A Swedish population-based study of complications due to acute rhinosinusitis in children 5-18 years old.

BACKGROUND: There are few population-based studies of complications due to acute rhinosinusitis in children. The aim was to clarify the admission and complication rate and analyze bacterial cultures in children five to 18 years old in Stockholm, Sweden. METHODS: This was a population-based observational cohort study with retrospectively collected data from individual medical records, from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden. Hospital admissions of children with a discharge diagnosis of rhinosinusitis and related complications were reviewed. RESULTS: Incidence of admission due to acute rhinosinusitis was 7.8 per 100 000 children per year (boys 9.2, girls 6.2) and 61% of the admitted children were boys. A severe - postseptal orbital, intracranial or osseous - complication, was present in 34% of admissions (postseptal orbital 28%, intracranial 6%, osseous 4%), resulting in an incidence of 2.6 severe complications per 100 000 children per year (boys 3.6, girls 1.6). Orbital preseptal cellulitis was present in 88% of admissions. Incidence of surgery was 1.3 per 100 000 per year (boys 1.8, girls 0.8) and the percentage of admitted children that had surgery increased with age. S. pyogenes was the most common pathogen found in the whole cohort (29 admissions), while S. milleri was the most common pathogen found among the children with severe complication and surgery. CONCLUSIONS: There is a relative high risk of severe complications in children between five to 18 years that are admitted due to acute rhinosinusitis. There is a need for prospective studies to further analyze the pathogens involved in complications due to acute rhinosinusitis.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and transthoracic echocardiography in the assessment of stenotic aortic valve area: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and echocardiography both allow assessment of aortic valve stenosis. In MR the aortic valve area (AvA) is measured using planimetry while in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) AvA is usually calculated by applying the continuity equation. PURPOSE: To compare the measured stenotic aortic valve areas using five different MR-acquisition alternatives with the corresponding area values calculated by TTE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aortic valve was imaged in 14 patients, with diagnosed aortic valve stenosis, using balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) gradient echo (GE) and phase contrast imaging (PC). Three adjacent slices were planned to encompass the aortic valve and the aortic valve area was measured using planimetry. The two sets of complex valued images generated by the PC sequence formed three kinds of images that could be used for aortic valve area measurements: the magnitude image (PC/Mag), the modulus (PCA/M), and phase difference (PCA/P) between the two complex images, respectively. The valve area from TTE was calculated using the continuity equation. A cut-off of <1.0 cm(2) was used as a criteria for severe stenosis. RESULTS: The mean area differences between the different MR acquisitions and TTE method were -0.05 ± 0.37 cm(2) (GE), -0.18 ± 0.46 cm(2) (bSSFP), 0.27 ± 0.43 cm(2) (PC/Mag), 0.15 ± 0.32 cm(2) (PCA/P), and 0.26 ± 0.27 cm(2) (PCA/M). The valve area was significantly overestimated using PCA/M that, in turn, implied a significant underestimation of the aortic valve stenosis severity compared to the assessments using TTE. CONCLUSION: The smallest area valve difference between TTE and an MR-acquisition alternative is obtained with gradient echo images. The use of PCA/M leads to significant differences in planimetry measurements of the aortic valve orifice and the gradation of the stenosis severity compared to TTE.