Biomedical subjects

S C Litin

Publications and source records attributed to S C Litin.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1988

Insufficiency fractures of the pelvis that simulate metastatic disease.

Insufficiency fractures of the pelvis, which almost always occur in elderly women with osteoporosis, are often misinterpreted as metastatic disease. The initial symptom of such fractures is severe pain unassociated with an obvious history of trauma. The typical sites of involvement are the sacrum, the iliac bones, and the pubis. The plain film appearance of the sacral and iliac fractures is usually subtle and easily overlooked, and bone scans will show the abnormal areas more readily. The existence of multiple fractures not only in the pelvis but also in the vertebrae and ribs should suggest the diagnosis of insufficiency-type stress fractures. Computed tomography can exclude the presence of a destructive process and an associated soft tissue mass, as would be seen in metastatic disease. If insufficiency fractures are identified in the typical anatomic locations, bone biopsy is unnecessary.

Aged↗

PubMed1988

Recent advances in the management of venous thromboembolism.

Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are frequently diagnosed in patients encountered in a primary-care practice. In the past 10 years, many important advances have been made regarding the management of these disorders. Risk factors have been better defined than in the past. Several new prophylactic measures--such as external pneumatic compression of the lower extremities, dihydroergotamine in combination with heparin, adjusted-dose heparin, and two-step warfarin therapy--can be used to help prevent deep venous thrombosis in surgical patients. The use of serial impedance plethysmography has expanded options for noninvasive diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis. Correlations between pulmonary embolism and ventilation-perfusion lung scan patterns have been clarified. Although much has been learned about heparin and warfarin that affect common management decisions, the indications for thrombolytic therapy for venous thromboembolism remain controversial. Finally, studies have shown that calf vein thrombi that are not detectable by impedance plethysmography and that show no evidence of proximal propagation by serial impedance plethysmography do not require treatment.

Anticoagulants↗

PubMed1987

Macroenzyme as a cause of unexplained elevation of aspartate aminotransferase.

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) can exist as a macroenzyme by forming a complex with an immunoglobulin. This immunoglobulin-complexed macromolecule can cause an elevation in serum AST activity, which may be detected on routine blood chemistry analysis and erroneously considered to indicate the presence of liver disease. Clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon so patients are not subjected to unnecessary procedures. In patients with unexplained AST elevation, liver and muscle disease can be biochemically excluded by the finding of normal serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase. The presence of macro-AST can be determined by exclusion chromatography, electrophoresis, and activation assays with pyridoxal 5-phosphate. The elevated AST values can persist for many years.

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