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Biomedical subjects

M F Bellin

Publications and source records attributed to M F Bellin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Demonstration of efficacy of combining corticosteroids and colchicine in two patients with idiopathic sclerosing mesenteritis.

Sclerosing mesenteritis is an uncommon condition of unknown etiology. It is likely to be the fibrous evolution of mesenteric panniculitis. It often has an indolent course but may be complicated by progressive bowel obstruction. The treatment of the symptomatic forms is not well established. The observations of two women (20 and 65 years old) with a relentless downhill course of biopsy-proved sclerosing mesenteritis are described. A treatment regimen with corticosteroid therapy (initially 1 mg/kg/day) and colchicine (1 mg/day) led, in both cases, to a rapid improvement. Abdominal computer tomography showed reduction in the tumor size. The combination of corticosteroids and colchicine is helpful in the management of symptomatic sclerosing mesenteritis. Follow-up with abdominal computed tomography is useful in evaluating the therapeutic impact.

Adult↗

Osteoid osteoma: CT-guided percutaneous excision confirmed with immediate follow-up scintigraphy in 16 outpatients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate treatment of osteoid osteoma with computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous excision and immediate follow-up scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen consecutive adolescent and adult patients underwent CT-guided percutaneous excision of a nidus with 14-gauge biopsy cutting needles, with local anesthesia. After the presence of nidus was confirmed at immediate follow-up scintigraphy, curettage of the bored cavity was performed to remove any residual fragments of the nidus. Scintigraphic and histologic findings were correlated. RESULTS: The nidus was removed successfully in 14 of the 16 patients, with no complications (mean follow-up, 15 months; range, 3-25 months). In five of the 14 patients, immediate follow-up scintigraphy showed incomplete resection of the nidus and immediate second resection was successful. Surgical resection was necessary in two of the 16 patients. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous excision with immediate follow-up scintigraphy was safe and effective for localization and removal of osteoid osteoma in outpatients.

Adult↗

Effects on renal haemodynamics and tubular function of the contrast medium Ioxaglate in renal transplant patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Ioxaglate on renal haemodynamics and tubular function in renal transplant patients at increased risk of nephrotoxicity. 21 patients undergoing either intravenous pyelography or arteriography with Ioxaglate were studied. Renal clearance studies were carried out 1 day before and 1 day after administration of Ioxaglate (173 +/- 37 ml) injected into each patient. None experienced any adverse reaction. Mean serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and urinary NAG excretion were unaltered by ioxaglate. No patient suffered a nephrotoxic reaction or acute oliguria that required dialysis as a result of the administration of contrast material. In the subset of seven patients receiving cyclosporine the same results were observed. In the subset of 10 patients with a GFR lower than 60 ml/min before injection of Ioxaglate were also observed no significant change in mean GFR, ERPF and urinary NAG excretion. Only two patients had a transient decrease of GFR of between 10 and 20%. The results of this study show that the ionic, low osmolar contrast medium ioxaglate may be used safely in patients with a renal transplant thus extending previous data obtained in patients with chronic renal failure.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

Liver metastases: safety and efficacy of detection with superparamagnetic iron oxide in MR imaging.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and biologic safety of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and to assess its efficacy in the detection of liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty adults with liver metastases underwent MR imaging at 1.5 T before and 1 hour after infusion of SPIO. Four spin-echo (SE) sequences and one gradient-echo (GRE) sequence were used. RESULTS: There were no adverse reactions. Alterations in serum protein, serum iron, transferrin, and ferritin levels and transferrin saturation coefficient were statistically significant. The mean tumor-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio (C/N) increased markedly with all sequences. The best postcontrast tumor-to-liver contrast was obtained with the GRE sequence (repetition time msec/echo time msec = 300/15). The mean number of apparent lesions detected after administration of SPIO increased by 12 with the proton-density-weighted SE sequences (800/30 and 2,500/30), four with the T2-weighted SE sequence (2,500/90), and seven with the GRE sequence (300/15). CONCLUSION: SPIO is safe, increases tumor-to-liver C/Ns with some sequences, and improves the detection of liver metastases.

Contrast Media↗

[MRI: overview, technique, interpretation].

The purpose of this paper is to describe the general principle of MRI, emphasising the practical conduct of the examination which consists of three main phases. The authors define the concepts of relaxation time and T1 and T2, essential parameters for the understanding of MRI. They simply explain how to recognise a predominance of T1- or T2-weighting on MRI images. They review the principal artefacts which must be recognised in order to avoid erroneous interpretation of the images. Lastly, they define the value of MRI in clinical urology, renal pathology, especially neoplastic, and prostatic and bladder disease.

Artifacts↗

[Antiphospholipid syndrome. A new cause of bilateral hemorrhage of the adrenal glands. 4 cases].

Four cases of adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal haemorrhage in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome are reported. The 1st patient had repeated episodes of thrombosis on a background of altered general condition; he was examined by computed tomography (CT) which showed enlarged and presumably tumoral adrenal glands; adrenal insufficiency was present and improved under hormone replacement therapy; the thrombotic episodes were attributed to the antiphospholipid antibodies; after a 5-year follow-up the antiphospholipid syndrome remained alone, and further examinations showed progressive adrenal atrophy. The 2nd patient had systemic lupus erythematosus with thrombocytopenia; because of abdominal pain CT was performed, showing bilateral adrenal enlargement; treatment with intravenous pulses of cyclophosphamide and high-dose immunoglobulins combined with corticosteroids failed, and splenectomy was performed disclosing an old adrenal haematoma which was evacuated. The 3rd patient had bilateral and asymmetrical adrenal hypertrophy at CT; subsequently, systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed with anti-prothrombinase and anticardiolipin accounting for the initial findings; follow-up examinations showed the formation of pseudocysts in the adrenals; following myocardial infarction the patient died of cerebral haemorrhage, and autopsy confirmed the presence of old, bilateral adrenal haematomas. The 4th patient had recurrent vein thrombosis associated with distal ischaemia, which prompted CT in search of a neoplasia; this examination revealed 2 large adrenal haematomas while anticardiolipin antibodies were found. In patients with antiphospholipid syndrome any functional or morphological abnormality of the adrenals should prompt a search for bilateral adrenal haemorrhage. Conversely, in all cases of adrenal insufficiency a search for antiphospholipid antibodies should be part of all aetiological investigations, and this search should be carried out prior to withdrawing corticosteroids in cases of systemic lupus erythematosus with antiphospholipid antibodies.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗

[MRI techniques applied to the diagnosis of hepatic tumors].

We know that the contrast of MR images can be better than that of CT scans. In the spin echo mode, sequences with long TR and long TE provide great contrast, while, conversely, sequences with short TR and TE produce images with a greater anatomical fidelity. This dual performance, a notion that had never been expressed as explicitly in imaging, has led to distinguishing between the roles of MRI for detection and tissue characterization (diagnosis and nature). While the choice of an appropriate sequence for characterization has apparently been made immediately with a modulation of T2 weighting, the selection of a detection sequence is less easy. The number of parameters involved (signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, spatial resolution, artifacts, imaging time) and the compromise arrangements needed to take them into account explain the lack of consensus as to the optimal sequence for detection. Instead of becoming simpler with time, the issue is increasingly complex, as now fast imaging has been developed in addition to conventional spin echo imaging, and may even supersede it.

Humans↗

[Renal lymphoma in a transplanted patient treated with cyclosporine].

The effectiveness of renal transplantation has been considerably improved by the use of cyclosporine as an antirejection agent. However, because of those very same immunosuppressive properties, this substance may lead to several infectious or tumoral complications that raise complex therapeutic problems. This article reports about one case of immunoblastic lymphoma discovered in a patient who received renal transplantation and who had been treated with cyclosporine for two years.

Cyclosporine↗

CT renal planimetry: effectiveness in the evaluation of individual renal function.

Computed tomographic (CT) renal planimetry was used to study individual renal function in 32 adult patients with urologic disease. CT results were well-correlated to reference methods (r = 0.88, P < 0.001), which were radionuclide studies (N = 9) or separate creatinine clearance (N = 23). The difference between planimetric data and reference methods did not exceed 14% in any case and was less than 10% in 26 cases.

Adult↗

Gd-DOTA: evaluation of its renal tolerance in patients with chronic renal failure.

Gd-DOTA is an intravenous contrast medium used in MRI. The clinical and biological tolerance of Gd-DOTA was studied in patients with chronic renal failure (e.g., those having a glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 mL/min). Twenty patients were randomized into two groups. In the control group, spin-echo (SE) T1- and T2-weighted images of the kidneys were obtained without injection of Gd-DOTA. In the DOTA-group, patients received 0.1 mmol/kg of Gd-DOTA. SE T1-weighted images were obtained before and after injections; a T2-weighted sequence was performed before injection. Clinical data, serum creatinine, and laboratory parameters were estimated before, and 24 and 48 hr after MRI. No adverse reaction was reported after injection of Gd-DOTA. Mean serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate remained unchanged in both groups. For five patients in the control group and three patients in the DOTA-group the serum creatinine levels increased more than 10% and less than 25%. No evidence of nephrotoxicity was observed with Gd-DOTA in patients with chronic renal failure.

Contrast Media↗

[Contrast media in hepatic MRI].

This article is a review of the current commercial MR contrast media (gadolinium chelates) and of the products that are not yet on the market and are under trial in man (super-magnetic iron oxides, manganese compounds) or only in animals (ferric chelate, liposomes containing gadolinium compounds, gadolinium chelate/human serum albumin compounds, hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptors).

Contrast Media↗

[Prospective study of echography versus phlebography in the detection of sural venous thrombosis].

Among all noninvasive techniques, high-resolution ultrasonography used alone has rarely been used for the diagnosis of thrombosis in the calf. Nineteen patients with suspected AVT were examined with ultrasonography and phlebography during 4 months. For each patient, a sonogram and a phlebogram were taken within less than 24 hours and interpreted independently. The sonographic exploration with a high-resolution (5 MHz) transducer covers all deep trunks and muscular veins (soleus or gastrocnemius muscles). The positivity criterion is the persistence of a hypoechogenic endoluminal image under moderate compression. According to the phlebographic data, 65% of the patients present with thrombosis. Ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 99% for the study of the deep trunks. Ultrasonography screens more thromboses than phlebography (23 cases versus 17). On a whole, ultrasonography seems to be more sensitive than phlebography for the diagnosis of recent sural thrombosis.

Acute Disease↗

[Renal lymphoma in a patient after kidney transplantation and cyclosporine therapy].

The effectiveness of renal transplantation has been considerably improved by the use of cyclosporine as an antirejection agent. However, because of those very same immunosuppressive properties, this substance may lead to several infectious or tumoral complications that raise complex therapeutic problems. This article reports about one case of immunoblastic lymphoma discovered in a patient who received renal transplantation and who had been treated with cyclosporine for two years.

Cyclosporine↗

MRI of liver tumors using gadolinium-DOTA: prospective study comparing spin-echo long TR-te sequence and CT.

Thirty-nine patients with liver tumors were examined using MRI at 0.5 T before and after intravenous bolus injection of either 0.1 mmol/kg (n = 18) or 0.2 mmol/kg (n = 21) of Gadolinium-Dota, using spin-echo T1-and T2-weighted sequences before injections and spin-echo or gradient-echo sequences after injection. When contrast-to-noise (C/N) data were normalized relative to time, optimal mean C/N was observed after gadolinium injection. However, subjective study and case-by-case C/N measurement showed better contrast for SE 2000/60 and CT with injection in 62% and 42% of cases, respectively.

Adult↗

Nephrotoxicity of contrast media in high-risk patients with renal insufficiency: comparison of low- and high-osmolar contrast agents.

We have compared the renal effects of ioxitalamate, ioxaglate, and iopamidol in patients with chronic renal failure. Sixty consecutive patients with an estimated creatinine clearance (ECRCl) less than 60 ml/min were randomly assigned to receive either ioxitalamate, iopamidol, or ioxaglate. All patients received 500 cm3 isotonic saline before the procedure. Serum creatinine and ECRCl were estimated before, 1 and 2 or 3 days after the procedure. There was no statistical difference between the three groups with respect to age, sex, weight, renal function, amount of iodine, and type of procedure. Mean serum creatinine and ECRCl remained unchanged after administration of contrast media. No patient had nephrotoxicity or acute oliguria requiring dialysis as a result of the administration of contrast material. The number of patients with an increase in the serum creatinine level greater than 10% from the basal value did not differ in the treatment groups. The maximal increases in serum creatinine were 52 mumol/l (29%) in the ioxitalamate group, 56 mumol/l (18%) in the ioxaglate group, and 57 mumol/l (23%) in the iopamidol group (p = NS). Using a population carefully randomized and matched for renal insufficiency, we could not show any differences in nephrotoxicity between these three contrast agents. Clinically serious renal impairment was uncommon in our study, regardless of the contrast agent used. However, the interpretation of these favorable findings requires a cautionary note. All patients in this study were well hydrated before and after uro-/angiography, and none had a recent renal injury or a treatment with a nephrotoxic agent that would predispose to injury from contrast material.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗