Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Parkinsonian syndromes are classified by etiology mainly on clinical grounds, that is, on the basis of the clinical manifestations and with the aid of conventional ancillary studies. In most cases, the clinical diagnosis is clear. In up to 30% of cases, however, the etiological classification remains uncertain after completion of the basic clinical diagnostic evaluation, and additional investigation with nuclear imaging may be indicated. In particular, cerebral single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with dopamine transporter (DAT) ligands may be helpful. DAT-SPECT can be used to demonstrate or rule out nigrostriatal degeneration and thereby differentiate neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndromes from symptomatic parkinsonian syndromes and other differential diagnoses. Positron emission tomography (PET) with the glucose analogue [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) can be used to identify disease-specific patterns of neuronal dysfunction/degeneration in order to differentiate the various neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndromes from one another. ⋯ DAT-SPECT has been well documented to be highly diagnostically accurate and to have a relevant influence on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian or tremor syndrome. It has not yet been shown to improve patient-relevant endpoints such as mortality, morbidity, and health-related quality of life; proof of this will probably have to await the introduction of neuroprotective treatments. The current evidence for the high differential diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET in neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndromes needs to be reinforced by prospective studies with neuropathological verification of the diagnosis.
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The in-hospital mortality after visceral surgery in Germany is unknown. ⋯ In Germany, in-hospital mortality after visceral surgery is not uncommon, with a frequency of nearly 2%. Improved complication management after complex operations appears necessary. A limitation of this study is the identification of compli- cations from anonymized billing data.