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Biomedical subjects

D Regge

Publications and source records attributed to D Regge.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Groove pancreatitis. A case report of chronic focal pancreatitis].

The "groove pancreatitis" is a special form of segmental chronic pancreatitis affecting the "groove" between pancreatic head, duodenum and common bile duct. This type of chronic pancreatitis was first described in 1973 and only few cases have been reported in literature. Unlike other forms of chronic pancreatitis, this is often preceded by peptic ulcers, gastric resections or biliary tract diseases; it could be associated with cysts of the duodenal wall and pancreatic cysts. Abdominal pain, vomiting due to duodenal stenosis, obstructive jaundice and weight loss are the most common presenting symptoms. The radiological features show a pancreatic mass similar to a pancreatic head carcinoma and the discrimination of groove pancreatitis from pancreatic carcinoma is often difficult or even impossible in some patients. We describe a case of groove pancreatitis treated with pancreatoduodenectomy, reviewing the clinical and radiological features. We remark that the groove pancreatitis is a disease that must be known and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.

Chronic Disease↗

Interventional radiology of the adrenal glands.

Interventional radiology of the adrenal glands comprises angiographic and percutaneous procedures. Vascular maneuvers have never received widespread application. Venous retrograde adrenal gland ablation fell into disuse because it induced only temporary reduction of adrenal function, caused intense long lasting pain, and was considered unsafe. Chemoembolization of cortico-adrenal carcinoma has been shown to slow tumor growth and may be employed if the patient is inoperable. Percutaneous FNB, routinely performed in large hospital centers, has a high diagnostic yield and a low complication rate. The procedure is performed in the staging of oncological cases or in patients with incidentally found adrenal lesion with no evidence of adreno-cortical or adrenal medullary hypersecretion. Abscesses and adrenal cysts are rarely encountered in clinical practice. Percutaneous drainage of such lesions is readily accomplished under radiological guidance with little hazard for the patient. Furthermore treatment failure does not compromise surgical treatment. Percutaneous ethanol injection has been recently suggested for treatment of hormone producing adreno-cortical adenomas in patients at high surgical risk. Results are promising but further trials are required to ascertain the efficacy and the safety of the procedure.

Abscess↗

True aneurysm of the inferior thyroid artery. Case report and review of the literature.

In a patient already operated for abdominal aortic aneurysm fifteen months previously, because of the onset of aspecific vertigo, instrumental investigations of the supra aortic vessels showed us the presence of a non palpable mass, in the left side of the neck. Duplex Scanner, angio-CT and Angiography let us suspect the presence of an aneurysm located somewhere in the course of the thyrocervical trunk. At the operation the aneurysm, which we originally suspected to be a false and a possibly iatrogenic one, in the reality was a true aneurysm and was located at the termination of the thyrocervical trunk, just in the first segment of the inferior thyroid artery. The case is reported because of its rarity and the difficulties in the preoperative diagnosis.

Aged↗

[Major clinical complications of hepatic cysts and angiomas. Report of 8 cases].

The detection of hepatic cysts and hemangiomas has become relatively frequent after the diffusion of US imaging, but rarely they cause major clinical problems. We report our experience with 8 cases (4 cysts and 4 hemangiomas) which caused either signs and symptoms simulating a hepatic disease or compression on vascular structures with systemic consequences.

Adult↗

[Liver transplantation: diagnostic imaging in the preoperative assessment].

The correct selection of patients for liver transplantation, which is essential for surgical success, requires thorough radiological evaluation. The authors present their experience on 94 pretransplant adult patients that underwent a total of 251 diagnostic exams (Doppler US, CT, angiography and cholangiography) and interventional radiology maneuvers (biopsy, chemoembolization, biliary drainage). Three sclerosing cholangitis, 3 Budd-Chiari syndromes and 20 hepatocellular carcinomas in cirrhotic patients were identified; venous collaterals were present in 62.7% of the cases, 12.8%, of which had important spontaneous porto-systemic shunts; 6 patients had portal thrombosis; 20 arterial variations were found. Interventional maneuvers were useful and free of complications. US, CT and angiographic findings of each patient were compared. Integrating informations from different exams allowed a significant increase in the accuracy of diagnostic conclusions. Thanks to interventional maneuvers 5 patients could be selected for transplantation (hepatic arterial lipiodolization stopped the growth of 4 hepatic neoplasms; 2 infected fluid collections were sterilized by percutaneous US-guided drainage and topic therapy.

Adult↗

[Liver transplantation: role of the radiologic methods in the postoperative period].

Some complications of liver transplantation appear as aspecific clinical and blood test abnormalities; others--e.g., hepatic artery thrombosis in the immediate postoperative period and stenosis of the biliary anastomosis before T-tube removal--require early diagnosis. These considerations justify the need of frequent radiologic examination in both the complicated course and the follow-up. The authors report their experience in 59 adult patients submitted to liver transplantation for irreversible liver disease in advanced stage (49 with cirrhosis, 10 with HCC; 5 with cholestatic hepatopathy; 3 with fulminant hepatitis; 1 with Budd-Chiari syndrome; 1 with metastatic APUDoma). Two hundred and sixty-three radiological examinations were performed (Doppler US, CT, angiography and cholangiography) which showed numerous early and delayed complications: 13 of them were treated with interventional radiology maneuvers (US-or CT-guided percutaneous drainage of fluid collections, biliary drainage, bilioplasty, arterial transcatheter embolization). Our results demonstrate that diagnostic and operative radiology are essential for the success of liver transplantation; integrated imaging is particularly important in the diagnosis of complications, while interventional radiology techniques can be usefully employed in their treatment.

Adult↗

Percutaneous transhepatic sphincterotomy--a report on 3 cases.

The technique of percutaneous transhepatic sphincterotomy is described. This procedure was employed in 3 patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones in whom a previous attempted endoscopic procedure had failed for anatomical reasons (a Billroth II gastric resection or a partial gastric resection with Braun anastomosis). Complete immediate success was obtained in all 3 patients. Furthermore, no major complications occurred during transhepatic treatment. The authors suggest that PTS be employed electively in patients with diseases of the biliary tree in whom the endoscopic approach fails.

Aged↗

[Acute biliary pancreatitis. Therapeutic approach].

Those forms of acute pancreatitis with a biliary etiology necessitate the choice of surgical techniques whose main objective is to obviate the cause of lithiasis and remove the necrotic and hemorrhagic areas of the gland. While probably overestimated from an epidemiological point of view, acute biliary pancreatitis still causes an overall mortality rate of 10% and has hardly been affected by the development of intensive care units and the routine use of somatostatin. By comparing the various approaches reported in the literature the Authors attempt to match the surgical concept of "timing" and the type of operation to be performed with the anatomopathological stage of disease. The paper reports the preliminary results of a treatment protocol in use since 1988 in group of 35 patients in whom the preoperative diagnosis of acute biliary pancreatitis was confirmed by computerised tomography.

Acute Disease↗

Percutaneous treatment (including pseudocystogastrostomy) of 74 pancreatic pseudocysts.

Percutaneous treatment of 74 pancreatic pseudocysts was performed in 70 patients. Initially, single-step fine-needle aspiration was used and had a 71% (15 of 21 patients) recurrence rate. Better results were obtained with prolonged extragastric or transgastric external drainage, performed in 43 patients (46 pseudocysts). Two patients in this series (4.7%) required urgent surgery: one for gastric wall hematoma and the other for intracystic hemorrhage. Three patients (7.0%) were lost to follow-up. The recurrence rate in the remaining 38 patients (41 pseudocysts) was 23.7% (nine of 38 patients). Since 1986, seven patients have been treated with percutaneous pseudocystogastrostomy (one also underwent external drainage and is thus included in the previous series, too) after placement of a transgastric drainage catheter, with no recurrence (follow-up, 2-26 months). It is concluded that transgastric drainage should be performed whenever the anatomic situation is favorable and that a pseudocystogastric stent should be placed in these patients whenever secretions are still abundant after 7-10 days.

Drainage↗

Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy with a 2.8 mm fiberscope.

The authors describe their initial experience with a 2.8 mm (8.5F) fiberscope. The instrument, used to refine interventional radiology maneuvers of the intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts, caused no additional discomfort to the 18 patients treated. The fiberscope permitted differentiation between different causes of biliary stenosis in the few cases where doubt persisted after percutaneous cholangiography. Brushing was also performed wherever necessary. The color, and thus the composition, of bile duct stones could also be determined. This has helped us to plan the therapy with methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE) in patients with cholesterol stones. Compared with traditional fiberscopes (diameter of 5mm or more) the new instrument is easier to use, and allows more peripheral ducts to be reached, but is expensive and has a smaller field of view and fewer possibilities for therapeutic applications.

Bile Duct Diseases↗

[Evaluation of the usefulness of ultrasonics in the diagnosis of cancerous cirrhosis. Comparison with CT].

Cirrhotic liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was evaluated with both US and CT. In a group of 600 cirrhotic patients 64 had HCC, which was confirmed at histology in 24 cases, and by disease evolution in the other 40; single focal degeneration was proven in 40 patients, multiple (2, 3 focal lesions), or diffuse degeneration (more than 3 focal lesions) in the remaining 24. Sixteen patients had associated portal thrombosis. US recognized 38/40 single HCC, 22/24 multiple or diffuse lesions, and 11/16 portal vein thromboses. Degeneration was most frequently hypo/isoechoic in small tumors, hyperechoic and mixed in large lesions. When small lesions are hyperechoic their differentiation from both hemangiomas and regeneration noduli is extremely difficult. In such cases CT is mandatory. US diagnostic accuracy is by far superior to that of CT: 95% vs 85% in single lesions and 91.6% vs 87.5% in diffuse forms. Overall accuracy is 93.7% for US and 85.9% for CT. The authors believe that US should be performed every 6 months on cirrhotic patients, so as to allow HCC to be detected in time for radical surgery, while CT should be performed only when doubts persist.

Adult↗

[Percutaneous biopsy (PB) of solid thoraco-abdominal formations with instrumental guidance. The authors' experience].

The results are reported of 283 percutaneous biopsies performed on solid thoracic and abdominal masses. Indications to biopsy are examined at first, which are relatively limited in number if compared to other authors' opinion on the subject--i.e., when the tumor cannot be characterized with any other methodology, or in case of neoplasms whose histological type is to be known in order to plan therapy. The techniques employed are then evaluated, with a special emphasis on the needle caliber and the guidance method (US, radioscopy and CT). Correct samplings have been obtained in more than 90% of cases. Minor complications were observed in less than 10% of cases, while major complications were totally absent. In conclusion, percutaneous biopsy proves useful in those cases where exam indication is respected and an accurate selection is previously performed.

Abdomen↗

[Use of an electrohydraulic lithotripter in the percutaneous treatment of biliary tract calculi. The preliminary clinical experience in 4 cases].

The results are reported of percutaneous transhepatic treatment with an electrohydraulic lithotripter in 4 cases of bile duct lithiasis. An electric discharge, generated by a bipolar electrode, gives origin to high-amplitude and low-frequency shock waves in the fluid medium which cause the stone to fragment. Complete resolution of lithiasis was obtained in 2 patients with intrahepatic calculosis. In the other 2 cases of massive lithiasis of intra and extrahepatic bile ducts the treatment, however incomplete, proved to be useful, as the biliary flux was rehabilitated and clinical symptoms disappeared. No relevant immediate side-effects were observed, except for well-tolerated pain during the discharges, and transitory hemobilia which solved spontaneously. No complications were observed in this series of patients. Electrohydraulic lithotripsy proves thus to be useful for supporting standard interventional radiology techniques in very complex cases of intra- and extrahepatic bile duct stones.

Aged↗

[Computerized tomographic evaluation of latero-cervical lymphatic metastasis of carcinoma of the larynx. Personal experience in 170 cases].

CT can be considered the most reliable technique in detecting nodal metastases of the cervical district. The Authors have studied 170 patients with laryngeal cancer (104 N0, 21 N1, 21 N2 and 24 N3 clinically) with CT of the cervical region during infusion of contrast material. All patients underwent radical neck dissection with pathological examination of the nodes. CT diagnosis and pathological findings were correlated. Our findings show that CT has an overall accuracy of 91.8% (100% in groups N2 and N3) and fed false positives and false negatives.

Adult↗

Percutaneous removal of biliary stones.

Since 1983 we have performed percutaneous treatment of biliary lithiasis in 97 patients. Previous retrograde endoscopic procedures were incomplete or infeasible in all patients. Immediate results were excellent resulting in complete resolution of lithiasis in 89 of 97 patients (92%). In 4 patients (4%) partial success was obtained (symptoms subsided although there were nonobstructing residual stones). Percutaneous treatment failed in 1 patient (1%). Three patients died. Complications occurred in 14 of 97 patients (14%) and mortality at 30 days was 3%. Long-term results were evaluated in 71 patients who had a least a 6-month follow-up (mean 31 months and range 6-78 months). Eight of 71 patients (11%) had recurrence of stones and 7 of these were successfully retreated transhepatically. Percutaneous removal of biliary stones is efficacious because it has a high cure rate, a low complication rate, and a mortality rate that compares favorably to that of surgery even though the patients are usually older and in poorer general condition.

Adult↗

CT colonography: screening in individuals at high risk for colorectal cancer.

The use of computed tomographic colonography (CTC) as a screening test for colorectal cancer is being advocated with growing enthusiasm by physicians and the public as stronger evidence of its validity and limited invasiveness emerges from the literature. Because the approach to surveillance of colorectal cancer depends on an individual's degree of risk category, which depends on familial and personal histories, it seems logical that the diagnostic performance and cost efficacy of screening CTC may differ according to the characteristics of the target population. Although CTC seems a valid option in low- to average-risk populations, pending a careful assessment of its cost and estimates of its cost efficacy, there are some important issues that should be addressed when it comes to considering its use in high-risk patients. The expected larger number of induced colonoscopies and higher false-positive rates are likely to have a great influence on CTC costs, but if its implementation causes a dramatic increase in the number of patients willing to undergo screening, thanks to its acceptability, then the cost efficacy ratio may ultimately become competitive with all other screening strategies for colorectal cancer. We strongly feel that large and well-conducted trials are needed to clarify the role of CTC in screening patients at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Colonography, Computed Tomographic↗