Atypical presentation of Clostridium difficile colitis in patients with cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: This report describes the unusual presentation of Clostridium difficile colitis in five patients with cystic fibrosis and the role of CT in first suggesting the correct diagnosis in this group of patients. Because of the absence of watery diarrhea and the presence of abdominal bloating and decreased stooling, cystic fibrosis patients with C. difficile colitis will be treated for stool impaction, meconium ileus equivalent, or distal intestinal obstruction syndrome. CT of the abdomen, performed in these five patients because of their lack of improvement after standard therapy for stool impaction, showed an extensive pancolitis later confirmed to be caused by C. difficile infection. CONCLUSION: In patients with cystic fibrosis, imaging findings of a pancolitis should raise the possibility of C. difficile colitis despite the lack of watery diarrhea. Anticlostridial treatment can be initiated before bacteriologic confirmation is obtained.

Sonographic findings in splenogonadal fusion.

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare developmental anomaly usually presenting as a scrotal mass. The imaging findings and etiology of this condition are discussed. Knowledge of this entity may help to prevent unnecessary orchiectomy.

Pancreatic lesions in von Hippel-Lindau disease: prevalence, clinical significance, and CT findings.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to determine the nature, prevalence, and CT findings of pancreatic lesions in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease and to determine whether identification of pancreatic cysts and neoplasms is important in establishing the diagnosis of von Hippel-Lindau disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The medical records and radiologic images of 52 patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease who were evaluated at our institution between 1976 and 1992, and who at some stage underwent abdominal CT, sonography, or MR imaging, were reviewed. The nature, prevalence, and CT findings of the pancreatic lesions were determined, and the role of the pancreatic abnormalities in establishing the diagnosis of von Hippel-Lindau disease was studied. RESULTS: Twenty-nine (56%) of the 52 patients had pancreatic lesions. Nineteen patients had pancreatic cysts and no other pancreatic lesion. Four patients had islet cell tumors only, one had a microcystic adenoma only, and three had indeterminate pancreatic masses. One patient had cysts and an islet cell tumor, and another patient had cysts, an islet cell tumor, and a microcystic adenoma. In six patients (12%), pancreatic lesions were the only abdominal manifestation of von Hippel-Lindau disease. In three patients screened because of a family history of von Hippel-Lindau disease, no CNS abnormalities were present, and the only abdominal lesions were in the pancreas (cysts in two cases, islet cell carcinoma in the other). Thus, the pancreatic lesion was an important factor in establishing a diagnosis of von Hippel-Lindau disease in these patients. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic lesions may be the only abdominal manifestation of von Hippel-Lindau disease. CT findings include cysts, islet cell tumors, and microcystic adenomas. Pancreatic lesions, including cysts, may precede any other manifestation of von Hippel-Lindau disease by several years, and recognition permits earlier diagnosis in patients being screened for von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Pancreatic pseudocyst that compressed the inferior vena cava and resulted in edema of the lower extremities.

To our knowledge, edema of the lower extremities has not previously been reported as a sign of a pancreatic pseudocyst. In this case report, we describe a 66-year-old man in whom such a lesion compressed the inferior vena cava and caused pronounced leg swelling. After drainage of the pseudocyst, the edema did not recur. Although the most well-known complications of pancreatic pseudocyst are pain, hemorrhage, rupture, infection, and obstruction of adjacent viscera, bilateral edema of the lower extremities can be the initial manifestation of this lesion.

Advances in gynecologic imaging and intervention.

Advances in diagnostic imaging of the female genital tract facilitate characterization of many pelvic masses. Preoperative assessment of gynecologic malignant tumors provides information that may alter the surgical approach or timing of radiation therapy. Image-guided biopsy accurately confirms recurrent malignant lesions. Transcervical techniques have improved diagnostic assessment of infertile couples; thus, effective and inexpensive treatment options can be offered. Postoperative complications of gynecologic procedures can be detected with imaging, and many can be treated with image-guided techniques.

Sciatic endometriosis: MR appearance.

Endometriosis of the sciatic nerve is a rare but important cause of sciatica. Early on, the symptoms may be cyclic and be treated with local excision of the endometrioma from the sciatic nerve. If left untreated, it can result in marked cicatricial change of the sciatic nerve and require more radical surgical treatment. Due to the hemorrhagic nature of endometriomas and their characteristic location, the MR imaging findings can permit a specific diagnosis of sciatic endometriosis to be suggested. Therefore, MR imaging is recommended for evaluation of sciatica if the symptoms vary with the menstrual cycle or if there is a history of endometriosis. Early recognition of this disorder will facilitate appropriate treatment and minimize permanent damage to the sciatic nerve. The first surgically proven case of sciatic endometriosis with preoperative MR imaging is presented.

Islet cell tumors in von Hippel-Lindau disease: increased prevalence and relationship to the multiple endocrine neoplasias.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease is a rare, autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by CNS hemangioblastomas, retinal angiomas, renal cell carcinomas, pheochromocytomas, and visceral cysts. The occurrence of islet cell tumors in von Hippel-Lindau disease has been noted recently. Because of the coexistence of both islet cell tumors and pheochromocytomas in some patients with this disorder, it has been proposed that there may be a continuum of the multiple endocrine neoplasias. However, no large, multifamily study has been published evaluating the prevalence of islet cell tumors and pheochromocytomas in von Hippel-Lindau disease. To assess the frequency of islet cell tumors in this disorder and its relationship to the multiple endocrine neoplasias, we reviewed the clinical and imaging findings of all patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease evaluated at the Mayo Clinic between January 1979 and December 1989. Forty-three patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease from over 25 kindreds were found. Cross-sectional imaging of the pancreas had been performed in 35. Islet cell tumors were found in six (17%) of these, three islet cell adenomas and three islet cell carcinomas. No patient presented with endocrine-related symptoms; four tumors were detected during screening examinations of the abdomen. Two (33%) of these six patients had a coexisting pheochromocytoma. Our review of a large number of patients from many different families with von Hippel-Lindau disease revealed a high prevalence of islet cell tumors and the frequent coexistence of islet cell tumors and pheochromocytomas. This latter finding supports a continuum of the multiple endocrine neoplastic syndromes.

Masses of the hand and wrist: detection and characterization with MR imaging.

To assess the value of MR imaging in the detection, delineation, and characterization of mass lesions of the hand and wrist, we reviewed the MR imaging findings of 38 patients referred for evaluation of such lesions. Twenty-five patients had a palpable mass. In an additional 13 patients an occult mass lesion was suspected as the cause of distal ulnar neuropathy. Twenty-two mass lesions (16 benign and six malignant) were detected by MR. All were correctly predicted to be benign or malignant. In nine (56%) of the 16 benign mass lesions, the specific diagnosis was suggested. In the remaining seven benign mass lesions and in the six malignant tumors, the MR findings were not specific enough to permit a diagnosis. Of the 14 patients referred for evaluation of a distal ulnar neuropathy, an occult ganglionic cyst compressing the ulnar nerve was revealed with MR imaging in three. MR imaging of the hand and wrist is accurate in the detection of mass lesions and can correctly distinguish benign from malignant tumors in the majority of cases. Specific diagnoses can be made in certain benign lesions. Occult mass lesions can be confirmed or excluded as the cause of distal ulnar neuropathy with MR imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist: normal cross sectional imaging and selected abnormal cases.

Using a small surface coil and limited field of view, the authors have generated 13 contiguous, 3 mm, transverse sections of the wrist of a cadaver. The identity of the structures recorded has been established by subsequent dissection of the cadaver. The article presents the 13 MR sections together with drawings identifying the recorded structures at each level. These anatomic sections are amplified by 7 transverse MR images showing alterations of the normal anatomy in clinical examples of wrist pathology.

Primary lymphoma of the bladder.

A case of primary lymphoma of the bladder is presented with a review of the literature. A brief discussion of secondary involvement of the bladder by lymphoma is included.