A. Muhtesem Agildere

MR Cholangiopancreatography with T2-Weighted Prospective Acquisition Correction Turbo Spin-Echo Sequence of the Biliary Anatomy of Potential Living Liver Transplant Donors

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to evaluate the ability of a respiratory navigator-triggered T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence with a prospective acquisition correction (PACE) technique for MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to depict the biliary anatomy of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) donors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Forty potential LDLT donors who ranged in age from 19 to 54 years were prospectively evaluated with preoperative MRCP. MRCP was performed with a 1.5-T magnetic field using T2-weighted PACE TSE sequence. MRCP source data sets were processed with maximum-intensity-projection (MIP) and shaded surface display (SSD) algorithms. Findings were compared with intraoperative cholangiography. Biliary anatomy was classified according to the classification proposed by Huang and colleagues. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of MRCP for the detection of aberrant biliary anatomy were calculated. RESULTS Intraoperative cholangiography and biliary exploration revealed that 27 donor candidates (67.5%) had conventional and 13 (32.5%) had aberrant biliary anatomy. Two donors (5%) had type B biliary anatomy; eight donors (20%), type C; two donors (5%), type D; and one donor (2.5%), unclassified. The sensitivity of MRCP source data sets in differentiating aberrant biliary anatomies from nonaberrant ones was 100%, the specificity was 88.9%, and the accuracy was 92.5%. PPV and NPV were 81.3% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity of MIP images in differentiating aberrant biliary anatomies was 100%, the specificity was 88.9%, and the accuracy was 92.5%. PPV and NPV were 81.3% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of the SSD images in detecting aberrant biliary anatomies were 100%, 77.8%, 85%, 68.4%, and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION Preoperative MRCP using a respiratory navigator-triggered T2-weighted TSE sequence with a PACE technique accurately depicts the biliary anatomy in LDLT donors and may guide intraoperative management of the biliary tract.

Postpartum sacral stress fracture: an unusual case of low-back and buttock pain.

Low-back and buttock pain is a common complaint during pregnancy and the postpartum period and is usually attributable to mechanical lesions of the pelvis. Sacral stress fractures are unusual but important causes that should be considered in differential diagnosis. To date, only eight postpartum sacral stress fractures have been reported in the literature. A 32-yr-old woman presented with low-back and right buttock pain that started 15 days after uneventful cesarean section delivery. Imaging studies revealed a right sacral stress fracture. Lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density were normal and, except for pregnancy and lactation, no risk factors for osteoporosis were identified. There was no history of trauma, excessive weight gain, strenuous physical activity, or contribution of mechanical factors. The question remains whether this is an insufficiency fracture or a fatigue fracture. Clinicians should consider sacral fracture during pregnancy and the postpartum period as a diagnostic possibility in patients with low-back and/or buttock pain.

MRI of neurologic complications in end-stage renal failure patients on hemodialysis: pictorial review

Abstract End-stage renal disease patients who have been on long-term hemodialysis tend to develop central nervous system complications. The most common neurologic complications in this patient group include white matter changes, cerebral atrophy, osmotic demyelination syndrome, dialysis encephalopathy, hypertensive encephalopathy, intracranial hemorrhage, infarct, sinus thrombosis, and infection. Clinical evaluation of these patients is somehow complicated and MRI is important before establishment of the therapy. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the range of MRI findings of neurologic complications in end-stage renal failure patients on hemodialysis with etiologic factors.

Sonoelastographic Qualitative Analysis for Management of Salivary Gland Masses

Our aim was to investigate whether the use of a qualitative elasticity scoring method by sonoelastography is beneficial for management of salivary gland masses.

Cerebellar Vermis Hypoplasia in a Patient With Bardet-Biedl Syndrome:

Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndome is an autosomal recessive condition characterized by retinal dystrophy, obesity, mental retardation, distal limb anomaly, hypogonadism, and renal dysfunction. The symptoms vary among families and even among affected siblings. Certain clinical signs have been used to identify subgroups of patients with this complex condition. Laurence-Moon syndrome as a distinct entity is rare and features paraplegia in the absence of polydactyly or obesity. Bardet-Biedl syndrome is characterized by distal limb anomaly, obesity, and renal involvement, but neurologic symptoms are very unusual. We report a patient exhibiting characteristic features of Bardet-Biedl syndrome in addition to cerebellar vermis hypoplasia and mega cisterna magna. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:385-387).

Posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome in children and adolescents.

Posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome is a recently identified clinical and radiologic entity. The characteristic radiologic findings are bilateral gray and white matter edema in the posterior regions of the cerebral hemispheres. This article reports clinical and radiologic findings in 10 consecutive episodes of posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome that were diagnosed in 9 children and adolescents. The causes were immunosuppressive therapy in 7 patients and a combination of renal failure and hypertension in 3. The most common presenting symptoms were seizure and altered consciousness; others included headache, sixth nerve palsy, and cortical blindness. Imaging demonstrated abnormalities in the parietal and occipital lobes in all 10 episodes. The signs and symptoms resolved after immunosuppressive agents were reduced or discontinued, or after uremia and hypertension were corrected. Four patients underwent follow-up cranial imaging, and the images showed nearly complete or complete resolution. The syndrome was clinically reversible in all patients.

Brain Abscess Associated with Isolated Left Superior Vena Cava Draining into the Left Atrium in the Absence of Coronary Sinus and Atrial Septal Defect

A previously healthy 12-year-old girl presented with severe headache for 2 weeks. On physical examination, there was finger clubbing without apparent cyanosis. Neurological examination revealed only papiledema without focal neurologic signs. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging showed the characteristic features of brain abscess in the left frontal lobe. Cardiologic workup to exclude a right-to-left shunt showed an abnormality of the systemic venous drainage: presence of isolated left superior vena cava draining into the left atrium in the absence of coronary sinus and atrial septal defect. This anomaly is rare, because only a few other cases have been reported.

Primary Tuberculosis in the Gluteal Muscle of a Patient with Chronic Renal Failure

Patients suffering from chronic renal failure (CRF) are at increased risk for contracting tuberculosis (TB) due to their impaired immunity. In this patient group, extrapulmonary involvement is more common than the pulmonary form of TB, and symptoms tend to be milder and less distinctive than those seen in the general population. Pyomyositis secondary to TB is relatively rare. We report a case of TB pyomyositis in the setting of CRF. The nonspecific symptoms that are typical of CRF patients with TB make it particularly difficult to establish the diagnosis in this patient group. In order to avoid diagnostic delays, which may increase the risk of complications and mortality, TB should be kept in mind in any case of ongoing fever and infection that does not respond to seemingly appropriate therapy. In addition, TB should always be suspected in endemic areas, even in the absence of osseous involvement.

Bilateral double testis: Evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Bilateral double testis, a varient of polyorchidism, is a rare malformation of which six cases have been reported in the published literature. Magnetic resonance imaging was used in the presented case to confirm the diagnosis without surgical exploration.

Abnormal diffusion-weighted imaging findings in an adult patient with acute cerebellitis presenting with a normal magnetic resonance imaging.

Acute cerebellitis is an unusual central nervous system complication of infectious disease often due to viral etiology. Diagnosis is aided by neuroimaging studies, actually by magnetic resonance imaging in the first place, which shows increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. However, conventional magnetic resonance imaging may be unrevealing in some of the cases, and additional workup such as single photon emission computed tomography and diffusion-weighted imaging may be required. We present a case of acute cerebellitis in a 35-year-old woman diagnosed by diffusion-weighted imaging.