Can Tc-99m labeled erythrocyte scintigraphy be an alternative non-invasive method to endometriosis diagnosis?

Background: Endometriosis is defined as the implantation of endometrial gland and stroma ectopically outside the uterus. Clinically, it is a hormone dependent benign disease accompanied by pelvic pain and infertility. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the activated implants with 99m-Tc labeled erythrocyte scintigraphy (99mTc-RBCs) in patients with recurrent endometriosis and compare the results with pelvic MRI results.Methods: Patients who were diagnosed histopathologically as endometriosis either with operation and / or therapeutic laparascopy or laparotomy and, were included to present study. Thirty patients, who were diagnosed as recurrence by clinical, and laboratory terms and 10 healthy volunteer (control group) patients were included in the study. Between the second and fifth days of menstruation when the endometriotic lesions were highly activated, radionuclide imaging was performed by 99mTc-RBCs and compared with pelvic MRI findings.Results: In 27 patients out of 30 patients (90%) pathological accumulation of radioactivity foci with 99mTc-RBCs were present. The focal pathological accumulation was significant in 26 patients and moderate in 1 patient. In 22 patients (81.5%) the increased radioactivity accumulation in radionuclide images was concordant with MRI images. Regarding the MRI as reference, the sensitivity of 99mTc-RBCs was determined as 96%, specificity 29%, positive predicitive value 81% and negative predictive value was 66%.Conclusions: Imaging of endometriosis regions with 99m-Tc-RBCs can be an alternative diagnostic procedure for the patients with recurrent endometriosis

CT Findings of Patients with Small Bowel Obstruction due to Bezoar: A Descriptive Study

Purpose. The aim of this study was to present the computed tomography (CT) findings of bezoars that cause obstruction in the small bowel and to emphasize that some CT findings can be considered specific to some bezoar types. Materials and Methods. The records of 39 patients who underwent preoperative abdominal CT and subsequent operation with a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction due to bezoars were retrospectively analyzed. Results. In total, 56 bezoars were surgically removed from 39 patients. Bezoars were most commonly located in the jejunum (n=26/56, 46.4%). Sixteen (41.0%) patients had multiple bezoar locations in the gastrointestinal tract. Common CT findings in all patients were a mottled gas pattern and a focal ovoid or round intraluminal mass with regular margins and a heterogeneous internal structure. Furthermore, some CT findings were determined to be specific to bezoars caused by persimmons. Conclusions. Preoperative CT is valuable in patients admitted with signs of intestinal obstruction in geographic regions with a high bezoar prevalence. We believe that the correct diagnosis of bezoars and the identification of their number and location provide a great advantage for all physicians and surgeons. In addition, some types of bezoars have unique CT findings, and we believe that these findings may help to establish a diagnosis

Barrier effect of sternum to right ventricle dilatation appearing like letter phi "phi'' on MPI

WOS: 000442667600059PubMed: 2897557

The Early Repolarization Pattern and Gated SPECT Abnormality Association At the Concordant Localization with Coronary Stenosis: Just a Co-incidence or Not?

<div> <div> <div> <p>With this image focus, we have reported a co-incidence between the early repolarization pattern, gated SPECT wall motion abnormality and silent ischemic heart disease at concordant localization, as an interesting subject to be explored.<br></p> </div> </div> </div

Self-heating of silicon microwires: Crystallization and thermoelectric effects

We describe experiments on self-heating and melting of nanocrystalline silicon microwires using single high-amplitude microsecond voltage pulses, which result in growth of large single-crystal domains upon resolidification. Extremely high current densities (>20 MA/cm(2)) and consequent high temperatures (1700 K) and temperature gradients (1 K/nm) along the microwires give rise to strong thermoelectric effects. The thermoelectric effects are characterized through capture and analysis of light emission from the self-heated wires biased with lower magnitude direct current/alternating current voltages. The hottest spot on the wires consistently appears closer to the lower potential end for n-type microwires and to the higher potential end for p-type microwires. The experimental light emission profiles are used to verify the mathematical models and material parameters used for the simulations. Good agreement between experimental and simulated profiles indicates that these models can be used to predict and design optimum geometry and bias conditions for current-induced crystallization of microstructures

The Reflux Finding Score: Reliability and Correlation to the Reflux Symptom Index

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between the reflux symptom index (RSI) and the reflux finding score (RFS) in the patients with voice-related problems and to investigate the reliability of RFS