Manual khalifa therapy improves functional and morphological outcome of patients with anterior cruciate ligament rupture in the knee: a randomized controlled trial.

Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a high incidence injury usually treated surgically. According to common knowledge, it does not heal spontaneously, although some claim the opposite. Regeneration therapy by Khalifa was developed for injuries of the musculoskeletal system by using specific pressure to the skin.

Plasma citrate levels as a potential biomarker for glaucoma.

Purpose: To determine the possibility of plasma citrate as a biomarker in patients with glaucoma.

Methods: Twenty-one consecutive Caucasian patients with glaucoma and 21 sex- and age-matched controls were investigated. Plasma citrate, plasma creatinine, urine citrate, and urine creatinine were analyzed by ion chromatography.

Dissection of the internal carotid artery after SCUBA-diving: a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Dissections of the internal carotid arteries are a well known complication of cervical trauma. Neurologic symptoms in patients after SCUBA-diving are often associated with gas embolism or decompression illness.

Case Report: This report presents a rare case of carotid artery dissection immediately after SCUBA-diving in a 37-year-old woman, with left-side facial paresthesias and left-cervical pain as the first symptoms after SCUBA-diving without rapid ascent to the water-surface.

Density histogram analysis of unenhanced hepatic computed tomography in patients with diffuse liver diseases.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the potential of density histogram analysis of unenhanced hepatic computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and differentiation of diffuse liver diseases.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with normal liver parenchyma, 35 patients with diffuse steatosis, 14 patients with acute steatohepatitis, 15 patients with active alcoholic cirrhosis, 23 patients with inactive alcoholic cirrhosis, 15 patients with virus-induced cirrhosis, and 8 patients with hemochromatosis underwent unenhanced hepatic CT. All diffuse liver diseases and the absence of diffuse liver disease were histologically proven.

Non-small cell lung cancer: evaluation of pleural abnormalities on CT scans with 18F FDG PET.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in differentiation of pleural malignancy and cancer-unrelated pleural disease in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pleural abnormalities at computed tomography (CT).

Materials And Methods: In 92 patients, pleural abnormalities were detected at contrast material-enhanced thoracic CT, which was performed for newly diagnosed NSCLC (n = 41) or restaging (n = 51). CT findings were negative for pleural malignancy when pleural effusion with attenuation of 10 HU or less and/or rib fractures with no evidence of pathologic fracture were present; findings were indeterminate when pleural effusion with attenuation greater than 10 HU and/or solid pleural abnormalities without osseous destruction of the chest wall were present; and findings were positive if any osseous destruction of the chest wall adjacent to a pleural mass was present.

Detection of the sinus node artery using electron beam computed tomography of the heart.

Background: Stenosis or obstruction of the sinus node artery (SNA) of the heart can cause cardiac arrhythmia and even sudden death. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the detectability of the SNA using electron beam computed tomography (EBCT).

Material And Methods: Eighty patients (mean age: 61 +/- 10 years, range: 31-80 years) were examined with ECG-triggered EBCT (exposure time: 100 ms, slice thickness: 1.

Combination of surgery and gamma knife radiosurgery--a therapeutic option for patients with tumors of nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses infiltrating the skull base.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients operated for skull base-infiltrating malignant tumors of the nasal cavity and/or the paranasal sinuses benefit from an additional Gamma knife radiosurgery.

Case Series: eight consecutive patients, (male: female ratio = 1:1, mean age = 52 years, range 34 to 79 years) presented with 2 cyclindric cell carcinomas, 2 adenocarcinomas, 2 malignant neuroblastomas, 1 squamous cell carcinoma, 1 amelanotic melanoma. Tumor stages (UICC) were: 1 T1, 3 T2, 3 T3, 1 T4, all N0, all M0.

Contrast-enhanced helical CT of the head and neck: improved conspicuity of squamous cell carcinoma on delayed scans.

Objective: We evaluated the impact of delayed scans on the conspicuity of squamous cell carcinoma in helical CT of the head and neck.

Subjects And Methods: Twenty-seven patients with biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck underwent dual-phase helical CT examinations using 100 mL of nonionic contrast material. In all patients, the early phase started 30 sec after the commencement of injection.

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour of the kidney: CT findings.

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour in the kidney is a rare entity with high malignant potential. The distinctive demographic, clinical and radiological findings, as described in the present case, should suggest this aggressive tumour in the differential diagnosis of renal neoplasms in adolescents.

Noninvasive measurement of pulmonary vascular resistances by assessment of cardiac output and pulmonary transit time.

Rationale And Objectives: Pulmonary vascular resistance is of special interest in many diseases. Usually it is determined invasively by catheterization, but cardiac output and pulmonary transit time can be ascertained by several noninvasive methods.

Methods: Fourteen heart recipients (age 34-71 years) were examined by electron-beam CT of the heart.

[Current status of diagnostic imaging of focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver].

Ranging behind hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasias (FNH) are the second most common benign solid liver lesions. Women between the age of 20 and 50 years are predominantly affected. In rare cases FNH may occur in children.

Helical CT angiography with maximum intensity projection in the assessment of aortic coarctation after surgery.

Objective: The value of CT angiography and three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions was investigated in the postoperative care after surgical repair of aortic coarctation and compared with conventional angiography.

Subjects And Methods: Twenty-five patients referred because of suspicion of stenosis in the area of former coarctation were prospectively studied with CT angiography and catheter angiography. We determined the morphometric and morphologic findings such as aortic diameter, stenosis, aneurysm, intimal flaps, circumscribed pouch, or arteriosclerotic plaques with 3D reconstructions, using maximum-intensity-projection (MIP) technique and catheter angiography.

Radiotherapy as adjunct to surgery for malignant carotid body paragangliomas presenting with lymph node metastases.

Purpose: Three cases of malignant carotid body paragangliomas with nodal metastases are reported.

Patients And Methods: Between 1985 and 1994, 3 female patients (51 to 65 years of age) were referred for postoperative radiotherapy after complete (2) or incomplete (1) surgical excision of a malignant carotid paraganglioma (Shamblin III). Preoperative angiographic embolization of the tumor-supplying arteries was performed in all cases.

Digital image fusion of CT and PET data sets--clinical value in abdominal/pelvic malignancies.

Purpose: We investigated the clinical relevance of digital image fusion of CT and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) studies in patients with suspected abdominal and/or pelvic metastasis.

Method: Nineteen patients with suspected residual/recurrent malignancies underwent CT and [18F]FDG PET studies of the abdomen and/or pelvis. The data sets of both modalities were fused on a digital workstation by automatic adaptation of the pixel size and the slice thickness.

Imaging the coronary venous drainage system using electron-beam CT.

This study describes the appearance of the coronary sinus and its tributary veins as visualized on ECG-triggered electron-beam computed tomography (CT) and investigates their spatial relationship to other cardiac structures. Thirty-two patients were examined with ECG-triggered electron-beam CT (exposure time: 100 ms, slice thickness: 1.5 mm) after intravenous contrast agent administration.

CT number variations due to different image acquisition and reconstruction parameters: a thorax phantom study.

A humanoid thorax phantom containing six compartments was scanned with two different computed tomography (CT) scanners using various image acquisition and reconstruction parameters. The differences of CT numbers were statistically significant between the two CT scanners for each compartment (p<0.001) except for the "air" compartment.

Computed tomography densitometry of the lung: a method to assess perfusion defects in acute pulmonary embolism.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of spiral computed tomography (CT) densitometry of the lung to assess segmental perfusion defects in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with known segmental or lobar perfusion defects on ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy and with normal findings in the contralateral lung segment underwent spiral CT of the thorax before and after the administration of contrast material. Regions of interest were defined in 14 segments with normal perfusion and in 14 segments with reduced perfusion.

Helical CT angiography of stent-grafts in abdominal aortic aneurysms: morphologic changes and complications.

Transfemoral placement of an endovascular stent-graft is increasingly be-ing used as an alternative to surgical repair in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, especially in high-risk patients. However, complications frequently occur after stent-graft placement. Helical computed tomographic (CT) angiography is a fast, minimally invasive procedure that is quickly becoming the imaging modality of choice for assessment of these complications.

Contrast-enhanced spiral CT of the head and neck: comparison of contrast material injection rates.

Background And Purpose: Contrast-enhanced spiral CT studies of the head and neck are performed frequently using contrast material volumes of approximately 30 g iodine and a scan delay of 30-45 seconds. Because little is known about the effects of contrast material injection rates on tissue enhancement, this was prospectively investigated in our study.

Methods: Ninety-seven patients underwent spiral CT of the head and neck.

The pneumatic spaces of the temporal bone: relationship to the temporomandibular joint.

Objectives: To assess the topographic relationship between the pneumatic spaces of the temporal bone and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) using high-resolution CT.

Methods: Findings from 100 consecutive patients who had undergone high-resolution axial CT of the base of the skull were reviewed on a digital imaging workstation. Additional multiplanar reformatted images were created in the sagittal and coronal planes through the TMJ.

The reliability of bone age determination in central European children using the Greulich and Pyle method.

This study assessed the reliability of bone age determination in normal central European children using the Greulich and Pyle method and determined the effects of readers' experience on the measured bone ages. Plain hand radiographs of 47 children (aged 2 months to 18.8 years) with normal growth were analysed by four radiologists (two experienced paediatric radiologists and two radiology residents).

Drop metastases in a patient with a chondroid chordoma of the clivus.

Metastasising chordomas are extremely rare and only four cases with drop metastases have been reported. We report a patient with an intracranial chondroid chordoma, typically involving the clivus, treated by repeated resection, percutaneous transluminal embolisation and radiosurgery. During follow-up with MRI asymptomatic intradural drop metastases were observed throughout the spine, with transgression of the intervertebral foramen, forming a "dumbbell".

Pericardial sinuses and recesses: findings at electrocardiographically triggered electron-beam CT.

Purpose: To evaluate the appearance of the pericardial sinuses and recesses at electrocardiographically triggered electron-beam computed tomography (CT).

Materials And Methods: Findings in 100 patients without known pericardial disease were reviewed. The patients underwent electron-beam CT of the heart because of suspected coronary arterial disease.