Neurology
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The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of clinical criteria for possible vascular dementia (VaD) recently developed independently by two groups: the State of California Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (ADDTC) and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke with the Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences (NINDS-AIREN). We also wished to compare the performance of the new criteria to that of the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS). The study was comprised of a retrospective chart review and clinicopathologic correlation, and took place in 304-bed acute-care geriatric hospital. ⋯ Low sensitivity is the main weakness of the above clinical criteria for possible VaD. Mixed dementia is better excluded by the NINDS-AIREN than the ADDTC. Data from this validation study should provide valuable information to clinicians and researchers who wish to apply these criteria to the diagnosis of VaD.
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Case Reports
Measurement of tissue oxygen consumption in patients with mitochondrial myopathy by noninvasive tissue oximetry.
We measured oxygen consumption in the exercising lower limb by using noninvasive tissue oximetry with the near-infrared spectra of hemoglobin in the quadriceps muscle during bicycle ergometer exercise in four normal controls and three patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) as well as one patient with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes (MELAS). Normal controls showed constant oxygenation during exercise and a rapid recovery after exercise. ⋯ The distinctive patterns of imbalance between oxygen delivery and utilization correlated well with the severity of mitochondrial myopathy as judged by the sum of the serum lactate and pyruvate content during exercise. Noninvasive tissue oximetry may be useful to measure the severity of myopathy and exercise intolerance in patients with mitochondrial myopathy.
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In administrative databases the International Classification of Diseases, Version 9, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) is often used to identify patients with specific diagnoses. However, certain conditions may not be accurately reflected by the ICD-9 codes. We assessed the accuracy of ICD-9 coding for cerebrovascular disease by comparing ICD-9 codes in an administrative database with clinical findings ascertained from medical record abstractions. ⋯ Limiting the identifying ICD-9 code to the primary position increased the likelihood of agreement with the medical record review. The ICD-9 coding scheme may be inaccurate in the classification of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Its limitations must be recognized in the analyses of administrative databases selected by using ICD-9 codes 433 through 436.