ABSTRACT
Forty-seven patients including 18 with renal failure were studied. Kidney length, degree of cortical echogenicity, parenchymal thickness, visibility and dimensions of renal papillae, and existence of renal cysts were recorded during abdominal ultrasound investigations in all patients. Indications and contraindications for renal biopsy were determined. Ultrasound is a valuable method of easy evaluation of indications for renal biopsy in patients with renal failure. This method avoids the risks of postbiopsy complications, drug overdosage as well as additional X-ray exposures and scintigrams.
Subject(s)
Biopsy , Kidney Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Kidney/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Kidney/diagnostic imaging , Kidney Diseases/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
A case of a woman with Schönlein-Henoch glomerulonephritis and liver cirrhosis and a monoclonal peak in the proteinogram is reported. An attempt is made to differentiate the benign monoclonal gammapathy from Waldenström's disease according to the existing criteria. The conclusion is reached that at present there is no index or a combination of indices which could allow a definite assessment. Only the prolonged systematic observation with repeated examinations could allow a more precise assessment of the pathologic process.
Subject(s)
Glomerulonephritis/diagnosis , IgA Vasculitis/diagnosis , Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis , Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance/diagnosis , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Glomerulonephritis/etiology , Humans , IgA Vasculitis/complications , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Middle Aged , Multiple Myeloma/diagnosis , Purpura, Hyperglobulinemic/diagnosisABSTRACT
The diagnostic potentialities of ultrasound and computed tomography for the early diagnosis of acute focal bacterial nephritis were studied in 12 patients. The echographic findings in all patients are similar: insular tumor-like zone, unclearly defined from the neighbouring parenchyma, hypo-, hyper- or isoechogenic, without liquefaction and lack of distant amplification. The computed tomographic image of 4 from 5 patients studied is as follows: perihilar defect with wedge-shaped form, hypodense structure, radially striated areas from the cavity system toward the parenchyma after applying of a contrast medium. The conclusion is that an early diagnosis of the acute focal bacterial nephritis could be achieved by ultrasound examination which is of high informativeness, harmless, with no radiation and should be basic diagnostic method for this kind of nephritis. The early diagnosis allows a more precise treatment.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Infections/diagnosis , Kidney/diagnostic imaging , Nephritis/diagnosis , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Acute Disease , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Radioisotope Renography , Ultrasonography , UrographySubject(s)
Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Ultrasonography , Adolescent , Adult , Chronic Disease , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Kidney/pathology , Kidney Diseases/pathology , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
8 patients, 2 men and 6 women, 42 to 67 years of age, with bilateral multiple cysts of the renal sinus are described. 3/6 patients had macroscopic hematuria, pyelonephritis, 5/8 patients were with arterial hypertension and 4/8 patients were with renal failure. All patients were examine by ultrasound once more after a greater diuresis was achieved in order to differentiate from hydronephrosis. The isotopic nephrographic curves were normal in 2/8 patients and were disturbed in the remaining 6 patients. Hydronephrotic type curves were not found. Urography was performed to 4 of the patients and in 2 of them the diagnosis was polycystosis and in the other 2 patients it was bilateral parapelvic cysts. Possible mistakes in the diagnosis of bilateral parapelvic cysts are discussed. The reported cases with superimposed pyelonephritis and renal failure point to the need of prophylactic medical examinations of such patients.
Subject(s)
Polycystic Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Hydronephrosis/diagnosis , Iodohippuric Acid , Kidney/pathology , Kidney Pelvis , Male , Middle Aged , Radioisotope Renography , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
Serum IgA, C3 and circulating immune complexes were examined in 20 patients with morphologically proved chronic glomerulonephritis with mesangial IgA precipitates and in 39 clinically healthy controls. The immune complexes were analyzed. 10 patients were with Berger's disease, 8 patients--with secondary IgA glomerulonephritis accompanying chronic liver disease and 1 patient was with Henoch-Schönlein's purpura. No significant differences were found between the mean values of IgA, C3 and the circulating immune complexes in the patients and the healthy controls as well as between the actively ill patients and those in remission. IgA and IgM in the immune complexes were significantly higher in the patients than in the healthy controls. IgA level in the immune complexes was significantly higher in the patients with active disease than in the patients in remission. In the patients with liver disease C3 and C4 often were not found in the immune complexes. In these patients it is possible that aggregates of immunoglobulins are found instead of immune complexes. The IgA level in the immune complexes could serve as a criterion for the disease activity.
Subject(s)
Glomerulonephritis, IGA/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Antigen-Antibody Complex/analysis , Chronic Disease , Complement C3/analysis , Complement C4/analysis , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulins/analysis , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
In 24 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis the echographic findings were compared with some basic parameters established by histomorphologic examinations. In the echographic examinations 4 degrees of echogenicity were used (Rosenfield, Hrisak). The conclusion is that there is no typical echographic image for the different morphologically defined renal diseases. The cortical echogenicity depends on the degree of interstitial infiltration, the fibrous and sclerotic changes. The echographic image of the kidney is a mixed reflection of the histomorphologic changes of the glomeruli, tubules and interstice. A long-standing hypertension affects the echographic image by increasing the cortical echogenicity. A careful and thorough echographic examination of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis is obligatory but the basic diagnostic method is the needle renal biopsy.
Subject(s)
Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Kidney/pathology , Ultrasonography , Adolescent , Adult , Biopsy, Needle , Chronic Disease , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Glomerulonephritis/diagnosis , Glomerulonephritis/pathology , Humans , Kidney Diseases/pathology , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The objective of the authors, with the present paper, is to specify the possibilities of echography in patients with "negative" renal lithiasis. A total of 54 patients were studied, grouped in two subgroups: subgroup A--33 patients with native-graphy, urography and echography, subgroup B--21 patients with chronic renal insufficiency and intolerance to X-ray contrast media, to whom only native-graphy and echography were performed. The authors concluded, on the base of the statistical calculations, that echography in the patients studied by them, has a higher percentage probability of differentiating the negative concrements than urography.
Subject(s)
Kidney Calculi/diagnosis , Ultrasonography , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Contrast Media , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Humans , Iothalamic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Kidney/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , RadiographyABSTRACT
A preliminary communication is presented about the results, obtained from aldosterone determination via the Adrenoprobe. The method is stressed to deserve attention since it is rapid, easy to perform and the results are obtained immediately after the investigation. On the other hand, the discrepancies between the results in some patients, obtained radioimmunologically and via the Adrenoprobe, revealed that further parallel investigations would be necessary (in order to obtain more data on the accuracy of aldosterone determination via the Adrenoprobe.
Subject(s)
Aldosterone/analysis , Adult , Aged , Electrodes , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Humans , Hyperaldosteronism/diagnosis , Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects , Intestinal Mucosa/physiology , Male , Membrane Potentials/drug effects , Middle Aged , Mouth Mucosa/drug effects , Mouth Mucosa/physiology , Radioimmunoassay , RectumABSTRACT
One of the characteristic biological effects of the inhaled asbestos dust is the formation of hyaline thickenings on all pleurae in the form of plaques, in which calcium could be deposited. Due to the difficulties in the differentiation of the pleural hyalinosis with the conventional X-ray methods, the authors studied the potentialities of echography in 18 patients in contact with asbestos. They used two apparatuses (type "grey scale" 3401 of the firm (Brüel & Kjaër with linear scanning and "Siam" with sector scanning). Echography could establish areas of thickening on the parietal and diaphragmatic pleurae, to determine their thickness in micron and the degree of echogenicity. The comparison with the X-ray examination of the chest (face and I oblique position, lowvoltage technique) showed a positive finding with both methods in 7, suspicious X-ray finding with positive echography--in I, positive finding only with echography--in 6 and negative by both methods--in 4 subjects. The echographic examination on pleura is a rapid, cheap and harmless method, contributing not only to the early detection of its asbestosis lesions but to the elucidation of the etiology of pulmonary fibrosis.
