[A comparison between an ionic paramagnetic contrast agent (Gd-DTPA) and a nonionic one (Gd-DTPA-BMA) in functional kidney evaluation with magnetic resonance].

Introduction: The combination of TGE sequences with bolus injection of paramagnetic contrast agents permits to study renal function and perfusion. We studied renal function with both an ionic (Gd-DTPA) and a nonionic paramagnetic contrast agent (Gd-DTPA-BMA) to compare their kinetics in normal kidneys.

Material And Methods: Twenty MR examinations were performed on 20 subjects with normal renal function.

Localization of laminin alpha 2 chain in normal human central nervous system: an immunofluorescence and ultrastructural study.

Recently, a rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy has been shown to be associated with a deficiency of laminin alpha 2 chain, a tissue-specific component of the basal lamina. Besides muscular dystrophy, children affected with this disorder also show electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging evidence of white matter involvement in the central nervous system (CNS). We have studied the precise localization of laminin alpha 2 chain in normal human brain, using specific electron microscopic techniques including thin-section fracture labeling and cryoultramicrotomy, in parallel with immunohistochemical techniques.

Ultrastructural changes of tissues produced by inhalation of thinner in rats.

Thinner is a substance that is used for industrial purposes and for drug abuse; addiction is of young people (average age, 7.5 years). Although the health problem of voluntary or nonvoluntary solvent sniffing is important, great attention has been paid to the epidemiology and pharmacology of paint thinner or industrial solvents inhalation, but studies at the morphological and biochemical level are scarce.

A linear array silicon pixel detector: images of a mammographic test object and evaluation of delivered doses.

We present images of a mammographic test object obtained using a linear array silicon pixel detector capable of single-photon counting. The detector pixel size was 200 x 300 microns2 and images were acquired by scanning the test object between the laminar detector and the x-ray source with a scanning step of 100 microns. A molybdenum anode tube was used with two different filtrations: 2 mm aluminium and 25 microns molybdenum.

[Diagnostic imaging and interventional therapy in hepatocarcinoma. Multicenter study of 290 cases].

We report the results of a multicenter study on the diagnosis and interventional therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The first aim--diagnosis--was to evaluate the sensitivity of 4 imaging techniques, namely ultrasonography (US), Computed Tomography (CT), digital arteriography (DSA) and Lipiodol CT (LCT), in HCC detection. The accuracy of these techniques was also investigated in tumor staging, which is important for treatment planning.

The modified Jones procedure for pes cavovarus with claw hallux.

The purpose of this study is to describe long-term outcomes of the modified Jones procedure for pes cavovarus with claw hallux deformity. Jones originally described an isolated transfer of the extensor hallucis longus tendon. However, this technique does not correct and stabilize the claw hallux deformity.

Arthroscopic treatment of anterior ankle impingement.

Ankle arthroscopy has recently allowed the elaboration of less invasive techniques for the treatment of anterior impingement. Its indications, advantages, and drawbacks in this application are discussed. Between 1987 and 1994, 133 patients were treated for ankle impingement.

Noninvasive in vivo quantitative assessment of fat content in human liver.

Background/aims: Since the introduction of ultrasonography, liver steatosis has become an increasingly frequent diagnosis. Both ultrasonography (US) and computerized tomography (CT) provide qualitative rather than quantitative assessment of fatty infiltration. The objective of this study was to develop a noninvasive method for the quantification of the hepatic fat content in vivo.

Anatomy of the Lisfranc joint complex.

The authors studied the Lisfranc joint complex using gross dissection and examination of anatomical sections of frozen samples in the frontal and sagittal planes. They distinguished a medial compartment, a central compartment, a lateral compartment, the secondary joint line, and the connections with the cuneoscaphoid articulation. The ligaments were divided on the basis of topography (dorsal, interosseous, and plantar) and course (longitudinal, oblique, and transverse).

Regnauld procedure in the surgical treatment of metatarsalgia: interpretation of follow-up X-ray imaging.

In lesser ray metatarsalgia (rays 2 through 5) due to an altered Lelievre's metatarsal formula (depending on the respective lengths of the metatarsals), the resection of metatarsal heads aims at restoring a correct metatarsal support. This being a destructive procedure, metatarsal head resection is best indicated in the treatment of severe forefoot deformities such as those resulting from rheumatoid arthritis. In all metatarsalgias that recognize biomechanical origin, the enclavement procedure, according to Regnauld's original report, should be preferred.

Construction of age-related reference limits for 24-h blood pressure pattern.

Blood pressure (BP) is recursively variable during the day-night cycle because of a physiological circadian rhythm. The aim of this study is, therefore, to show how to construct the population reference limits (desms) for BP in its time varying 24-h pattern, starting from a small sample, in order to facilitate their use in a local context. The sample for standardization comprised 427 clinically healthy subjects (211 males and 216 females), ranging in age from 16 to 100 years, attending their routine activities.

Long-term prognosis for atypical and malignant meningiomas: a study of 71 surgical cases.

To contribute to a better understanding of the prognostic differences between atypical and malignant meningiomas as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the influence of the grade of initial surgical excision on postoperative course, 42 cases of atypical and 29 of malignant meningioma were studied, along with long-term follow up. The two groups were compared with respect to long-term survival, recurrence-free survival, and median time to recurrence. The prognostic significance of the Simpson grade of surgical resection and tumor location was also considered.

Long-term prognosis for atypical and malignant meningiomas: a study of 71 surgical cases.

To contribute to a better understanding of the prognostic differences between atypical and malignant meningiomas as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the influence of the grade of initial surgical excision on postoperative course, 42 cases of atypical and 29 of malignant meningioma were studied, along with long-term follow up. The two groups were compared with respect to long-term survival, recurrence-free survival, and median time to recurrence. The prognostic significance of the Simpson grade of surgical resection and tumor location was also considered.

Delayed CT in acute renal infection.

CT scans of the kidneys obtained approximately 3 hours after contrast administration often reveal useful information in patients with renal infections. In this article, we discuss three main features of these delayed scans. Feature 1 shows a nephrogram replacing a variable portion of the low density areas present in the early enhanced phase.

MRI appearance of the articular cartilage in the knee according to age.

To study the MR appearance of knee joint hyaline cartilage according to age, sex and body weight 120 subjects underwent MRI of the knee. Axial SE PD and T2, GE T1 and GE-MTC sequences, as well as coronal SE T1 and sagittal SE PD and T2 sequences were used. Thickness, surface, signal intensity and visibility of the patellar and femorotibial cartilages were investigated.

Subungual exostosis of the foot.

Eleven subungual exostoses of the foot (10 on the hallux, 1 on the third toe) were studied. The initial symptom was subungual pain. When a subungual mass of fibrous tissue appeared, the nail was pushed up and in one case the mass became infected.

[Magnetic resonance assessment of knee joint hyaline cartilage according to age, sex, and body weight].

To study the MR appearance of knee joint hyaline cartilage, 120 subjects were examined with MRI of the knee. Axial SE proton-density (PD) and T2, GE T1 and GE-MTC sequences were used, as well as coronal SE T1 and sagittal SE PD and T2 sequences. At the patellar and femorotibial cartilages the following variables were investigated: thickness, surface, signal intensity and visibility.

Polyarticular Sporothrix schenckii Infection In an Immunocompetent Host.

Septic arthritis is an unusual complication of Sporothrix schenckii infection. Its diagnosis can be very difficult, mainly because of low clinical suspicion, special media needed for its culture, and low density of the organism in biopsy specimens. We present a case of a woman with disseminated Sporothrix schenckii infection and polyarthritis.

Fibrillogenesis in tendon healing: an experimental study.

The aim of this study was the histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis of reparative fibrillogenesis in experimental lesions of Achilles' tendon. Subtotal tenotomy of Achilles' tendon was performed in twenty Wistar rats. The scar tissue was analysed 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 30, 45 and 60 days post-operatively.

Cefpodoxime proxetil suspension compared with cefaclor suspension for treatment of acute otitis media in paediatric patients.

A multicentre open-label, randomised trial was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of cefpodoxime proxetil bd and cefaclor tds in the treatment of acute otitis media in children. A total of 167 children aged from 1 month to 11 years were enrolled in five centres: 78 treated with cefpodoxime and 83 treated with cefaclor, were evaluated in the ITT analysis. After tympanocentesis and culture of middle ear fluid, a pathogen was isolated from 85 (53%) of the 161 evaluable patients for the ITT analysis.