Postgraduate medical journal
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Cardiac structure and function are complex and inter-related. Current in vivo techniques assess the heart on a macroscopic scale, but a novel technique called diffusion tensor cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DT-CMR) can now assess the cardiac microstructure non-invasively. ⋯ DT-CMR has already identified novel microstructural abnormalities in cardiomyopathy, and ischaemic and congenital heart disease. This new knowledge supports the potential of DT-CMR to improve diagnostics and prognostication in various cardiac diseases.
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Observational Study
Overutilisation of imaging studies for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: are we following the guidelines?
To evaluate if imaging studies such as CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) or ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan are ordered according to the current guidelines for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ More than 99 % of CTPA or V/Q scans were negative in our study. This suggests extraordinary overutilisation of the imaging methods. D-dimer, recommended in patients with low to moderate risk, was ordered in only one-third of patients. Much greater emphasis of current guidelines is needed to avoid inappropriate utilisation of resources without missing diagnosis of PE.
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Recent years have witnessed a rapid development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology applied in orthopaedic surgery. To be assisted by 3D printing is a potent method to realise accurate and individualised operation. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of 3D printing technology in the management of trauma fractures. ⋯ These results suggest that 3D printing-assisted surgery outperforms conventional surgery in the management of orthopaedic trauma fractures with shorter operation duration, less intraoperative blood loss and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies.