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Biomedical subjects

Praveen Mathur

Publications and source records attributed to Praveen Mathur.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Endoscopic ultrasound in non-small cell lung cancer and negative mediastinum on computed tomography.

Despite technical advances in staging non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accurate staging remains a challenge. Endoscopic ultrasound is useful in staging NSCLC when lymphadenopathy is present on a computed tomography (CT), but its role in the absence of lymphadenopathy on CT has not been well defined. Therefore, we sought to determine the clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in staging NSCLC in absence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy on CT. Seventy-six patients with NSCLC with absence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy on CT were enrolled and followed prospectively. EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration was performed on sites that were suspicious for metastases. Surgical pathology after thoracotomy was used as the reference standard for assessing accuracy. Sixty-two (86%) patients underwent surgery, and 10 (13%) did not. EUS precluded surgery in 9 patients (12%) and influenced management in 18 (25%) of all patients in this study. EUS detected malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathy more frequently in patients with lower lobe and hilar cancers combined compared with upper lobe cancers (p = 0.004). EUS played a significant role in identifying patients with unresectable (N3) NSCLC when adenopathy was not present on CT imaging and appears to be more sensitive in detecting lymph node metastases in lower lobe and hilar NSCLC compared with upper lobe NSCLC.

Adult↗

Effects of reduction mammaplasty on pulmonary function and symptoms of macromastia.

A number of studies have documented subjective improvement in somatic and psychological symptoms following breast reduction surgery. Objective data demonstrating improved postoperative function have been more difficult to assess, and particularly with respect to pulmonary function, the results have been contradictory. In this prospective study, patients completed a comprehensive preoperative questionnaire modified from the American Thoracic Society Division of Lung Diseases Epidemiology Standardization Project (1978). This questionnaire noted subjective pulmonary symptoms and pulmonary medical history. In addition, subjective symptoms related to breast size, including back and neck pain and shoulder pain and grooving, and a subjective evaluation of body image, were evaluated. All subjects received preoperative pulmonary function testing, including spirometry, lung volume measurements, and measurement of peak inspiratory and expiratory flow rates and pressures. Eight weeks after breast reduction, a repeat questionnaire and pulmonary function testing were administered. Preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function values were compared using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests, and correlations were tested between changes in pulmonary function test values and subjective symptom improvement. Forty-four patients underwent an average of 2228-g bilateral reduction. All of these patients had their surgical procedures preauthorized as medically necessary by their insurance carriers. All subjective parameters examined were statistically significantly improved following breast reduction (p < 0.001). Of the 17 patients with preoperative complaints of shortness of breath, all noted significant improvement following breast reduction surgery (p < 0.001). Of the objective pulmonary criteria evaluated, inspiratory capacity, peak expiratory flow rate, and maximal voluntary ventilation showed a statistically significant improvement following surgery (p < 0.05). These changes correlated with body mass index; the greater the index, the greater the change in maximal voluntary ventilation and peak expiratory flow rate. Smokers in this group had the largest change in maximal voluntary ventilation (p < 0.008). No correlation could be found between preoperative pulmonary symptoms, a single subjective symptom, or grams of breast weight reduction and changes in pulmonary function tests. The results show that pulmonary parameters, related primarily to work of breathing (inspiratory capacity, maximal voluntary ventilation, peak expiratory flow rate), were statistically improved following breast reduction surgery, and these changes correlated with body mass index.

Adolescent↗

Clinical utility of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration of mediastinal masses in the absence of known pulmonary malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal masses represent a diagnostic challenge because of their proximity to numerous critical structures, difficulty of access for tissue sampling, and myriad potential pathologic etiologies. A large, single-center experience with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the diagnosis of non-lung cancer-related mediastinal masses is presented. METHODS: An EUS database was reviewed and all cases of mediastinal mass or lymphadenopathy encountered between 1994 and 1999 were included. Final diagnoses were determined by EUS-FNA cytology and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were identified (27 women, 22 men; mean age 58.1 years, range 30-89 years). A malignant process was diagnosed in 22 cases (45%) and a benign process in 24 (49%). The EUS-FNA specimen was nondiagnostic in 3 cases (6%). An accurate diagnosis was made in 46 of the 49 patients (94%). No complication was noted. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNA is a minimally invasive technique that facilitates detection and tissue sampling of mediastinal masses. It is a safe procedure that can be performed with the patient under conscious sedation in an outpatient setting.

Adult↗

A novel instrument for the evaluation of the pleural space: an experience in 34 patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To test a novel semirigid pleuroscope to be used by pulmonologists for the diagnosis and treatment of pleural diseases. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Three tertiary referral centers for pulmonary diseases. PATIENTS: Thirty-four patients who were referred for medical thoracoscopy between September 2000 and April 2001. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Thirty-six procedures were performed. The most common indications were for pleurodesis of a malignant pleural effusion (53%) or for evaluation of an exudative effusion of unknown etiology (44%). All operators found the instrument easy to use. In all but one case, the images were thought to be adequate, despite the presence of adhesions in 12 patients and loculations in 8 patients. Pleural biopsies were performed in 13 patients, and talc pleurodesis procedures were performed in 25 patients. Mean (+/- SD) duration of chest tube drainage was 2.9 +/- 1.8 days postprocedure. There were no complications. CONCLUSIONS: The prototype semirigid pleuroscope is a useful instrument in the diagnosis and management of pleural diseases. It is similar in design to a standard flexible bronchoscope, so the skills involved in operating the instrument should already be familiar to the practicing pulmonologist. It is compatible with existing video processors and light sources, so little additional equipment must be added to the endoscopy suite. The semirigid pleuroscope may allow for an increase in the performance of medical thoracoscopy by pulmonologists.

Equipment Design↗