Referral Diagnosis (referral + diagnosis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Occurrence of lacrimal gland tissue outside the lacrimal fossa: comparison of clinical and histopathological findings

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 1 2005
Ghassan Ayish Alyahya
Abstract. Purpose:,To analyse clinical referral diagnoses and the location of lesions with histologically verified lacrimal gland tissue occurring outside the fossa of the lacrimal gland. Methods:,Sections of lesions excised from areas outside the fossa of the lacrimal gland containing lacrimal gland tissue on histological examination were collected from the files of the Eye Pathology Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark. Specimens spanned a period of 50 years. Sections were re-examined and referral data on location and clinical diagnosis were compared with histological findings. Results:,A total of 120 lesions were collected. Of these, 59 (49%) consisted of prolapsed lacrimal gland. The remaining 61 (51%) lesions contained ectopic lacrimal gland tissue, either as part of a complex choristoma in 38 (32%) cases, or as solitary ectopic lacrimal gland tissue in 23 (19%) cases. The majority (97; 81%) of lesions had been located at the temporal epibulbar conjunctiva and included mainly prolapsed lacrimal gland and complex choristoma. The clinical referral diagnoses covered a wide spectrum of lesions. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were non-specific tumour (35%), non-specific cyst (18%) and dermoid (11%). Of the 61 lesions containing ectopic lacrimal gland tissue, only two had been preoperatively diagnosed as such and only two of the 59 lesions with prolapsed lacrimal gland had been correctly diagnosed. Conclusions:,Prolapsed palpebral lobe of the lacrimal gland was the most common lesion and, as expected, the prime location was the temporal conjunctiva. Despite this location, the referring clinical diagnosis was often wrong or non-specific. Surgeons seem to have been unaware of the various clinical manifestations of extrafossal glandular tissue, particularly when excising lesions in the upper temporal region of the conjunctiva. Surgical intervention in this location may jeopardize the excretory ducts of the lacrimal gland and may consequently lead to dry eye and thus should be avoided when the typical clinical appearance of prolapsed lacrimal gland is encountered. [source]


Critical reappraisal of referrals to electromyography and nerve conduction studies,

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2005
S. Podnar
A large number of examinees referred to electromyographic (EMG) laboratories do not have symptoms or signs suggestive of a peripheral nervous system disorder, and the aim of the present study was to check this. All examinees evaluated by the author in a ,general' EMG laboratory in the first 4 months of 2002 were included. Data on examinees, referral physicians and diagnoses, clinical symptoms and signs, and electrodiagnostic findings were statistically evaluated. Three hundred examinees, 42% men, were included. A neurological diagnosis was provided in 55% of referrals. Electrodiagnostic abnormalities were found in 45% of examinees. Using multivariate statistics, a positive effect of neurological referral diagnosis, history of paraesthesias and of weakness and sensory loss on examination, and a negative effect of history of pain on pathological electrodiagnostic findings were found. Except 20 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, no patient with normal clinical examination had abnormal electrodiagnostic findings. Our study confirmed the inappropriateness of referrals to electrodiagnostic examination to screen patients for peripheral nervous disorders. We propose electrodiagnostic examination mainly of patients with unequivocal clinical signs of a peripheral nervous system lesion and of patients with typical symptoms of the carpal tunnel syndrome. [source]


The use of combined ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the detection of fetal anomalies

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 5 2010
Xiomara M. Santos
Abstract Objective To compare the referral diagnosis based on prenatal ultrasound to diagnoses made following combined ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation at the Texas Children's Fetal Center (TCFC) and postnatal diagnosis. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients referred to the TCFC between September 2001 and July 2007 with a fetal structural malformation. Data were abstracted to compare the referral diagnosis to TCFC imaging diagnoses and both were compared to postnatal diagnosis. Results Two hundred and twenty-four patients were referred who had a fetal US and MRI at TCFC. The most frequent indications were for abnormalities of the central nervous system (38%) and lung/thoracic cavity (34%), with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) the single most common referral diagnosis (n = 39; 17%). In 99 cases (42.7%) the referral diagnosis was concordant with the post-referral diagnosis, however, in 68 cases (29.3%) the post-referral diagnosis changed completely, and in 65 cases (28%) additional findings were discovered. Prenatal diagnoses following imaging at TCFC were concordant with postnatal diagnoses in 94.9% of cases. Conclusions Combined ultrasound and MRI provides additional diagnostic information or a corrected diagnosis in 57% of cases over the referral ultrasound diagnosis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Missed bipolarity and psychiatric comorbidity in women with postpartum depression

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 6 2008
Verinder Sharma
Objective:, To investigate the diagnostic profile of women referred for postpartum depression. Methods:, Fifty-six women seen consecutively with the referral diagnosis of postpartum depression were administered structured instruments to gather information about their DSM-IV Axis I diagnoses. Results:, In terms of frequency of occurrence, the primary diagnoses in this sample were: major depressive disorder (46%), bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (29%), bipolar II disorder (23%), and bipolar I disorder (2%). A current comorbid disorder, with no lifetime comorbidity, occurred among 32% of the sample; by contrast, lifetime comorbidity alone (i.e., with no currently comorbid disorder) was found among 27%. Both a lifetime and a current comorbidity were found among 18% of the women, and 23% had no comorbid disorder. The most frequently occurring current comorbid disorder was an anxiety disorder (46%), with obsessive-compulsive disorder (62%) being the most common type of anxiety disorder. For lifetime comorbidity, substance use (20%) and anxiety disorders (12%) were the two most common. Over 80% of patients who scored positive on either the Highs Scale or the Mood Disorder Questionnaire met the diagnostic criteria for a bipolar disorder. Conclusion:, The results suggest that postpartum depression is a heterogeneous entity and that misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder in the postpartum period may be quite common. The findings have important clinical implications, which include the need for early detection of bipolarity through the use of reliable and valid assessment instruments, and implementation of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. [source]