centres in Uganda using sickling, solubility tests and the peripheral blood film method. Methods. Pilot screening services were established at district health centres. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) was performed in four ...

Testing the Untestable: A Vision Screening Program for Exceptional Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Virginia E.; Godolphin, Vivienne

Based on a longitudinal study of vision screening techniques for handicapped children at the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Child Development Center, the paper reports on the development of a battery of effective vision screening methods for children with low functioning handicapped children. Specific tests are described, including the Sheridan…

Using intervention mapping for the development of a targeted secure web-based outreach strategy named SafeFriend, for Chlamydia trachomatis testing in young people at risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Theunissen, Kevin A T M; Hoebe, Christian J P A; Crutzen, Rik; Kara-Zaïtri, Chakib; de Vries, Nanne K; van Bergen, Jan E A M; van der Sande, Marianne A B; Dukers-Muijrers, Nicole H T M

2013-10-22

Many young people at high risk for Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) are not reached by current sexual health care systems, such as general practitioners and public sexual health care centres (sexually transmitted infection clinics).Ct is the most frequently diagnosed bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) among sexually active people and in particular young heterosexuals. Innovative screening strategies are needed to interrupt the transmission of Ct among young people and connect the hidden cases to care. Intervention Mapping (IM), a systematic approach to develop theory- and evidence-based interventions, was used to develop a strategy to target Ct testing towards young people who are currently hidden to care in The Netherlands. Both clinical users (i.e. sexual health care nurses) and public users (i.e., young people at risk for Ct) were closely involved in the IM process. A needs assessment study was carried out using semi-structured interviews among users (N = 21), a literature search and by taking lessons learned from existing screening programmes. Theoretical methods and practical applications to reach high risk young people and influence testing were selected and translated into specific programme components. The IM approach resulted in the development of a secure and web-based outreach Ct screening strategy, named SafeFriend. It is developed to target groups of high-risk young people who are currently hidden to care. Key methods include web-based Respondent Driven Sampling, starting from young Ct positive sexual health care centre clients, to reach and motivate peers (i.e., sex partners and friends) to get tested for Ct. Testing and the motivation of peers were proposed as the desired behavioural outcomes and the Precaution Adoption Process Model was chosen as theoretical framework. End users, i.e., young people and sexual health care nurses were interviewed and included in the development process to increase the success of implementation. IM proved useful

Community-Based Multidisciplinary Computed Tomography Screening Program Improves Lung Cancer Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Daniel L; Mayfield, William R; Luu, Theresa D; Helms, Gerald A; Muster, Alan R; Beckler, Vickie J; Cann, Aaron

2016-05-01

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Overall survival is less than 20%, with the majority of patients presenting with advanced disease. The National Lung Screening Trial, performed mainly in academic medical centers, showed that cancer mortality can be reduced with computed tomography (CT) screening compared with chest radiography in high-risk patients. To determine whether this survival advantage can be duplicated in a community-based multidisciplinary thoracic oncology program, we initiated a CT scan screening program for lung cancer within an established health care system. In 2008, we launched a lung cancer CT screening program within the WellStar Health System (WHS) consisting of five hospitals, three health parks, 140 outpatient medical offices, and 12 imaging centers that provide care in a five-county area of approximately 1.4 million people in Metro-Atlanta. Screening criteria incorporated were the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (2008 to 2010) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines (2011 to 2013) for moderate- and high-risk patients. A total of 1,267 persons underwent CT lung cancer screening in WHS from 2008 through 2013; 53% were men, 87% were 50 years of age or older, and 83% were current or former smokers. Noncalcified indeterminate pulmonary nodules were found in 518 patients (41%). Thirty-six patients (2.8%) underwent a diagnostic procedure for positive findings on their CT scan; 30 proved to have cancer, 28 (2.2%) primary lung cancer and 2 metastatic cancer, and 6 had benign disease. Fourteen patients (50%) had their lung cancer discovered on their initial CT scan, 11 on subsequent scans associated with indeterminate pulmonary nodules growth and 3 patients who had a new indeterminate pulmonary nodules. Only 15 (54%) of these 28 patients would have qualified as a National Lung Screening Trial high-risk patient; 75% had stage I or II disease. Overall 5-year survival was 64% and 5-year

CT-colonography in population-based colorectal cancer screening

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Haan, M.C.

2012-01-01

In een proefbevolkingsonderzoek naar dikkedarmkanker vergeleek Margriet de Haan coloscopie (onderzoek met een dunne flexibele slang met camera om de darm van binnenuit te bekijken) met CT-colografie (onderzoek waarbij de darmen worden onderzocht zonder slang) wat betreft opkomst, opbrengst,

A Web-Based Respondent Driven Sampling Pilot Targeting Young People at Risk for Chlamydia Trachomatis in Social and Sexual Networks with Testing : A Use Evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Theunissen, Kevin; Hoebe, Christian; Kok, Gerjo; Crutzen, Rik; Kara-Zaïtri, Chakib; de Vries, Nanne; van Bergen, Jan; Hamilton, Robert; van der Sande, Marianne; Dukers-Muijrers, Nicole

BACKGROUND: With the aim of targeting high-risk hidden heterosexual young people for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) testing, an innovative web-based screening strategy using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) and home-based CT testing, was developed, piloted and evaluated. METHODS: Two STI clinic nurses

Advanced Lung Cancer Screening: An Individualized Molecular Nanotechnology Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

proportion of smokers , former 146 smokers and never smokers was not different between cases and controls. 147 Detection of DNA Methylation 148 We...highest risk smokers for an expensive screening modality such as CT scanning. Hypothesis: DNA methylation testing is more specific in selecting those...with non -cancerous nodules, and have completed the writing of a manuscript containing these results. The abstract of that manuscript is as follows

Benefits and harms of CT screening for lung cancer: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bach, Peter B; Mirkin, Joshua N; Oliver, Thomas K; Azzoli, Christopher G; Berry, Donald A; Brawley, Otis W; Byers, Tim; Colditz, Graham A; Gould, Michael K; Jett, James R; Sabichi, Anita L; Smith-Bindman, Rebecca; Wood, Douglas E; Qaseem, Amir; Detterbeck, Frank C

2012-06-13

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, resulting in a very low 5-year survival. Screening may reduce the risk of death from lung cancer. To conduct a systematic review of the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). A multisociety collaborative initiative (involving the American Cancer Society, American College of Chest Physicians, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network) was undertaken to create the foundation for development of an evidence-based clinical guideline. MEDLINE (Ovid: January 1996 to April 2012), EMBASE (Ovid: January 1996 to April 2012), and the Cochrane Library (April 2012). Of 591 citations identified and reviewed, 8 randomized trials and 13 cohort studies of LDCT screening met criteria for inclusion. Primary outcomes were lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes included nodule detection, invasive procedures, follow-up tests, and smoking cessation. Critical appraisal using predefined criteria was conducted on individual studies and the overall body of evidence. Differences in data extracted by reviewers were adjudicated by consensus. Three randomized studies provided evidence on the effect of LDCT screening on lung cancer mortality, of which the National Lung Screening Trial was the most informative, demonstrating that among 53,454 participants enrolled, screening resulted in significantly fewer lung cancer deaths (356 vs 443 deaths; lung cancer−specific mortality, 274 vs 309 events per 100,000 person-years for LDCT and control groups, respectively; relative risk, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73-0.93; absolute risk reduction, 0.33%; P = .004). The other 2 smaller studies showed no such benefit. In terms of potential harms of LDCT screening, across all trials and cohorts, approximately 20% of individuals in each round of screening had positive results requiring

Smoking cessation and lung cancer screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jesper Johannes Holst; Tønnesen, Philip; Ashraf, Haseem

2016-01-01

Smoking behavior may have a substantial influence on the overall effect of lung cancer screening. Non-randomized studies of smoking behavior during screening have indicated that computer tomography (CT) screening induces smoking cessation. Randomized studies have further elaborated that this effect...... and decrease smoking relapse rate. Also low smoking dependency and high motivation to quit smoking at baseline predicted smoking abstinence in screening trials. Lung cancer screening therefore seems to be a teachable moment for smoking cessation. Targeted smoking cessation counselling should be an integrated...... part of future lung cancer screening trials....

Using micropower impulse radar technology to screen for pneumothorax: an international bi-institutional study.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Wilden, Gwendolyn M; Van der Wilden, Gwen; Albers, Christoph E; Albers, Christof; Haefeli, Pascal C; Haefeli, Peter; Zimmermann, Heinz; Zimmerman, Heinz; Exadaktylos, Aristomenis; Exadaktylos, Aris; Levy, Phillip; Birkhan, Oscar; Birkham, Oscar; Michaildou, Maria; Michailidou, Maria; Sideris, Antonios; Velmahos, George C; Velmahos, George; Alam, Hasan B; Alam, Hasan; King, David R; King, David; Fagenholz, Peter J; Fagenholz, Peter; Yeh, D Dante; Yeh, Dante; de Moya, Marc A

2012-12-01

Pneumothoraces (PTXs) are a common entity in thoracic trauma. Micropower impulse radar (MIR) has been able to detect PTXs in surgical patients. However, this technology has not been tested previously on trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of MIR to detect clinically significant PTXs. We hypothesized that MIR technology can effectively screen trauma patients for clinically significant PTXs. This was a prospective observational study in Level I trauma centers in Boston, Massachusetts, and Bern, Switzerland. All trauma patients undergoing a chest computed tomographic (CT) scan were eligible for the study. Consent was obtained, and readings were performed within 30 minutes before or after the CT scan. The patients had eight lung fields tested (four on each side). The qualitative and quantitative MIR results were blinded and stored on the device. We then compared the results of the MIR to the CT scan and the need for chest tube drainage. We defined PTXs as clinically significant if they required a chest tube. Seventy-five patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 46 ± 16 years. Eighty-four percent were male. The screening test took approximately 1 minute. All but two patients had blunt chest trauma. Six true-positives, 6 false-positives, 63 true-negatives, and 0 false-negatives resulted in an overall sensitivity of 100%. MIR is an easy to use handheld technology that effectively screened patients for clinically significant PTXs, with a sensitivity and negative predictive value of 100%. MIR may be used for rapid, repeatable, and ongoing surveillance of trauma patients. Diagnostic study, level III.

Application of microCT to the non-destructive testing of an additive manufactured titanium component

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton du Plessis

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper the application of X-ray microCT to the non-destructive testing of an additive manufactured titanium alloy component of complex geometry is demonstrated. Additive manufacturing of metal components is fast growing and shows great promise, yet these parts may contain defects which affect mechanical properties of the components. In this work a layered form of defect is found by microCT, which would have been very difficult or impossible to detect by other non-destructive testing methods due to the object complexity, defect size and shape and because the pores are entirely contained inside the object and not connected to the surface. Additionally, this test part was subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIPPING and subsequently scanned. Comparing before and after scans by alignment of the volumes allows visualization and quantification of the pore size changes. The application of X-ray microCT to additive manufacturing is thus demonstrated in this example to be an ideal combination, especially for process improvements and for high value components.

Focal airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT: comparison with pulmonary function tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauczor, H.U.; Hast, J.; Heussel, C.P.; Mildenberger, P.; Thelen, M.; Schlegel, J.

2000-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine prevalence, extent, and severity of focal airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT, and to compare focal airtrapping with age, gender, pulmonary function tests, and blood gas analysis. Two-hundred seventeen patients with and without pulmonary disease underwent paired inspiratory/expiratory high-resolution CT. Six scan pairs with corresponding scan levels were visually assessed for focal - not diffuse - airtrapping using a four-point scale. Pulmonary function tests and blood gas analysis were available for correlation in all patients (mean interval 5 days). Focal airtrapping with lower lung predominance was observed in 80 % of patients. Twenty-six of 26 patients with restrictive lung function impairment exhibited focal airtrapping (mean score 2.4), whereas only 72 of 98 (74 %) patients with obstruction did (mean score 1.5; p < 0.05). Fifty-eight of 70 (83 %) patients with normal lung function (mean score 1.8) and 19 of 23 (83 %) patients with mixed impairment (mean score 1.8) had focal airtrapping. Focal airtrapping showed negative correlations with static lung volumes (-0.27 to -0.37; p < 0.001) in all patients and moderate positive correlations with dynamic parameters (0.3-0.4; p < 0.001) in patients with obstruction. No significant correlations were found with age, gender, and blood gas analysis. Visual assessment of focal - not diffuse - airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT does not correlate with physiological evidence of obstruction as derived from pulmonary function tests since the perception of focal airtrapping requires an adequate expiratory increase in lung density. (orig.)

Your Radiologist Explains CT Colonography

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... is used to screen the large intestine or colon for cancer and growths called polyps. This procedure uses low-dose CT or CAT scanning to produce pictures of the colon and the rectum. During the examination, a small ...

Iterative Cellular Screening System for Nanoparticle Safety Testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franziska Sambale

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoparticles have the potential to exhibit risks to human beings and to the environment; due to the wide applications of nanoproducts, extensive risk management must not be neglected. Therefore, we have constructed a cell-based, iterative screening system to examine a variety of nanoproducts concerning their toxicity during development. The sensitivity and application of various cell-based methods were discussed and proven by applying the screening to two different nanoparticles: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. They were used as benchmarks to set up our methods and to examine their effects on mammalian cell lines. Different biological processes such as cell viability, gene expression of interleukin-8 and heat shock protein 70, as well as morphology changes were investigated. Within our screening system, both nanoparticle suspensions and coatings can be tested. Electric cell impedance measurements revealed to be a good method for online monitoring of cellular behavior. The implementation of three-dimensional cell culture is essential to better mimic in vivo conditions. In conclusion, our screening system is highly efficient, cost minimizing, and reduces the need for animal studies.

Very low-dose (0.15 mGy) chest CT protocols using the COPDGene 2 test object and a third-generation dual-source CT scanner with corresponding third-generation iterative reconstruction software.

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, John D; Fuld, Matthew K; Allmendinger, Thomas; Sieren, Jered P; Chan, Kung-Sik; Guo, Junfeng; Hoffman, Eric A

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of ultralow radiation dose single-energy computed tomographic (CT) acquisitions with Sn prefiltration and third-generation iterative reconstruction on density-based quantitative measures of growing interest in phenotyping pulmonary disease. The effects of both decreasing dose and different body habitus on the accuracy of the mean CT attenuation measurements and the level of image noise (SD) were evaluated using the COPDGene 2 test object, containing 8 different materials of interest ranging from air to acrylic and including various density foams. A third-generation dual-source multidetector CT scanner (Siemens SOMATOM FORCE; Siemens Healthcare AG, Erlangen, Germany) running advanced modeled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) software (Siemens Healthcare AG) was used.We used normal and very large body habitus rings at dose levels varying from 1.5 to 0.15 mGy using a spectral-shaped (0.6-mm Sn) tube output of 100 kV(p). Three CT scans were obtained at each dose level using both rings. Regions of interest for each material in the test object scans were automatically extracted. The Hounsfield unit values of each material using weighted filtered back projection (WFBP) at 1.5 mGy was used as the reference value to evaluate shifts in CT attenuation at lower dose levels using either WFBP or ADMIRE. Statistical analysis included basic statistics, Welch t tests, multivariable covariant model using the F test to assess the significance of the explanatory (independent) variables on the response (dependent) variable, and CT mean attenuation, in the multivariable covariant model including reconstruction method. Multivariable regression analysis of the mean CT attenuation values showed a significant difference with decreasing dose between ADMIRE and WFBP. The ADMIRE has reduced noise and more stable CT attenuation compared with WFBP. There was a strong effect on the mean CT attenuation values of the scanned materials for ring

Tracheal morphology and collapse in COPD: Correlation with CT indices and pulmonary function test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyun Joo; Seo, Joon Beom; Chae, Eun Jin; Kim, Namkug; Lee, Choong Wook; Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang Do

2011-01-01

Objectives: To assess the tracheal morphologic changes using CT in COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease) patients and to assess correlation between them and PFT (pulmonary function test) and CT parameters. Materials and methods: Ninety-two healthy individuals and 115 patients with COPD who underwent volumetric inspiration/expiration CT scanning were included. The Lsag, Lcor, and the tLA were measured. The TI was defined as the ratio of Lcor/Lsag. The tracheal morphologic changes (tLA, TI, and collapsibility) were compared in healthy individuals and COPD. In COPD patients, correlation of the tracheal morphologic change with PFT and CT parameters was assessed. Results: The TIs in the COPD patients were significantly lower than those in the control group (0.80 ± 0.15 vs. 0.88 ± 0.11, Mean ± SD) (p 1 (r = 0.29, p = 1 /FVC (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), and the GOLD stage (r = −0.26, p < 0.01). TI showed significant correlation with EI on both inspiration and expiration CT (r = −0.19, p = 0.04 and r = −0.23, p = 0.02), MLD on expiration CT (r = 0.27, p < 0.01), CT–ATI (r = 0.34, p < 0.01), and with LV on expiration CT (r = −0.25, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Among the tracheal morphologic changes, the most significant change in COPD patients compared with that in the control group, was the TI. In COPD patients, the tracheal morphologic change showed clinically significant correlation with severity of emphysema and CT indices.

Coronary artery calcification detected by a mobile helical CT unit in a mass screening. The frequency and relationship to coronary risk factors and coronary artery disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Itani, Yasutaka; Watanabe, Shigeru; Masuda, Yoshiaki [Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine; Hanamura, Kazuhisa; Asakura, Kazuhiro; Sone, Shusuke; Sunami, Yuko; Shimura, Akimitsu; Miyamoto, Tadaaki

2001-06-01

A strong relationship is known to exist between coronary artery disease (CAD) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) detected by CT. In this study, we investigated the frequency of CAC and the relationship between coronary risk factors, CAD and CAC in a mass screening using a mobile helical CT unit. The total number of participants was 10008 people undergoing a medical examination for lung cancer and tuberculosis using a mobile helical CT unit. We measured the CT density of the coronary artery to detect CAC. The CT density threshold for determining CAC was above +110HU. The frequency of CAC was 16.0% in the overall patient population and significantly higher in males than in females (20.6% vs 10.7%). Frequency increased with age in both genders. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were significantly related to CAC. Smoking showed a correlation with CAC only in males. A significant relationship was observed between CAD and CAC in males. In particular, the relationship between them was strongest in males under 60 years of age. Furthermore, the odds ratio of CAC in predicting CAD increased with increasing risk factors in both genders. (author)

Generalizability of results from the National Lung Screening Trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuvers, Marlies E.; Wisnivesky, Juan; Stricker, Bruno H.; Aerts, Joachim G.

2012-01-01

Lung cancer is the major cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a 5-year survival of only 16 %. Most lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced incurable stage. As earlier stages have a better prognosis, the key to reducing mortality could be early diagnosis of the disease. At present, low-dose computed tomographic (CT) screening has shown promising data. Lung cancer death rates were reduced by 20 % when CT screening is compared to chest radiography in a high-risk group. There are many advantages of CT screening in lung cancer, however there are also some important issues that should be taken into account. Therefore, the applicability of the results to clinical practice is not clear yet. In this Commentary we discuss different aspects that play important roles in the balance between harms and benefits of screening, including overdiagnosis, availability of treatment options worldwide, ethical considerations, costs, and prolonged life expectancy. We conclude that clinicians should be cautious in generalizing findings to the total population of smokers and take into account that the use of lung cancer screening in clinical practice may have limitations.

Evaluation of PET Scanner Performance in PET/MR and PET/CT Systems: NEMA Tests

OpenAIRE

Mustafa Demir; Türkay Toklu; Mohammad Abuqbeitah; Hüseyin Çetin; H. Sezer Sezgin; Nami Yeyin; Kerim Sönmezoğlu

2018-01-01

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) component of PET/computed tomography (CT) with new emerging PET/magnetic resonance (MR) of the same vendor. Methods: According to National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU2-07, five separate experimental tests were performed to evaluate the performance of PET scanner of General Electric GE company; SIGNATM model PET/MR and GE Discovery 710 model PET/CT. The main investigated...

Evaluation of PET Scanner Performance in PET/MR and PET/CT Systems: NEMA Tests

OpenAIRE

Demir, Mustafa; Toklu, Türkay; Abuqbeitah, Mohammad; Çetin, Hüseyin; Sezgin, H. Sezer; Yeyin, Nami; Sönmezoğlu, Kerim

2018-01-01

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) component of PET/computed tomography (CT) with new emerging PET/magnetic resonance (MR) of the same vendor. Methods: According to National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU2-07, five separate experimental tests were performed to evaluate the performance of PET scanner of General Electric GE company; SIGNATM model PET/MR and GE Discovery 710 model PET/CT. The main investigated asp...

The possible effects on socio-economic inequalities of introducing HPV-testing as primary test in cervical cancer screening programs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo eGiorgi Rossi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background HPV-test is more effective than Pap test in preventing cervical cancer. HPV-based screening will imply longer intervals and a triage test for HPV positive women. It will also permit the use of self-sampling devices. These innovations may affect population coverage, participation, and compliance to protocols, and likely in a different way for less educated, poorer, and disadvantaged women. Aim To describe the impact on inequalities, actual or presumed, of the introduction of HPV-based screening. Methods The putative HPV-based screening algorithm has been analysed to identify critical points for inequalities. A systematic review of the literature has been conducted searching PubMed on HPV screening coverage, participation, and compliance. Results were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Results Knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer was lower in women with low Socio-economic status and in disadvantaged groups. A correct communication can reduce differences. Longer intervals will make it easier to achieve high-population coverage, but higher cost of the test in private providers could reduce the use of opportunistic screening by disadvantaged women. There are some evidences that inviting for HPV test instead of Pap increases participation, but there are no data on social differences. Self-sampling devices are effective in increasing participation and coverage. Some studies showed that the acceptability of self-sampling is higher in more educated women, but there is also an effect on hard-to-reach women. Communication of HPV positivity may increase anxiety and impact on sexual behaviours, the effect is stronger in low educated and disadvantaged women. Many studies found indirect evidence that unvaccinated women are or will be more probably under-screened. Conclusions The introduction of HPV test may increase population coverage, but non-compliance to protocols and interaction with opportunistic screening can increase existing

Lung Cancer Screening (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

Science.gov (United States)

Lung cancer screening with low-dose spiral CT scans has been shown to decrease the risk of dying from lung cancer in heavy smokers. Screening with chest x-ray or sputum cytology does not reduce lung cancer mortality. Get detailed information about lung cancer screening in this clinician summary.

Does population screening for Chlamydia trachomatis raise anxiety among those tested? Findings from a population based chlamydia screening study.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Rona; Mills, Nicola; Sanford, Emma; Graham, Anna; Low, Nicola; Peters, Tim J

2006-04-25

The advent of urine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis has raised the possibility of large-scale screening for this sexually transmitted infection, which is now the most common in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an invitation to be screened for chlamydia and of receiving a negative result on levels of anxiety, depression and self-esteem. 19,773 men and women aged 16 to 39 years, selected at random from 27 general practices in two large city areas (Bristol and Birmingham) were invited by post to send home-collected urine samples or vulvo-vaginal swabs for chlamydia testing. Questionnaires enquiring about anxiety, depression and self-esteem were sent to random samples of those offered screening: one month before the dispatch of invitations; when participants returned samples; and after receiving a negative result. Home screening was associated with an overall reduction in anxiety scores. An invitation to participate did not increase anxiety levels. Anxiety scores in men were lower after receiving the invitation than at baseline. Amongst women anxiety was reduced after receipt of negative test results. Neither depression nor self-esteem scores were affected by screening. Postal screening for chlamydia does not appear to have a negative impact on overall psychological well-being and can lead to a decrease in anxiety levels among respondents. There is, however, a clear difference between men and women in when this reduction occurs.

Does population screening for Chlamydia trachomatis raise anxiety among those tested? Findings from a population based chlamydia screening study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Low Nicola

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The advent of urine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis has raised the possibility of large-scale screening for this sexually transmitted infection, which is now the most common in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an invitation to be screened for chlamydia and of receiving a negative result on levels of anxiety, depression and self-esteem. Methods 19,773 men and women aged 16 to 39 years, selected at random from 27 general practices in two large city areas (Bristol and Birmingham were invited by post to send home-collected urine samples or vulvo-vaginal swabs for chlamydia testing. Questionnaires enquiring about anxiety, depression and self-esteem were sent to random samples of those offered screening: one month before the dispatch of invitations; when participants returned samples; and after receiving a negative result. Results Home screening was associated with an overall reduction in anxiety scores. An invitation to participate did not increase anxiety levels. Anxiety scores in men were lower after receiving the invitation than at baseline. Amongst women anxiety was reduced after receipt of negative test results. Neither depression nor self-esteem scores were affected by screening. Conclusion Postal screening for chlamydia does not appear to have a negative impact on overall psychological well-being and can lead to a decrease in anxiety levels among respondents. There is, however, a clear difference between men and women in when this reduction occurs.

Fluorescent screens and image processing for the APS linac test stand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, W.; Ko, K.

1992-01-01

A fluorescent screen was used to monitor relative beam position and spot size of a 56-MeV electron beam in the linac test stand. A chromium doped alumina ceramic screen inserted into the beam was monitored by a video camera. The resulting image was captured using a frame grabber and stored into memory. Reconstruction and analysis of the stored image was performed using PV-WAVE. This paper will discuss the hardware and software implementation of the fluorescent screen and imaging system. Proposed improvements for the APS linac fluorescent screens and image

Combining automatic tube current modulation with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for low-dose chest CT screening.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang-Hong Chen

Full Text Available To reduce radiation dose while maintaining image quality in low-dose chest computed tomography (CT by combining adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR and automatic tube current modulation (ATCM.Patients undergoing cancer screening (n = 200 were subjected to 64-slice multidetector chest CT scanning with ASIR and ATCM. Patients were divided into groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 (n = 50 each, with a noise index (NI of 15, 20, 30, and 40, respectively. Each image set was reconstructed with 4 ASIR levels (0% ASIR, 30% ASIR, 50% ASIR, and 80% ASIR in each group. Two radiologists assessed subjective image noise, image artifacts, and visibility of the anatomical structures. Objective image noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR were measured, and effective dose (ED was recorded.Increased NI was associated with increased subjective and objective image noise results (P<0.001, and SNR decreased with increasing NI (P<0.001. These values improved with increased ASIR levels (P<0.001. Images from all 4 groups were clinically diagnosable. Images with NI = 30 and 50% ASIR had average subjective image noise scores and nearly average anatomical structure visibility scores, with a mean objective image noise of 23.42 HU. The EDs for groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 2.79 ± 1.17, 1.69 ± 0.59, 0.74 ± 0.29, and 0.37 ± 0.22 mSv, respectively. Compared to group 1 (NI = 15, the ED reductions were 39.43%, 73.48%, and 86.74% for groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively.Using NI = 30 with 50% ASIR in the chest CT protocol, we obtained average or above-average image quality but a reduced ED.

Smartphone-based audiometric test for screening hearing loss in the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Ghanem, Sara; Handzel, Ophir; Ness, Lior; Ben-Artzi-Blima, Miri; Fait-Ghelbendorf, Karin; Himmelfarb, Mordechai

2016-02-01

Hearing loss is widespread among the elderly. One of the main obstacles to rehabilitation is identifying individuals with potentially correctable hearing loss. Smartphone-based hearing tests can be administered at home, thus greatly facilitating access to screening. This study evaluates the use of a smartphone application as a screening tool for hearing loss in individuals aged ≥ 65 years. Twenty-six subjects aged 84.4 ± 6.73 years (mean ± SD) were recruited. Pure-tone audiometry was administered by both a smartphone application (uHear for iPhone, v1.0 Unitron, Canada) and a standard portable audiometer by trained personnel. Participants also completed a questionnaire on their hearing. Pure-tone thresholds were compared between the two testing modalities and correlated with the questionnaire results. The cutoff point for failing screening tests was a pure tone average of 40 dB for the frequencies 250-6,000 Hz. The smartphone application's pure tone thresholds were higher (poorer hearing) than the audiometric thresholds, with a significant difference in all frequencies but 2,000 Hz. The application and the audiometric values were in agreement for 24 subjects (92 %). The application had a sensitivity of 100 % and specificity of 60 % for screening compared with the audiometer. The questionnaire was significantly less accurate, having assigned a passing score to three participants who failed both the application and audiometric tests. While a smartphone application may not be able to accurately determine the level of hearing impairment, it is useful as a highly accessible portable audiometer substitute for screening for hearing loss in elderly populations.

Validation of the Cross-Cultural Alcoholism Screening Test (CCAST).

Science.gov (United States)

Gorenc, K D; Peredo, S; Pacurucu, S; Llanos, R; Vincente, B; López, R; Abreu, L F; Paez, E

1999-01-01

When screening instruments that are used in the assessment and diagnosis of alcoholism of individuals from different ethnicities, some cultural variables based on norms and societal acceptance of drinking behavior can play an important role in determining the outcome. The accepted diagnostic criteria of current market testing are based on Western standards. In this study, the Munich Alcoholism Test (31 items) was the base instrument applied to subjects from several Hispanic-American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru). After the sample was submitted to several statistical procedures, these 31 items were reduced to a culture-free, 31-item test named the Cross-Cultural Alcohol Screening Test (CCAST). The results of this Hispanic-American sample (n = 2,107) empirically demonstrated that CCAST measures alcoholism with an adequate degree of accuracy when compared to other available cross-cultural tests. CCAST is useful in the diagnosis of alcoholism in Spanish-speaking immigrants living in countries where English is spoken. CCAST can be used in general hospitals, psychiatric wards, emergency services and police stations. The test can be useful for other professionals, such as psychological consultants, researchers, and those conducting expertise appraisal.

Optimisation and assessment of three modern touch screen tablet computers for clinical vision testing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humza J Tahir

Full Text Available Technological advances have led to the development of powerful yet portable tablet computers whose touch-screen resolutions now permit the presentation of targets small enough to test the limits of normal visual acuity. Such devices have become ubiquitous in daily life and are moving into the clinical space. However, in order to produce clinically valid tests, it is important to identify the limits imposed by the screen characteristics, such as resolution, brightness uniformity, contrast linearity and the effect of viewing angle. Previously we have conducted such tests on the iPad 3. Here we extend our investigations to 2 other devices and outline a protocol for calibrating such screens, using standardised methods to measure the gamma function, warm up time, screen uniformity and the effects of viewing angle and screen reflections. We demonstrate that all three devices manifest typical gamma functions for voltage and luminance with warm up times of approximately 15 minutes. However, there were differences in homogeneity and reflectance among the displays. We suggest practical means to optimise quality of display for vision testing including screen calibration.

Optimisation and assessment of three modern touch screen tablet computers for clinical vision testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahir, Humza J; Murray, Ian J; Parry, Neil R A; Aslam, Tariq M

2014-01-01

Technological advances have led to the development of powerful yet portable tablet computers whose touch-screen resolutions now permit the presentation of targets small enough to test the limits of normal visual acuity. Such devices have become ubiquitous in daily life and are moving into the clinical space. However, in order to produce clinically valid tests, it is important to identify the limits imposed by the screen characteristics, such as resolution, brightness uniformity, contrast linearity and the effect of viewing angle. Previously we have conducted such tests on the iPad 3. Here we extend our investigations to 2 other devices and outline a protocol for calibrating such screens, using standardised methods to measure the gamma function, warm up time, screen uniformity and the effects of viewing angle and screen reflections. We demonstrate that all three devices manifest typical gamma functions for voltage and luminance with warm up times of approximately 15 minutes. However, there were differences in homogeneity and reflectance among the displays. We suggest practical means to optimise quality of display for vision testing including screen calibration.

Screening for lung cancer: Does MRI have a role?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biederer, Juergen; Ohno, Yoshiharu; Hatabu, Hiroto; Schiebler, Mark L.; Beek, Edwin J.R. van; Vogel-Claussen, Jens; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich

2017-01-01

Highlights: • From a technical point of view, the feasibility of using MRI for lung cancer screening is evident. • Experience with the clinical use of lung MRI is growing, standardized protocols are available. • If lung cancer screening becomes effective, there will be an opportunity for MRI as primary screening modality or adjunct to CT. • Validation of better patient outcomes (test effectiveness) for the use of MRI is still missing, therefore. • A simultaneous evaluation of MRI should be embedded into any future prospective lung cancer screening trials. - Abstract: While the inauguration of national low dose computed tomographic (LDCT) lung cancer screening programs has started in the USA, other countries remain undecided, awaiting the results of ongoing trials. The continuous technical development achieved by stronger gradients, parallel imaging and shorter echo time has made lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) an interesting alternative to CT. For the detection of solid lesions with lung MRI, experimental and clinical studies have shown a threshold size of 3–4 mm for nodules, with detection rates of 60–90% for lesions of 5–8 mm and close to 100% for lesions of 8 mm or larger. From experimental work, the sensitivity for infiltrative, non-solid lesions would be expected to be similarly high as that for solid lesions, but the published data for the MRI detection of lepidic growth type adenocarcinoma is sparse. Moreover, biological features such as a longer T2 time of lung cancer tissue, tissue compliance and a more rapid uptake of contrast material compared to granulomatous diseases, in principle should allow for the multi-parametric characterization of lung pathology. Experience with the clinical use of lung MRI is growing. There are now standardized protocols which are easy to implement on current scanner hardware configurations. The image quality has become more robust and currently ongoing studies will help to further contribute experience

Screening for lung cancer: Does MRI have a role?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biederer, Juergen, E-mail: Juergen.biederer@uni-heidelberg.de [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), Member of the German Lung ResearchCenter (DZL), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Radiologie Darmstadt, Gross-Gerau County Hospital, 64521 Gross-Gerau (Germany); Ohno, Yoshiharu [Division of Functional and Diagnostic Imaging Research, Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Advanced Biomedical Imaging Research Centre, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Hatabu, Hiroto [Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Schiebler, Mark L. [Department of Radiology, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States); Beek, Edwin J.R. van [Clinical Research Imaging Centre, University of Edinburgh, Scotland (United Kingdom); Vogel-Claussen, Jens [Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover (Germany); Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Hannover (Germany); Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), Member of the German Lung ResearchCenter (DZL), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • From a technical point of view, the feasibility of using MRI for lung cancer screening is evident. • Experience with the clinical use of lung MRI is growing, standardized protocols are available. • If lung cancer screening becomes effective, there will be an opportunity for MRI as primary screening modality or adjunct to CT. • Validation of better patient outcomes (test effectiveness) for the use of MRI is still missing, therefore. • A simultaneous evaluation of MRI should be embedded into any future prospective lung cancer screening trials. - Abstract: While the inauguration of national low dose computed tomographic (LDCT) lung cancer screening programs has started in the USA, other countries remain undecided, awaiting the results of ongoing trials. The continuous technical development achieved by stronger gradients, parallel imaging and shorter echo time has made lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) an interesting alternative to CT. For the detection of solid lesions with lung MRI, experimental and clinical studies have shown a threshold size of 3–4 mm for nodules, with detection rates of 60–90% for lesions of 5–8 mm and close to 100% for lesions of 8 mm or larger. From experimental work, the sensitivity for infiltrative, non-solid lesions would be expected to be similarly high as that for solid lesions, but the published data for the MRI detection of lepidic growth type adenocarcinoma is sparse. Moreover, biological features such as a longer T2 time of lung cancer tissue, tissue compliance and a more rapid uptake of contrast material compared to granulomatous diseases, in principle should allow for the multi-parametric characterization of lung pathology. Experience with the clinical use of lung MRI is growing. There are now standardized protocols which are easy to implement on current scanner hardware configurations. The image quality has become more robust and currently ongoing studies will help to further contribute experience

Evaluating the reliability of an injury prevention screening tool: Test-retest study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gittelman, Michael A; Kincaid, Madeline; Denny, Sarah; Wervey Arnold, Melissa; FitzGerald, Michael; Carle, Adam C; Mara, Constance A

2016-10-01

A standardized injury prevention (IP) screening tool can identify family risks and allow pediatricians to address behaviors. To assess behavior changes on later screens, the tool must be reliable for an individual and ideally between household members. Little research has examined the reliability of safety screening tool questions. This study utilized test-retest reliability of parent responses on an existing IP questionnaire and also compared responses between household parents. Investigators recruited parents of children 0 to 1 year of age during admission to a tertiary care children's hospital. When both parents were present, one was chosen as the "primary" respondent. Primary respondents completed the 30-question IP screening tool after consent, and they were re-screened approximately 4 hours later to test individual reliability. The "second" parent, when present, only completed the tool once. All participants received a 10-dollar gift card. Cohen's Kappa was used to estimate test-retest reliability and inter-rater agreement. Standard test-retest criteria consider Kappa values: 0.0 to 0.40 poor to fair, 0.41 to 0.60 moderate, 0.61 to 0.80 substantial, and 0.81 to 1.00 as almost perfect reliability. One hundred five families participated, with five lost to follow-up. Thirty-two (30.5%) parent dyads completed the tool. Primary respondents were generally mothers (88%) and Caucasian (72%). Test-retest of the primary respondents showed their responses to be almost perfect; average 0.82 (SD = 0.13, range 0.49-1.00). Seventeen questions had almost perfect test-retest reliability and 11 had substantial reliability. However, inter-rater agreement between household members for 12 objective questions showed little agreement between responses; inter-rater agreement averaged 0.35 (SD = 0.34, range -0.19-1.00). One question had almost perfect inter-rater agreement and two had substantial inter-rater agreement. The IP screening tool used by a single individual had excellent

On the Estimation of Disease Prevalence by Latent Class Models for Screening Studies Using Two Screening Tests with Categorical Disease Status Verified in Test Positives Only

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Haitao; Zhou, Yijie; Cole, Stephen R.; Ibrahim, Joseph G.

2010-01-01

Summary To evaluate the probabilities of a disease state, ideally all subjects in a study should be diagnosed by a definitive diagnostic or gold standard test. However, since definitive diagnostic tests are often invasive and expensive, it is generally unethical to apply them to subjects whose screening tests are negative. In this article, we consider latent class models for screening studies with two imperfect binary diagnostic tests and a definitive categorical disease status measured only for those with at least one positive screening test. Specifically, we discuss a conditional independent and three homogeneous conditional dependent latent class models and assess the impact of misspecification of the dependence structure on the estimation of disease category probabilities using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Interestingly, the three homogeneous dependent models can provide identical goodness-of-fit but substantively different estimates for a given study. However, the parametric form of the assumed dependence structure itself is not “testable” from the data, and thus the dependence structure modeling considered here can only be viewed as a sensitivity analysis concerning a more complicated non-identifiable model potentially involving heterogeneous dependence structure. Furthermore, we discuss Bayesian model averaging together with its limitations as an alternative way to partially address this particularly challenging problem. The methods are applied to two cancer screening studies, and simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of these methods. In summary, further research is needed to reduce the impact of model misspecification on the estimation of disease prevalence in such settings. PMID:20191614

Cost-effectiveness of partner pharmacotherapy in screening women for asymptomatic infection with Chlamydia Trachomatis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Postma, Maarten; Welte, R; van den Hoek, J A; van Doornum, G J; Jager, H C; Coutinho, R A

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for male partners in screening women for asymptomatic infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). METHODS AND DATA: A pharmacoeconomic decision analysis model was constructed for the health outcomes of a CT screening program, such as

Tandem walking as a quick screening test for vestibular disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Helen S; Stitz, Jasmine; Sangi-Haghpeykar, Haleh; Williams, Susan P; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P; Peters, Brian T; Bloomberg, Jacob J

2017-12-11

Although many screening tests of balance are available, few of them have been well validated for clinical or research uses. The goal of this study was to test an updated version of an old test, Tandem Walking, to determine how useful it is for screening patients with vestibular disorders. Case-control study. Subjects were 90 adult patients with vestibular disorders and 292 healthy adult controls. They were tested on the number of correct tandem steps they could perform with arms crossed and eyes closed in a series of 10 steps. Correct steps could be nonconsecutive. Subjects were given one practice trial with eyes open and three experimental trials with eyes closed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and sensitivity and specificity were calculated. ROC values, sensitivity, and specificity were, at best, only moderate, no matter how the age range was cut. Even for subjects in the age group with the highest ROC value (i.e., age less than 50 years), ROC = 0.8, sensitivity = 0.77, and specificity = 0.72. These results indicate that 23% of patients will not be identified. Therefore, we recommend that if this test is used for screening patients in the clinic or healthy volunteers, the result should be interpreted with care. 3b Laryngoscope, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

[A temporal bone CT study of the infants with hearing loss referred from universal newborn hearing screening].

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Zheng; Li, Yun; Hou, Zheng; Cheng, Lan

2007-02-01

To explore the high resolution CT image of temporal bone in infants with hearing loss, and its value in evaluating the cause of hearing loss. In 2005, 0.12 million newborns have been included in the hearing screening system in Shanghai, and 1077 infants have failed to pass the hearing screening. One hundred and eight four infants were diagnosed as congenital hearing loss from mild to profound. A temporal bone HRCT scanning was performed to these infants. Among the 184 patients with congenital hearing loss, HRCT showed that 26 cases (14.1%) were associated with external ear malformation, and 21 cases (11.4%) were associated with middle ear malformation, 31 cases (16.8%) associated with inner ear malformation. The patients with inner ear malformation included 12 cases with Mondini malformation, 1 case with common cavity malformation, 6 cases with large vestibule malformation, 5 cases with internal auditory canal abnormalities, and 10 cases with vestibule, semicircular canals abnormalities. In addition, there were 20 cases (10.8%) with fluid in middle ear. HRCT image play an important role in the differential diagnosis and treatment of infants with congenital hearing loss.

EVALUATION OF REINFORCING EFFECT ON FACEBOLTS FOR TUNNELING USING X-RAY CT AND CENTRIFUGE MODEL TEST

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, Daiki; Otani, Jun; Date, Kensuke; Yokot, Yasuhiro; Nagatani, Hideki

The purpose of this paper is firstly to simulate the tunnel face failure in laboratory with four cases of model tests by pulling out tunnel model from a sandy ground that are without using auxiliary method nor facebolts and using facebolts with three different lengths of bolts, and secondary, to investigate the behavior of model ground using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner to visualize the failure zone in three dimensions. In addition to those results, a series of centrifuge model tests are conducted to confirm the results of X-ray CT test and also to discuss the ground behavior under full scale stress level. Finally, the effect of face bolting method is evaluated based on all the test results.

The impact of screening-test negative samples not enumerated by MPN

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Corbellini, Luis Gustavo; Ribeiro Duarte, Ana Sofia; de Knegt, Leonardo

2015-01-01

that includes false negative results from the screening, and a third that considers the entire data set. The relative sensitivity of the screening test was also calculated assuming as gold standard samples with confirmed Salmonella. Salmonella was confirmed by a reference laboratory in 29 samples either...

Emergency department CT screening of patients with nontraumatic neurological symptoms referred to the posterior fossa: comparison of thin versus thick slice images.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamalian, Shervin; Atkinson, Wendy L; Florin, Lauren A; Pomerantz, Stuart R; Lev, Michael H; Romero, Javier M

2014-06-01

Evaluation of the posterior fossa (PF) on 5-mm-thick helical CT images (current default) has improved diagnostic accuracy compared to 5-mm sequential CT images; however, 5-mm-thick images may not be ideal for PF pathology due to volume averaging of rapid changes in anatomy in the Z-direction. Therefore, we sought to determine if routine review of 1.25-mm-thin helical CT images has superior accuracy in screening for nontraumatic PF pathology. MRI proof of diagnosis was obtained within 6 h of helical CT acquisition for 90 consecutive ED patients with, and 88 without, posterior fossa lesions. Helical CT images were post-processed at 1.25 and 5-mm-axial slice thickness. Two neuroradiologists blinded to the clinical/MRI findings reviewed both image sets. Interobserver agreement and accuracy were rated using Kappa statistics and ROC analysis, respectively. Of the 90/178 (51 %) who were MR positive, 60/90 (66 %) had stroke and 30/90 (33 %) had other etiologies. There was excellent interobserver agreement (κ > 0.97) for both thick and thin slice assessments. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for 1.25-mm images were 65, 44, and 84 %, respectively, and for 5-mm images were 67, 45, and 85 %, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was not significantly different (p > 0.5). In this cohort of patients with nontraumatic neurological symptoms referred to the posterior fossa, 1.25-mm-thin slice CT reformatted images do not have superior accuracy compared to 5-mm-thick images. This information has implications on optimizing resource utilizations and efficiency in a busy emergency room. Review of 1.25-mm-thin images may help diagnostic accuracy only when review of 5-mm-thick images as current default is inconclusive.

Mammography and Pap test screening among low-income foreign-born Hispanic women in the USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernandez Maria E.

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Little is known about the factors influencing screening among low-income Hispanic women particularly among recent immigrants. A sample of 148 low-income, low-literate, foreign-born Hispanic women residing in the Washington DC metropolitan area participated in the study. The mean age of the sample was 46.2 (SD = 11.5, 84% reported annual household incomes<=$15,000. All women were Spanish speakers and had low acculturation levels. Ninety six percent had reported having a Pap smear, but 24% were not in compliance with recommended screening (Pap test within the last 3 years. Among women 40 and older, 62% had received a mammogram, but only 33% were compliant with age appropriate recommended mammography screening guidelines. Women in this study had more misconceptions about cancer than Hispanics in other studies. Multivariate logistic models for correlates of Pap test and mammography screening behavior indicate that factors such as fear of the screening test, embarrassment, and lack of knowledge influenced screening behavior. In conclusion, women in this study had lower rates of mammography screening than non-Hispanic women and lower rates of compliance with recommended Mammography and Pap test screening guidelines.

Cancer screening with FDG-PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ide, M.

2006-01-01

Aim: This study is based on medical health check-up and cancer screening on of a medical health club using PET, MRI, spiral CT and other conventional examinations. Methods: Between October 1994 and June 2005, 9357 asymptomatic members of the health club participated in 24772 screening session (5693 men and 3664 women, mean age 52.2±10.4 years). Results: Malignant tumors were discovered in 296 of the 9357 participants (3.16%) and 24772 screening sessions (1.19%). The detection rate of our program is much higher than that of mass screening in Japan. The thyroid, lung, colon and breast cancers were PET positive, but the prostate, renal and bladder cancers were generally PET negative. Conclusion: FDG-PET has the potential to detect a wide variety of cancers at curable stages in asymptomatic individuals. To reduce false-positive and false-negative results of PET examination, there is a need of experienced radiologist and/or oncologists who had training in the wide aspect of FDG-PET. FDG-PET has limitations in the detection of urological cancers, cancers of low cell density, small cancers and hypo metabolic or FDG non-avid cancers. Therefore, conventional examinations and/or PET/CT are also needed for cancer screening in association with FDG-PET

Cost-Effectiveness of Cervical Cancer Screening With Human Papillomavirus DNA Testing and HPV-16,18 Vaccination

Science.gov (United States)

Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D.; Stout, Natasha K.; Salomon, Joshua A.; Kuntz, Karen M.; Goldie, Sue J.

2011-01-01

Background The availability of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing and vaccination against HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16,18) motivates questions about the cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention in the United States for unvaccinated older women and for girls eligible for vaccination. Methods An empirically calibrated model was used to assess the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (2004 US dollars per QALY) of screening, vaccination of preadolescent girls, and vaccination combined with screening. Screening varied by initiation age (18, 21, or 25 years), interval (every 1, 2, 3, or 5 years), and test (HPV DNA testing of cervical specimens or cytologic evaluation of cervical cells with a Pap test). Testing strategies included: 1) cytology followed by HPV DNA testing for equivocal cytologic results (cytology with HPV test triage); 2) HPV DNA testing followed by cytology for positive HPV DNA results (HPV test with cytology triage); and 3) combined HPV DNA testing and cytology. Strategies were permitted to switch once at age 25, 30, or 35 years. Results For unvaccinated women, triennial cytology with HPV test triage, beginning by age 21 years and switching to HPV testing with cytology triage at age 30 years, cost $78 000 per QALY compared with the next best strategy. For girls vaccinated before age 12 years, this same strategy, beginning at age 25 years and switching at age 35 years, cost $41 000 per QALY with screening every 5 years and $188 000 per QALY screening triennially, each compared with the next best strategy. These strategies were more effective and cost-effective than screening women of all ages with cytology alone or cytology with HPV triage annually or biennially. Conclusions For both vaccinated and unvaccinated women, age-based screening by use of HPV DNA testing as a triage test for equivocal results in younger women and as a primary screening test in older women is expected to be more

Cost-effectiveness of computed tomography colonography in colorectal cancer screening: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanly, Paul; Skally, Mairead; Fenlon, Helen; Sharp, Linda

2012-10-01

The European Code Against Cancer recommends individuals aged ≥ 50 should participate in colorectal cancer screening. CT-colonography (CTC) is one of several screening tests available. We systematically reviewed evidence on, and identified key factors influencing, cost-effectiveness of CTC screening. PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane library were searched for cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analyses of CTC-based screening, published in English, January 1999 to July 2010. Data was abstracted on setting, model type and horizon, screening scenario(s), comparator(s), participants, uptake, CTC performance and cost, effectiveness, ICERs, and whether extra-colonic findings and medical complications were considered. Sixteen studies were identified from the United States (n = 11), Canada (n = 2), and France, Italy, and the United Kingdom (1 each). Markov state-transition (n = 14) or microsimulation (n = 2) models were used. Eleven considered direct medical costs only; five included indirect costs. Fourteen compared CTC with no screening; fourteen compared CTC with colonoscopy-based screening; fewer compared CTC with sigmoidoscopy (8) or fecal tests (4). Outcomes assessed were life-years gained/saved (13), QALYs (2), or both (1). Three considered extra-colonic findings; seven considered complications. CTC appeared cost-effective versus no screening and, in general, flexible sigmoidoscopy and fecal occult blood testing. Results were mixed comparing CTC to colonoscopy. Parameters most influencing cost-effectiveness included: CTC costs, screening uptake, threshold for polyp referral, and extra-colonic findings. Evidence on cost-effectiveness of CTC screening is heterogeneous, due largely to between-study differences in comparators and parameter values. Future studies should: compare CTC with currently favored tests, especially fecal immunochemical tests; consider extra-colonic findings; and conduct comprehensive sensitivity analyses.

The use of screening tests in spacecraft lubricant evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Kalogeras, Chris; Hilton, Mike; Carre, David; Didziulis, Stephen; Fleischauer, Paul

1993-01-01

A lubricant screening test fixture has been devised in order to satisfy the need to obtain lubricant performance data in a timely manner. This fixture has been used to perform short-term tests on potential lubricants for several spacecraft applications. The results of these tests have saved time by producing qualitative performance rankings of lubricant selections prior to life testing. To date, this test fixture has been used to test lubricants for 3 particular applications. The qualitative results from these tests have been verified by life test results and have provided insight into the function of various anti-wear additives.

Terrestrial avoidance behaviour tests as screening tool to assess soil contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loureiro, Susana; Soares, Amadeu M.V.M.; Nogueira, Antonio J.A.

2005-01-01

To assess soil quality and risk assessment, bioassays can be useful tools to gauge the potential toxicity of contaminants focusing on their bioavailable fraction. A rapid and sublethal avoidance behaviour test was used as a screening tool with the earthworm Eisenia andrei and the isopod Porcellionides pruinosus, where organisms were exposed during 48 h to several chemicals (lindane, dimethoate and copper sulphate, for isopods and carbendazim, benomyl, dimethoate and copper sulphate for earthworms). Both species were also exposed to soils from an abandoned mine. For all bioassays a statistical approach was used to derive EC 50 values. Isopods and earthworms were able to perceive the presence of toxic compounds and escaping from contaminated to clean soil. Furthermore the behaviour parameter was equally or more sensitive then other sublethal parameters (e.g. reproduction or growth), expressing the advantages of Avoidance Behaviour Tests as screening tools in ERA. - Avoidance Behaviour Tests with earthworms and isopods can be used as screening tools in the evaluation of soil contamination

Spiral CT pneumocolon: applications, status and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, C.J.; Renfrew, I.; Taylor, S.; Gillams, A.R.; Lees, W.R.

2001-01-01

CT pneumocolon is a promising new technique in the diagnosis and management of colon pathology. CT pneumocolon can detect (sensitivity >95%) and stage (accuracy 79%) colorectal cancer and is very accurate in the differentiation of malignant from benign colonic pathologies. It has excellent detection rates for polyps >10 mm in diameter. Several studies using 3D virtual colonoscopy have already proven its high sensitivity and specificity in polyp detection making this technique robust as a screening tool. The combined results for virtual colonoscopy, from all centres, show a sensitivity of >85% in the detection of polyps 10 mm or greater in size, 70-80% for 5-9 mm polyps and an overall specificity of 90%. CT pneumocolon is a safe, non-invasive and cost-effective method for detecting colonic carcinomas and adenomas and correctly identifying which patients need further colonoscopy. The technique is quick, well tolerated and non-operator dependent. It can also image the proximal colon when distal stenoses prevent endoscopic and barium examination. CT pneumocolon is able to identify the features and complications of inflammatory bowel disease. Further research is warranted to fully assess its impact in terms of a screening tool, acceptability, availability and cost benefit. (orig.)

Participation in prenatal screening tests and intentions concerning selective termination in Finnish maternity care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santalahti, P; Hemminki, E; Aro, A R

1999-01-01

AIMS: The study examined how prenatal screening tests are presented to women, factors associated with women's participation in screening, their experience of decision-making and intentions concerning pregnancy termination, and hospital data on rates of selective terminations. METHODS: Questionnai......AIMS: The study examined how prenatal screening tests are presented to women, factors associated with women's participation in screening, their experience of decision-making and intentions concerning pregnancy termination, and hospital data on rates of selective terminations. METHODS...... as a routine procedure. Most women (92%) underwent serum screening and most (86%) found the decision to participate or not easy. In almost every aspect of presentation and participation studied, serum and ultrasound screening differed from each other. 85% of respondents to ultrasound screening answered...... in screening and with intentions about selective termination, women's perceptions of lives of the disabled should receive more attention in future studies....

Application of CT-PSF-based computer-simulated lung nodules for evaluating the accuracy of computer-aided volumetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Funaki, Ayumu; Ohkubo, Masaki; Wada, Shinichi; Murao, Kohei; Matsumoto, Toru; Niizuma, Shinji

2012-07-01

With the wide dissemination of computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer, measuring the nodule volume accurately with computer-aided volumetry software is increasingly important. Many studies for determining the accuracy of volumetry software have been performed using a phantom with artificial nodules. These phantom studies are limited, however, in their ability to reproduce the nodules both accurately and in the variety of sizes and densities required. Therefore, we propose a new approach of using computer-simulated nodules based on the point spread function measured in a CT system. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed by the excellent agreement obtained between computer-simulated nodules and phantom nodules regarding the volume measurements. A practical clinical evaluation of the accuracy of volumetry software was achieved by adding simulated nodules onto clinical lung images, including noise and artifacts. The tested volumetry software was revealed to be accurate within an error of 20 % for nodules >5 mm and with the difference between nodule density and background (lung) (CT value) being 400-600 HU. Such a detailed analysis can provide clinically useful information on the use of volumetry software in CT screening for lung cancer. We concluded that the proposed method is effective for evaluating the performance of computer-aided volumetry software.

Computer-aided diagnosis workstation and network system for chest diagnosis based on multislice CT images

Science.gov (United States)

Satoh, Hitoshi; Niki, Noboru; Eguchi, Kenji; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Masuda, Hideo; Machida, Suguru

2008-03-01

Mass screening based on multi-helical CT images requires a considerable number of images to be read. It is this time-consuming step that makes the use of helical CT for mass screening impractical at present. To overcome this problem, we have provided diagnostic assistance methods to medical screening specialists by developing a lung cancer screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected lung cancers in helical CT images, a coronary artery calcification screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected coronary artery calcification and a vertebra body analysis algorithm for quantitative evaluation of osteoporosis likelihood by using helical CT scanner for the lung cancer mass screening. The function to observe suspicious shadow in detail are provided in computer-aided diagnosis workstation with these screening algorithms. We also have developed the telemedicine network by using Web medical image conference system with the security improvement of images transmission, Biometric fingerprint authentication system and Biometric face authentication system. Biometric face authentication used on site of telemedicine makes "Encryption of file" and Success in login" effective. As a result, patients' private information is protected. Based on these diagnostic assistance methods, we have developed a new computer-aided workstation and a new telemedicine network that can display suspected lesions three-dimensionally in a short time. The results of this study indicate that our radiological information system without film by using computer-aided diagnosis workstation and our telemedicine network system can increase diagnostic speed, diagnostic accuracy and security improvement of medical information.

Cost-Effectiveness of Primary HPV Testing, Cytology and Co-testing as Cervical Cancer Screening for Women Above Age 30 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xian Wen; Lipold, Laura; Foucher, Julie; Sikon, Andrea; Brainard, Jennifer; Belinson, Jerome; Schramm, Sarah; Nottingham, Kelly; Hu, Bo; Rothberg, Michael B

2016-11-01

Cervical cancer screening guidelines for women aged ≥30 years allow for co-testing or primary cytology testing. Our objective was to determine the test characteristics and costs associated with Cytology, HPV and Co-testing screening strategies. Retrospective cohort study of women undergoing cervical cancer screening with both cytology and HPV (Hybrid Capture 2) testing from 2004 to 2010 in an integrated health system. The electronic health record was used to identify women aged ≥30 years who had co-testing. Unsatisfactory or unavailable test results and incorrectly ordered tests were excluded. The main outcome was biopsy-proven cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or higher (CIN3+). The final cohort consisted of 99,549 women. Subjects were mostly white (78.4 %), married (70.7 %), never smokers (61.3 %) and with private insurance (86.1 %). Overall, 5121 (5.1 %) tested positive for HPV and 6115 (6.1 %) had cytology ≥ ASCUS; 1681 had both and underwent colposcopy and 310 (0.3 %) had CIN3+. Sensitivity for CIN3+ was 91.9 % for Primary Cytology, 99.4 % for Co-testing, and 94.8 % for Primary HPV; specificity was 97.3 % for Co-testing and Primary Cytology and 97.9 % for Primary HPV. Over a 3-year screening interval, Primary HPV detected more cases of CIN3+ and was less expensive than Primary Cytology. Co-testing detected 14 more cases of CIN3+ than Primary HPV, but required an additional 100,277 cytology tests and 566 colposcopies at an added cost of $2.38 million, or $170,096 per additional case detected. Primary HPV was more effective and less expensive than Primary Cytology. Primary HPV screening appears to represent a cost-effective alternative to Co-testing.

Automated image quality assessment for chest CT scans.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Anthony P; Xie, Yiting; Liu, Shuang

2018-02-01

Medical image quality needs to be maintained at standards sufficient for effective clinical reading. Automated computer analytic methods may be applied to medical images for quality assessment. For chest CT scans in a lung cancer screening context, an automated quality assessment method is presented that characterizes image noise and image intensity calibration. This is achieved by image measurements in three automatically segmented homogeneous regions of the scan: external air, trachea lumen air, and descending aorta blood. Profiles of CT scanner behavior are also computed. The method has been evaluated on both phantom and real low-dose chest CT scans and results show that repeatable noise and calibration measures may be realized by automated computer algorithms. Noise and calibration profiles show relevant differences between different scanners and protocols. Automated image quality assessment may be useful for quality control for lung cancer screening and may enable performance improvements to automated computer analysis methods. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Evaluation of the concomitant use of two different EIA tests for HIV screening in blood banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Otani Marcia M.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: In 1998, the Brazilian Ministry of Health made it mandatory for all blood banks in the country to screen donated blood for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV concomitantly using two different enzyme immunoassay (EIA tests. Concerned with the best use of available resources, our objective with this study was to evaluate the usefulness of conducting two EIA screening tests instead of just one. METHODS: We analyzed data from 1999 through 2001 obtained by testing 698 191 units of donated blood using two EIA HIV screening tests concomitantly at the Pro-Blood Foundation/Blood Center of São Paulo (Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, which is a major blood center in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. All samples reactive in at least one of the two EIA tests were submitted for confirmation by a Western blot (WB test, and the persons who had donated those samples were also asked to return and provide a follow-up sample. RESULTS: Out of the 698 191 blood units that were donated, 2 718 of them (0.4% had to be discarded because they were reactive to at least one of the EIA tests. There were two WB-positive donation samples that were reactive in only one HIV EIA screening test. On their follow-up samples, both donors tested WB-negative. These cases were considered false positive results at screening. Of the 2 718 donors who were asked to return and provide a follow-up sample, 1 576 of them (58% did so. From these 1 576 persons, we found that there were two individuals who had been reactive to only one of the two EIA screening tests and who had also been negative on the WB at screening but who were fully seroconverted on the follow-up sample. We thus estimated that, in comparison to the use of a single EIA screening test, the use of two EIA screening tests would detect only one extra sample out of 410 700 units of blood. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not support the use of two different, concomitant EIA screening tests for HIV. The great

Abdominal and Pelvic CT

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Full Text Available ... CT) of the abdomen and pelvis is a diagnostic imaging test used to help detect diseases of ... as a CT or CAT scan, is a diagnostic medical test that, like traditional x-rays, produces ...

Quantitative assessment for pneumoconiosis severity diagnosis using 3D CT images

Science.gov (United States)

Hino, Koki; Matsuhiro, Mikio; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Kato, Katsuya; Kishimoto, Takumi; Ashizawa, Kazuto

2018-02-01

Pneumoconiosis is an occupational respiratory illness that occur by inhaling dust to the lungs. 240,000 participants are screened for diagnosis of pneumoconiosis every year in Japan. Radiograph is used for staging of severity rate in pneumoconiosis worldwide. CT imaging is useful for the differentiation of requirements for industrial accident approval because it can detect small lesions in comparison with radiograph. In this paper, we extracted lung nodules from 3D pneumoconiosis CT images by two manual processes and automatic process, and created a database of pneumoconiosis CT images. We used the database to analyze, compare, and evaluate visual diagnostic results of radiographs and quantitative assessment (number, size and volume) of lung nodules. This method was applied to twenty pneumoconiosis patients. Initial results showed that the proposed method can assess severity rate in pneumoconiosis quantitatively. This study demonstrates effectiveness on diagnosis and prognosis of pneumoconiosis in CT screening.

Medical and lay attitudes towards genetic screening and testing in Finland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toiviainen, Hanna; Jallinoja, Piia; Aro, Arja R

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare physicians', midwives' and lay people's attitudes towards genetic screening and testing to find out whether medical education and experience influence attitudes of genetic screening and testing. The study was based on comparison of answers to joint questions...... in three different cross-sectional postal surveys between October 1996 and April 1998 in Finland. Target groups were physicians (study base n=772, response rate 74%, including gynaecologists, paediatricians, general practitioners and clinical geneticists), midwives and public health nurses (collectively...

Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) Screen Thermal Testing to Simulate Solar Gain

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

determined that shielding the screen from solar gains was the best way to avoid monitor failure. In order to accomplish this Hot Mirror glass from...side of the monitor in order to shield the monitor from the solar loading. 2.7 Test 7 – Bench Test with a 250 W Heat Lamp and Hot Mirror Glass , 1 Inch...method to shield the screen from solar loading. The Hot Mirror glass uses a glass substrate with a coating on 1 side that passes visible light, but

TU-H-207A-08: Estimating Radiation Dose From Low-Dose Lung Cancer Screening CT Exams Using Tube Current Modulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, A; Bostani, M; McMillan, K; Zankl, M; Cagnon, C; McNitt-Gray, M

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to estimate effective and lung doses from a low-dose lung cancer screening CT protocol using Tube Current Modulation (TCM) across patient models of different sizes. Methods: Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to estimate effective and lung doses from a low-dose lung cancer screening protocol for a 64-slice CT (Sensation 64, Siemens Healthcare) that used TCM. Scanning parameters were from the AAPM protocols. Ten GSF voxelized patient models were used and had all radiosensitive organs identified to facilitate estimating both organ and effective doses. Predicted TCM schemes for each patient model were generated using a validated method wherein tissue attenuation characteristics and scanner limitations were used to determine the TCM output as a function of table position and source angle. The water equivalent diameter (WED) was determined by estimating the attenuation at the center of the scan volume for each patient model. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the unique TCM scheme for each patient model. Lung doses were tallied and effective doses were estimated using ICRP 103 tissue weighting factors. Effective and lung dose values were normalized by scanspecific 32 cm CTDIvol values based upon the average tube current across the entire simulated scan. Absolute and normalized doses were reported as a function of WED for each patient. Results: For all ten patients modeled, the effective dose using TCM protocols was below 1.5 mSv. Smaller sized patient models experienced lower absolute doses compared to larger sized patients. Normalized effective and lung doses showed some dependence on patient size (R2 = 0.77 and 0.78, respectively). Conclusion: Effective doses for a low-dose lung screening protocol using TCM were below 1.5 mSv for all patient models used in this study. Institutional research agreement, Siemens Healthcare; Past recipient, research grant support, Siemens Healthcare; Consultant, Toshiba America Medical

TU-H-207A-08: Estimating Radiation Dose From Low-Dose Lung Cancer Screening CT Exams Using Tube Current Modulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hardy, A; Bostani, M [University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (United States); McMillan, K [Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (United States); Zankl, M [Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Neuherberg (Germany); Cagnon, C [UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (United States); McNitt-Gray, M [UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to estimate effective and lung doses from a low-dose lung cancer screening CT protocol using Tube Current Modulation (TCM) across patient models of different sizes. Methods: Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to estimate effective and lung doses from a low-dose lung cancer screening protocol for a 64-slice CT (Sensation 64, Siemens Healthcare) that used TCM. Scanning parameters were from the AAPM protocols. Ten GSF voxelized patient models were used and had all radiosensitive organs identified to facilitate estimating both organ and effective doses. Predicted TCM schemes for each patient model were generated using a validated method wherein tissue attenuation characteristics and scanner limitations were used to determine the TCM output as a function of table position and source angle. The water equivalent diameter (WED) was determined by estimating the attenuation at the center of the scan volume for each patient model. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the unique TCM scheme for each patient model. Lung doses were tallied and effective doses were estimated using ICRP 103 tissue weighting factors. Effective and lung dose values were normalized by scanspecific 32 cm CTDIvol values based upon the average tube current across the entire simulated scan. Absolute and normalized doses were reported as a function of WED for each patient. Results: For all ten patients modeled, the effective dose using TCM protocols was below 1.5 mSv. Smaller sized patient models experienced lower absolute doses compared to larger sized patients. Normalized effective and lung doses showed some dependence on patient size (R2 = 0.77 and 0.78, respectively). Conclusion: Effective doses for a low-dose lung screening protocol using TCM were below 1.5 mSv for all patient models used in this study. Institutional research agreement, Siemens Healthcare; Past recipient, research grant support, Siemens Healthcare; Consultant, Toshiba America Medical

Screening for coronary artery disease in respiratory patients: comparison of single- and dual-source CT in patients with a heart rate above 70 bpm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pansini, Vittorio; Remy-Jardin, Martine; Tacelli, Nunzia; Faivre, Jean-Baptiste; Remy, Jacques; Flohr, Thomas; Deken, Valerie; Duhamel, Alain

2008-01-01

To evaluate the assessibility of coronary arteries in respiratory patients with high heart rates. This study was based on the comparative analysis of two paired populations of 54 patients with a heart rate >70 bpm evaluated with dual-source (group 1) and single-source (group 2) CT. The mean heart rate was 89.1 bpm in group 1 and 86.7 bpm in group 2 (P=0.26). The mean number of assessable segments per patient was significantly higher in group 1 compared to group 2 (P≤0.0001). The proportions of patients in whom proximal and mid-coronary segments were assessable (i.e., the anatomical level enabling screening for asymptomatic coronary artery disease) were 35.3% for heart rates <110 bpm, 35.6% for heart rates <100 bpm, 40% for heart rates <90 bpm, and 60% for heart rates <80 bpm in group 1 and 11.3, 12.2, 8.8, and 10% for the corresponding thresholds in group 2 (P<0.05). In both groups of patients, coronary artery imaging was obtained from standard CT angiograms of the chest. The improvement in coronary imaging with dual-source CT suggests that high heart rates should no longer be considered as contraindications for ECG-gated CT angiograms of the chest whenever clinically relevant. (orig.)

Screening for Specific Language Impairment in Preschool Children: Evaluating a Screening Procedure Including the Token Test

Science.gov (United States)

Willinger, Ulrike; Schmoeger, Michaela; Deckert, Matthias; Eisenwort, Brigitte; Loader, Benjamin; Hofmair, Annemarie; Auff, Eduard

2017-01-01

Specific language impairment (SLI) comprises impairments in receptive and/or expressive language. Aim of this study was to evaluate a screening for SLI. 61 children with SLI (SLI-children, age-range 4-6 years) and 61 matched typically developing controls were tested for receptive language ability (Token Test-TT) and for intelligence (Wechsler…

POPULATION BASED COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING: COMPARISON OF TWO FAECAL OCCULT BLOOD TESTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miren Begoña eZubero

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of screening for colorectal cancer is to improve prognosis by the detection of cancer at its early stages. In order to inform the decision on the specific test to be used in the population-based programme in the Basque Autonomous Region (Spain, we compared two immunochemical faecal occult blood quantitative tests (I-FOBT. Methods: Residents of selected study areas, aged 50-69 years, were invited to participate in the screening. Two tests based on latex agglutination (OC-Sensor and FOB Gold were randomly assigned to different study areas. A colonoscopy was offered to patients with a positive test result. The cut-off point used to classify a result as positive, according to manufacturer’s recommendations, was 100 ng/ml for both tests. Results: The invited population included 37,999 individuals. Participation rates were 61.8% (n=11,162 for OC-Sensor and 59.1% (n=11,786 for FOB Gold, (p=0.008. Positive rate for OC-Sensor was 6.6% (n=737 and 8.5% (n=1,002 for FOB Gold, (pConclusions: OC-Sensor test appears to be superior for I-FOBT based CRC screening, given its acceptance, ease of use, associated small number of errors and its screening accuracy. FOB-Gold on the other hand, has higher rate of positive values, with more colonoscopies performed, it shows higher detection incidence rates, but involves more false positives.

A Novel Public Library-Based Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening Program for Younger High-Risk Groups in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Delair, Shirley F; Lyden, Elizabeth R; O'Keefe, Anne L; Simonsen, Kari A; Nared, Sherri R; Berthold, Elizabeth A; Watanabe-Galloway, Shinobu

2016-04-01

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are the two most commonly reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States (U.S.) and Douglas County, Nebraska has STI rates consistently above the U.S. average. The Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) developed an outreach CT and NG screening program in public libraries to address the problem beyond the traditional STI clinic setting. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the program and identifies factors predictive of CT and NG infections. A retrospective review of surveys of library patrons and DCHD traditional STI clinic clients who submitted urine tests for CT and NG from June 2010 through April 2014 was done. Chi square, Fisher exact, Student's t tests, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted. A total of 977 library records and 4871 DCHD clinic records were reviewed. The percent positive was lower in the library than in the traditional clinic for CT (9.9 vs. 11.2 %) and NG (2.74 vs. 5.3 %) (p = 0.039 and p Library clients were more likely to be 19 years and younger (OR 6.14, 95 % CI: 5.0, 7.5), Black (OR 3.4, 95 % CI: 2.8, 4.1), and asymptomatic (OR 12.4, 95 % CI: 9.9, 15.5) compared to traditional clinic clients. The library STI screening program effectively reaches a younger, asymptomatic, and predominantly Black population compared to a traditional health department clinic site.

Variation in quantitative CT air trapping in heavy smokers on repeat CT examinations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mets, Onno M.; Gietema, Hester A.; Jong, Pim A. de [University Medical Center Utrecht, Radiology, Heidelberglaan 100, Postbus 85500, Utrecht (Netherlands); Isgum, Ivana; Mol, Christian P. [University Medical Center Utrecht, Image Sciences Institute, Utrecht (Netherlands); Zanen, Pieter [University Medical Center Utrecht, Pulmonology, Utrecht (Netherlands); Prokop, Mathias [Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Radiology, Nijmegen (Netherlands); University Medical Center Utrecht, Radiology, Heidelberglaan 100, Postbus 85500, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2012-12-15

To determine the variation in quantitative computed tomography (CT) measures of air trapping in low-dose chest CTs of heavy smokers. We analysed 45 subjects from a lung cancer screening trial, examined by CT twice within 3 months. Inspiratory and expiratory low-dose CT was obtained using breath hold instructions. CT air trapping was defined as the percentage of voxels in expiratory CT with an attenuation below -856 HU (EXP{sub -856}) and the expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratio{sub MLD}). Variation was determined using limits of agreement, defined as 1.96 times the standard deviation of the mean difference. The effect of both lung volume correction and breath hold reproducibility was determined. The limits of agreement for uncorrected CT air trapping measurements were -15.0 to 11.7 % (EXP{sub -856}) and -9.8 to 8.0 % (E/I-ratio{sub MLD}). Good breath hold reproducibility significantly narrowed the limits for EXP{sub -856} (-10.7 to 7.5 %, P = 0.002), but not for E/I-ratio{sub MLD} (-9.2 to 7.9 %, P = 0.75). Statistical lung volume correction did not improve the limits for EXP{sub -856} (-12.5 to 8.8 %, P = 0.12) and E/I-ratio{sub MLD} (-7.5 to 5.8 %, P = 0.17). Quantitative air trapping measures on low-dose CT of heavy smokers show considerable variation on repeat CT examinations, regardless of lung volume correction or reproducible breath holds. (orig.)

Nodule detection methods using autocorrelation features on 3D chest CT scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, T.; Zhou, X.; Okura, S.; Fujita, H.; Kiryu, T.; Hoshi, H.

2007-01-01

Lung cancer screening using low dose X-ray CT scan has been an acceptable examination to detect cancers at early stage. We have been developing an automated detection scheme for lung nodules on CT scan by using second-order autocorrelation features and the initial performance for small nodules (< 10 mm) shows a high true-positive rate with less than four false-positive marks per case. In this study, an open database of lung images, LIDC (Lung Image Database Consortium), was employed to evaluate our detection scheme as an consistency test. The detection performance for solid and solitary nodules in LIDC, included in the first data set opened by the consortium, was 83% (10/12) true-positive rate with 3.3 false-positive marks per case. (orig.)

A novel test tube method of screening for hemoglobin E.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatu, T; Kasinrerk, W

2012-02-01

Hemoglobin (Hb) E is a β-structural variant common worldwide. This Hb disorder can form a compound heterozygous state with the β-thalassemia gene, leading to life-threatening hereditary hemolytic anemia, HbE/β-thalassemia. Screening of HbE has proven to be a challenging practice in prevention and control of the HbE/β-thalassemia. A novel test tube method for HbE screening using diethyl aminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose resin was described. With the developed system, HbE/A(2) did not bind to the resin and remained dissolved in the supernatant, whereas other Hbs completely bound to the resin. The red color of the supernatant observed in the test tube indicated the presence of HbE. Colorless or markedly pale color of the supernatant indicates the absence of HbE. Accuracy and efficiency of the established method in detecting HbE was comparable with the standard cellulose acetate electrophoresis method. The developed method is cheap and simple with no requirement of sophisticated equipment. The reagent could be stored at 4 °C for up to 5 months. Hemolysate samples aged up to 5 months were still suitable for this test. The described novel test tube method could be an alternative method of mass population screening for HbE, particularly in small health care facilities. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Primary care validation of a single-question alcohol screening test.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Peter C; Schmidt, Susan M; Allensworth-Davies, Donald; Saitz, Richard

2009-07-01

Unhealthy alcohol use is prevalent but under-diagnosed in primary care settings. To validate, in primary care, a single-item screening test for unhealthy alcohol use recommended by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Cross-sectional study. Adult English-speaking patients recruited from primary care waiting rooms. Participants were asked the single screening question, “How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?”, where X is 5 for men and 4 for women, and a response of 1 or greater [corrected] is considered positive. Unhealthy alcohol use was defined as the presence of an alcohol use disorder, as determined by a standardized diagnostic interview, or risky consumption, as determined using a validated 30-day calendar method. Of 394 eligible primary care patients, 286 (73%) completed the interview. The single-question screen was 81.8% sensitive (95% confidence interval (CI) 72.5% to 88.5%) and 79.3% specific (95% CI 73.1% to 84.4%) for the detection of unhealthy alcohol use. It was slightly more sensitive (87.9%, 95% CI 72.7% to 95.2%) but was less specific (66.8%, 95% CI 60.8% to 72.3%) for the detection of a current alcohol use disorder. Test characteristics were similar to that of a commonly used three-item screen, and were affected very little by subject demographic characteristics. The single screening question recommended by the NIAAA accurately identified unhealthy alcohol use in this sample of primary care patients. These findings support the use of this brief screen in primary care.

Screening for Drug Abuse Among College Students: Modification of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test

Science.gov (United States)

Cannell, M. Barry; Favazza, Armando R.

1978-01-01

Modified version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test was anonymously given to 245 college students on two Midwestern university campuses. Cutoff score for suspected drug abuse was set at five points. The percent of students scoring five or more points was 25 and 22 from campuses A and B respectively. (Author)

Anal lymphogranuloma venereum infection screening with IgA anti-Chlamydia trachomatis-specific major outer membrane protein serology.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Henry J C; Smelov, Vitaly; Ouburg, Sander; Pleijster, Jolein; Geskus, Ronald B; Speksnijder, Arjen G C L; Fennema, Johannes S A; Morré, Servaas A

2010-12-01

Anal lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) infections, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis biovar L (Ct+/LGV+), are endemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Anal non-LGV biovar Ct infections (Ct+/LGV-) can be eradicated with 1 week doxycycline, whereas Ct+/LGV+ infections require 3-week doxycycline. To differentiate Ct+/LGV+ from Ct+/LGV- infections, biovar-specific Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) are standard, but also expensive and laborious. A chlamydia-specific serological assay could serve as an alternative test. MSM were screened for anal Ct+/LGV+ and Ct+/LGV- infections with a commercial nonspecific NAAT and an in house biovar L-specific NAAT. Serum samples were evaluated with chlamydia-specific anti-Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) and antilipopolysaccharide assays of IgA and IgG classes. Asymptomatic patients were identified as: (1) no anal complaints or (2) no microscopic inflammation (i.e., <10 leucocytes per high power field in anal smears). The best differentiating assay was subsequently evaluated in 100 Ct+/LGV+ and 100 Ct+/LGV- MSM using different cut-off points. The anti-MOMP IgA assay was the most accurate to differentiate Ct+/LGV+ (n = 42) from Ct+/LGV- (n = 19) with 85.7% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.2-93.3) and 84.2% specificity (95% CI, 62.4-94.5), even among asymptomatic patients. In a population comprising 98 Ct+/LGV+ and 105 Ct+/LGV- patients, the anti-MOMP IgA assay scored most accurate when the cut-off point was set to 2.0 with 75.5% (95% CI, 65.8-83.6) sensitivity and 74.3% (95% CI, 64.8-82.3) specificity. The IgA anti-MOMP assay can identify a considerable proportion of the (asymptomatic) anal LGV infections correctly. Yet, biovar L-specific NAAT are still the preferred diagnostic tests in clinical settings.

The Walking Corsi Test (WalCT): a normative study of topographical working memory in a sample of 4- to 11-year-olds.

Science.gov (United States)

Piccardi, L; Palermo, L; Leonzi, M; Risetti, M; Zompanti, L; D'Amico, S; Guariglia, C

2014-01-01

We report normative data on topographical working memory collected through the Walking Corsi Test (WalCT; Piccardi et al., 2008 ) for developing a standard administration procedure to be used in clinical and educational practice. A total of 268 typically developing Italian children aged 4-11 years performed both WalCT and Corsi Block-Tapping Test (CBT; Corsi, 1972 ) a well-known visuo-spatial memory test. WalCT has already been validated in adults, demonstrating sensitivity in detecting topographical memory deficits even in individuals who have no other memory impairments. Our results showed that age, but not sex, affected performances. Both girls and boys had a larger span on the CBT than the WalCT. The youngest group did not differ in performing WalCT and CBT, but from 5.6 years of age children performed better on CBT than WalCT, suggesting that memory in reaching space develops before topographical memory. Only after 5 years of age do children learn to process specifically topographical stimuli, suggesting that this happens when their environmental knowledge becomes operational and they increase environmental independence. We also discuss the importance to introduce WalCT in the clinical assessment.

Xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique in children with bronchiolitis obliterans: correlation of xenon and CT density values with pulmonary function test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goo, Hyun Woo; Yang, Dong Hyun; Seo, Joon Beom; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Jeongjin; Hong, Soo-Jong; Yu, Jinho; Kim, Byoung-Ju; Krauss, Bernhard

2010-01-01

Xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique is a recently introduced, promising functional lung imaging method. To expand its clinical applications evidence of additional diagnostic value of xenon ventilation CT over conventional chest CT is required. To evaluate the usefulness of xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique in children with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). Seventeen children (age 7-18 years; 11 boys) with BO underwent xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique. Xenon and CT density values were measured in normal and hyperlucent lung regions on CT and were compared between the two regions. Volumes of hyperlucent regions and ventilation defects were calculated with thresholds determined by visual and histogram-based analysis. Indexed volumes of hyperlucent lung regions and ventilation defects were correlated with pulmonary function test results. Effective doses of xenon CT were calculated. Xenon (14.6 ± 6.4 HU vs 26.1 ± 6.5 HU; P 25-75 , (γ = -0.68-0.88, P ≤ 0.002). Volume percentages of xenon ventilation defects (35.0 ± 16.4%)] were not significantly different from those of hyperlucent lung regions (38.2 ± 18.6%). However, mismatches between the volume percentages were variable up to 21.4-33.3%. Mean effective dose of xenon CT was 1.9 ± 0.5 mSv. In addition to high-resolution anatomic information, xenon ventilation CT using dual-source and dual-energy technique demonstrates impaired regional ventilation and its heterogeneity accurately in children with BO without additional radiation exposure. (orig.)

The triple test as a screening technique for Down syndrome: reliability and relevance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Reynolds

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Tim ReynoldsClinical Chemistry Department, Queen’s Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UKAbstract: The triple test is a second trimester screening test used to identify those pregnant women who should be offered a diagnostic test to identify whether their fetus has an aneuploidy. It was first described in 1988, but has largely been superseded by newer tests either conducted earlier in the first trimester (ie, the combined test, using ultrasound measurement of nuchal translucency,pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, and human chorionic gonadotrophin [hCG] or in the second trimester (ie, the quadruple test, using α-fetoprotein, hCG, uE3, and inhibin. These newer tests have been introduced because they offer greater detection and lower screen positive results thereby enhancing diagnosis rates, while decreasing the risk of iatrogenic harm caused by the invasive testing required when collecting suitable sample tissue. Noninvasive alternatives to the triple test have been identified, but these have not been adopted despite 13 years of development. It is likely, therefore, that the triple test (or variants thereof will continue to be used in routine antenatal care for the foreseeable future.Keywords: pregnancy, screening test, antenatal, Down syndrome

Improved correlation between CT emphysema quantification and pulmonary function test by density correction of volumetric CT data based on air and aortic density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Soo; Seo, Joon Beom; Kim, Namkug; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Young Kyung; Oh, Yeon Mok; Lee, Sang Do

2014-01-01

Objectives: To determine the improvement of emphysema quantification with density correction and to determine the optimal site to use for air density correction on volumetric computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-eight CT scans of COPD patients (GOLD II–IV, smoking history 39.2 ± 25.3 pack-years) were obtained from several single-vendor 16-MDCT scanners. After density measurement of aorta, tracheal- and external air, volumetric CT density correction was conducted (two reference values: air, −1000 HU/blood, +50 HU). Using in-house software, emphysema index (EI) and mean lung density (MLD) were calculated. Differences in air densities, MLD and EI prior to and after density correction were evaluated (paired t-test). Correlation between those parameters and FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC were compared (age- and sex adjusted partial correlation analysis). Results: Measured densities (HU) of tracheal- and external air differed significantly (−990 ± 14, −1016 ± 9, P < 0.001). MLD and EI on original CT data, after density correction using tracheal- and external air also differed significantly (MLD: −874.9 ± 27.6 vs. −882.3 ± 24.9 vs. −860.5 ± 26.6; EI: 16.8 ± 13.4 vs. 21.1 ± 14.5 vs. 9.7 ± 10.5, respectively, P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients between CT quantification indices and FEV 1 , and FEV 1 /FVC increased after density correction. The tracheal air correction showed better results than the external air correction. Conclusion: Density correction of volumetric CT data can improve correlations of emphysema quantification and PFT

Interpolated sagittal and coronal reconstruction of CT images in the screening of neck abnormalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koga, Issei

1983-01-01

Recontructed sagittal and coronal images were analyzed for their usefulness during clinical applications and to determine the correct use of recontruction techniques. Recontructed stereoscopic images can be formed by continuous or interrupted image reconstruction using interpolation. This study showed that lesions less than 10 mm in diameter should be made continuously and recontructed with uninterrupted technique. However, 5 mm interrupted distances are acceptable for interpolated reconstruction except in cases of lesions less than 10 mm in diameter. Clinically, interpolated reconstruction is not adequated for semicircular lesions less than 10 mm. Blood vessels and linear lesions are good condiated for the application of interpolated recontruction. Reconstruction of images using interrupted interpolation is therefore recommended for screening and for demonstrating correct stereoscopic information, except cases of small lesions less than 10 mm in diameter. Results of this study underscore the fact that obscure information in transverse CT images should be routinely utilized by interporating recontruction techniques, if transverse images are not made continuously. Interpolated recontruction may be helpful in obtaining stereoscopic information. (author)

Opportunistic testing versus organized prostate-specific antigen screening: outcome after 18 years in the Göteborg randomized population-based prostate cancer screening trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnsrud Godtman, Rebecka; Holmberg, Erik; Lilja, Hans; Stranne, Johan; Hugosson, Jonas

2015-09-01

It has been shown that organized screening decreases prostate cancer (PC) mortality, but the effect of opportunistic screening is largely unknown. To compare the ability to reduce PC mortality and the risk of overdiagnosis between organized and opportunistic screening. The Göteborg screening study invited 10 000 randomly selected men for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing every 2 yr since 1995, with a prostate biopsy recommended for men with PSA ≥2.5 ng/ml. The control group of 10 000 men not invited has been exposed to a previously reported increased rate of opportunistic PSA testing. Both groups were followed until December 31, 2012. Observed cumulative PC incidence and mortality rates in both groups were calculated using the actuarial method. Using historical data from 1990-1994 (pre-PSA era), we calculated expected PC incidence and mortality rates in the absence of any PSA testing. The number needed to invite (NNI) and the number needed to diagnose (NND) were calculated by comparing the expected versus observed incidence and mortality rates. At 18 yr, 1396 men were diagnosed with PC and 79 men died of PC in the screening group, compared to 962 and 122, respectively, in the control group. In the screening group, the observed cumulative PC incidence/mortality was 16%/0.98% compared to expected values of 6.8%/1.7%. The corresponding values for the control group were 11%/1.5% and 6.9%/1.7%. Organized screening was associated with an absolute PC-specific mortality reduction of 0.72% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50-0.94%) and relative risk reduction of 42% (95% CI 28-54%). There was an absolute reduction in PC deaths of 0.20% (95% CI -0.06% to 0.47%) and a relative risk reduction of 12% (95% CI -5 to 26%) associated with opportunistic PSA testing. NNI and NND were 139 (95% CI 107-200) and 13 for organized biennial screening and 493 (95% CI 213- -1563) and 23 for opportunistic screening. The extent of opportunistic screening could not be measured

The King-Devick test for sideline concussion screening in collegiate football.

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Danielle F; Balcer, Laura J; Galetta, Steven L; Evans, Greg; Gimre, Matthew; Watt, David

2015-01-01

Sports-related concussion has received increasing attention as a result of neurologic sequelae seen among athletes, highlighting the need for a validated, rapid screening tool. The King-Devick (K-D) test requires vision, eye movements, language function and attention in order to perform and has been proposed as a promising tool for assessment of concussion. We investigated the K-D test as a sideline screening tool in a collegiate cohort to determine the effect of concussion. Athletes (n=127, mean age 19.6±1.2 years) from the Wheaton College football and men's and women's basketball teams underwent baseline K-D testing at pre-season physicals for the 2012-2013 season. K-D testing was administered immediately on the sidelines for football players with suspected head injury during regular games and changes compared to baseline were determined. Post-season testing was also performed to compare non-concussed athletes' test performance. Concussed athletes (n=11) displayed sideline K-D scores that were significantly higher (worse) than baseline (36.5±5.6s vs. 31.3±4.5s, pWilcoxon signed-rank test). Post-season testing demonstrated improvement of scores and was consistent with known learning effects (35.1±5.2s vs. 34.4±5.0s, pWilcoxon signed-rank test). Test-retest reliability was analyzed between baseline and post-season administrations of the K-D test resulting in high levels of test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.95 [95% Confidence Interval 0.85-1.05]). The data show worsening of K-D test scores following concussion further supporting utility of the K-D test as an objective, reliable and effective sideline visual screening tool to help identify athletes with concussion. Copyright © 2014 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Results from the Dutch speech-in-noise screening test by telephone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, C.H.M.; Houtgast, T.

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to implement a previously developed automatic speech-in-noise screening test by telephone (Smits, Kapteyn, & Houtgast, 2004), introduce it nationwide as a self-test, and analyze the results. DESIGN: The test was implemented on an interactive voice response

Quantification of Emphysema with a Three-Dimensional Chest CT Scan: Correlation with the Visual Emphysema Scoring on Chest CT, Pulmonary Function Tests and Dyspnea Severity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Hyun Jeong; Hwang, Jung Hwa [Dept. of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-15

We wanted to prospectively evaluate the correlation between the quantification of emphysema using 3D CT densitometry with the visual emphysema score, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and the dyspnea score in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Non-enhanced chest CT with 3D reconstruction was performed in 28 men with COPD (age 54-88 years). With histogram analysis, the total lung volume, mean lung density and proportion of low attenuation lung volume below predetermined thresholds were measured. The CT parameters were compared with the visual emphysema score, the PFT and the dyspnea score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was well correlated with the DLco and FEV{sub 1}/FVC. A Low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU and -930 HU was correlated with visual the emphysema score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was correlated with the dyspnea score, although the correlations between the other CT parameters and the dyspnea score were not significant. Objective quantification of emphysema using 3D CT densitometry was correlated with the visual emphysema score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was correlated with the DLco, the FEV{sub 1}/FVC and the dyspnea score.

Quantification of Emphysema with a Three-Dimensional Chest CT Scan: Correlation with the Visual Emphysema Scoring on Chest CT, Pulmonary Function Tests and Dyspnea Severity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun Jeong; Hwang, Jung Hwa

2011-01-01

We wanted to prospectively evaluate the correlation between the quantification of emphysema using 3D CT densitometry with the visual emphysema score, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and the dyspnea score in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Non-enhanced chest CT with 3D reconstruction was performed in 28 men with COPD (age 54-88 years). With histogram analysis, the total lung volume, mean lung density and proportion of low attenuation lung volume below predetermined thresholds were measured. The CT parameters were compared with the visual emphysema score, the PFT and the dyspnea score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was well correlated with the DLco and FEV 1 /FVC. A Low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU and -930 HU was correlated with visual the emphysema score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was correlated with the dyspnea score, although the correlations between the other CT parameters and the dyspnea score were not significant. Objective quantification of emphysema using 3D CT densitometry was correlated with the visual emphysema score. A low attenuation lung volume below -950 HU was correlated with the DLco, the FEV 1 /FVC and the dyspnea score.

Factors influencing the decline in lung density in a Danish lung cancer screening cohort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shaker, Saher B.; Dirksen, Asger; Lo, Pechin Chien Pau

2012-01-01

Lung cancer screening trials provide an opportunity to study the natural history of emphysema by using CT lung density as a surrogate parameter.In the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial, 2,052 participants were included. At screening rounds, smoking habits were recorded and spirometry was performed....... CT lung density was measured as the volume-adjusted 15th percentile density (PD15). A mixed effects model was used with former smoking males with...

Screening for tuberculosis and testing for human immunodeficiency virus in Zambian prisons

Science.gov (United States)

Maggard, Katie R; Hatwiinda, Sisa; Harris, Jennifer B; Phiri, Winifreda; Krüüner, Annika; Kaunda, Kaunda; Topp, Stephanie M; Kapata, Nathan; Ayles, Helen; Chileshe, Chisela; Henostroza, German

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective To improve the Zambia Prisons Service’s implementation of tuberculosis screening and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. Methods For both tuberculosis and HIV, we implemented mass screening of inmates and community-based screening of those residing in encampments adjacent to prisons. We also established routine systems – with inmates as peer educators – for the screening of newly entered or symptomatic inmates. We improved infection control measures, increased diagnostic capacity and promoted awareness of tuberculosis in Zambia’s prisons. Findings In a period of 9 months, we screened 7638 individuals and diagnosed 409 new patients with tuberculosis. We tested 4879 individuals for HIV and diagnosed 564 cases of infection. An additional 625 individuals had previously been found to be HIV-positive. Including those already on tuberculosis treatment at the time of screening, the prevalence of tuberculosis recorded in the prisons and adjacent encampments – 6.4% (6428/100 000) – is 18 times the national prevalence estimate of 0.35%. Overall, 22.9% of the inmates and 13.8% of the encampment residents were HIV-positive. Conclusion Both tuberculosis and HIV infection are common within Zambian prisons. We enhanced tuberculosis screening and improved the detection of tuberculosis and HIV in this setting. Our observations should be useful in the development of prison-based programmes for tuberculosis and HIV elsewhere. PMID:25883402

Comprehensive Assessment of Osteoporosis and Bone Fragility with CT Colonography

Science.gov (United States)

Murthy, Naveen S.; Khosla, Sundeep; Clarke, Bart L.; Bruining, David H.; Kopperdahl, David L.; Lee, David C.; Keaveny, Tony M.

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the ability of additional analysis of computed tomographic (CT) colonography images to provide a comprehensive osteoporosis assessment. Materials and Methods This Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act–compliant study was approved by our institutional review board with a waiver of informed consent. Diagnosis of osteoporosis and assessment of fracture risk were compared between biomechanical CT analysis and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 136 women (age range, 43–92 years), each of whom underwent CT colonography and DXA within a 6-month period (between January 2008 and April 2010). Blinded to the DXA data, biomechanical CT analysis was retrospectively applied to CT images by using phantomless calibration and finite element analysis to measure bone mineral density and bone strength at the hip and spine. Regression, Bland-Altman, and reclassification analyses and paired t tests were used to compare results. Results For bone mineral density T scores at the femoral neck, biomechanical CT analysis was highly correlated (R2 = 0.84) with DXA, did not differ from DXA (P = .15, paired t test), and was able to identify osteoporosis (as defined by DXA), with 100% sensitivity in eight of eight patients (95% confidence interval [CI]: 67.6%, 100%) and 98.4% specificity in 126 of 128 patients (95% CI: 94.5%, 99.6%). Considering both the hip and spine, the classification of patients at high risk for fracture by biomechanical CT analysis—those with osteoporosis or “fragile bone strength”—agreed well against classifications for clinical osteoporosis by DXA (T score ≤−2.5 at the hip or spine), with 82.8% sensitivity in 24 of 29 patients (95% CI: 65.4%, 92.4%) and 85.7% specificity in 66 of 77 patients (95% CI: 76.2%, 91.8%). Conclusion Retrospective biomechanical CT analysis of CT colonography for colorectal cancer screening provides a comprehensive osteoporosis assessment without requiring changes in imaging protocols. �

DEPIVIH 2: Use of three HIV testing methods in French primary care settings - ELISA laboratory screening versus two rapid point-of-care HIV tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Papadima, D; Gauthier, R; Prévoteau du Clary, F; Bouée, S; Conort, G; Livrozet, J-M; Taulera, O; Wajsbrot, A; Majerholc, C; Peter, J-M; Aubert, J-P

2018-03-01

The primary endpoint was to evaluate the use of HIV testing methods by French primary care providers: Elisa laboratory screening, instant result HIV diagnostic test and rapid result HIV diagnostic test. The secondary endpoints were the population screening rate of unknown HIV status consulting during the study period, reasons for screening and for choosing the specific screening method, the investigators' satisfaction with the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and problems encountered. National prospective interventional study with French family physicians (FP) from December 2013 to December 2014. FPs enrolled all consenting adults consulting for an HIV screening test during a 6-month period: the choice was an Elisa laboratory test or one of the two RDTs. During the study period, 43 FPs included 981 patients. HIV screening was performed for the first time for 31.6% of patients; 767 (78.2%) Elisa laboratory test prescriptions and 214 (21.8%) RDTs were performed, leading to a screening rate of 1.3%. For 120 (15.7%) of the Elisa laboratory tests, the result was not reported and six RDTs were not valid. Nine patients were diagnosed as HIV-infected (0.9%): five with Elisa laboratory test and four with RDT. Almost 90% of FPs were willing to keep on using RDTs in their daily practice. In general practice, RDTs may be an important additional tool to traditional HIV screening. They could account for one in five tests prescribed in this context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 799.9355 - TSCA reproduction/developmental toxicity screening test.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... developmental defects should not be used. Healthy virgin animals, not subjected to previous experimental..., except legal holidays. (1) OECD (1995). Reproduction/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test, OECD 421...

The King–Devick test for sideline concussion screening in collegiate football

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle F. Leong

2015-04-01

Conclusions: The data show worsening of K–D test scores following concussion further supporting utility of the K–D test as an objective, reliable and effective sideline visual screening tool to help identify athletes with concussion.

Effect of CT digital image compression on detection of coronary artery calcification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, L.M.; Sone, S.; Itani, Y.; Wang, Q.; Hanamura, K.; Asakura, K.; Li, F.; Yang, Z.G.; Wang, J.C.; Funasaka, T.

2000-01-01

Purpose: To test the effect of digital compression of CT images on the detection of small linear or spotted high attenuation lesions such as coronary artery calcification (CAC). Material and methods: Fifty cases with and 50 without CAC were randomly selected from a population that had undergone spiral CT of the thorax for screening lung cancer. CT image data were compressed using JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or wavelet algorithms at ratios of 10:1, 20:1 or 40:1. Five radiologists reviewed the uncompressed and compressed images on a cathode-ray-tube. Observer performance was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: CT images compressed at a ratio as high as 20:1 were acceptable for primary diagnosis of CAC. There was no significant difference in the detection accuracy for CAC between JPEG and wavelet algorithms at the compression ratios up to 20:1. CT images were more vulnerable to image blurring on the wavelet compression at relatively lower ratios, and 'blocking' artifacts occurred on the JPEG compression at relatively higher ratios. Conclusion: JPEG and wavelet algorithms allow compression of CT images without compromising their diagnostic value at ratios up to 20:1 in detecting small linear or spotted high attenuation lesions such as CAC, and there was no difference between the two algorithms in diagnostic accuracy

Evaluation of the localization auditory screening test in children 6-18 months of age.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillis, C H; Grimm, W A

1978-01-01

The present paper is a report of a project to develop an automated auditory screening test for infants six to 18 months of age. The first year of the project was devoted to developing equipment and test procedures; the second year was concerned with testing the effectiveness of the equipment and procedures on an actual population of six to 18 month old infants. Two-hundred and fifty infants were screened auditorily as part of a county health department child development clinic. The pass/fail results of the screening test were evaluated in terms of physical and developmental examination following the screening and by means of a case review of the child's previous history. The results indicate that the procedure under investigation can be used to differentiate the normal hearing infant from the infant with possible hearing problems. It is shown by the test environment in which this study was conducted that the procedure reported can be successfully incorporated into a public health program, i.e., child development clinics or EPSDT programs.

Cerebral CT of ischaemic lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aulich, A

1981-11-25

The diagnosis of stroke must first be established by clinical examination. CT has proved useful for confirmation of the diagnosis and provides a global intracranial picture of morphological changes in cerebral vascular diseases. A hemorrhage can be recognized with certainty at the first CT examination as the cause of the stroke, but in the detection of a lesion due to ischemia an important role is played by the correct choice of the time of examination, and in some cases also of the check-up with contrast medium. The differential diagnosis between infarct in the acute stage and encephalitis or gliomas of low-grade malignity can be difficult. A decision can often only be made after a series of examinations. Postmalacial conditions are often difficult to differentiate from defects due to other causes, such as hemorrhage, head injury, postoperative states and after encephalitis. A knowledge of the anamnesis and the clinical findings is indispensable for CT evaluation. In assessing the prognosis before vascular surgery on the extracranial brain-supplying vessels the performance of a CT examination should be advised. A warning is given against the use of CT as a screening method.

Good laboratory practices for biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

Biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening are essential laboratory services for the screening, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of inborn errors of metabolism or inherited metabolic disorders. Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations, laboratory testing is categorized on the basis of the level of testing complexity as either waived (i.e., from routine regulatory oversight) or nonwaived testing (which includes tests of moderate and high complexity). Laboratories that perform biochemical genetic testing are required by CLIA regulations to meet the general quality systems requirements for nonwaived testing and the personnel requirements for high-complexity testing. Laboratories that perform public health newborn screening are subject to the same CLIA regulations and applicable state requirements. As the number of inherited metabolic diseases that are included in state-based newborn screening programs continues to increase, ensuring the quality of performance and delivery of testing services remains a continuous challenge not only for public health laboratories and other newborn screening facilities but also for biochemical genetic testing laboratories. To help ensure the quality of laboratory testing, CDC collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for laboratories to meet CLIA requirements and apply additional quality assurance measures for these areas of genetic testing. This report provides recommendations for good laboratory practices that were developed based on recommendations from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee, with additional input from the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society; the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children; and representatives of newborn

Quantitative CT analysis of honeycombing area in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Correlations with pulmonary function tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, Hiroaki; Nagatani, Yukihiro; Takahashi, Masashi; Ogawa, Emiko; Tho, Nguyen Van; Ryujin, Yasushi; Nagao, Taishi; Nakano, Yasutaka

2016-01-01

The 2011 official statement of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) mentions that the extent of honeycombing and the worsening of fibrosis on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in IPF are associated with the increased risk of mortality. However, there are few reports about the quantitative computed tomography (CT) analysis of honeycombing area. In this study, we first proposed a computer-aided method for quantitative CT analysis of honeycombing area in patients with IPF. We then evaluated the correlations between honeycombing area measured by the proposed method with that estimated by radiologists or with parameters of PFTs. Chest HRCTs and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) of 36 IPF patients, who were diagnosed using HRCT alone, were retrospectively evaluated. Two thoracic radiologists independently estimated the honeycombing area as Identified Area (IA) and the percentage of honeycombing area to total lung area as Percent Area (PA) on 3 axial CT slices for each patient. We also developed a computer-aided method to measure the honeycombing area on CT images of those patients. The total honeycombing area as CT honeycombing area (HA) and the percentage of honeycombing area to total lung area as CT %honeycombing area (%HA) were derived from the computer-aided method for each patient. HA derived from three CT slices was significantly correlated with IA (ρ=0.65 for Radiologist 1 and ρ=0.68 for Radiologist 2). %HA derived from three CT slices was also significantly correlated with PA (ρ=0.68 for Radiologist 1 and ρ=0.70 for Radiologist 2). HA and %HA derived from all CT slices were significantly correlated with FVC (%pred.), DLCO (%pred.), and the composite physiologic index (CPI) (HA: ρ=-0.43, ρ=-0.56, ρ=0.63 and %HA: ρ=-0.60, ρ=-0.49, ρ=0.69, respectively). The honeycombing area measured by the proposed computer-aided method was correlated with that estimated by expert radiologists and with parameters of PFTs. This quantitative CT analysis of

[Human papillomavirus testing in cervical cancer screening at a public health service of Santiago, Chile].

Science.gov (United States)

Terrazas, Solana; Ibáñez, Carolina; Lagos, Marcela; Poggi, Helena; Brañes, Jorge; Barriga, María Isabel; Cartagena, Jaime; Núñez, Felipe; González, Francisca; Cook, Paz; Van De Wyngard, Vanessa; Ferreccio, Catterina

2015-01-01

Molecular techniques for human papillomavirus (HPV) detection have a good performance as screening tests and could be included in cervical cancer early detection programs. We conducted a population-based trial comparing HPV detection and Papanicolaou as primary screening tests, in a public health service in Santiago, Chile. To describe the experience of implementing this new molecular test and present the main results of the study. Women aged 25 to 64 enrolled in three public health centers were invited to participate. In all women, samples were collected for Papanicolaou and HPV DNA testing, and naked-eye visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid was performed. Women with any positive screening test were referred to the local area hospital for diagnostic confirmation with colposcopy and biopsy of suspicious lesions. Screening results were obtained for 8265 women, of whom 931 (11.3%) were positive to any test. The prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) was 1.1%; nine women had invasive cervical cancer. Sensitivities for the detection of CIN2+ were 22.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 16.4-29.2) for Papanicolaou and 92.7% (95% CI 84.4-96.8) for HPV testing; specificities were 98.9% (95% CI 98.7-99.0) and 92.0% (95% CI 91.4-92.6) respectively. This experience showed that the implementation of a molecular test for cervical cancer screening is not a major challenge in Chile: it was well accepted by both the health team and the participants, and it may improve the effectiveness of the screening program.

Screening health care workers with interferon-γ release assay versus tuberculin skin test: impact on costs and adherence to testing (the SWITCH study).

Science.gov (United States)

Wrighton-Smith, Peter; Sneed, Laurie; Humphrey, Frances; Tao, Xuguang; Bernacki, Edward

2012-07-01

To determine the price point at which an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) is less costly than a tuberculin skin test (TST) for health care employee tuberculosis screening. A multidecision tree-based cost model incorporating inputs gathered from time-motion studies and parallel testing by IGRA and TST was conducted in a subset of our employees. Administering a TST testing program costs $73.20 per person screened, $90.80 per new hire, and $63.42 per annual screen. Use of an IGRA for employee health testing is cost saving at an IGRA test cost of $54.83 or less per test and resulted in higher completion rates because of the elimination of the need for a second visit to interpret the TST. Using an IGRA for employee health screening can be an institutional cost saving and results in higher compliance rates.

Flat-detector computed tomography (FD-CT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalender, Willi A.; Kyriakou, Yiannis

2007-01-01

Flat-panel detectors or, synonymously, flat detectors (FDs) have been developed for use in radiography and fluoroscopy with the defined goal to replace standard X-ray film, film-screen combinations and image intensifiers by an advanced sensor system. FD technology in comparison to X-ray film and image intensifiers offers higher dynamic range, dose reduction, fast digital readout and the possibility for dynamic acquisitions of image series, yet keeping to a compact design. It appeared logical to employ FD designs also for computed tomography (CT) imaging. Respective efforts date back a few years only, but FD-CT has meanwhile become widely accepted for interventional and intra-operative imaging using C-arm systems. FD-CT provides a very efficient way of combining two-dimensional (2D) radiographic or fluoroscopic and 3D CT imaging. In addition, FD technology made its way into a number of dedicated CT scanner developments, such as scanners for the maxillo-facial region or for micro-CT applications. This review focuses on technical and performance issues of FD technology and its full range of applications for CT imaging. A comparison with standard clinical CT is of primary interest. It reveals that FD-CT provides higher spatial resolution, but encompasses a number of disadvantages, such as lower dose efficiency, smaller field of view and lower temporal resolution. FD-CT is not aimed at challenging standard clinical CT as regards to the typical diagnostic examinations; but it has already proven unique for a number of dedicated CT applications, offering distinct practical advantages, above all the availability of immediate CT imaging in the interventional suite or the operating room. (orig.)

Pulmonary function and CT biomarkers as risk factors for cardiovascular events in male lung cancer screening participants: the NELSON study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takx, Richard A.P.; Hoesein, Firdaus A.A.M.; Mali, Willem P.T.M.; Leiner, Tim; Jong, Pim A. de; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Isgum, Ivana; Koning, Harry J. de; Aalst, Carlijn M. van der; Zanen, Pieter; Lammers, Jan-Willem J.; Groen, Harry J.M.; Rikxoort, Eva M. van; Ginneken, Bram van; Schmidt, Michael; Oudkerk, Matthijs

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of spirometry and pulmonary CT biomarkers with cardiovascular events. In this lung cancer screening trial 3,080 male participants without a prior cardiovascular event were analysed. Fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events were included. Spirometry included forced expiratory volume measured in units of one-second percent predicted (FEV 1 %predicted) and FEV 1 divided by forced vital capacity (FVC; FEV 1 /FVC). CT examinations were quantified for coronary artery calcium volume, pulmonary emphysema (perc15) and bronchial wall thickness (pi10). Data were analysed via a Cox proportional hazard analysis, net reclassification improvement (NRI) and C-indices. 184 participants experienced a cardiovascular event during a median follow-up of 2.9 years. Age, pack-years and smoking status adjusted hazard ratios were 0.992 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.985-0.999) for FEV 1 %predicted, 1.000 (95%CI 0.986-1.015) for FEV 1 /FVC, 1.014 (95%CI 1.005-1.023) for perc15 per 10 HU, and 1.269 (95%CI 1.024-1.573) for pi10 per 1 mm. The incremental C-index ( 3 , an increase in C-index of 0.076 and an NRI of 16.9 % (P < 0.0001). Pulmonary CT biomarkers and spirometry measurements were significantly associated with cardiovascular events, but did not contain clinically relevant independent prognostic information for cardiovascular events. (orig.)

Computed Tomography (CT) -- Head

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Full Text Available ... full size with caption Pediatric Content Some imaging tests and treatments have special pediatric considerations. The teddy bear denotes child-specific content. Related Articles and Media Radiation Dose in X-Ray and CT Exams Blood Clots CT Perfusion of the Head CT Angiography ( ...

Improved correlation between CT emphysema quantification and pulmonary function test by density correction of volumetric CT data based on air and aortic density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Soo [Department of Radiology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Joon Beom, E-mail: seojb@amc.seoul.kr [Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Namkug; Chae, Eun Jin [Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Young Kyung [Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Yeon Mok; Lee, Sang Do [Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of)

2014-01-15

Objectives: To determine the improvement of emphysema quantification with density correction and to determine the optimal site to use for air density correction on volumetric computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-eight CT scans of COPD patients (GOLD II–IV, smoking history 39.2 ± 25.3 pack-years) were obtained from several single-vendor 16-MDCT scanners. After density measurement of aorta, tracheal- and external air, volumetric CT density correction was conducted (two reference values: air, −1000 HU/blood, +50 HU). Using in-house software, emphysema index (EI) and mean lung density (MLD) were calculated. Differences in air densities, MLD and EI prior to and after density correction were evaluated (paired t-test). Correlation between those parameters and FEV{sub 1} and FEV{sub 1}/FVC were compared (age- and sex adjusted partial correlation analysis). Results: Measured densities (HU) of tracheal- and external air differed significantly (−990 ± 14, −1016 ± 9, P < 0.001). MLD and EI on original CT data, after density correction using tracheal- and external air also differed significantly (MLD: −874.9 ± 27.6 vs. −882.3 ± 24.9 vs. −860.5 ± 26.6; EI: 16.8 ± 13.4 vs. 21.1 ± 14.5 vs. 9.7 ± 10.5, respectively, P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients between CT quantification indices and FEV{sub 1}, and FEV{sub 1}/FVC increased after density correction. The tracheal air correction showed better results than the external air correction. Conclusion: Density correction of volumetric CT data can improve correlations of emphysema quantification and PFT.

Uptake of a colorectal cancer screening blood test in people with elevated risk for cancer who cannot or will not complete a faecal occult blood test.

Science.gov (United States)

Symonds, Erin L; Cock, Charles; Meng, Rosie; Cole, Stephen R; Fraser, Robert J L; Young, Graeme P

2017-03-31

Participation rates in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes using faecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) are low. Nonparticipation is commonly attributed to psychosocial factors, but some medical conditions also prevent screening. These barriers might be partially overcome if a blood test for CRC screening was available. This study determined whether people who had always declined screening by FOBT would participate if offered a blood test. An audit of registrants within a personalized CRC screening programme was undertaken to determine the reasons for regular nonparticipation in FOBT. Consistent nonparticipants (n=240) were randomly selected and invited for CRC screening with a blood test. Demographic characteristics and the reasons for prior FOBT nonparticipation were collected by means of a questionnaire. Nonparticipation in the screening programme could be classified as either behavioural (8.6%), with consistent noncompliance, or due to medical contraindications (8.5%), which included chronic rectal bleeding, being deemed unsuitable by a health professional, and needing personal assistance. Blood test uptake was 25%, with participation in the medical contraindications group greater than that in the behavioural group (43 vs. 12%, Pprocrastination and dislike of the test, but these were not associated with blood test uptake (P>0.05). There is a subgroup of the community who have medical reasons for nonparticipation in CRC screening with FOBT but will participate if offered a blood test. The option of a blood test does not, however, improve uptake in those who admit to behavioural reasons for noncompliance with screening.

Clinical experience from Thailand noninvasive prenatal testing as screening tests for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in 4736 pregnancies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manotaya, S.; Xu, H.; Uerpairojkit, B.

2016-01-01

-risk pregnancies, either with advanced maternal age or positive serum biochemical tests, and 1889 low-risk pregnancies without conventional indications; 99.9% (4732/4736) of the participants with a median maternal age of 35years old received reports, and 1.3% (63/4732) were classified as test positive, including...... testing (NIPT) has enabled efficient and accurate screening for T21, T18 and T13. Various professional societies suggested that NIPT could be considered as a second-tier screening test for women at high risk for aneuploidy. What does this study add? This study reports the performance of NIPT...

Intra-abdominal fat area measurement using chest CT data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriya, Hiroshi; Midorikawa, Shigeo; Hashimoto, Kouji; Ishii, Akira; Saitou, Kumi; Andou, Tomonori; Kitamura, Naoko; Sakuma, Koutarou

2007-01-01

Intra-abdominal fat obesity, which is linked with the metabolic syndrome, is usually characterized by measuring intra-abdominal fat area at the umbilical level of abdominal CT scan. In recent year, the chances of chest CT scanning are increased, as lung cancer screening survey or individual medical examination. Thus, we presented a method of measuring the areas of intra-abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat at the lower slice of chest CT scan. Fat areas found with this method were significantly correlated with those obtained at the umbilical level. (author)

Comparison of the automated vision screening test to the Snellen test.

Science.gov (United States)

Gofin, R; Falk, M

1991-03-01

The comparison of an automatic vision screening machine using the Landolt rings and the usual Snellen Chart was carried out among 123 second grade and 149 fifth grade students in an elementary school in Jerusalem. The sensitivity of the test for a cut-off point of greater than or equal to 6/12 according to the Snellen test was 41.7% (CI = 16.5-71.4) and the specificity was 86.5% (CI 78.1-92.2) for second graders. For fifth graders the values were 50.0% (CI = 20.1-79.9) and 90.6% (CI 83.7-94.8) respectively. Diagnosis by a specialist decreased the number of 'false negatives' and confirmed the pathological cases. The automatic test was well accepted by the children. Though more time is needed for assessment using the automatic test, its advantage is that no professional staff are required.

Multidetector CT of blunt cervical spine trauma in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Dreizin, David; Letzing, Michael; Sliker, Clint W; Chokshi, Falgun H; Bodanapally, Uttam; Mirvis, Stuart E; Quencer, Robert M; Munera, Felipe

2014-01-01

A number of new developments in cervical spine imaging have transpired since the introduction of 64-section computed tomographic (CT) scanners in 2004. An increasing body of evidence favors the use of multidetector CT as a stand-alone screening test for excluding cervical injuries in polytrauma patients with obtundation. A new grading scale that is based on CT and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings, the cervical spine Subaxial Injury Classification and Scoring (SLIC) system, is gaining acceptance among spine surgeons. Radiographic measurements described for the evaluation of craniocervical distraction injuries are now being reevaluated with the use of multidetector CT. Although most patients with blunt trauma are now treated nonsurgically, evolution in the understanding of spinal stability, as well as the development of new surgical techniques and hardware, has driven management strategies that are increasingly favorable toward surgical intervention. It is therefore essential that radiologists recognize findings that distinguish injuries with ligamentous instability or a high likelihood of nonfusion that require surgical stabilization from those that are classically stable and can be treated with a collar or halo vest alone. The purpose of this article is to review the spectrum of cervical spine injuries, from the craniocervical junction through the subaxial spine, and present the most widely used grading systems for each injury type. ©RSNA, 2014.

The Cell-CT 3D Cell Imaging Technology Platform Enables the Detection of Lung Cancer Using the Non-Invasive LuCED Sputum Test

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Michael G.; Hayenga, Jon; Neumann, Thomas; Katdare, Rahul; Presley, Chris; Steinhauer, David; Bell, Timothy; Lancaster, Christy; Nelson, Alan C.

2015-01-01

The war against cancer has yielded important advances in the early diagnosis and treatment of certain cancer types, but the poor detection rate and 5-year survival rate for lung cancer remains little changed over the past 40 years. Early detection through emerging lung cancer screening programs promises the most reliable means of improving mortality. Sputum cytology has been tried without success because sputum contains few malignant cells that are difficult for cytologists to detect. However, research has shown that sputum contains diagnostic malignant cells and could serve as a means of lung cancer detection if those cells could be detected and correctly characterized. Recently, the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial reported that screening by three consecutive low-dose X-ray CT scans provides a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality compared to chest X-ray. This reduction in mortality, however, comes with an unacceptable false positive rate that increases patient risks and the overall cost of lung cancer screening. This article reviews the LuCED® test for detecting early lung cancer. LuCED is based on patient sputum that is enriched for bronchial epithelial cells. The enriched sample is then processed on the Cell-CT®, which images cells in three dimensions with sub-micron resolution. Algorithms are applied to the 3D cell images to extract morphometric features that drive a classifier to identify cells that have abnormal characteristics. The final status of these candidate abnormal cells is established by the pathologist's manual review. LuCED promotes accurate cell classification which could enable cost effective detection of lung cancer. PMID:26148817

Cost-effectiveness of one versus two sample faecal immunochemical testing for colorectal cancer screening

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.L. Goede (Luuk); A.H.C. Roon (Aafke); J.C.I.Y. Reijerink (Jacqueline); A.J. van Vuuren (Hanneke); I. Lansdorp-Vogelaar (Iris); J.D.F. Habbema (Dik); E.J. Kuipers (Ernst); M.E. van Leerdam (Monique); M. van Ballegooijen (Marjolein)

2013-01-01

textabstractObjective The sensitivity and specificity of a single faecal immunochemical test (FIT) are limited. The performance of FIT screening can be improved by increasing the screening frequency or by providing more than one sample in each screening round. This study aimed to evaluate if

High resolution spiral CT for determining the malignant potential of solitary pulmonary nodules: refining and testing the test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harders, Stefan Walbom; Madsen, Hans Henrik; Rasmussen, Finn (Dept. of Radiology, Aarhus Univ. Hospital, Aarhus (Denmark)), Email: stefhard@rm.dk; Rasmussen, Torben Riis (Dept. of Pulmonology, Aarhus Univ. Hospital, Aarhus (Denmark)); Hager, Henrik (Dept. of Pathology, Aarhus Univ. Hospital, Aarhus (Denmark))

2011-05-15

Background A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) may represent early stage lung cancer. Lung cancer is a devastating disease with an overall 5-year mortality rate of approximately 84% but with early detection and surgery as low as 47%. Currently a contrast-enhanced multiple-row detector CT (MDCT) scan is the first examination when evaluating patients with suspected lung cancer. Purpose To apply an additional high resolution CT (HRCT) to SPNs to test whether certain morphological characteristics are associated with malignancy, to assess the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT in the characterization of SPNs, and to address the reproducibility of all measures. Material and Method Two hundred and thirteen participants with SPNs were included in a follow-up study. Blinded HRCT images were assessed with regard to margin risk categories (MRCs), calcification patterns and certain other characteristics and overall malignancy potential ratings (MPRs) were given. Morphological characteristics were tested against reference standard and ROC methodology was applied to assess diagnostic accuracy. Reproducibility was measured with Kappa statistics and 95% confidence intervals were computed for all results. Histopathology (90%) and CT follow-up (10%) were used as reference standard. Results MRCs (P < 0.001), calcification patterns (P = 0.003), and pleural retraction (P < 0.001) were all statistically significantly associated to malignancy. Reproducibility was moderate to substantial. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of HRCT were 98%, 23% and 87%, respectively. Reproducibility was substantial. Conclusion Statistically significant associations between SPN MRCs, calcification patterns, pleural retraction and malignancy were found. HRCT yielded a very high sensitivity and a somewhat lower specificity for malignancy. Reproducibility was high

High resolution spiral CT for determining the malignant potential of solitary pulmonary nodules: refining and testing the test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harders, Stefan Walbom; Madsen, Hans Henrik; Rasmussen, Finn; Rasmussen, Torben Riis; Hager, Henrik

2011-01-01

Background A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) may represent early stage lung cancer. Lung cancer is a devastating disease with an overall 5-year mortality rate of approximately 84% but with early detection and surgery as low as 47%. Currently a contrast-enhanced multiple-row detector CT (MDCT) scan is the first examination when evaluating patients with suspected lung cancer. Purpose To apply an additional high resolution CT (HRCT) to SPNs to test whether certain morphological characteristics are associated with malignancy, to assess the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT in the characterization of SPNs, and to address the reproducibility of all measures. Material and Method Two hundred and thirteen participants with SPNs were included in a follow-up study. Blinded HRCT images were assessed with regard to margin risk categories (MRCs), calcification patterns and certain other characteristics and overall malignancy potential ratings (MPRs) were given. Morphological characteristics were tested against reference standard and ROC methodology was applied to assess diagnostic accuracy. Reproducibility was measured with Kappa statistics and 95% confidence intervals were computed for all results. Histopathology (90%) and CT follow-up (10%) were used as reference standard. Results MRCs (P < 0.001), calcification patterns (P = 0.003), and pleural retraction (P < 0.001) were all statistically significantly associated to malignancy. Reproducibility was moderate to substantial. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of HRCT were 98%, 23% and 87%, respectively. Reproducibility was substantial. Conclusion Statistically significant associations between SPN MRCs, calcification patterns, pleural retraction and malignancy were found. HRCT yielded a very high sensitivity and a somewhat lower specificity for malignancy. Reproducibility was high

Toward Joint Hypothesis-Tests Seismic Event Screening Analysis: Ms|mb and Event Depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Dale [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Selby, Neil [AWE Blacknest

2012-08-14

Well established theory can be used to combine single-phenomenology hypothesis tests into a multi-phenomenology event screening hypothesis test (Fisher's and Tippett's tests). Commonly used standard error in Ms:mb event screening hypothesis test is not fully consistent with physical basis. Improved standard error - Better agreement with physical basis, and correctly partitions error to include Model Error as a component of variance, correctly reduces station noise variance through network averaging. For 2009 DPRK test - Commonly used standard error 'rejects' H0 even with better scaling slope ({beta} = 1, Selby et al.), improved standard error 'fails to rejects' H0.

A deep learning method for early screening of lung cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kunpeng; Jiang, Huiqin; Ma, Ling; Gao, Jianbo; Yang, Xiaopeng

2018-04-01

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. In this paper, we propose a pulmonary nodule detection method for early screening of lung cancer based on the improved AlexNet model. In order to maintain the same image quality as the existing B/S architecture PACS system, we convert the original CT image into JPEG format image by analyzing the DICOM file firstly. Secondly, in view of the large size and complex background of CT chest images, we design the convolution neural network on basis of AlexNet model and sparse convolution structure. At last we train our models on the software named DIGITS which is provided by NVIDIA. The main contribution of this paper is to apply the convolutional neural network for the early screening of lung cancer and improve the screening accuracy by combining the AlexNet model with the sparse convolution structure. We make a series of experiments on the chest CT images using the proposed method, of which the sensitivity and specificity indicates that the method presented in this paper can effectively improve the accuracy of early screening of lung cancer and it has certain clinical significance at the same time.

Colon cancer screening

Science.gov (United States)

Screening for colon cancer; Colonoscopy - screening; Sigmoidoscopy - screening; Virtual colonoscopy - screening; Fecal immunochemical test; Stool DNA test; sDNA test; Colorectal cancer - screening; Rectal ...

Elevated phenylalanine on newborn screening: follow-up testing may reveal undiagnosed galactosaemia.

Science.gov (United States)