Plasma Volume Is Normal but Heterogeneously Distributed, and True Anemia Is Highly Prevalent in Patients With Stable Heart Failure.

Background: Intravascular volume overload and depletion as well as anemia are associated with increased hospital admissions and mortality in patients with heart failure. This study aimed to accurately measure plasma volume and red cell mass (RCM) in stable patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and gain more insight into plasma volume regulation and anemia in stable conditions of HFrEF.

Methods And Results: Plasma volume and RCM measurement based on Tc-labeled red blood cells, venous blood sample,s and clinical parameters were obtained in 24 stable HFrEF patients under optimal medical therapy.

Tongue and cheek metastases as the first clinical sign of a primary cancer.

Metastases to the oral cavity are rare and are most frequently seen in the jawbones. Soft tissue metastases as the first clinical sign of a metastatic cancer are quite exceptional. In this case report, we describe the history of a 67-year old patient presenting with painless oral lesions for 4 weeks.

FDG-PET for preoperative staging of bladder cancer.

Purpose: The presence of lymph node involvement (N) and distant metastasis (M) in patients with invasive bladder carcinoma is a major determinant of survival and, therefore, a pivotal element in the therapeutic management. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the use of( 18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in this indication.

Methods: Whole-body FDG-PET and computed tomography (CT) were performed in 55 patients with non-metastatic invasive bladder cancer for preoperative staging.

18-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography may contribute to the diagnosis and follow-up of malakoplakia.

Malakoplakia is a rare inflammatory disease involving most frequently the urinary tract. We present a case of bilateral renal malakoplakia, in which FDG-PET contributed to diagnosis. We made this diagnosis on the basis of clinical presentation, renal biopsy showing a mixed cellular infiltrate with granuloma formation and possible Michaelis-Gutmann bodies, resolution of the lesions after prolonged antibiotic therapy and evidence of leukocyte dysfunction.

Positron emission tomography with FDG in the detection of peritoneal and retroperitoneal metastases of ovarian cancer.

Objective: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate (18)F-FDG-PET, in comparison with CT, for the detection of peritoneal and retroperitoneal metastases of ovarian cancer.

Methodology: 13 patients with primary (n = 7) or recurrent (n = 6) ovarian cancer underwent an attenuation-corrected (18)F-FDG-PET of the abdomen as well as a contrast-enhanced abdominal CT, followed by surgical staging. For data analysis, the abdomen was artificially divided into six regions (right and left subphrenic region, right and left paracolic gutter, retroperitoneum and central abdomen).