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Biomedical subjects

R Blumhardt

Publications and source records attributed to R Blumhardt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Gallium-67 scintigraphy in well-differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma of the skin.

Skin lymphomas are now divided into "T" or thymic cell lymphomas (mycosis fungoides being the principal type) and "B" cell lymphomas after the bursa of Fabricius. The "T" cell lymphomas all are identified by the thymic or cerebriform cell. Those lymphomas of the skin which do not contain these characteristic cells are derived from the bursa cells and are termed "B" cell lymphomas. A large percentage of these non "T" cell lymphomas have been histologically diagnosed as lymphocytic lymphoma of the skin (1). The authors had an opportunity to scan a patient with histologically proven lymphocytic lymphoma of the skin with Ga-67 and obtained on excellent correlation between gallium accumulation in the skin lesions and histologic confirmation of lymphocytic lymphoma.

Gallium Radioisotopes↗

Segmental coronary artery disease: detection by rotating slant-hole collimator tomography and planar thallium 201 myocardial scintigraphy.

Normal quantitative circumferential profile limits were established for a 30 degrees bilateral rotating slant-hole (RSH) collimator tomographic system. This system's value in detecting segmental coronary artery disease was assessed in a study evaluating 196 patients by thallium 201 myocardial scintigraphy and coronary arteriography. Profile curves were calculated from images of 20 healthy patients and used to identify significant coronary artery disease (greater than or equal to 70% diameter narrowing) in the left anterior descending (LAD), the right, and the left circumflex (LCx) coronary arteries. In a group of 86 patients, an abnormality on the apical or middle plane optimally identified segmental coronary artery disease. When such abnormalities were prospectively evaluated in a test group of 110 patients, the sensitivity and specificity were 79% and 93% for LAD, 90% and 90% for right, and 83% and 83% for LCx coronary artery disease. Compared with qualitative interpretation of the planar and tomographic images, quantitative tomography significantly improved the sensitivity of T1-201 imaging in detecting LAD, right, and LCx coronary artery disease (P less than .001) in patients with or without previous myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Validation of attenuation-corrected equilibrium radionuclide angiographic determinations of right ventricular volume: comparison with cast-validated biplane cineventriculography.

To determine the accuracy of attenuation-corrected equilibrium radionuclide angiographic determinations of right ventricular volumes, we initially studied 14 postmortem human right ventricular casts by water displacement and biplane cineventriculography. Biplane cineventriculographic right ventricular cast volumes, calculated by a modification of Simpson's rule algorithm, correlated well with right ventricular cast volumes measured by water displacement (r = .97, y = 8 + 0.88x, SEE = 6 ml). Moreover, the mean volumes obtained by both methods were no different (73 +/- 28 vs 73 +/- 25 ml). Subsequently, we studied 16 patients by both biplane cineventriculography and equilibrium radionuclide angiography. The uncorrected radionuclide right ventricular volumes were calculated by normalizing background corrected end-diastolic and end-systolic counts from hand-drawn regions of interest obtained by phase analysis for cardiac cycles processed, frame rate, and blood sample counts. Attenuation correction was performed by a simple geometric method. The attenuation-corrected radionuclide right ventricular end-diastolic volumes correlated with the cineventriculographic end-diastolic volumes (r = .91, y = 3 + 0.92x, SEE = 27 ml). Similarly, the attenuation-corrected radionuclide right ventricular end-systolic volumes correlated with the cineventriculographic end-systolic volumes (r = .93, y = - 1 + 0.91x, SEE = 16 ml). Also, the mean attenuation-corrected radionuclide end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were no different than the average cineventriculographic end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (160 +/- 61 and 83 +/- 44 vs 170 +/- 61 and 86 +/- 43 ml, respectively). Comparison of the uncorrected and attenuation-corrected radionuclide right ventricular volumes demonstrated narrower 95% confidence intervals for the attentuation-corrected right ventricular volume determinations over a wide range of cineventriculographic volumes. Thus we conclude that: (1) attenuation-corrected radionuclide right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes compare closely with those obtained by a cast-validated biplane cineventriculographic method and (2) attenuation-corrected radionuclide right ventricular volumes correspond more closely to determinations of biplane cineventriculographic right ventricular volumes and are thus likely to be more accurate than uncorrected radionuclide right ventricular volumes.

Adolescent↗

Comparative effects of volume loading, dobutamine, and nitroprusside in patients with predominant right ventricular infarction.

To assess the value of volume loading and to determine the relative efficacy of dobutamine compared with nitroprusside therapy in acute right ventricular infarction (RVMI), 13 patients with clinical, hemodynamic, and radionuclide angiographic evidence of RVMI were evaluated. In 10 patients who had an initial pulmonary arterial wedge pressure less than 18 mm Hg, volume loading did not improve cardiac index (1.9 +/- 0.5 [SD] to 2.1 +/- 0.4 liters/min/m2), despite significant increases in mean right atrial pressure (11 +/- 2 to 15 +/- 2 mm Hg, p less than .001) and pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (10 +/- 4 to 15 +/- 2 mm Hg, p less than .001). Nine patients received dobutamine or nitroprusside in random order, while hemodynamic measurements and radionuclide angiograms were obtained simultaneously. Compared with nitroprusside, dobutamine produced a statistically significant increase in cardiac index (2.0 +/- 0.4 to 2.7 +/- 0.5 vs 2.1 +/- 0.4 to 2.3 +/- 0.5 liters/min/m2, p less than .001), stroke volume index (29 +/- 6 to 36 +/- 8 vs 29 +/- 6 to 30 +/- 6 ml/m2, p = .02), and right ventricular ejection fraction (30 +/- 8% to 42 +/- 7% vs 34 +/- 8% to 37 +/- 4%, p less than .01) by two-way analysis of variance. We conclude that volume loading does not improve cardiac index in patients with acute RVMI despite a rise in cardiac filling pressures and that infusion of dobutamine, after appropriate volume loading, produces a significant improvement in cardiac index and right ventricular ejection fraction over those after infusion of nitroprusside.

Adult↗

Effect of errors in reangulation on planar and tomographic thallium-201 washout profile curves.

Cardiac phantom studies were performed with and without a defect present to test the hypothesis that myocardial 201TI quantitative circumferential washout profile curves calculated from planar and rotating slant hole (RSH) collimator tomographic images are equally affected by errors in axial repositioning. Simulated stress images were acquired with the long axis of the phantom perpendicular to the camera surface and redistribution images were acquired to represent 50% 201TI washout with axial repositioning errors relative to the stress position ranging from 0 to 20 degrees in 5 degrees increments. There was a decrease in the 201TI washout profile curves compared to that expected (50%) in the wall tilted away from the camera surface, and a reciprocal increase in the 201TI washout profile curves in the wall tilted towards the camera surface for both imaging techniques whether a lesion was present or not. This effect became more pronounced as the error in axial repositioning was increased for both the planar (p less than 0.001) and the RSH tomographic (p less than 0.001) techniques. However, the deviation of the 201TI washout profile curves from that expected (50%) was greater for the planar imaging technique with or without a lesion (p less than 0.05 to 0.001). Thus, we conclude that 201TI quantitative circumferential washout profile curves calculated using this tomographic imaging technique are less affected by errors in axial repositioning than those calculated using an equivalent projection by standard planar imaging methods. These data emphasize the importance which must be placed on the repositioning of patients to obtain valid 201TI washout profile curves for the detection and localization of coronary artery disease.

Coronary Disease↗

Practical gamma camera quality control with a four-point phantom.

A gamma camera QC phantom for practical assessment of resolution (average FWHM), spatial calibration (pixels/mm), nonhomogeneity of spatial calibration, and average point-source sensitivity (cpm/muCi) was developed and evaluated. The phantom consists of four 57Co-point sources mounted on a Plexiglas base at corners of a square 10 cm on each side. Computer acquisition and processing are fully automated and require less than 1 min for point sources totaling 100 muCi (3.7 MBq) activity. The normal range of variability of measured QC parameters from a 12 wk evaluation period with four different gamma cameras (assumed to be operating normally) yielded coefficients of variation ranging from 0.3% for spatial calibration (pixels/mm) to 2.3% for sensitivity (cpm/muCi) assessments. From the normal range of variability a minimum detectable difference (MDD) was determined for each measured parameter and each gamma camera. The range of acceptable operation of a gamma camera system was set as the measured value +/- MDD for each QC parameter. The ability to detect and track small changes in the measured QC parameters was evaluated.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗

Patterns of intestinal activity with Meckel's scintigraphy.

Three patterns of intestinal activity were noted in a review of 64 patients studied with Tc-99m sodium pertechnetate for suspected Meckel's diverticulum: no bowel activity seen (37.5%), bowel activity visualized after stomach activity (39.1%), and diffuse bowel activity seen simultaneously with stomach activity (23.4%). The latter pattern, which is relatively common, could mask a true Meckel's diverticulum and lead to either a false-negative or indeterminate diagnosis. A series of 10 dogs was also studied to evaluate the effects of fasting and feeding on the intestinal pattern. No definite relationship was observed.

Adolescent↗

Tc-99m red blood cells for the study of rapid hemolytic processes associated with heterologous blood transfusions.

Chromium-51 labeled erythrocytes (Cr-51 RBC) are suitable for the study of hematologic disorders which involve relatively slow destruction of circulating erythrocytes, taking several days to several weeks. However, Cr-51 RBC are not suitable for investigating rapid hemolytic processes which occur within a matter of a few hours due to the variable and unpredictable elution of Cr-51 from the erythrocytes during the first 24 hours or so. Imaging, which could be useful in identifying organ systems involved in the hemolytic process, cannot be performed with Cr-51 RBC because of the high dose commitment caused by the low yield of gamma rays from Cr-51 (2). A method of labeling RBC with Tc-99m, which results in a radiopharmaceutical that combines the excellent dosimetric and imaging qualities of Tc-99m with an extremely stable bond between the Tc-99m and the RBC, is reported. The successful application of this technique in providing red cell support for a cancer patient with an unusual history of intravascular hemolytic transfusion reactions is also reported.

Adenocarcinoma↗

The digital computer: the role of functional imaging in radiology.

Over the past decade there has been an increase in the use of functional imaging. This is mainly because of the recent introduction of the digital computer, which is capable of processing measured data into images that are related to a physiological process or the function of an organ. This is a departure from the more traditional images that are mostly based on anatomical detail. The radiologist needs to become familiar with these new imaging concepts, since a continued growth in their use is inevitable.

Computers↗

Clinical heterogeneity in the tricho-dento-osseous syndrome.

The tricho-dento-osseous syndrome (TDO syndrome) involves morphologic abnormalities of hair, teeth, and skeleton. Clinical findings of the TDO syndrome are excessively curly (fuzzy) hair, enamel hypoplasia, and skeletal findings of a generalized pattern of osseous sclerosis. We report an autosomal dominant syndrome with similar hair and teeth morphology, but with a skeletal dysplasia consisting of sclerosis and thickening of the calvarium with long bones that show subtle undertubulation but no sclerosis.

Adult↗

Another use for the seven-pinhole collimator. Routine nontomographic imaging of the thyroid.

Relatively few seven-pinhole collimator systems purchased within the last three years are still in routine use. This paper describes a nontomographic use of the collimator for thyroid scanning. One image is obtained which simultaneously shows seven different projections of the thyroid gland. The diagnosis of thyroid abnormalities can frequently be made from this single composite image without the requirement for additional images. Further information can be obtained when needed by computer processing the image into tomographic slices.

Female↗