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Background: First described in 1991, endovascular treatment is a simplified method for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). The enthusiasm created by few complications and early mobilisation was replaced by scepticism because of the high frequency of secondary complications such as endoleak, stenosis, graft migration, aneurysm enlargement and late rupture. Though the method still is considered experimental, thousands of grafts are inserted every year., Material and Methods: From 1998, 53 patients underwent EVAR electively at our institution, 17 of whom were for medical reasons considered inoperable in open surgery. They were followed up with CT scans, which together with angiograms were evaluated retrospectively. Co-morbidity and complications were registered. Follow up was at 26 (4-50) months for 49 patients., Results: Two patients died. There were two other complications in addition to two superficial wound infections. There were no surgical conversions. 18 patients had 25 secondary interventions. Cumulative intervention rate was 25% after 12 months, 28% after 24 months and 53% after 36 months. Four stenoses were seen the first 6 months. 19 patients had an endoleak (1 had type I after 24 months, 6 had type II endoleak, 5 had type III endoleak of which two appeared after 3 years). Graft migration was observed in 9 patients (5 at 3 years control). Two ruptures were corrected with endovascular technique. Survival and interventions were equal among inoperable and operable patients., Interpretation: Few early complications are overshadowed by the frequent and unpredictable late complications after EVAR; patients have to be followed up for years. For patients unfit for open surgery this is, however, an optional treatment if intervention is otherwise indicated.

Background: Screening with mammography is a proven method of detecting breast cancer at an early stage. In 1994, the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Social Services decided to initiate a trial with mammography screening in four counties before deciding whether to launch a national breast screening programme. Four counties were selected: Akershus, Oslo, Hordaland and Rogaland., Material and Methods: A detailed plan along with important determinants to evaluate the quality of the trial were agreed upon. The main-purpose was to find practical and administrative screening approaches which would result in a 30% reduction in mortality. Rogaland was the first county to start, in November 1995. The first screening round was completed in December 1997. We present the results from Rogaland and compare our results with the preset targets, and also with the results from the other three counties. A total number of 31,069 women aged 50-69 years were invited to participate., Results: The attendance rate was 88.6%. A total of 6.7% were referred for additional examinations; 4.9% were reexamined due to mammographic findings, the remaining 1.8% for technical or clinical reasons. The detection rate in our study was 8.4 cancers per 1,000 screened women. Of these, 6.1 were invasive cancer and 2.3 in situ cancer. 70.0% of the tumours were < or = 15 mm in diameter. In 82.1% there was no histologic evidence of axillary metastases. INTEPRETATION: We conclude that our diagnostic results from the first round of mammographic screening meet the quality target and are noticeably higher than those obtained by the other three counties. Based upon these results, we conclude that a reduction in mortality of 30% should be attainable.

In this follow-up study 76 inpatient alcoholics who had stayed at a Treatment Centre for Alcoholism for at least 12 weeks were invited to participate. Five had died, seven were not found, and the remaining 64 were interviewed nine to 30 months after discharge. Laboratory tests for liver functioning were also obtained. Only one reported total abstinence, but 30 clients (47%) reported less drinking. Most of them had a better social and economic situation than before the period of treatment.