Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation of parathyroid hyperplasia: preliminary experience in patients on chronic dialysis.

Objective: We report on a 3-year experience using single-shot, ultrasonography-guided, percutaneous ethanol ablation (PEA) of hyperplastic parathyroid glands in chronic dialysis patients suffering from secondary or tertiary hyperparathyroidism.

Materials And Methods: Seventeen uraemic patients (mean age 52 +/- 14 years) with hypercalcaemia and elevated serum levels of parathyroid hormone were assessed for ethanol ablation. Ten patients did not fulfil the inclusion criteria and underwent surgical parathyroidectomy.

Proximal extent of pelvic vein thrombosis and its association with pulmonary embolism.

Objective: Conventional methods such as duplex ultrasound scanning do not provide accurate information about proximal extension of pelvic vein thrombosis. We evaluated proximal extent of thrombus toward pelvic veins with magnetic resonance imaging in patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) proximal to the inguinal ligament on the basis of duplex ultrasound scans. In addition, frequency of pulmonary embolism (PE) and early (4 weeks) clinical outcome were evaluated.

Regional cerebral blood flow in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow in survivors of torture suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differed significantly from that in healthy controls.

Method: We examined the cerebral regional distribution of 99m-technetium-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime (HMPAO) using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in 8 patients and in 8 healthy controls. A semi-quantitative analysis was performed in which symmetrical regions of interest (ROI) were drawn in all subjects.

Scintimammography enhances negative predictive value of non-invasive pre-operative assessment of breast lesions.

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop a criterion with a high negative predictive value for the evaluation of breast lesions. We aimed to determine the value of combining three non-invasive tests, mammography (MM), ultrasonography (USS) and 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrite (99mTc-MIBI) scintimammography (scinti-MM).

Methods: We included 94 consecutive patients with suspected lesions detected by mammography or on physical examination.

Treatment of advanced colorectal cancer with folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil in combination with cisplatinum.

51 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (stage Dukes D) were treated with intravenous (i.v.) infusion on days 1, 3, 5, 8 and 16 with folinic acid (200 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2), and on days 1, 8 and 16 with cisplatinum (25 mg/m2 i.