Acta medica Austriaca
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Acta medica Austriaca · Jan 2000
Case Reports[Retroperitoneal fibrosis as the etiology for recent onset of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting--a rare and easily missed differential diagnosis].
Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease with unspecific symptomatic signs. Mortality rates are high with a 10-year mortality rate of 10 to 20%. We describe a case of a 55 year old woman with retroperitoneal fibrosis and discuss clinical findings, symptomatic signs, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare disease.
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Nowadays, the ultrasound examination is considered to be the most important procedure in the morphological examinations of the thyroid gland and its importance can be compared to the value of the basal thyroid stimulating hormone level (b-TSH) estimation in the examination of the thyroid function. Both methods in their preliminary stages can already exclude morphological and functional changes. In case of a disease, sonography makes the selection of further investigation procedures possible, in regard to their necessity and urgency. The organ size (in all 3 dimensions); the relationship to neighbouring structures; the echo pattern or the blood circulation are sonographic informations, which offer the specialist, the thyroid clinic or the surgeon (all with their wide differences of aims) an excellent means in the exclusion; the diagnosis; the investigation and the treatment strategy of thyroid gland diseases.
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Acta medica Austriaca · Jan 1999
Review[Transthoracic sonography in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism].
In many cases of pulmonary diseases extending up to the pleura, ultrasound helps to identify the etiology of the lesion. There are several sonomorphological criteria to differentiate peripheral pulmonary consolidations. Clinical studies and the sonographic appearance with pathologic correlation showed pulmonary infarctions in location, form and size exactly corresponding with pathological findings. ⋯ In massive central lung embolism, both fresh and old infarctions are found. An imminent larger embolism can be predicted, for instance,in a deep vein thrombosis. With one ultrasound system, we can "kill three birds with one stone": source, way and outcome of pulmonary embolism by bedside examination.
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Acta medica Austriaca · Jan 1999
Review[Fundamentals and results of cytostatic chemotherapy in some of the most common solid tumors].
In this review we discuss established cytostatic chemotherapies as well as developments and perspectives for the three most common tumour entities. Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy models for primary breast cancer are discussed, established and newer concepts in palliative care presented and open questions about high dose chemotherapy raised, which need to be settled before their routine use. ⋯ In the field of colorectal cancer several new thymidilatsynthase-inhibitors as well as drugs with different mode of action are available. With these new agents, [table: see text] cytostatic therapy of advanced stages and most probably also in the adjuvant setting could markedly be improved.
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For diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis an objective visualising method is indispensable (Duplex sonography, phlebography, MRI). The approval of several preparations of low-molecular-weight heparin made therapy easy: subcutaneous injections of fixed doses which are mainly adjusted to body-weight allow safe and effective anticoagulation without the need of special laboratory testing. Mobile patients should be kept walking with compression of their legs. Secondary prophylaxis consists of oral anticoagulation or alternatively in low-molecular-weight heparin and compression stockings.