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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.

Aim: Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy and glaucomateus damage proceeds from retinal ganglion cells to brain. A better understanding of retrobulbar damage will enable us to develop more efficient strategies and a more accurate understanding of glaucoma. We evaluated retrobulbar glaucomatous damage with favorable techniques for 1.5T MR imaging.Material and methods: Five glaucoma cases and one healthy subject are included. Diffusion tensor MR imaging and functional MR images were taken with 1.5T MR. Correlation of optic nerve and corpus geniculatum laterale diffusion tensor MR parameters with eye findings were statistically evaluated.Results: Optic nerve damage and cortical hypofunction were shown with diffusion tensor MR and functional MR imaging, respectively. Correlations of the apparent diffusion coefficient with mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in distal optic nerve and fractional anisotropy with ganglion cell counting in proximal optic nerves and correlations of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness with axial diffusivities in both ipsilateral and contralateral corpus geniculatum laterales and with fractional anisotropy in ipsilateral corpus geniculatum laterale were statistically significant.Conclusion: The eye-brain connection in glaucoma can be evaluated with routine clinical instruments. Our results also revealed the eye-to-visual-pathway integrity of glaucomatous neurodegeneration, which must be verified in larger series.

Background: 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 diffusion-weighted 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 histopathologic subtypes, tumor grades, and stages. Results: In the study group the mean ADC values (0.96±0.15x10-3 mm2/s) were statistically lower than that of the control group (1.67±0.17x10-3 mm2/s) (p0.05). There was also no significant difference between the mean ADC values of the tumor grades (p>0.05). The mean ADC values in early stage cervical cancer (0.86±0.05x10-3 mm2/s) were significantly lower than the mean ADC values in late stage disease (0.98±0.06x10-3 mm2/s) (p

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.