1,721,082 research outputs found
Fusion Imaging: A Novel Diagnostic Tool for Nerve-sparing Surgery for Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis
No full textPreoperative imaging of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is key for correct diagnosis, evaluation, and plan for surgery. Although an ultrasound is highly accurate for the identification of widespread endometriosis in expert hands, there are some intrinsic limitations, which include the challenge in visualizing endometriosis involvement of peripheral nerves. Because pelvic nerves are not visible on ultrasound but clearly visible in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, fusion imaging, a real-time virtual sonography, can help evaluate the extent of endometriosis in peripheral nerves. [...
L'adolescente epilettico: Aspetti ormonali
No full textEpilepsy is one of the most frequent disease in children, particularly in adolescents. Some types of epilepsy begin typically in the peripubertal period and many studies found changes in frequency or features of seizures in adolescents. This is probably related to sex hormone effects on neuronal excitability. Estrogens seem to decrease neuronal electric threshold with proconvulsant effects. On the contrary progesterone seems to have anticonvulsivant action, as well as testosterone. Changes in hormone serum levels that occur during pubertal period are probably related to modifications in seizure features and are involved in some types of epilepsy that begin typically in adolescence
Atypical appendicitis: diagnostic value of volume-rendered reconstructions obtained with 16-slice multidetector-row CT
No full textVessel probe CT protocol in the study of esophageal carcinoma: can it improve preoperative T staging?
No full textThyroid hormones in children with epilepsy during long-term administration of carbamazepine and valproate.
No full textOBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of long-term carbamazepine (CBZ) and valproate acid (VPA) therapy on thyroid function in epileptic children. DESIGN: A prospective study performed in 32 newly diagnosed pediatric patients, subdivided into two groups: 18 patients treated with CBZ and 14 patients treated with VPA. Thirty-two sex- and age- matched subjects served as controls. METHODS: Serum TSH, thyroxine (T(4)), triiodothyronine (T(3)), free thyroxine (fT(4)), free triiodothyronine (fT(3)), thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab), and thyroglobulin antibodies (TG-Ab) were evaluated at baseline and at the 3rd, 6th, and 12th month in all patients and in the control group. A TRH stimulation test was performed in all epileptic patients at baseline and at the 3rd, 6th, and 12th month evaluations while in controls only baseline assessment was carried out. RESULTS: At baseline evaluation, thyroid function was normal in all epileptic children. After 3 months, CBZ-treated patients showed serum T(4) and fT(4) levels significantly lower than baseline evaluation and control subjects. Serum T(4) and fT(4) concentrations were unaffected by VPA monotherapy. Serum T(3) and fT(3) were normal in both CBZ-treated and VPA-treated patients. TRH test was normal in all patients. At 6th and 12th month evaluations, the same alterations were present in CBZ-treated patients while thyroid function remained normal in VPA-treated patients. TRH test responses were normal in all epileptic patients. TPO-Ab and TG-Ab were always absent in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that VPA monotherapy does not alter thyroid hormones. On the contrary, alterations of thyroid hormones occur in CBZ-treated children. However, the patients are euthyroid and thyroid hormone alterations are not associated with clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism
Non cardiopatic and cardiopatic beta thalassemic patients: quantitative and qualitative cardiac iron deposition evaluation with MRI
No full textPURPOSE: Cardiomyopathy is one of the major complications of b thalassaemia major as a result of transfusional iron overload. The aim of our study is to evaluate with MR if there is any difference of iron deposition signal intensity (SI) or distribution between non-cardiopathic and cardiopathic thalassaemic patients in order to establish if there is a relationship between cardiopathy and iron deposition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 20 patients affected by b thalassaemia major, of whom 10 cardiopathic and 10 non-cardiopathic, and 10 healthy volunteers as control group. Serum ferritin and left ventricular ejection fraction were calculated in thalassaemic patients. All patients were examined using a 1.5 MR unit with ECG-gated GE cine-MR T2*-weighted, SE T1-weighted and GE T2*-weighted sequences. In all cases, using an adequate ROI, the myocardial and skeletal muscle signal intensity (SI), the myocardial/skeletal muscle signal intensity ratio (SIR) and the SI average of the myocardium and skeletal muscle were calculated for every study group. The qualitative evaluation of iron deposition distribution was independently performed by three radiologists who analyzed the extension, the site and the morphology of iron deposition on the MR images and reported their observations on the basis of a four-level rating scale: 0 (absent), 1 (limited), 2 (partial), 3 (widespread deposition). The result of quantitative and qualitative evaluations were analysed with statistical tests.
RESULTS: Cardiac iron deposition was found in 8/10 non-cardiopathic thalassaemic patients and in all cardiopathic thalassaemic patients. We noticed a significant SI difference (p>0.05) between the healthy volunteer control group and the thalassaemic patients with iron deposition, but no significant SI difference in iron deposition between non-cardiopathic and cardiopathic thalassaemic patients in the areas evaluated. The qualitative evaluation revealed a different distribution of iron deposition between the two thalassaemic groups, with more widespread distribution in cardiopathic patients.
CONCLUSIONS: We found cardiac iron deposition also in non-cardiopathic b thalassaemic patients and a qualitative difference in cardiac iron distribution between non-cardiopathic and cardiopathic patients. The qualitative evaluation of cardiac iron deposition was useful for an easier classification of the disease, bypassing the SI quantitative value which is affected by the extremely uneven distribution of iron deposition and by the sampling technique used. MR evaluation of non-cardiopathic thalassaemic patients may be useful to evaluate early iron deposition and to establish the most suitable chelation therapy
Increased oxidative stress in epileptic children treated with valproic acid.
No full textPURPOSE: To determine influence of Valproic Acid (VPA) treatment on oxidative status in non-obese and overweight epileptic children. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted at the Departments of Pediatrics, University of Chieti and Bologna. Thirty-one epileptic children were studied before and after 1 year of therapy with VPA. Also 31 sex-, age- and BMI-matched healthy controls were evaluated. Insulin and glucose serum levels and plasma Vitamin E, Lag phase and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined. RESULTS: Before the beginning of VPA therapy, insulin and glucose serum values and plasma Vitamin E, Lag phase and MDA levels were normal in all subjects. At the end of follow-up, 11 (35.5%) epileptic patients developed obesity. In obese VPA treated patients, we found lower serum levels of antioxidant (Vitamin E, p<0.001) and higher levels of oxidant markers (MDA, p<0.001; Lag phase, p<0.001) compared to VPA-treated non-obese patients and controls. CONCLUSION: After 1 year of VPA therapy oxidative stress occurs only in overweight children. This increase in the levels of oxidant markers, probably caused by obesity, might contribute to the development of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis later in life
Doppio contrasto in RM epatica ( RM-DC): uso sequenziale-combinato di MDC negativi e positivi.
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