Two-year Follow-up Of Patients Research Articles

Soluble CD40 Ligand Is Predictive of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality at Two-Year Follow-Up in Patients on Haemodialysis From North-Western Tuscany

Soluble CD40 Ligand Is Predictive of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality at Two-Year Follow-Up in Patients on Haemodialysis From North-Western Tuscany

Results of acute arthroscopically repaired triangular fibrocartilage complex injuries associated with intra-articular distal radius fractures

Purpose: This study reviews the results of acute repair of peripheral ulnar-sided triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) detachment associated with intra-articular distal radius fractures. Type of Study: Two-year follow-up of patients who had undergone acute TFCC repair. Methods: Fifty-six patients underwent arthroscopically assisted treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures using external fixation and adjunctive percutaneous pinning between 1994 and 1998. Thirteen patients with an acute, complete tear of the ulnar attachment of the TFCC were treated using arthroscopic repair of the TFCC in addition to stabilization of the radius fracture. All patients were evaluated at a mean of 24 months (range, 17 to 35 months) with a physical examination, wrist radiographs, and a Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) module outcome assessment questionnaire. Results: Average wrist flexion, extension, pronation, and supination were 67.3, 61.8, 79.1, and 86.8, respectively. The average grip strength was 78% of the uninjured side. The results of the Gartland and Werley grading system were good to excellent in 12 patients and fair in 1 patient. The DASH outcome scores revealed a mean functional score of 13 and a mean athletic score of 12. None of the patients reported ulnar-sided pain at follow-up. Conclusions: Arthroscopically assisted TFCC repair in conjunction with distal radius fixation resulted in a high degree of patient satisfaction and good to excellent clinical outcomes.Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 19, No 5 (May-June), 2003: pp 511–516

Risperidone in chronic schizophrenia: a detailed audit, open switch study and two-year follow-up of patients on depot medication

Little information exists on the medium- to long-term outcome of switching patients with schizophrenia from traditional depot to atypical oral antipsychotic agents. By detailed clinical audit, we identified a representative group of 102 patients of an Irish psychiatric service with DSM-IV chronic schizophrenia and on depot neuroleptics for a mean of 15 years. Of 69 eligible to participate, 33 entered a 6-month switch study of risperidone, with limited follow-up of consenters and non-consenters at 1 and 2 years. At 6 months, 23 of 33 were still on risperidone and had small significant improvements in clinical and extrapyramidal side effects, QOL and adjunct medication measures over baseline. At 12 months, 19 of 33 were still on risperidone, reducing to 13 of 33 at 2 years. At 2 years, of 32 surviving consenters to switch, 19 had suffered clinically detrimental events and were no longer on risperidone, compared to none of the 33 surviving non-consenters, who were all still on depot. These findings suggest that switching from depot to risperidone may encounter high rates of refusal and attrition subsequent to switch. While a majority of switched patients may improve after to least 6 months, audit plus switch may have clinically unfavourable effects on others over a 2-year follow-up period.

Two-year follow-up of patients with endometrial carcinoma after preoperative fluid hysteroscopy

Gucer F, Tamussino K, Reich O, Moser F, Arikan G, Winter R. Two-year follow-up of patients with endometrial carcinoma after pre-operative fluid hysteroscopy. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8:476–480. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether pretherapeutic hysteroscopy increases the recurrence rate in patients with endometrial cancer confined to the uterus. Between January 1993 and December 1995 a total of 33 patients with endometrial carcinoma underwent surgical staging following diagnostic fluid hysteroscopy and curettage at our department. Twenty-seven patients who had disease confined to the uterus without involvement of the uterine serosa formed the study group. Fifty-five patients with endometrial carcinoma confined to the uterus who had undergone surgery after diagnostic curettage without hysteroscopy during the same period were identified as controls. The median follow-up in the hysteroscopy group and the controls was 29 months (range 26–46) and 30 months (range 10–48), respectively. In the hysteroscopy group, no patient died of disease but one patient (3.7%) developed a local recurrence 37 months after primary treatment. In the control group, one patient (1.8%) had a local and para-aortic recurrence 20 months after primary treatment. Preceding diagnostic fluid hysteroscopy does not seem to increase the risk of early recurrence in patients with endometrial carcinoma histologically confined to the uterus.

Two-year follow-up of patients with duodenal ulcer after treatment with omeprazole and amoxycillin/placebo

We randomized in a double-blind controlled study 165 patients (102 males), mean age 55 (range 22-80) years, 45% smokers, with active duodenal ulcer to receive either omeprazole 40rag bid and amoxycillin 750 mg bid (O/A) or omeprazole 40rag bid and placebo (O/P) for two weeks. Endoscopic healing was assessed after 2 weeks. Patients not healed received another two weeks of omeprazole 20rag om. Endoscopy and Helicobacter pylori (HP) status assessed by culture, histology and serology were done before treatment and 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment and at ulcer relapse. In the case of a first relapse patients received a second course with the active treatment. Patients with a second relapse reached a study end-point. Results, Ulcer healing after 2 weeks was 78% in the O/A group (n=ll0) and 78% in the O/P group (n=55). 31132 patients not healed at 2 weeks healed after open treatment with omeprazole. Five patients (3%) were HP negative or had uncertain HP status at entry and were excluded from the analysis of HP eradication. The intention-to-treat analysis showed that 41% and 2% (p < 0.001) became HP negative in the O/A and O/P groups, respectively. Ulcer relapse occurred in 34% of the patients in the O/A group and 87% in the O/P group (p < 0.001). The figure shows time to relapse in relation to treatment and HP status after treatment.

Quantitative EEG Correlates of Outcome in Older Psychiatric Patients: Part II: Two-Year Follow-Up of Patients With Depression

The authors examined quantitative electroencephalographc (QEEG) coherence in 37 depressed elderly patients and performed 2-year follow-up evaluations. All subjects had equivocal cognitive impairment, but none had delirium or dementia. More than 40% (16/37) recovered from depression, and 38% (14/37) remained well for 2 years. Twenty-four percent (n = 9) had died within 2 years, most from cardiac causes. Low trans-Rolandic coherence from the left hemisphere was strongly associated with mortality: 44% (7/16) of those with low coherence died, and 78% (7/9) of those who died had low coherence. Among survivors (n = 28) at follow-up, low coherence was significantly associated with lower functional status. These findings suggest that the coherence variable measures actual neurophysiology differences between groups of depressed patients and these differences are associated with the heterogeneous outcomes of depression in elderly patients.

Relationship of initial psychological evaluation to status at two-year follow-up in patients with eating disorders

Relationship of initial psychological evaluation to status at two-year follow-up in patients with eating disorders

Two-year follow-up of patients with Schistosoma haematobium treated with stibocaptate; with particular reference to an attempt to determine the rate of reinfection

Two-year follow-up of patients with Schistosoma haematobium treated with stibocaptate; with particular reference to an attempt to determine the rate of reinfection

A two-year follow-up of patients with quiescent pulmonary tuberculosis following a year of chemotherapy with an intermittent (twice-weekly) regimen of isoniazid plus streptomycin or a daily regimen of isoniazid plus pas

Summary In the main analysis of a year's study of twice-weekly high dosage isoniazid plus streptomycin (SHTW) in comparison with a standard daily regimen of isoniazid plus PAS (PH) under domiciliary conditions, 66 SHTW and 53 PH patients had attained bacteriologically quiescent disease at one year. All the patients have now been followed-up over a two-year period. Of these, 66 SHTW and 52 PH patients had been allocated at random to treatment the second year with isoniazid alone or with placebo. No patient was prescribed antituberculosis drugs for the third year. The condition of the patients in the two series was broadly similar, both at the time of their original admission to treatment and also at the start of the period of follow-up. There were five deaths (four SHTW, one PH) in the follow-up period, all in the second year and all from non-tuberculous causes; all five patients produced only negative cultures in the second year and for at least six months immediately before death. The radiographic progress was similar for the two series in the second and third years, the majority of patients in both series showing little change. The patients were under intensive bacteriological investigation, an average of 14 cultures being examined per patient in the second year and nine in the third year. A bacteriological relapse occurred in five (8%) SHTW and six (12%) PH patients. In one and two patients respectively this was associated with a serious radiographic deterioration. An isolated positive culture was produced by 17% of the SHTW and 27% of the PH patients. Four of the SHTW patients had a relapse with streptomycin- and isoniazid-sensitive cultures and four of the PH patients with isoniazid-sensitive cultures. It is concluded that bacteriological quiescence following a year of twice-weekly isoniazid plus streptomycin is at least as stable, over a two-year period of follow-up, as that attained following a year of a standard daily oral regimen of isoniazid plus PAS.