United States

Abstract Title: Determining Best Treatments for Pediatric Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction

Introduction and objectives
Bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD) describes a spectrum of symptoms including urinary and stool incontinence, urgency, frequency, painful urination, and constipation that accounts for over 40% of all pediatric urology clinic visits. Children with BBD may also suffer from recurrent UTIs, which can cause renal scarring and reduced kidney function. In addition to the urinary and gastrointestinal issues, BBD has a profound impact on a child’s mental health, self-esteem, and social development. Given the impact of these issues, it is important not only to properly diagnose BBD, but provide an effective treatment plan. Unfortunately, no defined criteria currently exist as to which therapies should be used by clinicians despite the wide range of treatment options including: urotherapy (timed voiding schedule), stool softeners, anticholinergics, desmopressin, electrical stimulation, surgical interventions, and pelvic floor physical therapy.

Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed to analyze questionnaire and treatment data from patients who presented to our pediatric urology clinic for evaluation and treatment of BBD within the last 5 years. Results from a BBD questionnaire were recorded at each clinic visit as well as the treatment each patient received. A self-administered 5-point Likert scale was used to assess the severity of each patient&#39;s BBD symptoms and the results were compared from the patient’s first to final visit. The questionnaire classified BBD symptom severity and frequency into eight subscales. The mean change in each subscale demonstrated the efficacy of each intervention studied. 

Results
Data from 300 patients was reviewed and included in the study. The average patient age was 6.1 years and included 89 males (30%) and 211 females (70%). Stool softeners demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the subscales of regularity of bowel movements, decreased stool accidents, and decreased pain and straining associated with bowel movements. Urotherapy significantly reduced daytime urinary incontinence. Stool softeners and anticholinergics each independently reduced urinary holding and straining. The limitations of the study were the concurrent interventions and subjective nature of the questionnaire data.

Conclusion
In addition to effectively managing constipation symptoms, stool softeners reduced daytime urinary incontinence and improved urinary holding and straining, underscoring the efficacy of stool softeners across multiple domains of BBD and highlighting the interplay between bowel and bladder function. Finally, our study demonstrated that the behavioral intervention of urotherapy was more effective than the medical management of daytime urinary incontinence in pediatric BBD.

AMA Research Challenge 2024 

Determining Best Treatments for Pediatric Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction

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AMA Research Challenge 2025 

Join the AMA Research Challenge poster symposium and semifinals to explore top research posters and score posters in the semifinals (an AMA member exclusive opportunity).

Abstract Title: Determining Best Treatments for Pediatric Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction

Introduction and objectives
Bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD) describes a spectrum of symptoms including urinary and stool incontinence, urgency, frequency, painful urination, and constipation that accounts for over 40% of all pediatric urology clinic visits. Children with BBD may also suffer from recurrent UTIs, which can cause renal scarring and reduced kidney function. In addition to the urinary and gastrointestinal issues, BBD has a profound impact on a child’s mental health, self-esteem, and social development. Given the impact of these issues, it is important not only to properly diagnose BBD, but provide an effective treatment plan. Unfortunately, no defined criteria currently exist as to which therapies should be used by clinicians despite the wide range of treatment options including: urotherapy (timed voiding schedule), stool softeners, anticholinergics, desmopressin, electrical stimulation, surgical interventions, and pelvic floor physical therapy.

Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed to analyze questionnaire and treatment data from patients who presented to our pediatric urology clinic for evaluation and treatment of BBD within the last 5 years. Results from a BBD questionnaire were recorded at each clinic visit as well as the treatment each patient received. A self-administered 5-point Likert scale was used to assess the severity of each patient's BBD symptoms and the results were compared from the patient’s first to final visit. The questionnaire classified BBD symptom severity and frequency into eight subscales. The mean change in each subscale demonstrated the efficacy of each intervention studied. 

Results
Data from 300 patients was reviewed and included in the study. The average patient age was 6.1 years and included 89 males (30%) and 211 females (70%). Stool softeners demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the subscales of regularity of bowel movements, decreased stool accidents, and decreased pain and straining associated with bowel movements. Urotherapy significantly reduced daytime urinary incontinence. Stool softeners and anticholinergics each independently reduced urinary holding and straining. The limitations of the study were the concurrent interventions and subjective nature of the questionnaire data.

Conclusion
In addition to effectively managing constipation symptoms, stool softeners reduced daytime urinary incontinence and improved urinary holding and straining, underscoring the efficacy of stool softeners across multiple domains of BBD and highlighting the interplay between bowel and bladder function. Finally, our study demonstrated that the behavioral intervention of urotherapy was more effective than the medical management of daytime urinary incontinence in pediatric BBD.

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Background 
The exponential growth of biomedical literature, especially in urology, with 1.3M new citations added to MEDLINE in 2023, makes it difficult for clinicians to stay updated and conduct literature reviews and meta-analyses. Artificial intelligence, specifically through a technique called sentiment analysis, can help by facilitating the rapid extraction and summarization of insights from study data. Sentiment analysis uses large language models (such as GPT-4) to classify texts based on sentiment (i.e. tone expressed). This study tests GPT-4 in conducting sentiment analysis of literature about a common urology topic — the utilization of radiotherapy versus prostatectomy as treatment for localized prostate cancer — by comparing GPT-classified sentiments of studies to human-classified sentiments. 

Methods 
A PubMed literature search using MeSH keywords for prostate cancer, prostatectomy, and radiotherapy, yielded 29 relevant studies. Abstracts were reviewed by the research team, with members independently assigning a sentiment of prostatectomy-preferred, radiotherapy-preferred, or neutral. 
GPT-4 was then provided three abstracts that were human-classified as prostatectomy-preferred, radiotherapy-preferred, and neutral. This provided GPT-4 a baseline for sentiment classification. The model subsequently classified the remaining 26 abstracts by sentiment. It was prompted five separate times to ensure consistency. 
GPT-4 sentiment classification results were compared to human-classified sentiments (reference, gold standard answers) through accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score metrics to gauge model performance. 

Results 
GPT-4 had 80.8% (21/26) accuracy in classifying sentiments compared to manual, human classified sentiments, correctly categorizing 3 radiotherapy-preferred, 7 prostatectomy-preferred, and 11 neutral abstracts. GPT-4 had 76.5% recall, 82.8% precision, and an F1 score of 79.5% (F1 scores range between 0-1, with 75% being an approximate cutoff for “good”). 

Conclusion 
GPT-4 is capable of fairly accurate (80.8%) sentiment analysis, even for specialized domains like urology. Its mistakes were limited to differentiating between neutral and polarized (radiotherapy-preferred or prostatectomy-preferred) sentiments. Mis-categorization of neutrality can be due to lack of specific words deemed neutral, as opposed to positive and negative. Thus, GPT-4 has promise to rapidly parse through large numbers of studies and capture overall sentiment, which may be useful for clinicians. 


Leveraging AI in urologic literature: GPT-4 for sentiment analysis on the utilization of radiotherapy versus prostatectomy in prostate cancer as an upfront treatment

Background: Patients may seek gender-affirming orchiectomy and scrotectomy (GAOS) to alleviate dysphoria related to the scrotum and testes, while allowing for penetrative intercourse, if desired. However, techniques and outcomes of scrotectomy in this specific setting have not been described to date. Here we discuss our initial experience with GAOS as an option for patients who do not necessarily desire other gender-affirming genital surgeries.

Methods: All patients who had undergone GAOS procedures from 2021 to 2022 at our institution were reviewed. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) criteria for surgical treatment were met for all patients preoperatively. In addition, patients were counseled on the irreversibility of the procedure and its implications, including sterility and the impact on future surgical options such as vaginoplasty. Patients were offered a choice of two approaches depending on their surgical goals: excision of a majority of scrotal tissue and primary closure of the perineal wound, or excision of all rugated skin with mons and groin (Y-flap) advancement. Preoperative demographic data, baseline sexual function, intraoperative findings, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) derived from the PROMIS ® Sexual Function questionnaires were sent to all patients postoperatively and collected.

Results: Five patients underwent GAOS during the study period. Median age was 29 years and median preoperative duration on hormones was 16 months. All patients reported dysphoria related to the scrotum and testes, and wished to preserve the phallus. Three of the five patients elected for primary closure, while two desired Y-flap perineoplasty. Median operative time was 152 min and median resected scrotal area was 96 cm2; all patients were discharged home the same day. At median follow up of 97 days, all patients reported satisfaction with the surgical outcome. One patient who had Y-flap experienced wound dehiscence requiring operative revision. Three of five patients completed detailed questionnaires regarding resolution of dysphoria and preservation of sexual function. All patients who experienced postoperative complications reported being sexually active with the ability to achieve erection and orgasm within the last thirty days of the survey collection, and no change to their libido. Further patient follow-up is being collected.

Conclusion: GAOS is a well tolerated procedure that can reasonably address dysphoria related to the scrotum and testes. Further and longer-term study of this emerging procedure is warranted.

Scrotectomy as Genital Gender-Affirming Surgery: Novel Surgical Technique and Patient-Reported Outcomes

Objective: 
Varicocele thrombosis has historically been described as a rare phenomenon, and little is known about how COVID-19 and its thrombophilic effects manifest in the male reproductive tract. The purpose of this study is to examine the risk of thrombosis in varicocele patients with or without documented COVID-19 infection.

Design: 
This is a retrospective cohort study composed of patients from a large tertiary care institution. 

Subjects: 
The study cohort was composed of patients with a clinical or radiographic diagnosis of varicocele between 2013-2022. 

Exposure: 
The exposure of interest in this study was documented COVID-19 infection status.

Main Outcome Measures:
Patient data was collected including COVID-19 infection status, age, and BMI via retrospective chart review of the electronic medical record. Pampiniform plexus thrombosis was diagnosed by a staff radiologist and noted within scrotal ultrasonography reports. Scrotal ultrasound reports were analyzed by independent reviewers for diagnosis of varicocele thrombosis. Standard statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared and t-tests in addition to multivariate regression analysis. 

Results:
We identified 110 cases of varicocele thrombosis amongst 1,999 diagnoses of varicocele, representing at least a 5.5% overall incidence rate. There was a strong association between history of COVID-19 infection and varicocele thrombosis (p=<0.001). There was also a significant increase in thrombosis incidence in 2020, consistent with epidemiological data regarding acute COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated reproductive-aged males. 

Conclusion:
Our data suggests that in contrast to prior reports, varicocele thrombosis is a relatively common phenomenon and is present in up to 5.5% of men with varicocele. COVID-19 is a strong risk factor for the development of thrombosis, and more work is necessary to reveal the effect of this phenomenon on long-term testicular function in patients with varicocele. This diagnosis should be considered in men with subacute scrotal pain out of proportion of traditional varicocele discomfort, particularly if a recent COVID-19 infection is suspected or confirmed.

Varicocele Thrombosis is Surprisingly Common and is Strongly Linked to COVID-19 Infection

Introduction:
A commonly used treatment for bipolar disorder is lithium which can cause numerous adverse events due to its low therapeutic index. Though, the literature poorly documents the association between lithium and skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders. To form targeted monitoring and management strategies understanding the distribution and trends of these adverse events in patients using lithium is crucial. The study aims to comprehensively analyze the association between lithium usage and the occurrence of skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders by utilizing data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). 

Methods:
A comprehensive search was performed on FAERS for skin and subcutaneous tissue disorder
adverse events due to lithium usage reported from 1973 to 2024. Adverse events were categorized by sex, age group, reporter region, and reporter type. To provide a comprehensive overview of the distribution and trends of these adverse events descriptive statistics and trend analysis were employed. 

Results:
A total of 782 cases of skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders were associated with lithium usage. The distribution by sex revealed a higher number of cases in females (412) compared to males (305), with a smaller proportion of cases in unspecified categories (65). Age group analysis demonstrated that most cases (484) occurred in the 18-64 age group, with a notable concentration in adults. Geographically, the cases were nearly evenly distributed between domestic (384) and foreign (396) reports. Reporter-type analysis indicated that healthcare professionals reported most cases (499), followed by consumers (229) and a small number of unspecified sources (54).

Conclusion:
The findings of this study highlight that skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders associated with lithium usage are more frequently reported in females and adults aged 18-64 years, with healthcare professionals being the primary reporters of these adverse events. These results underscore the importance of targeted monitoring and management strategies for patients on lithium therapy, mainly focusing on demographic groups at higher risk. Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and develop preventive measures for these adverse events.

Association Between Lithium Usage and Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Analysis of FAERS Data

Abstract Title: Association of invasive bacterial infections and under-vaccinated status in well-appearing pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with fever. 

Background: Fever accounts for up to 40% of visits to the pediatric emergency department (ED). While fever can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, those developing invasive bacterial infections (IBI) are at increased risk for life-threatening complications. Thus, evaluating a patient’s risk factors—including assessment of vaccination status—for developing IBI is an essential step. For example, invasive illness from Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) was the leading cause of childhood bacterial meningitis prior to the advent of the vaccine, with around 200,000 cases occurring yearly. Over the decade following the vaccine introduction, the prevalence of invasive disease from bacteria, such as Hib, had been almost eradicated. This study aims to determine the association between vaccination status and IBI in well-appearing pediatric patients presenting to the ED with a chief complaint of fever. 

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted between 2019-2023, at a single, urban tertiary care pediatric emergency department. Patients were included if their age was between 61 days and 18 years old presenting with a chief complaint of fever. Patients were excluded if they received antibiotics within 3 days or underwent surgery within 2 weeks of presentation. IBI was defined as bacteremia, bacterial meningitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, deep neck space infection, mastoiditis, or orbital cellulitis. Prevalence of IBI was described and compared by presence of age group, chronic medical condition, gender, and vaccination status. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between IBIs and vaccination status. 

Results: 2,623 patients were screened, and 1249 patients were included. Amongst patients who were included, the prevalence of IBI in the study was 11.9%. Of the 80 under-immunized patients, nine (11.25%) developed an IBI. One hundred and forty (12%) of the 1,169 fully immunized patients developed an IBI. The odds ratio is 1.07 (95%CI 0.52-2.20). 

Conclusion: In conclusion, the preliminary data does not show a significant difference in risk of IBI in patients who are under-immunized versus those who are fully immunized. Thus, clinicians should exercise caution using vaccination status alone to determine risk of IBI in well-appearing febrile pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department. However, low rates of IBI and under-vaccinated status as well as herd immunity in our population may indicate sample bias. Our future research aims to increase the sample size to further investigate this concept.

Association of Invasive Bacterial Infections and Under-Vaccinated Status in Well-Appearing Pediatric Patients

Background
Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a well-known bacterium that colonizes the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is most recognized for causing antibiotic-resistant bacteremia, pneumonia, intra-abdominal infections, and endocarditis. Overgrowth in the gut and translocation to the bloodstream through the intestinal epithelium is the widely accepted mechanism for developing E. faecalis bacteremia, although the mechanisms of invasion, survival, and virulence continue to be investigated.

Case Presentation
A 37-year-old man with a past medical history of acute monocytic leukemia (AML),
hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus presented to the hospital with worsening chills, diffuse muscle aches, increased drainage from mouth sores, subjective fevers, and increasing fatigue six days after completing a 7+3 chemotherapy regimen with daunorubicin/cytarabine. The patient had gingivostomatitis predating his official AML diagnosis. Febrile neutropenia was suspected due to the patient's symptoms and pancytopenia with prolonged and profound neutropenia. Blood cultures from admission grew E. faecalis repeat blood cultures were negative, and no aerobic bacteria were visualized. Respiratory cultures, Legionella antigen, rapid influenza A and B, and COVID-19 PCR tests were all negative. The patient was initially
empirically treated with cefepime, then switched to piperacillin/tazobactam. When
susceptibilities from the initial blood culture showed that E. faecalis was pan-sensitive, the patient was discharged on an oral regimen of amoxicillin for 14 days. Repeat blood cultures were negative within 48 hours of discharge. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed no evidence of vegetations, and there was low suspicion for infective endocarditis.

Discussion
There have been few documented cases of E. faecalis associated with underlying colorectal malignancies and the development of infective endocarditis. However, there are no documented cases where E. faecalis was identified in the bloodstream and treated before complications (e.g., infective endocarditis) developed. The scarcely documented cases of pan-sensitive E. faecalis make this case unique. The translocation of E. faecalis from the GI tract to the bloodstream is possibly more likely during induction chemotherapy with daunorubicin and cytarabine, which damage the gastrointestinal epithelium and cause painful oral mucositis and diarrhea. In combination with the neutropenia induced by this treatment, it is very likely that this patient’s AML chemotherapy regimen led to his E. faecalis infection. The feasibility of gut-protective measures during intensive chemotherapy induction to reduce translocation of gastrointestinal infections is an area needing further investigation. The patient’s rapid recovery from this infection and its pan-susceptibility is unusual and resulted in an excellent outcome.

Blood Stream Invasion: Enterococcus Faecalis Takes a Wild Gut Trip in a Neutropenic
Environment

Introduction: 
Aortic calcification is a significant pathological process associated with various cardiovascular diseases. While the sympathetic nervous system's influence on bone remodeling via β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-ARs) is well-established, its impact on vascular calcification remains relatively unexplored. Previous research suggests β2-ARs play a critical role in regulating valve calcification but have yet to be studied in aortic calcification. Thus, we aim to characterize the expression patterns of both β1-ARs and β2-ARs to elucidate the downstream signaling mediators in human aortic tissue and determine the effects of selective β2-AR agonists on aortic smooth muscle cell phenotype and function. 

Methods: 
Calcified and non-calcified abdominal aortic wall segments from 6 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were collected during elective open aortic repair at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL). Samples were fixed, decalcified, and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 μm thickness were used for immunostaining of alpha-smooth muscle actin, β1-AR, and β2-AR. Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAoSMC) were cultured in osteogenic media and treated with one of the following β-AR agonists (1 - 100 μmol/L): salmeterol, isoproterenol, norepinephrine, or an antagonist (0.3 – 30 μmol/L): ICI-118,551 or CGP-20712A. Cells were fixed for immunocytochemical staining of osteogenic markers (osteocalcin, osteopontin, and Runx2) and β-ARs. HAoSMCs were treated with salmeterol (1 μmol/L, β2-AR agonist) in the presence of either growth media or osteogenic media for up to 14 days. Metabolic and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were measured with resazurin (n=8) and ALP assays (n=3), respectively, on days 7 and 14. 

Results: 
Samples of abdominal aortic wall segments show differential expression of β2-adrenergic receptors between patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. Culturing human aortic smooth muscle cells (hAoSMCs) in osteogenic (OST) media for 21 days successfully induced an osteogenic phenotype as evidenced by increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity over time. Delivery of β2 agonist salmeterol to human aortic smooth muscle cells cultured in both growth media and osteogenic media showed no significant difference in metabolic activities after 21 days. Osteogenic cells treated with salmeterol demonstrate less alkaline phosphatase activity at day 21. Osteogenic differentiation of human aortic smooth muscle cells downregulates β2-adrenergic receptor expression. Stimulation of osteogenic smooth muscle cells with a β2 agonist, salmeterol, further downregulates receptor expression. Osteopontin expression decreased in osteogenic human aortic smooth muscle cells treated with salmeterol.

Conclusions: 
We observed a differential expression of β2-ARs across sections of human calcified aortas, suggesting a role of these receptors in areas subjected to different calcific stresses. In vitro experiments also demonstrated an impact on the calcification process. Further in vitro experiments with HAoSMCs treated with β-AR agonists and antagonists will help to elucidate the influence of β-adrenergic signaling on vascular calcification pathways. 


Characterization of Beta-Adrenergic Receptors in Human Aortic Abdominal
Aneurysm Tissue and Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells

Background
Longitudinal symptoms monitoring is challenging, which hinders supportive care delivery, quality improvement, and research efforts. Over half of oncology patients’ emergency department visits are preventable, many caused by symptom exacerbations. Patient conversations contain valuable information about symptoms, but this data is not well-captured in medical documentation. The combination of Large Language Models (LLMs) and ambient audio recording technology could enable robust monitoring of patient symptoms from clinical conversations, surpassing traditional NLP techniques. While there are various benchmarks to assess LLMs in medical question answering, there is a lack of standardized benchmarks to evaluate their performance in real-world symptom detection use cases. This study aims to test the performance of four LLMs to capture symptoms discussed in transcribed conversations from standardized clinical encounters.
Methods 
This study demonstrates a novel methodology for evaluating LLMs on their ability to extract symptoms from published simulated patient conversations. We created a gold standard, double-coded transcript dataset (n=264) annotated for 16 specific symptoms plus a catch-all ‘other’ category. Four models (GPT 3.5 turbo, GPT-4, GPT-4 turbo, and GPT-4o) were assessed on the quality of their zero-shot symptom extractions. Models were evaluated for task performance (precision, recall, accuracy, F1 score). Statistical significance was calculated using Cochran's Q, followed by pairwise post hoc McNemar tests with a Bonferroni correction. 
Results 
3,085 transcript excerpts were annotated for presence or absence of symptoms. 2,087 excerpts contained symptoms which were further annotated for 16 symptoms of interest. The three most common symptoms were pain, cough, and shortness of breath. GPT-4 showed the highest overall performance for symptom talk detection F1=0.94 (p<0.05). Detection of the three most common symptoms achieved F1 scores ranging from 0.74 to 0.89 across models. 
Conclusion
We developed a patient transcript benchmarking dataset for symptoms and demonstrated LLM evaluation using this dataset. This study highlights the effectiveness of GPT-4 in symptom detection, showing the best overall performance among the four evaluated models (p<0.05). The high F1 scores achieved for detecting the three most common symptoms (pain, cough, and shortness of breath) across models support the potential of LLMs in clinical NLP tasks. As LLM- based data extraction is institution-agnostic, these models may provide a more generalizable and transferable approach to challenging NLP tasks in healthcare. Future research includes exploring benchmarking on real patient data and practical considerations of implementing LLM-augmented symptom tracking into current workflows. 




Development of a Benchmarking Dataset for Symptom Detection Using Large Language Models

Efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Headache Frequency and Intensity in Patients with Tension-Type Headaches: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Fadia Barakzai, Arwa Khadr, Heba Farhan 

Introduction: Tension-Type Headache (TTH) is one of the most common types of headache with a prevalence of 38.2%.1 TTH is defined as the presence of a pressing and bilateral sensation with mild to moderate pain intensity.2 The pain is in a band-like fashion from the forehead to the occiput.3 Age of onset for TTH is between 20-23 years old and common triggers include sleep disturbances and stress.3 TTH lasts for about 30 minutes to 24 hours and does not typically accompany photophobia, or aura.3 TTH is commonly self-treated with over the counter medication such as NSAIDs, and analgesics.3,4 Overuse of NSAIDs have been shown to have many side effects such as, acute kidney injury (AKI) and upper gastrointestinal peptic ulcer disease and bleeding.5,6 Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) have shown to improve headaches by correcting the somatic dysfunction through releasing myofascial and structural restrictions and improving lymphatic flow.7
Objective: to assess the efficacy of OMT versus control in the treatment of TTH for reducing headache frequency and intensity.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted utilizing the PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Figure.1).8 Electronic search was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science. Relevant articles published from inception until June 10, 2024, were searched using a combination of keywords and medical subject heading (MeSH) terms, including “tension headache”, “frequency”, “intensity”, and “OMT”. Mean and standard deviation were extracted to perform a random-effects meta-analysis using SPSS. Primary outcomes included headache frequency and intensity. Secondary outcomes included quality of life, and over the counter medication use. Inclusion criteria were RCTs comparing OMT to control for the treatment of TTH. Articles that did not involve OMT or the relevant headache type were excluded. Non-randomized trials and duplicate studies were also excluded.

Results: The number of days with headache per month decreased by 6.2 (2.4) [mean (SD)] days in the OMT group compared to 2.8 (0.7) days in the control group, (p= 0.01). The mean difference in frequency reduction was 4.2 days (95% CI = 3.1 to 5.3, p < 0.001). There was no difference in headache intensity between OMT and control groups. The mean difference in headache intensity reduction was 0.6 points (95% CI = -0.3 to 1.4, p = 0.10). A reduction in medication use was observed in the OMT group compared to control (MD = -1.88, 95% CI = -1.93 to -1.11, p = .001). Patients receiving OMT reported improved quality of life scores (MD = 1.81, 95% CI = 0.89 to 4.01, p = .02) compared to control.

Discussion: OMT significantly reduced headache frequency although it did not statistically show improvement in headache intensity. The overall decrease in the occurrence of headaches after OMT suggests that OMT is an effective treatment intervention for TTH. OMT for TTH significantly reduced the use of OTC medications which suggest that OMT can be used as a non-pharmacological approach to headache management. This can reduce the dependence on OTC medications for symptom relief and it can reduce the side effects associated with the use of some OTC medications. OMT significantly improved the quality of life for patients with TTH. This suggests that OMT addresses both the physical and psychological aspects of a patient’s life. 

Conclusions: OMT is an effective treatment intervention for TTH. OMT significantly reduced headache frequency, improved quality of life, and reduced over-the-counter medication use in patients suffering from TTH. OMT did not have a significant effect on headache intensity. Additional RCTs are needed to confirm these findings and inform clinical practice. 

References 
1.Cerritelli F, Lacorte E, Ruffini N, Vanacore N. Osteopathy for primary headache patients: a systematic review. J Pain Res. 2017;10:601-611. Published 2017 Mar 14. doi:10.2147/JPR.S130501
2.Ashina S, Mitsikostas DD, Lee MJ, et al. Tension-type headache. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021;7(1):24. Published 2021 Mar 25. doi:10.1038/s41572-021-00257-2
3. Onan D, Younis S, Wellsgatnik WD, et al. Debate: differences and similarities between tension-type headache and migraine. J Headache Pain. 2023;24(1):92. Published 2023 Jul 21. doi:10.1186/s10194-023-01614-0
4. Millea PJ, Brodie JJ. Tension-type headache. Am Fam Physician. 2002;66(5):797-804.
5. LaForge JM, Urso K, Day JM, et al. Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Clinical Implications, Renal Impairment Risks, and AKI. Adv Ther. 2023;40(5):2082-2096. doi:10.1007/s12325-023-02481-6
6. Tai FWD, McAlindon ME. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the gastrointestinal tract. Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(2):131-134. doi:10.7861/clinmed.2021-0039
7.Whalen J, Yao S, Leder A. A Short Review of the Treatment of Headaches Using Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2018;22(12):82. Published 2018 Oct 5. doi:10.1007/s11916-018-0736-y
8. Haddaway, N. R., Page, M. J., Pritchard, C. C., & McGuinness, L. A. (2022). PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams, with interactivity for optimised digital transparency and Open Synthesis Campbell Systematic Reviews, 18, e1230. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1230





Efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Headache Frequency and Intensity in Patients with Tension-Type Headaches: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis


INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND: 

The hepatic hilum includes the hepatic arterial supply, portal venous system, and hepatic bile ducts, which all vary in measurements and branching pattern. The complete hepatic vasculature consists of the common hepatic artery (CHA), proper hepatic artery (PHA), right hepatic artery (RHA), left hepatic artery (LHA), cystic artery (CA), and gastroduodenal artery (GDA). The arterial length and diameter have significant implications for liver transplants, liver resections, and hepatobiliary surgeries. In this study, measurements were taken of the entire hepatic arterial vasculature originating from the celiac trunk (CT) to investigate the vessels’ respective diameters and lengths. 

HYPOTHESIS: 

The measurement of variations in the length and diameter of the hepatic vasculature will contribute to existing literature and the associated hepatic clinical implications. 

METHODS: 

Data collection and dissection were performed at Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine. Thirty-six cadaveric samples were dissected at the hilum of the liver along with the surrounding vasculature. The CHA measurement extended from the CT's origin to the bifurcation of the CHA. The PHA was measured beginning at the CHA bifurcation to the point of PHA bifurcation. Measurement of the GDA began at its branch point from the CHA to the Anterior Superior Pancreaticoduodenal Artery. Both the RHA and LHA were measured at the bifurcation origin point to their segmental intrahepatic branching. The CA was measured from its branching point off of the RHA to the termination point on the gallbladder. A vernier caliper was used to measure all vasculatures’ lengths and their respective external diameters. 

RESULTS: 

In thirty-six cadaveric samples, the mean distance between the CT and the CHA was 33.44 mm, with a diameter of 8.88 mm, an increase compared to other studies. The mean length of the PHA was 21.53 mm, with a diameter of 5.98 mm. The LHA measured a mean of 30.39 mm in length and 3.97 mm in diameter, revealing no substantial differences compared to other studies. The RHA had a mean length of 29.65 mm and a mean diameter of 4.76 mm. The GDA averaged 32.33 mm in length and 4.34 mm in diameter. Lastly, the CA had a mean length of 24.01 mm and a diameter of 2.33 mm. 



DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: 

Understanding these measurements and variations in arterial anatomy can provide specific guidance and enhance safety in surgeries such as liver transplants, which are particularly vulnerable to complications like intraoperative bleeding and necrosis. Moreover, knowledge of the expected values of arterial diameter and length can contribute to hemodynamic data, potentially assisting in the early diagnosis of arterial stenosis. Further, small arterial caliber is known to contribute to hepatic artery thrombosis. Our study's findings give insight into the distances and diameters of hepatic vasculature and its tie to hepatic clinical implications.

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