Coronary calcium score - a non-invasive method for the detection and quantification of coronary atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular diseases pose a significant medical problem in the developed world. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common of these and is the cause of more than half the cases of heart failure in the general population below 75 years of age. Atherosclerosis lies at the basis of the majority of CHD cases. As the early detection of asymptomatic CHD may lower patient morbidity and mortality, there is an ongoing search for non-invasive diagnostic techniques. Computed tomography, which enables coronary artery calcification to be assessed, is one of these. Examples of the implementation of a calcium score, both in asymptomatic patients and in patients with diagnosed CHD, are presented in this paper

Wskaźnik uwapnienia tętnic wieńcowych - nieinwazyjna metoda wykrywania i oceny miażdżycy tętnic wieńcowych

Choroby układu krążenia stanowią istotny problem medyczny krajów rozwiniętych. Najczęstszą z nich jest choroba wieńcowa (CHD) będąca przyczyną ponad połowy przypadków niewydolności serca w populacji ogólnej do 75 roku życia. W większości przypadków podstawą CHD jest miażdżyca. Ponieważ wczesne wykrycie bezobjawowej CHD może zmniejszyć zachorowalność i umieralność pacjentów, poszukuje się nowych, nieinwazyjnych technik diagnostycznych. Należy do nich m.in. tomografia komputerowa (CT) umożliwiająca ocenę zwapnień tętnic wieńcowych, np. za pomocą wskaźnika uwapnienia tętnic wieńcowych. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono przykłady zastosowania tego wskaźnika zarówno u pacjentów bez objawów w ocenie ryzyka CHD, jak i u osób z rozpoznaną chorobą wieńcową

Parity does not affect diabetes complications in women with type 1 diabetes

Introduction The problem concerning the impact of pregnancy on diabetic complications is a matter for discussion as there is some evidence suggesting that pregnancy may trigger development or progression of diabetic chronic complications. However, currently available data concerning this issue is still controversial. Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of obstetric history on the development of chronic microangiopatic and macroangiopatic complications in type 1 diabetic women. Material and Methods The retrospective study comprised 226 white Caucasian type 1 diabetic women, including 190 parous and 36 nulliparous women. Anthropometric data, information concerning the course of the disease, including metabolic control and chronic complications, together with obstetric history, were registered. Results Parous women were older (p 0.05) and diabetes duration (p>0.05) from nulliparous subjects. There were no significant differences in the incidence (p>0.05) nor onset (p>0.05) of chronic diabetes complications between the groups. The number of deliveries did not correlate with either the incidence nor the onset of chronic complications. Longer DM duration at the moment of first delivery was related to the higher incidence of retinopathy (p<0.01), nephropathy (p<0.05) and neuropathy (p<0.001). Conclusions The incidence of chronic diabetic complications does not differ between parous women and the subjects that were never pregnant, and is not related to the number of pregnancies

The effect of lead free cap on the doses of ionizing radiation to the head of interventional cardiologists working in haemodynamic room

Objectives The study aim was to analyse the influence of the lead free cap on doses received by interventional cardiologists. The impact of lead free cap on doses to the head were evaluated in number of studies. As different methods used to assess the attenuation properties of protective cap can lead to ambiguous results, a detailed study was performed. Material and Methods The effectiveness of a lead free cap in reducing the doses to the skin was assessed in clinic by performing measurements with thermoluminescent dosimeters attached inside and outside the cap first during individual coronary angiography (CA) or CA/percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (CA/PTCA) procedures and then cumulated during few procedures of the same type. In order to investigate the effect of the cap on reducing the doses to the brain additional measurements were performed with a male Alderson Rando and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantoms representing the physician and the patient, respectively for different projections. The brain dose per procedure, annual and cumulated during entire working practice were estimated for both cases working with and without the cap. Results The dose reduction factor (RF) for the skin (the quotient of doses outside and inside the cap) vary from 1.1 up to 4.0 in clinical conditions; on average 2.3-fold reduction is observed in the most exposed left temple. The RFs determined for the part of the head covered by the cap range from 1.4 to 1.8 while for the brain from 1.0 to 1.1 depending on the projection. The estimated annual brain dose for interventional cardiologist performing yearly 550 CA/PTCA procedures without any protective shields is 7.2 mGy and it is reduced with the lead free cap by an average factor of 1.1. Conclusions The study results proved the considerable effectiveness of lead free cap to protect the skin but very limited to protect the brain