BACKGROUND Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) provides an accurate noninvasive alternative to the invasive assessment of coronary artery disease. However, a specific limitation of CTCA is inability to assess hemodynamic data. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that CTCA-derived measurements of contrast within the superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) would correlate to ech...

BACKGROUND The study aim was to test the accuracy (intra and interobserver variability), sensitivity, and specificity of a simplified noninvasive ultrasound methodology for mapping superficial and deep veins of the lower limbs. METHODS 62 consecutive patients, aged 62 ± 11 years, were enrolled. All underwent US-examinations, performed by two different investigators, of both legs, four anatomi...

HYPOTHESIS Risk factors for the presence and extent of Barrett esophagus (BE) can be identified in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). DESIGN Case-comparison study. SETTING University tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Five hundred two consecutive patients with GERD documented by 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and with complete demographic, endoscopic, and physiologica...

OBJECTIVE To describe the long term costs, health benefits, and cost effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery compared with those of continued medical management for patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). DESIGN We estimated resource use and costs for the first year on the basis of data from the REFLUX trial. A Markov model was used to extrapolate cost and health benefit over a ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Central adiposity has been implicated as a risk factor for Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), possibly promoting the progression from inflammation to metaplasia and neoplasia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to evaluate the association between central adiposity and erosive esophagitis (EE), BE, and EAC, specifically expl...

OBJECTIVE To measure the relative risks of adenocarcinomas of the oesophagus and gastro-oesophageal junction associated with measures of obesity, and their interactions with age, sex, gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms and smoking. DESIGN AND SETTING Population-based case-control study in Australia. PATIENTS Patients with adenocarcinomas of the oesophagus (n = 367) or gastro-oesophageal jun...

BACKGROUND Perioperative lidocaine treatment is commonly used in horses that undergo surgical treatment of colic, to prevent or treat postoperative ileus and reduce the effects of intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury. However, its clinical efficacy has not been evaluated in a large population of horses undergoing small intestinal surgery. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether ...

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased in recent years, and Barrett's esophagus is a recognized risk factor. Gastroesophageal reflux of acid and/or bile is linked to these conditions and to reflux esophagitis. Inflammatory disorders can lead to carcinogenesis through activation of "prosurvival genes," including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS...

Background: Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has increased in the last decades, and it is now one of the most common chronic and recurrent diseases. The present study aimed at determining the frequency of gender (sex) and age in Iranian patients with GERD symptoms. Methods: In this study, 803 patients aged 11 to 84 years, with erosive and nonerosive gastroesophageal reflux d...