Orbital venography in painful ophthalmoplegia (Tolosa-Hunt syndrome).

Twenty-six patients with painful ophthalmoplegia were classified as having the Tolosa-Hunt syndrome on the basis of their clinical findings and response to steroid therapy. All patients underwent orbital venography, a review of which forms the contents of this investigation. Orbital venography, a review of which forms the contents of this investigation. Orbital venograms were normal in 16 patients and abnormal in 10. The major abnormalities were (1) obstruction of the superior ophthalmic vein in its third segment without displacement; (2) collateral venous flow through small venous channels or collateral veins; and (3) poor opacification of the ipsilateral cavernous sinus.     

16例Tolosa-Hunt综合征的临床分析

目的:对Tolosa-Hunt综合征的临床表现、影像学特点及治疗转归进行分析总结,以提高该病的诊治水平。方法:收集海军总医院2006年4月—2014年1月收治的16例Tolosa-Hunt综合征患者的临床资料,总结其临床表现、实验室检查、影像学特点及预后,并结合文献资料进行分析。结果:16例多为急性或亚急性起病,病程从3 d至8个月不等。症状以头痛和同侧眼肌麻痹为主,多累及Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ1、Ⅵ多组颅神经。激素冲击治疗后疼痛症状迅速好转,颅神经麻痹症状在随后的1周至3个月内恢复,1例病程较长患者遗留眼肌麻痹。头颅MRI发现海绵窦、眶尖区软组织影,在T1加权像呈低信号或等信号,T2加权像呈稍高或等信号。结论:Tolosa-Hunt综合征临床表现以头痛、眼肌麻痹为主,对激素治疗敏感,颅脑增强MRI可为诊断提供客观的影像学依据,对患者定期随诊并复查颅脑增强MRI,可以减少误诊及漏诊。     

Epidural venography in the diagnosis of lumbar disease (author's transl)

80 patients with back pain and sciatalgia were studied by plain-film of lumbosacral spine, radiculography and epidural phlebography; 30 of them were surgically controlled. Radiculographic and phlebographic specimens were compared and phlebography showed more sensibility and specificity in the study of extradural pathology. The analysis of the phlebographic alterations suggested a semeiologic criterion we think that could be usefully used in the study of osteoligamentous lesions in lumbosacral spine.     

Clinical aspects of venous diseases and diagnostic demands on radiology

The author deals with the clinical signs and treatment of the valvular incompetence of the venae saphenae in varicosis of the lower extremities, varicosis or insufficiency of the venae perforantes (an insufficiency of the deep venous system, manifested by an insufficiency of the valvular system of the vena femoralis and venae saphenae but not representing a post-thrombotic syndrome), phlebothrombosis and postthrombosis. Routine phlebography for diagnosing a number of venous diseases has become redundant especially by the use of noninvasive methods such as Doppler ultrasound and light reflection rheography. However, if there is a suspicion of a deep thrombosis in the leg, phlebography is imperative. Dermatological phlebography specialists would like the radiologists to supply them with phlebographic criteria for the disease pattern of the insufficiency of the venae perforantes, vena fermalis and venae saphenae as mentioned above. Whether Duplex scanning can replace phlebography in the long run remains to be seen.     

Selective sclerotherapy of the internal spermatic vein in patients with varicoceles

Percutaneous occlusion therapy of insufficient internal spermatic veins was performed successfully as an outpatient procedure in 155 patients with varicoceles. The administration of the sclerosing agent (Varicocid) through a catheter selectively introduced into the spermatic vein caused therapeutic occlusion. Follow-up studies, both clinical and phlebographic, confirmed the effectiveness of the treatment.     

Thrombosis after phlebography: A comparison of two contrast media

In two studies 267 consecutive patients with suspected leg vein thrombosis were examined by an¹²⁵I-fibrinogen uptake test (¹²⁵I-FUT) and by phlebography. The ionic meglumine calcium metrizoate (Isopaque Cerebral) was used as the phlebographic contrast medium in 161 patients, and the non-ionic metrizamide (Amipaque) was used in 106. In these two groups 47 and 41 patients, respectively, had normal phlebograms as well as an initially normal¹²⁵I-FUT. After phlebography 29 (62%) of the patients who had received meglumine metrizoate had a significant rise in fibrinogen uptake, while such a rise was not found in patients examined with metrizamide. Repeat phlebography showed fresh deep-vein thrombosis in seven of the nine patients with increased uptake, indicating a complication rate of 48%. Consequently, we now use metrizamide in leg phlebography; because of its expense a radioisotope test is employed as a screening procedure. This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (14X-2872) and the Swedish Association against Heart and Lung Diseases.     

Doctors' requirements for reproducibility of diagnostic information

Two radiologists independently assessed 100 leg vein phlebograms for the presence or absence of deep venous thrombosis. In a subsequent questionnaire, 66 physicians were asked to state the level of agreement they would require to use conventional phlebography in their diagnostic decisions, and whether they would reduce their requirements if the phlebographic technique were made less painful and less expensive. The responses indicated physicians' requirements for reproducibility of a well-known routine diagnostic method may be unrealistic, and that physicians do not consider the inconvenience of an examination to the patient or its cost in setting their requirements for diagnostic precision.     

Helical CT phlebography of the superior vena cava: diagnosis and evaluation of venous obstruction

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of helical CT phlebography of the superior vena cava (SVC) and to evaluate the role of this imaging technique in the diagnosis and treatment of SVC obstruction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three helical CT phlebograms were obtained of patients with clinical findings that were suggestive of SVC obstruction (n = 19) and of patients undergoing posttherapeutic evaluation for SVC obstruction (n = 4). CT examinations consisted of helical acquisitions obtained in the craniocaudal direction with simultaneous bilateral antecubital vein injection of 2 x 90 ml of 12% iodinated contrast material at 2 ml/sec. Combined analysis of axial, multiplanar, and maximum-intensity-projection reformatted images was used for all patients. Image quality, venous stenosis or obstruction, intraluminal thrombus, and collateral pathways were evaluated. Comparison with digital phlebographic data was available for 16 patients; this comparison was performed in a nonblinded manner. RESULTS: CT phlebograms were considered technically optimal in 91% of the patients. In all these patients, helical CT phlebograms showed the venous obstruction: the site, extent, cause, and collateral pathways. CT phlebography appeared to be well correlated with digital phlebography in 16 patients regarding the degree of obstruction, the presence of collateral pathways, and the presence of thrombus. CONCLUSION: Helical CT phlebography may be a useful technique for imaging the SVC and its tributaries. This imaging technique is simple to perform and can provide all the information necessary to diagnose and treat SVC obstruction.     

Diagnosis of herniated nucleus pulposus by digital spinal phlebography with false negative CT and/or radiculosaccography

Saccoradiculography, spinal phlebography or NMR can be performed in cases of discrepancy between CT and clinical symptoms. We believe that the introduction of DSA must generate a renewed interest in spinal phlebography for cases with radicular syndrome and normal CT.     

Orbital phlebography. IV. The carernous sinuses and adjacent venous sinuses of the skull base.

Frontal phlebography has been used to examine the cavernous sinuses and adjacent basal venous sinuses of the skull. The method has proved to be simple and effective. The normal phlebographic anatomy of the basal sinuses and their drainage has been revised in a material of 26 cases. A normal range for the transverse diameter of the pituitary fossa has been established.     

Prospective study of echography versus phlebography in the detection of sural venous thrombosis]

Among all noninvasive techniques, high-resolution ultrasonography used alone has rarely been used for the diagnosis of thrombosis in the calf. Nineteen patients with suspected AVT were examined with ultrasonography and phlebography during 4 months. For each patient, a sonogram and a phlebogram were taken within less than 24 hours and interpreted independently. The sonographic exploration with a high-resolution (5 MHz) transducer covers all deep trunks and muscular veins (soleus or gastrocnemius muscles). The positivity criterion is the persistence of a hypoechogenic endoluminal image under moderate compression. According to the phlebographic data, 65% of the patients present with thrombosis. Ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 99% for the study of the deep trunks. Ultrasonography screens more thromboses than phlebography (23 cases versus 17). On a whole, ultrasonography seems to be more sensitive than phlebography for the diagnosis of recent sural thrombosis.     

Direct contrast enhanced MR in the study of central venous accesses in children receiving total parenteral nutrition

PURPOSE: To present direct contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Venography, a recently developed method for the study of central venous accesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients (4 males and 2 females; age range 15-18 years) with severe intestinal failure treated with indwelling central venous catheter since childhood were studied by MR-angiography. The examination was carried out with a 1.5 Philips Gyroscan Intera magnet, sequences during the simultaneous injection of about 60 ml/limb paramagnetic contrast material, Gd-DTPA, diluted with saline solution at a ratio of 1:12. The images were processed with maximum intensity coronal projections and compared with the phlebographic images obtained earlier. RESULTS: In 4 cases the method demonstrated superior vena cava occlusion, in 2 cases inferior vena cava occlusion. The examination was well tolerated by all patients and image quality was very similar to that of the gold-standard study, conventional phlebography. CONCLUSIONS: We believe direct contrast-enhanced MR-venography to be a minimally invasive, panoramic and diagnostically reliable method, which should be considered the first choice in the study of central venous accesses of patients receiving total parenteral nutrition for the medical treatment of intestinal failure. The method does not expose the patients to ionizing radiation or require iodinated contrast material, and is relatively short with a room time of about 30-40 minutes.     

Kinetics of [99mTc]heparin, venous scintigraphy with [99mTc]fibrinogen and beta-thromboglobulin assay in the diagnosis of deep-vein thrombosis

The information provided by three examinations: [99mTc]heparin kinetics (KH), venous scintigraphy with [99mTc]fibrinogen (VSF) and plasmatic assay of beta-thromboglobulin (beta TG), are studied on 23 patients separated into two groups on the basis of phlebographic results. VSF which could provide to a certain extent the same kind of information as phlebography, proves to have insufficient sensitivity. KH has high specificity but low sensitivity, while beta TG performance is the opposite. The authors discuss the mechanisms responsible for these discordant results. They observe that in cases where the KH and beta TG correspond, the diagnostic value is very satisfactory, so that a double positive can replace phlebography in cases where the latter is contra-indicated or difficult to perform.     

Radionuclide venography in the evaluation of superior vena cava syndrome

Isotopic phlebography with Tc-99m-labeled microspheres was performed in 55 patients, 22 of whom presented with superior vena cava syndrome. The localization of the venous obstruction was visualized in each case, along with associated collateral views. Moreover, the transit times at different levels were markedly increased. In 11 patients, isotopic phlebography was repeated following treatment. Improvement, when it occurred, was largely due to diminished obstruction of the superior vena cava rather than to increased collateral supply. Therefore, isotopic phlebography of the upper extremities is a useful tool for the diagnosis of superior vena cava syndrome and for the evaluation of response to treatment.     

Computed tomography of the brain in cases with venous vasculitis compared with an age-matched reference group

Patients with a particular, steroid-sensitive headache and often characteristic pathology at orbital phlebography, have been suggested to suffer from venous vasculitis. Fifty such patients were examined with computed tomography (CT) of the brain. The findings were compared with those of an age-matched reference group selected at random to represent normal subjects. The CT examinations were analyzed with respect to size of lateral ventricles and signs of atrophy. In both groups, there was a significant increase of atrophy with age. There was also a significantly higher degree of atrophy in the patient group as compared with the reference group. The findings indicate that the supposedly underlying venous vasculitis is related to early aging and atrophy of the brain.     

Fisher综合征共济失调机制探讨

目的探讨Miller-Fisher综合征(简称Fisher综合征)共济失调的机制和定位问题。方法综合分析9例Fisher综合征患者的临床特征和辅助检查结果,并复习相关文献,探讨Fisher综合征共济失调的机制与定位诊断。结果本组9例患者均有眼外肌麻痹、共济失调和四肢腱反射减弱或消失的Fishen三联征,具有Fisher综合征的典型临床特征。所有9例患者的头颅CT及MRI检查均无异常,其中5例患者行脑电图检查结果正常。检查结果显示这些Fisher综合征患者缺乏因小脑受损导致小脑性共济失调的形态学基础。结论目前尚不能确定Fisher综合征患者发生共济失调的原因为小脑性病变。眼外肌麻痹所致共济失调是否是其机制之一,尚有待于进一步研究明确。     

Accuracy of CT in detection of persistent or recurrent ovarian carcinoma: correlation with second-look laparotomy

Computed tomographic (CT) studies in 39 patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma were retrospectively evaluated to assess their accuracy in detection of persistent or recurrent disease as seen at second-look laparotomy (SLL). Twenty patients were studied before June 1983 (group 1), and 19 patients were studied afterward (group 2). There were 16 true-positive, ten true-negative, two false-positive, and 11 false-negative examinations. Five false-negative studies resulted from microscopic disease found at SLL. In group 1, there were eight false-negative studies. In five, macroscopic disease was not recognized. In group 2, there were three false-negative studies; in one, macroscopic disease was not recognized. Statistical analysis showed an observable improvement in the accuracy in group 2. The differences included use of faster scanners, routine use of thin sections for the pelvis, and air-contrast colonic opacification in group 2. These results suggest that carefully performed scanning on state-of-the-art equipment may have a higher accuracy in documenting persistent or recurrent macroscopic tumor.     

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome: MR imaging features in 15 patients with 20 episodes of painful ophthalmoplegia

Purpose

(a) To assess MR features in patients with Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) and to (b) correlate MR findings with criteria derived from previously reported pathologic observations.

Methods

Fifteen patients with twenty episodes of painful ophthalmoplegia prospectively selected according to International Headache Society (IHS) standards underwent MR examinations focused on the cavernous sinus. Initial examinations in 20 and follow-up MR images in 17 episodes were retrospectively reviewed by 3 independent observers.

Results

The primary criteria: an enhancing soft tissue lesion within the cavernous sinus, increase in size and lateral bulging of the anterior cavernous sinus contour were consistently present in 15 initial episodes and in 5 recurrences (20/20). Agreement among observers was 100%. The secondary criteria: internal carotid artery narrowing in 7 patients, extension towards the superior orbital fissure in 13 and orbital apex involvement in 8 patients were unanimously agreed upon in 87.5%, 86.6% and 80%. Complete resolution of findings was observed on follow-up studies.

Conclusion

In patients with THS the MR features conform to previously reported pathologic findings. MR features are evocative of THS when an increase in size and bulging of the dural contour of the anterior CS supplemented by carotid artery involvement and extension towards the orbit are present. Resolution of findings within 6 months is required to support the diagnosis.     

The role of spermatic venography after surgical high ligation of the left spermatic veins: Diagnosis and percutaneous occlusion

Bilateral spermatic venography was performed in 40 patients who had previously undergone surgical high ligation of the left spermatic vein. Indications included recurrent or persistent varicocele or oligoteratospermia syndrome. Despite the prior surgery, 21 patients had venographic demonstration of a left-sided varicocele. Right-sided varicocele was demonstrated in 19 patients, 9 of whom also had left varicoceles. Only 9 patients did not have a varicocele demonstrated on either side. The various mechanisms of varicocele filling are discussed. Whenever a varicocele was demonstrated, immediate occlusion using steel coils was performed.     

99mTc plasmin in 394 consecutive patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis

Three hundred and ninety four consecutive out-patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT) were investigated with the 99mTc-plasmin test and physical examination and 307 of them with phlebography. Fresh thrombi were present in 124 patients and the plasmin test was pathological in 118 of these (sensitivity 95%). The thrombi that were missed were all located below the knee and measured less than 10 cm on the phlebographic films. The predictive values of negative and positive tests were 91% and 49%, respectively. The predictive value of a positive test was higher with an increasing number of measuring points with a pathological uptake. To get the final result, a single series of measurements 5 min after injection was sufficient. If clinical signs of inflammation were present. the plasmin test was usually pathological. Median time for the plasmin test to become normal during anticoagulant therapy was 14 days for calf DVT and 6 months for proximal DVT. The plasmin test was found to be useful as a screening test in patients without extensive signs of inflammation in the legs. It has a high sensitivity even in patients with long-standing symptoms.