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Objective: To determine the prevalence of alternative diagnoses based on chest CT angiography (CTA) in patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) who tested negative for PTE, as well as whether those alternative diagnoses had been considered prior to the CTA. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study involving 191 adult patients undergoing CTA for suspected PTE between September of 2009 and May of 2012. Chest X-rays and CTAs were reviewed to determine whether the findings suggested an alternative diagnosis in the cases not diagnosed as PTE. Data on symptoms, risk factors, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, and mortality were collected. Results: On the basis of the CTA findings, PTE was diagnosed in 47 cases (24.6%). Among the 144 patients not diagnosed with PTE via CTA, the findings were abnormal in 120 (83.3%). Such findings were consistent with an alternative diagnosis that explained the symptoms in 75 patients (39.3%). Among those 75 cases, there were only 39 (20.4%) in which the same alterations had not been previously detected on chest X-rays. The most common alternative diagnosis, made solely on the basis of the CTA findings, was pneumonia (identified in 20 cases). Symptoms, risk factors, comorbidities, and the in-hospital mortality rate did not differ significantly between the patients with and without PTE. However, the median hospital stay was significantly longer in the patients with PTE than in those without (18.0 and 9.5 days, respectively; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Our results indicate that chest CTA is useful in cases of suspected PTE, because it can confirm the diagnosis and reveal findings consistent with an alternative diagnosis in a significant number of patients.

Background The mechanical strength of mini-implants is a critical factor due to their small diameters. Currently, it is not possible to state whether there is a relevant difference between the mechanical properties of stainless steel (SS-MIs) and titanium alloy mini-implants (TA-MIs). The objective of this study was to test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the mechanical strength of SS-MIs and TA-MIs, and to analyze, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the SS-MI, and TA-MI threads resistance to morphological damage after insertion. Methods A standardized sample of 504 SS-MIs and TA-MIs with diameters ranging from 1.2 mm to 1.8 mm was used. Torsional fracture was performed in 154 MIs. Flexural strength of 280 MIs was evaluated at 1 mm and 2 mm-deflection. The threads of 70 MIs were morphologically analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), before and after their insertion in high-density artificial bone blocks. Comparisons between SS-MIs and TA-MIs were performed with t tests or Mann-Whitney U tests. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of variables on the ranging of MI mechanical strength. Results SS-MIs had higher fracture torque. The mean difference between the SS-MIs and TA-MIs fracture torque was of 4.09 Ncm. The MI diameter explained 90.3% of the total variation in fracture torque, while only 2.2% was explained by the metallic alloy. The SS-MI group presented a higher deformation force during the 1mm and 2mm-deflection. The mean difference between the flexural strength of SS and TA-MIs at 1 mm and 2 mm-deflection was of 18.21 N and 17.55 N, respectively. There was no noticeable morphological damage to the threads of SS-MIs and TA-MIs. Conclusions The null hypothesis was rejected. SS-MIs were 13.2% and 20.2% more resistant to torsional fracture and deflection, respectively. The threads of the SS-MIs and TA-MIs were not damaged during the insertion and removal process. Thus, the use of SS-MI can reduce the fracture risk without increasing the MI diameter.

os casos de linfoma. O aparecimento da lesão bucal deste tipo de linfoma é pouco comum e raras vezes se manifesta em região anterior de mandíbula. Neste relato de caso, o paciente de 22 anos, sexo masculino, com diagnóstico de linfoma de grandes células B em mediastino e pleura, após um ano de tratamento apresentou lesão nodular em região anterior de mandíbula, comprometendo os dentes incisivos inferiores. O diagnóstico histológico e imuno-histoquímico confirmou a forma secundária do linfoma. O paciente foi submetido a tratamento quimioterápico com regressão completa da lesão mandibular e está sob acompanhamento odontológico reabilitador. Rev. Bras. Hematol. Hemoter.