ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of various degrees of diffuse fatty infiltration of the liver on portal vein blood flow with Doppler sonography. METHODS: One hundred forty subjects were examined with color and spectral Doppler sonography. The subjects were divided into 4 groups of 35 subjects each according to the degree (normal, grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3) of hepatic fatty infiltration assessed on gray-scale images. The portal vein pulsatility index (VPI) and time-averaged mean flow velocity (MFV) were calculated for each subject. VPI was calculated as (peak maximum velocity - peak minimum velocity) / peak maximum velocity. RESULTS: VPI and MFV values were, respectively, 0.32 +/- 0.06 and 16.8 +/- 2.6 cm/second in the normal group, 0.27 +/- 0.07 and 14.2 +/- 2.2 cm/second in the group with grade 1 fatty infiltration, 0.22 +/- 0.06 and 12.2 +/- 1.8 cm/second in the group with grade 2 fatty infiltration, and 0.18 +/- 0.04 and 10.8 +/- 1.5 cm/second in the group with grade 3 fatty infiltration. There was a negative inverse correlation between the grade of fatty infiltration and both VPI (f = 55.3, p < 0.001) and MFV (f = 43.9, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The pulsatility index and mean velocity of the portal vein blood flow decrease as the severity of fatty infiltration increases.
Subject(s)
Fatty Liver/complications , Fatty Liver/physiopathology , Hemodynamics , Liver/physiopathology , Portal Vein/physiopathology , Adult , Blood Flow Velocity , Female , Humans , Liver/blood supply , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Portal Vein/diagnostic imaging , Prospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Ultrasonography, Doppler, ColorABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term effect of varicocele repair on ipsilateral intratesticular arterial resistance index (RI) using color Doppler sonography (CDS). METHODS: A total of 26 infertile patients with left varicocele who underwent a testicular artery and lymphatic-sparing subinguinal varicocelectomy were examined with CDS for intratesticular flow parameters before and at least 6 months after surgery. We also evaluated preoperative and postoperative semen parameters. RESULTS: The mean values of RI, end-diastolic velocity and pulsatility index decreased significantly after surgery, whereas no significant change was observed in peak systolic velocity. Repair of the varicocele resulted in a statistically significant increase in the total sperm count, motility, morphology, and total motile sperm count. However, no significant correlation was found between sperm parameters and RI values (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that a significant improvement occurs in testicular blood supply and sperm parameters after surgical varicocele repair, without significant correlation between these 2 changes.
Subject(s)
Testis/blood supply , Testis/diagnostic imaging , Varicocele/surgery , Vascular Resistance , Adult , Arteries , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Postoperative Period , Sperm Count , Sperm Motility , Time , Treatment Outcome , Ultrasonography, Doppler, ColorABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of the retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV) in patients with varicocele. METHODS: The left renal vein was ultrasonographically investigated for the presence of the RLRV in 140 patients with varicocele and a control group of 137 age-matched patients. The main diagnostic criteria for varicocele were the presence of a varicose vein with a diameter of 3 mm or larger at rest and with a reflux lasting more than 2 seconds during the Valsalva maneuver. The RLRV was defined as a posterior course of the left renal vein to the aorta at the level of the origin of the superior mesenteric artery. RESULTS: The RLRV was observed in 13 (9.3%) of the 140 patients with varicocele and 3 (2.2%) of the control patients. The incidence of the RLRV was found to be significantly higher in patients with varicocele compared with the control patients (P = .018, Fisher exact test). In 13 patients with the RLRV, left varicocele and bilateral varicocele were detected in 10 and 3 cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the incidence of the RLRV was found to be significantly higher in patients with varicocele compared with control patients. Thus, we suggest that the presence of the RLRV may be considered one of the etiologic factors in the development of varicocele.
Subject(s)
Aorta, Abdominal/abnormalities , Aorta, Abdominal/diagnostic imaging , Renal Veins/abnormalities , Renal Veins/diagnostic imaging , Risk Assessment/methods , Varicocele/diagnostic imaging , Varicocele/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Turkey/epidemiology , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine the dimensions of the compensatory hypertrophic inferior turbinate and investigate the radiological changes in the morphology of the conchal bone in patients with septal deviation. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review. METHODS: The mucosal and bone compartments of the hypertrophic turbinate were measured using computed tomography (CT) in patients with septal deviation, and the conchal bones were classified radiologically as lamellar, compact, and combined types. The results were compared with those of controls. RESULTS: The dimensions of the bony and mucosal components of the inferior turbinate were significantly greater than those of controls in the anterior and middle segments, while the morphological changes in the conchal bone were not different. CONCLUSION: The significant bony and mucosal enlargement in the anterior and middle segments of the inferior turbinate supports turbinate reduction at the time of septoplasty and the CT findings should be considered when making a decision about the reduction type.
