Duplex Sonography of Vertebral Arteries for Evaluation of Patients with Acute Vertigo.

We evaluated the role of vertebral artery extracranial color-coded duplex sonography (VAECCS) in predicting vertebrobasilar stroke in consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department with vertigo of suspected ischemic origin. The final diagnosis was established by a panel of experts consisting of an emergency physician, a neurologist, and an otoneurologist. Vertebrobasilar stroke was diagnosed when an acute brain ischemic lesion congruent with symptoms was detected by neuroimaging during the index visit or a stroke was diagnosed within a 3-mo period after emergency department presentation. Among 126 patients, 28 (22%) were diagnosed with vertebrobasilar stroke. Fifteen (75%) of 20 patients with abnormal VAECCS results and 13 (12%) of 106 with normal VAECCS results had a final diagnosis of vertebrobasilar stroke. The sensitivity and specificity of VAECCS were 53.6% and 94.9%, respectively. Detecting an abnormal flow pattern at VAECCS significantly increased the risk of vertebrobasilar stroke (odds ratio = 21.5). The flow patterns most frequently related to vertebrobasilar stroke were absence of flow and high resistance pattern velocity (odds ratio = 9.3 and 22.7, respectively). VAECCS predicts vertebrobasilar stroke and could be a useful bedside screening tool in patients with vertigo.

Differential Diagnosis of Vertigo in the Emergency Department: A Prospective Validation Study of the STANDING Algorithm.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the reliability and accuracy of a bedside diagnostic algorithm for patients presenting with vertigo/unsteadiness to the emergency department. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive adult patients presenting with vertigo/unsteadiness at a tertiary hospital. STANDING, the acronym for the four-step algorithm we have previously described, based on nystagmus observation and well-known diagnostic maneuvers includes (1) the discrimination between SponTAneous and positional nystagmus, (2) the evaluation of the Nystagmus Direction, (3) the head Impulse test, and (4) the evaluation of equilibrium (staNdinG). Reliability of each step was analyzed by Fleiss' K calculation. The reference standard (central vertigo) was a composite of brain disease including stroke, demyelinating disease, neoplasm, or other brain disease diagnosed by initial imaging or during 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty-two patients were included. The incidence of central vertigo was 11.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.2-15.2%]. The leading cause was ischemic stroke (70%). The STANDING showed a good reliability (overall Fleiss K 0.83), the second step showing the highest (0.95), and the third step the lowest (0.74) agreement. The overall accuracy of the algorithm was 88% (95% CI 85-88%), showing high sensitivity (95%, 95% CI 83-99%) and specificity (87%, 95% CI 85-87%), very high-negative predictive value (99%, 95% CI 97-100%), and a positive predictive value of 48% (95% CI 41-50%) for central vertigo. CONCLUSION: Using the STANDING algorithm, non-sub-specialists achieved good reliability and high accuracy in excluding stroke and other threatening causes of vertigo/unsteadiness.

A case of persistent hiccup after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

A 79-year-old man, with history of recent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, came to our attention for persistent hiccup, dysphonia, and dysphagia. Noninvasive imaging studies showed a nodular lesion in the right hepatic lobe with transdiaphragmatic infiltration and increased tracer uptake on positron emission tomography. Suspecting a malignant lesion and given the difficulty of performing a percutaneous transthoracic biopsy, the patient underwent surgery. Histological analysis of surgical specimen showed biliary gallstones surrounded by exudative inflammation, resulting from gallbladder rupture and gallstones spillage as a complication of the previous surgical intervention. This case highlights the importance of considering such rare complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Clinical and echocardiographic correlations of exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension in systemic sclerosis: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are at risk for developing pulmonary hypertension, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Exercise Doppler echocardiography enables the identification of exercise-induced increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and may provide a thorough noninvasive hemodynamic evaluation. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and echocardiographic determinants of exercise-induced increase in PASP in a large population of patients with SSc. METHODS: We selected 164 patients with SSc (age 58 ± 13 years, 91% female) with normal resting PASP (<40 mm Hg) who underwent a comprehensive 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography and graded bicycle semisupine exercise Doppler echocardiography. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure, cardiac output, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were estimated noninvasively. Cutoff values of PASP ≥50 mm Hg and PVR ≥3.0 Wood Units at peak exercise were considered a significant exercise-induced increase in PASP and PVR, respectively. RESULTS: Sixty-nine (42%) patients showed a significant exercise-induced increase in PASP. Among them, peak PVR ≥3 Wood Units was present only in 11% of patients, about 5% of the total population. Univariate analysis showed that age, presence of interstitial lung disease, and both right and left diastolic dysfunction are predictors of peak PASP ≥50 mm Hg, but none of these parameters predict elevated peak PVR. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise-induced increase in PASP occurs in almost one-half of patients with SSc with normal resting PASP. Peak exercise PASP is affected by age, interstitial lung disease, and right and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and, only in 5% of the patients, is associated with an increase in PVR during exercise, suggesting heterogeneity of the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension in SSc.

Incidence and characteristics of asymptomatic distal deep vein thrombosis unexpectedly found at admission in an Internal Medicine setting.

INTRODUCTION: Lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the most frequent clinical manifestation of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and can involve proximal or distal veins. Distal DVT (dDVT) is often asymptomatic and data about its incidence and prognosis are scanty, especially in high risk medical inpatients. Therefore, no consensus exists on the value of detecting and treating dDVTs. Aim of study was to evaluate incidence and characteristics of asymptomatic isolated dDVT at admission in an Internal Medicine department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients hospitalized for acute medical illnesses, in whom VTE was not the admission diagnosis, underwent Doppler Ultrasonography. For all patients with dDVT standard treatment with therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparin or fondaparinux was proposed. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 1, 6 and 12weeks. RESULTS: One-hundred-fifty-four patients were enrolled. In 4.5% a proximal DVT and in 16.2% an asymptomatic dDVT were found. Female sex, elevated age and renal and electrolyte abnormalities were significantly associated to dDVT (p=0.014, p=0.009 and p=0.046, respectively). Only low degree of mobility (LDM) was independently associated to dDVT [OR 7.97 (95%CI 2.42-26.27), p=0.001)]. A high mortality rate, not for VTE-related causes, was found, especially in the first week, among dDVT patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high incidence of clinically silent dDVTs. LDM evaluation could be useful to select patients at high risk in whom to perform a search for dDVT.