Dots are not clots: the over-diagnosis and over-treatment of PE.

The purpose of this work is to question the conventional theory that all pulmonary emboli (PE) are abnormal, and to test the hypothesis that small peripheral PE are a function of life. Most radiologists report any filling defect, independent of size, as clinically significant PE when detected in the pulmonary arteries. We sought to reinforce the theory that small dots in the pulmonary arteries are not clinically significant clots in the conventional setting.

Primary hyperparathyroidism: is there an increased prevalence of renal stone disease?

Objective: Parathyroid adenomas cause hypercalcemia and are culprits in the development of renal stone disease. With serum assays available, early detection of parathyroid tumors is possible. We performed this retrospective review to determine whether the prevalence of nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis is still increased in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism compared with those not affected by the disorder in view of the early detection of parathyroid adenomas.