Recent studies have demonstrated significant variation in bilateral jugular venous oxygen saturation measurements which may be of clinical significance. We have therefore measured variations in normal dural sinus venous drainage to assess the possible effects of normal anatomical variations on measured jugular venous oxygen saturation. Normal volunteers (n = 25) were imaged using magnetic resonance venography to demonstrate variations in venous anatomy. Flow was measured in the superior sagittal sinus and bilaterally in the transverse sinus, sigmoid sinus proximal to the jugular bulb and proximal jugular vein using phase difference magnetic resonance imaging. Examination of magnetic resonance venogram images showed considerable variability in the symmetry of transverse sinus flow. Complete absence of one transverse sinus was seen in four cases and significant asymmetry in the size of the transverse sinuses was present in 13. Quantitative flow studies demonstrated that the ratio of superior sagittal sinus to combined jugular bulb flow showed remarkably little variation (0.46 +/- 0.06). Measurements of transverse sinus flow showed significant asymmetry (< 40% of superior sagittal sinus flow in one transverse sinus) in 21 of 25 volunteers. The effect of the observed asymmetry on jugular venous oxygen saturation was modelled based on the assumption of either a supratentorial or infratentorial lesion. This model predicted significant asymmetry in jugular venous oxygen saturation measurements (> 10%) in 65% of cases with a supratentorial lesion which is in close agreement with clinical observations. This study suggests that normal variations in venous drainage may account for observed asymmetry in jugular venous oxygen saturation measurements.
Hepatic portal hypertension is an unusual complication of cancer therapy. The authors report 2 children under the age of 18 months with disseminated neuroblastoma who developed cavernous transformation of the portal vein during chemotherapy. While the older child remains well, the second patient succumbed from overwhelming variceal hemorrhage as a result of this condition. Full recovery of hepatic function is not invariable following the regression of extensive liver infiltration by neuroblastoma and consideration should be given to follow-up Doppler ultrasound imaging of the hepatic portal system in affected infants.
Acute pancreatitis constitutes 3% of all admissions with abdominal pain. There are reports of osteal fat necrosis leading to periosteal reactions and osteolytic lesions following severe pancreatitis, particularly in long bones. A 54-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with acute pancreatitis, who later developed spinal discitis secondary to necrotizing pancreatitis. He was treated conservatively with antibiotics and after a month he recovered completely without any neurological deficit. This case is reported for its unusual and unreported spinal complications after acute pancreatitis.
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