Signing a colleague's radiology report.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P F Winter.
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The noninvasive staging of axillary lymph nodes for metastases is investigated in patients with breast cancer prior to surgery by positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG). In 124 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, whole-body PET was performed to determine the average differential uptake ratio (DUR) of 18F-FDG in the axillary lymph nodes. Results were correlated with the number of the dissected lymph nodes, size of the primary tumor, tumor type, tumor grade, estrogen and progesterone receptors, DNA ploidy, and the proportion of cells in the synthetic phase of the cell cycle (S-phase). In this prospective study of 124 patients with breast carcinoma, PET correctly categorized all 44 tumor-positive axillary lymph nodes, a sensitivity of 100%. Sixty tumor-negative axillary lymph nodes were negative by PET and 20 tumor-negative axillary lymph nodes were positive by PET. No false-negative PET findings were encountered. A weak correlation was found between DUR and tumor size as well as between DUR and the S-phase of the tumor. In patients with breast carcinoma, 18F-FDG PET can be of value in evaluating axillary lymph nodes for metastatic involvement prior to surgery. It is of particular importance that no false-negative PET findings were encountered, and axillary lymph node dissection might not be necessary in patients without axillary uptake by PET. The DUR of the positive axillary lymph nodes seems to bear a relationship with some of the purported prognostic parameters of the primary tumor.
Indium-111-octreotide, a somatostatin analog is the first commercially available receptor-based agent. It shares the binding site of naturally occurring somatostatin and is suitable for imaging somatostatin receptor-bearing tumors. An 111In-octreotide scan performed on a 6-wk old girl showed increased uptake in a subcutaneous cavernous hemangioma, which should be added to the list of lesions that can be visualized on an octreotide scan.
The results of 39 patients with severe Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO), who were monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tonography before and after combined immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporine and corticosteroids, are presented. A correlation was found between the decrease in T2 relaxation time of the superior, medial, and inferior rectus muscle (p < 0.01) and the response to the immunosuppressive treatment. Muscle thickness and intraocular pressure showed less improvement (p < 0.05). The infiltrative eye signs improved partially in correlation with the T2 relaxation time. By distinguishing inflammation of the extraorbital muscles from fibrosis, the T2 relaxation time can help to select patients that benefit from immunosuppressive treatment as well as to monitor the therapeutic effect.
The imaging characteristics of microcalcifications in both benign and malignant breast conditions were analyzed in 48 digitized film mammograms. Each case included in this analysis had findings considered suggestive of malignancy by the radiologist, with the underlying histologic structure determined by excisional biopsy. Imaging properties of each microcalcification--such as pixel intensity, relative location, distribution, size, and local neighborhood intensities--were recorded. This information was statistically analyzed at the population level according to such selection criteria as histologic type, size of calcification, and cluster size. Distribution ranges were determined for these criteria. Statistical differences between data from benign and malignant cases show the average distance between calcifications in malignant conditions was greater than in benign conditions, and tissue region averages surrounding calcifications associated with malignant conditions were consistently higher than those for benign conditions.
An algorithmic process for the detection and marking of clustered calcifications in digitized film-screen mammograms has been applied to mammograms from 50 clinical cases sampled at two digitization levels, in both the craniocaudal and mediolateral views. In all but one case the detector accurately located suggestive clusters found by radiologists in normal screening. In five cases additional clusters were also found by the detector. The detector has a negligible false-positive rate for the detection of clustered calcifications, although it is sensitive to clusters of emulsion defects displayed as artifactual calcification densities in the original film. The detector is flexible in structure and is easily adapted to various calcification/cluster criteria. The detector shows considerable promise when applied to clinical examples but will require refinement before formal testing.
Eighty-seven patients with neoplasm (57 cases), pancreatitis (28 cases), or benign biliary obstruction (2 cases) were treated with pyloric preserving pancreatectomy with two postoperative deaths, neither due to abdominal complications. About 50% of patients had delay in recovery of gastrointestinal function. Six and seven patients had clinically significant biliary and pancreatic fistulas, respectively, with some patients having both. Complications required 16 reoperations. Marginal ulcer was suggested by endoscopy or barium study in five patients, three of whom were successfully managed by a medical regimen. In the other two patients, exploration failed to demonstrate an ulcer or jejunitis. In most patients, long-term gastrointestinal function was judged to be excellent based on weight gain and lack of digestive symptoms. Pyloric function and gastric motility were evaluated by abdominal scanning using indium 111 and technetium 99m. Gastric emptying of liquids and solids was normal. Estimations of enterogastric reflux showed a moderate difference between normal subjects and pancreatectomy patients. Cancer-free survival was comparable to that after the standard Whipple procedure.
A sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m scan of the abdomen gave positive results in a 5-year-old girl with recurrent abdominal pain and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. An ileal duplication cyst lined by gastric mucosa was found at operation. Abnormal localization of sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m can be observed in any condition with ectopic gastric mucosa.
Bone scanning with 99mTc-diphosphonate disclosed a solitary focus of intense activity in a cervical vertebra of a 17-year-old youth with persistent unexplained neck pain. Surgery subsequently demonstrated a well-circumscribed osteoid osteoma. This experience is further evidence of the efficacy of radionuclide skeletal scintigraphy in the evaluation of benign bone disease.
A case is described in which mesenteric vasculature simulated a perfused left kidney during the dynamic renal imaging of a patient who had undergone a prior left nephrectomy. Confirmation was provided by abdominal angiography.
Exact localization of osseous lesions demonstrated by bone scanning with 99mTc-phosphorus compounds can be difficult. A simpler localizing procedure using two 99mTc markers and an Anger camera is described.
Sixteen (44%) of 36 normal children were observed to have faint lung uptake during liver-spleen scanning with 99mTc sulfur colloid from a commercially available kit. Visible radioactivity in the lungs of children during liver-spleen scanning should not be considered an abnormal finding.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In 17 of 26 patients with extensive, symptomatic Paget's disease poor renal visualization was noted on bone scanning with 99mTc-diphosphonate. Renal function was normal in all patients. The intensity of the renal image proved to be inversely related to the extent and metabolic activity of the Pagetic process. This finding supports the hypothesis that in Paget's disease the balance between skeletal and renal extraction of circulating tracer amy be displaced in favor of the former.
The cell wall of Veillonella alcalescens was shown to have a typically Gram-negative appearance and composition. The wall contains 24% lipid, 0.8% phosphorus, and 6.8% hexosamine. It is estimated to contain about 5% murein, unlike the 24% reported by other for Veillonella parvula. The amounts of 19 amino acids, including diaminopimelic acid, were determined. Though Veillonella sp. cannot metabolize sugars for energy, V. alcalescens incorporates ribose and fructose by separate, specific mechanisms and uses most of the incorporated sugar in nucleic acid synthesis. Large excesses of either sugar in the medium do not repress gluconeogenesis from the pyruvate level. We have been unable to detect phosphoglyceromutase (EC 2.7.5.3) by several assay methods but have no indication of a gluconeogenic pathway other than reverse glycolysis.