Assessment and Predicting Factors of Repeated Brain Computed Tomography in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients for Risk-Stratified Care Management: A 5-Year Retrospective Study

Background and Objective. To determine the value of repeated brain CT in TBI cases for risk-stratified care management (RSCM) and to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management after repeated brain CTs. Methods. A 5-year retrospective study from January 2009 to August 2013 was conducted. The primary outcome was the value of repeated brain CT in TBI cases. The secondary outcome is to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management after repeated brain CTs. Results. There were 145 consecutive patients with TBI and repeated brain CT after initial abnormal brain CT. Forty-two percent of all cases (N=61) revealed the progression of intracranial hemorrhage after repeated brain CT. In all 145 consecutive patients, 67.6% of cases (N=98) were categorized as mild TBI. For mild head injury, 8.2% of cases (N=8) had undergone neurosurgical management after repeated brain CT. Only 1 from 74 mild TBI patients with repeated brain CT had neurosurgical intervention. Clopidogrel and midline shift more than 2 mm on initial brain CT were significant predicting factors to indicate the neurosurgical management in mild TBI cases. Conclusion. Routine repeated brain CT for RSCM had no clinical benefit in mild TBI cases

Midline incisional hernia prophylaxis using synthetic mesh in an emergency or urgent gastrointestinal tract surgery: a protocol for multicentre randomised clinical trial

INTRODUCTION: Between 5% and 30% of abdominal incisions eventually result in incisional hernias (IHs) that can lead to severe complications and impaired quality of life. Unfortunately, IH repair is often unsuccessful; therefore, hernia prophylaxis is an important issue. The efficacy of mesh augmentation has been proven for hernia prophylaxis in high-risk patients, but no randomised clinical trial has evaluated prophylactic mesh placement in emergency/urgent gastrointestinal operations. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre, prospective randomised, open and patient–assessor blinded endpoint design will be conducted. A total of 470 patients will be enrolled and randomly allocated to retrorectus mesh augmentation with lightweight polypropylene mesh or primary suture closure. The primary outcome is IH occurrence within 24 months of follow-up, while other clinical outcomes are secondary endpoints. A cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted from the societal and provider perspectives. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was obtained from Ramathibodi Hospital (MURA2020/1478) and Vajira Hospital (COA164/2563). The protocol is on the process of submission to the local ethics committee of the other study sites. Results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: TCTR20200924002

Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and liver biopsy to assess hepatic steatosis in obesity

Abstract Obesity is highly associated with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and increased risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer-related death. We determined the diagnostic performance of the complex-based chemical shift technique MRI-PDFF for quantifying liver fat and its correlation with histopathologic findings in an obese population within 24 h before bariatric surgery. This was a prospective, cross-sectional, Institutional Review Board-approved study of PDFF-MRI of the liver and MRI-DIXON image volume before bariatric surgery. Liver tissues were obtained during bariatric surgery. The prevalence of NAFLD in the investigated cohort was as high as 94%. Histologic hepatic steatosis grades 0, 1, 2, and 3 were observed in 3 (6%), 25 (50%), 14 (28%), and 8 (16%) of 50 obese patients, respectively. The mean percentages of MRI-PDFF from the anterior and posterior right hepatic lobe and left lobe vs. isolate left hepatic lobe were 15.6% (standard deviation [SD], 9.28%) vs. 16.29% (SD, 9.25%). There was a strong correlation between the percentage of steatotic hepatocytes and MRI-PDFF in the left hepatic lobe (r = 0.82, p < 0.001) and the mean value (r = 0.78, p < 0.001). There was a strong correlation between MRI-derived subcutaneous adipose tissue volume and total body fat mass by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, especially at the L2–3 and L4 level (r = 0.85, p < 0.001). MRI-PDFF showed good performance in assessing hepatic steatosis and was an excellent noninvasive technique for monitoring hepatic steatosis in an obese population