Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic progressive lung disease characterised by non-reversible airflow obstruction. Exacerbations are a key cause of morbidity and mortality and place a considerable burden on health-care systems. While there is...
Invasive home mechanical ventilation is used for patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency. This elaborate and technology-dependent ventilation is carried out via an artificial airway (tracheal cannula) to the trachea. Exact numbers about the incidence of home...
Total hip replacement (THR) involves the replacement of a damaged hip joint with an artificial hip prosthesis. Resurfacing arthroplasty (RS) involves replacement of the joint surface of the femoral head with a metal surface covering. The objective of this review was...
The future promises many technological advances in the field of heart valve interventions, like tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHV). Prior to introduction in clinical practice, it is essential to perform early health technology assessment. We aim to develop a...
Mid-wheel drive powered wheelchairs (MWDs) have been extremely popular in the American and Canadian markets for the past few years. The drive wheels of this type of chair are positioned in line with or near the centre of gravity of the chair, while the drive wheels of...
Screening mammography, a technique which is 50 years old, aims to advance the diagnosis of breast cancer in order to offer early treatment, thereby improving the chances of cure. The practice of mammography, in constant evolution, varies widely according to the...
Developments in diagnostic radiology have made it possible not only to perform increasingly precise scans and but also to reduce their associated radiation doses. Yet the growing use of these scans in medical practice and the advent of new technologies expose the...
Heart failure is a complex syndrome that arises when the heart is incapable of pumping enough blood to respond to the metabolic needs of the body. Heart failure is often caused by defective contraction and relaxation of the myocardium, accompanied by elevated cardiac...
Aortic valvular stenosis, or narrowing of the valve orifice, is a progressive disease that generally affects patients over the age of 65 years in Western countries and is usually caused by degenerative calcification. Aortic stenosis causes increasing resistance...
In May 1997, the Conseil d’évaluation des technologies de la santé du Québec (CETS) published a report dealing spe- cifically with excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Since then, the ophthalmological applications of the excimer laser have continued to...
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