Prediction of remission in Graves' disease after thionamide therapy by technetium-99m early uptake]

In the clinical management of Graves' thyrotoxicosis, one of the most important subject is when to stop antithyroid drugs after achieving an euthyroid state. T3 suppression test and other methods have been used to forecast the outcome after drug cessation, but the results were not always satisfactory. We have attempted to predict remission of Graves' disease by single measurement of early technetium uptake without administration of triiodothyronine. Drugs were discontinued in the seventy-five patients with Graves' disease on maintenance doses of either methimazole or propylthiouracil who showed normalized uptake (4.0% or less). Of 64 patients evaluable after twelve months, 55 (86%) remained euthyroid, 8 relapsed, and 1 became hypothyroid. With its accuracy in prediction of short-term remission comparable or superior to T3 suppression test, this rapid and simple method seemed suitable for routine use in clinical practice.     

Popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm following total knee arthroplasty: a case report

Direct vascular injury after primary total knee arthroplasty is rare. This case report illustrates a 65-year-old female who was diagnosed with a pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery when she was investigated for increased leg swelling and pain 1 week after total knee arthroplasty. She had a percutaneous endovascular repair with a stent after thrombectomy.     

Crohn's ileocolitis with initially superimposed cytomegalovirus infection, resembling intestinal tuberculosis]

We describe a case of 41-year-old Japanese man with Crohn's ileocolitis and cytomegalovirus infection, confirmed by histology of ileal ulcers. Although his colonoscopic and radiological features resembled those of intestinal tuberculosis, granulomas of typical Crohn's disease were evident on histology of biopsy specimens taken from the duodenum and colon. The lesions remain unchanged even after 1.5 years by oral administration of salazosulphapyridine 3g daily.     

The effect of plasma solutes on total-body-water measurements via NMR.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been reported as an alternative method for quantitating deuterium oxide concentrations in the evaluation of total-body-water in humans. However, the presence of dissolved plasma proteins results in an underestimation of deuterium NMR (2H-NMR) intensity ratios, thereby causing an overestimation (5-6%) of total-body-water (TBW) values determined from nonsublimed patient plasma samples. We demonstrate that plasma samples must be corrected for the volume percentage of water in plasma. Correction of initial 2H-NMR intensity ratios with a factor of 0.93 results in intensity ratios comparable to those determined from plasma samples subjected to vacuum sublimation to remove all plasma solutes.