Certain imaging characteristics of pulmonary cysts, including size and location, can suggest the diagnosis of BHDS based on chest computed tomography alone. The main concern in patients with BHDS is the increased risk of renal carcinoma. The aim of this review is to describe the main pathological, clinical, and imaging aspects of BHDS, ranging from its genetic basis to treatment, with emphasis on pulmonary involvement.

ObjectiveApparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values calculated through magnetic resonance imaging have been proposed as a useful tool to distinguish benign from malignant liver lesions. Most studies however included simple cysts in their analysis. Liver cysts are easy to diagnose, have very high ADC values and their inclusion facilitates differentiation in the ADC values between benign and malignant liver lesions groups. We prospectively evaluated the ability of ADC values to differentiate metastatic liver lesions from all benign or only solid benign liver lesions.Material and MethodsSixty-seven adult cancer patients with 188 liver lesions were evaluated. Lesions were categorized as metastatic or benign throughout imaging and clinical evaluation. One hundred and five (105) metastatic lesions and 83 benign lesions including hemangiomas (37), cysts (42), adenomas (2) and focal nodular hyperplasias (2) were evaluated. ADC values were calculated for each lesion utilizing two b values (0 and 600 sec/mm2).ResultsThe average ADC value for cysts was 2.4×10−3 mm2/sec (CI: 2.1–2.6), for solid benign lesions was 1.4×10−3 mm2/sec (CI: 1.1–1.7) and for metastases was 1.0×10−3 mm2/sec (CI: 0.8–1.3). There was a difference between the ADC values of metastases and benign solid lesions (p<0.0001). With the ADC value of 1.5×10−3 mm2/sec as a cut off it is possible to distinguish metastatic from benign liver lesions, including cysts, with an accuracy of 78%. But to distinguish metastatic from benign solid liver lesions the best ADC cut off value was 1.2×10−3 mm2/sec and the accuracy drops to 71%.ConclusionsADC values proved to be helpful in the distinction between metastasis and benign solid hepatic lesions. But the exclusion of cysts in the analysis point out to a lower cut off value and lower accuracy than previously reported.

Fungal infection can present with clinical and radiological features that are indistinguishable from thoracic malignancy, such as lung nodules or masses. Because the management and outcomes of fungal infection and malignancy are entirely distinct, the establishment of a specific diagnosis is critical to provide appropriate therapy.

OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the performance of fine and cutting needles in computed tomography guided-biopsy of lung lesions suspicious for malignancy and to determine which technique is the best option for a specific diagnosis.METHODS:This retrospective study reviewed the data from 362 (71.6%) patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy and from 97 (19.7%) patients who underwent cutting-needle biopsy between January 2006 and December 2011. The data concerning demographic and lesion characteristics, procedures, biopsy sample adequacy, specific diagnoses, and complications were collected. The success and complication rates of both biopsy techniques were calculated.RESULTS:Cutting-needle biopsy yielded significantly higher percentages of adequate biopsy samples and specific diagnoses than did fine-needle aspiration biopsy (p<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of cutting-needle biopsy were 93.8%, 97.3%, and 95.2%, respectively; those of fine-needle aspiration biopsy were 82.6%, 81.3%, and 81.8%, respectively (all p<0.05). The incidence of pneumothorax was higher for fine-needle aspiration biopsy, and that of hematoma was higher for cutting-needle biopsy (both p<0.05).CONCLUSIONS:Our experience using these two techniques for computed tomography-guided percutaneous biopsy showed that cutting-needle biopsy yielded better results than did fine-needle aspiration biopsy and that there was no significant increase in complication rates to indicate the best option for specific diagnoses.

The presence of pulmonary nodules or mediastinal lymph nodes on the basis of preoperative chest MDCT scans in healthy children is frequent. Given that 95% of the nodules and 100% of the lymph nodes measured less than 6 mm and 7 mm, respectively, we conclude that incidental findings under these limits are very unlikely to be pathologic.

Due to the decrease in light oil reserves, the petroleum industry faces the challenge of developing technologies for processing raw materials and wastes from heavy crude oils, which contain large amounts of asphaltenes. Thus, there is an increasing need to use heavy fractions efficiently in the production of fuels and chemical raw materials. The search for means for removing asphaltenes are justified by the fact that these molecules increase the viscosity of the fractions submitted to distillation, contribute to the formation of coke, and deactivate catalysts used in refining processes. This paper presents an alternative technique for selective extraction of asphaltenes from two Brazilian vacuum residues and compares these results to the ones observed using the IP-143 standard methodology. The extracted fraction was characterized by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR) and thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), revealing that the chemical species extracted using different techniques exhibited very small differences in composition but similar thermal behavior.

The mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of polymer blends based on polystyrene (PS) and three different types of polybutadiene (PB) were studied. The polymer blends containing 20% of PB were processed in a Haake mixer at 1808C and 60 rpm for 6 min. The materials exhibited impact strength superior to that of the PS. An increase was observed in the impact strength of 138, 208, and 823%, when low-cis polybutadiene (PB l ), highcis polybutadiene (PB h ), and styrene-butadiene block copolymer (PB co ), were respectively used. The materials presented dispersed morphology with polybutadiene domains, with sizes inferior to 1 lm, randomly distributed in the PS matrix. The viscous and storage moduli increased as the applied frequency increased. The flow activation energy, calculated by Arrhenius equation, varied from 34 to 71 kJ/mol. In the rheological experiments all polymer blends presented pseudoplastic behavior, showing decreasing viscosities as the shear rate increased.

OBJECTIVE:Distinct aspects can influence the complication rates of computed tomography‐guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of lung lesions. The purpose of the current study is to determine the influence of radiological techniques and clinical characteristics in predicting complications from this procedure.SUBJECTS AND METHODS:A retrospective study was developed involving 340 patients who were submitted to a consecutive series of 362 computed tomography‐guided fine needle aspiration biopsies of lung lesions between July 1996 and June 2004, using 22‐gauge needles (CHIBA). Variables such as the radiological characteristics of the lesions, secondary pulmonary radiological findings, co‐morbidities, and aspects concerning the procedure were studied.RESULTS:The diameters of the lung lesions varied from 9 to 140 mm, with a mean of 51.5 ± 24.3 mm and median of 40 mm. The depth of the lesions varied from 10 mm to 130 mm, with a mean of 44 ± 20.9 mm, and median median of 52 mm. Complications occurred in 52 (14.4%) cases, pneumothorax being the most frequent, with 40 (11.1%) cases, followed by hemoptisis with 7 (1.9%) cases, and hematoma with 4 (1.1%) cases. Lesions that did not contact the pleura, with normal pulmonary tissue interposition between lesion and pleura, had higher complication rates, with 22 (22%) cases, than lesions that contact the pleura, with 6 (9%) cases, with a statistically significant difference (p  =  0.03).CONCLUSIONS:CT‐guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of lung lesions had a lower rate of complications in our study and presented more rates of complications on lesions that lack pleural contact.