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Biomedical subjects

J C Horrocks

Publications and source records attributed to J C Horrocks.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

Clinical presentation of patients with "dyspepsia". Detailed symptomatic study of 360 patients.

This paper describes the clinical presentation of 360 patients suffering from "dyspepsia" at the time of their initial visit to two hospitals in Yorkshire. Disease categories studied were cholecystitis, duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, gastric cancer, and "functional" dyspepsia, with at least 50 patients in each category. The findings of this series are contrasted with "textbook" descriptions of these conditions. Some contrasts are quite surprising-for example, most of the 360 patients claimed that their pain was not aggravated by food. It is suggested that one reason for diagnostic error in this area of medicine is that clinicians have a faulty mental "database" of information with regard to the presentation of the various diseases concerned.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Clinical findings, early endoscopy, and multivariate analysis in patients bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract.

A simple system has been developed to identify patients with upper gastrointestinal tract haemorrhage who run a high risk of continued bleeding or rebleeding. The system is based on six items of patient data available at or soon after arrival in hospital. It was evaluated in a prospective study of 66 patients with upper gastrointestinal tract haemorrhage. Over half of the patients classified by the system into a high-risk category either continued bleeding or rebled after apparent cessation (as against one out of 33 patients in the low-risk category). The high-rish group also had a higher mortality (21%) than those in the low-risk group (nil). The addition or subtraction of early endoscopic findings made little difference to the accuracy of prognosis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1977

Diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in the accident and emergency department.

This paper reports the findings in a study involving 1537 patients with 'acute abdominal pain' presenting over a 13-month period to the Accident and Emergency Department of the General Infirmary at Leeds. Of these, 341 patients who proved to have pain of greater duration than a week, pain incidental to some other identifiable condition or no pain at the time of their attendance were excluded. The remaining 1196 were diagnosed clinically (using a structured case sheet) and subsequently by a Bayesian computer system. Feedback of the results of clinical and computer systems was given to clinicians at regular intervals. Clinical diagnostic accuracy in patients with surgical disorders rose from 40 per cent before the study to 61 per cent. Computer accuracy in these patients was 69-9 per cent. The proportion of patients sent home without ill effects rose from 20 per cent to 39 per cent. In other areas (e.g. gynaecology) the effects were less marked. It is suggested that the introduction of a simple postgraduate educational service, aided by a small computer, might prove of practical benefit in this clinical situation.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1977

Computer-aided diagnosis of lower abdominal pain in women.

This paper describes the use of a system of computer aided diagnosis in an unselected, prospective survey of 393 women suffering from lower abdominal pain of less than 1 week's duration. An accurate diagnosis was made by clinicians at first patient contact in 68-5 per cent of the group of patients. The computer's diagnostic prediction (based on the same data) matched the final diagnosis in 81-6 per cent of the patients. During this survey a marked improvement in diagnostic accuracy was observed amongst the junior clinicians. It is suggested that this is because of the discipline of data collection imposed and the intermittent feedback received, and also that this educational aspect of computer usage may be of wider benefit.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1976

A symptomatic discriminant to identify recurrent ulcer in patients with dysperpsia after gastric surgery.

A questionnaire has been completed by 99 patients referred for investigation of symptoms after gastric operations. The replies were analysed in an attempt to distinguish patients with a recurrent peptic ulcer from those with no recurrent ulcer. All cases were investigated by barium meal, endoscopy, and oral cholecystography. All recurrent ulcers were confirmed by reoperation and patients with gastric carcinoma, gallstones, or symptomatic hiatus hernia were excluded. The study was retrospective in 40 patients in whom the diagnosis was already confirmed when the questionnaire was analysed and prospective in 59 in whom the diagnosis was originally unknown. The replies were analysed with (a) a small computer using Bayes' theorem, (b) weighted tables, and (c) a discriminant analysis. The computer prediction of the prospective data was 85% accurate. The results of simpler methods were almost as good as the computer prediction, and questions related only to the severity of pain and vomiting accurately distinguished recurrent ulcer from other causes of dyspepsia in 81% of patients.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1976

Assessment of the results of surgery for varicose veins.

Fifty-six patients undergoing primary surgery for unilateral varicose veins by a standardized Trendelenburg procedure were reviewed postoperatively by a panel of three observers. Agreement between the observers was high in assessing symptomatic response (up to 98%), but only moderate in evaluation of any visual changes in affected legs (60%). Moreover, intr-observer agreement comparing symptomatic response and visual impression was very low (30-4%). It is suggested that inter-series comparisons should be made solely upon the response of specific symptoms to treatment.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1976

Transfer of computer-aided diagnosis of dyspepsia from one geographical area to another.

This paper reports a comparison in Airedale District General Hospital between computer-aided diagnosis of dyspepsia and endoscopy in a prospective unselected series of 165 patients. Patients were interviewed immediately before endoscopy and the findings analysed by a small desk-top computer-aided system. Each 'new' patient was compared by the computer with a group of 360 similar patients from Leeds (25 miles away). Overall, 83% of the positive lesions found at endoscopy were correctly predicted by the computer, including all but three of the 22 cases of gastric cancer. It is suggested (1) that there is little loss of accuracy in transferring the computer-aided system from one locality to another; and (2) that a computer-aided analysis of the patient interview may be of value in selecting 'high-risk' patients for intensive investigation.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1976

Computer-aided diagnosis of gastroenterologic diseases in Sherbrooke: preliminary report.

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of a computer-aided-diagnosis system when implemented in different parts of the world, an automated system, which had established its reliability in Leeds, England, was transferred to Sherbrooke, Quebec. In this preliminary study two retrospective series, comprising 104 patients with acute abdominal pain and 101 patients with dyspepsia, were drawn from the files of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Sherbrooke. The history and physical-examination sheet was analyzed, coded and tested against the Leeds data base on a WANG 2200 computer, and the results were compared with the final Sherbrooke pathologic diagnosis. Overall the computer made a correct diagnosis in 78.8% of cases of acute abdominal pain and 70% of cases of dyspepsia. Computer diagnoses of appendicitis were correct in 97% of cases and the system recognized 91% of the actual appendicitis cases. Similar figures for cholecystitis were 91% and for peptic ulcer, 87%. However, the "pick-up" rate by the computer of pancreatitis was only 25%. It is concluded that geographical differences in disease presentation will probably not impair the validity of the computer method used in this study. A comparison of various diagnostic methods and levels of competence will await a prospective trial of this method.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1975

Histories obtained by two-stage questionnaire with automated transcript in specialist gynaecological practice.

A two-stage questionnaire which the patient completes at home has been developed for use by gynaecological outpatients. The first stage (root) identifies the patient's problem and obtains general background information. The second stage (branch) deals with the presenting problem in depth. The system has proved highly acceptable to patients. At the clinic a non-medical assistant uses a programmed typewriter to transcribe the data into a typewritten history which is handed to the doctor before he examines the patient. The transcript compares favourably with the conventional hand-written history in content, ease of assimilation, and cost. While the questionnaire itself is an excellent means of collecting information it becomes an efficient means of transmitting information to the clinician only when combined with the transcript facility. There is no storage of confidential information and no scope for unethical disclosure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Diagnosis of dyspepsia from data collected by a physician's assistant.

This paper presents a study of the diagnosis of "dyspepsia" in 154 patients based on data collected at their initial outpatient attendance via an interview with a non-medically qualified physician's assistant. The reactions of patients to this type of interview were favourable, and the data recorded were as reliable as those recorded by clinicians. We conclude (1) that the data recorded by the physician's assistant are valuable diagnostically; (2) where these cannot be collected by a qualified physician, this task may be delegated to a non-medically qualified person; but (3) this interview should augment and not replace the traditional clinical interview.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1975

Simplified computer-aided diagnosis of acute abdominal pain.

A simplified version of a system for computer-aided diagnosis of acute abdominal pain has been tested by "new" personnel unfamiliar with the previous system. After a two-month learning period the system proved more accurate in its diagnoses than the unaided clinician, and during the first five months of using the system the unaided clinicians' accuracy rose from 73% to 84%. When computer "feedback" was withdrawn the clinicians' diagnostic accuracy reverted towards the previous, "unaided" level. These findings further validate the concept of the computer as a potentially valuable diagnostic aid but indicate that a training period and computer feedback are important factors in its 4 use.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1975

A controlled clinical trial of three methods of closure of laparotomy wounds.

A controlled clinical trial was conducted of three methods of closing elective paramedian laparotomy wounds--catgut layer suture alone, catgut layer suture with tension sutures and wire sutures alone. Three hundred and twenty-four patients were entered in the trial. The combined incidence of wound dehiscence and subsequent incisional herniation in patients who did not manifest overt dehiscence in the immediate postoperative period was significantly higher after catgut layer suture alone (14 per cent) than after catgut layer suture with tension stitches (4-8 per cent) or wire sutures alone (0-9 per cent). There seemed to be more wound sespis and sinus formation associated with catgut layer suture and tension sutures than with either of the other methods of closure. In 4 patients a wire suture had to be extracted, because of sinus formation in 2 and on account of pain in 2.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1975

Computer-aided diagnosis of "dyspepsia".

Experience with computer-aided diagnosis of "dyspepsia" in a consecutive prospective series of 212 patients coming to surgery is described. Analysis is concentrated upon 122 patients who presented to an outpatient clinic de novo for diagnosis. During their first (outpatient) hospital contact, a firm diagnosis was made in just over half of these patients (though where made, it was usually correct). After full investigation, the diagnostic accuracy (prior to operation) was 92.6%. Using data elicited solely from the house surgeon's interview at the time of admission, the computer's overall diagnostic accuracy was 87.7%. The cost of each new computer diagnosis was around 25 new pence ($0.60). and the time taken was about 5 minutes. In a further small series designed to discriminate between organic and functional dyspepsia, the computer correctly assigned all but 1 of 23 patients with organic disease to the correct disease category. However, almost half of 33 patients with x-ray negative dyspepsia were predicted by the computer to have organic lesions. Time alone will tell whether the computer is a better early predictor of eventual organic disease than currently available radiologic methods.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed1975

Computer-aided diagnosis of lower gastrointestinal tract disorders.

This paper reports a survey of human and computer-aided diagnosis in a prospective consecutive series of 301 patients admitted to the hospital with lower gastrointestinal tract disease. At initial outpatient contact (at which time endoscopy was customarily performed), the clinicians' diagnostic accuracy was 64.5%. After biopsy, radiology, and other investigative procedures, the clinicians' preoperative diagnostic accuracy rose t0 82.7%. When data from the house surgeon's case notes were fed into the computer, its diagnostic prediction proved accurate in 77% of the 301 patients, and when details of the outpatient endoscopy were added to the house surgeon's case notes, the computer's diagnostic accuracy rose to 84.7%. It is suggested that computer-aided analysis may have a limited part to play in discriminating between the common causes of lower gastrointestinal disorders in routine clinical practice.

Adolescent↗