Accuracy of limited four-slice CT-scan in diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common chronic health condition worldwide. Standard CT-scan is the method of choice for diagnosis of CRS but its high price and considerable radiation exposure have limited its application. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of limited four-slice coronal CT-scan in the diagnosis of CRS. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 46 patients with CRS, for one year, based on American Society of Head and Neck Surgery criteria. All patients received the preoperative standard and four-slice CT-scans, after which endoscopic sinus surgery was performed. Findings of four-slice CT-scans were compared with those of conventional CT-scan and the sensitivity and specificity of four-slice CT-scan and its agreement with conventional CT-scan was calculated. RESULT: In this study, 46 patients including 32 males (69.6%) and 14 females (30.46%) with a mean age of 33 and standard deviation of 9 years, were evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity of four-slice CT-scan were 97.5% and 100%, respectively. Also, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of four-slice CT was 100% and 85.71%, respectively. There was a strong agreement between four-slice CT and conventional CT findings. CONCLUSION: Considering the high sensitivity and specificity of four-slice CT-scan and strong agreement with conventional CT-scan in the diagnosis of CRS and the lower radiation exposure and cost, application of this method is suggested for both diagnosis and treatment follow-up in CRS.

Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors in an Urban and Peri-urban Setting, Kerman, Southeastern Iran (KERCADR Study): Methodology and Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND: This article was to present the sampling and measurements methods and the main preliminary findings of the KERCADR cohort study (first round) in an urban and peri-urban setting, Kerman, southeastern Iran 2009-11. METHOD: 5900 (3238 female) people aged between 15 to 75 years were recruited in the household survey by non-proportional to size one-stage cluster sampling. Trained internal specialists, general practitioners, clinical psychologists and dentists have assessed the study subjects by person-assisted questionnaires regarding different NCD risk factors including cigarette and opium smoking, physical activity, nutrition habits, anxiety, depression, obesity, hypertension and oral health. Blood samples were also collected for determining FBS, HbA1c, cholesterol and triglyceride. Weighted standardized prevalence estimates were calculated by STATA 10 survey analysis package. RESULTS: The participation rate was more than 95% in all subgroups. Cigarette smoking (18.4% vs. 1.2%), opium use (17.8% vs. 3.0%) and triglyceridemia (16.1% vs. 12.0%) were significantly higher among men than women. In contrast, women were presented with higher level of sever anxiety (29.1% vs. 16.7%), obesity (16.8% vs. 9.2%), low-physical activity (45.1% vs. 39.2%) and uncontrolled diabetes (60.2% vs. 31.0%). More than 68% of all subjects have presented with moderate to severe gingival index scores. CONCLUSION: The first round of the KERCADR cohort with sufficient sample size and response rate provided precise estimates for the main clinical and para-clinical NCD risk factors. These evidences need to be translated into public health interventions and monitored in the next rounds of the cohort.

Inter-observer reproducibility of quantitative radionuclide colonic transit imaging.

The colonic transit of an indium-111 enteric coated capsule was imaged with a gamma camera over a period of 3 days. The geometric centre of activity in the colon was calculated from regions drawn over four segments of the colon, plus a fifth segment as the estimated passed stool activity. Fifteen healthy subjects were scanned and the results analysed. The images were analysed by two observers to assess reproducibility of the geometric centre quantitative index (correlation, r = 0.985). In conclusion, although it can be difficult to identify the anatomical segments of the colon from the gamma camera images, by following a protocol with clear guidelines for ROI placement, good inter-observer reproducibility can be obtained.