No abstract

Our experience suggests that graded-compression sonography is a useful procedure in pregnant patients suspected of acute appendicitis and has a similar accuracy as in nonpregnant women, especially in the first and second trimester.

395 patients (236 males, mean age 55.6 years: 159 females, mean age 52.2 years) with suspected transient ischaemic attacks or previous strokes underwent intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA) over a 3-year period ending in March 1991. All procedures were performed via the femoral approach and the majority consisted of arch studies followed by selective catheterization. 253 (64.1%) of the patients had extracranial vascular disease confirmed at angiography. A retrospective analysis of the patients' records was made to extract all possible complications. Complications were defined as any untoward symptoms or signs occurring within 48 h and which could have been related to the angiogram. Neurological complications occurred in 15 (3.89%) patients. 10 (2.5%) patients had transient complications which resolved completely within 24 h. In three (0.8%) patients the neurological deficit was reversible, recovering fully within 6 days. Two (0.52%) patients were left with residual disability from stroke at 10 days. The permanent neurological complication rate is in the lower range of the rates recorded in previous conventional angiographic studies. We conclude that IADSA is a relatively safe and reliable form of investigation in patients with suspected cerebral vascular disease.

Objective Paraovarian and paratubal cysts constitute about 10% of adnexal masses. Our purpose was to determine whether pathologically proven examples of these lesions were correctly identified during preoperative transabdominal and transvaginal sonographic evaluations. Methods Between 1990 and 1994, 15 women with 10 paraovarian cysts and 5 paratubal cysts underwent preoperative sonography. The sonograms were performed using transabdominal and transvaginal probes. Mean interval before surgery was 22 days (range: 1–96 days). The sonographic interpretation at the time of the examination was correlated with the pathological findings. Results In only 1 of 15 patients was a paraovarian or paratubal cyst suggested before surgery. Paraovarian cysts were misdiagnosed as ovarian cysts. Because of the microscopic size of paratubal cysts in our series, none was diagnosed before surgery and these were usually an incidental finding in patients with ovarian masses. Conclusions In our experience, paraovarian and paratubal cysts are difficult to diagnose before surgery with the use of transabdominal and transvaginal sonography. We speculate that when there is close proximity of a paraovarian cyst to the ovary, an ovarian cystic mass cannot reliably be differentiated from a paraovarian cyst. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and significance of pulsatile Doppler waveforms in lower limb veins. We used Doppler sonographic data from the common femoral vein. In the first of two groups, the findings in 250 patients were correlated with the presence of cardiac decompensation on concurrent chest radiographs. In the second group, the findings in 81 patients were correlated with the presence of tricuspid regurgitation on Doppler echocardiograms. A venous Doppler sonographic examination was considered normal if spontaneous anterograde phasic flow was present and pulsatile if flow had a cyclic retrograde component. In group 1, 21% had pulsatile waveforms whereas 24% had cardiac decompensation. In group 2, 36% had pulsatile waveforms and 43% had tricuspid regurgitation. A statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of these abnormal waveforms and cardiac decompensation or tricuspid regurgitation, with sensitivities of 57% and 54%, specificities of 91% and 78%, positive predictive values of 66% and 66%, negative predictive values of 87% and 69%, and accuracies of 82% and 68%, respectively. In a subgroup of 55 patients who had both tests for correlation and in whom both were in agreement, the sensitivity of venous Doppler sonographic examination for detecting pathologic cardiac conditions was 79%, specificity was 87%, positive predictive value was 83%, negative predictive value was 84%, and accuracy was 84%. In 77 patients with pulsatile waveforms, including 24 without concurrent chest radiographs or echocardiograms, 63 (82%) had no prior history of cardiac disease. When correlated separately with chest radiograph or Doppler echocardiography, the test is not very sensitive in the diagnosis of cardiac disease; however, when both correlating tests are performed and are in agreement, all diagnostic parameters of the venous Doppler sonographic test, including sensitivity, become fairly high. The presence of pulsatile lower limb venous Doppler flow should alert the sonologist that a pathologic cardiac condition may be the culprit, especially in patients who have no such prior diagnosis.