Objectives: The aim of this observational study was ultrasound evaluation of peripheral nerves cross-sectional area (CSA) in subjects with probable diabetic peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy (DPN). CSA was analyzed with reference to clinical and nerve conduction study’s (NCS) parameters for early diagnosis and pattern of involvement. Methods: A total of 50 patients with probable DPN due to Type 2 diabetes and 50 age-matched healthy controls underwent sonographic examinations of ulnar nerve at the lower arm, median nerve proximal to carpal tunnel, the common peroneal nerve proximal to fibular head, tibial nerve proximal to the tarsal tunnel, and sural nerve at lower third leg. Results: CSA was increased in cases of DPN as compared to healthy controls. Area changes were more marked with demyelinating pattern. Probable DPN cases with normal NCS had significantly higher number of peripheral nerves showing increased CSA as compared to healthy control. A cut-off of >4 nerve thickening showed a sensitivity of 86 %, and specificity of 56%. The neuropathy pattern in the lower limb was axonal, whereas in the upper limb, it was demyelinating with the majority showing sonographic feature of associated compressive neuropathy. Conclusion: There is an increase in CSA of peripheral nerve in diabetic patients. It can be used as a morphological marker for classifying DPN with changes being picked up earlier to NCS abnormality. Clinical neurological presentation in probable DPN can also be due to compressive neuropathy in early phases, and ultrasound can be a useful tool. Advances in knowledge: Early pick up of DPN cases shall be useful for early therapy and motivating the patients to actively participate in the treatment. Morphological changes on ultrasonography precedes the electrodiagnostic change in DPN. Symptoms of DPN is not only due to metabolic changes but also compressive neuropathy.

Background: A wide variety of benign and malignant tumours originate in the salivary glands and insufficient tumour cells make their diagnosis difficult in some patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of salivary gland lesions and to correlate cytological findings with histopathology. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study done from September 2002 to May 2004. Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed in 58 patients with clinically significant salivary gland masses. Results: Fine needle aspiration cytology categorized 67.24% of the salivary gland lesions as neoplastic and 32.76% as non-neoplastic lesions. Amongst the neoplastic lesions, 76.9% were benign and 23.1% were malignant cases. Histopathological examination revealed that 81.05% of the cases were benign and 18.95% were malignant. Fine needle aspiration cytology had a sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of 81.82%, 100% and 96.55%, respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 100% and 95.9%, respectively. Conclusion: Fine needle aspiration of the salivary gland is a safe and reliable technique in the primary diagnosis of salivary gland lesions. Although, limitations are encountered while predicting specific lesions on cytology, especially when dealing with cystic and some malignant lesions, this study has shown that fine needle aspiration cytology has a high sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing salivary gland lesions. Keywords: Salivary glands; Fine needle aspiration cytology; Histopathology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpn.v1i2.5403 JPN 2011; 1(2): 108-113

Spinal epidural hemangioma, mostly cavernous, is a rare lesion with many radiological mimics that has diagnostic difficulty. They can extend from one to multiple vertebral levels and may or may not be associated with vertebral hemangiomas. We are reporting a case of young adult presenting with features of compressive myelopathy. Plain and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed a large spinal epidural lesion extending from C7 to D10 vertebral levels with extension into adjacent neural foramina and paravertebral spaces. There were also signal changes in bodies and posterior elements of dorsal vertebrae. A provisional diagnosis of lymphoma was made. The patient was operated for decompression and histopathological diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma was made. As in our case, a review of literature shows that epidural cavernous hemangioma of spine may extend to multiple vertebral levels and difficult to diagnose on pre-operative imaging. However, such a long segment epidural cavernous hemangioma has not been reported in literature. Furthermore, we should be aware of these rare lesions to include it in our differential diagnosis the spinal epidural lesions for early diagnosis and management.

Introduction:Mucoid degeneration and Ganglion cysts arising from the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the knee are rare. The aetiology, clinical features and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of PCL mucoid degeneration and intercondylar ganglion cyst are discussed.Case Report:We present a 36 year-old male patient who presented with chronic right knee pain for the duration of 5-6 months. No evidence of ligament instability on clinical examination was found. A diagnosis of PCL mucoid degeneration and intercondylar ganglion cyst was made on MRI.Conclusion:Mucoid degeneration and ganglion cyst involving PCL are uncommon lesions and represents the spectrum of same pathology. MR imaging is sensitive, specific, accurate and noninvasive, while providing multiplanar imaging and superior identification of the anatomical and morphological relationship of the synovial tissue to the surrounding structures, an additional intra-articular lesions can also be detected.

The revised WHO drug dosages were found to be adequate for INH with respect to age and nutritional status, whereas PZA showed significantly lower drug levels in children <3 years and in malnourished children.