Thyroid gland: US in patients with Hodgkin disease treated with radiation therapy in childhood

The authors retrospectively assessed with sonography the prevalence of thyroid gland abnormalities in 30 patients who underwent radiation therapy for Hodgkin disease between 1962 and 1984. Doses ranged from 3,000 to 4,500 rad (3,000-4,500 cGy). Abnormalities were found in the sonograms of 24 patients and included unilateral (n = 6) or bilateral (n = 2) atrophy; multiple hypoechoic lesions smaller than 0.75 cm (n = 18); and dominant cystic (n = 2), solid (n = 3), or complex lesions (n = 4) larger than 0.75 cm. The risk of development of an abnormality increased as the time from irradiation increased and was comparable between patients who did and did not receive chemotherapy as part of the treatment regimen. Although the pathologic correlates of the various abnormalities seen on sonograms may differ, the findings indicate a need for long-term follow-up of patients who underwent cervical irradiation for Hodgkin disease.     

Intramuscular myxoma: sonographic appearance and sonographically guided needle biopsy.

The sonographic appearances of four intramuscular myxomas were reviewed. These tumors appeared as well-defined, ovoid masses surrounded by normal muscle. The echogenicity was decreased in all cases, and the presence of small fluid-filled clefts and cystic areas was noted in three of the four lesions. Color Doppler examination was performed in two cases and was negative. Sonographically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy yielded a thick myxoid substance. Large-core cutting needle biopsy allowed establishment of the diagnosis in one of the two cases in which it was performed. The differential diagnosis of a well-demarcated intramuscular mass with multiple fluid-filled clefts or cystic areas should include intramuscular myxoma.     

腹部外科常见感染性疾病的病原菌及药敏试验研究

为了了解本地区本医院腹部外科感染性疾病病原菌的构成比和药物敏感率的变化,指导临床用药,我们采用美国BD公司生产的6B和7D两种增菌瓶采集标本和培养细菌,并用该公司生产的生化板和药敏板,对1994～1996年269例常见的普外科感染性疾病患者的手术标本进行前瞻性的细菌培养和药敏试验研究.     

The case for ultrasound of muscles and tendons

Ultrasound is a highly sensitive technique that can be conveniently employed in the evaluation of muscle lesions of many types, ranging from neuromuscular diseases seen by neurologists to mass lesions and injuries seen by orthopedists. The technique is perhaps underutilized given its utility in these applications compared with other cross-sectional imaging techniques. Particularly when recent developments, such as extended field of view and color Doppler techniques, are integrated, ultrasound becomes highly attractive in the imaging evaluation of various lesions. This article reviews characteristic ultrasound appearances of various muscle and tendon lesions and discusses various newer techniques and interventional applications.     

Computed tomography diagnosis of tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare benign disease characterized by the presence of osseous and cartilaginous submucosal nodules projecting into the tracheobronchial tree. Most cases are asymptomatic and discovered incidentally at post‐mortem. We identified a case of TO on thoracic spiral CT and confirmed the diagnosis on bronchoscopy. This article reviews the imaging characteristics of TO, and shows the 3‐D virtual bronchoscopic and multiplanar reconstruction appearances of TO.     

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: Ventilation perfusion scintigraphy versus helical computed tomography pulmonary angiography

The present study compared the accuracy of ventilation perfusion scintigraphy (VQS) and CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. This was a prospective observational study of 112 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) who could be studied with both investigations within 24 h. Results were compared to final diagnosis at completion of 6-month follow up, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed in 27 referred patients (24%). The sensitivity and specificity of VQS and CTPA were similar to that reported from the literature. A normal VQ scan had the highest negative predictive value (100%), while a high-probability VQ scan had the highest positive predictive value (92%). There was no overall difference (area under the ROC curve (AUC)) between VQS (AUC (95% CI) = 0.82 (0.75,0.89)) and CTPA (AUC = 0.88 (0.81,0.94)) for the diagnosis of PE. Among patients with abnormal chest X-rays, CTPA (AUC 0.90 (0.83,0.97)) appeared somewhat better than VQS (AUC 0.78 (0.68,0.88)) but this difference did not reach statistical significance. In this instance, CTPA is at least as accurate as VQS and may provide an opportunity to make alternative diagnoses.