Morphométrie et variantes anatomiques des artères digestives vues au Scanner / Morphometric and anatomical variations of digestive arteries view in Computer Tomography

Les artères digestives essentiellement le tronc cœliaque et l'artère mésentérique supérieure présentent plusieurs variantes anatomiques notamment au niveau de leur origine. L'objectif de cette étude était d'illustrer l'anatomie normale ainsi que les variantes anatomiques des artères digestives vues au scanner. Nous avons réalisé une étude transversale portant sur les scanners avec coupes abdominales sans et avec injection de produit de contraste iodé au temps artériel. Le tronc cœliaque et ses branches, l'artère mésentérique supérieure et l'artère mésentérique inférieure ont été étudiés. Nous avons collecté 155 patients. Plusieurs variantes anatomiques fréquentes et multiples ont été retrouvées, dont l'absence de tronc cœliaque (3 cas), le tronc hépato-splénique (12 cas), le tronc hépato-gastrique (2 cas), le tronc gastro-splénique (5 cas) et le tronc coeliacomésentérique (1 cas). Pour l'artère hépatique, il existait les types I (121 cas), II (13 cas), IV (1 cas), V (3 cas) et IX (3 cas) selon la classification de Michels, ainsi que d'autres variantes non classifiées (14 cas). Nous avons trouvé également une artère mésentérique moyenne reliant l'artère mésentérique supérieure de l'artère mésentérique inférieure. Cela justifie l'importance et la nécessité de la réalisation du scanner avant tout acte chirurgical impliquant les artères digestives

Contribution of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Periportal Fibrosis Caused by Schistosomiasis.

BACKGROUND: Periportal fibrosis is one of the major complications of schistosomiasis infection. Specific images of this infection revealed by ultrasonography allow the assessment of the different stages. Our purpose is to describe the ultrasonographic appearances of periportal fibrosis due to schistosomiasis infection. METHODS: The study was retrospective descriptive in the Medical Imagery Centre of CHUJRA. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients showed upper and/or lower digestive hemorrhage and a positive result in schistosomiasis serology. The median age was 41.2 years. Male gender dominated with 54.7%. In 78.3% of the cases, the patients were farmers in schistosomiasis-endemic areas. On ultrasonography, 81.3% were found to present Stage III periportal fibrosis, 11.5% presented Stage II, and 7.2% presented Stage I. There was no case of portal thrombosis. Splenomegaly was found in 83.2% of the cases and hepatomegaly in 48.9% of the cases. Porto-systemic shunt was detected in 80.7% of the cases and ascites in 72.3%. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography examination represents an important role in the diagnosis of periportal fibrosis, in its staging process, and allows the assessment of porto-systemic, hepatic, and splenic alterations.

Thickness of the Plantar Fascia in Asymptomatic Subjects.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to determine the average and extreme values of the thickness of plantar fascia (PF) and to evaluate its correlations with anthropometric parameters and walking activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analytic study of 226 feet. On these feet, the thickness of the PF was measured on ultrasound; and its correlation with the age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), gender, and daily walking of the participants were studied. RESULTS: Thickness of the PF was symmetrical; the extreme values were 1.8 mm and 4.3 mm with an average of 3 mm ± 0.5. There was positive correlation of PF thickness with age, height, weight, BMI, and daily walking (P < 0.05). The variation of the PF thickness with gender was not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Thickness of PF has a close correlates with age, height, weight, BMI, and walking activity.

Atypical alveolar proteinosis.

Alveolar proteinosis is a rare pulmonary disease characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of surfactant composed of lipoproteinaceous material, related to a lack of surfactant resorption by alveolar macrophages. Crazy paving pattern is characteristic, but not specific. The multinodular forms of this affection remain exceptional.

First results of hormone receptors' status in Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy tumor amongst Malagasy women registered at the pathology unit of the "Institut Pasteur de Madagascar". In Madagascar, there is no laboratory practicing hormone receptors' status on these tumors. Until now no study about hormone receptors' status of Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer was performed. So it will be the first study talking about this topic. The aim of this study was to determine hormone receptors' status in Malagasy women with invasive breast cancer. METHODS: This retrospective and descriptive study was based on patients' medical files from 2009 to 2011. It included all invasive breast cancer diagnosed in Malagasy women at the pathology laboratory located at the "Institut Pasteur de Madagascar", in Antananarivo. Along this period this laboratory has sent paraffin blocks of invasive breast carcinoma in two pathological laboratories in France. RESULTS: We collected 77 cases of invasive breast cancer along this period. The mean age was 48.8 +/- 10.7, ranging from 26 years to 70 years. There were 46.8 % (n = 36) women with progesterone receptor positive (PR+), 53.2 % (n = 41) with progesterone receptor negative (PR-). For the estrogen receptor, 61.0 % (n = 47) were positive and 36.4 % (n = 28) were negative. ER+/PR+ represented 44.2 % (n = 34); ER-/PR- 33.8 % (n = 26); ER +/ PR- 16.8 % (n = 13); ER-/PR+ and ER-/PR- represented respectively 2.6 % (n = 2). CONCLUSION: Patients in our study had more important rate of ER-, PR- and a less important rate of ER+/PR+, PR+. These results suggest that more study related to Hormone Receptor profile should be conducted in Malagasy women with breast cancer.