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Determining a patient's prognosis after severe traumatic brain injury remains difficult and complex. The purpose of the present study was following up patients with severe traumatic brain injury by correlating their clinical outcome and sequential computer tomography (CT) findings. We investigated 51 patients who survived the first year following an accident. All patients underwent successive CT examinations within a maximum period of 2 years. The patients' outcomes depended on the underlying brain damage and are presented by the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Based on the investigated data we concluded that the worst outcomes were experienced by patients with initial massive cerebral edema, extensive subdural hematoma and intraventricular hemorrhage, followed by stroke as subacute CT finding and cerebral atrophy as chronic finding visible at follow-up CT scans. The majority of lesions identified by CT scan were found in the frontal lobes, basal ganglia, and temporal lobes. We suggest that CT examination still represents a simple and useful tool in attempting to predict the clinical outcome in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Elektroničkim pretraživanjem putem interneta na adresi: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ izdvojene su randomizirane studije s kontrolnom skupinom na placebu radi ispitivanja učinkovitosti djelovanja alfa-blokatora na kronični prostatitis tipa III s tegobama definiranim s pomoću simptomskog skora NIH-CPSI. Od 13 odabranih studija tri su isključene zato što nisu rabile NIH-CPSI, tri zato što su bile na kineskom jeziku i dvije zato što su bile u formi kongresnog sažetka. Analizirano je pet studija s ukupno 563 bolesnika, a metodološka kvaliteta studija po Jadadu iznosila je četiri ili pet jedinica. Uporijebljeni alfa-blokatori bili su alfuzosin, terazosin, tamsulozin i doksazosin u trajanju od 6 tjedana do 6 mjeseci. Učinak liječenja alfa-blokatorima bio je izraženiji u bolesnika s kroničnim prostatitisom tipa III s visokim vrijednostima NIH-CPSI i izraženijim tegobama mokrenja, koji su manje selektivne alfa-blokatore alfuzosin, terazosin i doksazosin primali 3–6 mjeseci., Studies were identified on internet by searching on address: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ with criteria that studies should be placebo-controlled and randomized in trials of alpha-blockers in chronic category III prostatitis evaluated by symptom-score NIH-CPSI. From 13 clinical studies three were excluded because of not using NIH-CPSI, three were in Chinese language and two were congress abstracts. Analysed were five studies with four or five Jadad scale including 563 patients. Alpha-blockers alfuzosin, terazosin, tamsulosin and doxazosin have been used through 6 weeks and 6 months. Better results were accomplished by less selective alpha-blockers alfuzosin, terazosin and doxazosin through 3–6 months in patients having higher NIH-CPSI score and higher voiding score.

Cilj je ovoga rada prikazati raspodjelu i zastupljenost patomorfoloških promjena ramenog zgloba otkrivenih ultrazvučnim pregledom bolesnika s radnom dijagnozom humeroskapularnog periartritisa (PHS). Retrospektivno su analizirani ultrazvučni nalazi 141 bolesnika, odnosno 147 simptomatskih ramena kod bolesnika s uputnom dijagnozom PHS. Nalazi su podijeljeni u skupine prema anatomskoj lokalizaciji i ultrazvučno otkrivenoj patomorfologiji te po dobnim skupinama. Podaci su analizirani deskriptivno. Ukupno je nađeno 87 (59,2%) pozitivnih i 60 (40,8%) urednih ultrazvučnih nalaza. Najčešće su promjene na tetivi supraspinatusa (55,3%), potom tenosinovitis duge glave bicepsa (15,2%), burzitisi (12,6%), tendinitis supskapularisa (10,6%) i tendinitis infraspinatusa (0,7%). Najveći broj patomorfoloških promjena, a ujedno i urednih nalaza, nađen je u dobnoj skupini od 40 do 65 godina. Najmanji je broj urednih nalaza u skupini starijih od 65 godina gdje je otkriveno najviše kompletnih ruptura supraspinatusa. Ultrazvuk je zbog svoje visoke specifičnosti i osjetljivosti za otkrivanje promjena rotatorne manšete, subakromijalo-subdeltoidne burze i tetive duge glave bicepsa, a s druge strane dostupnosti, neinvazivnosti i relativno niske cijene, metoda izbora za procjenu mekotkivnih struktura kod bolnog ramena. Ciljana anamneza i klinički pregled smanjit će broj neadekvatno indiciranih pretraga, The aim of this study was to present the distribution and representation of shoulder ultrasonographic (US) examination findings in patients with diagnosis of humeroscapular periarthritis. US examination findings in 141 patients, that is 147 symptomatic shoulders with diagnosis of humeroscapular periarthritis, were evaluated retrospectively. Outcomes of ultrasonography were distributed in groups by anatomical location, US examination finding and age. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Out of 147 analyzed shoulders, 87 (59.2%) were positive and 60 (40.8%) were negative upon US examination. The most frequent US abnormalities were detected in a supraspinatus tendon (55.3%), followed by long head of the biceps tendon (15.2%), bursitis (12.6%), subscapularis tendinitis (10.6%) and infraspinatus tendinitis (0.7%). The highest number of US abnormalities, as well as negative ultrasonographies, were detected at the age 40 to 65. The least negative US examination findings were at age over 65, where also the highest number of supraspinatus tears were detected. Due to high specificity and sensitivity in the evaluation of the rotator cuff, subacromial bursa and long head of the biceps tendon changes, ultrasound is a reliable method for evaluation of patients with painful shoulder. Its availability, noninvasivity and relatively low cost make it a method of choice for inital evaluation of such patients. Detailed history and clinical examination are going to lessen inadequate medical requests for ultrasonography

Frontal sinus fractures (FSF) are commonly caused by traffic accidents, assaults, industrial accidents and gunshot wounds. Classical roentgenography has high proportion of false negative findings in cases of FSF and is not particularly useful in examining the severity of damage to the frontal sinus posterior table and the nasofrontal duct region. High resolution computed tomography was inavoidable during the management of such patients but it may produce large quantity of 2D images. Postprocessing of datasets acquired by high resolution computer tomography from patients with severe head trauma may offer a valuable additional help in diagnostics and surgery planning. We performed virtual endoscopy (VE) and 3D volume rendering (3DVR) on high resolution CT data acquired from a 54-year-old man with with both anterior and posterior frontal sinus wall fracture in order to demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Data acquisition was done by Siemens Somatom Emotion scanner and postprocessing was performed with Syngo 2006G software. VE and 3DVR were performed in a man who suffered blunt trauma to his forehead and nose in an traffic accident. Left frontal sinus anterior wall fracture without dislocation and fracture of tabula interna with dislocation were found. 3D position and orientation of fracture lines were shown in by 3D rendering software. We concluded that VE and 3DVR can clearly display the anatomic structure of the paranasal sinuses and nasopharyngeal cavity, revealing damage to the sinus wall caused by a fracture and its relationship to surrounding anatomical structures.

The main goal of our work was to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of virtual endoscopy (VE) techniques in routinely diagnostic and preoperative management of patients with various sinus diseases or head traumas in our practice. Fly-through algorithm was performed using an Xeon based workstation on data sets created from axial CT images acquired from 320 patients with various paranasal sinus disorders. Images were created using Siemens Somatom Emotion 16 continiously rotating helical CT scanner and archived in DICOM format. In comparison with real endoscopy, the VE has several advantages. It is completely non-invasive. It is possible to repeat the same procedure several times, therefore it may be a valuable tool for training. Interactive control of all virtual camera parameters, including the field- -of-view is possible. Endoscopic viewing as opposed to real endoscopy is not restricted to the spaces defined by inner surfaces. The viewer may penetrate the walls and see the extent of lesions within and beyond the wall as well as the adjacent anatomic structures. Virtual endoscopy also has a potential to stage tumors by determining the location and the extent of transmural extension.

Multislice helical CT generated virtual bronchoscopy (VB) represents one of the most recent developments in three-dimensional computer aided visualisation techniques. VB allows non-invasive and relatively accurate 3D evaluation of tracheobronchal tree. We performed virtual bronchoscopy and in-space 3D volume analysis on CT-data set acquired from sixty-four-year old male with bronchial cancer in order to demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of these methods in diagnostics and preoperative management of metastatic bronchial cancer. Siemens Somatom Emotion 16 helical CT scanner was used for data acquisition. Data post-processing was done with 3D Syngo 2006G software package from Siemens medical systems. CT scanning of the thorax was performed in heavy smoker with an expansive T4N1M1 malignant process in a superior lobe of the right lung accompanied with large metastatic lesion attached on the right lateral chest wall. Metastatic lesions were also found in vertebral column. In-space 3D analysis followed with virtual bronchoscopy had revealed obstruction of apical branch of superior lobe segmental bronchus. External compression done by tumor to the superior segmental and right main bronchus was found. We concluded that multi-slice CT in connection with VB became a possible non-invasive alternative to bronchoscopy, if tissue samples are not required.