Epidemiologic profile of oral cancer patients treated at Santa Rita Hospital, Porto Alegre/RS

The patient’s records of Hospital Santa Rita (Porto Alegre/Brazil) with diagnosis of mouth cancer in the year 2005 were consulted. The studied variables seek to know social, economic, and demographic data and habits related to the population, as well as information related to characteristics of wound, evolution and treatment. From the 65 records revised, 96,29% were cases of squamous cell carcinoma. Some data were found eventually related in the records, in a way that associations between the variables of the study couldn’t be established. The epidemiologic profile found was male patient, 51 to 60 years old, from capital and metropolitan region, showing tongue cancer with up to 6 months evolution, diagnosed as grade II squamous cell carcinoma, being treated with the surgery and chemotherapy combination

Metodização da técnica triangular de rastreamento de curvaturas e perfurações radiculares

In the diagnosis and exact localization of root curvatures and perforations the "three-angled technique of radiographic tracing" is employed and consists in three periapical radiographs . The aim of this study was to veriry if with technique's methodization it is possible to reduce the number of radiographic exposures in these diagnoses. Eight-four exlrated teeth were pelforated and radiographed. Two of three radiographs were given to three observers and, later, the third radiograph was supplied. The results have shown that the diagnosis given with two radiographs does not differ statistically from that with three.No diagnóstico e exata localização de curvaturas e perfurações radiculares a "técnica triangular de rastreamento radiográfico" é empregada e consiste em três radiografias periapicais. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se com a metodização da técnica é possível reduzir o número de exposições radiográficas nestes diagnósticos. Oitenta e quatro dentes extraídos foram perfurados e radiografados. Duas das três radiografias de cada caso foram avaliadas por três observadores que, posteriormente, reavaliaram o caso com as três radiografias. Os resultados mostraram que o diagnóstico estabelecido com duas radiografias não difere estatisticamente daquele com três

Estudo comparativo entre medidas cefalométricas frontais delineadas manualmente e computadorizadas

From a frontal telerradiographies sample of 50 adult individuals, this work evaluated if differences exist among the rnedium values of linear and angular skeletal measurements obtained manually and through the computer programs SMTC, OrtoView, Radiocef and Orto Manager. On cach x-ray the manual Ricketts frontograrñ was accomplished and marked the points for cach one of the programs. The values obtained in each one of the five methods used were tabulated for each one of the measurements studied, and their averages compared by the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). It was verified to the postural symetry, that there are significant statistical differences among Orto Manager and the other methods, wich do not differ significantly to each other. For the averages of the other linear and angular measurements selected: maxilo-mandibular medium line, nasal width, nasal height, maxillary width, mandibular width and facial width, was verified that there are not significant statistical differences among the studied methods.A partir de uma amostra de telerradiografias em norma frontal da face de 50 indivíduos adultos, este trabalho avaliou se existem diferenças entre os valores médios de medidas esqueléticas lineares e angulares obtidas de cefalogramas delineados manualmente e computadorizados, utilizando os programas SMTC, Orto View, Radiocef e Orto Manager. Sobre cada radiografia foi realizado o traçado manual de Ricketts e foram marcados os pontos cefalométricos para cada um dos programas. Os valores obtidos em cada um dos cinco métodos de traçado empregados foram tabulados para cada uma das medidas lineares e angulares estudadas e suas médias comparadas pela Análise de Variância (ANOVA). Verificou-se, para a simetria postural, que houve diferenças estatísticas significantes entre o Orto Manager e os demais métodos, os quais não diferiram significativamente entre si. Para as médias das demais medidas lineares e angular selecionadas (linha mediana maxilo-mandibular, largura nasal, altura nasal, largura maxilar, largura mandibular e largura facial), verificou-se que não houve diferenças estatísticas significantes entre os métodos estudados

Diagnostic accuracy of oximetry for obstructive sleep apnea: a study on older adults in a home setting

OBJECTIVES: Owing to the fact that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an underreported disease, the strategy used for the diagnosis of OSA has been extensively dissected to devise a simplified process that can be accessed by the public health services. Polysomnography (PSG) type I, the gold standard for the diagnosis of OSA, is expensive and difficult to access by low-income populations. In this study, we aimed to verify the accuracy of the oxyhemoglobin desaturation index (ODI) in comparison to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using a portable monitor. METHODS: We evaluated 94 type III PSG home test results of 65 elderly patients (69.21±6.94 years old), along with information, such as the body mass index (BMI) and sex, using data obtained from a clinical trial database. RESULTS: A significant linear positive correlation (r=0.93, p<0.05) was observed between ODI and AHI, without any interference from sex, BMI, and positional component. The sensitivity of ODI compared to that of AHI increased with an increase in the severity of OSA, while the specificity of ODI in comparison to that of AHI was high for all degrees of severity. The accuracy of ODI was 80.7% for distinguishing between patients with mild and moderate apnea and 84.4% for distinguishing between patients with moderate and severe apnea. CONCLUSION: The ODI values obtained in uncontrolled conditions exhibited high sensitivity for identifying severe apnea compared to the AHI values, and correctly identified the severity of OSA in more than 80% of the cases. Thus, oximetry is promising strategy for diagnosing OSA