ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of final-year medical students to oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) and to find out how this has influenced them in terms of recruitment or possible future referral patterns. We sent questionnaires to final-year students at Oxford University and St George's University medical schools (n=100 in each) to find out how much experience they had had of the specialty, their knowledge of disease (through clinical situations), and specific knowledge about oral cancer. In both, exposure to, and knowledge about, OMFS were poor, and patients had been referred inappropriately to ear, nose, and throat (ENT) or plastic surgery. Despite targeted teaching in OMFS at both institutions, further engagement is needed, and awareness of the specialty may need to be improved at all medical schools.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical, Undergraduate , Educational Measurement , Mouth Diseases/diagnosis , Mouth Diseases/surgery , Surgery, Oral/education , Adult , Career Choice , England , Female , Humans , Male , Mouth Neoplasms/diagnosis , Referral and Consultation , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the prevalence of posterior circulation stroke in traumatic chronic spinal cord injured (SCI) patients and associated traumatic vertebral artery injuries (VAI). METHODS: All adult patients with cervical SCI and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A or B referred for follow-up magnetic resonance imaging of their spinal cord were invited to take part in the study between January 2010 and December 2012 at the National Spinal Injury Centre. Two additional sequences were added to the existing imaging protocol to evaluate the brain and vertebral arteries. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were recruited. All imaging were analysed independently by three consultant radiologists. Posterior circulation infarcts were noted in seven (7%) patients. Significant VAI was noted in 13 patients (13%) with 10 occlusions and 3 with high-grade stenosis. However, only one patient had co-existent posterior circulation infarct and significant VAI. CONCLUSION: There is an increased prevalence of posterior circulation infarction in SCI patients. The relationship with associated traumatic VAI requires further investigation.
