Cervical cancer is a common gynaecological malignancy worldwide. Although it can be prevented by using the recently found vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) and its incidence has decreased in developed countries due to screening with the Papanicolaou test (Pap smear), cervical cancer is still a prominent cause of malignancy-related death (1-3). Among the imaging modalities used in the preoperative evaluation of cervical cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is excellent for demonstrating the internal anatomy. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is a recent approach for evaluating malignancies. Although it is widely used in the detection and evaluation of acute stroke (4, 5), with improving MRI technology that has reduced the artefacts interfering with the image interpretation, DWI has been used in body imaging (6, 7). Apparent diffusion coefficent (ADC) maps are calculated from DWI images and it has been reported that quantitative evaluation of ADC values might be used for differentiating benign from malignant tissue (8). In the present study the aim was to identify whether the ADC measurements made any contribution to the differentiation of normal cervical tissue and malignant lesions preoperatively, and whether in malignant lesions there was a correlation between the mean ADC values and tumour type, grade or stage. MATERIAL AND METHODSPatients who had cervical cancer proved histopathologically between June 2009 and June 2011 were taken as the study group but rare cervical cancer subtypes like small-cell carcinoma were excluded from the study because of insufficient numbers. The magnetic resonance (MR) data of 25 patients was taken into account consisting of 21 squamous cell cancers and four adenocarcinomas. Twenty patients with an otherwise normal uterus who underwent MRI because of adnexal pathologies constituted the control group. The MR data, obtained via a 1.5-T MR scanner (Avanto; Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with eight-channel body coil, was evaluated retrospectively. MRI protocol for pelvic imaging consists of these sequences with corresponding parameters: axial turbo-spin-echo T1-weighted imBackground: Cervical cancer is the second most common female malignancy worldwide. Although its incidence has decreased in developed countries due to screening with Papanicolaou test, it is still the leading cause of cancer-related female death in developing countries. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine whether the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements calculated from diffusionweighted imaging (DWI) images had any contribution in differentiation of normal cervical tissue from malignant lesions preoperatively, and whether there was a correlation between the mean ADC values and tumor type, grade, or stage in malignant lesions. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: Mean ADC values in 25 patients who had cervical cancer proved histopathologically, and 20 patients with otherwise normal uterus were compared. Also in the study group, mean ADC values were compared between histopatholog...

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to compare the results of virtual bronchoscopy (VB) images in defining tracheobronchial pathologies with those of fiber-optic bronchoscopy (FOB) in patients with clinical indication for bronchoscopy.METHODS:Twenty-two patients with bronchoscopy indication were evaluated with FOB and VB. The VB results were evaluated blindly, independent of the FOB results.RESULTS:In 19 of the 22 patients, tracheobronchial abnormalities were present on FOB, whereas 3 patients had normal findings on FOB. In 17 of 19 patients, VB demonstrated the FOB diagnosis of tracheobronchial abnormality. While FOB detected 11 endoluminal lesions, VB detected 6. While FOB detected 20 obstructive lesions, VB detected 26. In evaluating external compression, FOB detected 2 lesions and VB detected 15.CONCLUSIONS:VB is a non-invasive, uncomplicated, and reproducible examination method in patients with an indication for thorax examination. Virtual bronchoscopy could find a clinically broader field of application in the future.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the normal sonographic appearance of the cervical and thoracic esophagus and to provide corresponding measurements in healthy children. Methods In this prospective study, 93 children (51 girls and 42 boys) 1 to 15 years of age were examined sonographically. With the patient in a supine position for evaluation of the cervical esophagus, the ultrasound transducer was placed on both sides of the trachea. To evaluate the thoracic esophagus, the hands were raised over the head, and the ultrasound transducer was placed along the left side of the sternum. The length of the cervical esophagus was measured longitudinally, and the anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the cervical and thoracic esophagus were measured transversely, as was the thickness of the cervical esophageal wall. Results The cervical esophagus was identified in all of the children, whereas the thoracic esophagus was shown in 41 (44%) of the 93 participants. The length of the cervical esophagus and anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the cervical and thoracic esophagus increased with age. The mean thickness of the cervical esophagus was 2.8 mm at all ages. The cervical esophageal wall appeared as 5 layers on the sonograms, and the lumen was distinct. Conclusions Evaluation of the cervical esophagus was readily achievable with sonography in children, whereas visualization of the thoracic esophagus was difficult because of the deep location, small size, and influence of bones and gas in the lungs. Conventional sonography can be easily used in the evaluation of cervical esophageal diseases in children.

Objective: Altered paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) activities have been shown in anemic chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and in iron deficiency anemia (IDA) patients. Whether accompanying anemia alone is responsible for this diminished PON and ARE activities in CKD patients or an additive factor for this is not well studied. Therefore, we tried to clarify this issue here. Methods: A total of 82 subjects that consisted of 19 patients with IDA (group 1), 23 anemic CKD patients (group 2), and 40 age and sex matched healthy subjects (group 3) were enrolled. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), serum total thiol (-SH), PON, and ARE activities of the participants were analyzed. Results: Group 2 patients had significantly lowest serum levels of Total -SH, PON and ARE. Further comparison showed that total -SH, PON and ARE levels were lower in group 1 than group 3 (p ¼ 0.0001 in both). Regarding comparison of group 1 and 2, only serum ARE levels were significantly lower in group 2 (p ¼ 0.001). PON activity was not different between group 1 and group 2 whereas ARE activity was lower in group 2 than groups 1 and 3. In addition, correlation analysis showed that CIMT was negatively correlated with PON and ARE. Conclusions: This markedly decreased ARE activity in CKD patients, which could not be explained by the anemia alone, may have a role in the pathogenesis of increased atherosclerosis in such patients. Still further studies are needed to certain this. ARTICLE HISTORY

ÖZET Amaç: Çalışmamızda, radyolojik skorlama sistemleri olan bilgisayarlı tomografi şiddet indeksi (BTŞİ) ve modifiye bilgisayarlı tomografi şiddet indeksi (MBTŞİ)'nin pankreatitli hastalarda, hastalığın şiddet parametreleri ile korelasyonu, skorlama sistemlerinin biribirleri ile olan korelasyonu, ayrıca skorlama sistemleri ve Ranson kriterleri arasındaki korelasyon araştırılmıştır.Hastalar ve Yöntem: Çalışmamızda 50 hasta retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. Hastaların, demografik, klinik ve laboratuvar verileri kayıt edilmiştir. BT görüntülemede pankreas boyutları, peripankreatik planlarda inflamasyon bulguları, pararenal fasyada kalınlaşma, nekroz oranı, abse, lenfadenopati ve intraabdominal sıvı araştırılmış ve bu verilere göre hastaların BTŞİ ve MBTŞİ değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Şiddet parametreleri, yaş, hastanede kalış süresi, abse, plevral sıvı ve ölüm olarak belirlenmiştir. Bilier ve non-bilier pankretit hastaları belirlenerek Ranson kriterleri hesaplanmıştır.Bulgular: Her iki grupta, hafif, orta ve şiddetli alt grupların arasında, yaş ortalamaları, hastanede yatış süreleri, cinsiyet ve plevral sıvı varlığı açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptanmamış, ancak abse varlığı ve ölüm dağılımları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptanmıştır. Her iki skorlama sistemindeki 3 alt grubun birbiri ile uyumunu belirlemek için ağırlıklı Kappa testi kullanılmış, ancak sonuçları uyumlu bulunmamıştır. Ranson skorları ile BTŞİ ve MBTŞİ skorları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı korelasyon gözlenmemiştir.Sonuç: Çalışmamız göstermektedir ki, BTŞİ ve MBTŞİ'inde mortalite ve lokal komplikasyonlardan abse saptanma oranı ile, ve sadece MBTŞİ'inde ise, hastanede yatış süresi ile ilgili anlamlı korelasyon vardır. Her iki şiddet indeksinin biribirleri ile ve Ranson skoru ile korelasyon saptanmamıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Akut pankreatit, BTŞİ, MBTŞİABSTRACT Objective: In our study, the correlation between computed tomography severity index (CTSI) and modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) regarding assessment of severity parameters in acute pancreatitis, and Ranson criteria were investigated.Patients and Methods: The study was retrospective and included 50 patients. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were recorded. The size of the pancreas, peripancreatic inflammation, pararenal fascia thickening, necrosis, abscess, lymphadenopathy and abdominal ascites were investigated by computed tomography (CT) imaging. According to the data obtained, the CTSI and MCTSI values of each patient were calculated. The severity parameters of the disease; age, duration of hospitalization, abscess, pleural effusion and death were determined. Biliary, non-biliary pancreatitis and Ranson criteria were calculated.Results: In both groups and subgroups (mild, moderate and severe), there were no significant differences regarding age, hospital stay, gender and pleural effusion. but significant differences were detected for the presence of abscess and distribution of death. To determine compliance with each ...