Accuracy and costs of bedside methods for confirming nasoenteral feeding tube position: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Aim: To analyze the accuracy and costs of bedside methods for confirming the position of a nasoenteral feeding tube newly inserted blindly by nurses.

Design: Diagnostic accuracy study of three clinical methods (ultrasound, epigastric auscultation, and pH measurement) compared to radiography. The direct costs of each method used to confirm the positioning of the nasoenteral tube were also measured.

Phase Angle but Not Psoas Muscle Predicts Nutritional Risk and Prognosis in Males with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Despite those with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being at increased risk of malnutrition, there is a notable absence of practical approaches for nutritional assessment in clinical practice. We investigated the usefulness of phase angle (PhA) and Total Psoas Area Index (TPAI) for indicating nutritional risk and HCC prognosis. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), adductor pollicis muscle thickness (APMT), and handgrip strength (HGS) were assessed.

The Frequency of Anatomical Variants of the Bile Ducts: A Review Based on a Single Classification as Support for Cholangiographic Examinations.

Complications arising from hepatobiliary surgery can have adverse effects on both the quality of life and the survival of patients. Magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) techniques are highly effective at revealing anatomical variants of the bile ducts and thus play a vital role in minimizing the occurrence of complications. The aims of this review are threefold: to ascertain the classifications utilized for categorizing anatomical variants of the bile ducts, to present the reported results on the prevalence of these anatomical variants, and to explore the diagnostic modalities employed to visualize these anatomical variants and associated complications during surgical procedures.

Histogram analysis in the differentiation between adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas: the value of a single measurement.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of histogram analysis on unenhanced computed tomography (CT) for differentiating between adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas (PCCs).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with proven PCCs who had undergone CT examinations between January 2009 and July 2019 at one of two institutions. For each PCC, we selected one or two adenomas diagnosed within two weeks of the date of diagnosis of the PCC.

Magnetic resonance imaging of skull and brain parameters in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction.

Objective: To compare fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and those with normal growth, in terms of skull and brain measurements obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective cohort study including 26 single fetuses (13 with IUGR and 13 with normal growth), evaluated from 26 to 38 weeks of gestation. Using MRI, we measured skull and brain biparietal diameters (BPDs); skull and brain occipitofrontal diameters (OFDs); corpus callosum length and area; transverse cerebellar diameter; extracerebral cerebrospinal fluid (eCSF); and right and left interopercular distances (IODs).

Atypical COVID-19 presentation with Budd-Chiari syndrome leading to an outbreak in the emergency department.

We described a case report of a 50 years-old-woman admitted to the emergency department with abdominal pain associated with febrile hepatosplenomegaly with the final diagnosis of suprahepatic vein thrombosis secondary to COVID-19. Initially, this patient stayed out of a private room because of this atypical presentation and caused a COVID-19 outbreak in the emergency department.

The ABCD of portal vein thrombosis: a systematic approach.

Portal vein thrombosis refers to complete or partial obstruction of the portal venous system, in the intrahepatic or extrahepatic venous tract or even in the splenic or superior mesenteric veins. This common and potentially fatal condition can develop in various clinical contexts, especially those of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other solid tumors. Certain characteristics, such as the time since the onset of the thrombus (acute or chronic), its biology (hematic or tumoral), the presence of collateral vessels, and the magnetic resonance imaging aspects, are important components of a thorough, careful analysis, as well as informing decisions regarding the appropriate therapeutic strategy.

Accuracy of the combined method (auscultation and pH measurement) and ultrasonography for confirmation of gastric tube placement: a study protocol for a prospective study.

Introduction: Patients using a nasogastric tube (NGT) are vulnerable to adverse events, therefore proper assessment of these patients, verification of the correct tube placement and constant monitoring by the nursing staff are strategies that can reduce adverse events and risks associated with the care. The aim of this study will be to assess the accuracy of the combined method (auscultation and pH measurement) and ultrasonography for confirmation of gastric tube placement compared with the X-ray method. A further aim will be to measure and provide evidence for the direct costs of each method of confirming NGT placement and to evaluate the impact of each method on the mean direct cost of the patient.

Transarterial embolization with n-butyl cyanoacrylate for the treatment of abdominal wall hemorrhage.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) in the context of the transarterial embolization (TAE) of abdominal wall hemorrhage in an urgent scenario.

Methods: A retrospective study of cases admitted from January 2008 to December 2017 in the emergency unit of our institution revealed 11 patients with abdominal wall hemorrhage who underwent digital subtraction angiography and TAE with n-BCA. We analyzed the sex, age, hemorrhagic risk factors, etiology, embolized vessel, technical success (no rebleeding in the embolized area), clinical success (hemoglobin level control and hemodynamic stability after the procedure), complications inherent to the procedure, and clinical outcome (mortality in 30 days).

The comparative efficacy of renin-angiotensin system blockers in schistosomal hepatic fibrosis.

Schistosomiasis mansoni is involved in hepatic fibrogenesis and portal hypertension. Previous studies proved that blockade of some components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) reduce liver fibrogenesis. However, the effects of inhibition of early stages of RAS pathway in schistosomal fibrosis have not been studied yet.

Evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease using magnetic resonance in obese children and adolescents.

Objective: To determine the frequency of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease using nuclear magnetic resonance as a noninvasive method.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 50 children and adolescents followed up at an outpatient obesity clinic. The subjects were submitted to physical examination, laboratory tests (transaminases, liver function tests, lipid profile, glycemia, and basal insulin) and abdominal nuclear magnetic resonance (calculation of hepatic, visceral, and subcutaneous fat).

Use of computed tomography and automated software for quantitative analysis of the vasculature of patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Objective: To perform a quantitative analysis of the lung parenchyma and pulmonary vasculature of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) on computed tomography angiography (CTA) images, using automated software.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the CTA findings and clinical records of 45 patients with PH (17 males and 28 females), in comparison with a control group of 20 healthy individuals (7 males and 13 females); the mean age differed significantly between the two groups (53 ± 14.7 vs.

Reproducibility of abdominal fat assessment by ultrasound and computed tomography.

Objective: To test the accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) for the quantification of abdominal fat in correlation with the anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical assessments.

Materials And Methods: Using ultrasound and CT, we determined the thickness of subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat in 101 subjects-of whom 39 (38.6%) were men and 62 (61.

High-Fat and Fat-Enriched Diets Impair the Benefits of Moderate Physical Training in the Aorta and the Heart in Rats.

Aim: Millions of people die each year due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). A Western lifestyle not only fuses a significant intake of fat with physical inactivity and obesity but also promotes CVD. Recent evidence suggests that dietary fat intake impairs the benefits of physical training.

Quantitative computed tomography analysis of the airways in patients with cystic fibrosis using automated software: correlation with spirometry in the evaluation of severity.

Objective: To perform a quantitative analysis of the airways using automated software, in computed tomography images of patients with cystic fibrosis, correlating the results with spirometric findings.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-four patients with cystic fibrosis were studied-20 males and 14 females; mean age 18 ± 9 years-divided into two groups according to the spirometry findings: group I ( = 21), without severe airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in first second [FEV1] > 50% predicted), and group II ( = 13), with severe obstruction (FEV1 ≤ 50% predicted). The following tracheobronchial tree parameters were obtained automatically: bronchial diameter, area, thickness, and wall attenuation.

Apparent diffusion coefficient of normal adrenal glands.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and reliability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of normal adrenal glands.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 32 healthy subjects, divided into two groups: prepubertal (PreP, = 12), aged from 2 months to 12.5 years (4 males; 8 females); and postpubertal (PostP, = 20), aged from 11.

Clinical Symptoms, Imaging Features and Cyst Distribution in the Cerebrospinal Fluid Compartments in Patients with Extraparenchymal Neurocysticercosis.

Extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis has an aggressive course because cysts in the cerebrospinal fluid compartments induce acute inflammatory reactions. The relationships between symptoms, imaging findings, lesion type and location remain poorly understood. In this retrospective clinical records-based study, we describe the clinical symptoms, magnetic resonance imaging features, and cyst distribution in the CSF compartments of 36 patients with extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis.

Acquired portosystemic collaterals: anatomy and imaging.

Portosystemic shunts are enlarged vessels that form collateral pathological pathways between the splanchnic circulation and the systemic circulation. Although their causes are multifactorial, portosystemic shunts all have one mechanism in common-increased portal venous pressure, which diverts the blood flow from the gastrointestinal tract to the systemic circulation. Congenital and acquired collateral pathways have both been described in the literature.

Chest magnetic resonance imaging: a protocol suggestion.

In the recent years, with the development of ultrafast sequences, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been established as a valuable diagnostic modality in body imaging. Because of improvements in speed and image quality, MRI is now ready for routine clinical use also in the study of pulmonary diseases. The main advantage of MRI of the lungs is its unique combination of morphological and functional assessment in a single imaging session.

Addition of n-butyl cyanoacrylate to classic transarterial chemoembolization may improve the radiological response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: Transarterial chemoembolization is the treatment of choice for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. However, there are no clear data supporting transarterial chemoembolization vs . transarterial embolization or regarding the best chemotherapeutic agent, which may suggest a preponderant role of ischemia over chemotherapeutic action.