Role of CT imaging in discriminating internal hernia from aspecific abdominal pain following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a single high-volume centre experience.

Internal hernia (IH) represents a delayed complication of the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and it is historically difficult to identify preoperatively. Numerous CT signs were considered suggestive of IH but none of them is pathognomonic. In this study, we aim to evaluate the accuracy of CT in diagnosing IH, differentiating from non-specific abdominal pain.

Multidetector CT appearance of the pelvis after cesarean delivery: normal and abnormal acute findings.

Cesarean section (CS) may have several acute complications that can occur in the early postoperative period. The most common acute complications are hematomas and hemorrhage, infection, ovarian vein thrombosis, uterine dehiscence and rupture. Pelvic hematomas usually occur at specific sites and include bladder flap hematoma (between the lower uterine segment and the bladder) and subfascial or rectus sheath hematoma (rectus sheath or prevescical space).

Tumour-associated antigens in systemic sclerosis patients with interstitial lung disease: association with lung involvement and cancer risk.

Objective: To evaluate the serum levels of tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) in patients with SSc and interstitial lung disease (ILD) and to define whether their levels mirror the severity and the progression of lung damage.

Methods: Data from 80 SSc patients with ILD were collected at baseline and after 2 years as well as from 40 SSc controls without ILD. The occurrence of any malignancy was recorded.

Long-term efficacy of B cell depletion therapy on lung and skin involvement in diffuse systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of single and multiple courses of rituximab therapy in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with and without lung disease.

Methods: A total of 20 SSc patients with a diffuse disease were treated with rituximab. At baseline and during follow-up the lung involvement was evaluated with pulmonary function tests (FVC and DLCO) and with lung high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).

Medullary sponge kidney.

Purpose Of Review: After it was first described in 1939, medullary sponge kidney (MSK) received relatively little attention. This was because it was believed to have a low prevalence and because it was considered a benign condition. Studies in recent years have been changing these convictions however, hence the present review.

Familial clustering of medullary sponge kidney is autosomal dominant with reduced penetrance and variable expressivity.

Medullary sponge kidney (MSK) is a renal malformation typically associated with nephrocalcinosis and recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis. Approximately 12% of recurrent stone formers have MSK, which is generally considered a sporadic disorder. Since its discovery, three pedigrees have been described in which an apparently autosomal dominant inheritance was suggested.

Evaluation of the dentoskeletal characteristics of an Egyptian mummy with three-dimensional computer analysis.

Background: Since the introduction of Roentgen rays in medical diagnostics, mummies have been subjected to radiographic and cephalometric studies. These have, among others, the advantage of providing details that are not directly visible for inspection without the need to tamper with the relics. The acquisition of three-dimensional imaging techniques has also extended the possibility of noninvasive investigation, so that many famous mummies, such as those of Tutankhamun and Ramses II, underwent three-dimensional computed tomography (CT).

Ileal Crohn disease: mural microvascularity quantified with contrast-enhanced US correlates with disease activity.

Purpose: To quantitatively assess microvascular activation in the thickened ileal walls of patients with Crohn disease (CD) by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) and evaluate its correlation with widely used indexes of CD activity.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was approved by the ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. The authors examined 54 consecutively enrolled patients (mean age, 35.

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and progression of scleroderma interstitial lung disease.

Introduction: So far no clinical or experimental evidences clearly explain how and which systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients will experience a functional and radiological progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate whether any bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) characteristic, compared with clinical, functional and radiological parameters, is associated with the risk of progression of ILD and worse survival in SSc patients.

Methods: Lung involvement was evaluated in 110 consecutively examined SSc patients with pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT); 73 patients with evidence of ILD on HRCT underwent BAL.

Functional, radiological and biological markers of alveolitis and infections of the lower respiratory tract in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Background: A progressive lung disease and a worse survival have been observed in patients with systemic sclerosis and alveolitis. The objective of this study was to define the functional, radiological and biological markers of alveolitis in SSc patients.

Methods: 100 SSc patients (76 with limited and 24 with diffuse disease) underwent a multistep assessment of cardiopulmonary system: pulmonary function tests (PFTs) every 6-12 months, echocardiography, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), if clinically advisable.