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J M McCabe

Publications and source records attributed to J M McCabe.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Ambulatory monitoring devices and the forensic autopsy.

Ambulatory monitoring devices (AMDs) such as Holter (ECG) and apnea (respiratory) monitors with built-in date- and time-correlated memories are occasionally encountered in the forensic autopsy. Diagnostic data are usually readily obtained by returning the device to the hospital department or rental company. This data can be easily correlated with autopsy findings to arrive at surprisingly precise conclusions in some cases. We present two illustrative cases: an elderly man wearing a Holter monitor who shot himself in the mouth with a shotgun, and a 15-month-old oxygen-dependent prematurely born boy with bronchopulmonary dysplasia whose apnea monitor had been turned off 5 days before he died of bronchopneumonia. We discuss other kinds of AMDs that may be encountered in the forensic autopsy and suggest that information from these monitors perhaps should become part of the forensic autopsy report.

Apnea↗

Femoral head osteonecrosis. Detection by magnetic resonance imaging versus single-photon emission computed tomography.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) examinations were compared for detection of femoral head osteonecrosis. Of 29 hips with clinical and roentgenographic evidence of osteonecrosis (18 histologically confirmed), 15 were Stage II, three transitional, six Stage III, and five Stage IV. MRI identified osteonecrosis in all 29 cases (100% sensitivity), and there were no false-positives (100% specificity). Of 24 osteonecrotic hips with technically adequate examinations, SPECT identified 14 (sensitivity 58%), and there were four false-positives (78% specificity). If Stages III and IV were eliminated, SPECT correctly identified ten of 15 (67% sensitivity).

Adolescent↗

The accuracy of selective magnetic resonance imaging compared with the findings of arthroscopy of the knee.

The results of selective magnetic resonance imaging of the knee were compared with those of arthroscopy in a prospective series of fifty patients. A specifically designed protocol for imaging, producing T1 sagittal images interleaved at four millimeters while the patient's foot was in 20 degrees of external rotation, was utilized. This technique, called selective magnetic resonance imaging, yielded excellent visualization of the posterior cruciate ligament, medial meniscus, and lateral meniscus in all patients. However, in only 76 per cent of the patients was the anterior cruciate ligament well visualized. Compared with arthroscopy, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of selective magnetic resonance imaging were, respectively, 95.8, 100, and 98 per cent for tears of the medial meniscus; 66.7, 95.1, and 90 per cent for tears of the lateral meniscus; undefined, 100, and 100 per cent for tears of the posterior cruciate ligament; and 100, 96.9, and 97.3 per cent for tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, when that ligament was well visualized. Our selective sequence can be performed in fifteen minutes at a cost that is comparable with that of arthrography. It is totally non-invasive and requires no exposure to ionizing radiation. Selective magnetic resonance imaging can be a safe and valuable adjunct to the clinical evaluation of the knee and an aid to efficient preoperative planning.

Adolescent↗

Benzoyl peroxide lotion (20 percent) in acne.

A double-blind, controlled study was performed to determine the effectiveness of 20 percent benzoyl peroxide lotion in the mangement of mild to moderate acne vulgaris. The results of our study have shown that this new, higher concentration formulation of benzoyl peroxide is effective in reducing the lesions of acne and is relatively nonirritating.

Acne Vulgaris↗