Biomedical subjects

A Beck

Publications and source records attributed to A Beck.

426 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Imaging in cardiac mass lesions.

In 26 patients with cardiac mass lesions confirmed by surgery, diagnostic imaging was performed preoperatively by means of two-dimensional echocardiography (26 patients), angiography (12 patients), correlative computed tomography (CT, 8 patients), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 3 patients). Two-dimensional echocardiography correctly identified the cardiac masses in all patients. Angiography missed two of 12 cardiac masses; CT missed one of eight. MRI identified three of three cardiac masses. Although the sensitivity of two-dimensional echocardiography was high (100%), all methods lacked specificity. None of the methods allowed differentiation between myxoma (n = 13) and thrombus (n = 7). Malignancy of the lesions was successfully predicted by noninvasive imaging methods in all six patients. However, CT and MRI provided additional information concerning cardiac mural infiltration, pericardial involvement, and extracardiac tumor extension, and should be integrated within a preoperative imaging strategy. Thus two-dimensional echocardiography is the method of choice for primary assessment of patients with suspected cardiac masses. Further preoperative imaging by CT or MRI can be limited to patients with malignancies suspected on the grounds of pericardial effusion or other clinical results.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inflammatory and traumatic lesions of the knee and ankle: comparison of 0.23 T and 2 T MRI.

Fifty-six patients with traumatic and 117 patients with inflammatory lesions of the knee and ankle were examined with a 2 T (69 examinations) or 0.23 T (104 examinations) MR system. The quality of all images was assessed by the consensus of three radiologists on a scale of diagnostic (3+, 2+) and nondiagnostic (1+) image quality. More than 90% of images from both systems were diagnostic. However, the proportion of 3+ quality images was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) at the magnetic field strength of 2 T (81% = 56/69 versus 49% = 51/104 at 0.23 T). Motion artifacts were the main cause of reduced image quality independent of field strength. In patients with traumatic and inflammatory diseases of the knee and ankle, high field imaging at 2 T provided better image quality than low field imaging at 0.23 T.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Traumatic fistula between internal iliac artery and external iliac vein.

Traumatic iliac arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are extremely rare, with only two cases reported in literature involving the internal iliac artery and the external iliac vein. We report the case of a 23-year-old man who sustained a gunshot injury to the left lower quadrant of his abdomen and subsequently developed unilateral leg edema of "elephantiasic proportions." Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography six years later was essential for diagnosis and comprehension of the pathomechanism. The angiographic examination showed an internal iliac false aneurysm, as well as a high-flow arteriovenous communication between the left internal iliac artery and external iliac vein complicated by thrombotic occlusion of the left common iliac vein. The initial vascular injury and the surgical management of simple ligation were thought to be responsible for the iliac AVF and the subsequent thrombosis of the common iliac vein. On the one hand, the thrombotic occlusion of proximal vein led to a sharp increase of mean pressure in the proximal and distal arteries and in the distal vein, resulting in chronic venous insufficiency with incompetent varicose veins. On the other hand, the restriction of venous outflow produced extreme peripheral edema and large superficial veins serving as collaterals to bypass the fistula. Vascular surgery could repair the lesion by closing and bypassing the AVF.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Rubella infection in pregnancy in naturally acquired immunity].

This case-report concerns the problem of rubella-reinfection in pregnancy (17th week of gestation). Inspite of documented maternal immunity infection was followed by transmission of virus to the fetus. Nowadays in most countries antenatal maternal screening for rubella seems to be sufficient. The observation of cutaneous exanthema, however, demands further investigation, even if maternal immunity was documented.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied