Radiologic manifestations of angioedema.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this pictorial review is to present imaging findings of angioedema involving the various organs. CONCLUSION: The role of imaging for patients with angioedema includes the evaluation of the upper airway for obstruction and the exclusion of other possible aetiologies, such as neoplastic or infectious processes. Glossomegaly is a common finding of head and neck angioedema. Angioedema may involve organ systems beyond the superficial regions and the head and neck including the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Angioedema of the visceral organs is often accompanied by adjacent fluid, and it is commonly diffuse or concentric but can also be multifocal and asymmetric. TEACHING POINTS: • The evaluation of the upper airway obstruction is important for head and neck angioedema. • Glossomegaly with decreased attenuation is common in head and neck angioedema. • Angioedema of the visceral organs can be multifocal and asymmetric. • Angioedema of the visceral organs is often accompanied by adjacent fluid. • It is important to include clinical and laboratory findings for the diagnosis of angioedema.

Radiology residency call: residents' perceptions of the on-call experience.

PURPOSE: This paper focuses on specific resident perceptions of call, including the compliance of training programs with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) resident work rules and the level of comfort residents have in contacting out-of-house staff radiologists for help during on-call hours. METHODS: The authors designed a Web-based survey to examine radiology residents' perceptions about call conditions with input from the 2003-2004 ACR Resident and Fellow Section Executive Council. The survey instrument was distributed to chief residents in the United States and Canada with the help of the ACR. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of respondents felt that the amounts of work and responsibility required for call were appropriate to their levels of training. Ninety-eight percent of US respondents felt that their programs were in complete compliance with the ACGME's resident work guidelines. Eighty-nine percent were comfortable contacting the staff physicians on call when those staff physicians were out of the hospital. Respondents who felt uncomfortable calling their staff physicians were more likely to feel that the work and responsibility of call were excessive to their levels of training (chi(2) = 11.301, P = .0033). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of residents indicated that they were adequately trained for call. Most residents were on call without in-house staff coverage but felt comfortable contacting on-call staff physicians if needed. Residents who felt uncomfortable contacting on-call staff physicians were more likely to feel that their training had not prepared them for call. A high percentage of radiology resident programs are in compliance with the ACGME's resident work guidelines.

Performance of cochlear implant recipients with GJB2-related deafness.

Congenital profound hearing loss affects 0.05-0.1% of children and has many causes, some of which are associated with cognitive delay. For prelingually-deafened cochlear implant recipients, the etiology of deafness is usually unknown. Mutations in GJB2 have been established as the most common cause of heritable deafness in the United States. In this report, we identify cochlear implant recipients with GJB2-related deafness and examine the performance of these individuals. Cochlear implant recipients received a battery of perceptive, cognitive, and reading tests. Neither subjects nor examiners knew the etiology of deafness in these individuals. The implant recipients were then examined for mutations in GJB2 using an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assay, single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis, and direct sequencing. GJB2 mutations were the leading cause of congenital deafness among the cochlear implant recipients screened. Cochlear implant recipients with GJB2-related deafness read within one standard deviation of hearing controls better than other congenitally deaf cochlear implant recipients and non-cochlear implant recipients. Individuals with congenital deafness should be offered GJB2 screening. Positive results establish an etiologic diagnosis and provide prognostic, genetic, and therapeutic information. Effective rehabilitation for profoundly deaf individuals with GJB2-related deafness is possible through cochlear implantation.