Analysis of the Perinatal Care System in a Remote and Mountainous District of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Despite significant improvements in recent years, maternal and neonatal health outcomes remain poor in many regions of the world. One such area is in the remote mountainous regions of Nepal. The purpose of this study is to describe the current antenatal care practices and delivery support in a mountainous district of Nepal. METHODS: This study took place in Solukhumbu District between December 2015 and February 2018. A household survey was created using evidence-based maternal and neonatal care indicators. Women who had delivered within the previous two years were surveyed regarding antenatal and delivery care they received. A standardized health facility survey was used to evaluate the operational status of health facilities. The study was approved by the Nepal Ministry of Health and the University of Utah IRB. RESULTS: A total of 487 households and 19 facilities were surveyed. 35.7% (174/487) of deliveries occurred in a health facility (hospital, primary health care center or birthing center). 35.2% (171/486) of deliveries were attended by a skilled birth attendant. 52.8% (47/89) of women who did not deliver in a facility noted that transportation issues and not having sufficient time to travel during labor prevented them from delivering in a facility. No health posts had staff trained in obstetric and neonatal emergencies. DISCUSSION: The majority of women in Solukhumbu District do not receive high quality antenatal and delivery care. An intervention that would make antenatal care and delivery support more accessible could improve maternal and infant outcomes in this district and other similar regions.

Do Diametric Measurements Provide Sufficient and Reliable Tumor Assessment? An Evaluation of Diametric, Areametric, and Volumetric Variability of Lung Lesion Measurements on Computerized Tomography Scans.

Diametric analysis is the standard approach utilized for tumor measurement on medical imaging. However, the availability of newer more sophisticated techniques may prove advantageous. An evaluation of diameter, area, and volume was performed on 64 different lung lesions by three trained users. These calculations were obtained using a free DICOM viewer and standardized measuring procedures. Measurement variability was then studied using relative standard deviation (RSD) and intraclass correlation. Volumetric measurements were shown to be more precise than diametric. With minimal RSD and variance between different users, volumetric analysis was demonstrated as a reliable measurement technique. Additionally, the diameters were used to calculate an estimated area and volume; thereafter the estimated area and volume were compared against the actual measured values. The results in this study showed independence of the estimated and actual values. Estimated area deviated an average of 43.5% from the actual measured, and volume deviated 88.03%. The range of this variance was widely scattered and without trend. These results suggest that diametric measurements cannot be reliably correlated to actual tumor size. Access to appropriate software capable of producing volume measurements has improved drastically and shows great potential in the clinical assessment of tumors. Its applicability merits further consideration.