Biomedical subjects

Charles Branch

Publications and source records attributed to Charles Branch.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Does dose rate affect efficacy? The outcomes of 256 gamma knife surgery procedures for trigeminal neuralgia and other types of facial pain as they relate to the half-life of cobalt.

OBJECT: Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) is a treatment option for patients with refractory typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN), TN with atypical features, and atypical types of facial pain. The Gamma Knife's 201 60Co sources decay with a half-life of 5.26 years. The authors examined whether the decrease in dose rate over 4.6 years between Co source replacements affected the control rates of facial pain in patients undergoing GKS. METHODS: The authors collected complete follow-up data on 239 of 326 GKS procedures performed in patients with facial pain. Patients were classified by their type of pain. The isocenter of a 4-mm collimator helmet was targeted at the proximal trigeminal nerve root, and the dose (80-90 Gy) was prescribed at the 100% isodose line. Patients reported the amount of pain control following radiosurgery by answering a standardized questionnaire. Eighty percent of patients experienced greater than 50% pain relief, and 56% of patients experienced complete pain relief after GKS. Neither dose rate nor treatment time was significantly associated with either the control rate or degree of pain relief. A significant association between the type of facial pain and the pain control rate after GKS was observed (p < 0.001; Pearson chi-square test). In their statistical analysis, the authors accounted for changes in prescription dose over time to prevent the dose rate from being a confounding variable. There was no observable effect of the dose rate or of the treatment duration within the typical period to source replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with facial pain appear to receive consistent treatment with GKS at any time during the first half-life of the Co sources.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Breast biopsy utilization: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Breast biopsy, to determine the nature of a clinical or radiographic breast abnormality, was presumed to have increased in frequency with the widespread use of screening mammography. However, scant data exist regarding the utilization of breast biopsies in the community population. METHODS: Through the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the medical records of women 18 years and older who had a breast biopsy from January 1, 1988, through December 31, 1999, were reviewed for the type of biopsy, presentation at biopsy, and tissue pathological findings. The overall and age-specific utilization rates of breast biopsies were assessed, as were changes in the breast biopsy technique after the introduction of image-guided core-needle biopsy in 1992. RESULTS: The overall annual utilization rate of breast biopsies was 62.6 per 10 000 women per year and remained stable throughout the study. Excisional breast biopsies showed a decreasing trend and core-needle biopsies increased during the study duration. The age-adjusted incidence of benign results of breast biopsies for the study duration was 38.9 per 10 000 women. The benign-malignant ratio remained constant despite changes in the biopsy procedure. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study provides much-needed data regarding the frequency of breast biopsies and benign results of breast biopsies in a community population. The utilization rate of breast biopsies remained fairly constant throughout the study period despite the introduction of the image-guided, core-needle biopsy procedure in 1992. A multidisciplinary breast practice, along with established guidelines for breast biopsy, can ensure appropriate use of new technology and thereby improve patient care.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

MOS short form 36 and Oswestry Disability Index outcomes in lumbar fusion: a multicenter experience.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Patient-based quality of life scales have become a critical element of post-op assessment for lumbar fusion surgery. The most extensive outcomes data have been generated through FDA-regulated IDE trials for new technologies, which produce excellent data but are constrained by strict enrollment criteria and limited indications. This raises a question as to whether the excellent results seen in these IDE trials can be reproduced in standard clinical practice. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze surgical results based upon standardized outcome tools, across a spectrum of interventions, for one- and two-level lumbar spine fusion procedures. DESIGN/SETTING: This study is a retrospective review of prospectively collected patient based outcomes data. PATIENT SAMPLE: Four hundred ninety-seven patients, who underwent 1- or 2-level lumbar spine fusion at five participating spine centers, utilizing a variety of surgical techniques. Enrollment criteria included available demographic, surgical and clinical outcome data. At a minimum, patients had pre-op and one year post-op SF-36 data. In many cases two-year post-op SF-36 data and concomitant Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) data was available. OUTCOME MEASURES: SF36 and ODI. METHODS: The patient population included 270 females and 227 males, with a mean age of 47 years. Sixty-five percent (N=324) had one level fusions and 35% (N=173) had two level fusions. Demographic data collected included age, gender, BMI, surgical history, smoking history and work status. Data was analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: SF-36 Physical Composite Score (PCS) improved a mean 9.9 points at one year post-op and 9.5 points at two years post-op. ODI improved a mean 22.2 points at one year post-op and 22.1 points at two years post-op. SF-36 PCS data for surgical approach subgroups revealed greater improvement (p=.03) in the ALIF group as compared to the PSF, PLIF/TLIF, or 360 degrees fusion groups (12.6 points vs. 8.8, 9.3, 8.4 points) at 1 year post-op. At 2 years post-op, there was greater improvement (p=.02) in the ALIF and PSF groups as compared to the PLIF/TLIF and 360 degrees fusion groups (13.8 and 11.2 points vs. 7.7 and 6.3 points). SF-36 PCS data demonstrated similar baseline scores for patients with and without prior decompression, but a significantly greater rate of improvement (11.3 vs. 7.2 points, p=.002) for patients without prior lumbar decompression surgery. The ODI data indicated a significantly greater disability at baseline in the prior decompression group, with greater improvement (21.7 vs. 17.5 points) in patients without prior surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents improved outcomes, based on SF-36 and ODI scores, in patients undergoing lumbar fusion for one and two level degenerative disc disease. The findings also demonstrate efficacy for all of the surgical techniques studied, suggesting that surgeons can appropriately select the surgical strategy with which they are most adept.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The use of bioabsorbable implants in the spine.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Bioabsorbable implants are commonplace in sports medicine surgeries, especially in shoulder and knee ligamentous reconstruction. Their use is now expanding to the realm of spinal reconstructive surgery. Newer polymers offer reduced incidence of the side effects of aseptic sterile sinus formation and have appropriate resorption time parameters for spine use. These new bioabsorbable materials confer initial and intermediate-term stability that is adequate for stable bony healing in various applications. The majority of human clinical applications in the spine that have been documented involve bone graft harvest site reconstruction, posterior spinal graft containment, anterior interbody reconstruction and anterior cervical and lumbar spine tension band plating. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review article is to highlight the indications and outcomes of the use of bioabsorbable implants in specific spinal applications. STUDY DESIGN: A comprehensive literature review of the English and non-English literature on bioabsorbable implant technology. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review was performed to gather basic science, animal and human data on the use of bioabsorbable implants in spinal surgery. RESULTS: Bioabsorbable implants have demonstrated strength and resorption characteristics commensurate with the physiologic and biomechanical requirements of the human spinal axis. Histologic sampling has demonstrated successful time-patterned resorption accompanied by bony replacement and remodeling of intervertebral cage devices in the animal model. CONCLUSION: Bioresorbable compounds appear to have a role in specific spinal reconstructive procedures. Their radiolucent nature improves image assessment of fusion healing, and their time-engineered resorption characteristics allow controlled dynamization in interbody and plate applications. Their widespread use and acceptance may increase dramatically as further research and clinical studies report on their safety and efficacy.

Absorbable Implants↗