Journal of clinical ultrasound : JCU
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Ultrasound-guided abdominal paracentesis is a procedure that is frequently performed by radiologists for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This procedure has been shown to be safe with few complications. We report the case of a patient who underwent an ultrasound-guided therapeutic abdominal paracentesis for refractory ascites complicated by intraperitoneal hemorrhage leading to death. This case suggests that ultrasound-guided paracentesis may need to become a more standardized procedure and that in the event of hemorrhage, alternative treatment options such as embolization or surgical intervention should be utilized when manual compression fails.
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Assessment of possible cardiac sources of cerebral embolism is a frequent indication for transesophageal echocardiography. We report the case of a patient with a previous left upper pulmonary lobe resection who presented with an ischemic stroke suggestive of cardioembolic origin. A dense spontaneous echo contrast was found in the left upper pulmonary vein stump, which, in the absence of other potential causes of stroke, was considered to be related to the embolic event. We discuss the clinical significance of this finding as a possibly underappreciated source of systemic embolization.
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Twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence is a rare anomaly of monochorionic multiple pregnancies affecting 1 of 35,000 pregnancies and 1% of monochorionic twin pregnancies. In this condition the affected twin has lethal malformations including poor or absent heart development and is reversely perfused by a structurally normal co-twin. We report a case of a 21-year-old woman with a monochorionic twin pregnancy affected by twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence. This case highlights the therapeutic options and the management by radiofrequency ablation, which has been shown to be an easy and reliable technique with a high success rate compared with technically demanding fetoscopic procedures.
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Clinical Trial
Sonographic diagnosis and monitoring of localized langerhans cell histiocytosis of the skull.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an infrequent disorder of unknown origin associated with histiocytic proliferation. The bones' involvement (including cranial bones) is the most frequent manifestation of pediatric LCH. Imaging of skull LCH is based predominantly on conventional radiography, CT, scintigraphy, and sometimes MRI. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of sonography (US) in the diagnosis and monitoring of bone lesions in children with localized LCH of the skull. ⋯ The US appearance of focal LCH lesions in cranial bones in children is not pathognomonic, but is characteristic enough to suggest an initial diagnosis and to monitor the evolution of lesions during treatment. US should be considered an additional diagnostic tool for LCH of the skull. Although US of localized LCH cannot replace CT, it could reduce the number of follow-up CT examinations.
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After limb amputation, neuromas may be asymptomatic when not compressed, but can cause unexplained discomfort when a prosthesis is worn. The sonographic presentation of multiple postamputation neuromas has rarely been reported. ⋯ Marked pain reduction was reported 2 weeks after sonography-guided steroid injection. Investigation of all damaged nerves in the residual limbs is important.