Iopamidol and meglumine diatrizoate: comparison of effects on patient discomfort during aortofemoral arteriography

Iopamidol was compared with Renografin-60 (meglumine diatrizoate, Squibb) in a controlled, randomized double-blind study of 40 patients undergoing peripheral arteriography for arteriosclerotic occlusive disease to determine which agent caused less discomfort. Each patient was evaluated for objective signs of discomfort and subjective feelings of pain and heat. Monitoring was achieved by multiple physical examinations, chemical tests, electrocardiograms, and intra-arterial pressure recordings. It is concluded that iopamidol is safe and causes significantly less patient discomfort than Renografin-60.     

Long-term occlusion of the porcine cystic duct by means of endoluminal radio-frequency electrocoagulation

Recurrent cholelithiasis must be expected after gallstone removal without cholecystectomy. Chemical gallbladder ablation may offer prevention but requires preliminary cystic duct occlusion. Radio-frequency (RF) electrocoagulation of the cystic duct was performed in 15 pigs to induce occlusion by a controlled thermal epithelial injury. A flexible coagulation catheter was placed into the cystic duct lumen under fluoroscopic control by means of either subhepatic cholecystostomy or direct, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder puncture. Complete cystic duct occlusion was proved in 14 animals. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 17 weeks (mean, 11 weeks). Histologically, the RF technique induced an intense chronic inflammatory and fibroblastic reaction, which eventually obliterated the coagulated cystic duct segments. There was no epithelial regeneration or recanalization of the fibrotic cystic duct segments. The adjacent structures, particularly the cystic artery, were intact in all specimens.     

Atrophy of the residual alveolar ridge following tooth loss in an historical population

Oral Diseases (2010) 17 , 33–44 Objectives: To study the natural aetiopathology of jaw atrophy after tooth loss, unaltered by prosthetic procedures, an historical population without modern dental treatment was examined. Methods: Based on the hypothesis that there are predictable changes in shape during jaw‐atrophy, frequency and degree of atrophy as well as clinical aspects of bone quality and resorption were determined in the skeletal remains of 263 individuals. The potential association between age and frequency/severity of atrophy was analysed. Results: Atrophy in at least one jaw segment was present in 45.2% of the analysed jaw specimens. The residual ridge underwent a series of changes in shape and height following the pattern of resorption described for modern populations. The severity of these alterations was associated with the age of the individual and the region within the jaw. Atrophy was frequently related to structural degradation of the covering cortical layer. Conclusions: These findings prove that atrophy of the jaw evidently does occur, displaying similar patterns of resorption in a population without modern prosthetics, where the negative effect of ill‐fitting dentures is excluded. The basic information about alterations of shape and the cortical layer covering the residual crest might help to provide a deeper insight into aetiopathological mechanisms of this common oral disease.