Gastrointestinal tract perforation is an emergent condition that requires prompt surgery. Diagnosis largely depends on imaging examinations, and correct diagnosis of the presence, level, and cause of perforation is essential for appropriate management and surgical planning. Plain radiography remains the first imaging study and may be followed by intraluminal contrast examination; however, the high clinical efficacy of computed tomographic examination in this field has been well recognized. The advent of spiral and multidetector-row computed tomographic scanners has enabled examination of the entire abdomen in a single breath-hold by using thin-slice sections that allow precise assessment of pathology in the alimentary tract. Extraluminal air that is too small to be detected by conventional radiography can be demonstrated by computed tomography. Indirect findings of bowel perforation such as phlegmon, abscess, peritoneal fluid, or an extraluminal foreign body can also be demonstrated. Gastrointestinal mural pathology and associated adjacent inflammation are precisely assessed with thin-section images and multiplanar reformations that aid in the assessment of the site and cause of perforation.

Barium Sulfate↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Asymptomatic hereditary xanthinuria: a case report.

A 22-year-old man with hereditary xanthinuria is reported. A biochemical study of the patient showed elevated serum levels of xanthine and hypoxanthine with concomitant increases in urinary excretion of xanthine and hypoxanthine. The xanthine oxidase activity in the duodenal mucosa of the patient was about 1.5% of normal value. Urinary excretion of xanthine and hypoxanthine of his parents and his eldest brother were significantly higher than the corresponding normal values, but the values were much less than those of the patient. The results suggested that the patient was homozygote, and his parents and his eldest brother were heterozygotes.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Retroperitoneal cellular schwannoma: report of a case diagnosed by the presence of S-100 protein.

A case of cellular schwannoma originating from the retroperitoneum is reported. The histological features of the tumor resembled those of a smooth muscle tumor. However, the tumor cells were positive for S-100 protein, which is almost exclusively identified within nerve sheath tumor cells. This finding confirmed the diagnosis of cellular schwannoma. This type of tumor is generally considered to be benign but is sometimes mistaken for a malignant tumor. These findings indicate that it is important to prove whether or not S-100 protein is present in the cells of a tumor of unknown origin especially arising in the mediastinum or retroperitoneum.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Duct-acinar-islet cell tumor of the pancreas.

Two cases of pancreatic tumor consisting of duct, acinar, and islet components are reported. Both tumors measured about 1.0 cm in diameter and were without definite fibrous encapsulation. Histologic, immunocytochemical, and electron microscopic studies revealed three distinct cell populations: duct, acinar, and islet cells. Both endocrine and exocrine components were seen within the same cell nest. Islet components predominated in both cases. Nearly all the cells in the islet component were positive for insulin. Few cells positive for glucagon, somatostatin, or pancreatic polypeptide were present within the tumor cell nests. Duct cells were the least conspicuous cellular element of the tumor; they were positive for mucin and immunoreactive for cytokeratin and carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA). The acinar component was the minor element of the tumor in both cases. Electron microscopic study also confirmed three different cell populations in the tumor: duct cells arranged in a ductal structure with intercellular attachments and microvilli, islet cells containing beta granules, and acinar cells with zymogen granules. The tumors presented herein indicate that both their endocrine and exocrine components might have been derived from a common precursor. The implication and significance of the differentiation of different cells within the same tumor is discussed in relation to the concept of an amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) system.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Abnormal brainstem evoked potentials in diabetes mellitus. Evoked potential testings and magnetic resonance imaging.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) and median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (MN-SEPs) were measured in 53 diabetic patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed 12 patients with abnormal BAEPs and/or MN-SEPs in order to confirm the existence of lesions in the central nervous system. Twenty-six percent of the diabetic patients had abnormal BAEPs and three had a prolongation of the central conduction time in the MN-SEPs. MRI findings of ten of the 12 patients with abnormal BAEPs or MN-SEPs showed multiple small lesions in the pons, thalamus, and centrum semiovale etc. Two of them showed small lesion in the pontine basis which could induce prolonged interpeak latencies of BAEPs. Our MRI study might suggest that abnormal brainstem evoked potentials in diabetic patients were induced by diabetic macroangiopathy or microangiopathy.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Proceedings: 365. Effects of nitrophenols on the chemoreceptor response of the frog (author's transl)].

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Animals↗