Infected third branchial cleft cyst: retropharyngeal extension to the superior mediastinum.

The presentation of an infected branchial cleft cyst extending into the retropharyngeal space is extremely rare. However, differentiation of this lesion from a simple retropharyngeal abscess is important for surgical planning. The authors describe a 44-year-old woman in whom an infected third branchial cleft cyst was initially misdiagnosed as an abscess and drained surgically.

Postcontrast MRI of cranial meninges: leptomeningitis versus pachymeningitis.

Objective: Our goal was to characterize the patterns of meningeal enhancement in postcontrast MR images and correlate these patterns with the clinical disorders.

Materials And Methods: The MR scans, medical records, and laboratory findings of 83 patients, whose postcontrast MR studies of the head demonstrated meningeal enhancement, were reviewed retrospectively. The patterns of enhancement of the different layers of the meninges were divided into two types: leptomeningeal (pia and arachnoid), when enhancement of the meninges followed the convolutions of the gyri and/or involved the meninges around the basal cisterns; and pachymeningeal (dura), when the enhancement was thick and linear or nodular along the inner surface of the calvarium, falx, or tentorium without extension into the cortical gyri or basal cistern involvement.

Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis: a case report.

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis is a rare fibrosing inflammatory process involving dura mater and tentorium. In this report we are presenting contrast enhanced MRI findings of an unusual case of pachymeningitis which presented with a periorbital mass due to dural sinuses occlusion and retrograde filling of periorbital veins through superior sagittal sinus.

Central nervous system tuberculosis: MRI.

The MRI findings of 18 proven cases of central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis were reviewed; 10 patients were seropositive for HIV. All had medical, laboratory, or surgical proof of CNS tuberculosis. Eleven patients had meningitis, of whom two also had arachnoiditis.

Imaging of pregnancy-related complications.

Thirty-six cases of pregnancy-related complications were studied with plain radiography, ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging alone or in combination. Among the complications diagnosed with these various techniques were venous thromboembolic disorders, deep vein thrombosis, ovarian vein thrombosis, endometritis and pyometra, HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, and low platelet counts), hepatic hematoma and rupture, fatty liver, uterine rupture, various hematomas and a foreign body, tubo-ovarian abscess, cerebral venous thrombosis, cerebral ischemia, and cerebral edema. Prompt detection and appropriate management of many of these complications could result in decreased maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity.

Computed tomography versus standard radiography in the assessment of fractures of the mandible.

Twenty-nine fractures of the mandible were studied by standard radiographs and axial computed tomographic scans (hard copy). Independent reviewers analyzed each study in a blinded, non-paired fashion. When radiographic diagnostic sensitivities were compared on the basis of known surgical findings, the plain films were found to have a higher diagnostic sensitivity (89%) than the hard copy computed tomograms (64%).

Giant-cell tumor of the sphenoid bone: case report and review of the literature.

We report the case of a 23-year-old man with a giant-cell tumor of the sphenoid bone. The radiologic manifestations consisted of an expansile mass arising from the sphenoid bone with extension into the cranial cavity and the nasopharynx. The findings with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging best reflected respectively the osseous and soft-tissue extent of the disease.

Delayed common femoral artery stenosis due to blunt trauma.

Arterial occlusion or stenosis due to blunt trauma is rare. Only isolated examples have been reported. The majority result from sport-related trauma or are iatrogenic in nature.

Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma) in the adult patient: clinical and radiologic manifestations.

Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma), a primary renal neoplasm containing primitive blastema and embryonic glomerulotubular structures, is seen rarely in adults. To identify clinical and radiologic criteria for preoperative diagnosis of adult Wilms tumor, we studied 29 cases reported in the literature from 1975 to 1987 (all patients were 15 years old or older) and four newly diagnosed cases. The mean age of patients was 30 years; 80% were less than 35 years old.

The Tecumseh Study of Respiratory Illness. IX. Occurence of influenza in the community, 1966--1971.

The occurrence of types A and B influenza infections was determined by isolation and serology over six years among residents of Tecumseh, Michigan. By isolation, there was evidence of type A infection for a limited period during each year of the study; most rises in titer were detected during the periods of viral isolation, but some also occurred out of season. Outbreaks of type B infection were encountered three times during the six-year period and out of season infections were less frequently seen than with type A.