Porcelain gallbladder complicated with pancreas divisum

We report a rare case of porcelain gallbladder associated with pancreas divisum (PD). A 60-year-old woman suffered from discomfort in the back of the right side. An abdominal radiograph revealed a calcified spherical mass in the right upper quadrant. Ultrasonography revealed a scattered echo with a posterior acoustic shadow in the gallbladder wall. A plain computed tomography (CT) scan showed flecks of intramural calcification in the wall of the gallbladder. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed separate openings for the Santorini and Wirsung ducts. The patient underwent cholecystectomy after porcelain gallbladder and pancreas divisum had been diagnosed. The porcelain gallbladder resulted from a stone impacted in the neck of the gallbladder. Patients with PD should be followed carefully, because gallstones often accompany PD, and porcelain gallbladder may result, as in this patient.     

The radiology corner. Porcelain gallbladder.

Porcelain gallbladder is an uncommon manifestation of chronic cholecystitis. Diagnosis is suggested on the plain abdominal roentgenogram by identifying thin curvilinear calcifications in the right upper quadrant. Because porcelain gallbladders fail to visualize on oral or intravenous studies, cholecystosonography may be used to confirm the location of the calcifications within the gallbladder wall.     

Porcelain versus Porcelain Stoneware: So Close,So Different. Sintering Kinetics,Phase Evolution,and Vitrification Paths

Five porcelain and porcelain stoneware bodies were investigated to compare sintering mechanisms and kinetics, phase and microstructure evolution, and high temperature stability. All batches were designed with the same raw materials and processing conditions, and characterized by optical dilatometry, XRF, XRPD-Rietveld, FEG-SEM and technological properties. Porcelain and porcelain stoneware behave distinctly during sintering, with the convolution of completely different phase evolution and melt composition/structure. The firing behavior of porcelain is essentially controlled by microstructural features. Changes in mullitization create conditions for a relatively fast densification rate at lower temperature (depolymerized melt, lower solid load) then to contrast deformations at high temperature (enhanced effective viscosity by increasing solid load, mullite aspect ratio, and melt polymerization). In porcelain stoneware, the sintering behavior is basically governed by physical and chemical properties of the melt, which depend on the stability of quartz and mullite at high temperature. A buffering effect ensures adequate effective viscosity to counteract deformation, either by preserving a sufficient skeleton or by increasing melt viscosity if quartz is melted. When a large amount of soda–lime glass is used, no buffering effect occurs with melting of feldspars, as both solid load and melt viscosity decrease. In this batch, the persistence of a feldspathic skeleton plays a key role to control pyroplasticity.     

Monitoring Porcelain Insulator Condition Based on Leakage Current Characteristics

Insulator monitoring using leakage current characteristics is essential for predicting an insulator’s health. To evaluate the risk of flashover on the porcelain insulator using leakage current, experimental investigation of leakage current indices was carried out. In the first stage of the experiment, the effect of contamination, insoluble deposit density, wetting rate, and uneven distribution pollution were determined on the porcelain insulator under test. Then, based on the laboratory test results, leakage current information in time and frequency characteristics was extracted and employed as assessment indicators for the insulator’s health. Six indicators, namely, peak current indicator, phase shift indicator, slope indicator, crest factor indicator, total harmonic distortion indicator, and odd harmonics indicator, are introduced in this work. The obtained results indicated that the proposed indicators had a significant role in evaluating the insulator’s health. To evaluate the insulator’s health levels based on the extracted indicator values, this work presents the naïve Bayes technique for the classification and prediction of the insulator’s health. Finally, the confusion matrix for the experimental and prediction results for each indicator was established to determine the appropriateness of each indicator in determining the insulator’s health status.     

Position-Sensitive Bulk and Surface Element Analysis of Decorated Porcelain Artifacts

Non-destructive characterization of decorated porcelain artifacts requires the joint use of surface-analytical methods for the decorative surface pattern and methods of high penetration depth for bulk-representative chemical composition. In this research, we used position-sensitive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and Prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) for these purposes, assisted by 3D structured-light optical scanning and dual-energy X-ray radiography. The proper combination of the near-surface and bulk element composition data can shed light on raw material use and manufacturing technology of ceramics.     

"Porcelain liver" appearance due to Glisson's capsule phleboliths

A case of multiple Glisson's capsule phleboliths is reported in a 29-year-old-woman who had portal vein obstruction with spontaneous shunting resulting in hepatic siderosis and cirrhosis. The phleboliths were visible as multiple linear calcifications on plain film and computed tomography. Diagnosis was established by surgical liver biopsy. The potential mechanisms of this unique entity is discussed.     

Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair in a Patient With Porcelain Aorta

A woman aged 79 years with a history of stroke was admitted to undergo surgical treatment of a severe mitral regurgitation caused by active endocarditis. A preoperative computed tomography scan showed the presence of a porcelain aorta. The mitral valve was successfully repaired with an endovascular cardiopulmonary bypass system. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 10 with no complication. Endoaortic clamping is thought to be a useful technique in patients with a severely calcified aorta.