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Screening Centre (screening + centre)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Long-term follow-up of patients following negative colposcopy: a new gold standard and its implications for cervical screening

CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2003
P. D. Da Forno
From 1189 colposcopy referrals in 1997 at a single cervical screening centre, 88 women who had no biopsy taken at colposcopy (negative colposcopy) were identified. We followed up these women for a maximum of 4 years and calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) of a single smear before and after follow-up. Using slide review we attempted to correlate the grade of smear leading to colposcopy referral with final outcome. Our results showed that long-term follow-up alters the PPV of cervical cytology. Analysis showed a strong correlation between the review grade of the referring smear and the final outcome after follow-up. From these results we suggest an evidence-based protocol for cervical screening follow-up after negative colposcopy. [source]

Model simulation of the patient flow through a screening centre for diabetic retinopathy

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 6 2005
Anja B. Hansen
Abstract. Purpose:,To construct a quantitative, flexible and simplified mathematical model of the patient flow through the Eye Clinic at the Steno Diabetes Centre (SDC) in order to enable rational dimensioning and assess the effects of modifications. Methods:,Patient data were drawn from the Eye Care database at the SDC. A simple patient flow model was constructed, allowing simultaneous adjustments of all variables, and the model was tested. Two scenarios were simulated: (1) adjusting the algorithm that assigns the follow-up intervals, and (2) increasing the population size to include all patients with diabetes in Copenhagen County. Results:,The model can describe the patient flow under steady state conditions, but is less precise in predicting transient changes with the present set-up. Accordingly all simulations were run for a substantial number of iterations. The two scenarios illustrate the usefulness of the model by calculating the required photographic examination capacity for the specific population, thereby allowing better estimations of future dimensioning of the organization. Conclusion:,The study presents a patient flow model that can be used to illustrate the effects of proposed changes prior to their implementation, specifically with respect to the capacity of the system. [source]

Photoscreening for diabetic retinopathy: a comparison of image quality between film photography and digital imaging

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Christina MC Klais MD
Abstract Purpose:,Retinal images from patients attending an urban screening centre before and after the transition from film photography to digital image acquisition were analysed for quality of image. Methods:,A total of 1946 diabetic patients, aged 12,92 years (mean 55.6 ± 14.88 years), were included in this retrospective study of retinal screening techniques. Each imaging group was subdivided into age-matched groups. In all subjects pupils were pharmacologically dilated before photography. The images were reviewed by the same three experienced observers and graded at the time of screening from grade 1 (excellent quality) to grade 4 (unreadable). Results:,Of 938 patients in the film group, 31.3% had excellent images, 38.2% good, 22.7% poor and 7.8% were unreadable. Of the 1008 patients in the digital imaging group, 25.3% had excellent images, 46.3% good, 14.6% poor and 13.8% were unreadable. A significant difference was observed in patients over 65 years of age who exhibited a threefold increase in failure rate with digital imaging (33.7% v 11.3%)(P < 0.0001). Conclusion:,In this study population a statistically significant degradation of image quality was observed in those older than 65 years following transition to digital photography. This has implications for service provision planning. [source]

The influence of maternal insulin-dependent diabetes on fetal nuchal translucency thickness and first-trimester maternal serum biochemical markers of aneuploidy

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 10 2005
Kevin Spencer
Abstract Objective To evaluate the influence of maternal insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) on maternal serum free ,-hCG, PAPP-A and fetal nuchal translucency (NT), thickness at 11 to 13+6 weeks of gestation in a large cohort of women screened prospectively for chromosomal anomalies. Methods Information on maternal IDDM status, maternal serum biochemical marker levels and fetal NT were collected from the prenatal screening computer records in two first-trimester screening centres. In total the control group included 33 301 pregnancies of which 16 366 had NT and maternal serum biochemistry results and 16 305 with NT only. The IDDM group included 195 pregnancies of which 79 had NT and maternal serum biochemistry results and 127 with NT only. The median maternal weight corrected free ,-hCG and PAPP-A, expressed as multiple of the median (MoM), and fetal NT, expressed as delta values, in the IDDM and non-IDDM groups were compared. Results There were no significant differences between the IDDM and non-IDDM groups in median maternal weight corrected free ,-hCG (IDDM 0.87 MoM, 95% Confidence Interval 0.75 to 1.16 MoM, non-IDDM 1.00 MoM), median maternal weight corrected PAPP-A (IDDM 1.02 MoM, 95% Confidence Interval 0.83 to 1.05 MoM, non-IDDM 1.01 MoM), or mean delta NT (IDDM 0.0358 mm, non-IDDM 0.0002 mm). Conclusions In pregnancies with maternal IDDM, first-trimester screening for chromosomal defects does not require adjustments for the measured fetal NT. However, more data are required before the possible reduction in maternal serum free ,-hCG and the reduction of PAPP-A suggested by the published world series can be considered sufficiently important to take into account in the calculation of risks for chromosomal defects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]