Investigation of focal hepatic lesions: Is tomographic red blood cell imaging useful?

Noninvasive diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma of the liver is an important step in the investigation of patients with focal hepatic lesions since biopsy may result in life-threatening hemorrhage. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of 99m-technetium red blood cell (^99mTc-RBC) imaging with tomography, 50 patients with various types of focal liver lesions were studied. Thirty-two patients had 45 hemangiomas and 7 other benign lesions while 18 patients had either primary (n=8) or secondary (n=10) hepatic malignancies. Tomographic imaging identified 12 more hemangiomas than planar imaging, improving sensitivity from 53% to 80%, and was found most useful for detection of smaller lesions (mean size, 2.1 cm). Specificity for hemangiomas was 100% with all lesions greater than 1.9 cm showing the characteristic scintigraphic pattern of blood-pooling on delayed images. There was excellent agreement between 2 independent observers concerning interpretation of tomographic images (89% for the hemangioma group and 100% for other patients). Therefore^99mTc-RBC scintigraphy with tomography is an accurate diagnostic technique in the investigation of cavernous hemangiomas. Its major value resides in its ability to distinguish hemangiomas from other types of hepatic pathology.

---

Resumen El diagnóstico no invasivo del hemangioma cavernoso del hígado es un paso de importancia en el proceso de investigación de pacientes con lesiones hepáticas focales, puesto que la biopsia puede resultar en hemorragia de consecuencias potencialmente fatales. Con el objeto de determinar la certeza diagnóstica de la tomografía con glóbulos rojos marcados con tecnecio 99m, se estudiaron 50 pacientes con varios tipos de lesiones hepáticas focales. Treinta y dos pacientes presentaron 45 hemangiomas y 7 lesiones benignas, en tanto que 18 pacientes presentaron neoplasias malignas primarias (n=8) o secundarias (n=10). Las imágenes tomográficas obtenidas por este método lograron identificar 12 hemangiomas más, en comparación con imágenes convencionales, aumentando la sensibilidad de 53% a 80%, y demostró ser de máxima utilidad para la detección de las lesiones más peque¯nas (tamaño promedio, 2.1 cm). La especificidad para los hemangiomas fue 100%, con todas las lesiones mayores de 1.9 cm exhibiendo el patrón centelleográfico característico de estancamiento sanguíneo en las imágenes tardías. Se encontró excelente correlación entre 2 observadores independientes en la interpretación de las imágenes tomográficas (89% para el grupo de pacientes con hemangiomas y 100% para el resto de los pacientes). En consecuencia, la escintigrafía con glóbulos rojos marcados con^99mTc aparece como una técnica certera en el diagnóstico de los hemangiomas cavernosos. Su mayor valor reside en su habilidad para diferenciar los hemangiomas de otra clase de patología.

---

Résumé Le diagnostic non invasif d'hémangiome caverneux du foie est une étape importante dans l'investigation des patients ayant des lésions hépatiques focales, puisque la biopsie risque de se résoudre par une hémorrhagie menaçant le pronostic vital. Pour définir la précision diagnostique de la tomoscintigraphie après marquage des hématies au technetium 99m (^99mTc), on a étudié 50 patients ayant des types différents de lésions focales du foie. Trente-deux patients avaient 45 hémangiomes et 7 lésions bénignes tandis que 18 patients avaient des tumeurs hépatiques malignes soit primaires (n=8) soit secondaires (n=10). L'imagerie tomographique a identifié 12 hémangiomes de plus que l'imagerie planaire, améliorant la sensibilité de 53% à 80% et s'est avérée très utile pour détecter les lésions plus petites (taille moyenne, 2.1 cm). La spécificité pour les hémangiomes était de 100% pour toutes les lésions dépassant 1.9 cm montrant les caractères scintigraphiques typiques d'accumulation de sang sur les images retardées. Il y a eu concordance totale entre 2 observateurs indépendents sur l'interprétation des images tomographiques (89% pour le groupe des hémangiomes et 100% pour les autres patients). Voilà pourquoi la scintigraphie^99mTc avec tomographie est une technique de diagnostic précis dans l'investigation des hémangiomes caverneux. Sa valeur essentielle est sa capacité de distinguer les hémangiomes des autres types de pathologie hépatique.

     

Postnephrectomy arteriovenous fistula of the renal pedicle treated with detachable balloons: A case report

A case of postnephrectomy arteriovenous fistula of the right renal pedicle is reported here. The diagnosis was confirmed by angiography, and successful treatment was achieved using detachable balloon.     

Interaction of epidermal growth factor, Ca2+, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in primary keratinocyte migration

Elevations of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and Ca²⁺ concentrations in the wound site are associated with reepithelialization during wound healing. In addition, Ca²⁺ and EGF can both induce increases in matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) synthesis. However, little is known about the interplay of these events in regulating the migration properties of primary keratinocytes on collagen I, the most abundant extracellular matrix component in the skin. We found that EGF stimulated both chemokinetic and chemotactic migration of primary keratinocytes on collagen I; however, MMP‐9 was required for EGF‐stimulated chemotaxis but not EGF‐stimulated chemokinesis. Calcium at 0.5 mM stimulated chemokinetic migration of keratinocytes. Together, Ca²⁺ and EGF stimulated higher levels of chemokinesis than either stimulus alone. Furthermore, Ca²⁺ could restore the ability of keratinocytes from MMP‐9 null mice to undergo EGF‐stimulated chemotaxis. The phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 inhibited both EGF‐ and Ca²⁺‐stimulated chemokinetic migration. In contrast, the MEK inhibitor PD98059 blocked Ca²⁺‐ but not EGF‐stimulated chemokinetic migration of keratinocytes. A combination of PD98059 and LY294002 was required to inhibit Ca²⁺ enhancement of EGF‐stimulated migration completely. Calcium‐stimulated chemokinesis was completely blocked by either the protein kinase C‐α inhibitor Gö6976 or the src/fyn inhibitor PP2. Using primary keratinocytes, our results showed how the combined action of Ca²⁺, EGF, and MMP‐9 regulated the contributions of extracellular‐regulated kinase and phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase toward chemokinetic and chemotactic migration of keratinocytes.     

Automated three-dimensional analysis of histological and autoradiographic rat brain sections: application to an activation study.

Besides the newly developed positron emission tomography scanners (microPET) dedicated to the in vivo functional study of small animals, autoradiography remains the reference technique widely used for functional brain imaging and the gold standard for the validation of in vivo results. The analysis of autoradiographic data is classically achieved in two dimensions (2D) using a section-by-section approach, is often limited to few sections and the delineation of the regions of interest to be analysed is directly performed on autoradiographic sections. In addition, such approach of analysis does not accommodate the possible anatomical shifts linked to dissymmetry associated with the sectioning process. This classic analysis is time-consuming, operator-dependent and can therefore lead to non-objective and non-reproducible results. In this paper, we have developed an automated and generic toolbox for processing of autoradiographic and corresponding histological rat brain sections based on a three-step approach, which involves: (1) an optimized digitization dealing with hundreds of autoradiographic and histological sections; (2) a robust reconstruction of the volumes based on a reliable registration method; and (3) an original 3D-geometry-based approach to analysis of anatomical and functional post-mortem data. The integration of the toolbox under a unified environment (in-house software BrainVISA, http://brainvisa.info) with a graphic interface enabled a robust and operator-independent exploitation of the overall anatomical and functional information. We illustrated the substantial qualitative and quantitative benefits obtained by applying our methodology to an activation study (rats, n=5, under unilateral visual stimulation).