Annals of surgery
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Existing methods to reconstruct vascular structures from a computerized tomography (CT) angiogram rely on contrast injection to enhance the radio-density within the vessel lumen. However, pathological changes in the vasculature may be present that prevent accurate reconstruction. In aortic aneurysmal disease, a thrombus adherent to the aortic wall within the expanding aneurysmal sac is present in >90% of cases. These deformations prevent the automatic extraction of vital clinical information by existing image reconstruction methods. ⋯ This extraction method can be used to standardize aneurysmal disease management and sets the foundation for complex geometric and morphological analysis. Furthermore, this pipeline can be extended to other vascular pathologies.
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To determine the accuracy of postoperative patient-reported comorbidity assessment, as it may be an important mechanism for long-term follow-up in surgical patients. ⋯ Patient-reported comorbidity assessment has high levels of agreement with medical chart audit for many comorbidities and can improve understanding of long-term outcomes. This will better inform patients and providers with hopes of 1 day moving beyond the 1%.
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This study evaluates the variation in spending by the highest-quality hospitals performing complex cancer surgery in the United States. ⋯ Even among the highest-quality hospitals, significant cost variation persists among cancer operations. Postacute care variation, rather than residual variation in complication rates, explains the majority of this variation and represents an immediately actionable target for increased cost-efficiency.
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To determine if premature menopause and early menarche are associated with increased risk of AAA, and to explore potential effect modification by smoking history. ⋯ This study finds that premature menopause may be an important risk factor for AAA in women with significant smoking history. There was no significant association between premature menopause and risk of AAA amongst women who have never smoked. These results suggest an opportunity to develop strategies for better screening, risk reduction and stratification, and outcome improvement in the comprehensive vascular care of women.
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To assess the association of burn size and community participation as measured by the LIBRE Profile. ⋯ Increasing burn size was found to be negatively associated with selected items of Work & Employment and Social Activities, but positively associated with aspects of Family & Friend Relationships. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to assess and understand the long-term social impact of burn injuries on adult populations.