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Biomedical subjects

R Zissin

Publications and source records attributed to R Zissin.

90 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Urinomas caused by ureteral injuries: CT appearance.

BACKGROUND: We report the computed tomographic (CT) features of urinomas caused by ureteral injuries which are often not clinically suspected, causing delay in diagnosis. METHODS: CT studies of 12 patients with ureteral injury were reviewed. Ureteral injuries were iatrogenic in 9 patients and traumatic in the remaining three. CT was performed between 2 and 139 days (average = 33 days) after the insult. The most common presenting symptoms were severe abdominal pain and fever. All CT studies were performed before and after intravenous contrast administration. In 11 of 12 cases, delayed scanning was added 15 min to 5 h later. RESULTS: The sites of injury were the proximal ureter in two patients, the middle ureter in three, the distal ureter in two, and the ureteral anastomosis in five. The urinomas appeared as confined water-density fluid collections in seven patients, as free fluid (urinary ascites) in two, and as both in three. Extravasation of contrast from the ureter was observed on early scans in six patients and on delayed scanning only in the other six. The density of the opacified urinoma measured 80-200 HU. Ipsilateral hydronephrosis was observed in seven patients. Ureteral injuries were treated conservatively in eight patients and surgically in four. CONCLUSION: Ureteral injuries after iatrogenic or penetrating trauma often are diagnosed with considerable delay. The presence of ascites or localized fluid collections in symptomatic patients after abdominal surgery or penetrating trauma should raise the possibility of a ureteral injury and prompt delayed scanning.

Adolescent↗

Typhlitis as a rare cause of a psoas abscess.

Typhlitis is a life-threatening necrotizing process of the cecum associated with leukemia patients who have undergone chemotherapy. We present a rare complication of typhlitis in a boy with leukemia, in whom a right psoas abscess developed secondary to the inflammatory process of the cecum, with an emphasis on the computed tomographic findings of this severe and potentially life-threatening complication. Typhlitis should be added to conditions of the gastrointestinal tract that cause a psoas abscess such as Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, appendicitis, colorectal carcinoma, and appendiceal tumor.

Adolescent↗

Perforations of the rectosigmoid colon induced by cleansing enema: CT findings in 14 patients.

BACKGROUND: We report the computed tomographic (CT) features of colorectal perforations caused by cleansing enema. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and CT studies of all patients with colorectal perforations caused by a cleansing enema. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (10 men, four women; average age = 80 years) were included in the study. The most common presenting symptoms were severe abdominal pain and fever. CT was performed within 48 h after the event in most patients. Extraluminal air in the perirectal fat was the most frequent finding on CT and was present in all patients. Additional findings were extraperitoneal ( n = 9), intraperitoneal ( n = 3) and /or subcutaneous ( n = 3) air, free fluid ( n = 9), extraluminal feces ( n = 8), and focal bowel wall thickening ( n = 4). No leak of contrast from the rectum was observed in any patient including the one patient in whom contrast was administered rectally. Ten patients were treated by surgery; five recovered and the other five died. The other four patients were treated conservatively and all four died. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of colorectal perforation can be made on CT. Because the diagnosis is not always suspected by the clinician, the radiologist may be the first to suggest it. Therefore, the radiologist should be familiar with the CT features of a potentially lethal, rectally induced perforation.

Abdominal Pain↗

Granulomatous appendicitis presenting as right lower quadrant pain: CT findings.

BACKGROUND: We present the computed tomographic (CT) findings of granulomatous appendicitis. METHODS: Five of 652 (0.9%) patients who had undergone appendectomy for clinically suspected acute appendicitis over a 19-month period proved to have granulomatous appendicitis. One patient had surgery based on a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Four patients (three men and one woman; age range = 14-39 years) underwent abdominal CT. The CT findings were retrospectively reviewed with special attention to the appendiceal abnormalities. RESULTS: All four patients presented with subacute clinical presentation. Enlarged appendices of 4.5 and 2 cm in diameter with thickened walls of soft tissue density were found in two patients, and periappendicular inflammatory masses were found in the other two. Enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes and right lower quadrant fat stranding was seen in all four patients. Histopathology showed numerous granulomas within the inflamed appendix. CONCLUSION: Radiologists should be familiar with the rare entity of granulomatous appendicitis in patients examined by CT for suspected acute appendicitis. An insidious clinical presentation with CT findings of an exceptionally large appendix and associated periappendiceal inflammatory changes should raise the possibility of granulomatous appendicitis or carcinoma or lymphoma of the appendix.

Abdominal Pain↗

IVC anomalies and right renal aplasia detected on CT: a possible link?

BACKGROUND: We report the occurrence of congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and right renal aplasia in three patients as detected on computed tomography (CT). METHODS: The medical records and imaging studies of three patients with congenital anomalies of the IVC and right renal aplasia were studied. We also reviewed eight reported cases with such an association. RESULTS: Eleven patients, nine adults and two girls, were included in the series. Indications for imaging included deep vein thrombosis (n = 5), hypertension (n = 2), failure to advance a femoral vein catheter cranially (n = 1), dilated veins along the abdominal wall (n = 1), endstage renal failure (n = 1), and jaundice (n = 1). CT was performed in seven patients, and venography, aortography, and other imaging modalities were performed in four. IVC anomalies included partial or complete absence of the IVC in nine patients and a double vena cava in two. The azygos vein was very prominent in all patients in whom the IVC was absent. The right kidney was absent or very small in all patients. CONCLUSION: The association between IVC anomalies and absence of the right kidney as detected on CT probably was not incidental. Although most patients had symptoms deriving from the anomalies, these might have been clinically silent. The radiologist should be aware of the possible association between these anomalies, which can be detected on CT.

Adolescent↗

Small bowel obstruction secondary to Crohn disease: CT findings.

We investigated the computed tomographic (CT) findings in patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO) and Crohn disease (CD). Fourteen patients, seven men and seven women (mean age, 41.3 years), were retrospectively reviewed. All presented with clinical symptoms and signs of SBO. Eleven had a history of CD, whereas three experienced the bowel obstruction as the first manifestation of the disease. On CT, features of complete SBO were seen in nine patients, whereas incomplete obstruction was found in the other five. One patient had CT findings of an adhesive obstruction. The other 13 were diagnosed as having CD-related SBO; a markedly stenotic bowel segment caused the obstruction in one patient, and a thickened-wall small bowel segment with luminal narrowing was evident at the transition zone in the other 12. The mural thickening had a target appearance in seven and homogeneous thickening in the other five. Additional thickened bowel segments were found in five patients and mesenteric involvement was found in 10. Five patients were treated conservatively, and the other nine underwent surgery (one with adhesiolysis only). Resection of the stenotic bowel was performed in six patients and stricturoplasty was done in the other two, with associated intestinal biopsy in one of these two patients. Histopathology revealed findings of active on chronic disease in all. CT is frequently performed for suspected SBO, so radiologists should be aware of the diagnosis of CD, because SBO may be its first manifestation. Alternatively, radiologists can accurately diagnose a CD-related obstruction in a patient with known CD and differentiate it from an obstruction due to adhesions. Patient management in these cases, however, is based most often on the clinical condition.

Adult↗

Hepatic periportal tracking associated with severe acute pyelonephritis.

The computed tomographic appearance of hepatic perivascular halos has been described in a variety of disorders. We observed three cases with sepsis due to acute pyelonephritis who presented with anasarca and had identical computed tomographic features of periportal edema associated with ascites, pleural effusion, a thickened gallbladder wall, and a dilated inferior vena cava. None of the three patients had an underlying disease process that was previously described as an etiology for an altered hepatic lymphatic dynamics. Acute severe pyelonephritis should be included in the differential diagnosis of extrahepatic diseases that cause hepatic perivascular lucencies.

Acute Disease↗

Retroperitoneal perforation during endoscopic sphincterotomy: imaging findings.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy has become an important technique in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases. Serious complications, although rare, may occur, and their early recognition and treatment are of the utmost importance. We encountered several such cases. This study reviews the imaging findings in patients with retroperitoneal perforation detected after the procedure. METHODS: Of 796 patients who had endoscopic sphincterotomy at our institution during a 9-year period, retroperitoneal perforation occurred in nine (1.13%). Imaging findings and clinical outcome were assessed. RESULTS: In eight patients, routine abdominal radiographs taken during the procedure disclosed retroperitoneal air, associated with extravasation of contrast material in six patients. This was further confirmed on computed tomography (CT) in three patients. In the ninth patient, the diagnosis was established by an emergent abdominal CT performed a day after the sphincterotomy, because of severe abdominal pain. Two patients died of overwhelming sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Retroperitoneal perforation during endoscopic sphincterotomy is a rare complication, which occurred in 1.13% of our patients. It can be usually clearly recognized radiographically by an abdominal film and in doubtful cases by CT. We emphasize the importance of recognizing this potentially serious complication with imaging studies.

Adult↗

Synchronous mucinous tumors of the ovary and the appendix associated with pseudomyxoma peritonei: CT findings.

BACKGROUND: To present the computed tomographic (CT) findings of synchronous mucinous tumors of the ovary and the appendix associated with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). METHODS: Imaging studies, mainly abdominal CT scans, of three women aged 49-75 years were reviewed. Attention was directed to the ovarian masses, peritoneal seeding, and the presence of an appendiceal mucocele. RESULTS: The ovarian tumors and the appendiceal mucocele were clearly demonstrated in two cases, and they were part of the extensive PMP in the third patient. Ascites was found in all cases, with internal septation in one. Associated scalloping of the liver margins and hypodense peritoneal implants, with extensive bowel involvement, were seen in another one. Pathologically, there was one case of right ovarian mucinous cystadenoma and villous adenoma of the appendix, one case of right ovarian and appendiceal mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, and one case of bilateral metastatic ovarian implants of appendiceal mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. PMP was found in all. In the case with benign tumors of the ovary and the appendix, the PMP was classified as a benign mucinous spillage. This patient returned 33 months after surgery with PMP, in which epithelial cells were found. CONCLUSIONS: Radiologists should be familiar with the clinical occurrence of synchronous mucinous tumors of the ovary and the appendix associated with PMP and with the typical CT findings of the latter two entities. Alternatively, when the imaging findings suggest ovarian cystic tumor with PMP, the radiologist should be alerted to the probability of a clinically unsuspected appendiceal mucocele and should search for it.

Aged↗

Iliopsoas abscess: a report of 24 patients diagnosed by CT.

BACKGROUND: We wanted to define the role of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of iliopsoas abscess. METHODS: Twenty-four patients (18 men, six women; age range = 17-86 years) with iliopsoas abscesses diagnosed over 8 years were retrospectively reviewed. All presented with fever and elevated white blood cell counts. Twenty-one had abdominal, flank or pelvic pain and nine had specific psoas signs suggesting the diagnosis. RESULTS: Seventeen of the abscesses were right-sided. Twenty were regarded as secondary to various underlying causes that were clearly demonstrated on CT and related to gastrointestinal (n = 12), skeletal (n = 5), or urinary tract (n = 3) diseases. All patients received appropriate antibiotic treatment. Thirteen also had their abscesses drained and eight had definitive surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: CT is an effective imaging technique for diagnosing iliopsoas abscess, even when classic clinical signs are absent. Treatment by percutaneous drainage under CT guidance is another advantage. When a psoas abscess is a complication of Crohn's disease, resection of the affected bowel segment is recommended in addition to drainage because drainage alone even in conjunction with appropriate medical therapy is usually not effective.

Adult↗

Polysplenia syndrome detected in adulthood: report of eight cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: To present the computed tomographic (CT) features of the abdominal anomalies consistent with polysplenia syndrome in adults. Awareness of these abnormalities may avoid misdiagnosing characteristic findings as separate pathological processes. METHODS: Imaging studies, mainly abdominal CT scans, of eight patients were reviewed. Attention was directed to the location of the multiple spleens, stomach, and liver and to the possible presence of a short pancreas, malrotation of the intestine, and venous anomalies. We also reviewed the CT findings of 15 adult patients described in the literature. RESULTS: Three men and five women underwent CT for various unrelated conditions. The most common findings were multiple spleens along the greater curvature of the stomach, which were located in the right upper quadrant in six patients. The inferior vena cava was seen on the left side in seven subjects, with azygos/hemiazygos continuation in six. A preduodenal portal vein was present in seven subjects. The liver was in the midline in four patients and on the left side in two. A short pancreas was seen in four patients, intestinal nonrotation in five, and dextrocardia in two. The prevalence of these anomalies was similar to that of the reviewed cases. CONCLUSIONS: CT proved to be an excellent imaging modality in the diagnosis of the abdominal anomalies. Some of these (a short pancreas, multiple spleens, and azygos continuation) can simulate pathological processes. Hence the importance of recognizing these CT findings as part of a syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Acute diverticulitis of the small bowel: CT findings.

We present the computed tomographic (CT) findings in two cases of small bowel diverticulitis, one affecting the jejunum and the other a Meckel's diverticulum. The main CT finding was that of a mass with an air-fluid collection in contiguity with small bowel loops.

Acute Disease↗

Intestinal malrotation as an incidental finding on CT in adults.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal malrotation in adults is usually an incidental finding on computed tomography (CT). We present the CT findings of 18 adult patients with malrotation and discuss the clinical implications. METHODS: Abdominal scans of 18 patients (12 women, six men; age range = 15-79 years) with intestinal malrotation were reviewed. Special attention was directed to the location of the superior mesenteric vessels, the location of the small and large bowels, the size of the uncinate process, the situs definition, and additional anomalies. RESULTS: The malrotation was an incidental finding in all but one patient. The malrotation was type Ia in 17 patients and IIc in the one symptomatic patient. The superior mesenteric vessels were vertically oriented in 10, inverted in two, normally positioned in four, and mirror imaged in two cases with situs ambiguus. All patients had aplasia of the pancreatic uncinate process, five had a short pancreas, and two had a preduodenal portal vein. Fourteen patients had a normal situs and four had heterotaxia. Seven patients had polysplenia, six of which with associated inferior vena cava anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal malrotation can be diagnosed on CT by the anatomic location of a right-sided small bowel, left-sided colon, an abnormal relationship of the superior mesenteric vessels, and aplasia of the uncinate process. Awareness of these abnormalities is necessary to diagnose this anomaly. It should be sought in patients with a situs problem, inferior vena cava anomalies, polysplenia, or preduodenal portal vein. Although usually an incidental finding, it is important to diagnose such a malrotation because it may cause abdominal symptoms. Also, knowledge of associated vascular anomalies is important when abdominal surgery is planned.

Adolescent↗

Hepatic infarction in preeclampsia as part of the HELLP syndrome: CT appearance.

We describe the computed tomographic (CT) findings of hepatic infarctions in two preeclamptic pregnant women. These infarcts were part of the HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver function tests, and low platelets count). In both cases, CT disclosed features characteristic of multiple nonenhancing, low-attenuation, peripheral lesions with vessels coursing through and a mottled appearance. The recognition of such CT findings in liver disease associated with preeclampsia can establish the correct diagnosis.

Adult↗

Transient colocolic intussusception.

We present the CT findings of a transient colocolic intussusception, related to an underlying colonic tumor, but remote from it. The resolving nature of intussusception was clearly demonstrated on delayed images and may explain the characteristic chronic clinical symptoms of intussusception in adult.

Abdominal Pain↗

CT diagnosis of a clinically unsuspected acute appendicitis complicating infectious mononucleosis.

Acute appendicitis is a rare complication of infectious mononucleosis (IM). We describe a patient with IM and splenic rupture with a computerized tomography (CT) diagnosis of acute appendicitis during the acute phase of the infectious disease. Diagnostic imaging features of acute appendicitis were found on an abdominal CT performed for the evaluation of postoperative fever. Histologic examination confirmed the CT diagnosis of the clinically unsuspected acute appendicitis. Our case is unique both for the rarity of this complication and the lack of clinical symptoms.

Acute Disease↗