PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Sirr

Publications and source records attributed to S Sirr.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Pulmonary embolism: confirmation with venous duplex US as adjunct to lung scanning.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis with venous duplex ultrasonography (US) in patients who underwent radionuclide lung scanning for evaluation of clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) and to assess the clinical usefulness of this type of US in the selection of patients for anticoagulant therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred eighty-five lung scan and duplex US examinations in 267 consecutive patients seen between January 1987 and June 1990 with clinical evidence of PE (151 men and 134 women, aged 17-98 years [mean, 57 years]) were retrospectively reviewed. Lung scans were divided into four groups: normal, depicting up to 30% probability of PE, indeterminate or intermediate probability of PE, and greater than 90% probability of PE. RESULTS: Thrombotic disease was confirmed with US in seven (21%) of 33 patients with normal lung scans and in 64 (25%) of 252 patients with abnormal lung scans. CONCLUSION: Venous duplex Doppler US is a useful adjunct to lung scanning in patients with signs and/or symptoms of PE.

Adolescent↗

Transvaginal versus transabdominal sonography in patients suspected of having ectopic pregnancy.

To determine the value of transvaginal sonography in the evaluation of women with suspected ectopic pregnancy, we retrospectively studied 47 pregnant patients in whom both conventional transabdominal sonography (TAS) and transvaginal sonography (TVS) had been performed. Each patient had been given a standard TAS examination with the bladder moderately distended. After voiding, a TVS examination was performed. TAS and TVS were compared for their ability to reveal specific sonographic findings, including the double decidual sac sign, yolk sac, embryonic pole, and embryonic heart activity. Results indicate that the important sonographic findings of early pregnancy are more likely to be seen transvaginally than transabdominally. In 23% of the patients, only TVS provided the findings for diagnosis of the location and status of the pregnancy. In another 22%, the information gathered through TVS allowed increased confidence in the diagnostic accuracy of the TAS findings by providing additional findings. Therefore, in 45% of the cases, TVS influenced clinical decision-making. In no case was TVS less informative than TAS. These results support the claim that TVS contributes to diagnostic accuracy in early pregnancy. TVS should usually be used in conjunction with, and not as a substitute for, TAS. TVS is best used when TAS is not conclusive, or when immediate confirmation of an intrauterine pregnancy is desired.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed because of the lack of specificity of clinical signs and symptoms. PE shares many of the clinical features of pneumonia and is therefore often unrecognized in elderly patients who present with low-grade fever, modest leukocytosis, and pulmonary infiltrates. Assessment of clinical risk factors increases the usefulness of diagnostic tests. The accuracy of diagnosis is improved if specific tests are performed. Ventilation-perfusion lung scans, noninvasive or contrast venography, and pulmonary angiography increase the likelihood of correct diagnosis. Since pulmonary angiography is a relatively low-risk procedure, it should be performed in most patients suspected of having PE who have nondiagnostic lung scans and negative lower extremity venous studies.

Adult↗

Comparison of the biodistribution of manganese-54 DTPA and gadolinium-153 DTPA in dogs.

The biodistribution of [54Mn]DTPA and [153Gd]DTPA dimeglumine were investigated and compared following i.v. administration to fasting anesthetized dogs. Unlike most previously reported metal ion-DTPA complexes, [54Mn]DTPA showed high uptakes in several organs including the liver, bile, pancreas, bowel, and kidney. This uptake was independent of the pH of the injected solution. Accumulation in these organs suggests a potential role for [Mn]DTPA as a paramagnetic contrast agent for NMR imaging. With the exception of the kidneys, [153Gd]DTPA showed no evidence of tissue specific uptake over the course of 4 hr, consistent with it being an extracellular ion that is cleared by glomerular filtration.

Animals↗

Sickle cell disease in Orissa State, India.

A study of 131 patients with homozygous sickle cell (SS) disease in Orissa State, India, indicated that, compared with Jamaican patients, Indian patients have higher frequencies of alpha thalassaemia, higher fetal haemoglobin, total haemoglobin, and red cell counts, and lower mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, and reticulocyte counts. Indian patients have a greater frequency and later peak incidence of splenomegaly, and hypersplenism is common. Painful crises and dactylitis are not uncommon in Indian patients but chronic leg ulceration is rare. Homozygous sickle cell disease in Orissa is similar to that in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and is very different from that in populations of West African origin.

Adolescent↗