Clinical results of TRAM flap delay by selective embolization of the deep inferior epigastric arteries.

Preoperative selective embolization of the deep inferior epigastric arteries constitutes a new technique in TRAM flap delay. Whereas surgical ligation of these vessels has proved to be an effective delay procedure in experimental and clinical settings, it requires an additional operative step under general anesthesia. Despite the introduction of the free TRAM leading to improved flap perfusion, this microsurgical technique is not always available because of the requirements of specialized equipment and staff, longer operating hours, and subsequently higher expenses.

CT determination of bone mineral density and structural investigations on the axial skeleton for estimating the osteoporosis-related fracture risk by means of a risk score.

In addition to the pure measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) in osteodensitometry, the investigation of bone structure is becoming increasingly important for estimating fracture risk. In a clinical study, a risk score was proposed which separately assesses BMD and structural parameters for spongious and cortical bone and aggregates them into a single diagnostic parameter. In 120 lumbar vertebrae from 40 patients, BMD was determined separately for spongious and cortical bone by means of quantitative CT using a single energy procedure (SE-QCT/85 kV).

Computerized analysis of gray-value profiles in spongy and cortical bone. Clinical experience.

Rationale And Objectives: Osteoporosis is characterized by a loss of bone mineral density and deterioration of structure. The authors present a structural parameter for the quantitative assessment of osteoporotic changes in vertebral bone.

Methods: In 40 patients without or with known osteoporotic fractures, spongiosa and cortical bone mineral density was measured in lumbar vertebrae 1 to 3 by quantitative CT.

Imaging of hamate bone fractures in conventional X-rays and high-resolution computed tomography. An in vitro study.

Rationale And Objectives: To examine the ability to image fractures of the body and hook of the hamate bone in conventional X-rays and high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT).

Materials And Methods: In an in vitro experiment using 18 cadaver hands, the hamate bone was fractured at different places. Before and after fracture, conventional X-rays were taken in different planes (anteroposterior, lateral, oblique, and carpal tunnel), and HR-CT was performed with 2-mm layer thickness in the axial, sagittal, and coronal plane.

Contribution of the cortical shell of vertebrae to mechanical behaviour of the lumbar vertebrae with implications for predicting fracture risk.

In the diagnosis of osteoporosis using single energy quantitative CT (SE-QCT) on the axial skeleton, only spongy bone mineral density (BMD) is used at present. Although the density of cortical bone is also determined by most QCT methods, it is not used for evaluation. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which the cortical bone of the lumbar vertebral bodies accounts for their load-bearing capacity and failure behaviour, and to use this information to suggest improvements in the differential diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Bone mineral density and spongiosa architecture in correlation to vertebral body insufficiency fractures.

Objective: The clinical value of spinal quantitative CT (sQCT) and the structural patterns of the vertebral bone were studied.

Material And Methods: sQCT was performed on 246 patients with a mean age of 57 years for whom conventional lateral radiographies of the thoracic and lumbar spine were available. All patients were suffering from back pain of unknown etiology.

Imaging modalities in Peyronie's disease. An intrapersonal comparison of ultrasound sonography, X-ray in mammography technique, computerized tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance in 20 patients.

Objective: Peyronie's disease is an ill-understood condition afflicting men in their 40s with the reported age ranging from 18 to 68 years. It is characterized by a plaque in the tunica albuginea which leads to penile deformity making sexual intercourse difficult if not impossible and is often accompanied by severe pain upon erection in the early stage; erectile dysfunction is present in about 2% of cases. Diagnosis rests upon medical history, clinical examination with plaque palpation and autophotography in two planes.

Erectile dysfunction due to single vessel failure: diagnosis and surgical treatment.

We report on the successful surgical treatment of venous single vessel disease in a patient presenting with erectile dysfunction. We stress the necessity of accurate diagnostic workup which enables the identification of rare cases that can be cured surgically.

Fournier's gangrene: viability monitoring of subcutaneously transported testis following extensive debridement by color-coded duplex sonography and nuclear magnetic resonance.

We report the case of a subcutaneously transposed testis after surgical depridement for Fournier's gangrene. Its viability was successfully monitored using color-coded duplex sonography and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Assessment of the penile vascular system with color-coded duplex sonography and pharmacocavernosometry and -graphy in impotent men.

Objective: To examine the extent to which color-coded duplex sonography permits complete clarification of vessel-dependent erectile dysfunction (ED).

Material And Methods: A total of 215 patients with ED were examined. All patients underwent pharmacocolor-coded duplex sonography (PHCCDS; 20 micrograms of prostaglandin E1, PGE1, intracavernosally) as well as pharmacocavernosometry and -graphy (PHCM and PHCG; 20 micrograms of PGE1 intracavernosally).

Lung torsion--a rare postoperative complication. A case report.

Lung or lobe torsion is a rare condition that must be included in the differential diagnosis when a partial or complete shadow is detected on the lung. We report a case of this rare complication after chest surgery. The bedside radiograph provided initial evidence of torsion.

Intravenous urography revisited in the age of ultrasound and computerized tomography: diagnostic yield in cases of renal colic, suspected pelvic and abdominal malignancies, suspected renal mass, and acute pyelonephritis.

The aim of our study was to assess the diagnostic yield of intravenous urography (IVU) compared to ultrasound (US) and computerized tomography (CT) in cases of renal colic, suspected pelvic and abdominal malignancies, suspected renal mass, and acute pyelonephritis. We retrospectively analyzed the case charts of 216 consecutive patients. The patients had been referred to the Department of Radiology by different hospital departments and local general practitioners.

Ultrasound and soft-tissue radiography to monitor local interferon-alpha 2B treatment in Peyronie's disease.

Purpose: We attempted to assess objectively the response of Peyronie's disease plaques to local interferon-alpha 2B.

Material And Methods: Twenty patients were treated with 5 local injections of 1 million units of IFN-alpha 2B into a single designated plaque. Before treatment, and 4 weeks and 6 months after treatment, the plaques were examined ultrasonographically.