Degenerative spine disease: Italian position paper on acquisition, interpretation and reporting of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To promote a better radiological interpretation of spine degeneration, a consistent standardization of the acquisition, interpretation and description of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) l findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to achieve this objective, a consensus among experts in imaging of degenerative spine disease (DSD) from Italian radiological societies (SIRM-Italian Society of Radiology, AINR-Italian Association of Neuroradiology) was achieved. The representatives of the Italian inter-societal working group examined the literature produced by European/American task forces on optimizing the study sequences, classification of degenerative disc changes, spondylo-arthrosis, osteochondrosis, synovial and ligament pathologies of the spinal column, and on canal and foraminal stenosis. The document-resulted from the consensus between experts-was then presented to the scientific societies of Neurosurgery (SINCH) and Orthopedics and Traumatology (SIOT) for their approval. RESULTS: This position paper presents a proposal for an optimized MRI protocol for studying DSD and provides a glossary of terms related to this pathology and indications on their use. The international terminological recommendations have been translated and adapted to the Italian language and clinical practice and clinical cases have been used to illustrate some of the main classifications. CONCLUSIONS: This revision of international DSD guidelines/recommendations and consensus made it possible to (1) update the nomenclature to international standards and (2) harmonize the MRI protocol and description of radiological findings, adapting both (1, 2) to the Italian context. With this position paper we intend to contribute to an improvement of the communication among doctors and between physicians and their patients as well as the quality of the radiological reports.

Insomnia Patients With Subjective Short Total Sleep Time Have a Boosted Response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Despite Residual Symptoms.

Background: Two distinct insomnia disorder (ID) phenotypes have been proposed, distinguished on the basis of an objective total sleep time less or more than 6 hr. In particular, it has been recently reported that patients with objective short sleep duration have a blunted response to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of CBT-I response in two groups of ID patients subdivided according to total sleep time. Methods: Two hundred forty-six ID patients were subdivided into two groups, depending on their reported total sleep time (TST) assessed by sleep diaries. Patients with a TST greater than 6 hr were classified as "normal sleepers" (NS), while those with a total sleep time less than 6 hr were classified as "short sleepers" (SS). Results: The delta between Insomnia Severity Index scores and sleep efficiency at the beginning as compared to the end of the treatment was significantly higher for SS in comparison to NS, even if they still exhibit more insomnia symptoms. No difference was found between groups in terms of remitters; however, more responders were observed in the SS group in comparison to the NS group. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that ID patients with reported short total sleep time had a beneficial response to CBT-I of greater magnitude in comparison to NS. However, these patients may still experience the presence of residual insomnia symptoms after treatment.

Long-term clinical effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a case series study.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recognized as the first-choice intervention for insomnia. One of the best-known advantages of CBT-I in comparison with pharmacotherapy is its long-term effect. However, only few studies have assessed its benefits with follow-up periods of longer than three years. In this clinical case series study we aimed to describe the long-term effects of group CBT-I after a mean 7.8 ± 1.6 years of follow-up (range 4-10 years). METHODS: A total of 292 insomnia disorder (ID) patients were consecutively enrolled at the Sleep Disorders Center of San Raffaele Hospital, Milan; 123 patients (82 (66.7%) females and 41 (33.3%) males, mean age 40.59 ± 11.89 years) completed the follow-up evaluation within a range of 4-10 years. RESULTS: In the 258 patients who completed the treatment, insomnia severity index (ISI) total score improved significantly as well as all variables of the sleep diaries. Using ISI as the primary outcome, we demonstrated that the effect of CBT-I is maintained up to 10 years after the end of treatment. Furthermore, we found that patients that used only CBT-I techniques to deal with relapses were the ones with better outcomes, in particular compared to the patients that re-used medications. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge this is the longest follow-up evaluation in the literature, both for group and individual CBT-I. These findings have an important clinical implication both suggesting and confirming that CBT-I can be considered the treatment of choice for insomnia.

Daytime sleepiness: more than just Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a common condition with a significant impact on quality of life and general health. A mild form of sleepiness can be associated with reduced reactivity and modest distractibility symptoms, but more severe symptomatic forms are characterized by an overwhelming and uncontrollable need to sleep, causing sudden sleep attacks, amnesia and automatic behaviors. The prevalence in the general population is between 10 and 25%. Furthermore, EDS has been considered a core symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as well as being the main symptom of primary hypersomnias such as narcolepsy types 1 and 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Moreover, it can be considered secondary to other sleep disorders (Restless Legs Syndrome, Chronic insomnia, Periodic Limb Movements), psychiatric conditions (Depression, Bipolar Disorder) or a consequence of the intake/abuse of drugs and/or substances. An accurate medical history cannot be sufficient for the differential diagnosis, therefore instrumental recordings by means of polysomnography and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) are mandatory for a correct diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause of EDS.