Caveats in the sonographic determination of fetal femur length for estimation of gestational age.

Alterations from the standard conditions under which measurements of fetal femurs are made may alter the estimate of gestational age by up to four weeks. We describe and quantify the errors induced by variations in depth, gain settings, and angle of the femur relative to the US beam. We describe a simple phantom that may be used to help eliminate these sources of possible error.

Anaerobic osteomyelitis of long bones.

Nine cases of anaerobic osteomyelitis of long bones are reviewed, and data are tabulated for an additional 52 cases from the literature. Three major clinical presentations of this disease entity include an acute hematogenous form usually involving previously normal bones in younger patients; a chronic infection in which the anaerobic bacteria superinfect a fracture site already compromised by osteomyelitis due to aerobic organisms, usually Staphylococcus aureus; and an indolent infection at the site of indwelling prosthetic devices. This last form appears to be initiated at the time of surgery by the introduction of normal cutaneous anaerobic flora into the wound, but disease does not become apparent until months to years later.

Pharmacoangiography in the diagnosis of recurrent massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

The source of recurrent massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding can sometimes escape detection by conventional diagnostic measures. In such situations, bleeding can be directly provoked by pharmacoangiography using vasodilators, anticoagulants, and/or fibrinolytic agents. Heparin, streptokinase, and tolazoline, used separately or in combination, can augment, prolong, or reactivate transient, covert bleeding, thereby facilitating angiographic identification and localization of the lesion.

Glucagonoma and its angiographic diagnosis.

Four patients with metastatic glucagonoma are described. Angiography demonstrated a small avascular primary tumor of the tail of the pancreas in one patient and large hypervascular tumors of the pancreatic head in the other three. Liver metastases, were hypervascular in all four.