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PurposeTo develop a consensus opinion regarding capturing diagnosis-timing in coded hospital data.MethodsAs part of the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases-11th Revision initiative, the Quality and Safety Topic Advisory Group is charged with enhancing the capture of quality and patient safety information in morbidity data sets. One such feature is a diagnosis-timing flag. The Group has undertaken a narrative literature review, scanned national experiences focusing on countries currently using timing flags, and held a series of meetings to derive formal recommendations regarding diagnosis-timing reporting.ResultsThe completeness of diagnosis-timing reporting continues to improve with experience and use; studies indicate that it enhances risk-adjustment and may have a substantial impact on hospital performance estimates, especially for conditions/procedures that involve acutely ill patients. However, studies suggest that its reliability varies, is better for surgical than medical patients (kappa in hip fracture patients of 0.7-1.0 versus kappa in pneumonia of 0.2-0.6) and is dependent on coder training and setting. It may allow simpler and more precise specification of quality indicators.ConclusionsAs the evidence indicates that a diagnosis-timing flag improves the ability of routinely collected, coded hospital data to support outcomes research and the development of quality and safety indicators, the Group recommends that a classification of 'arising after admission' (yes/no), with permitted designations of 'unknown or clinically undetermined', will facilitate coding while providing flexibility when there is uncertainty. Clear coding standards and guidelines with ongoing coder education will be necessary to ensure reliability of the diagnosis-timing flag.

Hospital-based medical records are abstracted to create International Classification of Disease (ICD) coded discharge health data in many countries. The 'main condition' is not defined in a consistent manner internationally. Some countries employ a 'reason for admission' rule as the basis for the main condition, while other countries employ a 'resource use' rule. A few countries have recently transitioned from one of these approaches to the other. The definition of 'main condition' in such ICD data matters when it is used to define a disease cohort to assign diagnosis-related groups and to perform risk adjustment. We propose a method of harmonizing the international definition to enable researchers and international organizations using ICD-coded health data to aggregate or compare hospital care and outcomes across countries in a consistent manner. Inter-observer reliability of alternative harmonization approaches should be evaluated before finalizing the definition and adopting it worldwide.

Aimee J Sarti,1 Stephanie Sutherland,1 Angele Landriault,2 Kirk DesRosier,2 Susan Brien,2 Pierre Cardinal1 1Department of Critical Care, The Ottawa Hospital, 2The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada Introduction: Evaluation capacity building (ECB) is a topic of great interest to many organizations as they face increasing demands for accountability and evidence-based practices. ECB is about building the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of organizational members, the sustainability of rigorous evaluative practices, and providing the resources and motivations to engage in ongoing evaluative work. There exists a solid foundation of theoretical research on ECB, however, understanding what ECB looks like in practice is relatively thin. Our purpose was to investigate what ECB looks like firsthand within a national medical educational organization. Methods: The context for this study was the Acute Critical Events Simulation (ACES) organization in Canada, which has successfully evolved into a national educational program, driven by physicians. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study to better understand and describe ECB in practice. In doing so, interviews were conducted with program leaders and instructors so as to gain a richer understanding of evaluative processes and practices. Results: A total of 21 individuals participated in the semistructured interviews. Themes from our qualitative data analysis included the following: evaluation knowledge, skills, and attitudes, use of evaluation findings, shared evaluation beliefs and commitment, evaluation frameworks and processes, and resources dedicated to evaluation. Conclusion: The national ACES organization was a useful case study to explore ECB in practice. The ECB literature provided a solid foundation to understand the purpose and nuances of ECB. This study added to the paucity of studies focused on examining ECB in practice. The most important lesson learned was that the organization must have leadership who are intrinsically motivated to employ and use evaluation data to drive ongoing improvements within the organization. Leaders who are intrinsically motivated will employ risk taking when evaluation practices and processes may be somewhat unfamiliar. Creating and maintaining a culture of data use and ongoing inquiry have enabled national ACES to achieve a sustainable evaluation practice. Keywords: evaluation capacity building, data use, program evaluation, quality improvement, leadership

Las imágenes tienen un rol fundamental en la oncología actual, que incluye el diagnóstico, etapificación, evaluación de respuesta al tratamiento y diagnóstico de complicaciones. El examen de mayor importancia en estos pacientes es la Tomografía Computada, que tiene un alto rendimiento y resolución espacial, es rápida y disponible en los distintos centros. Otros exámenes son de ayuda complementaria como el Ultrasonido y la Resonancia Magnética. Los estudios metabólicos, y especialmente los de tipo híbrido como el PET/CT, han mejorado la sensibilidad y especificidad en el estudio de diversas neoplasias, tanto en la etapificación, como en el control de tratamiento y seguimiento. En el futuro, con nuevas técnicas, podremos diagnosticar cánceres en una etapa muy precoz, incluso antes de que se manifiesten clínicamente.

La cirugía bariátrica se ha desarrollado considerablemente en el último tiempo como consecuencia del aumento progresivo de la obesidad a nivel mundial. La gastrectomía en manga laparoscó-pica es una técnica restrictiva nueva, con resultados iniciales prometedores. Las imágenes juegan un rol importante en la evaluación postoperatoria por lo que es imprescindible conocer los cambios anatómicos normales y las principales complicaciones de esta técnica. En este trabajo revisamos el rol de la tomografía computada de abdomen en el estudio de posibles complicaciones.Bariatric surgery has developed considerably over recent years due to the progressive increase in obesity worldwide. The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a new restrictive technique, with promising initial outcomes. CT images play an important role in postoperative evaluation as well as in complication management in patients undergoing this surgical technique. Here we review the role of abdominal computed tomography in the study of potential complications.

Los tumores de intestino delgado (ID) son raros, representando aproximadamente 3-6% de las neoplasias del tubo digestivo. La E-TC es una técnica que combina las ventajas de la enteroclisis con las de la TC multicorte, con el potencial de demostrar alteraciones intraluminales, murales y extraintesti-nales. El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue evaluar el potencial diagnóstico de la E-TC en la detección de tumores de ID. En nuestra institución se realizaron 600 E-TC desde Enero del 2005 a Mayo del 2008. Un total de 22 pacientes (3,6 %) presentaron hallazgos tomográficos compatibles con tumores de ID, todos confirmados histológicamente. Los tumores encontrados en esta serie fueron; adenocarcinoma (n:4), linfoma (n:3), tumor carcinoide (n:3), tumor estromal gastrointestinal benigno (n:2), pólipos hamartomatosos (n: 2) y compromiso neoplásico secundario (n:8). Esta serie corrobora el valor de la E-TC como técnica de imagen de elección en la detección de tumores de ID, con la posibilidad de etapificación en el mismo procedimiento.Small bowel neoplasms are rare, accounting for approximately 3-6% of all priman/ malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. MDCT-E is an imaging modality that combines the advantages of enteroclysis and helical CT, allowing the detection of small bowel diseases wherever they are located (intraluminal, intramural, or extramural). The aim of our study was to assess the reliability of MDCT-E in the detection of small bowel neoplasms. In our institution, MDCT-E was used to study 600 patients admitted for suspicion of small bowel diseases, between January2005 and May 2008. A total of 22 (3, 6 %) small bowel neoplasms were identified, all confirmed by histological examination. The neoplasms found in this series were adenocarci-noma (n: 4), lymphoma (n: 3), carcinoid tumor (n: 3), benign GIST (n: 2), benign hamartomatous polyps (n: 2) and secondary small bowel tumors (n: 8). MDCT-E appears to be a reliable method in the detection of small bowel neoplasms, allowing tumor staging tobe determined during the same procedure.

Las lesiones traumáticas del diafragma son consecuencia conocida de un trauma grave, gene-ralmente de tipo contuso. Su incidencia ha aumentado debido al crecimiento en número y severidad de los accidentes, en especial del tránsito. Su diagnóstico continúa siendo un desafío para cirujanos y radiólogos, diagnosticándose tardíamente hasta en más de la mitad de los casos, dejando una hernia diafragmática latente, que puede manifestarse con síntomas que varían desde inespecíficos hasta la estrangulación de un asa intestinal. Se presenta el caso de un paciente con obstrucción intestinal de colon secundaria a una hernia diafragmática traumática atascada, con historia de un traumatismo penetrante toracoabdominal ocurrido siete años antes. Se revisan los métodos y signos radiológicos de mayor utilidad para el diagnóstico de esta patologíaTraumatic injuries of the diaphragm are a known consequence of severe trauma, usually of the blunt type. Its incidence is increasing due to the rise in number and severity of accidents, especially car accidents. Diagnosing a traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is still a challenge for both radiologists and surgeons, with a delayed diagnosis in more than half of cases, with the consequent development of latent hernia. This hernia may manifest with symptoms varying from unspecific to bowel strangulation. We present the case of a patient with colonic obstruction secondary to a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia, with previous history of a penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma seven years before. Radiologic methods and signs for the diagnosis of this pathology are reviewed

El fenómeno de invaginación en el adulto es un evento poco frecuente, con una amplia variedad de presentación, que va desde síntomas agudos de obstrucción intestinal, hasta síntomas abdominales crónicos inespecíficos. Puede ocurrir tanto en intestino delgado como colon, siendo frecuente encontrar lesiones orgánicas subyacentes, en su mayoría procesos neoplásicos, tanto benignos como malignos Estos últimos son la etiología principal de invaginaciones en intestino grueso. El diagnóstico se puede realizar de forma confiable con el uso de tomografía computada al identificarse características imagenológicas particulares a esta patología. Reportamos dos casos en pacientes que se presentan con síntomas de obstrucción intestinal, con lesiones subyacentes en ambos casos, un lipoma y una neoplasia malignaIntussusception is an uncommon event in adults, with different clinical presentations, which range from bowel obstruction symptoms to nonspecific abdominal pain. Can occur in the small or large bowel. In adults there is usually an underlying cause, usually benign or malignant neoplasms, being the latter the main cause of this disease in the colon. The diagnosis with CT is usually straightforward, with a very typical appearance. We report two cases of patients with bowel obstruction and diagnosis of intussusception caused by a lipoma and colon cancer respectively

Las anomalías uracales son poco frecuentes especialmente en adultos, sin embargo, su forma de manifestarse debe conocerse. Presentamos dos casos de anomalías uracales complicadas: un divertículo y un quiste uracal. Se discuten las características embriológicas, ana-tómicas y complicacionesUrachal anomalies are infrequent, especially in adult patients, nevertheless their presentation must be well known. We present two cases with complicated urachal anomalies: a vesicourachal diverticulum and a urachal cyst. We will discuss their embriologic and anatomic characteristics, as well as their complications