Prolactin and beta-endorphin serum elevations after ECT in manic patients.

Objective: Alterations in prolactin and beta-endorphin serum levels after ECT are well-established findings in depression. The present study focuses on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) response patterns of the mentioned parameters in patients suffering from acute mania.

Method: Following the first three ECTs of a treatment series in 19 patients diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria as suffering from mania, blood samples were drawn before, and 20, 30 and 40 minutes after ECT.

Sequential treatment of anemia in ulcerative colitis with intravenous iron and erythropoietin.

Background: Intravenous iron and erythropoietin have been shown to be effective in Crohn's disease-associated anemia. The aim of this study was to test the sequential treatment of anemia in ulcerative colitis with intravenous iron in the first phase and erythropoietin in the second.

Patients And Methods: Twenty patients with ulcerative colitis-associated anemia (hemoglobin < or = 10.

Renography before heart transplantation in patients with cardiomyopathy.

Unlabelled: In patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (CM), abnormal renograms may result not only from circulatory failure (which should reverse after transplantation) but also from intrinsic renal disease (which contraindicates heart transplantation). Here, the outcome of heart transplantation was related to preoperative renograms, and the differentiating and prognostic value of renography was analyzed.

Methods: The study population consisted of 50 patients with ischemic CM expecting heart transplantation.

Cholescintigraphy in the evaluation of bile flow after Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy and hepatico-antrostomy in infants with choledochal cysts.

Background: The study tests the hypothesis that stasis of bile in the Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy (RYJS) loop might facilitate biliary reflux and cause cholangitis, whereas quicker transit times in hepatico-antrostomy (HAST) might prevent cholangitis.

Materials And Methods: Cholescintigraphy was performed using Tc99m-trimethyl-Br-IDA in seven RYJS patients and in five HAST patients.

Results: The time to peak (Tmax) within the RYJS loop occurred between 18 and 50 min postinjection in all patients and the mean transit time (MTT) ranged between 42 and 69 min in 5/7 patients.

A case of parathyroid carcinoma visualized on Tc-99m-sestamibi scintigraphy.

Recent studies indicate that Tc-99m-Sestamibi (MIBI, DuPont Pharma) is a useful tracer for detecting parathyroid adenomas. We present a patient with focal Tc-99m-MIBI uptake in parathyroid carcinoma which has only been described once before (1). Tc-99m-MIBI scintigraphy may be considered for diagnosing pathological parathyroid tissue.