Recurrent strokes secondary to moyamoya phenomenon in a child with Down's syndrome

A 6 year-old girl with Down's syndrome presented to the paedriatic emergency department with sudden onset weakness of the left half of body. Evaluation leads to the eventual diagnosis of stroke secondary to Moyamoya syndrome. This is an unusual presentation of stroke and highlights the need to expand the differential diagnosis to include rare diseases in children with predisposing conditions. This case highlights the relationship between trisomy 21 and Moyamoya syndrome

Evaluation of safety of ultrasound-guided aspirations and fine needle aspiration biopsies

To evaluate the safety of ultrasound-guided aspiration and fine needle aspiration biopsies. An observational study. The study was carried out in radiology department of Combined Military Hospital Kharian from Oct 2001 to Nov 2003. A total of 143 ultrasound-guided procedures [106 aspirations and 37 FNAB] were performed in patients of both sexes and different age groups. Caliber of needle was decided according to type of procedure and nature of lesion. Most of Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies [FNAB] were done with 22G needles. Cyst aspirations were performed using 20G to 22G needles. Abscess aspirations were done with 16G to 20G needles. No immediate or late complications were observed in any FNAB. In one patient of liver abscess, intra-abscess haemorrhage occurred during aspiration with 16G needle. All other aspirations were unremarkable. Complication rate was found to be 0.7%. Ultrasound-guided aspirations and FNAB are safe procedures when optimum needle gauge and proper needle guidance technique is used

Epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of food poisoning traced to yogurt among personnel of a military training center

A food borne outbreak is usually suspected when there is a history of ingestion of a common food, attack of several people simultaneously and similarity of signs and symptoms in the majority of cases. One such incidence happened in a military training centre where a lunch attended by 110 personnel was arranged. After about three hours, 57 of them reported sick to a local military hospital. A prospective study was performed to probe into the facts under which this outbreak erupted. A sample of 90 personnel who attended the lunch was interrogated for eating of food that was served. Mean age of the participants was 22 years while the range of incubation period was 3-5 hours. By examining the attack rates for consumers of various foods it was found that eating yogurt was significantly associated with the causing of outbreak. Exposure rates among those who ate yogurt was 94.7% P <0.001 while odds ratio showed [13.2] almost causative association. The epidemiological findings points out to the need of having check on the purchasing of food items from outside sources

Evaluation of prostatic diseases with transrectal ultrasonography

A study was conducted in radiology department CMH Rawalpindi to determine the role of transrectal ultrasonography in the evaluation of prostatic diseases. A total of 78 cases were examined with transrectal ultrasound probe and later followed for histopathological findings. Transrectal ultrasound was found correct in 51 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia and 16 cases of prostatic carcinoma. Two cases of prostatitis with prostatic abscess were also noted. The sensitivity and positive predictive value for prostatic carcinoma in our study were 80% and 76.19% respectively. In 16 cases of prostatic carcinoma, the digital rectal examination was positive in only 08 cases and raised serum prostate specific antigen were noted in 13 cases. In view of this study, it is recommended that transrectal ultrasonography should be adopted for pre-operative assessment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, diagnosis / staging of prostatic carcinoma and in all clinically suspected cases of prostatic abscess