PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W E Rothfus

Publications and source records attributed to W E Rothfus.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Syringomyelia: myelography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Seventeen patients with cervical spinal cord cavities were studied with myelography, postmyelographic computed tomography scanning, and magnetic resonance imaging. The three diagnostic techniques were compared for accuracy, patient comfort, and ease of procedure. Magnetic resonance imaging was the best diagnostic and most comfortable procedure. There is no need for myelography or postmyelographic computed tomography scanning for the evaluation of cervical syringomyelia.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Occult occipital condyle fractures presenting as tumors.

Occipital condyle fractures can be easily overlooked on plain radiographic examinations of the head and cervical spine. This is especially true if such a fracture is not clinically suspected, since they are very rare fractures. Two patients presented with suspected tumors of the foramen magnum region. Both had old trauma and undiagnosed old fractures of the occipital condyle.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Patterns of high-speed impact injuries in motor vehicle occupants.

Trauma from high-speed motor vehicle accidents is a leading cause of death and disability. Most of these injuries could be prevented if the driver and occupants of motor vehicles wore seatbelts or used other restraining devices. The injuries produced when an unrestrained occupant of a motor vehicle is ejected from that vehicle or impacts on a hostile surface at high speed occur in a reproducible pattern. The types of injuries sustained by drivers and front seat passengers are different and specific enough to allow one to identify drivers and passengers with confidence. Because of severe life-threatening injuries to the central nervous system, and thoracic and abdominal viscera, other serious injuries may be overlooked. Knowledge of the mechanism of injury and the role of the victim (i.e., driver or passenger) should lead to the prompt radiographic evaluation of all areas at risk. Our findings are based on a study of 250 drivers and 250 front seat passengers involved in motor vehicle accidents. We found distinct common injury patterns and radiographic findings in drivers and front seat passengers.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1987

Thoracic fractures and dislocations in motorcyclists.

Motorcyclists who are involved in accidents generally suffer severe multiple injuries, some of which are not readily apparent on initial examination. One such subtle injury is fracture, with or without dislocation, in the upper thoracic spine. The severe spinal cord damage produced by the injury is often overshadowed by cerebral or cervical injury. Proper diagnosis is further hampered by the fact that the upper thoracic region is difficult to examine radiographically on plain films, particularly when using portable equipment. Of a group of 14 motorcyclists having 26 fractures and/or dislocations in the thoracic region, 12 had 24 injuries between T3 and T8. These 24 injuries represented 56% of the fractures and/or dislocations encountered in a larger study of trauma to the thoracic vertebral column. All of these were flexion injuries, suffered when the individual was thrown from the motorcycle and struck a large, solid object. In three cases, the diagnosis was delayed as much as 48 h because proper films were not obtained initially. Because of the serious consequences of delayed treatment, we recommend that all motorcyclists who have sustained severe trauma be examined by overpenetrated film of the upper thoracic region.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1987

The posterior vertebral body line: importance in the detection of burst fractures.

A review of the lateral radiographs and CT studies of 114 patients with burst fractures, 46 patients with combined injuries in whom bursting was a major component, and 82 patients with simple anterior compression fractures was performed to evaluate the integrity of the posterior vertebral body margin. This structure normally produces a single or bifid vertical line on the lateral radiograph. Disruption, displacement, or rotation of this line was found in all 114 patients with "pure" burst fractures. These abnormalities were also present in 36 of the 46 patients with combined burst injuries. In all patients with simple compression fracture, flexion, distraction or dislocation, and extension injuries, the line was normal. CT studies showed these abnormalities to be the result of retropulsion of one or more bone fragments from the posterior margin of the vertebral body. Disruptive abnormalities of the posterior vertebral body line are reliable plain-film signs that a burst fracture has occurred and that compromise of the vertebral canal and subarachnoid space is present.

Cervical Vertebrae↗
PubMed1986

Pseudofractures of the cervical vertebral body.

A lucency traversing obliquely across the inferior-posterior aspect of cervical vertebral bodies may be a normal variant due to osteophytes of the uncinate processes or transverse processes with a resultant Mach band phenomenon. This could be misinterpreted as a fracture of the vertebral body in a patient with a history of cervical injury. A review of normal lateral cervical vertebral films obtained on patients with no traumatic history showed this phenomenon to occur in 27% of adults. It was not observed in children. The proper interpretation is easily made when one considers the location and the fact that a cervical fracture does not occur in such a location as an isolated event.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

"Fingerprints" of vertebral trauma--a unifying concept based on mechanisms.

Vertebral fractures, like fractures in the peripheral skeleton, occur in predictable and reproducible patterns that are related to the kind of force applied to the affected bone. The same force applied to the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar column will result in injuries which appear quite similar. A review of 621 injuries to the vertebral column revealed that there are basically four mechanisms of injury: flexion, extension, shearing, and torque (rotation). These injuries may occur by themselves or in combination with one another. The severity and extent of damage produced by any mechanism is dependent upon the incident force, the position of the patient at the time of injury, and the velocity of the patient. Thus, there is a pattern of recognizable signs which span the spectrum from mild soft tissue damage to severe skeletal and ligamentous disruption. These patterns are termed the "fingerprints" of the injury, and this presentation illustrates the four basic types of vertebral injury producing those "fingerprints."

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1985

Nonefficacy of routine removal of CSF during neurodiagnostic procedures.

The charts of 750 patients were reviewed to determine the value of routinely removing cerebrospinal fluid at the time of myelography and cisternography for chemical and cytologic examination. In most patients cerebrospinal fluid findings were normal. In the few abnormal studies, the findings were often uninformative, superfluous, or insufficient for appropriate diagnosis. In no instance did routine analysis of cerebrospinal fluid uncover occult disease. Routine removal of cerebrospinal fluid for analysis in radiologic spinal taps seems to be inappropriate, and removal should be dictated by the clinical context in which the procedure is performed.

Cerebral Ventriculography↗
PubMed1984

Optic nerve/sheath enlargement. A differential approach based on high-resolution CT morphology.

A wide variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic processes can cause the intraorbital optic nerve and sheath to be enlarged on CT. The authors reviewed a large number of high-resolution CT scans and divided enlargement into three groups: tubular, fusiform, and excrescent. Further subdivision was possible by determining whether distinct optic nerve lucency was present or absent.

Cranial Nerve Neoplasms↗
PubMed1984

Extraocular muscle enlargement: a CT review.

Extraocular muscle enlargement can result from a wide variety of disease processes. Although observations of the pattern of muscle involvement, muscle shape and enhancement, superior ophthalmic vein and cavernous sinus enlargement, sinus and bony wall abnormalities, and proptosis can lead to a limited differential diagnosis in some cases, no radiographic finding in itself seems to be pathognomonic. Correlative clinical findings are necessary to make a secure diagnosis.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed1984

Hormonal, metabolic, and neuroradiologic abnormalities associated with septo-optic dysplasia.

The clinical, neuroradiologic, and endocrine features in 16 patients with septo-optic dysplasia are reviewed. All of the patients had clinical optic nerve hypoplasia with varying degrees of nystagmus and visual impairment. Only one-half of the patients had absence of the septum pellucidum. Fourteen children were growth hormone deficient, 9 were adrenocorticotrophic hormone deficient, 3 were thyroid-stimulating hormone deficient, and 4 had diabetes insipidus. In most instances, the diagnosis of septo-optic dysplasia can be established by physical examination and neuroradiologic findings, at which point a thorough evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitary endocrine function is indicated because of the high incidence of hypopituitarism with this syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1984

Computed tomography of orbital myositis.

The computed tomographic (CT) scans of 11 consecutive patients with orbital myositis were reviewed to better characterize the CT appearance of this condition. The findings in this series differed from those of previous reports in several ways. Multiple muscle involvement predominated. Bilateral involvement was more frequent than previously reported. Enlargement of the tendon as well as the muscle was a frequent finding, but a normal tendinous insertion did not preclude the diagnosis of orbital myositis. Although the CT appearance of orbital myositis is often helpful, the findings are not pathognomonic; correlation with history, clinical findings, and therapeutic response must be considered in making the diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Role of CT-myelography in the MR era.

One hundred patients with degenerative disease of the lumbar spine on whom both magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT)-myelography were performed were reviewed. In one-third of the cases, the CT-myelogram provided additional useful information. This included definition of the extent of large disc herniations, demonstration of focal neural compression by small herniations, and clarifying abnormalities of the facets, including synovial cysts. These results should help to refine the indications for CT-myelography, which continues to be requested extensively.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of heterotopic gray matter.

Heterotopic gray matter nodules have long been recognized by pathologists at autopsies. A case of this cerebral congenital abnormality has been studied by CT and magnetic resonance.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging in the diagnosis of spontaneous spinal epidural hematomas.

Three patients with spontaneous (idiopathic) spinal epidural hematomas were diagnosed with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Magnetic resonance is an accurate, rapid method of localizing and characterizing the hematomas. We believe that MR (where available) should be the primary method of diagnosis in cases in which spinal epidural hematoma is suspected.

Aged↗