Retroperitoneal varices simulating masses

Retroperitoneal varices in portal hypertension may simulate the appearance of neoplastic masses or adenopathy. Contrast-enhanced CT scans clarify the diagnosis of large vascular channels. Three patients with large retroperitoneal varices demonstrated on CT had confirmation by angiography.     

不同厂家一次性输液器质量检测与分析

为了解一次性医疗用品的安全性，１９９６年２月—１９９６年５月对３个厂家生产的一次性输液器各抽样３０副进行质量监测。监测内容：①内在质量：包括细菌、热原、微粒数、ｐＨ值及氯化物含量；②外在质量：包括标记、标志、说明、包装、流量、尺寸。结果：内在质量全部达标的占９７．７８％，外在质量全部达标的仅占３３．３３％。建议国家技术监督局对生产一次性医疗用品厂家的产品应定期检查，定期公布达标情况，各医院供应室要设立监测室，以确保医疗安全。     

Practical aspects of differential ventilation with selective peep in acute respiratory failure

Hypoxaemia in association with acute respiratory failure continues to be a severe problem in some intensive care patients. Among strategies proposed, we want to focus attention on differential ventilation with selective PEEP, administered in the lateral position. This ventilation technique has proved successful in the treatment of refractory hypoxaemia due to severe bilateral lung disease.The rationale of this concept is briefly presented in this paper, where the main emphasis is laid on the practical aspects of its clinical application. Two case reports are included as examples of our experiences.     

B超联合CT在眼球内异物诊断定位中的应用

目的探讨球内异物超声及口影像定位的临床价值。方法患者分别进行B超和CT检查，诊断异物、定位并与手术结果进行比较。结果55眼中B超显影55例，CT显影53例，根据CT定位与术中发现异物基本符合。结论B超结合CT对诊断和定位眼球内异物是好方法。     

Accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography for syndesmosis injury diagnosis compared to conventional computed tomography

BackgroundSyndesmosis injury can lead to ankle mortise instability and early osteoarthritis. Several multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) methods for measurement have been developed. Weight-bearing cone beam CT (WB CBCT) is an emerging technique that offers the possibility of upright-position scanning and lower doses. This study sought to assess the diagnostic accuracy of WB CBCT in syndesmose injury compared to MDCT, with instability confirmed via manual testing upon arthroscopic examination.MethodsThree musculoskeletal radiologists with different levels of expertise prospectively analyzed 11 MDCT and eight WB CBCT scans of the same trauma-afflicted ankles with clinical suspicion of syndesmosis lesion over a period of 5 months. They evaluated 10 methods of measurement in both sides. Syndesmosis was considered pathological on arthroscopic examination in four patients. Correlation between readers was evaluated with intra-class correlation testing (p < 0.05 was considered significant). Capacity of discrimination was assessed by area under the curve (AUC) for all methods.ResultsInter-observer agreement was near excellent for both WB CBCT and MDCT for the anterior tibio-fibular (TF) distance (ICC = 0.781 and 0.831, respectively), posterior TF distance (ICC = 0.841 and 0.826), minimal TF distance (ICC = 0.899 and 0.875), and TF surface (ICC = 0.93 and 0.84). AUC were better for MDCT than WB CBCT in assessing syndesmosis instability for: anterior TF distance (ROC = 0.869 vs. 0.555, p = 0.01), minimal TF distance (ROC = 0.883 vs. 0.608, p = 0.02) and antero-posterior fibular translation (ROC = 0.894 vs. 0.467, p = 0.006).ConclusionsMDCT demonstrated better ability to distinguish pathological syndesmosis than WB CBCT, with the antero-posterior fibular translation the best discriminating measurement. The physiological widening of the contralateral syndesmosis occurring with the WB CBCT upright position may explain these results.     

Intracranial pressure and cerebral haemodynamics

Intracranial pressure (ICP) refers to the pressure within the skull, which is determined by the volumes of the intracranial contents; blood, brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Monro–Kellie homeostasis stipulates that a change in the total intracranial volume is accompanied by a change in the ICP, which is more precisely described by the intracranial pressure–volume relationship. Maintenance of a relatively constant ICP is essential for maintenance of the cerebral perfusion pressure, which in turn determines global cerebral blood flow. Although the physiological process of autoregulation ensures that cerebral blood flow is tightly maintained over a range of cerebral perfusion pressures, large increases in the ICP can result in severely impaired autoregulation, meaning that cerebral blood flow may be compromised. In this review article we provide an overview of the physiological determinants of the ICP and cerebral blood flow. We go on to illustrate how pathological states can compromise physiological compensatory mechanisms in order to potentially dangerous disturbances of the ICP and cerebral blood flow.