The aim of our study was to compare non-contrast spiral CT, US and intravenous urography (IVU) in the evaluation of patients with renal colic for the diagnosis of ureteral calculi. During a period of 17 months, 112 patients with renal colic were examined with spiral CT, US and IVU. Fifteen patients were lost to follow-up and excluded. The remaining 97 patients were defined to be either true positive or negative for ureterolithiasis based on the follow-up data. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and accuracy of spiral CT, US and IVU were determined, and secondary signs of ureteral stones and other pathologies causing renal colic detected with these modalities were noted. Of 97 patients, 64 were confirmed to have ureteral calculi based on stone recovery or urological interventions. Thirty-three patients were proved not to have ureteral calculi based on failure to recover a stone and diagnoses unrelated to ureterolithiasis. Spiral CT was found to be the best modality for depicting ureteral stones with a sensitivity of 94 % and a specificity of 97 %. For US and IVU, these figures were 19, 97, 52, and 94 %, respectively. Spiral CT is superior to US and IVU in the demonstration of ureteral calculi in patients with renal colic, but because of its high cost, higher radiation dose and high workload, it should be reserved for cases where US and IVU do not show the cause of symptoms.

CT findings in the hepatic phase and US findings in the biliary phase are characteristic of fascioliasis. Because clinical and laboratory findings of fascioliasis may easily be confused with several diseases, radiologists should be familiar with the specific radiologic findings of the disease to shorten the usual long-lasting diagnostic process.

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Although migraine has mainly been considered as a benign disease, there is cumulative evidence of silent changes in the brain, brainstem, or cerebellum and subtle subclinical cerebellar dysfunction. In this study, in order to investigate a possible neuronal and/or glial damage at the cellular level in migraine, we measured and compared serum levels of S100B which is a protein marker of glial damage or activation, and neuron specific enolase (NSE) which is a marker of neuronal damage, in migraine patients and control subjects. Serum levels of S100B and NSE were measured in blood samples from 41 patients with migraine-without aura taken during a migraine attack (ictal) and in the attack-free period between migraine attacks (interictal) and 35 age- and sex-matched controls. Patients with migraine-without aura had significantly higher ictal serum levels of S100B and NSE (P < 0.05, for both) than control subjects; whereas in the interictal phase, there was a significant increment only in S100B levels (P < 0.05) compared to controls. On the other hand, serum levels of S100B and NSE in ictal and interictal blood samples did not differ significantly. The findings of increased ictal serum S100B and NSE levels together with increased interictal levels of S100B suggested that migraine might be associated with glial and/or neuronal damage in the brain and a prolonged disruption of blood-brain barrier. Increased interictal serum levels of S100B might point out to an insidious and slow damaging process in migraine patients.

SUMMARY:The BPL is a part of the peripheral nervous system. Many disease processes affect the BPL. In this article, on the basis of 60 patients, we reviewed MR imaging findings of subjects with brachial plexopathy. Different varieties of BPL lesions are discussed.ABBREVIATIONS: AA ϭ axillary artery; ABD ϭ abduction; ADs ϭ anterior divisions; AS ϭ anterior scalene muscle; AV ϭ axillary vein; BPL ϭ brachial plexus; CC ϭ costoclavicular space; CL ϭ clavicula; EMG, electromyelography; I ϭ inferior trunk; IS ϭ interscalene triangular space; LC ϭ lateral cord; M ϭ middle trunk; MC ϭ medial cord; MRA ϭ MR angiography; MRV ϭ MR venography; MS ϭ middle scalene; NEU ϭ neutral; PC ϭ posterior cord; PDs ϭ posterior divisions; PET ϭ positron-emission tomography; PMA ϭ pectoralis major muscle; PMI ϭ pectoralis minor muscle; RP ϭ retropectoralis minor space; S ϭ superior trunk; SA ϭ subclavian artery; STIR ϭ short tau inversion recovery; SV ϭ subclavian vein; T1WI ϭ T1-weighted imaging; T2WI ϭ T2-weighted imaging; TOS ϭ thoracic outlet syndrome; TSE ϭ turbo spin-echo M any disease processes affect the BPL, and the common lesions can vary according to the age of subjects. In neonates and adolescents, traumatic injury is common. In middle-aged and older individuals, intrinsic and extrinsic tumors of the BPL, cervical spondylosis, TOS, and inflammatory plexopathy (idiopathic, infectious, radiation-induced, immunemediated, and toxic) are common. On the basis of 60 patients, we reviewed MR imaging findings of subjects with brachial plexopathy. Different varieties of BPL lesions and imaging techniques are discussed. Anatomy of the BPLThe BPL is a part of the peripheral nervous system, responsible for innervation of the shoulder, upper extremity and upper chest muscles, and cutaneous nerves of the skin and hand, with branches to the phrenic nerve (C3-C5) for diaphragm movement and to the sympathetic ganglia via the C8 and T1 nerves. In the cervicothoracobrachial region, the BPL courses superior and posterior to the subclavian artery and vein. The subclavian vein is located at the most anterior extent, anteroinferior to the anterior scalene muscle. The subclavian artery extends along the floor of the interscalene triangle between the anterior and middle scalene muscles. The BPL has 5 segments: roots, trunks, divisions, cords, and terminal branches. The supraclavicular plexus includes roots and trunks. Through the neural foramina, roots of the BPL extend into the interscalene region, forming the superior (C5 and C6), middle (C7), and inferior (C8 and T1) trunks at the lateral border of middle scalene muscles. The retroclavicular plexus is located in the costoclavicular space, posterior to the clavicle and above the subclavian artery and vein, including the anterior and posterior division of the trunks. The infraclavicular plexus is situated in the retropectoralis minor space, lateral to the first rib, posterior to pectoralis muscles, and above the axillary artery and vein, including the 3 (medial, lateral, and posterior) cords and term...