Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P M Pavlina.
During thoracic exploration for resection of an esophageal duplication cyst, a second such cyst was encountered and removed. Although the association of esophageal duplication cysts with other intestinal duplications has been described, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of multiple esophageal duplication cysts.
In this prospective study of 40 patients sustaining blunt chest trauma, the value of single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT)-thallium scanning in the prediction of morbidity due to cardiac contusion was examined. Twelve patients developed cardiac complications--arrhythmias, ventricular conduction defects, and pericarditis. The sensitivity of SPECT-thallium scans was 55.6%, and the specificity was 32.1%, with an accuracy of 37.8%. Accuracy of the initial electrocardiogram (ECG) was 85%, with a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 82.1%. Patients with a normal ECG on admission rarely developed cardiac complications. It is concluded that SPECT-thallium is not a useful screening tool in this patient population.