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Objective: There is a paucity of large cohort-based evidence regarding the need and added value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in patients attending outpatient clinic for cognitive impairment. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield of DWI in patients attending outpatient clinic for cognitive impairment. Materials and methods: This retrospective, observational, single-institution study included 3,298 consecutive patients (mean age ± SD, 71 years ± 10; 1,976 women) attending outpatient clinic for cognitive impairment with clinical dementia rating ≥ 0.5 who underwent brain MRI with DWI from January 2010 to February 2020. Diagnostic yield was defined as the proportion of patients in whom DWI supported the diagnosis that underlies cognitive impairment among all patients. Subgroup analyses were performed by age group and sex, and the Chi-square test was performed to compare the diagnostic yields between groups. Results: The overall diagnostic yield of DWI in patients with cognitive impairment was 3.2% (106/3,298; 95% CI, 2.6–3.9%). The diagnostic yield was 2.5% (83/3,298) for acute or subacute infarct, which included recent small subcortical infarct for which the diagnostic yield was 1.6% (54/3,298). The diagnostic yield was 0.33% (11/3,298) for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), 0.15% (5/3,298) for transient global amnesia (TGA), 0.12% (4/3,298) for encephalitis and 0.09% (3/3,298) for lymphoma. There was a trend towards a higher diagnostic yield in the older age group with age ≥ 70 years old (3.6% vs 2.6%, P =.12). There was an incremental increase in the diagnostic yield from the age group 60–69 years (2.6%; 20/773) to 90–99 years (8.0%; 2/25). Conclusion: Despite its low overall diagnostic yield, DWI supported the diagnosis of acute or subacute infarct, CJD, TGA, encephalitis and lymphoma that underlie cognitive impairment, and there was a trend towards a higher diagnostic yield in the older age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nocturia is a urinary symptom that can significantly impact a patient's quality of life. Desmopressin is prescribed for adults with nocturia. However, desmopressin use is associated with hyponatremia. The objective of this study was to assess the rate of hyponatremia in patients prescribed desmopressin and associated risk factors., Methods: Study subjects were patients who were newly prescribed desmopressin 0.1 mg (tablet) between January 1, 2015 (the start of available data) and December 1, 2020. Factors such as patients' baseline characteristics, comorbidities, and concomitant medications were analyzed to compare risk factors for hyponatremia (≤135 mmol/dL)., Results: A total of 918 adults were included in this study. The rate of hyponatremia was 4.4 % in patients with desmopressin. The hyponatremia group was older than non-hyponatremia group (71.0 vs. 61.6 years, P<0.001). The hyponatremia group had a higher prevalence of hypertension as a comorbidity. Although hypertension was more common in males than in females, the difference was not statistically significant (4.6% in male vs. 3.5% in female, P=0.65). Patients with hyponatremia were more likely to be taking angiotensin receptor blockers or thiazides than those without hyponatremia., Conclusions: Hyponatremia occurred in 4.4% of patients with desmopressin. Risk factors of hyponatremia were age, comorbidities, concurrent medication and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) level. Thus, care should be taken when administering desmopressin to these patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tau-24-4/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Translational Andrology and Urology. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic yield of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) and identify significant parameters affecting diagnostic yield., Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was conducted to identify studies that assessed the diagnostic yield of DWI in patients with TGA. The pooled diagnostic yield of DWI in patients with TGA was calculated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were also performed of slice thickness, magnetic field strength, and interval between symptom onset and DWI., Results: Twenty-two original articles (1732 patients) were included. The pooled incidence of right, left, and bilateral hippocampal lesions was 37% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30-44%), 42% (95% CI, 39-46%), and 25% (95% CI, 20-30%) of all lesions, respectively. The pooled diagnostic yield of DWI in patients with TGA was 39% (95% CI, 27-52%). The Higgins I² statistic showed significant heterogeneity (I² = 95%). DWI with a slice thickness ≤ 3 mm showed a higher diagnostic yield than DWI with a slice thickness > 3 mm (pooled diagnostic yield: 63% [95% CI, 53-72%] vs. 26% [95% CI, 16-40%], p < 0.01). DWI performed at an interval between 24 and 96 hours after symptom onset showed a higher diagnostic yield (68% [95% CI, 57-78%], p < 0.01) than DWI performed within 24 hours (16% [95% CI, 7-34%]) or later than 96 hours (15% [95% CI, 8-26%]). There was no difference in the diagnostic yield between DWI performed using 3T vs. 1.5T (pooled diagnostic yield, 31% [95% CI, 25-38%] vs. 24% [95% CI, 14-37%], p = 0.31)., Conclusion: The pooled diagnostic yield of DWI in TGA patients was 39%. DWI obtained with a slice thickness ≤ 3 mm or an interval between symptom onset and DWI of > 24 to 96 hours could increase the diagnostic yield., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 The Korean Society of Radiology.)