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Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish normal diameters for the suprarenal and infrarenal abdominal aorta measured at T12 and L3 vertebral levels in the Indian population and to study the variation in aortic diameters with age, sex, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and body surface area (BSA). Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty-two patients who underwent helical contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans of the abdomen for non-cardiovascular reasons were recruited.. The mean internal diameters of the suprarenal and infrarenal abdominal aorta (maximum anteroposterior and transverse diameter) were measured at T12 and L3 vertebral levels and tabulated according to various age groups for both men and women. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between aortic diameters, height, weight, BSA, and BMI. Results: The mean diameters of the suprarenal and infrarenal abdominal aorta measured at T12 and L3 vertebral levels, in men were 19.0 ± 2.3 and 13.8 ± 1.9 mm and in women 17.1 ± 2.3 and 12.0 ± 1.6 mm, respectively. The aortic diameter progressively increased in caliber with increasing age of the patients and was smaller in women than men. A significant positive correlation was found in men between the suprarenal and infrarenal aortic diameters and weight, BSA, and BMI. In women, this correlation was significant in the infrarenal aorta but not in the suprarenal aorta. Conclusion: We obtained a set of normal values for the abdominal aorta in the Indian population. The aortic diameters correlated with age, gender, and body size of the patients as seen with previously published data in the Western population. A brief comparison of data between Indian and Western population showed that the values obtained were less than published elsewhere and hence, this should be considered while formulating intervention protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital anomaly of the thoracic aorta with many known associations. We describe the case of a young man referred for management of subarachnoid hemorrhage, in whom subsequent work-up revealed the previously undescribed combination of severe postductal aortic coarctation and an absent segment of the proximal right subclavian artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the significance of the Rasmussen's aneurysm (RA) as a complication of tuberculosis that causes severe haemoptysis that has been highlighted in medicine, pathology, and radiology text books.

Aim: To present a new protocol to optimise ultrasound (US) assessment of haemophilic arthropathy., Materials and Methods: Ultrasound of haemophilic arthropathy joints was performed using three different ultrasound protocols, namely, the Toronto-Vellore Comprehensive Ultrasound (TVC-US) protocol, the Haemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound (HEAD-US), and the newly developed Universal Simplified Ultrasound (US-US) protocol. Synovial hypertrophy, haemosiderin deposition, effusion, erosion, and cartilage loss were evaluated in 20 joints. The reliability and diagnostic efficiency of these protocols was compared using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)., Results: The correlation between the TVC-US and US-US protocols for synovial hypertrophy was excellent: kappa significance (KS) was 1, but was substantial (KS=0.65) with the HEAD-US protocol. For effusion, both the TVC-US and the HEAD-US protocols had substantial correlation with the US-US protocol (KS=0.7 and 0.6 respectively). The correlation for erosion and cartilage loss was excellent between the TVC-US and the US-US with MRI (KS=1), but poor (KS=0) with the HEAD-US protocol. The US-US protocol also had good interobserver agreement (KS=1)., Conclusion: The accuracy of the US-US protocol is comparable to the TVC-US protocol and MRI and is superior to the HEAD-US protocol in the assessment of haemophilic arthropathy., (Copyright © 2019 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To present the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 10 patients with histopathologically proven tuberculous spondylitis (TS) presenting as vertebra plana (VP) on radiographs., Material and Methods: Radiographs of 451 adult TS patients were reviewed. In this consecutive series, there were 11 patients who presented as VP. MRI of 10 of these patients was available for review., Results: VP-like collapse of a single vertebral body of the dorsal spine with preserved endplates and disc was seen in all cases. Epidural, pre- and para-vertebral soft tissue was found in all patients. Epidural soft tissue presenting on sagittal images as a convexity of the posterior longitudinal ligament was also found in all the signal of which was different from the involved vertebra on axial images. All patients showed posterior element involvement, which was characterized by preserved cortical outline without expansion., Conclusion: TS presenting with VP-like collapse of the bone is rare, accounting for 2.4% of the cases in the present series. MRI may show a collapsed vertebra with preserved endplates and disc. MRI findings that are suggestive of TS include: (1) signal intensity of the epidural soft-tissue mass on axial images, which is different from the vertebral body; (2) presence of a thin, T2-weighted hypointense capsule of the para-vertebral soft tissue; (3) posterior element involvement characterized by intact hypointense cortical outline without expansion; and (4) involvement of the costovertebral joint., (Copyright © 2012 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cystic artery pseudoaneurysm which developed following a cholecystectomy and resulting in upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a rare entity, with only three cases described in the literature. We report the case of a 26-year old man who presented with upper gastrointestinal bleeding approximately three months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Emergency abdominal angiogram revealed a cystic artery stump pseudoaneurysm, with no evidence of active contrast extravasation. The pseudoaneurysm was coil embolised and the patient had no further bleeding episodes. In this situation an angiogram and embolisation rather than surgery is the preferred mode of management both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The presence of a dilated cystic artery stump on angiogram following cholecystectomy is an "ominous sign", even in the absence of active extravasation of contrast.