Visual estimation of ejection fraction by two-dimensional echocardiography: the learning curve.

Our purpose was to determine the learning curve of visual estimation of ejection fraction (EF) by echocardiography. Sixty consecutive patients, who had clinically indicated echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography (RVG) within 1 month were selected. Five standard views were reviewed independently by a first-year cardiology fellow, a private cardiologist, and an experienced echocardiographer.

Prognostic value of triple phase bone scanning for reflex sympathetic dystrophy in hemiplegia.

Twenty-two patients with cerebral vascular accident (CVA), clinically confirmed by head computed tomography, were observed for symptoms of the reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS). All patients received triple phase bone scans; 16 scans were positive for RSDS. Patients with negative scans had no symptoms of RSDS.

Gallium-67 renal uptake in Sjogren's syndrome.

This case report describes a 61-year-old male with Sjogren's syndrome. Diffuse Ga-67 uptake in the kidneys was seen due to renal involvement with this disorder. Sjogren's syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of diffuse bilateral Ga-67 accumulation in the kidneys.

An evaluation of methods for sizing radiocolloidal particles.

Technetium-99m-labelled colloids covering the entire spectrum of particle size were prepared from commercial kits (antimony colloid, sulphur colloid, tin colloid) or by chemical (excess aluminium) or thermal modification of sulphur colloid (heating time of 30 min). Particle size measurements were obtained using electron microscopy and/or a laser light scattering technique. The results for antimony colloid agreed reasonably well for both techniques with a range of 3 to 25 nm.

Evaluation of radiocolloids as thrombus imaging agents. Effect of particle size on thrombus uptake.

Thrombus uptake values of several 99mTc labeled radiocolloids determined using an experimental rodent model of deep venous thrombosis were correlated with particle size distributions. The thrombus uptake values increased with increasing mean particle size. The 99mTc-tin colloid had the highest thrombus uptake value of any of the colloids used in this study.

Work in progress: detection of deep venous thrombosis with 99mTc-sulfur colloid.

Scintigrams of the leg were obtained following antecubital venous injection of 99mTc-sulfur colloid (SC) in 25 patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis. Contrast venograms were taken following the scan in all cases. Of 14 patients with confirmed deep venous thrombosis, 11 had positive scans.

The use of technetium-99m sulfur colloid as a marker for experimental venous thrombosis: concise communication.

The binding of technetium-99m sulfur colloid to in vivo thrombi was studied in a rat model of deep vein thrombosis. After thrombosis was induced by mechanical traumatization of a right femoral vein segment, technetium-99m sulfur colloid was injected into the peripheral veins of different experimental groups at intervals of 30 min and 1-7 days. Ratios of mean activity in traumatized right femoral vein segment to activity in control segments of left femoral vein (R/L ratios) ranged form 2.

Sickle cell crisis as evaluated from measurements of hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and myoglobin in plasma.

Data on plasma hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase activity (I) and myoglobin concentration were used to evaluate painful sickle cell crises. I was increased during non-crisis steady state in patients with sickle cell disease as compared to normal values (232, SD 79.7 vs 85, SD 33 Sigma units/mL).

Differential lung blood flows in experimental unilateral emphysema: nonvalidity of perfusion scans.

As part of an evaluation of the effects of left lung transplantation in dogs with papain emphysema of the right lung, differential lung blood flows were estimated by in vivo scintiscan of 99Mc-macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) and, after sacrifice, by direct counting of isotopically labeled carbonized microspheres. In six dogs, percentage flow to the right lung was calculated at the following four times: before and after induction of papain emphysema and 2 and 6 weeks after left lung autotransplantation. After the induction of right lung emphysema, the right lung in four of six animals continued to receive more than 50 percent of the total pulmonary blood flow.

Scintigraphic diagnosis of ischemic intestine with technetium-99m sulfur colloid-labeled leukocytes.

Positive scintigrams were obtained in 13 of 15 dogs injected with technetium-99m sulfur colloid-labeled leukocytes following the experimental production of intestinal ischemia. The radioactivity of the ischemic intestines averaged 5.9 times that found in normal control segments of intestine from the same animal.

A comparison of radionuclide scanning and computed tomography in metastatic lesions of the brain.

Forty-seven patients with a final diagnosis of brain metastases were studied with both computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide (RN) scanning. Fifty-three percent of these patients also underwent contrast enhanced CT. Radionuclide scanning detected 94% of the cases, while CT without contrast enhancement was positive in 89%.

131I-fibrinogen in the detection of pulmonary allograft rejection.

The uptake of 131I-fibrinogen in canine pulmonary allografts was compared to that in lung autografts or lungs with papain-induced unilateral hemorrhagic pneumonia. In addition to serial lung scans and the postmortem measurement of tissue radioactivity, all dogs had serial chest roentgenograms and histologic study of their lungs. All four animals in the allografted group had increased radioactive uptake on the side of the allograft lung at the same time as or slightly before radiographic abnormalities were evident.