An 87-year-old woman presenting with myocardial infarction and ST-segment elevation in the electrocardiogram suffered from pericardial effusion due to left ventricular rupture. After ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease and aortic dissection, she underwent cardiac surgery showing typical infarct-macerated myocardial tissue in situ. This case shows that even etiologically unclear and small-sized myocardial infarctions can cause life-threatening mechanical complications.
The findings at bone marrow biopsies in 5,000 patients with systemic haematological diseases were compared with the radiographic appearances. Haemoblastic conditions produce diffuse involvement of the bone marrow, whereas conditions characterised by limited infiltration, such as Waldenström's disease or Brill-Symmers' disease, produce some osteoporosis and only rarely bone destruction. Haemoblastic diseases with additional focal proliferation, such as myelofibrosis or myelosclerosis, multiple myeloma, highly malignant lymphomas and malignant granulomatosis produce circumscribed changes in the spongiosa which are readily recognised radiologically. In addition to generalised osteoporosis or sclerosis, one finds local areas of osteolysis or osteoplasia. Bone marrow biopsies in above-mentioned conditions indicate that they progress in a series of stages which correlate well with the radiological findings.
The value of xeroradiography in the diagnosis of peripheral skeletal lesions is illustrated by some typical examples and compared with standard radiographic procedures. The advantages of xeroradiography depend on its convenient format, easy appreciation of structural changes and easy viewing. On the other hand, density gradations are flattened. Compared with a technically satisfactory film examination, there is no increase in diagnostic information. Xeroradiography can therefore only be regarded as complementary to conventional radiography for the diagnosis of skeletal conditions.
A combination of roentgen cineradiography and functional scintigraphy of stomach evacuation, taken with a gamma camera, was used for assessing the success of organ-conservative surgery of ulcers (selective proximal phagotomy with or without pyloroplasty). This confirmed earlier results to the effect that surgical failure is not indicated with any measure of certainty by any individual roentgenologic symptom. However, the evacuation function is closely correlated with the pattern of clinical and subjective complaints. In most of the cases, rapid postoperative stomach evacuation results in freedom from complaints. Pyloric stenosis and retention point to the failure of the operation via the negatively effected subjective feeling of well-being. Hence, special importance must be attached to functional scintigraphy with regard to meaningful studies of the course and postoperative condition of the patient.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.