Head-to-Head Comparison Between Rabbit Sign and EANM/SNMMI Criteria for the 18F-DOPA Visual Assessment of Parkinsonian Syndromes in PET/MRI: A Multiple Expert-Based and Blinded Controlled Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of the rabbit visual pattern versus the one endorsed by the EANM/SNMMI for the diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes in PET/MRI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 18F-DOPA PET images of 129 consecutive patients (65 Park+ and 64 controls) with 1 year of clinical follow-up were reviewed independently by 5 experienced readers on the same imaging workstation, blinded to the final clinical diagnosis. Two visual methods were assessed independently, with several days to months of interval: the criteria endorsed by EANM/SNMMI and the "rabbit" shape of the striate assessed on 3D MIP images. The sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios, and predictive values of the 2 diagnostic tests were estimated simultaneously by using the "comparison of 2 binary diagnostic tests to a paired design" method. RESULTS: The estimated 95% confidence interval (CI) of sensitivities and specificities ranged from 49.4% to 76.5% and from 83.2% to 97.7%, respectively. The 95% CI estimates of positive and negative likelihood ratios ranged from 3.8 to 26.7 and from 0.26 to 0.56, respectively. The 95% CI estimates of the positive and negative predictive values ranged from 78.1% to 96.7% and from 60.3% to 81.4%, respectively. For all the parameters, no statistical difference was observed between the 2 methods (P > 0.05). The rabbit sign reduced the readers' discrepancies by 25%, while maintaining the same performance. CONCLUSIONS: The rabbit visual pattern appears at least comparable to the current EANM/SNMMI reference procedure for the assessment of parkinsonian syndromes in daily clinical practice, without the need of any image postprocessing. Further multicenter prospective studies would be of relevance to validate these findings.

[Application of "disease management" to the organization and compensation of professionals in the U.S.A., Germany and England: prospects for France]. / Modatités d'application du "disease management" concernant l'organisation et la rémunération des professionnels aux U.S.A., en Allemagne et en Angleterre: perspectives pour la France.

Disease management, developed in the U.S.A. in the 1990s, is a comprehensive integrated approach that aims to incorporate all phases of chronic disease management from prevention to health education. Its main objective is to optimize patient care services by making patients more responsible for the management of their chronic disease. The specificity of its implementation in different countries is reflected by its translation into various concepts, such as: in the United States by the concept of the "Medical Home", in Germany by establishing contracts that encourage GPs and social security funds to support patients with chronic diseases, and in the United Kingdom through programs with measures that support the delegation of tasks and cooperation between primary care professionals. Disease management is accompanied by the introduction of new forms of payment for doctors and primary care facilities that ensure the effective implementation of the underpinning principles of disease management programs. In France, the development of the disease management approach is being promoted and advocated for integration into primary care, as it is gradually becoming an integral part of the French National Health Insurance Fund's strategy to enhance and improve the quality of care.