Can lab data be used to reduce abdominal computed tomography (CT) usage in young adults presenting to the emergency department with nontraumatic abdominal pain?

We sought to determine whether laboratory parameters could be found, predictive of a negative abdominal CT scan in young adults with nontraumatic abdominal pain. Following institutional review board approval, we evaluated CT reports of 522 patients, aged 21-35 years old, who presented to the Emergency Department with nontraumatic abdominal pain. Bivariate analyses relating ten laboratory parameters to whether the CT detected a cause for abdominal pain were conducted.

Renal-adrenal fusion: instance of an adrenal adenoma mimicking a solid renal mass at CT--case report.

The authors report an unusual case of unilateral renal-adrenal fusion with a concurrent adrenal adenoma. At computed tomography, this abnormality appeared as a solid enhancing lesion in the upper pole of the kidney, mimicking a renal mass. The ambiguous characteristics of this lesion at cross-sectional imaging, along with alternative diagnostic possibilities, are discussed.

Pulsed magnetic field therapy increases tensile strength in a rat Achilles' tendon repair model.

Purpose: To examine the effect of pulsing electromagnetic fields on the biomechanic strength of rat Achilles' tendons at 3 weeks after transection and repair.

Methods: This noninvasive modality was tested in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of a specific noninvasive radiofrequency pulsed electromagnetic field signal on tendon tensile strength at 21 days post transection in a rat model.

Results: In the animals receiving PMF exposure, an increase in tensile strength of up to 69% was noted at the repair site of the rat Achilles' tendon at 3 weeks after transection and repair compared with nonstimulated control animals.