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Biomedical subjects

P C Freeny

Publications and source records attributed to P C Freeny.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Radiologic diagnosis and staging of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

IBD CT is the single best modality for diagnosis and staging of patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma. While carefully performed real-time US is an excellent technique for determining the level and etiology of bile duct obstruction, it is of more limited value for diagnosis of tumors in the body and tail of the gland, and is less accurate than IBD CT for assessment of tumor resectability. Thus, most patients require IBD CT for accurate, nonoperative staging. ERCP and angiography continue to be useful adjunctive procedures for evaluation of patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma, particularly for evaluation of equivocal CT or US findings. An isolated pancreatic mass, that is, a mass with no ancillary CT or US findings of carcinoma (local extension, distant metastases), is a non-specific finding and requires further evaluation with either ERCP or angiography, and perhaps most importantly, with FNAB. Other neoplasms may mimic pancreatic ductal carcinoma, particularly islet cell carcinoma and lymphoma. Pancreatitis also can result in a focal pancreatic mass, simulating a neoplasm. These diseases usually respond to therapy and thus it is essential to confirm the radiologic diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma with biopsy, particularly if surgery is not planned or if chemoradiation therapy is anticipated.

Angiography↗

Pancreaticoduodenectomy. The importance of preserving hepatic blood flow to prevent biliary fistula.

The arterial blood supply to the common bile duct must be preserved during pancreaticoduodenectomy to avoid ischemic breakdown of the biliary-enteric anastomosis. Interruption of this blood supply can occur during operation because of inadvertent division of the common hepatic artery or a hepatic artery variation. Approximately 17 per cent of patients have a hepatic artery variation that could contribute to devascularization of the common bile duct during surgical resection of the pancreatic head. This report discusses these hepatic artery variations and the value of angiography in defining hepatic arterial anatomy prior to surgery. Two cases are presented in which biliary-enteric anastomoses became ischemic and dehisced secondary to interruption of hepatic arterial blood flow.

Aged↗

Classification of pancreatitis.

UNLABELLED: The diagnosis of acute and chronic pancreatitis should be made by histopathology, but this is usually impossible. Thus, the classification system proposed by the Cambridge and Marseille Symposia must suffice at the present time. Acute Pancreatitis: Diagnostic Criteria. 1. An elevation of plasma levels of pancreatic enzymes greater than ten standard deviations above the laboratory normal. 2. Evidence of acute pancreatitis from imaging, laparotomy, and/or autopsy. Clinical Classification. 1. Etiology where known (if unknown, this should be stated). 2. Degree of severity: (a) mild (no multisystem failure and uncomplicated recovery); (b) severe (multisystem failure and/or development of a complication that should be stated, for example, pseudocyst). Chronic Pancreatitis: Diagnostic Criteria. 1. Permanently impaired exocrine pancreatic function tests (greater than two standard deviations below the normal for the test). 2. Permanent morphological change in the gland. Clinical Classification. 1. Etiology where known (if unknown, this should be stated). 2. Pain present or absent. 3. Degrees of severity (mild, moderate, or severe changes in morphology and/or function). 4. COMPLICATIONS: cysts, portal hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and so forth.

Acute Disease↗

Intrapancreatic communication of bile and pancreatic ducts secondary to pancreatic necrosis.

An unusual complication of acute necrotizing pancreatitis occurred in which erosion of the intrapancreatic common bile duct and cephalic pancreatic duct formed a pancreaticobiliary cavity. This pancreatic process was observed to enhance during contrast computed tomography and was hypervascular during angiography, making preoperative diagnosis difficult. To our knowledge, the spontaneous development of such a cavity as a complication of acute pancreatitis has not been reported. The patient was successfully treated with pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Acute Disease↗

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: diagnosis and staging with dynamic CT.

The authors assessed the accuracy of dynamic computed tomography (CT) in diagnosis and staging of ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and analyzed the survival rates of patients with resectable and unresectable tumors. A correct diagnosis based on CT findings was made in 159 of 174 patients (91%) with 13 false-positive (8%) and two false-negative diagnoses (1%). The 13 false-positive diagnoses highlight the need for confirmation of diagnosis with biopsy. The accuracy of staging with CT was compared with that of angiography (42 patients) and surgery (51 patients). CT was more accurate than angiography in demonstrating tumor involvement of major peripancreatic vessels. Staging criteria were reliable: No unresectable tumors based on CT findings were found to be resectable during surgery (42 patients), while only three of nine resectable tumors based on CT findings were found to be unresectable. Thus, no tumors were incorrectly staged, which would potentially deny surgery for a patient. The average survival rate after resection was 14 months, while the survival rates after palliative (biliary or gastrointestinal bypass) or no treatment were 8 months and 5 months, respectively.

Angiography↗

Infected pancreatic fluid collections: percutaneous catheter drainage.

Thirty-eight infected pancreatic fluid collections in 23 patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis were drained percutaneously following initial diagnosis with computed tomography and fine-needle aspiration. Fifteen (65.2%) patients were cured completely without surgery. Eight (34.8%) patients required some type of surgery despite successful treatment of the fluid collection, and in two (6.5%) the collection recurred after catheter removal. Complications occurred in three (13%) patients, but only one complication (4%), empyema, was a direct result of catheter drainage. Catheter drainage time averaged 29 days for 16 patients with isolated collections and 96 days and 104 days for patients with collections with pancreatic duct fistulas (nine patients) or gastrointestinal fistulas (14 patients), respectively. This study confirms that infected pancreatic fluid collections can be safely and effectively treated with percutaneous catheter techniques in most patients.

Abscess↗

Sclerosing cholangitis: CT findings.

The value of computed tomography (CT) in the detection of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in the intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary systems was assessed by comparing CT scans of 20 cases of PSC with cholangiographic findings. In 16 of 19 cases of extrahepatic duct disease demonstrated with cholangiography, CT demonstrated abnormalities of the common hepatic duct, or bile duct, including duct stenosis, mural nodularity, duct dilatation, wall thickening, and mural enhancement. CT demonstrated intrahepatic disease in all 20 cases, including duct dilatation, duct stenosis, pruning, and beading. CT was superior to cholangiography in characterization of the status of the intrahepatic duct system in 11 of 20 cases. In addition, CT demonstrated extrabiliary complications of PSC in 12 cases and superimposed cholangiocarcinoma in three cases. While cholangiography remains the standard for diagnosis and follow-up of PSC, CT can provide valuable information about the extent and complications of the disease.

Adult↗

Nonoperative versus operative treatment of obstructive jaundice in pancreatic cancer: cost and survival analysis.

Pancreatic carcinoma is complicated by malignant obstructive jaundice in 40-70% of cases. Patients frequently are old, debilitated, unresectable, and faced with a dismal prognosis. Invasive endoscopic and radiologic procedures in the inoperable patient can provide palliation without the need for surgery, in most cases. Few studies have compared nonoperative palliation with conventional surgical biliary enteric bypass procedures. In a retrospective study of patients with pancreatic carcinoma, we found no difference between operative and nonoperative treatment in survival, total hospitalization, or morbidity and mortality. Cost analysis revealed significant savings with nonoperative treatment.

Aged↗

Potentially curable masses in the pancreas.

Twenty patients with intraabdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma localized to the peripancreatic area were reviewed. Appropriate diagnosis and staging required exploratory laparotomy and biopsy. With appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, 40 percent of these patients were alive 3 years after diagnosis without evidence of disease. It is for this reason that we have adopted an aggressive approach in obtaining histologic diagnoses for all pancreatic masses.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Surgical significance of vascular changes in chronic pancreatitis.

To establish a rational approach to the diagnosis and management of pancreatitis complicated by vascular abnormalities, the records of 50 patients who underwent angiography because of pancreatitis were reviewed. The findings included splenic vein thrombosis in 11 patients, splanchnic arterial anomaly or occlusion in ten patients and arterial pseudoaneurysm in six patients. Disease duration and presence of associated splenic vein thrombosis were the only two significant predictors of pseudoaneurysm. The presence of a pseudocyst was not predictive. Gastroesophageal varices, splenomegaly, associated arterial pseudoaneurysm and chronic pancreatic disease were significant predictors of splenic vein thrombosis. Dynamic bolus computed tomography was 100 per cent sensitive in detecting arterial pseudoaneurysm and 71 per cent in detecting splenic vein thrombosis. Eight patients with splenic vein thrombosis underwent splenectomy and the remaining three patients have been observed without splenectomy. Variceal bleeding has not occurred in either group. Five of the six patients with arterial pseudoaneurysm underwent aneurysmectomy without operative mortality. We conclude that arterial and venous complications of pancreatitis are associated with long duration of disease, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, varices and splenomegaly. Dynamic bolus computed tomography will detect vascular complications in these high risk patients. In patients with chronic pancreatitis in whom an operation is indicated, preoperative knowledge of vascular abnormalities may change the planned operative approach.

Adult↗

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Evaluation with double-contrast barium examination and endoscopy.

Double-contrast barium examination of the colon can demonstrate the changes associated with inflammatory bowel disease more completely and specifically than the single-contrast barium study. However, endoscopy is slightly more sensitive than double-contrast examination for detection of disease. In general, between 18% and 20% of patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis may be expected to have normal radiographic findings but endoscopically detectable disease. However, most false-negative double-contrast colon studies are associated with mild or minimal findings at proctosigmoidoscopy. Although double-contrast radiography may be less sensitive than endoscopy in detection of inflammatory bowel disease, it has similar accuracy for classification and differentiation. Most studies indicate an accuracy of 95% to 98% in differentiating Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, due to the fact that morphologic changes detected by the double-contrast mucosal study rarely overlap in the two diseases. Double-contrast barium examination and endoscopy are complementary studies, and the use of both may provide valuable information for evaluation of patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease.

Barium Sulfate↗

Colorectal carcinoma evaluation with CT: preoperative staging and detection of postoperative recurrence.

CT was performed prior to surgery in 103 patients with colorectal carcinoma to assess its value in staging the tumor. Preoperative IBD scans had sensitivities and specificities of 72.7% and 98.9% in detection of liver metastases, 25.9% and 96% in detection of lymph node metastases, and 61.2% and 80.6% in detection of local extension. Compared with the Duke's classification, CT correctly staged only 47.5% of patients: 16.6% were upstaged, and 83.3% were downstaged. Recurrent tumors developed in 11 of 67 patients followed for more than 24 months. CT depicted recurrence in six patients scanned prior to 12 months. Routine scans obtained at 12 months depicted unsuspected tumor recurrence in three of four patients with proved recurrent disease (one patient with pulmonary metastases did not undergo CT). This study indicates that because of the poor accuracy of CT in preoperative local staging of colorectal carcinoma, it has virtually no useful clinical role in this regard. However, preoperative CT evaluation of the liver can be useful. Routine postoperative CT, combined with fine-needle aspiration biopsy, is useful for detection of recurrent tumor.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen↗

Hepatic perfusion abnormalities during CT angiography: detection and interpretation.

Twenty-seven perfusion abnormalities were detected in 17 of 50 patients who underwent computed tomographic angiography (CTA) of the liver. All but one of the perfusion abnormalities occurred in patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors. Perfusion abnormalities were lobar in nine cases, segmental in 11, and subsegmental in seven; 14 were hypoperfusion and 13 were hyperperfusion abnormalities. The causes for the abnormalities included nonperfusion of a replaced hepatic artery (n = 11), cirrhosis and nodular regeneration (n = 3), altered hepatic hemodynamics (e.g., siphoning, laminar flow) caused by tumor (n = 7), contrast media washout from a nonperfused vessel (n = 1), compression of adjacent hepatic parenchyma (n = 1), and unknown (n = 4). Differentiation of perfusion abnormalities from tumor usually can be made by comparing the morphology of the known tumor with the suspected perfusion abnormality, changes of each on delayed CTA scans, and review of initial angiograms and other imaging studies.

Angiography↗

Patterns of contrast enhancement of benign and malignant hepatic neoplasms during bolus dynamic and delayed CT.

Bolus dynamic and delayed computed tomographic (CT) scans of the liver were evaluated in 43 patients with 54 hepatic hemangiomas and 111 patients with primary or secondary malignant hepatic neoplasms. Twelve patterns of contrast enhancement were recognized during the bolus dynamic phase and delayed scanning. A "typical" CT pattern for hemangiomas (present in 29 of 54 hemangiomas [53.7%]) was established: (a) diminished attenuation prior to intravenous contrast medium administration (excluding lesions arising in a liver with diffuse fatty infiltration), (b) peripheral contrast enhancement during the bolus dynamic phase, and (c) complete isodense fill-in on delayed scan images. Using these criteria, we distinguished hemangiomas from malignant neoplasms in most patients. Only one of 63 (1.6%) malignant neoplasms manifested these typical CT criteria of hemangioma. There is an 86% chance that a lesion with the typical CT appearance of hemangioma is actually a hemangioma, even when found in a patient with a known nonhepatic primary neoplasm.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗