OBJECTIVE. Our objective was to document the anatomy, flow pattern, and time of closure of the ductus venosus in healthy full-term neonates.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. We examined the ductus venosus in 73 neonates by using gray-scale sonography, color flow imaging, and duplex Doppler sonography. Each neonate was examined 1-2 days after birth, 6-7 days after birth, and then every 3-4 days until closure was confirmed or the neonate was 18 days old. The length, width, and color flow and duplex Doppler characteristics of the ductus were noted. Closure of the ductus at 6-7 days after birth was examined with respect to birth weight, hemoglobin level, and gestational age.RESULTS. The ductus venosus, extending from the left portal vein to the inferior vena cava, was identified with all three techniques. The ductus was patent in all 73 neonates 1-2 days after birth. It was still patent in 41 (68%) of 60 neonates reexamined 6-7 days after birth and in two of three neonates (11% [7/60]) reexamined 17-18 days after birth. Blood flow within the ductus was cephalic, in a constant venous waveform. Initial flow velocity ranged from 0.15 to 0.70 m/sec and decreased consistently in subsequent examinations. There was no significant difference in birth weight, hemoglobin level, or gestational age between the group whose ductus was closed and the group whose ductus was open at 6-7 days after birth.CONCLUSION. The ductus venosus in neonates is consistently detectable on sonography. It is patent in a greater percentage of neonates, and for a longer time, than was previously shown with conventional radiographic studies with angiography.

We report on a case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in an 11-yr-old boy investigated for mild chest pain after trauma. Chest radiography showed a massive right pleural effusion. Cytological analysis of the pleural fluid demonstrated the presence of malignant small undifferentiated cells. The rhabdomyoblastic nature of the cells was confirmed by positive immunostains of HHf35 actin, desmin, and skeletal muscle myosin; histological examination of a core biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. Computed tomography and gallium scan revealed the presence of an extensive anterior and lower chest wall mass involving the mediastinum, as well as retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Massive pleural effusion is a frequent presentation in malignant disease, but is rare in rhabdomyosarcoma. The immunochemical stain studies performed on cytological smears in this case proved to be very useful for making the definitive and accurate diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;21:125–128. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

We present a case of a 13-year-old boy with a left-sided abdominal mass which proved to be a papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. This low-grade malignant lesion of young patients is very rare, and exceedingly rare in males. The prognosis following resection of this tumor is good. We present the ultrasound and computed tomographic picture of this lesion, as well as the gross and microscopic pathology.

A completely contracted gallbladder is occasionally seen in patients with acute hepatitis. We have observed that postprandial examination in these patients shows the gallbladder filling with bile to a degree that permits an adequate diagnostic examination. This simple procedure may prevent having to recall the patient for follow-up examination.

We report a case of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) of the jejunum in a 56-year-old man. The patient suffered for several years from nonspecific abdominal complaints, with no clinical evidence of malabsorption. The patient underwent extensive imaging procedures including barium meal and computed tomography. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed small mesenteric lymph nodes and an area of intestinal wall thickening. Barium meal demonstrated a short jejunal stricture. Histology revealed lymphoma of the jejunum, with microscopic changes distant from the lesion consistent with celiac disease. The spectrum of EATL ranges from patients with frank celiac disease, to patients with only immunohistochemical evidence of celiac disease, who develop small bowel lymphoma.

We report a case of posttraumatic intestinal stenosis (PIS), an uncommon sequela of blunt abdominal trauma, in which injury to the mesentery and bowel wall results in later focal ischemic stricture of that segment. We include CT images at the time of trauma, and barium meal and abdominal sonography obtained during the subsequent admission. Examination of the resected bowel loop showed transmural infarct and posttraumatic changes in the adjacent peritoneal fat. This is the first report which includes both imaging at the time of trauma and sonographic appearance of the narrowed bowel loop. Posttraumatic intestinal stenosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a narrowed bowel loop in a patient with a history of blunt abdominal trauma.

The influence of oxygen supplementation on the prevalence of hypoxemia during endoscopic procedures was studied in 289 patients in a prospective clinical trial. The frequency of oxygen desaturation was found to decrease significantly in patients receiving oxygen via nasal prongs, compared to patients not receiving oxygen supplementation. The effect was demonstrated especially in patients who underwent an additional procedure during their endoscopic examinations. Similar effects were found in patients undergoing gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. In view of the risks related to hypoxemia and its high prevalence in endoscopic procedures (28-50%) we recommend that a routine oxygen supplementation policy be considered in every patient undergoing endoscopy, especially when additional procedures are to be performed.

Brucellosis is an infectious disease transmitted from various animal hosts to man. In children the most common route of infection is unpasteurized milk or milk products. Brucellosis affects the urinary tract uncommonly, most frequently causing orchioepididymitis.We report the case of a 4-year-old boy with brucellosis who developed acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN), documented by sonography, gallium scan, and computed tomography. After appropriate treatment his symptoms and his sonographic abnormality resolved completely. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the association of AFBN and brucellosis.

We present a very rare case of persistent pro atlas copmbined with atlanto axial fusion, demonstrated both by conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT). CT is particularly valuable in demonstrating the anomaly when sagittal reconstruction are obtained.

Echinococcal disease of the liver generally presents as single or multiple hepatic cysts. Rarely, these cysts may rupture into the biliary tree and cause cholangitis, biliary tract obstruction, or biliary colic. These complications are accompanied by high morbidity, and in the case of biliary tract obstruction, mortality rates as high as 50% have been reported. We present a woman with a hepatic echinococcal cyst, biliary colic, and transient jaundice, who proved to have echinococcal involvement of the biliary ducts and gall bladder. Prompt diagnosis of hydatid disease of the biliary tree allows the physician to institute rapid, appropriate medical and surgical treatment.

We have seen two patients at our institution with benign scapular lucent defects in both the central and the marginal portions of the scapula