Geisinger Medical Center is a hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the primary hospital for the Danville-based Geisinger Health System, a primary chain of hospitals and clinics across northeastern and central Pennsylvania.Geisinger Life Flight, a five-helicopter medevac system, is based at the hospital.
Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is common in pediatric patients. Appropriate evaluation includes urodynamic studies (UDS) to characterize dysfunction using International Children’s Continence Society terminology. This review appraises literature on pediatric UDS, focusing on history and advances in pressure flow testing, sedation considerations, updates to normative data, and the role of video UDS and artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis. Current recommendations for pediatric lower urinary tract dysfunction include urinary studies such as urinalysis with or without culture and urodynamic testing, using noninvasive techniques including uroflowmetry and invasive catheter-based studies. Although uroflow curve morphology has traditionally been used to assess bladder function, evidence demonstrates poor reproducibility with low inter and intra rater reliability. Consequently, alternative standardized assessment strategies and machine learning (ML) approaches are being investigated. Urodynamic evaluation remains essential in pediatric urinary tract dysfunction, but criteria and special considerations continue to evolve.
Although the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device is increasingly used for the treatment of wide-neck intracranial aneurysms, including in the acute rupture setting, comparative evidence assessing the impact of rupture status remains limited. This study compared angiographic, safety, and clinical outcomes between ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with WEB. We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the multicenter cohort registry WorldWideWEB, including consecutive adult patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with the WEB. Patients were stratified into groups of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics between both groups. Retreatment rate was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included mRS, safety events (thromboembolic complications) and angiographic outcomes (periprocedurally and last follow-up). Among 1,220 patients, 342 (28.0
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with a markedly increased risk of thromboembolic stroke, primarily originating from the left atrial appendage (LAA). Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is an established alternative for stroke prevention in patients with contraindications to long-term oral anticoagulation. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has traditionally guided LAAO, but intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is increasingly adopted to facilitate conscious sedation and operator-controlled imaging. Comparative real-world safety and effectiveness data between ICE and TEE remain limited. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter cohort study using the TriNetX Research Network, comprising 112 healthcare organizations. Adult patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent percutaneous LAAO guided exclusively by ICE or TEE were identified. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints included pericardial effusion, stroke/cerebrovascular accident (CVA), major bleeding, acute kidney injury (AKI), device-related complications, and all-cause hospitalization or emergency department encounters, assessed at 30 and 365 days. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed using demographics, comorbidities, medications, prior procedures, and laboratory values. Risk ratios, absolute risk differences, Kaplan-Meier analyses, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare outcomes. Among 10,629 eligible patients, 3,930 underwent ICE-guided LAAO and 6,699 underwent TEE-guided LAAO. After propensity score matching, 3,442 patients remained in each cohort with well-balanced baseline characteristics. At 30 days, all-cause mortality was numerically lower with ICE than TEE (0.4
BACKGROUND/AIM:Although hormone receptor-positive (HR+) invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common breast cancer subtype, there is limited evidence describing how demographic and clinical features vary across U.S. regions. Understanding geographic disparities is essential for improving screening and treatment planning. To examine regional variations in demographic, socioeconomic status (SES), and stage-at-diagnosis characteristics among U.S. patients with HR+ IDC. PATIENTS AND METHODS:This cross-sectional study used data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for patients diagnosed with HR+ IDC between 2004 and 2020. Patients were categorized into 6 U.S. geographic regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Mountain, and Pacific, based on the Commission on Cancer facility location. Descriptive and comparative analyses evaluated age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance type, income, urban-rural residence, and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. RESULTS:Among 136,280 patients (mean age, 64.4 years; 98.8% female), racial and SES composition differed significantly across regions. Black patients comprised 19.5% of the Southeast cohort and 18.1% of the Southwest cohort, compared with 2.9% in the Mountain region. The Asian population was highest in the Pacific (13.1%). Low-income households (<$63,000) were most prevalent in the Southwest (74.7%) and Southeast (69.5%), while the Pacific region had the highest proportion of higher-income households (46.4%) and metropolitan residents (94.3%). Stage III-IV disease at diagnosis occurred most often in the Southwest (17.6%) and least in the Northeast (14.0%). CONCLUSION:Significant variation exists in the demographic and SES profile of patients with HR+ IDC, corresponding to differences in stage at diagnosis, and BC-related overall outcomes. These disparities likely reflect inequities in screening access, SES, and healthcare infrastructure, underscoring the need for region-specific public health strategies. Targeted regional interventions and equitable screening expansion are warranted to reduce geographic disparities and improve overall BC-related outcomes.
