OSCE for evaluating clinical competence still remains limited in France. This study presents the results of the first experimental use of an OSCE as a formative assessment of French general practice trainees. Fifty trainees rotated through a circuit of 15 standardized patient-based OSCE cases. Differences in scores were determined by analysis of variance. Reliability was calculated with the coefficient alpha. Pearson correlations were used to determine the relationship between station scores and overall OSCE score. Written questionnaires based on Likert-type scales were used to measure OSCE feasibility. No difference was found between total session scores. Significant item-total score correlations were found for 12 of the 15 clinical problems. The reliability of the examination was 0.58. Most participants agreed that the clinical situations were realistic, simulated patients were believable and sampling of cases was representative of general practice. These data confirm the feasibility of OSCE in assessing performance of general practice trainees. Optimal training of observers should improve examination reliability. This study warrants further development to confirm its usefulness as a summative assessment tool.
Anatomical variations of the stylohyoid apparatus are frequent. Two types can occur: an elongation of the stylohyoid ligament, from a long styloid process to a complete ossified structure connecting the skull base to the lesser horn of the hyoid bone, or the existence of supernumerary bones in the stylohyoid fibrous matrix, which sometimes resembles phalanges. These variations are in the majority of cases bilateral and symmetrical. The authors report the case of a 43-year-old male patient who presented with an unusual unilateral complete ossification of the stylohyoid apparatus, associated with vertebral and laryngeal calcifications. Original latest generation CT scan and three-dimensional MRI imagery are provided to illustrate this rare case.
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