Chronic pain is frequently reported after total hip and knee arthroplasties (THA/TKA) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. We investigated if severity of acute postoperative pain following THA/TKA in... Show moreChronic pain is frequently reported after total hip and knee arthroplasties (THA/TKA) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. We investigated if severity of acute postoperative pain following THA/TKA in OA patients was associated with pain during the first postoperative year. From an observational study, OA patients scheduled for primary THA/TKA (June 2012-December 2017) were included from two hospitals in the Netherlands. Acute postoperative pain scores were collected within 72 h postoperatively and categorized as no/mild (NRS <= 4) or moderate/severe (NRS > 4). Pain was assessed preoperatively, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively using the HOOS/KOOS subscale pain. With Multilevel Mixed-effects-analyses, we estimated associations between acute and chronic pain until one year postoperative, adjusted for confounders and including an interaction term (Time*Acute pain). 193 THA and 196 TKA patients were included, 29% of THA and 51% of TKA patients reported moderate/severe pain acutely after surgery. In the THA group, the difference in pain at 3 months between the no/mild and moderate/severe groups, was approximately six points, in favor of the no/mild group (95% CI [-12.4 to 0.9]) this difference became smaller over time. In the TKA group we found similar differences, with approximately four points (95% CI [-9.6 to 1.3]) difference between the no/mild and moderate/severe group at 6 months, this difference attenuated at 12 months. No association between severity of acute postoperative pain and pain during the first postoperative year was found. These findings suggest that measures to limit acute postoperative pain will likely not impact development of chronic pain. Show less
Purpose The condition of pituitary apoplexia contains the clinical spectre from life-threatening emergency to asymptomatic self-limiting course, which partly determines diagnostic delay and... Show morePurpose The condition of pituitary apoplexia contains the clinical spectre from life-threatening emergency to asymptomatic self-limiting course, which partly determines diagnostic delay and management. Outcome evaluation of course and management of pituitary apoplexia is hampered by the diverse presentation of this condition and requires appraisal. This study aimed to describe the patient journey, clinical presentation, and management of various types of pituitary apoplexy in a new classification to facilitate future outcome evaluation and identify unmet needs in the care process. Methods A single-center retrospective patient chart study was conducted between 2005-2021 (N = 98). Outcome measures were clinical symptoms at first presentation in hospital, being headache, consciousness, visual acuity, visual field defects (VFD), ophthalmoplegia, nausea, vomiting, fever, and hypopituitarism and care process characteristics. Results Mean age was 47.6 +/- 16.6 years (51.0% male). We describe their patient journey and identified three different types, differing in clinical presentation, in-hospital route, and final treatment, e.g., Acute (type A, 52%), Subacute (type B, 22.5%), and Non-acute (type C, 25.5%). Type A generally presents with acute onset headaches, VFD, or ophthalmoplegia emergency setting, with lowest mean visual acuity of both eyes and frequent hypocortisolism. Conclusions Pituitary apoplexy can be approached as a spectrum of disease with 3 main subtypes, with a different initial presentation, different in-hospital route resulting in different management. Acknowledging subtypes with particular needs for (emergency) referrals to Pituitary Tumors Center of Excellence (PTCOE) will serve patient care improvements, outcome evaluations and address areas for improvement. Show less
In this thesis several aspects on the diagnosing and management of patients with acute abdominal pain are investigated. 1; The efficacy and safety of standard outpatient re-evaluation for patients... Show moreIn this thesis several aspects on the diagnosing and management of patients with acute abdominal pain are investigated. 1; The efficacy and safety of standard outpatient re-evaluation for patients not admitted to the hospital after emergency department evaluation for acute abdominal pain. 2; The use of a diagnostic strategy for patients clinically suspected to have appendicitis incorporating non-invasive modalities such as clinical evaluation, routine ultrasound and clinical re-evaluation, and a minimal use of complementary CT or laparoscopy. 3; The possibility to clinically differentiate between children with acute appendicitis and those with acute mesenteric lymphadenitis. 4; The value of secondary signs during the ultrasonographic evaluation of children with suspected appendicitis. 5; The impact of radiological imaging on diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision making for patients with acute colonic diverticulitis. 6; A systematic review on laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for patients with peritonitis due to perforated colonic diverticulitis. Show less
Nieuwenhuizen, J.; Ramshorst, G.H. van; Brinke, J.G. ten; Wit, T. de; Harst, E. van der; Hop, W.C.J.; ... ; Lange, J.F. 2011