Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Laurence Boon, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Belgium
- Second opponent: Professor Pär Gerwins, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Mona Elisabeth Rootwelt-Revheim, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor II Pål Andre Holme, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Interventional radiologist, PhD Eric Dorenberg, Oslo University Hospital
Summary
In this thesis, we have assessed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings in patients with vascular malformations. Firstly, we asssessed HRQOL in a large group of patients referred to our center for diagnostic work-up and treatment, and compared the results with HRQOL in a sample of the Norwegian background population. Secondly, we performed a HRQOL observational study which provided data on long-term change of HRQOL in both treated and untreated patients, with an observation time of almost eight years. Thirdly, in the same patient population, we assessed MRI findings with both conventional and dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences.
HRQOL was assessed with the short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. SF-36 scores were significantly lower in the patient cohort than in a sample of the Norwgian background population. Both physical and mental domains of HRQOL were impaired. Furthermore, we observed that malformations affecting muscles and bone were associated with more severe pain and less ability to perform daily activities and work. In the observation study, we found that certain physical aspects of HRQOL improved in long term; the patients had less pain and better ability to perform work and daily activities. The results add knowledge about the degree and type of morbidity that patients with vascular malformations experience, as well as long-term prognostic information. The MRI study provided knowledge about the presence of phleboliths and flow-voids, which are common diagnostic markers for vascular anomalies. Flow-voids were non-specific as a diagnostic marker for vascular malformations. Furthermore, with dynamic contrast enhanced sequences, we found a considerable heterogeneity in flowdynamics of low-flow vascular malformations, and we were able to categorize low-flow malformations based on flow assessment. The clinical impact of this finding should be further studied.
Additional information
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