Dual-Probe Transcranial Full-Waveform Inversion: A Brain Phantom Feasibility Study.

OBJECTIVE: Despite being a low-cost, portable and safe medical imaging technique, transcranial ultrasound imaging is not used widely in adults because of the severe degradation and distortion of signals caused by the skull. Full-waveform inversion (FWI) has recently been found to have potential as an effective method for transcranial ultrasound tomography to obtain high-quality, subwavelength-resolution acoustic models of the brain using low-frequency ultrasound data. In this study is the first demonstration of this method in recovering a high-resolution 2-D reconstruction of a brain and skull ultrasound imaging phantom using experimentally acquired data. METHODS: A 2:5 scale brain phantom encased within a 3-D-printed skull-mimicking layer was created to simulate a clinical transcranial imaging target. To obtain tomographic ultrasound data on the brain and skull phantom, a tomographic ultrasound acquisition system was designed and implemented using commercially available low-frequency cardiac probes. FWI reconstructions of the brain and skull phantom were performed using the acquired tomographic data and were compared with corresponding synthetic reconstructions. This comparison was used to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed imaging system when employing different transducer array configurations. RESULTS: We demonstrate the successful FWI reconstruction of the brain phantom within the skull mimic from experimentally acquired tomographic ultrasound data. To mitigate the effects of the skull-mimicking material, a reflection-matching algorithm was applied to model the morphology of the skull layer prior to performing the inversion. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide a promising step toward the clinical use of FWI for transcranial ultrasound imaging in adults.

Mucinous appendix intussusception: Case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Intussusception is an intestinal invagination of one bowel segment into another. It occurs mostly in children, but it can show in adults due to different etiologies. Appendiceal neoplasms are rare and can mimic an acute onset of appendicitis. Appendiceal mucinous neoplasm is one of the subtypes of appendiceal malignancies found in less than 1 % of appendectomies samples. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 32-year-old woman with abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant, whose computed tomography revealed an ileocolic intussusception and a low-density tubular image in the distal loop. She underwent diagnostic laparoscopy and laparoscopic right colectomy. Biopsy results confirmed a LAMN with acute appendicitis and intussusception. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Appendiceal intussusception (AI) is associated with the alteration of peristalsis, in addition to multiple inflammatory conditions and diseases such as parasites, foreign bodies, Crohn's disease, and lymphoid hyperplasia. The pathophysiology of AI is not fully established, but the main appendicular alteration that has been associated with it is the presence of a tumor. AI lead points are typically pathological in 90 % of cases, 65 % of which are neoplastic in nature. Right hemicolectomy should be performed for tumors involving the periappendicular area or in those larger than 2 cm in size. Follow-up and surveillance colonoscopy is suggested. CONCLUSION: Intussusception is a rare diagnosis in adults. However, malignancy should be suspected if identified.

Benchmark problems for transcranial ultrasound simulation: Intercomparison of compressional wave models.

Computational models of acoustic wave propagation are frequently used in transcranial ultrasound therapy, for example, to calculate the intracranial pressure field or to calculate phase delays to correct for skull distortions. To allow intercomparison between the different modeling tools and techniques used by the community, an international working group was convened to formulate a set of numerical benchmarks. Here, these benchmarks are presented, along with intercomparison results. Nine different benchmarks of increasing geometric complexity are defined. These include a single-layer planar bone immersed in water, a multi-layer bone, and a whole skull. Two transducer configurations are considered (a focused bowl and a plane piston operating at 500 kHz), giving a total of 18 permutations of the benchmarks. Eleven different modeling tools are used to compute the benchmark results. The models span a wide range of numerical techniques, including the finite-difference time-domain method, angular spectrum method, pseudospectral method, boundary-element method, and spectral-element method. Good agreement is found between the models, particularly for the position, size, and magnitude of the acoustic focus within the skull. When comparing results for each model with every other model in a cross-comparison, the median values for each benchmark for the difference in focal pressure and position are less than 10% and 1 mm, respectively. The benchmark definitions, model results, and intercomparison codes are freely available to facilitate further comparisons.

Design and Construction of a Low-Frequency Ultrasound Acquisition Device for 2-D Brain Imaging Using Full-Waveform Inversion.

The main techniques used to image the brain and obtain structural data are magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray computed tomography. These techniques produce images with high spatial resolution, but with the disadvantage of requiring very large equipment with special installation needs. In addition, X-ray tomography uses ionizing radiation, which limits their use. Ultrasound imaging is a safe technology that is delivered using compact and mobile devices. However, conventional ultrasound reconstruction techniques have failed to obtain images of the brain because of, fundamentally, the presence of the skull and the distortion that it produces on ultrasound. Recent studies have indicated that full-waveform inversion, a computational technique originally from Earth science, has the potential to generate accurate 3-D images of the brain. This technology can overcome the limitations of conventional ultrasound imaging, but a prototype for transcranial applications does not yet exist. Here, we investigate different designs of an annular array of ultrasound transducers to optimize the number of elements and rotations needed to conduct transcranial imaging with full-waveform inversion. This device uses small-diameter, low-frequency transducers that readily propagate ultrasound through the skull with good signal-to-noise ratios. It also incorporates the use of rotations to produce a high-density coverage of the target and acquire redundant traces that are beneficial for full-waveform inversion. We have built a ring of 40 transducers to illustrate that this design is capable of reconstructing images of the brain, retrieving its anatomy and acoustic properties with millimeter resolution. Laboratory results reveal the ability of this device to successfully image a 2.5-D brain- and skull-mimicking phantom using full-waveform inversion. To our knowledge, this is the first prototype ever used for transcranial-like imaging. The importance of these findings and their implications for the design of a 3-D reconstruction system with possible clinical applications are discussed.

Stride: A flexible software platform for high-performance ultrasound computed tomography.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Advanced ultrasound computed tomography techniques like full-waveform inversion are mathematically complex and orders of magnitude more computationally expensive than conventional ultrasound imaging methods. This computational and algorithmic complexity, and a lack of open-source libraries in this field, represent a barrier preventing the generalised adoption of these techniques, slowing the pace of research, and hindering reproducibility. Consequently, we have developed Stride, an open-source Python library for the solution of large-scale ultrasound tomography problems. METHODS: On one hand, Stride provides high-level interfaces and tools for expressing the types of optimisation problems encountered in medical ultrasound tomography. On the other, these high-level abstractions seamlessly integrate with high-performance wave-equation solvers and with scalable parallelisation routines. The wave-equation solvers are generated automatically using Devito, a domain-specific language, and the parallelisation routines are provided through the custom actor-based library Mosaic. RESULTS: We demonstrate the modelling accuracy achieved by our wave-equation solvers through a comparison (1) with analytical solutions for a homogeneous medium, and (2) with state-of-the-art modelling software applied to a high-contrast, complex skull section. Additionally, we show through a series of examples how Stride can handle realistic numerical and experimental tomographic problems, in 2D and 3D, and how it can scale robustly from a local multi-processing environment to a multi-node high-performance cluster. CONCLUSIONS: Stride enables researchers to rapidly and intuitively develop new imaging algorithms and to explore novel physics without sacrificing performance and scalability. This will lead to faster scientific progress in this field and will significantly ease clinical translation.

Spatial Response Identification Enables Robust Experimental Ultrasound Computed Tomography.

Ultrasound computed tomography techniques have the potential to provide clinicians with 3-D, quantitative and high-resolution information of both soft and hard tissues such as the breast or the adult human brain. Their practical application requires accurate modeling of the acquisition setup: the spatial location, orientation, and impulse response (IR) of each ultrasound transducer. However, the existing calibration methods fail to accurately characterize these transducers unless their size can be considered negligible when compared with the dominant wavelength, which reduces signal-to-noise ratios below usable levels in the presence of high-contrast tissues such as the skull. In this article, we introduce a methodology that can simultaneously estimate the location, orientation, and IR of the ultrasound transducers in a single calibration. We do this by extending spatial response identification (SRI), an algorithm that we have recently proposed to estimate transducer IRs. Our proposed methodology replaces the transducers in the acquisition device with a surrogate model whose effective response matches the experimental data by fitting a numerical model of wave propagation. This results in a flexible and robust calibration procedure that can accurately predict the behavior of the ultrasound acquisition device without ever having to know where the real transducers are or their individual IR. Experimental results using a ring acquisition system show that SRI produces calibrations of significantly higher quality than standard methodologies across all transducers, both in transmission and in reception. Experimental full-waveform inversion (FWI) reconstructions of a tissue-mimicking phantom demonstrate that SRI generates more accurate reconstructions than those produced with standard calibration techniques.

Spatial Response Identification for Flexible and Accurate Ultrasound Transducer Calibration and its Application to Brain Imaging.

Accurate wave-equation modeling is becoming increasingly important in modern imaging and therapeutic ultrasound methodologies, such as ultrasound computed tomography, optoacoustic tomography, or high-intensity-focused ultrasound. All of them rely on the ability to accurately model the physics of wave propagation, including accurate characterization of the ultrasound transducers, the physical devices that are responsible for generating and recording ultrasound energy. However, existing methods fail to characterize the transducer response with the accuracy required to fully exploit the capabilities of these emerging imaging and therapeutic techniques. Consequently, we have designed a new algorithm for ultrasound transducer calibration and modeling: spatial response identification (SRI). This method introduces a parameterization of the ultrasound transducer and provides a method to calibrate the transducer model using experimental data, based on a formulation of the problem that is completely independent of the discretization chosen for the transducer or the number of parameters used. The proposed technique models the transducer as a linear time-invariant system that is spatially heterogeneous, and identifies the model parameters that are best at explaining the experimental data while honoring the full wave equation. SRI generates a model that can accommodate the complex, heterogeneous spatial response seen experimentally for ultrasound transducers. Experimental results show that SRI outperforms standard methods both in transmission and reception modes. Finally, numerical experiments using full-waveform inversion demonstrate that existing transducer-modeling approaches are insufficient to produce successful reconstructions of the human brain, whereas errors in our SRI algorithm are sufficiently small to allow accurate image reconstructions.

Historia del Hospital Universitario Manuel Ascunce Domenech / History of the University Hospital

Fundamento: la historia del hospital Manuel Ascunce Domenech comenzó en 1946.Objetivo: Resaltar la importancia que tuvieron los trabajadores y decisores en la evolución histórica de la institución.Método: Es una investigación histórica basada en la investigación documental, se utiliza el submétodo cronológico para establecer el orden de los hechos que se describen. Se hicieron entrevistas a personalidades que laboran en el hospital desde o cercano a su fundación el 14 de enero de 1962 y se revisaron algunos artículos históricos publicados.Resultados: Fueron necesarios 16 años desde que el gobierno de turno en el 1946 procediera a la segregación y compraventa de una parcela de terreno para la construcción del Hospital hasta su inauguración. Solo con el triunfo de la revolución y la voluntad política se pudo terminar la obra.Conclusiones: El Hospital ha cumplido una importante función asistencial, docente, gerencial e investigativa(AU)

Fundamental: the history of Manuel Ascunce Domenech hospital began in 1946.Objective: To highlight the importance that the workers and decision makers had in the historical evolution of the institution.Method: It is a historical research based on the documental research. The chronological sub method is used with the purpose to establish the order of the facts that are described here. Interviews to personalities that work in the hospital from or near the date of foundation on January 14, 1962 were made and some published historical articles were revised.Results: a period of 16 years was necessary since 1946 when the government of that moment proceeded to segregation, sale and purchase of a land parcel for the construction of the Hospital until its inauguration. The building work was possible to conclude just with the victory of the revolution and its political will.Conclusions: The Hospital has completed a staunch assistance, educational, managerial and investigative function(AU)

Historia del Hospital Universitario "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" / History of the University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech"

Fundamento: la historia del hospital Manuel Ascunce Domenech comenzó en 1946. Objetivo: Resaltar la importancia que tuvieron los trabajadores y decisores en la evolución histórica de la institución. Método: Es una investigación histórica basada en la investigación documental, se utiliza el submétodo cronológico para establecer el orden de los hechos que se describen. Se hicieron entrevistas a personalidades que laboran en el hospital desde o cercano a su fundación el 14 de enero de 1962 y se revisaron algunos artículos históricos publicados. Resultados: Fueron necesarios 16 años desde que el gobierno de turno en el 1946 procediera a la segregación y compraventa de una parcela de terreno para la construcción del Hospital hasta su inauguración. Solo con el triunfo de la revolución y la voluntad política se pudo terminar la obra. Conclusiones: El Hospital ha cumplido una importante función asistencial, docente, gerencial e investigativa.

Fundamental: the history of “Manuel Ascunce Domenech” hospital began in 1946.Objective: To highlight the importance that the workers and decision makers had in the historical evolution of the institution. Method: It is a historical research based on the documental research. The chronological sub method is used with the purpose to establish the order of the facts that are described here. Interviews to personalities that work in the hospital from or near the date of foundation on January 14, 1962 were made and some published historical articles were revised. Results: a period of 16 years was necessary since 1946 when the government of that moment proceeded to segregation, sale and purchase of a land parcel for the construction of the Hospital until its inauguration. The building work was possible to conclude just with the victory of the revolution and its political will. Conclusions: The Hospital has completed a staunch assistance, educational, managerial and investigative function.

La oponencia como forma de crítica científica / The discussion as a form of a scientific critique

En este artículo se concibió la oponencia como forma de crítica científica. Se realizó un análisis del ejercicio de oponencia por los problemas identificados en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey, desde el pregrado hasta el postgrado en la realización de los informes finales de investigaciones, tesis y publicaciones. El objetivo fue valorar la oponencia como forma madura y ética de la crítica científica. Se propuso una metódica para el ejercicio de la oponencia contentiva de la selección del oponente, conocimiento del investigador, acercamiento al trabajo investigativo y el juicio crítico al evaluar y emitir veredicto. De igual forma se expusieron requisitos para realizar una buena oponencia, así como elementos en la estructura de un informe de oponencia que no deben faltar, con independencia del nivel en el cual se realice. Para finalizar se hizo un acercamiento a la posición del investigador ante la crítica (AU)

Discussion is conceived as a form of scientific criticism, for this reason an analysis of the discussant performance considering difficulties identified at the Medical University in Camagüey, at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels regarding final reports of researches, theses and articles for publication. The objective was to assess the discussants performance in regard to ethical issues. A methodology is proposed for the selection and education to enhance the performance of discussants in the scientific (AU)

La oponencia como forma de crítica científica / La oponencia como forma de crítica científica

En este artículo se concibió la oponencia como forma de crítica científica. Se realizó un análisis del ejercicio de oponencia por los problemas identificados en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey, desde el pregrado hasta el postgrado en la realización de los informes finales de investigaciones, tesis y publicaciones. El objetivo fue valorar la oponencia como forma madura y ética de la crítica científica. Se propuso una metódica para el ejercicio de la oponencia contentiva de la selección del oponente, conocimiento del investigador, acercamiento al trabajo investigativo y el juicio crítico al evaluar y emitir veredicto. De igual forma se expusieron requisitos para realizar una buena oponencia, así como elementos en la estructura de un informe de oponencia que no deben faltar, con independencia del nivel en el cual se realice. Para finalizar se hizo un acercamiento a la posición del investigador ante la crítica.

Discussion is conceived as a form of scientific criticism, for this reason an analysis of the discussant performance considering difficulties identified at the Medical University in Camag-ey, at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels regarding final reports of researches, theses and articles for publication. The objective was to assess the discussants performance in regard to ethical issues. A methodology is proposed for the selection and education to enhance the performance of discussants in the scientific.

Tripanosomiasis americana en estudiantes latinoamericanos / American trypanosomiasis in Latin American students

La enfermedad de Chagas o tripanosomiasis americana, es una enfermedad parasitaria tropical, generalmente crónica, causada por el Tripanosoma cruzy. Presenta tres estados: la fase aguda, la indeterminada y la crónica. La enfermedad afecta al sistema nervioso, al sistema digestivo y al corazón. Produce desórdenes neurológicos, daño en el músculo cardíaco (miocardiopatía) y del tracto digestivo (megacolon y/o megaesófago). Se determinó que varios estudiantes de la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina estaban afectados por esta enfermedad, la cual no existe en Cuba.Objetivo: conocer la situación real de salud de los estudiantes latinos diagnosticados con tripanosomiasis americana.Método: se realizó un trabajo observacional descriptivo en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey, en alumnos aquejados por la enfermedad de Chagas. El universo que coincidió con la muestra, estuvo comprendido por 29 estudiantes latinoamericanos.Resultados: predominó el sexo masculino. La edad promedio fue de 25 años. Bolivia fue el país que predominó en frecuencia. La bradicardia fue el signo más frecuente. El electrocardiograma alterado predominó por el normal. En 11 (37,93 por ciento) de los pacientes se recogió el antecedente patológico familiar. Un alto por ciento completó tratamiento en el Instituto Pedro Kourí (25 para un 86,21 por ciento). Uno de los enfermos falleció (AU)

Chagas' disease or trypanosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease, generally chronic, caused by trypanosome cruzy. It presents three stages: severe phase, undetermined phase, and chronic phase. The disease affects the nervous system, the digestive system, and the heart. It produces neurological disorders, damage in the cardiac muscle (cardiomyopathy) and in the digestive tract (megacolon and/or megaesophagous). It was established that some students from the Latin American School of Medicine were affected by the disease, which does not exists in Cuba.Objective: to get to know the real health situation of the Latin students diagnosed with American trypanosomiasis.Methods: a descriptive, observational study was conducted at the University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey in students who suffered from Chagas' disease. The universe, which coincided with the sample, was composed of 29 Latin American students.Results: male sex was predominant. The average age was of 25 years old. Bolivia was the country that was predominant in terms of frequency. Bradycardia was the most frequent sign. Electrocardiogram produced more altered results than normal ones. In 11 of the patients (37.93 percent) the family pathological precedents were gathered. A high percent of the patients finished their treatment at the Pedro Kourí Institute (25 patients that made an 86.21 percent). One of the patients died (AU)

Tripanosomiasis americana en estudiantes latinoamericanos / American trypanosomiasis in Latin American students

Fundamento: la enfermedad de Chagas o tripanosomiasis americana, es una enfermedad parasitaria tropical, generalmente crónica, causada por el Tripanosoma cruzy. Presenta tres estados: la fase aguda, la indeterminada y la crónica. La enfermedad afecta al sistema nervioso, al sistema digestivo y al corazón. Produce desórdenes neurológicos, daño en el músculo cardíaco (miocardiopatía) y del tracto digestivo (megacolon y/o megaesófago). Se determinó que varios estudiantes de la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina estaban afectados por esta enfermedad, la cual no existe en Cuba. Objetivo: conocer la situación real de salud de los estudiantes latinos diagnosticados con tripanosomiasis americana. Método: se realizó un trabajo observacional descriptivo en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Camagüey, en alumnos aquejados por la enfermedad de Chagas. El universo que coincidió con la muestra, estuvo comprendido por 29 estudiantes latinoamericanos. Resultados: predominó el sexo masculino. La edad promedio fue de 25 años. Bolivia fue el país que predominó en frecuencia. La bradicardia fue el signo más frecuente. El electrocardiograma alterado predominó por el normal. En 11 (37,93 %) de los pacientes se recogió el antecedente patológico familiar. Un alto porciento completó tratamiento en el Instituto Pedro Kourí (25 para un 86,21 %). Uno de los enfermos falleció. Conclusiones: los estudiantes con la enfermedad de Chagas llevaban como promedio seis años de diagnóstico, pero no de estar enfermos. Ellos no están asintomáticos. Hay que darle valor al electrocardiograma por la alta positividad. Deben realizarse estudios contrastados del tubo digestivo, en busca del megaesófago u otras alteraciones. Mantener búsqueda activa con los estudiantes bolivianos. Hay que darle valor al antecedente patológico familiar. Mantener consultas de seguimiento y control a estos estudiantes con una periodicidad no mayor de tres meses en aras de asistir su evolución, sobre todo desde el punto de vista cardiovascular.

Background: Chagas' disease or trypanosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease, generally chronic, caused by trypanosome cruzy. It presents three stages: severe phase, undetermined phase, and chronic phase. The disease affects the nervous system, the digestive system, and the heart. It produces neurological disorders, damage in the cardiac muscle (cardiomyopathy) and in the digestive tract (megacolon and/or megaesophagous). It was established that some students from the Latin American School of Medicine were affected by the disease, which does not exists in Cuba. Objective: to get to know the real health situation of the Latin students diagnosed with American trypanosomiasis. Methods: a descriptive, observational study was conducted at the University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey in students who suffered from Chagas' disease. The universe, which coincided with the sample, was composed of 29 Latin American students. Results: male sex was predominant. The average age was of 25 years old. Bolivia was the country that was predominant in terms of frequency. Bradycardia was the most frequent sign. Electrocardiogram produced more altered results than normal ones. In 11 of the patients (37.93 %) the family pathological precedents were gathered. A high percent of the patients finished their treatment at the Pedro Kourí Institute (25 patients that made an 86.21 %). One of the patients died. Conclusions: students with Chagas' disease had an average of six years of been diagnosed but not of been sick. They are not asymptomatic. Electrocardiogram should be greatly valued for its high positive results. Contrast studies of the digestive tract should be made looking for megaesophagous or any other problem. An active analysis of Bolivian students should be kept. Family pathological precedents should be greatly valued. Monitoring consultations should be kept at no more than three-month intervals in order to see the evolution, mainly from the cardiovascular point of view.

Cáncer de pulmón, propuesta ética para agilizar su diagnóstico / Lung Cancer: ethical proposal for establishing a swift diagnosis

Se define el concepto de cáncer de pulmón y se brinda una información detallada en cuanto a su epidemiología y sus características clínicas. Se exponen las diferentes modalidades de diagnóstico, explicando las novedosas tecnologías al servicio del diagnóstico de esta enfermedad. Se expone el contexto local nacional y mundial de la enfermedad. Se denuncia claramente las demoras inadmisibles en el diagnóstico hospitalario y se defiende la tesis de que la gestión y el pensamiento oncológico deben ir al unísono. Se realizan algunas consideraciones sobre la necesidad de establecer el diagnóstico ágil y eficaz del cáncer del pulmón y se propone un algoritmo diagnóstico para disminuir el tiempo del diagnóstico para esta enfermedad en el Hospital Universitario “Manuel Ascunce Domenech”. Seguidamente se explica detalladamente el funcionamiento del Algoritmo. Por último se exponen otras buenas soluciones para agilizar el diagnóstico y hacerlo de una forma más humana: el estudio ambulatorio rápido o la creación de unidades multidisciplinarias hospitalarias para el manejo del carcinoma broncogénico (AU)

The concept of lung cancer is defined and detailed information about this disease epidemiology and clinical characteristics is offered. The different diagnostic methods are mentioned, being also explained the new technologies used for the diagnosis. The local, national and world context of the illness is presented. The inadmissible delays in the hospital diagnosis are clearly denounced and the thesis that negotiation and oncological thought should act in unison is defended. Some considerations about the necessity of establishing a prompt and effective diagnosis of lung cancer are made and a diagnostic algorithm is proposed to diminish the time of diagnosis for this illness in the University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech". Subsequently, it is explained in detail how the Algorithm works. Last, other fine solutions are exposed to speed up the diagnosis and to make it in a more humane way: the quick ambulatory study or the creation of hospital multidisciplinary units to treat a bronchogenic carcinoma (AU)

Parámetros clínicos y psicosociales para definir el tratamiento oncoespecífico del anciano con cáncer de pulmón / Clinical and psychosocial parameters to define the oncospecific treatment of elderly with lung cancer

El cáncer de pulmón es la primera causa de cáncer en el hombre y entre la primera y la segunda en la mujer. Los pacientes mayores de sesenta años constituyen el grupo de edad más afectado por esta neoplasia. Objetivo: crear parámetros clínicos y psicosociales útiles para definir el tratamiento correcto del anciano. Método: se realizó un proyecto de innovación tecnológica de carácter organizacional, desarrollado en dos etapas: la primera, un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal con el propósito de caracterizar el comportamiento clínico, epidemiológico, psicosocial y terapéutico del cáncer de pulmón en los pacientes de la tercera edad atendidos en el Hospital Universitario “Manuel Ascunce Domenech” en el 2007, con una muestra de cuarenta y seis pacientes. La segunda etapa, como un criterio de expertos (Método Delphi). Resultados: el sexo masculino y los menores de setenta y cinco años fueron los más afectados. La disnea fue el síntoma más frecuente. Los fumadores y exfumadores fueron los más afectados y el adenocarcinoma resultó ser el diagnóstico histológico más frecuente, así como la neumonía dentro de las formas clínico radiológicas. Conclusiones: el tratamiento que predominó fue el paliativo. Debe influir más la edad biológica que la edad cronológica del paciente en la elección del tratamiento oncoespecífico; la valoración de la función pulmonar deberá ser un aspecto importante en la decisión del tratamiento oncológico; el tratamiento paliativo debe considerarse como coadyuvante y nunca como único tratamiento; la inmunoterapia vacunal tumoral solo está proscripta, en sujetos mayores de ochenta años.

Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer in man and among the first one and the second in woman. Patients bigger than sixty years constitute the age group more affected by this neoplasia. Objective: to create clinical and psychosocial useful parameters to define the elderly´s correct treatment. Method: a technological innovation project of organizational character, developed in two stages: the first one, an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study with the purpose of characterizing the clinical, epidemic, psychosocial and therapeutic behavior of lung cancer was carried out in elderly patients assisted in the University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" in 2007, with a sample of 46 patients. The second stage, as an experts criterion (Delphi Method). Results: the masculine sex and those smaller than seventy five years were the most affected. The disnea was the most frequent symptom. The smokers and ex-smokers were the most affected ones and the adenocarcinoma turned out to be the more frequent histologic diagnostic, as well as the pneumonia inside the radiological clinical forms. Conclusions: the palliative treatment prevailed. It should more influence the biological age than the patient's chronological age in the election of the oncospecific treatment; the valuation of the lung function will be an important aspect in the decision of the oncological treatment; the palliative treatment should be considered as coadjuvant and never as only treatment; the tumoral vaccine immunotherapy is just proscribed, in patients older than 80 years.

Parámetros clínicos y psicosociales para definir el tratamiento oncoespecífico del anciano con cáncer de pulmón / Clinical and psychosocial parameters to define the oncospecific treatment of elderly with lung cancer

El cáncer de pulmón es la primera causa de cáncer en el hombre y entre la primera y la segunda en la mujer. Los pacientes mayores de sesenta años constituyen el grupo de edad más afectado por esta neoplasia. Objetivo: crear parámetros clínicos y psicosociales útiles para definir el tratamiento correcto del anciano. Método: se realizó un proyecto de innovación tecnológica de carácter organizacional, desarrollado en dos etapas: la primera, un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal con el propósito de caracterizar el comportamiento clínico, epidemiológico, psicosocial y terapéutico del cáncer de pulmón en los pacientes de la tercera edad atendidos en el Hospital Universitario “Manuel Ascunce Domenech” en el 2007, con una muestra de cuarenta y seis pacientes. La segunda etapa, como un criterio de expertos (Método Delphi). Resultados: el sexo masculino y los menores de setenta y cinco años fueron los más afectados. La disnea fue el síntoma más frecuente. Los fumadores y exfumadores fueron los más afectados y el adenocarcinoma resultó ser el diagnóstico histológico más frecuente, así como la neumonía dentro de las formas clínico radiológicas. Conclusiones: el tratamiento que predominó fue el paliativo. Debe influir más la edad biológica que la edad cronológica del paciente en la elección del tratamiento oncoespecífico; la valoración de la función pulmonar deberá ser un aspecto importante en la decisión del tratamiento oncológico; el tratamiento paliativo debe considerarse como coadyuvante y nunca como único tratamiento; la inmunoterapia vacunal tumoral solo está proscripta, en sujetos mayores de ochenta años (AU)

Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer in man and among the first one and the second in woman. Patients bigger than sixty years constitute the age group more affected by this neoplasia. Objective: to create clinical and psychosocial useful parameters to define the elderly´s correct treatment. Method: a technological innovation project of organizational character, developed in two stages: the first one, an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study with the purpose of characterizing the clinical, epidemic, psychosocial and therapeutic behavior of lung cancer was carried out in elderly patients assisted in the University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" in 2007, with a sample of 46 patients. The second stage, as an experts criterion (Delphi Method). Results: the masculine sex and those smaller than seventy five years were the most affected. The disnea was the most frequent symptom. The smokers and ex-smokers were the most affected ones and the adenocarcinoma turned out to be the more frequent histologic diagnostic, as well as the pneumonia inside the radiological clinical forms. Conclusions: the palliative treatment prevailed. It should more influence the biological age than the patient's chronological age in the election of the oncospecific treatment; the valuation of the lung function will be an important aspect in the decision of the oncological treatment; the palliative treatment should be considered as coadjuvant and never as only treatment; the tumoral vaccine immunotherapy is just proscribed, in patients older than 80 years (AU)

Cáncer de pulmón, propuesta ética para agilizar su diagnóstico / Lung Cancer: ethical proposal for establishing a swift diagnosis

Se define el concepto de cáncer de pulmón y se brinda una información detallada en cuanto a su epidemiología y sus características clínicas. Se exponen las diferentes modalidades de diagnóstico, explicando las novedosas tecnologías al servicio del diagnóstico de esta enfermedad. Se expone el contexto local nacional y mundial de la enfermedad. Se denuncia claramente las demoras inadmisibles en el diagnóstico hospitalario y se defiende la tesis de que la gestión y el pensamiento oncológico deben ir al unísono. Se realizan algunas consideraciones sobre la necesidad de establecer el diagnóstico ágil y eficaz del cáncer del pulmón y se propone un algoritmo diagnóstico para disminuir el tiempo del diagnóstico para esta enfermedad en el Hospital Universitario “Manuel Ascunce Domenech”. Seguidamente se explica detalladamente el funcionamiento del Algoritmo. Por último se exponen otras buenas soluciones para agilizar el diagnóstico y hacerlo de una forma más humana: el estudio ambulatorio rápido o la creación de unidades multidisciplinarias hospitalarias para el manejo del carcinoma broncogénico.

The concept of lung cancer is defined and detailed information about this disease epidemiology and clinical characteristics is offered. The different diagnostic methods are mentioned, being also explained the new technologies used for the diagnosis. The local, national and world context of the illness is presented. The inadmissible delays in the hospital diagnosis are clearly denounced and the thesis that negotiation and oncological thought should act in unison is defended. Some considerations about the necessity of establishing a prompt and effective diagnosis of lung cancer are made and a diagnostic algorithm is proposed to diminish the time of diagnosis for this illness in the University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech". Subsequently, it is explained in detail how the Algorithm works. Last, other fine solutions are exposed to speed up the diagnosis and to make it in a more humane way: the quick ambulatory study or the creation of hospital multidisciplinary units to treat a bronchogenic carcinoma.

Epidemiología del cáncer de pulmón: estudio de cinco años / Epidemiology of the luna neoplasm: a five year study

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en el Hospital Provincial Docente Clínico Quirúrgico Manuel Ascunce Domenech con todos los pacientes diagnosticados con cáncer de pulmón primario en el período cromprendido entre el 1ro de enero de 1996 y el 31 de diciembre de 2000 para conocer sobre su epidemiología. El universo de estudio estuvo constituido por 269 pacientes, la información se obtuvo de las historias clínicas y se reflejó en una encuesta con las siguientes variables: edad, sexo, tipo de diagnóstico, antecedentes patógenos personales de enfermedades pulmonares y factores de riesgo. Los hombres mayores de 45 años fueron los más afectados. La incidencia del cáncer de pulmón muestra una curva ascendente. La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) se asoció significativamente a este patema (33.82 por ciento). El tabaquismo (88.46 por ciento) y la EPOC (33.82 por ciento) fueron los factores de riesgo de mayor incidencia

Epidemiología del cáncer de pulmón: estudio de cinco años / Epidemiology of the luna neoplasm: a five year study

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en el Hospital Provincial Docente Clínico Quirúrgico Manuel Ascunce Domenech con todos los pacientes diagnosticados con cáncer de pulmón primario en el período cromprendido entre el 1ro de enero de 1996 y el 31 de diciembre de 2000 para conocer sobre su epidemiología. El universo de estudio estuvo constituido por 269 pacientes, la información se obtuvo de las historias clínicas y se reflejó en una encuesta con las siguientes variables: edad, sexo, tipo de diagnóstico, antecedentes patógenos personales de enfermedades pulmonares y factores de riesgo. Los hombres mayores de 45 años fueron los más afectados. La incidencia del cáncer de pulmón muestra una curva ascendente. La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) se asoció significativamente a este patema (33.82 por ciento). El tabaquismo (88.46 por ciento) y la EPOC (33.82 por ciento) fueron los factores de riesgo de mayor incidencia(AU)