Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Woerner.
We used a new expert system for interpretation of lung function tests to check the differences between four investigators. The data base of the program system consists of vectors which yield statistical informations concerning the decisions of the users.
Severe puerperal infections, iliacal and ovarian vein thrombosis are post-partum complications which are potentially life-threatening. They require prompt medical treatment. CT and MR enable diagnosis by noninvasive methods.
20 woman were examined before and after partum by means of conventional and magnetic resonance pelvimetry. Besides the usual data regarding the morphology and diameters of the pelvis, MRI gives information on the soft tissues of the birth canal without the added risk of irradiation to the mother and foetus. As shown by studies done in the USA it is also possible to determine foetal maturity by MRI; this will be done in the future.
Seven cases of perforated gallbladder disclosed by computed tomography are reported. In all cases the symptoms were obvious. As clinical signs and ultrasound do not always give reliable results, computer tomography plays an important rôle in the diagnosis of gallbladder perforation.
A 56 year old man presented with increasing abdominal pain. He suffered from arterial occlusive disease with occlusion of the right A. iliaca communis. Angiography revealed partial thrombotic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. Urokinase (UK) at a dose of 150 IU/kg X minutes and heparin (1,000 U/h) was infused through the 7F angiographic catheter for 180 minutes. After 70 min of treatment, angiography showed improvement, and after 120 min the thrombus was nearly completely lysed. A stenosis of approximately 50% was still present after 180 min. Two hours after treatment the patient was pain free without analgesics. Laboratory studies showed systemic fibrinogenolysis, but fibrinogen was still within the upper normal range. Only slight systemic fibrinolytic activity (less than 5 IU UK/ml) could be determined. However, alpha 2-antiplasmin was depleted. The catheter was drawn 15 h after thrombolysis without bleeding. While under concurrent heparin and phenprocoumon therapy, the patient developed an infected gluteal hematoma as a result of i.m. injections prior to this treatment. A repeat angiography approximately one month after thrombolysis revealed further improvement and patency. The patient is well and free of abdominal angina and under oral anticoagulant therapy.
According to the results of this study NMR imaging seems to be the method of choice in radiodiagnosis of orbital wall fractures for demonstrating impactions or prolapses of orbital contents. It is superior to classic radiography or computerized tomography.