[Extravasation of radiopharmaceuticals: preventive measures and management recommended by SoFRa (Société Française de Radiopharmacie)]. / Extravasation des médicaments radiopharmaceutiques : mesures préventives et prise en charge recommandées par la SoFRa (Société française de radiopharmacie).

Radiopharmaceuticals extravasation is rare but may have serious clinical issues. Because no specific recommendations are being proposed to date, the goals of our working group created within the French Society of Radiopharmacy are to determine preventive measures and to establish a pragmatic management of extravasation of these drugs. Our preventive measures are to recognize the symptoms (erythema, venous discoloration, swelling), to know the risk factors (which are related to radiopharmaceutical, patient, site of injection, injection technique) and severity (from erythema to skin necrosis, depending on the radionuclide) and how to avoid them (training and awareness of staff, choice of injection site, route of drug administration test, use of a catheter for administration of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals). Management should be immediate. It can be facilitated by a specific emergency kit. General measures recommended are the immediate cessation of injection, aspiration of fluid extravasation, delimitation of the extravasated area with an indelible pen, informing the doctor. Specific measures taking into account the radiotoxicity of the radionuclide and the type of radiopharmaceutical were also established. The patient should be informed by the doctor about the risks and how to take care of. Traceability of the incident must be ensured. A multidisciplinary reflexion is essential to manage the extravasation as early and effectively as possible.

Alteration of the in vivo nicotinic receptor density in ADNFLE patients: a PET study.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in a familial form of frontal lobe epilepsy, autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE). In several ADNFLE families, mutations were identified in the nAChR alpha4 or beta2 subunit, which together compose the main cerebral nAChR. Electrophysiological assessment using in vitro expression systems indicated a gain of function of the mutant receptors. However the precise mechanisms by which they contribute to the pathogenesis of a focal epilepsy remain obscure, especially since alpha4beta2 nAChRs are known to be widely distributed within the entire brain. PET study using [18F]-F-A-85380, a high affinity agonist at the alpha4beta2 nAChRs, allows the determination of the regional distribution and density of the nAChRs in healthy volunteers and in ADNFLE patients, thus offering a unique opportunity to investigate some in vivo consequences of the molecular defect. We have assessed nAChR distribution in eight non-smoking ADNFLE patients (from five families) bearing an identified mutation in nAChRs and in seven age-matched non-smoking healthy volunteers using PET and [(18)F]-F-A-85380. Parametric images of volume of distribution (Vd) were generated as the ratio of tissue to plasma radioactivities. The images showed a clear difference in the pattern of the nAChR density in the brains of the patients compared to the healthy volunteers. Vd values revealed a significant increase (between 12 and 21%, P < 0.05) in the ADNFLE patients in the mesencephalon, the pons and the cerebellum when compared to control subjects. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was then used to better analyse subtle regional differences. This analysis confirmed clear regional differences between patients and controls: patients had increased nAChR density in the epithalamus, ventral mesencephalon and cerebellum, but decreased nAChR density in the right dorsolateral prefrontal region. In five patients who underwent an additional [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET experiment, hypometabolism was observed in the neighbouring area of the right orbitofrontal cortex. The demonstration of a regional nAChR density decrease in the prefrontal cortex, despite the known distribution of these receptors throughout the cerebral cortex, is consistent with a focal epilepsy involving the frontal lobe. We also propose that the nAChR density increase in mesencephalon is involved in the pathophysiology of ADNFLE through the role of brainstem ascending cholinergic systems in arousal.

[Thrombosis of the internal jugular vein in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome]. / Thrombose de la veine jugulaire interne au cours d'un syndrome d'hyperstimulation ovarienne.

Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is a rare complication of assisted reproductive technologies. It presents with massive ovarian enlargement, fluid accumulation in peritoneal, pleural cavities and thromboembolic diseases. The authors report an exceptional case of internal jugular vein thrombosis in an ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Pathogenesis of this event is discussed.

[Comparison of different types of ovarian wound closure in rats. Role of biological glue]. / Comparaison de différents types de "fermeture" de l'ovaire chez la rate. Place de la colle biologique.

Three techniques for closing the ovary have been compared. The test was carried out on 30 rats' ovaries. After the ovary had been cut with scissors it was closed with rapid acting Tissucol (a biological glue) or closed with interrupted stitches of 10/0 Vicryl, or left to close by itself. Sixty days later the ovaries were looked at macroscopically and histologically. The macroscopic score was established according to the presence of adhesions, the size of the ovary, the presence of cysts; and the histological score was carried out according to the presence of granulomatous macrophage lesions, the degree of fibrosis and the existence of germ cell cysts. The results were identifically the same as far as these five different criteria were concerned. All the same, Tissucol brought about less fibrosis and less atrophy of the ovary. Tissucol, therefore, is a good alternative for suturing the ovary as compared with stitching or no formal closure after the removal of ovarian cysts, particularly laparoscopically.

Reproductive outcome after laparoscopic salpingectomy for tubal pregnancy.

Since 1983, we have performed laparoscopic salpingectomy as a routine procedure for ectopic pregnancy (EP) in cases where conservative management is impossible or contraindicated. The main indications are a ruptured tubal gestation, a pathological tube, a history of tuboplasty, and an ipsilateral recurrence. This technique is simple, quick, and safe. Reproductive outcome after laparoscopic total salpingectomy for EP was evaluated in 125 cases between January 1983 and December 1987. The pregnancy rate was 33.6%. In our population, there was a high proportion of patients with a pathological or absent contralateral tube (74.4%). In patients with a normal contralateral tube (32 cases), the live birth rate (46.9%) was greater but not significantly than in patients (39 cases) with a patent but pathological tube (25.6%). In vitro fertilization (IVF) was performed in 59 patients; clinical pregnancy was obtained in 40.7% of cases. These encouraging results lead us rapidly to consider IVF in patients with a pathological contralateral tube.

[Relation between urinary albumin excretion and retinopathy in insulin-dependent diabetics]. / Relations entre excrétion urinaire d'albumine et rétinopathie chez les diabétiques insulino-dépendants.

To study the relationship between retinal and renal microangiopathy, the albumin excretion rate (AER) was measured by radioimmunoassay in 111 insulin-dependent diabetics and compared to their stages of retinopathy, as assessed by ophthalmoscopic examination and fluorescein angiography. The prevalence of pathological AER differed from that of diabetic retinopathy. The stage of retinopathy was related to the duration of diabetes (r = 0.59; P = 0.001), which was not the case for AER (r = 0.06; ns). Half of patients with proliferative retinopathy (11/22) had a normal AER, while 12% of those without retinopathy had a pathological AER (microalbuminuria). No relationship was found between glycaemic control and AER. The highest prevalence of hypertension was found in patients with macroalbuminuria (greater than 500 mg/24 h) and/or severe retinopathy. The mean AER was higher in hypertensive diabetics than in non-hypertensive diabetics (P less than 0.005). These results suggest that the risk of retinopathy is dissociated from the risk of glomerulopathy in diabetics, and that hypertension associates with diabetes mellitus in a greater risk of pathological AER.