99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT in solitary pulmonary nodule evaluation.

A correct differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions is mandatory in patients with solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT may play a role in SPN evaluation. A consecutive series of 111 patients with an uncalcified View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammatory biomarkers in blood of patients with acute brain ischemia.

Although many failed surrogate markers are provided in the literature, inflammation may contribute to the outcome of ischemic stroke. In 50 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, in the absence of symptoms and signs of concomitant infection, we evaluated a panel of biomarkers reported to be variably associated with brain ischemia, and correlate their serum level with the brain lesion volume and clinical outcome. Infarct size was calculated on computed tomography (CT) scans by means of the Cavalieri's method.

Chitotriosidase in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Following an acute brain ischemia, local endothelia allow monocyte chemoattraction into the lesion site which contributes to brain damage through a group of neurotoxic factors. A relationship exists between the extent of brain damage and the plasma level of monocyte products, including chitotriosidase, though usually strictly related to preexisting infectious-inflammatory diseases.

Purpose: Since chitotriosidase activity is also elevated in pathogen-free conditions, we tested whether chitotriosidase upregulation might be specifically related to stroke and unrelated to clinically relevant infectious diseases.

The usefulness of 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT in the detection of lung metastases from extrapulmonary primary tumors.

Purpose: The appearance of pulmonary metastases in neoplastic patients previously submitted to radical operation of an extrapulmonary primary tumor and with no recurrences and/or secondary distant localizations can markedly worsen disease prognosis if the lesions are in advanced stages and no longer removable by surgical procedures. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of 99mTc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy, both planar and SPECT, in the detection of pulmonary metastases from previously treated extrapulmonary primary tumors, comparing the results with those obtained with CT.

Materials And Methods: We studied 73 patients, 33 M and 40 F, aged 24 to 79 yrs, had who undergone previously surgical resection extrapulmonary primary tumors; 31 patients had mammary, 13 gastrointestinal, 13 genitourinary, 13 thyroid and 3 laryngeal carcinomas.

Postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis: an unpredictable event: two case reports and review of the literature.

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare but serious postpartum complication that, in most cases, occurs in the right ovarian vein. Certain diagnosis, following clinical suspect because of lower quadrant tenderness and fever that alone does not respond to adequate broad-spectrum antibiotics, is now based on computed tomography (CT), although other imaging techniques, such as color Doppler ultrasonography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, are useful. Heparin and intravenous antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment so as to avoid laparotomy.