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Background and Objectives Methods Results Conclusion Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a frequent additional finding on lung cancer screening (LCS) low‐dose computed tomography (LDCT). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in LCS participants. We aimed to describe prevalence of incidental CAC detected on LDCT in LCS participants without prior history of coronary artery disease (CAD), evaluate their CVD risk and describe subsequent investigation and management.Prospective observational nested cohort study including all participants enrolled at a single Australian site of the International Lung Screen Trial. Baseline LDCTs were reviewed for CAC, and subsequent information collected regarding cardiovascular health. 5‐year CVD risk was calculated using the AusCVD risk calculator.55% (226/408) of participants had CAC on LDCT and no prior history of CAD, including 23% with moderate–severe CAC. Mean age of participants with CAC was 65 years, 68% were male. 53% were currently smoking. Majority were high risk (51%) or intermediate risk (32%) of a cardiovascular event in 5 years. 21% of participants were re‐stratified to a higher CVD risk group when CAC detected on LCS was incorporated. Only 10% of participants with CAC received lifestyle advice (only 3% currently smoking received smoking cessation advice). 80% of participants at high‐risk did not meet guideline recommendations, with 47% of this group remaining without cholesterol lowering therapy.LCS with LDCT offers the potential to identify and communicate CVD risk in this population. This may improve health outcomes for high‐risk LCS participants and further personalize management once screening results are known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction More than 50% of people do not resume driving post-stroke. Potential disincentives include limited knowledge about assessment, access to services, cost and fear of failure. Factors contributing to a successful return to driving have been the focus of limited research. Aim To determine the proportion of people with stroke who successfully pass their first on-road occupational therapy driving assessment, and factors associated with a successful assessment outcome. Methods A retrospective cohort study design was used. The primary data collection method was a review of 441 consecutive occupational therapy driving assessment reports from one Australian metropolitan centre. Participants had a diagnosis of stroke, a driving licence pre-stroke and completed a driving assessment between 1999 and 2010. Results Of the 441 records analysed, the mean age of drivers was 65.4 years ( SD: 15.4). The majority (53.7%) passed their first assessment (pass/conditional pass); only 8.8% failed. A weak relationship was found between initial driving assessment outcome and time post-stroke (rs = 0.19), but a fair relationship with younger age (rs = 0.31) and higher scores on three off-road assessments (rs = −0.26 to −0.28). The strongest predictors of initial driving assessment outcome were off-road assessment scores, age, gender and time post-stroke (R2 = 19.7%, P < 0.01). Conclusions Data on stroke severity are required to confirm these preliminary predictors of driving assessment outcome. Stroke severity should be routinely documented by driving assessment services for use in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are a common cause of back pain and disability and are usually osteoporotic in nature. Therapy aims to adequately control pain and allow early mobilisation and return of function while preventing additional fractures. A proportion of patients do not achieve adequate pain relief using conservative measures alone. Unwanted adverse effects from medications may also ensue. Vertebroplasty represents an alternative treatment option for VCFs. Patients with acute VCFs (≤6 weeks old) may gain the most benefit from vertebroplasty as healed fractures are not as amenable to cement injection. High-quality studies have reported conflicting results regarding the use of vertebroplasty in the treatment of acute VCFs. Despite high-quality evidence, varying study designs and heterogenous patient cohorts make interpretation of this data difficult. Only one sham-controlled randomised controlled trial (RCT) has evaluated vertebroplasty exclusively in patients with acute VCFs, reporting favourable results. Pooled data from RCTs also suggest vertebroplasty to be safe. This article provides a concise and critical review of the current literature regarding vertebroplasty for the treatment of acute VCFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]