MR of neurologically symptomatic newborns after vacuum extraction delivery.

We present the MR findings in three neurologically symptomatic newborns after vacuum extraction delivery. The lesions included subdural hematomas, one tentorial hematoma, and one intracerebellar hemorrhage. One patient had hydrocephalus that required shunting. We propose that the visualized abnormalities are probably the result of vertical stress leading to laceration of bridging veins, venous sinuses, and/or venous hemorrhagic infarctions.     

Rat bite fever without the bite.

The case is reported of a patient who developed an acute arthropathy, which was initially diagnosed as acute septic arthritis. The true diagnosis of rat bite fever due to Streptobacillus moniliformis was delayed because of difficulty in growing the organism, which has fastidious growth requirements. The patient had no history of rat bite, which is the usual form of transmission of this disease.     

The detection of glass foreign bodies.

Roentgenography is a reliable method for detecting glass foreign bodies resulting from trauma. The density of glass in comparison to surrounding tissue almost always provides sufficient contrast for roentgenographic differentiation. This method is slightly compromised by the relative size of the foreign body and the body part being examined, but setting the roentgen ray beam for bone technic and having the patient in different positions facilitate detection of such a foreign body.     

Psoriasis and gout

Ten cases of gouty arthritis are described in association with psoriasis. Eight were receiving intensive inpatient treatment for their skin condition. Diagnosis was based on clinical grounds or, in 3 cases, by compensated polarizing microscopy (CPM) of synovial fluid. All patients were male and 5 of them had conditions other than psoriasis known to predispose to hyperuricaemia. The patients appeared to fit into three groups: five had typical lower limb gout occurring in conjunction with long-standing extensive psoriasis; 3 patients had preceding features of inflammatory synovitis, one of whom subsequently developed typical distal interphalangeal involvement of peripheral psoriatic arthritis; two patients appeared to have coincident gout and psoriasis.