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AIMS: Acute or subacute haemorrhage is one of the most frightening complications in patients suffering from advanced head and neck cancer. Few articles report experience with superselective endovascular therapy for this purpose. Is endovascular therapy underestimated in the field of palliative head and neck cancer therapy? This study set out to investigate this question. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A review was undertaken of the clinical courses of seven patients (six men, one woman) suffering from incurable, advanced head and neck cancer (four pharyngeal, two laryngeal, one neck) and treated with superselective endovascular strategies as an emergency procedure for acute bleeding. RESULTS: All patients were successfully treated without evidence of neurological complication. Patients reached a median survival of 20 weeks (range eight-168 weeks). Following endovascular treatment all patients were discharged from the hospital within several days. Three patients survived almost free of symptoms for several weeks and were able to stay at home with their families until their death. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in the field of palliative care, superselective endovascular therapy deserves to be considered alongside standard treatment options for the management of acute haemorrhage from advanced head and neck cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a prospective study 103 patients with clinically or radiologically suspected tears of the scapholunate interosseous ligament were investigated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and wrist arthroscopy. MRI was performed with the conventional technique in 72 cases and after intravenous injection of contrast medium in the remaining 31 patients. The correct diagnosis was made by MRI in 75% of cases and its overall sensitivity and specificity were 63% and 86% respectively. There was no statistical difference in the accuracy of MRI for acute or chronic tears and the use of intravenous contrast medium did not improve its accuracy. In conclusion, MRI is not recommended for the diagnosis of scapholunate ligament injury. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Patients with cerebral cavernomas have an estimated risk of the development of epilepsy of 1.5% to 2.4% per patient-year., Objective: To clarify the predictive value of different risk factors for epilepsy in patients with supratentorial cavernomas., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 109 patients with supratentorial cavernomas. The correlation of epilepsy with the variables of single or multiple cavernomas, sex, age, side, cortical involvement, mesiotemporal archicortical vs neocortical involvement, lobar location of neocortical cavernomas, the presence of a hemosiderin rim and of edema, and the maximal diameters of cavernoma, hemosiderin rim, and edema, if present, were calculated using univariate and multivariate penalized likelihood logistic regression models., Results: Cortical involvement was the most relevant risk factor for epilepsy (P < .0001). No patient with a subcortical cavernoma presented with epilepsy. Epilepsy was more common in patients with mesiotemporal archicortical cavernomas than in patients with neocortical cavernomas (P = .02), whereas the lobar location of neocortical cavernomas was not significantly associated with the risk of the development of epilepsy. In the multivariate analysis, a greater diameter of the cavernoma, the absence of edema, and localization in the left hemisphere were also associated with the occurrence of epilepsy (P < .05)., Conclusion: The epileptogenicity of supratentorial cavernomas depends on cortical, especially mesiotemporal archicortical, involvement. Exclusively subcortical cavernomas are highly unlikely to cause epilepsy. This information is helpful in counseling patients with cavernomas regarding their risk of epileptic seizures and in patients with multiple cavernomas and epilepsy to generate a valid hypothesis of which cavernoma may cause epilepsy.

Background: Pre-eclampsia affects 2% of pregnancies. This multisystem disorder is a major cause of maternal, foetal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Neurological manifestations of eclampsia are headache, nausea, vomiting, cortical blindness and recurrent seizures., Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the neurological symptoms correlate with MR imaging findings., Results: In a patient with eclamptic seizure and another one with blindness due to pre-eclampsia, the white matter hyperintensities on T (2)-weighted MR and FLAIRsequence images could be demonstrated in the occipital region and in the basal ganglia. Within 3-5 days all neurological symptoms and radiological abnormalities had resolved., Conclusion: These cerebral lesions could be classified as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) or as reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (PLES). Thus, MRI supports differential diagnosis regarding non pregnancy-related cerebral disease and can be helpful for therapy planning in cases of pre-eclampsia.

The authors present two cases in which enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces were located in the basal ganglia and the thalamomesencephalic region. The incidence of such huge cystic lesions is extremely rare. The expanding nature of these lesions, demonstrated by the patients' progressive symptoms due to compression of the adjacent brain parenchyma and obstructive hydrocephalus, mimicked that of brain tumors. The two patients were successfully treated by neuroendoscopic cystocisternostomy or ventriculocystostomy. To the authors' knowledge there have been only two published reports on expanding Virchow-Robin spaces that produced a compressive effect or consequent hydrocephalus and were directly fenestrated using neuroendoscopic techniques. Neuroendoscopy appears to offer an effective surgical option in the treatment of symptomatic Virchow-Robin spaces.

Aim: The implementation of diagnostic standards enhances quality assurance. The American College of Radiology's Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS(TM)) is intended to standardize terminology in the mammography report, the assessment of the findings, and the recommendation af action to be taken. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of the standardized system for clinically apparent male breast tumors. Do the special male anatomy and physiology limit the applicability of an evaluation system designed for female screening mammograms?, Methods: 4 investigators with different degrees of experience retrospectively evaluated 160 male mammograms. Our study was based on the 36 cases which could be correlated to histopathological findings: gynecomastia in the majority of cases, but also 4 invasive ductal carcinoma, 1 leiomyosarcoma and 1 ductal carcinoma in situ., Results: Assessment of the mammograms by BI-RADS(TM) (3(rd) Edition 1998) correctly placed all cases of malignancy into categories 4 and 5 without respect to the investigators's level of experience., Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude that the BI-RADS(TM)-classification can successfully be used to classify male mammograms with a high positive predictive value for malignancy. Knowledge of gender-specific imaging characteristics increases the specificity at a constant high level of sensitivity.

Aim: Lactating adenoma are circumscribed benign breast lesions developing during pregnancy or lactation due to overall enhanced proliferation of steroid hormone dependent tissue. Sonography is the method of choice for imaging mainly because of the physiologically dense breast tissue. Which is the predictive value of sonography in the diagnosis of lactating adenoma? Are sonographic characteristics dependent on age of gestation or time of lactation? Which diagnostic procedure should be recommended?, Method: We report the long time course of four patients with histologically proven (core-needle biopsy, 16 Gauge) lactating adenoma, first diagnosed during pregnancy, which were followed up sonographically (1997-2000) with real-time B-mode, panorama-mode (Siescape) and colour-sonography., Results: Demonstrating a high inter- and intraindividual variability the tumors were biggest around parturitation. Despite ongoing lactation tumors regressed in size, but did not vanish completely even after definite termination of breast feeding. Evaluation of sonographical characteristics did not allow to rule out malignancy., Conclusion: Three percent of all breast cancers at childbearing age coincide with pregnancy and lactation, therefore, an early histologic diagnosis is absolutely necessary. Sonographically guided core-needle biopsies allow to exclude malignancy without negative effects on breast feeding.

In a prospective study, 45 patients with fractures of the distal radius and radiologically suspected tears of the scapholunate interosseous ligament were examined. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed prior to wrist arthroscopy. The latter examination gave the definite diagnosis. MRI was performed in conventional technique (without contrast medium) in 25 cases and after additional intravenous injection of contrast medium in the remaining 20 patients. The images were obtained with a 1.0-T clinical imager using a T(2)-weighted turbo spin echo sequence (slice 3 mm, transversal) and a FLASH 2D sequence (slice 2 mm, oblique/coronal). Three independent observers assessed the MRI scans before arthroscopy was performed. The correct diagnosis was made by MRI in 76 %. Overall sensitivity and specificity came to 71 % and 86 %, respectively. The use of intravenously applied contrast medium did not improve MRI accuracy. In conclusion, MRI is not recommended for the diagnosis of scapholunate ligament tears. Presumably, the results of MRI could be improved by a more sophisticated technique.