Medicine
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Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) presents with a variety of neurovascular symptoms, and its diagnosis cannot be established purely on the basis of clinical assessments. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is currently the most useful investigative modality for patients with suspected vascular TOS. However, CTA facilities are limited, and CTA itself is an expensive and a resource-intensive technique associated with risks such as radiation exposure and contrast toxicity. ⋯ The specificity of arm arterial HDA was significantly higher than that of the other measurements. When suspected, arterial TOS could be ruled out using duplex ultrasound and arm arterial HDA. These 2 investigations may help determine the need for CTA.
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Retracted Publication
Plasma D-dimer levels are correlated with disease severity among hypertensive patients: A comparative cross-sectional study.
It has been reported that inappropriate acute thrombus formation is the pathophysiological substrate underlying increased risk and severity of target organ damage in hypertension (HTN). However, the relationship between severity of HTN and D-dimer has not been well characterized. The study was aimed to assess plasma D-dimer level and its correlation with disease severity among hypertensives. ⋯ D-dimer was found to have a diagnostic power of 86.9% in differentiating complicated from uncomplicated HTN at 0.83 mg/L cutoff value. This study suggests that D-dimer level was higher among hypertensives than control groups and it was also increasing significantly with the severity of HTN. This suggests that hypercoagulability of fibrin plays a role in the occurrence of thromboembolic complications of hypertensive patients.
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Secondary lymphedema is a clinically incurable disease that commonly occurs following surgical cancer treatment and/or radiation. One of the most common forms of lymphedema treatment is complete decongestive therapy (CDT). This study aimed to investigate the clinical effects of new compression bandages (Mobiderm® bandages) in patients with secondary lymphedema after cancer treatment. ⋯ However, in patients with ISL stage 2, the mean MCD decrease rate was greater in the Mobiderm® bandage group (22.82 ± 10.92 %) than in the classical bandage group (12.18 ± 8.1 1%)(P = .045). Both new bandages (Mobiderm® bandages and classical bandages) reduced the circumference of limb edema in patients with secondary lymphedema after cancer treatment. This study findings suggest that Mobiderm® bandages as an alternative modality for controlling ISL stage 2 lymphedema.