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Biomedical subjects

S Somers

Publications and source records attributed to S Somers.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Contemporary radiological examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Barium and endoscopy both have advantages. Endoscopy not only gives you direct visualization but also the ability to biopsy tissue. It does not give you the ability to determine the exact anatomy or the gross appearance of a lesion. Barium on the other hand gives you a dynamic examination which is particularly useful for the assessment of swallowing disorders and oesophageal motility. When the pharynx and oesophagus are not of prime concern and cost is not a problem then endoscopy is the examination of choice. It has been shown that dyspeptic patients who have had both examinations have a definite preference for endoscopy (Stevenson et al, 1991). As endoscopy requires minimal physical effort, it is also a preferable examination for the unwell patient.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1994

Colon cancer detection: an algorithm using endoscopy and barium enema.

A review of findings on flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS), colonoscopy and selected double-contrast barium enema (DCBE) radiographs from a group of 66 patients with rectal bleeding was performed to test the value of an algorithm in the detection of colonic cancers and polyps. In this algorithm the FS findings would direct patients either to colonoscopy or to a modified DCBE which focused attention on the colon proximal to the sigmoid. Only patients with neoplasms diagnosed by FS, or by MDCBE after negative FS, would proceed to colonoscopy. The study population contained four cancers, 11 polyps > 5 mm and 11 polyps < or = 5 mm; FS+MDCBE missed four polyps, all < 5 mm. For polyps > 5 mm and cancer, FS+MDCBE had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 82%, a negative predictive value of 1.0 and a positive predictive value of 0.62. Using the algorithm, 24 patients (36%) would have required colonoscopy. The results suggest that FS+MDCBE is a potentially valuable method for screening patients for colonic neoplasia.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1994

Adequacy of the dietary intake of depressed individuals.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the dietary intake of individuals experiencing a current episode of major depression. METHODS: Twenty-two females and 7 males experiencing moderate to severe depression completed 3-day food records. These food records were analyzed to obtain an estimate of the nutrient intake of male and female individuals experiencing a depressive episode and this nutrient intake was compared to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). RESULTS: Females, as a group, consumed a diet that provided 100% of the RDA whereas the diet of males was deficient in energy and 4 of 16 nutrients examined. Considerable variation existed in the dietary intake of both males and females with some individuals in both groups consuming a diet containing less than the RDA in one or more nutrients due to a decrease in food intake. CONCLUSION: A substantial percentage of the depressed sample consumed less than the RDA of one or more nutrients. This seems to be due to an inadequate food intake rather than a deficient diet.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Same-day computed tomography during arterial portography and delayed high-dose iodine computed tomography: an efficient approach to imaging potentially resectable liver tumours.

Preoperative imaging in patients with potentially resectable liver tumours has traditionally been performed in specialized hepatobiliary centres. To assess the feasibility and value of establishing a same-day, pre-resectional hepatic imaging service, computed tomography during arterial portography (CTAP) and delayed high-dose iodine computed tomography (DICT) were used to examine patients considered suitable for curative hepatic resection. The study group comprised 27 patients (14 from hospitals not affiliated with a university and 13 from two university-affiliated hospitals) for whom pre-referral imaging showed tumour distribution amenable to resection. Among the patients from centres not affiliated with a university, seven had undergone ultrasonography (US) and equilibrium-phase CT, four had undergone US and unenhanced CT, two had undergone equilibrium-phase CT only and one had undergone bolus dynamic incremented CT (BDCT) only. For 12 of the patients coming from the university-affiliated centres, the pre-referral imaging had consisted of US and BDCT; the other had undergone US only. After CTAP and DICT, 20 (74%) of the 27 patients were reclassified as having unresectable disease: 7 (54%) of the 13 patients who had undergone BDCT before CTAP and DICT and 12 (92%) of the 13 patients who had undergone unenhanced or equilibrium-phase CT, as well as the patient who had undergone US only. By averting laparotomy in 20 of the patients, CTAP and DICT resulted in short-term health care savings of about $160,000. These findings suggest that BDCT was underused in the hospitals not affiliated with university centres.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiography↗
PubMed1992

Relation of pyloric motility to pyloric opening and closure in healthy subjects.

The relation between pyloric motor activity, opening, and closure was examined in eight healthy men. Manometry was performed with an assembly combining 13 side holes and a sleeve sensor positioned astride the pylorus. Simultaneous with manometry, pyloric opening and closure and antroduodenal contractions were observed fluoroscopically with the antrum filled with barium. During intraduodenal normal saline infusion, coordinated antral pressure waves swept over the pylorus and ejected barium into the duodenum. No localised pyloric motor pattern was observed under these conditions. In contrast, the intraduodenal triglyceride infusion was associated with the absence of antral pressure waves and virtual absence of antral wall movement. At the pylorus, there was a zone of luminal occlusion less than 1 cm long that persisted for the period of observation. This zone of luminal occlusion corresponded precisely with manometric recordings of a narrow zone of pyloric phasic and tonic activity. During the duodenal triglyceride infusion, the pylorus was closed for 98.5% of the measurement period when basal pyloric pressure was 4 mm Hg or more, and during this motor pattern, barium did not traverse the pylorus. Localised pyloric contractions cause sustained pyloric closure, whether these contractions are phasic or tonic. These contractions occur independently of antral or duodenal contractions and may interrupt gastric emptying.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Contrast medium gel for marking vaginal position during defecography.

A tampon soaked with contrast medium, which had been inserted into the vagina as part of standard defecography procedure, obscured signs of anterior rectocele and rectal intussusception in a 34-year-old woman. A contrast medium gel for marking vaginal position was formulated, and postsurgical examination with use of the gel revealed improved rectal function and no intussusception. The gel provided excellent contrast without obscuring important diagnostic information.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Gastric ulceration after fundoplication.

Gastric ulceration after fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux is relatively uncommon, occurring in 1% to 3% of cases. During the period 1974 to 1979, approximately 100 modified Belsey fundoplications were performed at McMaster University Medical Centre. In four patients gastric ulceration developed after the surgery. In all cases the ulcers were located in the proximal stomach, an unusual site. Published reports of gastric ulceration after fundoplication were reviewed, special attention being given to the cause. The authors conclude that local ischemia and mechanical trauma are important in the development of ulceration, which can occur as early as one week after fundoplication. The detection of ulcers requires awareness of the condition and special attention to the symptoms. Because the gastric anatomy is altered by the fundal wrap, the area can be visualized more easily by double-contrast barium studies than by endoscopy.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Duodenal duplication cysts: case report and review of the current literature.

Duodenal duplication cysts constitute a rare congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal system, and a preoperative diagnosis of the condition is even less common. The authors present a case of a duodenal duplication cyst in a 3-year-old child in whom they were able to make the correct diagnosis preoperatively by means of ultrasonography and computed tomography.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Barium meal or endoscopy? A prospective randomized study of patient preference and physician decision making.

This study examines the preference of 64 out-patients for either a barium meal or an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The sequence of the examinations was randomized to avoid order bias. An initial preference for a barium meal of almost two-to-one, with 53% having no preference, was changed after the investigations to a preference for endoscopy of two-to-one with 5% having no preference. The use of mild sedation and the skill of the endoscopist had a major impact on the patients' opinion of the endoscopic procedure, and on their choice of examination for any repeat study. There was little agreement between clinical diagnosis and the result of investigation, but clinicians tended to accept the reported result of the investigation, especially if the result was abnormal. Despite a change in diagnosis in 34 of 49 patients there was little change in management as a result of the investigations, supporting the view that young patients with dyspepsia may be managed with symptomatic treatment initially, and without investigation. This study lends further support to the view that endoscopy should be the investigation of choice in patients with persistent dyspepsia, especially those whose age or infirmity may make barium examination suboptimal.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1990

Double-contrast barium enema studies: effect of multiple reading on perception error.

The images from 60 double-contrast barium enema (DCBE) examinations of patients who had also undergone colonoscopy were reviewed independently by three radiologists. The average radiologist detected 70.2% of the 46 radiologically visible lesions. The reports of the individual observers were combined to generate double and triple reading reports. The corresponding average double and triple reading combinations resulted in detection of 83.3% and 89.0%, respectively, of the visible lesions. These increases in sensitivity over those of the readings of the single observers were clinically and statistically significant. They were, however, accompanied by some decreases in specificity. The results confirm the concept that false-negative perception error is a major problem in the interpretation of DCBE examinations and indicate that multiple reading is an effective way to reduce this error.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Serials standards work: the next frontier.

Serials, one of the more complicated areas of library technical endeavors, has lacked the benefit of standards for a long time. Even now, with standards beginning to be available, the majority of institutions are not working within standard serials formats. A survey to determine the use of serials standards in libraries was conducted in 1988 by the American Library Association, Resources and Technical Services Division, Serials Section, Committee to Study Serials Standards. In the spring of 1988 a survey was sent to a group encompassing the Association of Research Libraries members, CONSER participants, United States Newspaper Program participants, Microform Project libraries, and some vendors and librarians who attended the Committee meetings on a regular basis. The survey questionnaire assessed the current level of serials standards awareness of librarians and vendors. Topics included the type of serials systems used, standards relevant to serials control and union listing and whether or not they are implemented, types and levels of training staff received in the application of standards, benefits of the standards, and areas where standards are most needed.

Cataloging↗
PubMed1989

Defecography in normal volunteers: results and implications.

Forty seven healthy young volunteers underwent defecographic examination to determine the range of normal findings. Normality was shown to encompass radiological features often considered pathological. These features included broad ranges of anorectal angle and pelvic floor descent which overlap with reported pathological states. Furthermore, the formation of rectocoeles during defecation was a very common finding in women. Finally, a subgroup of the volunteers had marginal anorectal function. The marginal anorectal function and certain radiological findings such as rectocoeles or intussusceptions may predispose to later problems, or contribute to clinical problems when combined with other factors such as dietary fibre deficiency. The radiological findings raise a number of questions with respect to different aspects of the functioning of the continence and defecation mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Interobserver variation in the interpretation of abdominal radiographs.

A total of 140 sets of abdominal radiographs were reviewed independently by four qualified diagnostic radiologists. The degree of interobserver agreement was determined by calculating kappa values for 19 commonly used radiographic signs and diagnoses. There was fair to excellent interobserver agreement for 11 signs and diagnoses and poor agreement for the remaining eight. The signs and diagnoses for which agreement is poor cannot be considered reliable and include particularly large bowel obstruction and nonspecific gas pattern.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Radiological appearance of migrating motor complex of the small intestine.

During fasting, a cyclical pattern of rhythmic peristaltic motor activity is known to occur in the small intestine. It is called the migrating motor complex (MMC), and periodically sweeps the small bowel of secretions. It is usually abolished by feeding. This report is the first description of an MMC observed during the fluoroscopic examination of a patient during a small bowel examination.

Fasting↗
PubMed1988

Prospective comparison of double contrast barium enema plus flexible sigmoidoscopy v colonoscopy in rectal bleeding: barium enema v colonoscopy in rectal bleeding.

Rectal bleeding often heralds serious colonic disease. The literature suggests that colonoscopy is superior to barium enema plus sigmoidoscopy, although no good comparative studies exist. Seventy one patients with overt rectal bleeding had prospectively flexible sigmoidoscopy, double contrast barium enema and colonoscopy completed independently. Against the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of colonoscopy were 0.69 and 0.78 respectively for a spectrum of colonic lesions, while for combined flexible sigmoidoscopy and double contrast barium enema these values were 0.80 and 0.56, respectively. When assessing adenoma or carcinoma, colonoscopy was more sensitive at 0.82 v 0.73, while flexible sigmoidoscopy plus double contrast barium enema was superior for detecting diverticular disease. The positive predictive value for colonoscopy was 0.87 against 0.81 for flexible sigmoidoscopy and double contrast barium enema. This study confirms that colonoscopy should be a first line investigation in subjects likely to require biopsy or therapeutic intervention.

Barium Sulfate↗