Diagnostic momentum in physical therapy clinical reasoning.

Rationale And Objectives: Diagnostic momentum refers to ruling in a particular diagnosis without adequate evidence. As the field of physical therapy continues to transition more towards autonomous practitioners with direct access, there is a need to identify the effect of a physician diagnosis on a therapist's examination and treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify if diagnostic momentum exists in physical therapy and whether this phenomenon could affect the ability of the therapist to identify clinical red flags.

Comparison of excretory phase, helical computed tomography with intravenous urography in patients with painless haematuria.

Aim: To compare excretory phase, helical computed tomography (CT) with intravenous (IV) urography for evaluation of the urinary tract in patients with painless haematuria.

Materials And Methods: Ninety-one out-patients had IV urography followed by helical CT limited to the urinary tract. Both IV urograms and CT images were evaluated for abnormalities of the urinary tract in a blinded, prospective manner.

Sonohysterographic findings of endometrial and subendometrial conditions.

Sonohysterography has become the standard test in the evaluation of dysfunctional uterine and postmenopausal bleeding because it allows reliable differentiation between focal and diffuse endometrial and subendometrial lesions, with the most common being polyps and submucosal fibroids. An endometrial polyp usually appears as a well-defined, homogeneous, polypoid lesion that is isoechoic to the endometrium with preservation of the endometrial-myometrial interface. Atypical polyps have cystic components, multiplicity, a broad base, and hypoechogenicity or heterogeneity.

Transvaginal interventional procedures: aspiration, biopsy, and catheter drainage.

Transvaginal ultrasonographically (US) guided procedures are simple and safe and often represent the only means of access to pelvic disease. Aspiration of cystic pelvic masses and core biopsy of solid pelvic masses can be easily performed by using the transvaginal route, an endoluminal US transducer, and a needle guide. Because of concerns about false-negative diagnosis and potential tumor seeding with biopsy of primary ovarian cystic lesions, the indications for transvaginal aspiration and biopsy of ovarian and adnexal lesions are predominantly therapeutic.

Imaging the effects of diabetes on the genitourinary system.

Diabetes mellitus is a common multisystemic disease with serious effects on the genitourinary system. In the radiology literature, little attention has been paid to developing an integral approach to imaging of the genitourinary tract in diabetes. The long-term effects of diabetes on the genitourinary system include diabetic nephropathy, papillary necrosis, renal artery stenosis, diabetic cystopathy, and vas deferens calcification.

Diagnostic imaging in the evaluation of renal lymphoma.

Renal lymphoma usually is a manifestation of disseminated disease and often is asymptomatic. Occasionally, the kidney(s) may be the major or only demonstrable site of disease, which may then present with a variety of urologic symptoms. The imaging studies should be tailored according to the presenting symptoms and prior history.

Percutaneous internal ureteral stent placement: review of technical issues and solutions in 50 consecutive cases.

Fifty consecutive percutaneous ureteral stent placements in 40 patients over 2 1/2 years were reviewed. Thirty-seven of 50 cases were performed following failed retrograde stenting. Antegrade stenting failed in 2/37 (5%) cases of malignant obstruction, and 4/13 (31%) cases of benign ureteral disease.

Fluoroscopically guided percutaneous suprapubic cystostomy for long-term bladder drainage: an alternative to surgical cystostomy.

Percutaneous large-bore suprapubic cystostomy catheters were placed under fluoroscopic guidance in 60 patients as an alternative to surgical cystostomy. Foley catheters (16-20 F) were placed in 57 of the patients in a one-stage procedure. Ten-French catheters were initially placed in three patients because of difficulty in dilating percutaneous tracks because of obesity (one patient) or dense scar tissue (two patients).

Imaging the urethra in men and women.

This review describes and illustrates the radiologic techniques, normal anatomy, and common congenital and acquired lesions of the urethra in men and women. Voiding cystourethrography and retrograde urethrography are the most common imaging modalities employed in the diagnosis of anatomic lesions of the urethra. The appearance of the urethra may then dictate the need for further functional evaluation with urodynamic studies.

Primary retroperitoneal neoplasms: how close can we come in making the correct diagnosis.

The primary retroperitoneal tumors form a rare and diverse group of neoplasms, the origin of which is independent of the various retroperitoneal organs and unrelated to systemic diseases, such as lymphomas, lymphadenopathy, or metastases. Radiologic investigation, mainly cross-sectional imaging and, to a lesser extent, angiography is essential in the diagnosis and management of these tumors. The radiologist often is challenged to identify the origin and specific tissue composition of the imaged neoplasms.

Hysterosalpingography in the 1990s.

All physicians involved in the evaluation and treatment of infertility rely heavily on the information provided by hysterosalpingography. For many years this study has provided images of the lumina of the fallopian tubes that are not available by other diagnostic means, and it also gives the most accurate outline of the uterine cavity. Hysterosalpingography will therefore continue to be a valuable study in the upcoming decade, and it is important now to take account of the many advances in technology that impinge on the execution and interpretation of this study.

Nonspecific magnetic resonance appearance of renal oncocytomas: report of 3 cases and review of the literature.

We report the magnetic resonance appearance of 3 cases of solitary renal oncocytomas. All lesions were of low to moderate signal intensity on T1-weighted images and became considerably brighter on the more heavily T2-weighted images. One lesion contained a large central area of cystic degeneration, while the other 2 were solid.

Large Gartner duct cyst associated with a solitary crossed ectopic kidney: imaging features.

A large Gartner duct cyst associated with solitary crossed renal ectopia was diagnosed in a young woman presenting with dyspareunia and pelvic pain. Among the radiologic imaging modalities used, magnetic resonance imaging and sonography were the most helpful in determining the cystic nature of the mass, its separation from other pelvic organs, as well as its contiguity with the lateral wall of the vagina.

Spermatic cord sarcomas: sonographic and CT features.

Five patients with sarcomas of the spermatic cord were imaged with sonography and/or computed tomography (CT). The former modality is most helpful in demonstrating the extratesticular origin of the mass and evaluating its scrotal extension for local staging. CT is necessary for pelvic staging and searching for distant metastasis.

Adrenal cysts: imaging and percutaneous aspiration.

Six patients with primary adrenal cysts were encountered during a period of 3 years. Multiple imaging modalities were used to characterize these lesions, including magnetic resonance imaging in one case. Percutaneous aspiration was performed on four of the six cysts - in one case, in the operating room prior to excision of the cyst.

Migratory lobar nephronia.

Lobar nephronia or focal bacterial nephritis is a pre-abscess stage of localized cellulitis and has been shown to represent a focal imaging manifestation of what is frequently a diffuse renal process. To the best of our knowledge, although multi-focal bacterial nephritis has been described, a migratory pattern has not been observed. This report describes a previously healthy 32-year-old woman with pathologically proven lobar nephronia that exhibited a migratory pattern on serial computed tomography (CT) and a prolonged course on antibiotic therapy.

Urinary extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: equipment, techniques, and overview.

Second generation urinary lithotriptors are characterized by extensive technical alterations and significant equipment improvement in the functional, logistical, and medical aspects of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). These newer devices feature a water bath-free environment, a reduced anesthesia requirement, improved imaging, functional uses in addition to lithotripsy, or combinations thereof. Shock wave generation by spark gap, electromagnetic, piezoelectric and microexplosive techniques are related to their peak energy, frequency, and total energy capabilities which impacts on both anesthesia needs and the length and number of treatment sessions required to pulverize calculi.

Diagnostic morphologic and urodynamic antegrade pyelography.

Diagnostic antegrade pyelography, with a thin needle, is basically a simple procedure that can be performed relatively rapidly under local anesthesia with few complications of significance. Its role, however, is frequently crucial to subsequent patient management. During morphologic antegrade examination, aspirated urine can be analyzed for tumor cells (cytologic examination), infection (smear, culture), or other biochemical alterations.

Radiation dose reduction during hysterosalpingography: an application of scanning-beam digital radiography.

Hysterosalpingography was performed in 31 patients by means of a low-dose scanning-beam digital radiographic system. The technique permits adequate evaluation of gynecologic abnormalities while allowing significant reduction in radiation: 2.4-mR (6.

Spontaneous and traumatic rupture of renal cysts: diagnosis and outcome.

Twenty-five patients with spontaneous or traumatic rupture of known renal cysts were encountered over an 18-year period. Blunt abdominal trauma and iatrogenic trauma during retrograde endoscopy accounted for four traumatic ruptures. In 21 patients, spontaneous communication occurred between the cyst and the collecting system or the perinephric space.

Percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy of symptomatic renal calculi in children.

Percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy of upper urinary tract lithiasis is a well-established procedure in adults. We successfully applied this technique to completely remove symptomatic renal calculi in two children with idiopathic hypercalciuria. The procedure was well tolerated and no complications occurred.