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Biomedical subjects

W R Eyler

Publications and source records attributed to W R Eyler.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Chest pain and dyspnea related to "crack" cocaine smoking: value of chest radiography.

The chest radiographs of 71 patients who had chest pain or shortness of breath following the smoking of highly potent "crack" cocaine were retrospectively evaluated. Nine patients had abnormal findings on radiographs as follows: atelectasis or localized parenchymal opacification in four, pneumomediastinum in two, pneumothorax in one, hemopneumothorax in one, and pulmonary edema in one. Radiographic detection of these abnormalities was important in the clinical management of these patients. This spectrum of findings is presented with a discussion of the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible.

Adolescent

Contrast media for angiography: effect on renal function.

A total of 125 patients with severe peripheral vascular disease were examined with translumbar aortography. The mean dose of contrast medium injected was 65 ml of Angio Conray (containing 31.2 g of iodine). Forty patients were pretreated with mannitol, and 32 received furosemide. Thirty-eight patients (30%) had diabetes and, presumably, diabetic nephropathy. Eleven of them had significant azotemia (creatinine values greater than or equal to 4 mg/dl). Administration of contrast material did not significantly reduce renal function in any patient group. We conclude that acute renal failure following the injection of contrast material is uncommon, is reversible, and almost always occurs when avoidable complicating factors are present.

Adolescent

The role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of kidney allograft rejection.

Seventeen nephrectomized dogs underwent kidney transplantation from unrelated donors. Routine immunosuppressive therapy was administered. Serial ultrasound studies and biopsies and complete pathological examinations were performed and compared. A number of sonographic changes were observed within the renal parenchyma during rejection, some of which were present before a significant rise in serum creatinine levels. The medulla became enlarged due to edema, followed by growth of the rest of the kidney and thickening of the cortex. The cortical echoes became more sparsely distributed and either increased or decreased in amplitude; distribution was generalized or localized. During rejection, the corticomedullary boundary became indistinct. Later, a decrease in the renal sinus echoes was also noted. In 2 cases, perirenal fluid collections occurred as the result of renal rupture.

Animals

Evaluation of acute post-transplant renal failure by ultrasound.

Autotransplantation of the kidney was performed in seven adult mongrel dogs. A model of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) was developed by subjecting the kidney to warm ischemia (37 degrees C) for 40 to 60 minutes. Serial ultrasound examinations were performed every 12 hours until the animal died or was killed. Sonographic findings were correlated with laboratory and histological data. Throughout the course of ATN, the characteristic normal echo pattern of the kidney remained unchanged in six of seven dogs. In one animal there were changes in the renal cortex, while the medullary pyramids showed no alteration from the base-line study. This contrasts with extensive abnormalities found during rejection.

Animals

Diagnostic accuracy in peripheral lung lesions. Factors predicting success with flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

Ninety-seven consecutive peripheral lung lesions were evaluated by biplane fluoroscopically guided flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy and analyzed to define features that predict diagnostic yield. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 56 percent (63 percent for malignant and 38 percent for benign lesions). The most important characteristic associated with a positive cyto- or histopathologic diagnosis was size of the lesion; the yield was 28 percent when the diameter was less than 2.0 cm compared to 64 percent if the diameter was greater than or equal to 2.0 cm (P = 0.0035). The diagnostic yield was similar for lesions located in the outer and middle third of the lung if the diameter was greater than 2.0 cm; inner one-third lesions were correctly diagnosed more frequently, related in part to the larger size of these lesions. There was no significant difference in diagnostic yield for the following: segmental location, greatest distance from carcina on either the posteroanterior or lateral radiograph, or radiographic characteristics of the lesion. We conclude that biplane fluoroscopically guided flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy is a reasonable diagnostic procedure for peripheral lesions greater than or equal to 2.0 cm in diameter, but that alternative procedures should be used for lesions under 2.0 cm in diameter.

Adult

Metastatic basal cell carcinoma: review, pathogenesis, and report of two cases.

In 93 reported cases of metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 76 had spread through lymphatics or blood vessels. Two more cases are presented, bringing the total to 78. Metastasis to regional lymph nodes was the most frequent, followed in frequency by lungs, bones, and other organs. The size of the primary tumor, its site, its resistance to x-ray therapy, and the effects of radiation appeared to contribute to the occurrence of metastasis. However, in an appreciable number of cases, tumor dissemination was related to incomplete excision followed by immediate wound closure, particularly by grafting. It is recommended that wound grafting be delayed for at least six months after excision or large or recurrent BCC in order to assure complete removal.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Superior mediastinal shift in right-lower-lobe collapse: the "upper triangle sign".

In some patients with right-lower-lobe collapse a triangular shadow was seen in the right upper lung field, continuous with the mediastinum and with its apex pointing toward the right hilus. This represents a shift of the upper anterior mediastinum to the right and may be mistaken for right-upper-lobe collapse or an infiltrate by the unwary observer. This finding, which the authors call the "upper triangle sign," occurs frequently enough in cases of significant right-lower-lobe collapse to be a useful diagnostic sign.

Aged