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ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to compare the accuracy of 2D saline-infusion sonohysterography (2D-SIS), 3D saline-infusion sonohysterography (3D-SIS), and hysteroscopy in the assessment of intracavitary uterine lesions in women with premenopausal bleeding and determine their correlation with the histopathological diagnosis. We also aimed to follow the treatment plan of each case according to the diagnosis reached. Study designThe study was prospective in design. Materials and methodsEighty premenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and suspected intracavitary lesions were subjected to 2D saline sonohysterography, 3D saline sonohysterography, and diagnostic hysteroscopy. They were further managed accordingly. Results 2D-SIS had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 86.4, 92.3, 88.7, and 91.3%, respectively, when compared with diagnostic hysteroscopy for the diagnosis of intracavitary lesions. In contrast, 3D-SIS had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 99.3, 98.7, 93.4, and 97.54%, respectively. Conclusion 2D and 3D sonohysterography can accurately diagnose and localize intracavitary lesions almost as accurately as hysteroscopy. 3D-SIS is comparable to hysteroscopy in classifying fibroids according to their degree of protrusion into the uterine cavity and can assess feasibility for hysteroscopic resection, with the advantage of visualizing the intramyometrial portion and identifying associated pathologies. Their accuracy in estimating the protrusion index of fibroids declines as the intramural component increases.

Objectives: Fetal stroke is defined as fetal intracranial hemorrhage that occurs between 14 weeks of gestation and the onset of labor. It has been associated with postnatal epilepsy, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy and may be caused by antenatal ischemic, thrombotic, or hemorrhagic injury. Maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and trauma are common predisposing conditions, but there are many unknown risk factors. MRI can depict intracranial hemorrhage, infarct, porencephaly, cystic encephalomalacia, and ischemia. Methods: This was a retrospective, chart review of cases performed between January 1, 2000 through February 2008. A comparison of CNS findings on prenatal ultrasound and fetal MRI was performed to assess potential differences in the two imaging modalities Results: Review of fetal MRI's revealed 23 cases of diagnosed CNS hemorrhage, ischemia, and infarcts. MRI can delineate the features and extent of the cerebral injury and can define acute and chronic ischemic changes. This is extremely important for predicting prognosis and decision making. Prior studies have shown that major destructive lesions, diffuse excessive high signal intensity within the white matter, cerebellar hemorrhage, and ventricular dilatation after intraventricular hemorrhage are associated with adverse outcomes, but punctate white matter lesions, hemorrhage, or ventricular dilatation without intraventricular hemorrhage are not necessarily correlated with unfavorable results. Conclusions: We present the spectrum of CNS injury diagnosed at our institution. Accurate diagnosis of CNS injury was valuable in prenatal counseling and decision making. It is hoped that additional studies will be performed with long term outcomes assessment to assist in prognostication of fetuses diagnosed with CNS ischemia/infarct.

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To the best of our knowledge, such a detailed study on polychrome wooden shawabtis of King Tutankhamun (18th Dynasty in ancient Egypt) has not been reported in the literature, so the purpose of our study is to noninvasively identify the polychrome layers and previously applied materials for a number of wooden shawabtis that belong to King Tutankhamun through a protocol based on imaging techniques integrated with single-spot spectroscopic techniques. In the first step, imaging techniques (visible, ultraviolet induced visible luminescence, ultraviolet reflected, visible-induced infrared luminescence, infrared reflected, and infrared false color) and optical microscopy were applied to gather information and provide evidence on the distribution of original and previously applied materials on the polychrome surfaces. In the second step of our work, we analyzed the selected areas with single-spot analyses (handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and visible reflectance spectroscopy) and X-ray diffraction analysis. The materials of the previous restoration interventions were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The application of a protocol based on imaging techniques integrated with data obtained from single-spot spectroscopic techniques allowed the characterization of a remarkable number of polychrome layers and some previous restoration materials and mapping of their distribution on the original surface, which provides not only essential data for the follow-up treatment and conservation works but also offers important information for the study of polychrome wooden shawabtis of other periods in ancient Egypt.