Real-time ultrasonography can detect the movement of viscera immediately deep to the abdominal wall. This motion of abdominal contents is called viscera slide, and is produced by the force of respiratory motion (spontaneous viscera slide) or by manual ballottement of the abdomen (induced viscera slide). Viscera slide was observed in 18 "normal" subjects (no history of previous abdominal surgery or peritonitis) and in 24 subjects at "risk" for abdominal wall adhesions because of previous abdominal operations or past history of peritonitis. In 14 of the 24 "risk" group subjects, spontaneous and induced viscera slide was restricted to excursions of less than 1 cm (58.3%). Operations were performed on 18 patients, which confirmed the fact that restriction of ultrasonically detected viscera slide identified abdominal wall adhesions in all cases, but no adhesions were found in patients with normal viscera slide. This ultrasonic finding of restricted viscera slide may be useful in the preoperative discovery and localization of abdominal wall adhesions prior to laparoscopy or laparotomy.

Abdomen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of plasma proteins and temperature on echogenicity of blood.

An explanation is proposed for the echogenicity to ultrasound scanning at 5 mHz and above of unclotted blood under conditions of stasis. In vitro experiments using blood from normal subjects and from patients with myeloma revealed that: 1) lysis of red cells prevented echogenicity, 2) echogenicity increased with increasing hematocrit, fibrinogen and other macromolecules, and temperature, and 3) blood from myeloma patients showed increased echogenicity and rouleau formation, a form of aggregation seen on peripheral smears. From these experiments it was concluded that red cell aggregation is a major cause of echogenicity of unclotted blood, requiring both intact red cells and conditions which are known to enhance red cell aggregation, such as the presence of macromolecules and increased temperature.

Blood↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Contribution of an anti-inflammatory agent in pedodontics].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗