Short communication: endoanal ultrasound during contraction of the anal sphincter--improved definition and diagnostic accuracy.

Endoanal ultrasound was used in the investigation of 26 patients with faecal incontinence. In each case images of the anal sphincter were taken at rest and during contraction or squeezing (dynamic). Better definition of the normal anal sphincter or anal sphincter defects was obtained in 16 (62%) of the patients with imaging during contraction. In eight of the 13 patients with a sphincter defect there was better definition of the defect and increased separation of the ends of the sphincter during contraction. Imaging during contraction improves diagnostic accuracy and is a useful adjunct with endoanal ultrasound.

Contrast cholangiography versus ultrasonographic measurement of the "extrahepatic" bile duct: a two-fold discrepancy revisited.

The upper limit of the normal extrahepatic duct diameter when measured by sonography in our institution is less than half that when measured by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The objective of this study was to locate possible sources of this discrepancy by comparing measurements obtained on the same patient by sonography, before and after ERCP. Thirty consecutive patients referred for ERCP were entered into a prospective trial; bile duct measurements were obtained independently by both techniques in 19 patients. Correcting for radiographic magnification, the ERCP measurement was more than twice that obtained by ultrasonography. Among the possible reasons for diverse results that we considered, radiographic magnification, ultrasonic underestimation, and distending effects of retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) were not found to be prominent causes for the marked discrepancy that we observed. The most likely explanation is that the duct in individual patients was being measured at a different level by the two techniques. A retrospective comparison of the studies obtained by each method suggests that the sonographic measurement is most often of the right hepatic duct. If this is the case, the two measurements show no statistically significant difference (P greater than 0.05). A prospective trial is needed to test this hypothesis.

Sarcoma in Paget disease of bone: clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features in 22 cases.

The clinical, radiologic, and histologic features of 22 cases of Paget sarcoma were reviewed to determine in which patients with Paget disease these tumors are most likely to develop and what radiologic findings suggest the diagnosis. Clinical findings at presentation included pain and/or a mass (11 patients), pathologic fracture (seven), and neurologic symptoms (four). Survival time in 20 patients ranged from 5 days to 2.5 years. Two patients were lost to follow-up: one at 2 years and one at 8 years. There were 16 high-grade osteosarcomas, three chondrosarcomas, two fibrosarcomas, and one malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The most common site was the femur. Tumors also were observed in unusual sites. In one case of multifocal osteosarcoma, the tumor involved only pagetic bone. In 15 patients, Paget disease was polyostotic, clinically significant, and had been documented previously. In four patients, a sarcoma developed near the site of a fracture that had occurred between 2 months and 15 years previously. All cases showed radiologic evidence of a destructive lesion; other findings included a mass and evidence of tumor mineralization. Periosteal reaction was not observed. All but one tumor developed in a site of osteoblastic or mixed osteoblastic and lytic Paget disease. Our results suggest that sarcomas can develop in any part of any bone affected by Paget disease but are more likely to occur with advanced disease and to present with a destructive lesion without periosteal reaction.