use of in-office and emergency room ultrasonography in the diagnosis of cholelithiasis

The high accuracy rate of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of cholelithiasis has made it the diagnostic test of choice in this disease. We have studied the reliability of a surgeon doing in-office and emergency room ultrasonography to diagnose gallbladder stones in suspected cases using a portable ultrasound machine. The sensitivity of this approach is 96% and the specificity is 92%. To avoid delay and ensure faster management we recommend the use of in-office and emergency room ultrasonography in the diagnosis of gallstones

Comparative study between FOB and CT in the evaluation of bronchial diseases

Thirty-nine patients with clinical problems of bronchial or suspected bronchial abnormalities were examined with plain radiography, CT scan of the chest and fiberoptic bronchoscopy [FOB] in order to compare the diagnostic yield of CT with that of FOB. The study revealed a good overall correlation between CT and FOB in identification of focal bronchial abnormalities. It was found that CT was inaccurate in predicting whether a given focal abnormality documented at FOB will be endobronchial, submucosal or extrinsic on CT. Only bronchial irregularity or the presence of intraluminal mass are specific indicators of endobronchial disease. CT was superior to FOB in delineating the extent of lesions in two patients having complete bronchial occlusion with inability to visualize the distal airways by FOB. It was concluded that CT should be complementary to bronchoscopy especially in detecting extra-luminal lesions, parenchymal and mediastinal involvements