Ultrasound in medicine & biology
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Feb 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialThe Effectiveness of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Waves for Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
This study examined the effectiveness of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Forty patients with mild to moderate CTS were allocated to two groups: (i) shock wave + wrist splint and (ii) wrist splint. Patients used wrist splints followed by three sessions of low-energy shock wave therapy in the intervention group and wrist splints alone in the other group. ⋯ At the end of the study, both groups saw the same clinical benefits. However, a significantly greater improvement in the median nerve distal sensory latency was noted in the shock wave group compared with the control group. We suggest that application of shock wave with alternative protocols may be effective in the treatment of CTS in future studies.
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Feb 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialUsing critical care chest ultrasonic examination in emergency consultation: a pilot study.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of critical care chest ultrasonic examination (CCUE) by intensivist on the diagnosis and treatment decisions in emergent consultation for patients who may have a problem-need transfer to an intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 130 patients who required emergent consultation in the ordinary wards were included in this study. ⋯ The CCUE group had a shorter time to preliminary diagnosis, final diagnosis, treatment response and X-ray/computed tomography examination; a delay in ICU transfer and ICU stay days (3.9 ± 1.2 vs. 5.4 ± 1.9 d, p < 0.05) and a higher diagnostic accuracy than the conventional group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, CCUE could help early diagnosis and therapy for the patient who may need to transfer to the ICU and reduce the ICU stay for in-hospital patients in emergent consultation.
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Feb 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialSBOTE study: extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus electrical stimulation after botulinum toxin type a injection for post-stroke spasticity-a prospective randomized trial.
Research is on-going to identify new methods of biostimulation to increase the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in the treatment of spasticity. The Spasticity treated by Botulinum Toxin and ESWT (SBOTE) study is a prospective, randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) given immediately after BTX-A injections compared with electrical stimulation (ES) given immediately after BTX-A therapy for the management of focal upper limb spasticity in stroke patients. ⋯ At study follow-up, patients treated with BTX-A injections and ESWT showed a statistically greater significance and continuous decrease of spasticity measure (modified Ashworth scale [MAS]: 1.37, 1.75 and 1.58 at 15, 30 and 90 days post-treatment, respectively), of spasms (spasm frequency scale [SFS]: 0.8 and 0.25 at 30 and 90 days post-treatment, respectively) and of pain (visual analogue scale [VAS]: 1.94 and 1.87 at 30 and 90 days, respectively) compared with patients treated with BTX-A injections and ES (MAS: 2.37, 2.18 and 2.18, respectively) (p < 0.05) (SFS: 1.5 and 1.06, respectively) (p < 0.05) (VAS: 2.44 and 2.69 respectively) (p < 0.05). ESWT enhances the effect of BTX-A to a greater extent than ES, probably by modulating rheology of the muscle and neurotransmission at the neuromuscular junction.
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEchogenic regional anaesthesia needles: a comparison study in Thiel cadavers.
Ultrasound guidance is now the standard procedure for regional nerve block in anesthesiology. However, ultrasonic visualisation of needle manipulation and guidance within tissues remains a problem. Two new echogenic needles (Pajunk and Braun) have been introduced to anesthesiology clinical practice but evaluation has been restricted to preserved animal tissue. ⋯ The Pajunk echogenic needle was more visible than the Braun standard needle in-plane (p = 0.04), and the Braun standard and Braun echogenic needles out-of-plane (p = 0.02). Independent predictors of visibility using logistic regression were needle (p < 0.001) and plane of insertion (p = 0.08), receiver operator characteristic (ROC) area under the curve 0.90. In conclusion, the Pajunk echogenic needle offers the best visibility for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia.
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Jan 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialA double-blind trial of clinical effects of therapeutic ultrasound in knee osteoarthritis.
A randomized double blind clinical trial was conducted to determine the effectiveness of ultrasound (US) therapy in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Sixty-seven patients (mean age 54.8 +/-7) were randomized to receive either 1 MHz frequency or 1 watt/cm(2) power continuous ultrasound for 5 min (n = 34) or sham US (n = 33) as a placebo. Ten sessions of treatment were applied to the target knee of the patient. ⋯ Pain reduction averaged 47.76% in the treatment group (p = 0.013). Secondary outcomes improved in both groups but reached statistical significance only in the treatment group: p = 0.006 for the mean change in total WOMAC scores and p = 0.041 for 50 meters walking time. Results suggest that therapeutic US is safe and effective treatment modality in pain relief and improvement of functions in patients with knee OA.