Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Farin.
Defecography, a dynamic imaging modality, plays an important role in the diagnosis of functional and morphologic abnormalities of the anorectal region. We have here summarized the principle and techniques as well as observations of defecography, with special emphasis on morphologic measurements, clinical relevance, and limitations. The application of MR imaging in examination of anorectal function has also been addressed.
We have examined the usefulness of ultrasound (US) in the detection of Achilles tendon (AT) xanthomata in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Our study is based on 30 adult subjects with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) (16 men, 14 women), 27 subjects with other non-familial forms of severe hypercholesterolemia (non-FH) with serum total cholesterol levels > or = 8 mmol/l (13 men and 14 women) and 31 subjects without marked hypercholesterolemia of the same age (control group; serum total cholesterol < 8 mmol/l) (15 men, 16 women). The three groups were comparable with respect to age, sex and body mass index. In the control group the mean sagittal thickness of AT was 4.5 mm (95% CI 3.2, 5.9 mm) and the mean coronal breadth of AT 11.0 (95% CI 9.0, 13.0 mm). Mean thickness of AT was 4.9 (range 4-7) mm in the non-FH group and 11.1 (5-16) mm in the FH group. The mean breadth of AT was in these groups 12.0 (10-17) mm and 19.2 (12-27) mm, respectively. Using the upper 95% confidence interval cut-off point in the control group as a criterion for normal AT thickness and breadth, 6 (22%) of non-FH and 29 (97%) of FH patients had increased AT thickness and 5 (19%) vs. 26 (87%) patients had increased AT breadth, respectively. The sensitivity of AT thickness for identifying FH was 0.97, specificity 0.78 and positive predictive value 0.83. The sensitivity of AT breadth in identifying FH was 0.87, specificity 0.81 and positive predictive value 0.84. None of the control subjects and none of the non-FH patients showed structural abnormalities of AT in the US, whereas 89% of FH-patients showed hypoechogenicity of AT. FH-score obtained by summing up the number of abnormal US findings gave a sensitivity of 0.93, a specificity of 0.96 and a positive predictive value of 0.96 for AT US in discriminating FH from non-FH. In conclusion, US examination of AT is a useful method in the detection of AT xanthomata and thus of help in the diagnosis of heterozygous FH.
The imaging findings of 36 renal oncocytomas in 32 patients were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-two patients underwent ultrasound (US), 16 CT, 25 angiography, 19 urography, and 6 fine-needle biopsy. At US 8 of the oncocytomas were isoechoic, 7 hyperechoic, and 7 hypoechoic. The structure was homogeneous in 59% and nonhomogeneous in 41%. At plain CT 12 oncocytomas were homogeneously hypodense, 3 isodense, and one hyperdense. Contrast enhancement was homogeneous in 10 and inhomogeneous in 4 cases. A stellate scar was detected in one case, and in one case a contrast study was not performed. At angiography the oncocytomas were hypervascular in 21, hypovascular in 3 cases, and one was not detected. Nineteen of the tumors were well delineated. A spokewheel arterial pattern was detected in 3 tumors. The cytologic diagnosis was benign renal oncocytoma in 4 cases and highly suggestive of oncocytoma in 2 cases. We conclude that the homogeneity of a renal tumor at US and at CT may suggest the possibility of oncocytoma. US-guided fine-needle biopsy is a useful diagnostic tool in patients who need a precise presurgical diagnosis.
We have compared the findings of sonography, arthrography and at surgery in 66 cases of rotator cuff rupture in order to clarify the sonographic and radiological signs. Preoperative sonography was better than arthrography at demonstrating a partial rupture and at showing the extent of the lesion.
Metastatic involvement of the axillary lymph nodes is the most important prognostic factor in breast cancer. Preoperative knowledge of lymph node status would be useful in planning the therapy for breast cancer. The aim of our study was to find how accurately metastatic lymph nodes can be detected with ultrasonography (US). Our study consisted of 63 breast cancer patients having 65 breast cancers. Their axillae were examined preoperatively with US (with a 7.5 Mhz linear-array transducer). 27.7% of these patients had metastatic axillary lymph nodes. With US we could detect 12 of these 18 axillary metastases. In 2 of our 6 false negative results only micrometastases were found on histological examination. In our study the sensitivity of US was 66.6%. There was only one axilla, in which nodes were detected with US, but on histological examination no metastases were found, thus giving a specificity of 97.9%. Our study indicates that in the axilla normal nodes are not visible with US.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.