Pituitary fossa: chemical shift effect in MR imaging

The effect of chemical shift on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the pituitary fossa was studied. Healthy volunteers underwent conventional MR imaging of the pituitary fossa and then imaging with the frequency-encoding gradient reversed or with the phase- and frequency-encoding gradients interchanged. Comparison of the image pairs in each subject showed that the thin, black stripe evident at the water-fat interface within the pituitary fossa was altered when the gradients were changed. Therefore, the low-intensity signal within the pituitary fossa is a chemical shift misregistration effect.     

Pregnancy in patients on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Both conception and successful completion of pregnancy are rare occurrences in female patients on chronic renal replacement therapy. Only a handful of successful pregnancies and deliveries have been reported in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). Even less common are reports of successful pregnancy and delivery in patients receiving chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Among the more common causes of fetal loss are abruptio placentae and other causes of spontaneous miscarriage. We report here three cases of pregnancy in patients on CAPD; two of these pregnancies progressed successfully to spontaneous delivery, while the third terminated during an episode of acute peritonitis. Furthermore, we have reviewed the literature concerning the outcome of pregnancy in the dialysis population on CAPD.     

Anulus fibrosus in bulging intervertebral disks

In this investigation the association of radial tears of the anulus fibrosus and bulging of the intervertebral disk was studied. An index of disk bulging was measured in sagittal anatomic sections in 149 lumbar disks from 31 cadavers. The indexes of disk bulging were correlated with stages of disk development and the presence of an annular tear. The largest disk-bulging indexes were always associated with radial tears of the anulus. Eighty-four percent of the disks with radial tears had disk-bulging indexes greater than 2.5 mm. Most normal adult disks had an index of less than 2.5 mm. The results challenge the concept that the anulus fibrosus is intact in bulging disks, although ruptured in herniated disks.     

Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 strain Paris: endemic distribution throughout France

An analysis of 691 French clinical Legionella isolates showed that the endemic L. pneumophila serogroup 1 strain Paris was responsible for 12.2% of all cases of legionellosis and had a specific pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern. We also demonstrated the presence of this endemic clone throughout Europe.