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Biomedical subjects

P D Radecki

Publications and source records attributed to P D Radecki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Diagnostic imaging in puerperal febrile morbidity.

This retrospective study was conducted to assess the value of imaging in patients with refractory puerperal febrile morbidity. During a 36-month period, 31 patients were referred for ultrasound and/or computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging because of postpartum fever unresponsive to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy of at least 72 hours' duration. Hematomas were identified in 11 women. Abscesses were diagnosed in seven patients, ovarian venous thrombosis in two, vesicouterine fistula in one, small-bowel obstruction in one, and a subcutaneous seroma in one. Twenty-one women had endomyometritis, 13 of whom also had other extrauterine abnormalities (abscess in six, hematoma in four, and ovarian venous thrombosis, vesicouterine fistula, and small-bowel obstruction in one each). Retained placental tissue was found in two women with endomyometritis. Only two subjects had negative imaging studies. In most patients, imaging led to definitive diagnosis and specific therapeutic measures resulting in resolution of the febrile morbidity. Our experience suggests that these imaging techniques may be helpful in evaluating puerperal fever.

Abdomen

Staging of ureteral transitional cell carcinoma by CT and MRI.

Intravenous urography and retrograde pyelography are the primary radiologic studies for detecting ureteral carcinoma but give limited information regarding stage of disease. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) delineate the extent of ureteral carcinomas with a high degree of accuracy by depicting the periureteral fat and presence or absence of lymphadenopathy. In selected cases, CT and MRI are valuable for assessing the presence or absence of tumor in a ureteral stump and for the differential diagnosis of ureteral obstruction. Five cases of ureteral carcinoma and 2 cases of stump carcinoma are presented with preoperative CT and/or MRI evaluation and staging.

Aged

Ovarian vein thrombosis with atypical presentation: role of sonography and duplex Doppler.

Ovarian vein thrombosis was diagnosed in two patients, one postoperatively and one postpartum, with mild, atypical presentations, using sonography and duplex Doppler. Demonstration of the dilated ovarian vein with internal thrombus, without demonstrable flow by Doppler, was diagnostic. We propose that sonography with duplex Doppler be the initial screening examination in at-risk patients with typical or atypical presentations.

Adult

Relative merits of MRI, transrectal endosonography and CT in diagnosis and staging of carcinoma of prostate.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transrectal sonography of 27 patients with biopsy-proved carcinoma of the prostate were performed to compare the sensitivity of these modalities to each other for diagnosis and to computed tomography (CT) for staging. Sonography was superior to MRI for the detection of intraglandular carcinoma and capsular disruption. MRI was superior to both sonography and CT for evaluating seminal vesicle invasion, and slightly better than CT for detecting lymphadenopathy.

Carcinoma

Esophageal disruption: evaluation with iohexol esophagography.

Twenty-six patients with possible esophageal disruption who were also at risk for aspiration or direct communication of the esophagus with the tracheobronchial tree were examined with iohexol esophagography. Fifteen patients had normal studies confirmed by findings at a barium examination performed immediately after. In 11 patients abnormalities were diagnosed on the basis of iohexol esophagograms; the abnormalities included extraluminal extravasation of contrast material (n = 7), aspiration (n = 1), esophageal stricture with intramural diverticulosis (n = 1), edema of the gastroesophageal junction (n = 1), and epiphrenic diverticulum (n = 1). Eight of these patients were immediately reexamined with barium esophagography, which yielded no additional information. Low-osmolality, water-soluble contrast agents are a safe alternative for patients in whom barium esophagography poses a risk of mediastinitis and esophagography with diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium (Gastrografin) poses a risk of pulmonary edema.

Adult

Urachal carcinoma: CT findings.

The computed tomographic (CT) appearance of urachal carcinoma in ten patients was studied and compared with the pathologic findings. Magnetic resonance images were available in one case. All tumors were mucinous adenocarcinomas; four were solid, three were cystic, and three were mixed. The tumor had a characteristic location along the expected midline course of the urachus directly behind the anterior abdominal wall. The main tumor mass was supravesical in eight patients. Seven tumors contained calcification. CT correctly depicted bladder wall involvement and supravesical extent of tumor in all cases. CT provided incorrect information about invasion of the perivesical fat in three patients and about bladder mucosal invasion in two patients.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous

Asbestos-related pleural disease and asbestosis: a comparison of CT and chest radiography.

High-resolution CT (HRCT) has the ability to demonstrate both asbestos-related pleural disease and parenchymal abnormalities consistent with asbestosis. The role of CT in the diagnosis of asbestosis can be defined by comparing it with radiography. We evaluated 60 men who had a history of occupational exposure to asbestos and whose outside chest radiographs were considered abnormal. Chest radiographs (inside films) and HRCT were performed in all patients at our institution and were interpreted independently by experienced radiologists. Outside film results were compiled from the submitted reports. The final conclusion regarding the interpretation of the radiologic examinations was determined by consensus when disagreements existed. Positive predictive values (the likelihood that a positive report is correct) for pleural disease were: outside films 56%, inside films 79%, HRCT 100%. The positive predictive values for parenchymal disease were: outside films 51%, inside films 83%, HRCT 100%. The addition of HRCT to chest radiography is most useful in eliminating false-positive diagnoses of asbestos-related pleural disease caused by subpleural fat and false-positive diagnoses of parenchymal asbestosis in patients with extensive plaques or emphysema obscuring lung detail. The interpretation of chest radiographs in patients exposed to asbestos is often extremely difficult and subjective, and we recommend that positive findings (except calcified plaques) be confirmed with HRCT.

Asbestos

CT manifestations of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Seventy-three abdominopelvic contrast-enhanced CT scans obtained in 60 patients with peritoneal tumor spread were reviewed retrospectively to determine the CT signs of peritoneal malignancy. Ascites was present in 54 studies (74%) and was the most common CT finding. Loculation of the fluid occurred in 25 (46%) of these. In nine (17%) of the 54, a new finding, absence of cul-de-sac fluid in the presence of generalized ascites, was noted. Parietal peritoneal thickening with contrast enhancement of the peritoneum, making the peritoneum visible as a thin line along the abdominal wall, was present in 45 (62%) of studies. This is believed to represent confluent peritoneal metastases. Small-bowel involvement was present in half of the cases (wall thickening and irregularity with or without obstruction). Tumor involvement of the omentum was visible as soft-tissue permeation of fat, enhancing nodules, and/or an omental cake. Of the 26 patients without a previously known malignancy, identification of the primary tumor in addition to peritoneal carcinomatosis was possible in 13 (50%). Appreciation of the spectrum of CT findings in peritoneal carcinomatosis is essential for accurate evaluation of scans in patients with abdominopelvic malignancies.

Adolescent

Endoscopic laser therapy for carcinoma involving the esophagus: the value of pretreatment computed tomography.

Computed tomographic (CT) scans of the esophagus were performed on 15 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction prior to endoscopic laser therapy (ELT). The scans were evaluated for proximity to adjacent structures, symmetry, and luminal deviation, to help the endoscopist plan the route for therapy. A total of 50 procedures were performed without any serious complications. Pretreatment CT scans are a useful adjunct to ELT for carcinomas of the esophagus.

Adult

Enterobronchial fistula.

An unusual case of a fistula originating from the jejunum and crossing the diaphragm to involve the pleura and bronchial tree is presented. The presence of the fistula was first suggested on a computed tomographic examination of the chest. An upper gastrointestinal series verified the origin of the fistula.

Barium Sulfate

Pancreatitis presenting as pleural effusions: computed tomography demonstration of pleural space extension of pancreatitis exudate.

Reported are two cases of acute pancreatitis that presented as large pleural effusions in which the route of communication of the pancreatic fossa with the chest was demonstrated on computed tomography. The bloody effusions were right-sided in one case and bilateral in the other. Pleuropulmonary complications of pancreatitis and possible mechanisms for pulmonary involvement are presented.

Acute Disease

MR imaging in thyroid disorders: correlation of signal intensity with Graves disease activity.

Thirty-six patients with a variety of thyroid disorders and eight healthy subjects were studied with T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Solid benign nodules, malignant tumors, and inflammatory conditions were not distinguishable by thyroidal MR signal intensity, but almost all patients with Graves disease had a moderate to marked diffuse increase in signal intensity at both settings. Quantitative evaluation showed that in these patients, the thyroid-muscle signal intensity contrast ratio was linearly related to both the serum thyroxine (T4) level and the 24-hour radioactive iodine uptake. In three patients treated with iodine 131, this contrast ratio rose or fell in parallel with the serum T4 level and 24-hour radioactive iodine uptake. Either parenchymal changes or increased vascularity in Graves disease, or both, could produce these findings. In patients without Graves disease, signal intensity was not correlated with serum T4 levels. These findings suggest that MR signal intensity may reflect the activity of the stimulatory process in Graves disease and may therefore be a useful measure of thyroid function in this disorder, with both diagnostic and prognostic value.

Graves Disease

Magnetic resonance imaging in young adults with cystic fibrosis.

It is difficult to distinguish between atelectasis, mucoid impaction, and peribronchial inflammation on chest roentgenograms (CXR) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Differentiation between hilar adenopathy and prominent pulmonary vessels is also sometimes difficult. We studied 16 young adults with CF using both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CXR to evaluate the usefulness of MRI in this clinical context. The same patients were studied with abdominal ultrasound and MRI for evaluation of the pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and spleen. The MRI was superior to CXR in detecting hilar and mediastinal adenopathy and in differentiating nodes from prominent vessels. It was useful in the evaluation of bronchiectasis. The CXR was superior for assessing infiltrates, hyperinflation, sternal bowing, volume loss, and hilar retraction. The MRI was only slightly better than sonography in depicting fatty infiltration of the pancreas. The modalities were equally effective in detecting hepatosplenomegaly and signs of portal hypertension. Gallbladder evaluation was far superior with sonography.

Adolescent

Hepatic cavernous hemangioma: diagnosis with 99mTc-labeled red cells and single-photon emission CT.

During the performance of high-resolution real-time abdominal sonography, small echogenic hepatic masses are frequently discovered. A second imaging test to confirm the suspected diagnosis of hemangioma is often required. Planar labeled red-cell imaging will often not detect hemangiomas smaller than 3 cm. We studied 14 patients with labeled red-cell scintigraphy and single-photon emission CT (SPECT). Six hemangiomas were diagnosed by SPECT that would have been missed by planar imaging alone. All six were smaller than 2.5 cm. With the addition of SPECT, labeled red-cell scintigraphy has specificity and sensitivity that make it at least as reliable as dynamic CT for the noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic cavernous hemangioma.

Erythrocytes