| 1. |
- Franck-Larsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Physiological and structural anorectal abnormalities in patients with systemic sclerosis and fecal incontinence
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 49:9, s. 1073-1083
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectiveFecal incontinence is common in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The objectives of this study were to characterize anorectal physiological and morphological defects in SSc patients and to correlate the results with incontinence symptoms.Materials and methodsTwenty-five SSc patients underwent anorectal neurophysiological investigations, anal manometry, and ultrasound.ResultsEleven patients (44%) reported incontinence to solid or liquid feces, but no patient reported diarrhea. Increased fiber density (FD) was recorded in 78% of patients with and in 86% of patients without fecal incontinence not significant (NS). Incontinent patients had lower squeeze pressure (SP; median 49.5 mm Hg) in the high-pressure zone (HPZ) than continent patients (median 72 mm Hg; p = 0.01). In two of the incontinent patients, sonographic abnormalities of the internal anal sphincter (IAS) and the external anal sphincter (EAS) were present, whereas in another two patients isolated IAS abnormalities were seen. These four individuals had lower resting pressure at 1 cm and in the HPZ, and lower SP at 2 cm than patients with normal anorectal sonographic findings (p < 0.05).ConclusionLower voluntary SP in incontinent patients and EAS sonographic abnormalities only in patients with incontinence suggest that the EAS is more important in maintaining fecal continence in SSc patients than has previously been reported. The finding of increased FD in most patients further supports involvement of the EAS function in SSc and could indicate previous nerve injury with consequent incomplete reinnervation.
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| 2. |
- Axelson, Hans W., et al.
(författare)
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Simplified Evaluation of the Paradoxical Puborectalis Contraction With Surface Electrodes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. - 0012-3706 .- 1530-0358. ; 53:6, s. 928-931
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE:Paradoxical puborectalis contraction during defecation is one possible explanation for constipation. The degree of paradoxical contraction can be evaluated by intramuscular electromyography from the puborectalis and external anal sphincter muscles. This study aimed to determine whether a noninvasive technique with surface electrodes placed over the subcutaneous part of the external anal sphincter is feasible in the evaluation of paradoxical activity.METHODS:Twenty-five patients with constipation were studied. Sphincter muscle activity during strain and squeeze maneuvers was recorded using surface electrodes placed 1 cm from the anal verge. In addition, intramuscular recordings were made simultaneously from the external anal sphincter and puborectalis muscles. The degree of paradoxical activation was calculated as a strain/squeeze index. The patients were examined either in the left lateral position or sitting on a commode.RESULTS:The study revealed significant (P < .01) correlations between indices obtained from the surface anal sphincter recordings and the intramuscular recordings (from the external anal sphincter and the puborectalis muscles).CONCLUSION: Surface recordings from the external anal sphincter seem to be an equally reliable, less time consuming, and less painful alternative to invasive measurements of paradoxical activity. In a few patients, however, invasive recordings may still be required.
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| 3. |
- Edfeldt, Lennart, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of cost-utility in middle ear implantation in the 'Nordic School' : a multicenter study in Sweden and Norway
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 134:1, s. 19-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conclusion: Hearing restoration using an active middle ear implant (AMEI) is a highly cost-effective treatment for a selected group of patients with no other possibilities for auditory rehabilitation. Objectives: To evaluate the cost-utility of using an AMEI for hearing rehabilitation. Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, single-subject repeated study in six tertiary referral centers. Twenty-four patients with sensorineural (SNHL), conductive (CHL), and mixed hearing loss (MHL) were implanted with the AMEI Vibrant Soundbridge (R) (VSB) for medical reasons. All patients were previously rehabilitated with conventional hearing aids. Multiple validated quality of life patient questionnaires, Health Utilities Index (HUI 2 and 3), and Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP) were used to determine the utility gain and quality adjusted life years (QALY). Directly related treatment costs for the implantation were calculated and related to utility gain and QALY. Results: The cost/QALY for patients with SNHL was estimated at (sic)7260/QALY, and for patients with C/MHL at (sic)12 503/QALY.
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| 4. |
- Mattsson, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Association between sociodemographic status and antiepileptic drug prescriptions in children with epilepsy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 0013-9580 .- 1528-1167. ; 53:12, s. 2149-2155
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: We investigated whether in Sweden sociodemographic differences are associated with access to expert health care and antiepileptic drug (AED) prescriptions in children with epilepsy.Methods: Data on epilepsy, prescription of AEDs, and sociodemographic variables were obtained from several national administrative registers. We linked individual data to examine whether access by pediatric epilepsy patients to neuropediatricians and the prescription of individual AEDs differed according to gender, age, parental education, place of residence, parental region of birth, and household income. We also assessed whether AEDs are prescribed differently to patients with epilepsy by neuropediatricians as compared to other physicians.Key Findings: Of 1,788,382 children aged 1–17 years in 2006, living in the country by the end of 2006, 9,935 had a diagnosis of epilepsy (0.56%). Patients with epilepsy on AED treatment (n = 3,631) comprised 0.24% of the total Swedish population aged 1–17 years. Out of 3631 patients with epilepsy on AED treatment, 2301 (63.4%) received prescriptions from a neuropediatrician. Children with epilepsy aged 1–5 years old—as opposed to older children and adolescents—and children with epilepsy residing in large cities—as opposed to children living in smaller cities and rural areas—were more likely to be treated by a neuropediatrician. Children living in large cities received oxcarbazepine to a greater extent than children living in rural areas. Levetiracetam was prescribed more extensively to children whose parents had higher incomes. Of the five most frequently used AEDs, three (lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and levetiracetam) were prescribed to a larger extent by a neuropediatrician rather than by other specialists, and one AED (carbamazepine) was prescribed to a lesser extent.Significance: The results of this nationwide cross-sectional study of children with epilepsy are important because they show that universal coverage for medical care does not eliminate inequalities of access to health care services among children and adolescents. No data are available that can guide us as to whether the density of child neurologists is of importance to access to expert health care, but this seems likely. Prescription patterns of AEDs differ between child neurologists and other specialists.
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| 5. |
- Puksa, L., et al.
(författare)
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Reference values for F wave parameters in healthy 3-20 year old subjects
- 2011
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Ingår i: Clinical Neurophysiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1388-2457 .- 1872-8952. ; 122:1, s. 199-204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To create a reference value database for F wave parameters from healthy subjects aged 3-20 yr. Methods: We studied the following parameters: minimum F wave latency minus distal motor latency (FMINLAT), number of F waves/20 stimuli (FNUMBER) and F wave dispersion (FDISP). The median, ulnar, peroneal and tibial nerves were studied. All four nerves were not analyzed in all subjects, the number of subjects varied from 78 to 118 in each nerve. Results: Age explained 71-87% of the variability of FLATMIN while height explained 80-95% of the variability. The FMINLAT increases by 0.12 ms/cm of height in the upper limb nerves and by 0.28 ms/cm in the lower limb nerves. Gender did not influence the FMINLAT. FDISP was not related with age, height or gender. FNUMBER was not related with age or height, it was somewhat larger in males than females but the difference was not significant in all nerves. Conclusions: The best model for FMINLAT was a linear regression model with height as an independent variable. FDISP and FNUMBER are not related to age, height or gender between the ages of 3 and 20 yr. Significance: We have constructed clinically useful reference values for F wave parameters in healthy subjects aged 3-20 yr for the main motor nerves commonly studied.
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