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Biomedical subjects

W D Middleton

Publications and source records attributed to W D Middleton.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Renal calculi: sensitivity for detection with US.

The sensitivity of sonography in the detection of renal calculi was tested in a three-phase study in 100 patients. In phase 1, ultrasonographic (US) scanning was performed after review of abdominal radiographs and renal tomograms in 30 patients who had undergone extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). In this group the sensitivity of US for detecting stones was 98%. In phase 2, scanning was performed in 30 post-ESWL patients without prior review of radiographs or tomograms. The sensitivity of US for stone detection in this group was 95%. In phase 3, sonography was performed in a blinded fashion on a random mix of post-ESWL patients and patients who had undergone urography for reasons unrelated to nephrolithiasis. The sensitivity of US for stone detection in this group of 40 patients was 91%. The overall sensitivity in all three groups was 96%, which was superior to the performance of abdominal radiography and slightly inferior to the combination of abdominal radiography and renal tomography. The ability to detect kidney stones with US depended on stone size but was independent of stone location or patient size. The study findings suggest that US is an effective means for detecting kidney stones in patients with suspected nephrolithiasis.

Humans↗

Diaphragmatic discontinuity associated with perihepatic ascites: a sonographic refractive artifact.

Apparent discontinuity in the diaphragm frequently is seen in sonograms of the right upper quadrant in patients with perihepatic ascites. Using a fresh cadaveric liver and a linear reflector to simulate the diaphragm, we performed in vitro analysis and confirmed that the appearance of the diaphragm was artifactual; this was due to refraction of the sound beam at the interface between the liver and ascites. Knowledge of the typical sonographic appearance and location of this artifact should prevent diagnostic errors.

Ascites↗

High resolution surface coil magnetic resonance imaging of the joints: anatomic correlation.

Magnetic resonance imaging appears to be a particularly promising approach to the evaluation of articular and periarticular abnormalities. Its ability to produce images in multiple planes directly (without reconstruction) provides a unique advantage over CT for the radiologist when he attempts to interpret the complex three dimensional anatomy of most joints. The inherent contrast resolution of MR is excellent, and with the use of surface coils, spatial resolution is sufficient to permit the identification of the small soft tissue structures in and around joints. Artifacts generated by respiratory and cardiac motion are not a problem in MRI of the joints as they are in MR scanning of the body. Based on all these qualities, we believe that MRI will play an important role in the diagnosis of joint abnormalities.

Ankle Joint↗

Treatment of blunt hepatic injuries: role of CT.

Serial dynamic upper abdominal computed tomography (CT) studies were performed on 20 patients as part of the conservative treatment of blunt hepatic injuries (hematoma, laceration, or fracture). Fourteen of these patients had either major or minor associated hemoperitoneum. In 13 patients, hemoperitoneum was either significantly reduced or absent by 1 week. A severe delayed hemorrhage occurred in one patient 7 1/2 days after admission; a large and unchanged volume of intraperitoneal fluid had been seen on a preceding abdominal CT scan. One other patient who had a satisfactory response underwent surgery for a pancreatic laceration. Serial abdominal CT studies are an integral part of the conservative treatment of blunt hepatic injuries and seem to be useful in monitoring resorption of hemoperitoneum and the pattern of healing of intrahepatic hematomas, lacerations, and fractures.

Hemoperitoneum↗

MR imaging of the carpal tunnel: normal anatomy and preliminary findings in the carpal tunnel syndrome.

MR imaging was performed through the carpal tunnel in 18 wrists of nine normal volunteers and compared with cryomicrotome sections from cadaver wrists. MR reliably imaged the flexor retinaculum and carpal bones and thus defined the borders of the carpal tunnel. In all cases the median nerve was seen as an ovoid structure of moderate signal intensity and was easily distinguished from the flexor tendons of the hands running in the carpal tunnel. The tendons were separated from each other by their tendon sheaths, and this allowed for identification of the various tendons. Anatomic variations encountered in the normal volunteers included anomalous positioning of the origin of the lumbrical muscles within the carpal tunnel in two, persistent median arteries in two, and interposition of the median nerve between the flexor pollicis longus and the superficial flexor tendon to the index finger in one. Preliminary observations in 10 wrists of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome include segmental and diffuse swelling of the median nerve in six, distortion of the nerve in one, and thickening of the tendon sheaths in one. We conclude that MR imaging accurately and reliably displays the normal anatomy of the carpal tunnel and can detect morphologic changes in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Adult↗

High-resolution MR imaging of the normal rotator cuff.

The shoulders of six normal volunteers were imaged with high-resolution MR in the axial, sagittal, and coronal planes. An angled pair of counter-rotating current loop-gap resonators designed specifically for the shoulder was used as a local coil. All images were compared with corresponding cryomicrotome sections from cadaver shoulders. The rotator cuff was analyzed in detail. It appeared as a complex, heterogeneous band to tissue superficial to the humeral head. The areas of low signal intensity corresponded to the central tendons of the four rotator cuff muscles. These tendons could be distinguished from each other as well as from the intervening components of the cuff, which have a moderate intensity. We concluded that MR is capable of imaging the normal rotator cuff and of separating the various components. This may allow for improved precision in the diagnosis of rotator cuff disorders.

Adult↗

MR imaging of the shoulder: diagnosis of rotator cuff tears.

Twenty-five patients with known or suspected tears of the rotator cuff in 26 shoulders underwent MR imaging. All patients also underwent arthrography or surgery. MR visualized abnormalities consistent with a tear in 20 of the 22 tears diagnosed by arthrography or surgery. In most cases, tears were seen as regions of increased signal intensity within the cuff on long-TR pulse sequences, although two cases simply showed an almost complete absence of normal cuff. The MR appearance of the two cases with partial tears was similar to that of full-thickness tears. Of the four cases with normal arthrograms, one case had MR findings consistent with a tear. We conclude that MR has good potential for the noninvasive diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. Its ultimate role in this diagnosis must await prospective studies comparing its accuracy with that of sonography, CT, and arthrography.

Adult↗

False-positive CT diagnosis of gallstones due to thickening of the gallbladder wall.

An erroneous CT diagnosis of cholelithiasis was made at our institution during the past year in seven patients who had thickening of the gallbladder wall. In all cases the mucosa, which had a high attenuation value, was misinterpreted as a calcified stone, and the low-attenuation thickened submucosa was misinterpreted as intraluminal bile surrounding the stone. Depending on the attenuation of the actual intraluminal bile, the pseudostone appeared peripherally calcified (five patients) or uniformly calcified (two patients). Careful analysis of the position and configuration of a suspected stone and of the outer margin of the gallbladder can help avoid an incorrect CT diagnosis of gallstones when high-attenuation thickened mucosa simulates a gallstone and low-attenuation submucosa looks like surrounding bile.

Adult↗

Contrast optimization for the detection of focal hepatic lesions by MR imaging at 1.5 T.

The relative efficacies of different spin-echo pulse sequences at 1.5 T were evaluated in the detection of focal hepatic disease. Pulse sequences compared were spin-echo with a repetition time (TR) of 200 msec and echo time (TE) of 20 msec, with six excitations; TR = 300 msec, TE = 20 msec, with 16 excitations (T1-weighted sequences); and a double spin-echo with TR = 2500 and TE = 25 and 70, with two excitations (proton-density-weighted and T2-weighted pulse sequences, respectively). Respiratory-motion compensation, which involved a recording of the phase-encoding gradients (Exorcist), was used for the last two sequences. Spin-echo with TR = 2500 msec and TE = 70 msec was superior in lesion detection and contrast-to-noise ratio. The proton-density-weighted and T2-weighted sequences with respiratory compensation produced better artifact suppression than did the short TR, short TE T1-weighted sequence with temporal averaging. In contradistinction to prior results at 0.6 T, T2-weighted pulse sequences appear superior to T1-weighted pulse sequences with multiple excitations for both lesion detection and artifact suppression at 1.5 T.

Cysts↗

Hip joint fluid in the presence of the vacuum phenomenon.

A 3-year old boy with an acute onset of hip pain and limitation of motion had 4 mm of crescent shaped intra-articular gas produced by manual traction radiography. Hip aspiration produced more than 2 ml of fluid from the hip. Manual traction radiography producing the vacuum phenomenon with release of crescent shaped intra-articular gas did not exclude joint fluid in this patient.

Child, Preschool↗

Rotator cuff tears: preliminary application of high-resolution MR imaging with counter rotating current loop-gap resonators.

A new class of radio frequency (RF) coils for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy is introduced. The coils consist of two loop-gap resonators of equal diameters positioned along a common axis. They are tuned to the mode in which the current in the two loops flows in opposite directions. These coils are "decoupled" from a uniform excitation field of arbitrary orientation (including circularly polarized fields) by intrinsic decoupling and by means of back-to-back fast recovery diodes. Measurements made with the coils and a phantom saline tank indicate that the signal-to-noise ratio obtainable with these coils is almost identical to that obtained with single loops. Imaging of several anatomic areas, including knee, wrist, and shoulder, has been performed with a 1.5-T MR system that uses circularly polarized RF. A small series of patients with torn rotator cuffs underwent imaging. Difficulties in establishing the diagnosis with MR imaging because of anatomic complexity are illustrated. The value of pulse sequences with long repetition times to increase the signal intensity of fluid in the joint is shown.

Humans↗