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Biomedical subjects

Rivka Zissin

Publications and source records attributed to Rivka Zissin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Extrarenal manifestations of severe acute pyelonephritis: CT findings in 21 cases.

The aim of this study is to report the extrarenal computerized tomography (CT) findings in patients with acute pyelonephritis (APN). Twenty-one CT examinations of 20 patients [19 women and one man, with ages ranging from 18 to 57 years (mean -35.2 years)], presenting either with a clinical diagnosis of APN (n=17) or with a suspected acute appendicitis, fever of unknown origin, and adult respiratory distress syndrome, one in each, were retrospectively reviewed. None had a known preexisting systemic disease. Results showed that renal abnormalities were seen on CT in all patients. In addition, ascites was detected in all women patients associated with subcutaneous edema in five of them. A thickened gallbladder wall was found in 19 cases, all were women, and periportal tracking and a dilated inferior vena cava in 17 CTs. Pleural effusion and thickened interlobular septa were present in 16 and 15 studies, respectively. Relevant laboratory findings included hypoalbuminemia in 14, elevated liver enzymes in 11, hypocholesterolemia in nine, and elevated LDH levels in six cases. In conclusion, radiologists should be familiar with the extrarenal imaging features of APN that may be seen on CT, and on ultrasonography as well, and should look for renal abnormalities to diagnose a clinically unsuspected APN. Alternatively, APN should be included in the differential diagnosis of systemic diseases that cause gallbladder wall thickening to avoid misdiagnosing it as acute cholecystitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Abdominal wall abscesses in patients with Crohn's disease: clinical outcome.

Abdominal wall abscess due to Crohn's Disease used to be one of the definitive indications for operative treatment. The advent of interventional radiology, the accessibility to percutaneous drainage, and the availability of new medications raised the possibility of nonoperative treatment of this condition. The clinical presentation, treatment, and follow-up of 13 patients with abdominal wall abscesses secondary to Crohn's Disease were retrospectively reviewed. During a 10-year period (1993-2003), 13 patients with abdominal wall abscess were treated. Five patients had an anterolateral abdominal wall abscess and eight had a posterior abscess (psoas). In 11 patients, 17 drainage procedures were performed: 12 percutaneous and 5 operative. Despite initial adequate drainage and resolution of the abscess, all 13 patients eventually needed resection of the offending bowel segment, which was undertaken in 12 patients. The mean time between abscess presentation and definitive operation was 2 months. Percutaneous drainage is an attractive option in most cases of abdominal abscesses. However, in Crohn's Disease patients with an abdominal wall abscess, we found a high failure rate despite initial adequate drainage. We suggest that surgical resection of the diseased bowel segment should be the definitive therapy.

Abdominal Abscess↗
PubMed2006

Cardiovascular calcifications after radiation therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma: computed tomography detection and clinical correlation.

OBJECTIVE: To study cardiovascular calcifications, detected by computed tomography, in patients following mediastinal radiation for Hodgkin lymphoma, and correlate them with clinical findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients, <or=55 years, with computed tomography detected cardiovascular calcifications after mediastinal radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma were identified during a 10-year period. Calcifications were evaluated for site and extent and were correlated with clinical data including symptoms and signs of heart disease, angiographic and surgical findings. RESULTS: Accelerated calcifications were detected in the coronary arteries (n=11), in the aorta (n=11), and in the aortic valve and the mitral apparatus (n=8). Calcifications were more extensive when radiation was given at a young age. Clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease included coronary events in three patients, valvular dysfunction in two, pericarditis in two and complete atrioventricular block in one. Seven patients had no cardiac symptoms. CONCLUSION: Early cardiovascular calcifications can be radiation associated. Such calcifications may represent radiation-induced atherosclerosis and can be detected by computed tomography even in asymptomatic patients. The implication of our findings is that spiral computed tomography may serve as a non-invasive modality to detect accelerated cardiovascular calcifications in high-risk asymptomatic patients who survived Hodgkin lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Hemorrhagic complications in patients treated with anticoagulant doses of a low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) in routine hospital practice.

Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are a rapidly growing class of anticoagulant drug. Their efficacy has been demonstrated in several clinical settings where they are rapidly becoming the anticoagulant of choice. Controlled clinical studies in patients with deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and unstable angina have documented that the frequency of major hemorrhage is 0.5-4%. The purpose of the study was to determine the frequency of minor and major hemorrhage occurring in patients receiving anticoagulant doses of an LMWH (enoxaparin) during routine clinical practice. A prospective, observational study of consecutive patients receiving enoxaparin 1 mg/kg twice daily for at least 24 hours in five internal medicine wards of a university teaching hospital was performed. Five hundred forty-nine patients were studied. The mean age was 67.5+/-15.5 years and the mean duration of enoxaparin therapy was 3.8+/-1.5 days. Hemorrhage was documented in a total of 94 patients (17.3%). Major hemorrhage occurred in 14 patients (2.6%), injection-site hemorrhage occurred in 55 patients (10%), and minor hemorrhage (noninjection site) was documented in 25 patients (4.7%). There were two deaths attributed to hemorrhage. Patients with major hemorrhage were older than patients with minor or no hemorrhage (75.5+/-10.4 versus 66.8+/-15.2 years; p=0.03) and occurred in patients receiving enoxaparin for a longer period (5.14+/-3.8 days) than those with minor (4+/-2.5 days) or no hemorrhage (2.9+/-2.1 days). Major hemorrhage was significantly associated with impaired renal function, chronic liver disease, and concomitant treatment with warfarin or a proton pump inhibitor. Enoxaparin used in anticoagulant doses in unselected medical patients is not associated with more major hemorrhagic complications than observed in controlled clinical trials. Major hemorrhage may be more likely in older patients, in patients with chronic liver disease and impaired renal function, in patients receiving prolonged enoxaparin therapy, and in patients receiving warfarin or proton pump inhibitors.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Iron deficiency anemia in patients without gastrointestinal symptoms--a prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is the leading cause of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in men older than 50 years and post-menopausal women. There is a scarcity of data regarding IDA patients without GI symptoms or signs. We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence and the locations of the GI tract lesions in patients with asymptomatic IDA. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with asymptomatic IDA (25 men older than 50 years and 23 post-menopausal women) underwent colonoscopy, gastroscopy and abdominal computed tomography (CT) with contrast agent. RESULTS: An anaemia-causing lesion was found in 14 (29%) and 16 (33%) patients in the upper and the lower GI tract, respectively. The prevalence of dual lesions (in both the upper and lower GI tract) was low (6%). In 14 (29%) patients, a malignancy, predominantly right-sided colon carcinoma, was responsible for the IDA. Only one patient had a lesion in the small bowel. In 14 (29%) patients, the work-up was negative. CONCLUSION: Our prospective study demonstrates a high rate of malignancy, predominantly right-sided colon carcinoma, in men older than 50 years and post-menopausal women with asymptomatic IDA. This finding obligates a complete and rigorous GI tract examination in this group of patients, especially of the right colon.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Incisional endometriomas: CT findings.

We report a woman with two painful abdominal-wall masses within the scar of a previous cesarian section. The CT findings and the differential diagnosis are presented.

Abdominal Wall↗
PubMed2005

Computed tomographic features of afferent loop syndrome: pictorial essay.

ALS, a rare condition, is often difficult to diagnose clinically but has a characteristic CT appearance as a U-shaped, fluid-filled tubular structure crossing the midline between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. Radiologists should be familiar with this rare entity, as awareness of its pathognomonic CT features will aid in establishing the correct diagnosis as well as in offering a tentative etiology as a guide for treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Enteroenteric intussusception secondary to a lipoma: CT diagnosis.

We present a young woman who was hospitalized for abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal CT revealed diagnostic features of ileoileal intussusception with a central hypodense lesion of fat density suggestive of a lipoma as the lead point. This diagnosis was confirmed at surgery, where a small bowel resection was performed and a benign lipoma of the ileum was found.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

CT findings in patients with small bowel obstruction due to phytobezoar.

The role of CT in evaluating patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO) has been extensively described in the current literature. We present the CT findings of SBO due to a phytobezoar, afterwards surgically confirmed, in 5 men and 1 woman (aged 32-89 years) out of 95 patients diagnosed by CT as having SBO in a 44-month period. These six patients underwent abdominal CT prior to operation and the CT findings were retrospectively reviewed. All six patients presented with clinical symptoms and signs of SBO; three of them had undergone gastric surgery 13, 17, and 22 years earlier, respectively. In all six cases, CT showed an ovoid intraluminal mass, 3 x 5 cm in size and of a mottled appearance, at the transition zone between dilated and collapsed small bowel loops. This was in contrast to feces-like material (the "small bowel feces sign"), seen within dilated small bowel loops in nine patients with SBO, and was typically longer. As CT is frequently performed for suspected SBO, an ovoid, short intraluminal mottled mass seen at the site of an obstruction may be regarded as a pathognomonic preoperative sign of an obstructing phytobezoar.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Isolated severe renal injuries after minimal blunt trauma to the upper abdomen and flank: CT findings.

Renal injuries caused by blunt abdominal trauma are common in children. Serious renal trauma is associated with insult to other organs, whereas isolated renal injuries are usually minor. We present the cases of six male children (aged 7-17 years) with major isolated renal injuries due to minimal blunt trauma to the upper adbomen and/or the flank, out of a total of 21 children admitted with renal trauma in a 5-years period. On physical examination all patients had a painful, tender abdomen and/or flank with ipsilateral bruises and ecchymosis. Hematuria, either macro ( n=4) or micro ( n=2), was found in all. The injuries were left-sided in five and were of a variable severity (grade III: n=2; grade IV: n=3; grade V: n=1 according to the kidney injury scale of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma). Four children underwent nephrectomy. This small series underlines that major kidney insult can occur after a minimal blunt trauma localized to the flank or upper abdomen. Abdominal CT should be performed when clinical or laboratory findings or the mechanism of trauma suggest renal injury.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Vascular lesions of the renal sinus.

The renal sinus contains within it the collecting system of the kidney as well as lymphatics, nerves, and renovascular structures. This area may be affected by a large variety of pathological conditions arising from the various tissues in this site. Vascular lesions of the renal sinus are uncommon and may present clinically with acute symptoms and on imaging as a mass lesion. Awareness of the different vascular lesions affecting this area is essential for establishing the correct diagnosis and for appropriate treatment. The role of computed tomography is emphasized because it is the most commonly used modality to evaluate acute abdominal conditions as well as suspected renal masses, and the diagnosis can usually be made without the need for additional imaging modalities.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Fasting hypoglycemia in solitary fibrous tumor of the peritoneum: a diagnostic clue for an emergent situation.

Solitary fibrous tumors are rare fibrous tumors found in various anatomic sites. Extrathoracic neoplasms are often symptomatic at presentation, with paraneoplastic hypoglycemia being reported as one of the associated clinical features of such slow-growing tumors. As hypoglycemia can be an emergent clinical situation, we describe a patient with a giant abdominal tumor who presented with a symptomatic hypoglycemia, which might be regarded as a diagnostic clue.

Journal Article↗