BACKGROUND Asymptomatic cerebral aneurysms are diagnosed more frequently since the advent of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Their management is currently empirical. We have used decision analysis to place it on a more analytical basis. METHODS Decision analysis was used to determine the benefit in years of survival free of sequelae resulting from elective surgery of unrup...

BACKGROUND Higher-risk patients may not receive evidence-based therapy because of limited life expectancy, which is a composite measure that encompasses many patient factors, including age, frailty, and comorbidities. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which treatment care gaps can be explained by a difference in projected life expectancy. METHODS AND RESULTS An observational cohort st...

BACKGROUND Most deceased donor kidney allocation protocols are based on waiting time and do not take into account either recipient's life expectancy. This study investigates whether graft survival is affected by patient life expectancy. METHODS A total of 640 adult kidney transplants were performed. Recipients were divided in group A (patients ≤ 50 years) and group B (patients > 50 years). Th...

BACKGROUND The life table is a valid and frequently used instrument to compare the mortality of migrant groups. Most analyses are limited to an overview and give only life expectancy; however, further analysis of the life table can give more insight into differences in patterns of mortality between groups. METHODS A thorough life table analysis was applied to the mortality data of seven ethni...

Factors predicting life expectancy in primary pulmonary hypertension have not been well defined. Thirty four cases of primary pulmonary hypertension that had been followed up until death or for at least five years were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into three groups: 18 patients who died within five years of presentation to hospital; 12 who survived more than five years; and f...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Few studies have evaluated the long-term health impact of stroke as categorized into different subtypes. The aim of this study is to quantify the loss of quality-adjusted life expectancy related to ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS The hospital-based cohort, which consisted of 13,194 patients with first-ever stroke onset dates between 1995 and 2007, ...

background: the classical supportive therapy for î² -thalassemia major consists of regular blood transfusion, iron-chelation therapy and specific treatment of the related complications. a balance between the maintenance of the highest possible level of haemoglobin and lowest possible level of iron accumulation in heart and liver give the best chance of survival and the best quality of life. met...

BACKGROUND Although radical resection and postoperative chemoradiation have been the standard therapy for patients with rectal cancer, preoperative staging by local imaging and chemoradiation are widely used. We used a decision analysis to compare the two strategies for rectal cancer management. METHODS We developed a decision model to compare survival outcomes after postoperative chemoradiat...