A rare case of symptomatic, multiple, intrahepatic, portosystemic venous shunts which was treated by portal vein embolization after surgical cannulation is reported. The patient, having suffered from hepatic encephalopathy, improved dramatically after embolization. This method might be the only choice of therapy for intrahepatic portosystemic shunts of this kind.

Embolization, Therapeutic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polyarteritis nodosa of the epididymis.

We describe magnetic resonance imaging findings in a 37-year-old man with a rare entity of isolated polyarteritis nodosa of the epididymis, which correlated well with the histopathologic findings.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunological study of childhood acute ITP at onset.

We attempted to search for any specific change in the immune system during the onset of childhood acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in order to clarify the pathophysiology of acute ITP by examining the lymphocyte subset, lymphocyte blastogenic response, serum complements, and immunoglobulins in 18 patients with childhood acute ITP and 18 controls (control values after normalization). At the onset of acute ITP, the levels of serum complements and IgG and IgA were found to be within the normal ranges, but serum IgM levels were greater than 200 mg/dL in six cases among 18 patients. Lymphocyte blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (ConA) was depressed in patients relative to controls (PHA: p less than 0.05, ConA: p less than 0.01). Lymphocyte blastogenic response to pokewood mitogen (PWM) was lower than that of the control, but no statistical significance was observed. There was no difference in the proportion of CD3, CD4, CD8, SmIg, SmIgG, SmIgM, SmIgA, and SmIgD. The CD4/CD8 ratio was not different from that of controls. The proportion of CD38 was higher than that of control, but no significant difference from the control was observed. Increase in the serum IgM level and proportion of CD38 and depressed lymphocyte blastogenic response may be the influence of preceding infection. It has been reported that the CD4/CD8 ratio is depressed due to an increase in the CD8 level in acute and convalescent phases of viral infection. However, the proportion of CD8 was not necessarily increased in our patient in whom preceding infection was obvious. The immunological status of the patients with acute ITP at onset differs from that after infection.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pyelovenous backflow in left renal vein hypertension: case report.

Retrograde pyelography for a patient with left renal vein hypertension due to "nutcracker phenomenon" revealed pyelovenous backflow. This is considered to be the first actual demonstration of renal bleeding during the nutcracker phenomenon.

Constriction, Pathologic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Incremental dynamic CT for small hepatic tumours using high-speed, high-resolution CT apparatus.

Incremental dynamic CT with a high-speed, high-resolution CT apparatus was utilized in four patients with small hepatic tumors. These tumors were imaged as minute, high-density regions, but were difficult to detect because they resembled transverse sections of the portal vein or were located immediately beneath the surface of the liver. Nevertheless, incremental dynamic CT with high-speed CT apparatus, with careful scrutiny and evaluation, can be applied as a means of screening for small hepatic tumors.

Aged↗