Cor triatriatum associated with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the coronary sinus: Echocardiographic and angiocardiographic features

Summary An infant girl is described who had cor triatriatum and partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection of the left pulmonary veins to the coronary sinus, the first report of this combination of lesions. The infant also had a Dandy-Walker malformation and multiple facial and intrathoracic hemangiomas. The cardiac diagnosis was made by two-dimensional echocardiography. Cardiac catheterization and angiography confirmed the findings and also demonstrated a persistent left superior vena cava draining to the coronary sinus. The infant underwent successful surgical repair. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection and left superior vena cava not infrequently are associated with cor triatriatum. Although two-dimensional echocardiography is sensitive for the detection of cor triatriatum, preoperative cardiac catheterization is necessary to identify unequivocally systemic and pulmonary venous connections.     

Smoking and hypertension: risk factors for carotid stenosis

Summary The prevalence of smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus was assessed in 221 patients suffering from internal carotid stenosis and compared with the prevalences in two sex- and age-matched control groups composed of subjects having normal Doppler findings and from non-neurological outpatients. Of the subjects with carotid stenosis 27.6% were hypertensive smokers in comparison with 9.5% and 17.2% in the two control groups. The difference of the stenosis cohort from the two control groups was significant (P<0.01 and P=0.016 respectively). There was no statistically significant differences between the occurrence of diabetes and hypertension in non-smokers and patients who smoked. In 394 investigated patients suffering from carotid stenosis or occlusion an obstruction index, based on the Doppler shift frequency, was calculated. This index was lowest in the normotentive non-smokers. It was only insignificantly higher in the hypertensive non-smokers but significantly so in the normotensive smokers. The index was highest in the hypertensive non-smokers. It was concluded that cigarette smoking, especially if associated with hypertension, is a determinant risk factor for carotid stenosis and occlusion.     

SURGERY OF PERIURETERIC OBSTRUCTION IN 101 CHILDREN OVER ONE YEAR OF AGE

One hundred and one children over 1 year of age have had surgery for pelviureteric obstruction over an 11 year period. The common clinical features were abdominal pain, urinary infection or haematuria, but number presented as an incidental finding. Less commonly, the patients presented with an abdominal mass or with hypertension. The diagnosis was usually made on intravenous pyelography (IVP) but in the latter part of the series, renal nuclide scan (RNS) and ultrasonography (US) were preferred. Ninety–three patients had unilateral pyeloplasty, three had bilateral pyeloplasty and five had nephrectomy or heminephrectomy. Whereas initially nephrostomy drainage was used in the majority of patients after pyeloplasty, trend away from nephrostomy evolved in the latter part of the series. With experience, the incidence of postoperative complications was also reduced and there was reduction in the period of hospitalization. Clinical results were consistently satisfactory. Postoperative assessment after pyeloplasty was made by IVP and/or RNS and also US. A review of these investigations showed that RNS provided more factual information of the result when compared with the IVP.     

心脾综合征的多普勒超声心动图诊断

目的:探讨多普勒超声心动图对心脾综合征的诊断价值,分析其心脏伴随畸形漏诊及误诊原因,提高对心脾综合征诊断的准确率。方法:本文总结了221例心脾综合征患儿的超声检测结果,并与其心血管造影或磁共振检查结果进行对照。结果:超声心动图诊断为心脾综合征与心导管或磁共振结论符合者199例(占90.0%),诊断不符合者22例(占10.0%)。结论:多普勒超声心动图可以较准确地诊断心脾综合征,但对其心脏伴随畸形检出的准确率尚待进一步提高。     

经腹及经阴道B超监测卵泡发育的评估

应用经腹及经阴道B超对68名不孕症妇女,139个月经周期进行卵泡发育及排卵监测。卵泡检出率TAUS为90.6％,TVUS为98.0％,显著高于前者,P<0.05。成熟卵泡特征影象(卵丘等)在TVUS显象率较高。TVUS监测卵泡发育更实用可靠。     

Noninvasive Intracranial Cerebral Flow Velocity Evaluation in the Emergency Department by Emergency Physicians

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is an accepted modality for the evaluation of cerebral blood flow velocities. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of bedside TCD measurement in the emergency department (ED) with critically ill, intubated patients. METHODS: A prospective convenience sample of patients presenting to a university hospital over a two-month period underwent TCD evaluation of the middle cerebral artery. Intubated patients with head trauma and any patient requiring tracheal intubation were eligible. A 2-MHz Doppler probe was positioned over the temporal bone to acquire blood flow velocities. An emergency medicine resident and research assistant obtained measurements. Continuous TCD tracings were recorded on a video cassette recorder tape for quality assurance review and data collection. Vital signs and therapeutic interventions were also recorded. Flow velocities were measured in cm/s; the peak Resistance Index (RI) was calculated for each patient. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were enrolled in the study. Adequate tracings were obtained in 25 patients (83%) without a disruption of resuscitation. Tracings could not be obtained in five patients; they were listed as TCD failures. However, in two of these patients, adequate flow velocity tracings were obtained after resuscitation. Four patients were evaluated during tracheal intubation. One patient was monitored successfully during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The median time required for data acquisition was 1.9 minutes. The mean highest RI for those who expired was 0.84. For those who survived, the mean highest RI was 0.52. The difference of 0.32 was statistically significant (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive blood flow velocity monitoring of the middle cerebral artery using TCD is feasible in the ED when performed at the bedside on intubated patients with traumatic brain injury and others during tracheal intubation and resuscitation.     

Mesenteric and omental cysts: An ultrasonographic and clinical study of 15 patients

The clinical and ultrasonographic (US) features of 15 cases of mesenteric or omental cyst are herein described. This series included seven male and eight female patients, whose age ranged from 2–89 years. Correct clinical diagnosis was made in two children only, but preoperative US examination accurately demonstrated the lesion in 11 of 13 patients (85%). These cystic lesions usually had a thin wall, internal septations, and fluid content with sedimentation. Enteric duplication cysts had a relatively thick wall merging with the muscle layer of bowel loop, and multiloculation was noted mainly with cystic lymphangiomas or pseudocysts. The diagnostic and surgical management of these lesions are briefly reviewed and their US appearance is illustrated.     

腮腺良性和恶性多形性腺瘤的超声研究

目的研究腮腺良性和恶性多形性腺瘤的超声特点,为临床医师诊治提供有效依据。方法选取腮腺良性多形性腺瘤患者79例和恶性多形性腺瘤患者15例,对其肿块的大小、硬度、内部回声、彩色多普勒血流显像(CDFI)特点结合病理学诊断进行对照研究。结果恶性多形性腺瘤的声像图特点与良性多形性腺瘤相似,但其肿瘤相对较大,质地更硬,内部回声分布更紊乱。不同性质的肿瘤的大小和质地有显著性差异,(P<0.01)。结论多形性腺瘤的超声诊断主要依据二维图像之特点。当多形性腺瘤大于3.0 cm,硬度较硬,内部回声分布不均多提示恶性。     

Echogenic Appearance of Colorectal Liver Metastases on Intraoperative Ultrasonography is Associated with Survival After Hepatic Resection

Survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases has traditionally been associated with clinicopathologic factors. We sought to investigate whether echogenicity of colorectal liver metastasis as assessed by intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) was a prognostic factor after hepatic resection. Prospective data on tumor IOUS appearance were collected in 84 patients who underwent hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastasis. Images were digitally recorded, blindly reviewed, and scored for echogenicity (hypo-, iso-, or hyperechoic). The median tumor number was 1 and the median tumor size was 5.0 cm. At the time of surgery, the IOUS appearance of the colorectal liver metastases were hypoechoic in 35 (41.7%) patients, isoechoic in 37 (44.0%) patients, and hyperechoic in 12 (14.3%) patients. Traditional clinicopathologic prognostic factors were similarly distributed among the three echogenicity groups (all p > 0.05). Patients with a hypoechoic lesion had a significantly shorter median survival (30.2 months) compared with patients who had either an isoechoic (53.2 months) or hyperechoic (42.3 months) lesion (p = 0.005). The 5-year survival after hepatic resection of colorectal liver metastasis was also associated with the echogenic appearance of the lesion (hypoechoic 14.4 vs isoechoic 37.4 vs hyperechoic 46.2%) (p < 0.05). Intraoperative ultrasound echogenicity should be considered a prognostic factor after hepatic resection of metastatic colorectal cancer. This study was presented at the 47th annual meeting of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 22 May 2006.