Validación de un laboratorio básico de neurosonología para la detección de estenosis carotídea cervical / Validation of a basic neurosonology laboratory for detecting cervical carotid artery stenosis

Introducción: La detección de estenosis arterial cervical e intracraneal es fundamental en el estudio del ictus isquémico, al ser el origen aterotrombótico el más prevalente en nuestro entorno. La ultrasonografía se ha convertido, por su accesibilidad y fiabilidad, en la técnica de elección para la primera aproximación al diagnóstico de esta patología, y debe ser validada en cada laboratorio en particular. El objetivo del presente trabajo es validar la técnica Doppler practicada en nuestro laboratorio para la detección de estenosis carotídea crítica. Pacientes y métodos: Se diseñó un estudio descriptivo observacional de evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas. Se compararon los resultados obtenidos sobre pacientes con diagnóstico de ictus mediante la técnica integrada Doppler carotídeo y transcraneal realizada por neurología, con los proporcionados por la técnica dúplex carotídeo, dependiente del servicio de radiología. El gold standard fue el resultado obtenido por una técnica arteriográfica (angio-RM, angio-TC o arteriografía convencional). Resultados: N = 228 pacientes. En la detección de estenosis carotídea > 70%, el Doppler cervical y transcraneal tenía una sensibilidad y especificidad del 96 y el 100%, respectivamente, frente al 87 y el 94% obtenidos por el dúplex exclusivamente cervical. Para las estenosis intracraneales detectadas mediante Doppler transcraneal, esos parámetros fueron del 78 y el 98%, respectivamente. Conclusiones: El estudio Doppler realizado en el laboratorio de neurosonología quedó validado como herramienta diagnóstica útil para la detección de estenosis carotídea cervical, siendo superior al dúplex cervical aislado, pese a la ausencia de modo B. Demostró, además, un valor adicional como técnica de detección de estenosis arterial intracraneal

Introduction: Most of the cases of ischaemic stroke in our setting are of atherothrombotic origin. Detecting intracranial and cervical carotid artery stenosis in patients with ischaemic stroke is therefore essential. Ultrasonography has become the tool of choice for diagnosing carotid artery stenosis because it is both readily accessibility and reliable. However, use of this technique must be validated in each laboratory. The purpose of this study is to validate Doppler ultrasound in our laboratory as a means of detecting severe carotid artery stenosis. Patients and methods: We conducted an observational descriptive study to evaluate diagnostic tests. The results from transcranial and cervical carotid Doppler ultrasound scans conducted by neurologists were compared to those from carotid duplex scans performed by radiologists in patients diagnosed with stroke. Arteriography was considered the gold standard (MR angiography, CT angiography, or conventional arteriography). Results: Our sample included 228 patients. Transcranial and cervical carotid Doppler ultrasound showed a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100% for detection of carotid artery stenosis > 70%, whereas carotid duplex displayed a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 94%. Transcranial carotid Doppler ultrasound achieved a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 98% for detection of intracranial stenosis. Conclusions: Doppler ultrasound in our neurosonology laboratory was found to be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting cervical carotid artery stenosis and demonstrated superiority to carotid duplex despite the lack of B-mode. Furthermore, this technique was found to be useful for detecting intracranial stenosis

Validation of a basic neurosonology laboratory for detecting cervical carotid artery stenosis. / Validación de un laboratorio básico de neurosonología para la detección de estenosis carotídea cervical.

INTRODUCTION: Most of the cases of ischaemic stroke in our setting are of atherothrombotic origin. Detecting intracranial and cervical carotid artery stenosis in patients with ischaemic stroke is therefore essential. Ultrasonography has become the tool of choice for diagnosing carotid artery stenosis because it is both readily accessibility and reliable. However, use of this technique must be validated in each laboratory. The purpose of this study is to validate Doppler ultrasound in our laboratory as a means of detecting severe carotid artery stenosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational descriptive study to evaluate diagnostic tests. The results from transcranial and cervical carotid Doppler ultrasound scans conducted by neurologists were compared to those from carotid duplex scans performed by radiologists in patients diagnosed with stroke. Arteriography was considered the gold standard (MR angiography, CT angiography, or conventional arteriography). RESULTS: Our sample included 228 patients. Transcranial and cervical carotid Doppler ultrasound showed a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100% for detection of carotid artery stenosis > 70%, whereas carotid duplex displayed a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 94%. Transcranial carotid Doppler ultrasound achieved a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 98% for detection of intracranial stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Doppler ultrasound in our neurosonology laboratory was found to be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting cervical carotid artery stenosis and demonstrated superiority to carotid duplex despite the lack of B-mode. Furthermore, this technique was found to be useful for detecting intracranial stenosis.

Efficacy of and risk of bleeding during pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with pretreatment thrombocytopenia.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of and the risk of major bleeding during pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) treatment among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients according to the pretreatment platelet count. Two hundred and seventy-four HCV/HIV-coinfected, previously naïve individuals with compensated cirrhosis enrolled in one Spanish prospective cohort who received peg-IFN/RBV were included in this study. The frequency of severe bleeding and sustained virological response (SVR) rate were compared between patients with a pretreatment platelet count ≤70,000/mm(3) and >70,000/mm(3), respectively. Sixty-one (22 %) patients had a baseline platelet count ≤70,000/mm(3). The median (Q1-Q3) pretreatment platelet count was 58,000 (49,000-65,000) cells/mm(3) in the platelet ≤70,000 group and 129,000 (102,500-166,000) cells/mm(3) in the platelet >70,000 group (p < 0.0001). Seventeen (28 %) subjects of the platelet ≤70,000 group and 71 (33 %) patients of the platelet >70,000 group achieved SVR (p = 0.4). Only 2 (3.2 %) patients in the platelet ≤70,000 group developed a severe hemorrhagic event, specifically esophageal variceal bleeding. The efficacy of therapy with peg-IFN/RBV in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with low pretreatment platelet counts is comparable to that found in the overall subset of subjects with compensated cirrhosis. The frequency of severe hemorrhagic events related with this therapy is low in this population.

Diagnóstico neurorradiológico de aspergilosis cerebral / Diagnosis of cerebral aspergillosis by neuroimaging

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Síndrome confusional en paciente con hiponatremia severa / Confusional syndrome in a patient with severe hyponatremia

No disponible