Late presentation of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and ventricular septal defect after surgery for penetrating cardiac injury.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C S White.
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Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) results from an anomalous communication between a pulmonary artery and vein and may lead to life-threatening hemoptysis. Pulmonary angiography is the standard diagnostic technique but may be falsely negative in the unusual instance of a thrombosed PAVM. We report a patient with a thrombosed PAVM in which the initial pulmonary angiogram incorrectly suggested pulmonary embolism. A subsequent magnetic resonance (MR) angiogram demonstrated recanalization of the PAVM, thus establishing the true nature of the lesion and leading to appropriate intervention.
Pulmonary sequestration is an uncommon anomaly for which the arterial supply is usually derived from the aorta or its major branches. A 66-year-old man is described with a pulmonary sequestration that received its arterial supply from a coronary artery.
Solitary nodular pulmonary amyloid tumor is an uncommon benign lesion which is seldom diagnosed prior to surgical extirpation. We present a case of unsuspected nodular pulmonary amyloid tumor diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. A 52-yr-old-black woman, presented with a 3-cm right middle lobe mass. Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNA) of the mass revealed waxy amorphous material that demonstrated apple green birefringence on Congo Red Stain. Thoracotomy for diagnosis may be avoided by using FNA to diagnose these unusual lesions.
The occurrence of eosinophilic granuloma in the mandibular condyle has been reported in only three cases. An additional case of eosinophilic granuloma of the mandibular condyle is reported. The lesion presented was treated with condylectomy and surgical curettage. There was no recurrence or soft tissue involvement on annual postoperative examination. Secondary reconstruction was planned but was not required.
OBJECTIVE: Esophageal perforation is a life-threatening condition that can be quickly diagnosed on the basis of findings on contrast esophagograms when the typical signs and symptoms of vomiting, chest pain, and subcutaneous emphysema occur. If the clinical features are atypical, CT may be performed early in the clinical course. Thus, recognition of the CT findings of esophageal perforation is important. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the CT scans of 12 patients with esophageal perforation. The site of perforation was the cervical esophagus in three and the thoracic esophagus in nine. The causes of the perforations were neoplastic (four patients), idiopathic (three patients), iatrogenic (three patients), and traumatic (two patients). RESULTS: CT abnormalities included esophageal thickening in nine patients, periesophageal fluid in 11 patients, extraluminal air in 11, and pleural effusion in nine. The site of the perforation was visible on the CT scan in two patients. In four patients (33%), CT findings were the first indication of esophageal perforation. CONCLUSION: For patients who have atypical signs and symptoms, CT scans optimally define the extraluminal manifestations of esophageal perforation. Extraesophageal air is the most useful finding. The CT findings may be the first indication of the diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to characterize the radiographic features of thin-walled air-filled structures (cysts) related to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a large series of patients, determine the natural history of the cysts, and test the hypothesis that the cysts are associated with an increased risk of pneumothorax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 100 patients with proved pneumocystis pneumonia, 34 (34%) had cysts shown on chest radiographs. The size, number, and location of the cysts and their natural history and association with pneumothorax were determined. A control group consisting of a random sample of 30 patients was selected from the 66 patients who had pneumocystis pneumonia but no cysts to assess the frequency of pneumothorax in this population. RESULTS: Of 34 patients with cysts, 32 (94%) had multiple cysts that were 1.0-5.0 cm in diameter. Most cysts were in the upper part of the lungs. Most patients had complete or partial resolution of the cysts after the acute episode of pneumonia. Pneumothoraces occurred in 12 (35%) of the 34 patients with cysts, but in only two (7%) of the 30 who did not have cysts (p = .007). CONCLUSION: Cysts related to pneumocystis pneumonia are usually multiple, occur most often in the upper parts of the lungs, and tend to decrease in size or resolve after the acute stage of the infection. In patients with pneumocystis pneumonia, the prevalence of pneumothorax is significantly higher in those who have cysts than in those who do not. The cysts are similar to pneumatoceles and the high prevalence of pneumothorax may be due to the subpleural location of some cysts.
Radiologic imaging provides crucial information about bronchogenic cancer and is complementary to more invasive diagnostic techniques. The diagnosis is often suspected initially from the chest radiograph. The CT scan permits the most complete analysis of the extent of the tumor, nodal metastasis, and distant metastasis and serves as a guide to further evaluation and surgery. MRI, at the current stage of development, is generally reserved for cases in which CT findings are inconclusive. Rapid technologic advances have the potential for altering this imaging hierarchy in the near future.
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The purpose of this study was to compare the cholinergic responsiveness of the human sweat gland in trained and untrained men. Eighteen healthy male volunteers (9 trained, 9 sedentary) served as subjects. Pilocarpine concentration vs. sweat rate dose-response curves were obtained from each subject using iontophoresis. From these measurements, maximal iontophoretic sweat rate (SRmax) was determined and correlated with each subject's maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The trained group had a significantly (P less than 0.05) greater mean SR max and their mean dose-response curve was shifted up and to the left, as compared to the sedentary controls. Furthermore, VO2max was significantly correlated with SRmax (r = 0.76). These findings suggest that the modification occurring in the human sweat gland after training may include improvements in both SRmax and cholinergic sensitivity, and support the hypothesis that the potentiation in sweating following training is achieved via a peripheral mechanism.
An endobronchial lesion with lung abscess in a patient with AIDS was due to Rhodococcus equi. The patient responded to triple chemotherapy.
Many organic and nonorganic agents can cause chemical pneumonitis. The more soluble agents tend to involve the upper respiratory tract, whereas less soluble agents reach the distal airways, causing pulmonary edema. The initial chest radiograph can be normal for as long as 48 hours, therefore delayed radiographs are important in significant exposures. The most common radiographic pattern is pulmonary edema, although various radiographic opacities have been reported. Acute complications include secondary pneumonia. Long-term complications include bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis obliterans, and lung destruction.
Seventy-five patients were studied retrospectively to assess the prevalence and variance of temporomandibular dysfunction in an orthognathic surgery population. Preoperatively, 49.3% of the sample presented with temporomandibular dysfunction. After orthognathic surgery, of the symptomatic patients, 89.1% had improved temporomandibular function after surgery, 2.7% were unchanged, and 8.1% had increased symptoms. Of the patients asymptomatic prior to surgery, 7.9% developed temporomandibular dysfunction postoperatively. Temporomandibular dysfunction was significantly more prevalent in patients with a Class II skeletal deformity than in those with a Class III deformity, and temporomandibular function generally improved in both groups postsurgically.
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A patient with gestational trophoblastic neoplasm failed treatment with several standard chemotherapy regimens and had progressive disease with development of lung and brain metastases and a rising HCG level. Following resection of the metastases and whole-brain radiotherapy she was treated with high-dose etoposide and cyclophosphamide. She promptly attained a complete remission and remains free of disease 15 months after completion of therapy. This regimen, although initially developed for leukemia and lymphoma treatment, has potential as a therapy for refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasm because it delivers high doses of agents very active in this disease.
Many techniques for quantifying microbial biodegradation of C-labeled compounds use soil-water slurries and trap mineralization-derived CO(2) in solution wells suspended within the incubation flasks. These methods are not satisfactory for studies of arid-region soils that are highly calcareous and unsaturated because (i) slurries do not simulate unsaturated conditions and (ii) the amount of CO(2) released from calcareous soils exceeds the capacity of the suspended well. This report describes simple, inexpensive methodological modifications for quantifying microbial degradation of [C]benzene and 1,2-dichloro[U-C]ethane in calcareous soils under unsaturated conditions. Soils at 50% water holding capacity were incubated with labeled contaminants for periods up to 10 weeks, followed by acidification of the soil and trapping of the evolved CO(2) in a separate container of 2 N NaOH. The CO(2) was transferred from the incubation flask to the trap solution by a gas transfer shunt containing activated charcoal to remove any volatilized labeled organics. The amount of CO(2) in the trap solution was measured by scintillation counting (disintegrations per minute). The method was tested by using two regional unamended surface soils, a sandy aridisol and a clay-rich riparian soil. The results demonstrated that both [C]benzene and 1,2-dichloro[U-C]ethane were mineralized to release substantial amounts of CO(2) within 10 weeks. Levels of mineralization varied with contaminant type, soil type, and aeration status (anaerobic vs. aerobic); no significant degradation was observed in abiotic control samples. Methodological refinements of this technique resulted in total CO(2) recovery efficiency of approximately 90%.
The utility of admission chest radiography has been controversial in the management of adult patients admitted to the hospital with acute asthma. We reviewed the impact of admission chest radiography on in-hospital management of 54 adult patients with acute asthma. Each patient was admitted after a failed 12-h course of bronchodilator therapy in the emergency ward. Major radiographic abnormalities were found in 20 (34 percent) of 58 occasions. These abnormalities included focal parenchymal opacities, IIM, enlarged cardiac silhouette, pulmonary vascular congestion, new solitary pulmonary nodule and pneumothorax. Subsequent antibiotic use correlated with radiographic focal opacities or IIM, even in afebrile patients, but did not correlate with elevated blood leukocyte count. Based on the evidence of in-hospital alteration of management independent of elevated blood leukocyte count and body temperature, we recommend that chest radiographs be obtained for all adult patients admitted because of acute asthma.
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