Histological analysis of the dermal and hypodermal layers of the face and correlation with high-frequency 24 MHz ultrasonography and elastosonography.

Knowledge of the structure of the face is of fundamental importance. In fact, the face is treated in many areas of medicine, from dermatology, to maxillofacial surgery, to otorhinolaryngology, to ophthalmology, etc. and anti-aging aesthetic treatments, and those for the resolution of blemishes are on the increase.

Ultrasound Differential Diagnosis in Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis of the Urinary Tract.

Endometriosis of the urinary tract is a rare condition that may lead to severe complications. At present, the major challenge appears to be the ultrasound differential diagnosis with diseases that can afflict the ureter and the bladder. Preoperative scan findings were compared with surgical and histologic records.

Sonographic Differential Diagnosis in Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis: The Bowel.

Up to one-third of fertile-age women with severe endometriosis suffer from colonic involvement. Transvaginal ultrasonography has become a first-line diagnostic tool for the study of the pelvis and more specifically for the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis. Accuracy of pelvic ultrasound for deep endometriosis increases with operator experience, but the difficulties in the differential diagnosis with diseases that can afflict the bowel tract remain a challenge.

Multicystic dysplastic kidney and contralateral vesicoureteral reflux. Renal growth.

Background: To evaluate if vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) contralateral to the multicystic dysplastic kidney can interfere with the compensatory renal hypertrophy.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients (17 males, 10 females) with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MDK) (14 on the right, 13 on the left) have been treated at the Nephrology Unit of the Pediatric Department of the University of Verona from birth up to the second year of life. All these patients were diagnosed as having MDK by prenatal ultrasonography.

Use of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device in the treatment of rectovaginal endometriosis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a levonorgestrel-releasing IUD as therapy for endometriosis of the rectovaginal septum.

Design: Prospective therapeutic non-randomized, self-controlled clinical trial analyzing changes in pain symptoms and size of lesions induced by the levonorgestrel-releasing IUD over 12 months.

Setting: Tertiary referral center for treatment of deep endometriosis.

Multicystic kidney dysplasia and Turner syndrome: two cases and a literature review.

Renal malformations occur in 33%-70% of cases of Turner syndrome (chromosome 45 and variants). We describe two cases of multicystic dysplastic kidney in Turner syndrome. A literature review of renal abnormalities in Turner syndrome shows the frequency of cystic disease to be 1.

Intraoperative and percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aims And Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate feasibility, survival rate, complications and length of hospital stay in 47 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA). Though the treatment of choice for HCC is surgical resection, the strong association of this disease with cirrhosis often rules out this procedure. Many investigations have been conducted in order to identify alternative therapies.

[Reflux nephropathy in absence of obvious vesicoureteral reflux].

Although the majority of patients with vesicoureteric reflux presents DMSA scan alterations, parenchimal renal scars are found also in children without vesicoureteric reflux. Two clinical cases of reflux nephropathy without evidence of reflux are presented. Several explanations could be advocated to justify this picture, including haematogenous source of infection, inadequate timing and/or procedure of cystouretrography, intermittency of reflux, ascending bacteria, previous presence of reflux, and appearance of controlateral reflux during the natural history of a monolateral documented reflux.

Transrectal ultrasonography in the assessment of congenital vaginal canalization defects.

Our aim was to evaluate the reliability of transrectal ultrasonography in the preoperative assessment of congenital vaginal canalization defects. We studied nine patients, six with suspected Rokitansky syndrome and three with suspected complete transverse septum. Before corrective surgery all the patients underwent pelvic examination, transabdominal and transrectal ultrasonography.

Transrectal ultrasonography in the assessment of rectovaginal endometriosis.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of transrectal ultrasonography in the assessment of rectovaginal endometriosis.

Methods: We compared the findings of transrectal ultrasonographic examination performed before surgery with the operative and pathologic findings in 140 women who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy for suspected endometriosis. The ultrasonographer was asked to investigate whether any deep endometriotic lesions were present in the rectovaginal septum and to define the lateral extension on the basis of involvement of the uterosacral ligaments.

Pre-operative assessment of bladder endometriosis.

The aim of our study was to verify the reliability of transvaginal ultrasonography in the pre-operative evaluation of bladder endometriosis. Six patients with suspected bladder endometriosis were studied. At referral to our department all six women underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasonography, cystoscopy and descending urography.

Treatment of adenomyosis-associated menorrhagia with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of treatment with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) in women affected by adenomyosis-associated menorrhagia.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

Design: Prospective, open, noncomparative study.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver: case report and review of the literature.

Inflammatory pseudotumors of the liver (IPL) are extremely rare focal lesions of the parenchyma. Up to now, the ethology of IPL has not been completely understood. Usually the clinical presentation is with fever, chills, hepatic mass.

Focal malignant hepatic lesions: MR imaging enhanced with gadolinium benzyloxypropionictetra-acetate (BOPTA)--preliminary results of phase II clinical application.

Purpose: To investigate enhancement with gadolinium benzyloxypropionictetraacetate (BOPTA) at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to detect focal malignant hepatic lesions.

Materials And Methods: A phase II trial was performed in 34 patients. Gd-BOPTA-enhanced spin-echo (SE) and gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) T1-weighted MR imaging were performed at 40 and 90 minutes after intravenous injection of 0.

Vocal cord dysfunction in an asthmatic child: case report.

Acute functional narrowing of the glottis frequently leads to an inappropriate diagnosis of asthma. Only 2 cases have been reported of patients with asthma and concomitant vocal cord dysfunction. We present the case of an adolescent boy with asthma, who exhibited a worsening of wheezing and a reduction in peak expiratory flow rate out of proportion to symptoms due to a vocal cord dysfunction.

Intraoperative ultrasonography in pancreatic cancer.

Intraoperative ultrasonography (I.US) has been introduced in order to overcome the limits of the preoperative imaging modalities (notably, ultrasonography and computed tomography), both in pancreatic cancer diagnosis and staging. The authors' experience encompasses 32 cases, selected according to the following criteria: lesions that could not be detected both preoperatively and at surgical exploration; lesions detected but not properly characterized, requiring differential diagnosis between cancer and pancreatitis; tumoral lesions with a perspective of radical surgery, in which the preoperative judgment of resectability had to be verified.

Cystic tumors of the pancreas: evaluation by ultrasonography and computed tomography.

The personal series of 30 cystic tumors of the pancreas [12 serous cystic tumors (SCT) and 18 mucinous cystic tumors (MCT)] is presented. All neoplasms were evaluated with ultrasonography (US) 28 of 30 with computed tomography (CT); the tumoral histotype could be correctly defined in 73% of cases (seven of 12 SCT and 15 of 18 MCT). Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with diagnostic aims (preparation of cytological smears and/or biochemical assays) was performed in only 10 of 30 cases, yielding a 100% sensitivity; on the whole, the combined use of imaging modalities and FNA allowed correct characterization of the cystic tumors in 27 of 30 cases (90%).

[Diagnostic imaging of pancreatic metastasis].

The authors present their personal series of pancreatic metastases (8 cases) which were evaluated with different imaging modalities--i.e., sonography, computed tomography, and angiography.

The contribution of ultrasonography and computed tomography in the diagnosis of nonfunctioning islet cell tumors of the pancreas.

The personal series of 12 nonfunctioning islet cell tumors (NFIT) of the pancreas is reported. The ultrasound and computed tomography features of NFIT are analyzed, and a few signs are identified that may be useful in the differential diagnosis vs ductal carcinoma. The necessity to complete the diagnostic work up by means of fine needle aspiration biopsy and cytologic smears is also emphasized.

Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in hairy cell leukaemia: a reliable marker of neoplastic bulk.

In hairy cell leukaemia (HCL), the strong membrane expression of the Tac antigen, corresponding to the p55 chain of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), is associated with the presence in the serum of high levels of a soluble form of the same molecule (sIL-2R). Previous observations that therapy-induced clinical and haematologic improvement in HCL is accompanied by a progressive decrease of sIL-2R suggest a possible correlation between sIL-2R levels and tumour burden. To verify this hypothesis, we monitored the variation of sIL-2R values in 13 non-splenectomized HCL patients admitted for treatment with recombinant interferon alpha-2.

Duodenal duplication in the adult: its relationship with pancreatitis.

Seven cases of duodenal duplication in the adult are reported. The ultrasound and computed tomographic findings are analyzed. The relationship between duodenal duplication and pancreatitis is discussed.

[Role of digital intravenous angiography in the study of reversible cerebral ischemia].

The brachiocephalic, carotid, vertebral and intra-cranial vessels of 497 patients presenting reversible ischemic attacks (R.I.A.

Disseminated pulmonary ossification.

A case of idiopathic disseminated parenchymal pulmonary ossification is presented. Discussion is based on the radiological and pathological findings, taking into consideration the two different forms of presentation (nodular and branching type) of this rather rare condition. The related bibliography is reviewed and discussed with particular emphasis on the aetiology and pathogenesis.