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Biomedical subjects

L Tarantino

Publications and source records attributed to L Tarantino.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Use of a microwave device for dental instrument sterilization: possibilities and limitations].

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the effectiveness as sterilizer of a modified version of a microwave device, which was previously tested by the same authors and found unsatisfactory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dental mirrors were contaminated by 10(4)-10(9) microorganisms of Stapbylococcus aureus and spores of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus stearothermophilus. The inocula used were both wet and dry. The duration of the treatment was 4 minutes. Three series of tests were made: 1) microwaves and "adjuvant" solution (as suggested by the producer of the device); 2) microwaves only (in place of the "adjuvant" solution, a Na Cl 0.9% was used); 3) "adjuvant" solution only (into an oven at 25 degrees C). RESULTS: In the 1st and 3rd series of tests all the microorganisms and the spores were killed. In the 2nd series of tests a bactericidal effect against some, not all, microorganisms of the S. aureus species and against spores of B. subtilis and B. stearothermophilus was found. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the device tested has a sterilizing activity, which, however, is not due to the activity of microwaves only; but to the combined activity of microwaves, "adjuvant" solution and temperature (since inside the device, at the end of the treatment the temperature on the mirrors was 94 degrees C).

Dental Instruments↗
PubMed1996

Hepatic abscess caused by Salmonella typhi: diagnosis and management by percutaneous echo-guided needle aspiration.

Three cases of liver abscesses due to Salmonella typhi (2 solitary, 1 with double localization in the right lobe) are described in which specific diagnosis was based on percutaneous echo-guided aspiration of the lesions. Haemocultures and coprocultures were negative, in all cases, and pus-cultures of aspirated material from cavities grew Salmonella typhi; Widal became significantly positive only in one patient 15 days after discharge. Percutaneous needle drainage, combined with chloramphenicol therapy, was successfully performed under echo guidance; only in one case was a second aspiration needed three days after the first one. Fever disappeared within 48-72 hours after drainage of the abscess. No complications or side-effects were observed.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Pyogenic liver abscesses: 13 years of experience in percutaneous needle aspiration with US guidance.

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of percutaneous needle aspiration (PNA) with antibiotic therapy in treatment for pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred fifteen patients (59 male; 56 female; age range, 16-86 years; mean age, 45.3 years) with 147 PLAs (mean diameter, 6.8 cm; range, 3-16 cm) underwent PNA with ultrasound (US) guidance and antibiotic therapy. Needle caliber (22-16 gauge) was tailored to PLA volume. If necessary, PNA was repeated every 3-7 days. RESULTS: Three hundred one PNAs were performed (range, 1-4 per patient; mean, 2.2 per patient). A single puncture was sufficient in 57 patients. Cure (normalization of clinical and laboratory parameters and resolution of hepatic lesions) was achieved in 113 patients (98.3%). Two patients with large PLAs required surgery. Patients were hospitalized 7-24 days (mean, 9 days). In the last eight patients, all abscesses were evacuated in one session. Neither complications nor deaths ensued. Recurrence of PLA was not observed in any patient during follow-up (6-36 months). CONCLUSION: US-guided PNA with antibiotic therapy in treatment for PLA is a valid alternative to prolonged catheter drainage.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1995

[Not Available].

Authors describe three cases of liver abscesses due to Salmonella typhi (2 solitary, 1 with double localization in the right lobe) in which specific diagnosis was based on US examination with aspiration and culture of the pus. In all cases cultures of biologic fluids were negative; Widal test became significantly positive only in one patient 15 days after discharge. Percutaneous drainage was performed under US guidance; only in one case a second aspiration was needed three days after the first one. Fever disappeared within 48-72 hours after abscess's drainage. Complications and side-effects were never observed.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1994

[3 different methods for evaluating Streptococcus mutans in the saliva].

Three different methods for detection and count of Streptococcus mutans in saliva have been compared with a microbiological method in order to estimate their efficacy and practicality. The study has been carried out on fifty children of six-eleven years old. The first method (stamp method) derives from that of Kohler and Bratthall, improved on the sampling, without saliva stimulation and, hence, more rapid. Furthermore, using a tongue depressor with a shovel-like extremity, we can either restrict the area where the grown colonies must be counted, avoiding any mistake, and stamp the spatula in the centre of the plate, not in the border, as the original method described, pressing it with the same force in every part, so that almost all the saliva collected can be plated on the Streptococcus mutans selective medium. As stated by this method, a tongue depressor is pressed first on the subject's tongue, then on a plate containing the medium. After incubation, the Streptococcus mutans colonies are counted on the plate's area limited by the stamp of the extremity of the spatula. According to Emilson we can also discriminate Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus colonies. The second method is a "strip mutans test" (Dentocult): saliva is stimulated making the subject chew a piece of paraffin and then it is collected passing a plastic spatula for ten times on the child's tongue. The spatula is introduced into a tube containing a liquid medium selective for Streptococcus mutans and then incubated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1992

Unilocular hydatid liver cysts: treatment with US-guided, double percutaneous aspiration and alcohol injection.

Sixteen hydatid liver cysts in 14 patients were treated with a percutaneous double puncture-aspiration-injection (D-PAI) technique with alcohol used as the scolecidal agent. With ultrasound guidance, fine-needle drainage of cysts was performed, and 95% sterile alcohol was injected and left in situ to partly refill the cystic cavities. The same procedure, without reaspiration of the injected alcohol, was performed 3 days later. Viability of scoleces was assessed at each aspiration. Benzoimidazolic drugs were administered 1 week before and 3 weeks after the procedure, to reduce the risk of seeding scoleces. Follow-up ranged from 8 to 28 months (mean, 14 months). Six cysts disappeared within 40-75 days of completion of D-PAI. In the other patients, smaller liquid areas or hypo- or hyperechoic solid masses were observed. Anaphylactoid reactions did not occur. In one patient, a biliary fistula developed after the first aspiration; the second ethanol injection was postponed until 6 months later but was effective. Viable scoleces were found at the second aspiration in only two patients whose hepatic liver cysts completely healed. Serologic titers substantially decreased in seven cases and became negative in two.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Percutaneous ethanol injection under sonographic guidance of hepatocellular carcinoma in compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients.

Forty-six patients with cirrhosis and 75 biopsy-proved hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules underwent percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) regardless of number (up to five) and size (mean diameter, 3.6 cm) of tumoral lesions and clinical severity of cirrhosis (11 patients in Child's class C were included). Ethanol was injected under sonographic guidance through 20 to 22 gauge needles so as to obtain homogeneous hyperechogenicity of lesions. A total of 271 PEI sessions were carried out, delivering 2 to 14 ml per session. All nodules but one decreased in size, and seven were no longer appreciable on sonography. Recurrence was detected in two patients. The 3 year survival rate of all cases was 86%. Child's classes A and B patients fared better (3 yr survival 100%); 2 year survival of subjects with HCC < or = 3 cm was 92%. Multifocality did not affect survival. Most patients experienced mild pain at the site of injection, but only two major complications were encountered: partial chemical thrombosis of the left portal vein and cholangitis. Both cases were managed conservatively. In conclusion, PEI seems to offer a safe and valuable tool for therapy of HCC, especially in patients with good functional liver reserve and small (< or = 3 cm) tumors.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed1991

Sonographic recognition of intraparenchymal regenerating nodules using high-frequency transducers in patients with cirrhosis.

In 38 patients with cirrhotic liver, an ultrasound examination was carried out by using 3/3.5-, 5-, and 7.5-MHz transducers sequentially in order to identify hypoechoic intraparenchymal regenerating nodules less than or equal to 20 mm. Twenty healthy subjects and 35 patients with noncirrhotic chronic liver disease were scanned as controls. Focal lesions were disclosed in five patients: one case turned out to be a small hepatocellular carcinoma; regenerating nodules were diagnosed as such in four cases by means of surgery, laparoscopy, and fine needle biopsy. At a follow-up needle biopsy one year later, one of these nodules proved to be malignant. Use of high-frequency transducers offered little aid to the diagnosis of small nodules. In only one case were multiple lesions revealed with a 7.5-MHz probe but not with 3- and 5-MHz probes. It seems that intraparenchymal regenerating nodules are rarely seen with the available technology, and their recognition cannot be recommended as a reliable ultrasound diagnostic marker of liver cirrhosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Percutaneous therapy of hydatid cyst of the liver with ultrasound-guided double puncture-aspiration and alcoholization].

Fourteen patients (9 females, 5 males; age range: 22-80 years) with 16 univesiculated hydatid cysts of the liver (O ranging 4.2-14 cm) underwent two sessions of puncture-aspiration-alcohol injection (D-PAI) under real-time US guidance at 3-day intervals. Two patients had postoperative recurrences. One patient was pregnant (9 weeks' gestation): her cyst doubled its volume over 2 months. One patient had HBV chronic hepatitis treated by means of interferon: also in this case the cyst doubled its volume. The remaining were high-risk patients for surgery or had refused operation. At US follow-up (ranging 4-24 months) 6 cysts exhibited complete reconstitution of liver parenchyma. In the extant patients two different US patterns were observed: 1) liquid areas with detached inner membranes (4 cysts); 2) solid inhomogeneous areas (6 cysts). In these cases the volume was reduced by 50-80%. No allergic complication occurred either during or after the procedure. Two patients only were affected with vomiting and fever, which resolved in a few hours. Our results indicate D-PAI of univesiculated hydatid cysts of the liver to be an effective alternative to surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Echo-guided percutaneous puncture: a safe and valuable therapeutic tool for amebic liver abscess.

To clarify the therapeutic role of echo-guided percutaneous puncture (EPP) in management of amebic liver abscess, 20 patients (24 abscesses) received metronidazole plus EPP. Fluid was aspirated through Chiba needles under real-time sonographic guidance so as to reduce cavity size to less than 3 cm. Not more than two EPPs were necessary in the majority of cases and no complication followed the procedure. This scheme resulted in a shortening of time of both hospitalization (less than or equal to 20 days) and liver lesion healing as assessed by ultrasound (less than or equal to 4 months). It is concluded that EPP is a valuable and safe therapeutic tool for hepatic amebic abscess.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Clinical significance of hyperechogenic focal lesions of the cirrhotic liver].

A review was made of the ultrasonographic (US) examinations performed over the period 1981-1986; 27 cirrhotic patients with hyperechoic liver lesions were identified, whose diagnoses had been made by means of either US-guided percutaneous biopsy, or laparoscopy, or autopsy. In 24 patients hepatocellular carcinomas nodules (HCC) were found, associated with cirrhosis, while in 3 cases only cirrhosis was seen. In the above mentioned 3 cases, a 2-year US follow-up showed no variation in the size of the nodules. These data confirm the importance of US in the screening of risk HCC patients, and point out that--however small--hyperechoic lesions in a cirrhotic liver suggest the cancerization of the substanding cirrhosis.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1986

Cirrhosis: value of caudate to right lobe ratio in diagnosis with US.

To verify the value of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of cirrhosis, the ratio of transverse caudate lobe width to right lobe width (C/RL) was determined with US in 25 healthy subjects and 156 consecutive patients with either histologically proved acute viral, chronic persistent, or chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis. The C/RL ratio had a sensitivity of 43%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 79% in cirrhosis. The sensitivity was very low in alcoholic cirrhosis, low in cryptogenic cirrhosis, and high in hepatitis B virus related cirrhosis. In spite of its fairly low overall sensitivity, the C/RL ratio is a useful measurement in assessing chronic liver disease because of its high specificity in cirrhosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

[Diabetes and diseases of the internal ear].

The authors present a series of 30 cases of vertigo where diabetes and hyperlipidemia were found. The literature on the subject is reviewed, and evidence points to a diabetic lesion of the inner ear. Our cases illustrate that lesion and its clinical presentation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Transabdominal sonography of the normal gastroesophageal junction in children.

PURPOSE: Because sonography identifies abnormalities of the gastroesophageal junction, it is essential to understand the normal sonographic anatomy. The aim of this study was to determine the normal sonographic appearance of the gastroesophageal junction and its variations and to provide measurements of the abdominal esophagus in asymptomatic, healthy children. METHODS: In this prospective study, 124 healthy children (75 boys and 49 girls), aged 2 days-12 years, underwent abdominal sonography. With the patient in a supine position, the transducer was placed under the xiphoid and the ultrasound beam was directed cephalad through the window of the left lobe of the liver. The length of the abdominal esophagus was measured from the point at which it penetrated the diaphragm to the gastroesophageal junction. The thickness was measured on the anterior wall at the midpoint of the abdominal esophagus. RESULTS: The gastroesophageal junction was identified by sonography in all of the children. The mean length of the abdominal portion of the esophagus ranged from 18 mm in the newborns to 34 mm in children older than 6 years. The wall thickness ranged from 2.4 mm to 5.7 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that visualization of the gastroesophageal junction and measurement of the abdominal esophagus are readily achievable with real-time sonography in healthy children.

Abdomen↗
PubMedDate not supplied

One-shot percutaneous ethanol injection of liver tumors under general anesthesia: preliminary data on efficacy and complications.

PURPOSE: To verify the efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided injection of large amounts of ethanol into large or multiple liver lesions, in a single session under general anesthesia (one-shot PEI) for percutaneous ablation of hepatic tumors. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (27 with 51 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules on cirrhosis, diameter range 1.0-9.0 cm; two patients with a single metastasis from the gastroenteric tract, 5.0 and 9.0 cm, respectively, in diameter) were treated with one-shot PEI. RESULTS: The total volume of alcohol delivered per patient ranged from 16 to 210 ml. Mean ethanol volume in all patients was 49 ml. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) examination showed complete necrosis in 41 of 50 lesions. Two patients died of hypovolemic shock due to massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding, 3 and 7 days, respectively, after the interventional procedure. All the remaining patients are alive (follow-up 5-14 months) except one who died of liver failure 5 months after. New HCC nodules occurred in six patients within 6 months and one intralesional relapse was recorded. CONCLUSION: In this preliminary experience, one-shot PEI is as effective in inducing liver tumor necrosis as traditional PEI; its advantages are shorter treatment time and the capability of treating larger and multiple liver lesions.

Aged↗