Paradoxical orthodeoxia in a patient with a large thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Introduction: Orthodeoxia is a rare clinical syndrome characterised by dyspnoea and arterial deoxygenation that accompanies a change from a supine to erect position.

Clinical Picture: We describe an unusual case of "paradoxical orthodeoxia" in a 70-year-old man with a thoracic aortic aneurysm: arterial desaturation when supine that improved when erect.

Treatment And Outcome: Non-invasive imaging revealed compression of the left pulmonary artery by the aneurysm (thoracic computed tomography) and patent foramen ovale (transesophageal echocardiography).

Total mesorectal excision: the unrecognized pelvic plane.

Total mesorectal excision for low rectal cancers has been shown to reduce local recurrence rate after curative operation to <5 percent. The lack of anatomic appreciation of the mesorectum is an important cause of inter-surgeon variability in the outcome of rectal cancer surgery. Surgical illustrations depicting the mesorectal anatomy, however, are less than accurate.

Postpneumonectomy pulmonary artery stump thrombosis: CT features and imaging follow-up.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the computed tomographic (CT) features of pulmonary artery stump thrombosis at initial and follow-up CT.

Materials And Methods: The study was approved by institutional review board, which waived informed consent, and was HIPPA compliant. All patients who had undergone pneumonectomy and CT from January 2001 to August 2003, as identified with data search system, were included.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography pattern of pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) uptake in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis identified on computed tomography (CT) in patients with lung cancer.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of F-FDG PET images in 7 patients (4 male and 3 female, mean age: 56.6 +/- 6.

Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum: increased uptake on FDG PET.

Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate FDG uptake in patients with cardiac lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum (LHIS).

Conclusion: Increased FDG uptake occurs in LHIS, a benign fatty infiltration of the interatrial septum. Increased uptake in the right heart on FDG PET warrants correlation with additional imaging to assess for LHIS and avoid false interpretation of malignancy.

The radiologic appearance of intercostal muscle flap.

Background: The intercostal muscle flap (ICMF) is commonly used in airway and esophageal surgery to reinforce an anastomosis or site of closure. These flaps undergo heterotopic ossification that may result in stenosis of adjacent airways or the esophagus. We evaluated the computer tomography (CT) scan, technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate bone scan and positron emission tomography with 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) findings of ICMF and the frequency of airway or esophageal stenosis.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and CT after talc pleurodesis.

Background: Talc pleurodesis is widely performed for the management of persistent pneumothorax or pleural effusion, particularly malignant effusions. However, there are very few data characterizing fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) and CT findings after treatment.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the FDG-PET and CT studies of nine patients who underwent talc pleurodesis for the treatment of malignant pleural effusions or persistent air leak.