Octreoscan in patients with bronchial carcinoid tumours

OBJECTIVES: Scintigraphy with radiolabelled octreotide (octreoscan) is useful for imaging various neuroendocrine tumours, especially in patients with midgut carcinoids. We were interested in estimating the efficacy of octreoscan for detection of the primary tumour and metastases in patients with bronchial carcinoids. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with histologically verified bronchial carcinoids underwent octreoscan and the imaging results were compared to CT regarding soft tissue metastases, and to bone scan and MRI regarding bone metastases. The primary tumour had been removed prior to the octreoscan in 12 patients. Metastatic disease was diagnosed in 22 patients. RESULTS: Altogether, 20 patients (71%) had octreoscan-positive tumours, including 2/5 patients with ectopic ACTH secretion resulting in Cushing's syndrome and 8/9 patients with carcinoid syndrome. The primary tumour was octreoscan-positive in 13/16 patients and could be detected on CT in 15/16 patients. CT failed to localize the primary tumour in one octreoscan-positive patient, presenting with ectopic ACTH secretion and Cushing's syndrome. Intrathoracic recurrences/metastases were visualized by octreoscan in 7/9 patients and by CT in 8/9 patients. CT showed liver metastases in 14 patients; nine of these patients (64%) had octreoscan-positive liver metastases. Ten patients had bone metastases; octreoscan was positive in seven and bone scan in nine of these 10. CONCLUSIONS: Octreoscan may be used for follow-up and detection of recurrent disease in patients with somatostatin receptor-positive bronchial carcinoids. In our limited patient material, CT however, seems to be better than octreoscan for visualization of the primary tumour as well as liver metastases.     

Radiologic evaluation of patients with renal infections

Although renal imaging is not indicated routinely in cases of uncomplicated renal infection, CT is a highly sensitive modality to diagnose and guide the management of patients with acute renal infection. CT is particularly useful in identifying complications of renal infection. Intravenous urography and US are limited to screening for urinary obstruction, renal calculi, and underlying anomalies. CT is also of value in establishing the diagnosis in equivocal cases, in evaluating high-risk patients, and in determining the nature and extent of disease. CT urography is increasingly performed as a comprehensive urinary tract imaging study. MRI may be performed when patients have contraindications to iodinated contrast material. Cortical scintigraphy is the preferred imaging study for the evaluation of children with acute pyelonephritis, although power Doppler US can be considered as a possible alternative. Recent limited studies using gadolinium-enhanced MRI have been shown to be valuable in the depiction of changes of acute pyelonephritis.     

Megakaryopoiesis in patients with cyclic thrombocytopenia

Summary Megakaryopoiesis was examined in 10 patients (eight females and two males) with cyclic thrombocytopenia (CT) to investigate the underlying pathogenesis. Numbers of CFU-Meg and megakaryocytes and the mean cytoplasmic area (mean area) of megakaryocytes at the peak, nadir, ascent mid phase, and descent mid phase of the platelet cycle were determined. The patients were classified as female cases group I (cases 1–4; previously diagnosed as ITP and CT occurred during remission), female cases group II (cases 5–8; persistent CT from initial diagnosis), and male CT (cases 9 and 10). In three of the four female cases in group I, numbers of CFU-Meg and megakaryocytes were normal or increased persistently during the platelet cycle, whereas the mean area fluctuated in synchrony with the platelet cycle, suggesting failure of cyclic production rather than platelet destruction. In the female cases in group II and one female case in group I, numbers of CFU-Meg and megakaryocytes were also normal or increased at four phases of the cycle, but the mean area did not fluctuate, remaining large during the cycle, suggesting cyclic destruction or platelet clearance. In contrast, in the male patients values for numbers of CFU-Meg, megakaryocytes and mean cytoplasmic area fluctuated during the platelet cycle, indicating that cyclic changes in megakaryopoiesis generated the platelet cycle. These findings indicate that the measurement of cytoplasmic area is useful for distinguishing cyclic platelet production from cyclic destruction or clearance in CT.     

心律失常患者冠状动脉CTA成像

冠状动脉CT血管造影(CTA)目前已广泛应用于临床,但心律失常患者一直是此项技术的瓶颈。由于传统的螺旋CT及双源CT的技术限制,对心律失常患者扫描过程中往往因为心脏运动不规律,导致图像不连续。心电编辑技术可解决部分此类问题,改善图像的质量,提高诊断的灵敏度。宽探测器CT(如320排螺旋CT)在低心率条件下可在一个心动周期成像,能消除此类伪影,但时间分辨力尚待提高。     

Computed tomography enteroclysis in comparison with ileoscopy in patients with Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Enteroclysis and computed tomography (CT) have been recently combined in to assess small bowel alterations. We compared the accuracy of CT enteroclysis to that of endoscopy in detecting bowel wall alterations of the terminal or neoterminal ileum in Crohn's disease (CD) patients and assessed whether postcontrast wall density is related to clinical activity of CD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients referred for either established or suspected CD were enrolled. Diagnosis used ileocolonoscopy with histology; clinical activity was measured by CDAI. Contrast-enhanced spiral CT of the abdomen was performed after distension of the small bowel with an enema of methylcellulose. Retrograde ileocolonoscopy diagnosed 30 patients with CD of the ileum, while 9 patients served as controls. RESULTS: CT enteroclysis detected CD in 26 patients (86.7%) and in none of the control group. Three of four patients with false-negative findings on CT enteroclysis had postsurgical CD recurrence. The overall sensitivity and specificity of CT enteroclysis for ileal CD detection were 86.7% and 100%, respectively (PPV=100%; NPV=69.2%), and 94.1% and 100% (PPV=100%; NPV=90%), excluding those patients with postsurgical recurrence. The postcontrast wall density was significantly higher in CD patients than in the controls and was significantly correlated with the severity of CD. CONCLUSION: CT enteroclysis proved highly accurate in detecting terminal ileal CD involvement, particularly in patients without previous surgery, and to allow assessment of the degree of intramural and clinical activity.     

恶性肿瘤患者腹部CT检查偶然发现的肺结节的临床意义

目的分析在恶性肿瘤患者腹部CT检查中偶然发现的肺结节及其临床意义。方法在医院PACS系统以“占位”、“结节”或“肿块”为关键词搜索,对1年内的腹部CT报告进行搜索并评估。排除之前有胸部或腹部CT检查且/或非癌患者。结果9159次腹部CT检查中有1889例报道了肺部的“占位”,“结节”或“肿块”(1889/9159,20.6%),这其中只有252名为初诊患者,在这252名患者中,43名随访了胸部CT、腹部CT或胸腹部CT,且确诊为恶性肿瘤。既往没有接受过胸部或腹部CT,而1324名(1324/1576,84.0%)既往接受过CT检查,既被排除在研究之外。在剩余的252名患者中,有43名患者(43/252,17.1%)诊断为恶性肿瘤且接受了以胸部CT(n=16),腹部CT(n=13)或胸腹部(n=14)形式的随访CT。恶性肿瘤包括:原发性肝癌(n=21,其中肝细胞肝癌19例,肝内胆管细胞癌2例),结、直肠癌(n=8),胰腺癌(n=5),胃癌(n=5),膀胱癌(n=2),子宫颈癌(n=2)。43名患者中有21名(48.9%)患者的肺结节诊断为恶性。转移的肺结节多为类圆形、边界清楚的实性结节,常位于肺外围。结论在恶性肿瘤患者腹部CT上同时观察肺部情况是有必要的。胸部CT肺结节的良恶性特征鉴别可能也适用于恶性肿瘤患者腹部CT上偶然发现的肺结节。     

Chemosensitivity of patients with recurrent esophageal cancer receiving perioperative chemotherapy

SUMMARY. Perioperative chemotherapy (CT) and chemoradiotherapy are widely used for advanced esophageal cancer. We evaluated the chemosensitivity of patients displaying recurrent esophageal cancer after esophagectomy with perioperative CT. From the database at National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, we extracted recurrent esophageal cancer cases after perioperative CT and evaluated the effectiveness of the first CT against the recurrent disease according to the duration between termination of the original perioperative CT and recurrence with treatment‐free intervals (TFIs) ≤6 and >6 months. Systemic CT for their recurrent disease was performed for 30 esophageal cancer patients after perioperative CT. All patients received 5‐fluorouracil and cisplatin as perioperative CT, with relapses occurring at TFIs ≤6 months in 11 patients (eight received platinum‐containing regimens and three received docetaxel for their recurrent disease) and >6 months in 19 patients (all received platinum‐containing regimens). The response rate of patients experiencing a recurrence at TFIs ≤6 and >6 months was 0 and 37% (P = 0.029), the median progression‐free survival was 2.8 and 4.8 months (log‐rank P = 0.001) and the median overall survival was 6.1 and 10.2 months (log‐rank P = 0.012), respectively. Recurrence at the TFI ≤6 months could represent resistance to CT, so regimens may need to be altered depending on a patient's specific TFI.     

Imaging modalities for the staging of patients with colorectal cancer

Dutch guidelines made the following recommendations for staging colorectal cancer (CRC). For liver metastases, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used. For lung metastases, imaging could be limited to chest X-ray. The primary aim of this survey was to summarise the use of imaging modalities and the variation in techniques. Three surveys were created and sent to three groups of medical specialists, namely surgeons, radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians. The management survey included questions on the role of different modalities for evaluation of synchronous liver, lung and extrahepatic metastases. The radiological survey included questions concerning the technical aspects of ultrasound (US), CT and MRI. The nuclear medicine survey included questions concerning the technical aspects of FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT. The management and radiological surveys were sent to abdominal surgeons and abdominal radiologists within 88 hospitals and the nuclear medicine survey to specialists within 34 hospitals. Response rates were 75.0% (n=66/88), 77.3% (n=68/88) and 64.7% (n=22/34) for the management, radiological and nuclear medicine surveys, respectively. For liver metastases, the first modality of choice was CT in 52 (78.8%) and US in 12 hospitals (18.2%). Lung metastases were evaluated by either chest X-ray or chest CT and extrahepatic metastases mainly by CT (n=55). In the radiological and nuclear medicine surveys, some variations in techniques of US, CT, MRI , FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT were seen. CT is primarily used for liver and extrahepatic metastases and both chest CT and chest X-ray for lung metastases. There are discrepancies between the survey of daily practice and the present guidelines. Comparative studies on different staging strategies for colon and rectal cancer, including comparing a strategy of CT liver/abdomen versus MRI liver/abdomen for the evaluation of liver and extrahepatic disease and chest X-ray or chest CT for lung metastases would be important for well-founded adjustments of the present guidelines.     

急性胰腺炎CT检查时机选择

目的探讨急性胰腺炎患者最佳CT检查时间。方法本研究选择2008年1月~2010年3月对确诊的172例急性胰腺炎的患者,随机分为3组,分别在发病≤12 h、12~24 h、48~72 h行CT检查。为观察病情变化,在发病≤12 h行CT检查的患者在72~120 h期间行第二次CT检查,分析不同时间段的CT检出率和Balthazar分级情况,以确定最佳CT检查时间。结果随着时间的推移,CT检查发现胰腺炎的阳性率逐渐增高,88.7%的患者12~24 h CT检查阳性率明显高于在发病12 h之内行CT检查的阳性率,差异显著（P〈0.05）,但与在发病48~72 h和72~120 h行CT相比,无显著差异（P〉0.05）。按照Balthazar CT分级标准,对确诊的胰腺炎患者不同时间段分级进行研究发现：随着时间的延长,患者D级、E级检出率逐渐增多,48~72 h D级、E级检出率明显高于12 h之内和12~24 h之间检出率（P〈0.05）;但与72~120 h相比,无显著性差异（P〉0.05）。结论对于疑诊胰腺炎的患者在发病12~24 h行CT检查可较早检测到胰腺炎的变化;在48~72 h行CT检查可较早检测到胰腺炎的严重程度。     

双源CT诊断痛风性关节炎临床分析

目的 采用非侵入性双源CT观察关节及周围组织的尿酸盐结晶,以探索临床诊断痛风或鉴别诊断其他关节疾病。方法 选择近2周发作过单关节肿或（和）痛患者17例,均行病变关节双源CT检查。部分患者在B超下穿刺取关节液镜检。结果 13例痛风患者发现33处有尿酸盐结晶,最常沉积的关节部位为双侧足趾关节(7/33)、近端指关节(5/33)、远端指间关节周围(4/33)、跖关节(4/33)、胫骨下端(3/33)。发现尿酸盐结晶易沉积在近关节骨表面,肌肉、韧带等关节周边软组织。关节肿痛部位与尿酸盐结晶沉积部位一致。尿酸盐结晶大小可以测量。结论 双源CT可以清晰显示尿酸盐结晶,为无创检测手段。在鉴别诊断不明原因单关节肿痛方面有很好的价值。     

Interpretation of serum calcitonin in patients with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

Calcitonin (CT) is an important clinical marker for the diagnosis and follow-up of medullary thyroid carcinoma, although it is not absolutely specific. Some authors have reported C-cell hyperplasia in a number of thyroid specimens affected by Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The association between thyroiditis and hypercalcitoninemia is still controversial because some authors have reported low CT levels. The aim of this study is to evaluate the basal CT values in patients with and without thyroid autoimmunity. From May 2005 to February 2010, 1073 patients underwent ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology at the Thyroid Center of Sapienza University of Rome, with evaluation of basal serum FT4, FT3, TSH, and antithyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies as well as CT levels. Forty-one patients presented a basal CT level above the reference upper limit. The mean serum CT was significantly lower in women than in men (4.28 ± 6.63 vs 7.50 ± 25.50 pg/ml; P<0.01). Basal serum CT was not significantly higher in patients showing anti-TPO Ab positivity (4.71 ± 6.46 vs 4.84 ± 13.11 pg/ml; P>0.05). Importantly, the rate of 'suspicious' CT values (above the 10 pg/ml cutoff) was not significantly different between patients with or without thyroid autoimmunity (3.9 vs 3.0%). Patients with hypercalcitoninemia suffering from chronic autoimmune thyroiditis should undergo the same clinical evaluation procedure as patients do without thyroid autoimmunity.     

Mild persistent hypercalcitoninemia after total thyroidectomy in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

Total thyroidectomy was performed in 455 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 1978 and 1999. Serum calcitonin (CT) was determined preoperatively in all patients using polyclonal antibodies. Among the subjects, 25 patients showed elevated serum calcitonin levels preoperatively. Pathological diagnoses of 18 patients were confirmed as medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) postoperatively. Eight patients were diagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in the final pathological diagnosis without evidence of minimal foci of MTC or C cell hyperplasia, and they showed elevated CT levels preoperatively. Hypercalcitoninemia in 8 patients with PTC continued through out the 24 follow-up months with normal CEA levels. Extrathyroidal CT-producing diseases were all neglected, and precise pathological examination showed negative evidence of minute MTC or C cell hyperplasia in these 8 patients. Serum CT levels were simultaneously determined by a different CT assay kit using the same blood samples in 7 of 8 patients. Serum CT levels were all within normal values in another CT kit applying a different polyclonal antibody, although elevated CT values continued in the routine CT kit. The recognition of polymeric or fragmented CT by polyclonal antibody was thought to be the causative factor for the hypercalcitoninemia after total thyroidectomy in the patients with PTC. Knowledge of the false positive CT determination makes it important to employ different CT assay kits, especially the new generation of two-site immunoassays using two monoclonal antibodies against distinct epitopes of human CT, although the new generation kits are not clinically available in Japan.     

Early emphysema in patients with anorexia nervosa

Postmortem studies of patients who died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II suggested that death from starvation was associated with pulmonary emphysema. This study re-examines this hypothesis in patients who are chronically malnourished because of anorexia nervosa. Age, smoking history, body mass index, and pulmonary function were measured in 21 subjects with anorexia nervosa and 16 control subjects. Computed tomography (CT) scans were obtained from three regions of the lung (at the level of the aortic arch, the carina, and the posterior position of the eighth rib) using a multislice scanner. The CT measurements of lung density, emphysema, and surface area-to-volume ratio were obtained using the X-ray attenuation values. CT measurements of emphysema were greater in the group that was anorexic than in historical control subjects (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there were significant correlations between the body mass index and the CT measures of emphysema for all the patients and between diffusing capacity and the CT measurements in the patients who were anorexic. A multiple linear regression analysis showed the diffusing capacity was predicted best by the percentage of lung voxels within the large emphysematous changes category. These data demonstrate that emphysema-like changes are present in the lungs of patients who are chronically malnourished.     

Contrast-enhanced CT imaging in patients with chronic kidney disease

Renal microvascular rarefaction characterizes chronic kidney disease (CKD). In murine models of CKD, micro-CT imaging reflected capillary rarefaction using quantification of renal relative blood volume (rBV). In addition, micro-CT imaging revealed morphological alterations of the intrarenal vasculature including reduced vascular branching and lumen diameter. Here, we retrospectively quantified rBV in contrast-enhanced CT angiography in patients and found that, compared to non-CKD patients, those with CKD and renal fibrosis had significantly reduced rBV in the renal cortex. rBV values closely mirrored capillary rarefaction in the corresponding nephrectomy specimens. In patients with follow-up CT angiography, reduction of renal function was paralleled by a decline in rBV. Using virtual autopsy, i.e., postmortem CT angiography, morphometry of intrarenal arteries in 3D-rendered CT images revealed significantly reduced arterial diameter and branching in CKD compared to non-CKD cases. In conclusion, in CKD patients, contrast-enhanced CT imaging with quantification of rBV correlates with functional renal vasculature, whereas virtual autopsy allows morphometric analyses of macrovascular changes. Importantly, the observed vascular alterations in CKD patients mirror those in animals with progressive CKD, suggesting a high relevance of animal models for studying vascular alterations in CKD and renal fibrosis.     

Clinical factors influencing CT findings in patients with acute appendicitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: CT has proven useful in diagnosing appendicitis, but it also has some disadvantages. In this study we investigated clinical factors influencing CT findings of acute appendicitis and identified the most appropriate patients for preoperative CT. METHODOLOGY: Enhanced helical CT scans were obtained preoperatively in 95 patients who underwent appendectomy. They were gangrenous in 52 (55%), phlegmonous in 38 (40%) and catarrhal in 5 (5%) and we usually indicated emergent surgery for phlegmonous or gangrenous appendicitis patients. 62 (69%) of 90 phlegmonous or gangrenous cases had both an enlarged appendix (> or = 6mm) and periappendiceal fat strand in CT, which strongly suggested the need for emergent operation (Positive group). We compared clinical factors in the positive group with those in the other 28 patients (Equivocal group). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the positive and equivocal groups in age, gender, or white blood cell count. The depth of subcutaneous fat (SCF) at the umbilicus level in CT and the number of patients with gangrenous appendicitis were significantly increased in the positive group compared with the equivocal group by both univariate and multilogistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These indicated that the degree of inflammation and SCF were significantly associated with CT findings of appendicitis and CT should be routinely done in obese patients.     

Positron emission tomography scanning in the assessment of patients with lymphoma

BACKGROUND: The detection of lymphoma by computed tomography (CT) scanning is known to be improved by positron emission tomography (PET) and/or gallium scanning, although the direct comparative accuracy of these imaging modalities remains a subject of ongoing review. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to compare PET scanning with conventional imaging (CT and/or gallium scanning) in patients with lymphoma. METHODS: A retrospective study of 38 patients (25 men; 13 women; median age 39.5 years; range 18.0-81.0 years) who had had PET scans (24 scans at initial staging and 46 scans at restaging, including suspected disease relapse) was carried out. Thirty-one concurrent gallium scans had been performed. Disease was validated with clinical follow up or biopsy. RESULTS: The sensitivities of PET and CT at initial staging were 96 and 71%, respectively. PET identified additional sites of disease compared with CT in 29% of patients. Of the 15 patients who had had all three imaging modalities, the sensitivities of PET, CT and gallium were 93, 67 and 87%, respectively. At treatment completion, the positive predictive values of PET, CT and gallium scans for relapse given a residual mass were 100, 33 and 0%, respectively (P = 0.006 for PET and CT comparison). The negative predictive values of PET, CT and gallium were 76, 0 and 70%, respectively (P-value not significant). In suspected disease relapse, PET results changed management in 50% of patients. CONCLUSION: Compared with CT and gallium scans, PET has superior accuracy in staging and restaging, and its greatest value lies in its positive predictive value for relapse in patients with residual masses.     

Cognitive therapy for depression in patients with heart failure: a critical review

Depression is a significant problem in patients with heart failure (HF). This article examines the evidence for the use of cognitive therapy (CT) in treating depression and depressive symptoms in patients with HF and cardiovascular related illnesses. In 8 of the 14 studies reviewed, researchers found that CT reduced depressive symptoms; however, the limitations of the studies prevent wide generalization of the results. Evidence to support the use of CT for the treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with cardiovascular illness is insufficient at this time. Large randomized controlled trials that demonstrate the efficacy of CT are needed before clinicians routinely refer patients with HF to CT for the purpose of improving depression or depressive symptoms.     

螺旋CT、能谱CT和MRI诊断原发性肝癌的临床价值比较

目的 探讨螺旋CT、能谱CT和MRI诊断原发性肝癌的价值比较。方法 选取47例疑似原发性肝癌患者,采用螺旋CT、能谱CT和MRI诊断,比较不同扫描方法的诊断效能。结果 47例患者经三种扫描方法检查,发现能谱CT诊断的真阳性患者36例（76.59%）,常规CT为30例（63.83%）,MRI为34例（72.34%）,三种方法诊断的差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）;在8例胆管细胞癌患者中,MRI诊断7例,能谱CT和螺旋CT检查均为4例;能谱CT扫描和MRI诊断的灵敏度分别为92.3%和89.2%,均优于常规CT（76.6%,P<0.05）,能谱CT诊断的准确率为72.5%,MRI为69.7%,常规CT为50.0%（P<0.05）;此外,能谱CT扫描曲线下面积（AUC）大于常规CT或MRI（t=7.69,t=9.03,P<0.05）;在小于1 cm的肝癌中,常规CT、能谱CT和MRI扫描的灵敏度分别为53.13%,90.63%和90.63%, MRI扫描和能谱CT均高于常规CT扫描（P<0.05）。结论 能谱CT扫描和MRI在诊断原发性肝癌方面,其灵敏度和准确率均优于螺旋CT扫描,在诊断小肝癌方面也具有明显的优势, MRI在诊断胆管细胞癌方面优于能谱CT或螺旋CT扫描。     

特发性甲状旁腺功能减退症22例颅脑病变的CT诊断

目的探讨特发性甲状旁腺功能减退症的颅脑病变特点及CT诊断要点。方法收集22例甲状旁腺功能减退症患者的颅脑cT资料,总结分析诊断要点。结果甲状旁腺功能减退症的颅脑CT多表现为典型区域的对称性钙化,但部分患者早期病变钙化不典型。结论cT诊断甲状旁腺功能减退症颅脑病变的价值优势值得肯定。