For evaluation of lymphedema and its mixed forms, an axial T2-weighted SPIR sequence in conjunction with a coronal T1 SE sequence are sufficient.

Serum lactic dehydrogenase (S-LDH) was analysed at diagnosis in ninety-three patients with multiple myeloma. The patients were then followed up after a mean observation period of 39 months (SD 29). Serum lactic dehydrogenase was elevated in twenty-seven out of ninety-three patients and found to correlate with the serum concentrations of beta 2-microglobuline, creatinine, and thymidine kinase. In discriminant analysis of pretreatment S-LDH levels in relation to survival, the best discrimination level was 7.0 mukat 1(-1). Patients with values below 7 microkat 1(-1) ahd a median survival time of 45 months compared to 14 months for those with levels above 7 mukat 1(-1) (P less than 0.001). Serum lactic dehydrogenase at diagnosis, thus, has prognostic information in multiple myeloma.

No abstract

Our results suggest that BTC in the GSE products is responsible for the increase in the INR value in a patient on warfarin treatment.

A recently developed deoxythymidine kinase assay utilizing 125I-iododeoxyuridine as substrate was used in an investigation of sera from 122 untreated patients with multiple myeloma. Most patients had slightly elevated or normal serum deoxythymidine kinase activity (S-TK), although in some patients values increased by more than forty-fold were found. S-TK correlated with the haemoglobin level but did not correlate with sex, age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, nor with the serum concentrations of creatinine, beta 2-micro-globulin, Ca or M-component. The distribution of S-TK values in IgG, IgA and pure Bence-Jones myeloma did not differ significantly. Patients with IgG and IgA myeloma excreting light-chain immunoglobulin in the urine had significantly higher S-TK than non-excreters. There was a significant correlation between S-TK values and tumour cell mass as determined by clinical staging. A high pretreatment S-TK (greater than 5.1 units) also distinguished a group of patients with a significantly shorter survival time. Patients with no response to initial therapy had significantly higher S-TK values than those who did respond. In longitudinal studies of 11 patients, S-TK was found to increase when the disease became more aggressive. The possibility of diagnosing disease progression at an early stage by an elevation of S-TK is discussed.