Magnetic resonance angiography and transcranial Doppler ultrasound findings in patients with a clinical diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the findings of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) in patients with a clinical diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI). METHOD: From our outpatient neurotology clinic, we selected patients (using the criteria proposed by Grad and Baloh) with a clinical diagnosis of VBI. We excluded patients with any definite cause for vestibular symptoms, a noncontrolled metabolic disease or any contraindication to MRA or TCD. The patients in the study group were sex- and age-matched with subjects who did not have vestibular symptoms (control group). Our final group of patients included 24 patients (study, n=12; control, n=12). RESULTS: The MRA results did not demonstrate significant differences in the findings between our study and control groups. TCD demonstrated that the systolic pulse velocity of the right middle cerebral artery, end diastolic velocity of the basilar artery, pulsatility index (PI) of the left middle cerebral artery, PI of the right middle cerebral artery, and PI of the basilar artery were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group, suggesting abnormalities affecting the microcirculation of patients with a clinical diagnosis of VBI compared with controls. CONCLUSION: MRA failed to reveal abnormalities in patients with a clinical diagnosis of VBI compared with controls. The PI of the basilar artery, measured using TCD, demonstrated high sensitivity (91%) and specificity (91%) for detecting clinically diagnosed VBI.

Determinaçäo do antígeno carcinoembrionário biliar na detecçäo das metástases hepáticas do carcinoma colorretal / Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determination in detection of hepatic metastasis from colorectal carcinoma

OBJETIVO: Analisar, prospectivamente, os resultados da determinaçäo do antígeno carcinoembriário (CEA) na bile vesicular, relacionando-os com os aspectos morfológicos e clínicos da neoplasia e recidiva hepática. MÉTODOS: Os níveis do CEA foram estudados na bile vesicular e no sangue periférico de 44 doentes com carcinoma colorretal e 10 com colelitíase näo complicada, a partir de amostras do CEA colhidas imediatamente antes da extirpaçäo da neoplasia colo-retal e da colecistectomia (considerou-se valor normal até 5 ng/ml). RESULTADOS: Os 44 carcinomas colorretais extirpados com intençäo curativa tiveram nível médio do CEA sérico de 8,5 ng/ml e CEA biliar, 74,5 ng/ml. Nas colelitíases näo complicadas submetidas a colecistectomia, o nível médio do CEA sérico foi de 1,9 ng/ml e CEA biliar, 1,2 ng/ml. Quatro doentes submetidos à extirpaçäo do carcinoma colo-retal, sem evidências de metástases hepáticas e com valor médio de CEA biliar de 213,2 ng/ml apresentaram metástases hepáticas entre três a 17 meses após a extirpaçäo. CONCLUSÄO: o nível elevado de CEA biliar dos operados por carcinoma colo-retal pode indicar presença de metástases hepáticas e esses enfermos devem ser acompanhados com especial atençäo para diagnosticar essas lesöes.