[Examples for asbestos-related findings in HRCT - criteria for the assessment of causal relationships in surveillance programmes and medical expert opinion]. / Beispiele asbestfaserstaubbedingter Veränderungen im HRCT - Anhaltspunkte für die Kausalzuordnung bei Vorsorgeuntersuchungen und bei der gutachterlichen Beurteilung.

The increasing use of high-resolution computed tomography in formerly asbestos-exposed workers requires valid diagnostic criteria for the findings which have to be reported as suspicious for being asbestos-related in surveillance programmes and for the assessment of causal relationships between former asbestos exposure and findings in computed tomography. The present article gives examples for asbestos-related findings in HR-CT and discusses the specificity of parenchymal and pleural changes due to asbestos fibres.

[Recommendations for reporting benign asbestos-related findings in chest X-ray and CT to the accident insurances]. / Anzeigekriterien asbestfaserstaubbedingter Erkrankungen gemäss BK-Nr. 4103 BKV.

Asbestos-related diseases still play an important role in occupational medicine. The detection of benign asbestos-related diseases is one condition for the compensation of asbestos-related lung cancer in Germany. Due to the increasing use of computed tomography, asbestos-related diseases are more frequently detected in the early stages. The present article proposes recommendations for the findings which have to be reported as suspicious for being asbestos-related based on a) chest X-rays and b) computed tomography using the International Classification System for Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Diseases (ICOERD).

[Digital radiography in chest imaging of occupational and environmental lung diseases]. / Digitale Radiografie in der Untersuchung von arbeits- und umweltbedingten Lungen- und Pleuraerkrankungen.

The classification of pneumoconiosis according to ILO standard - comparing a X-ray of the lung with ILO radiographs - is well established in Germany. The extension of digital imaging is a challenging task in occupational medicine as well as in pneumology. Technical requirements are not known sufficiently and the necessary equipment is not well distributed. This paper describes the current position on recording, assessment and documentation of digital imaging of the lung and pleura.

[New documentation sheet for medical examination due to exposures to dust]. / Neuer Dokumentationsbogen für Untersuchungen nach G1.

With beginning of the year 2004 a new documentation sheet for occupational preventive medical examinations according to exposures to mineral dust (quartz, asbestos, ceramic fibres) will replace the existing sheet. The new investigation sheet is presented in this publication and changes are described.

Adrenal myelolipoma: CT and ultrasound findings.

The computed tomographic (CT) and ultrasound (US) appearances of 5 adrenal myelolipomas in 4 patients are reported. The component tissues of a myelolipoma determine its CT and US appearance. A myelolipoma consisting primarily of fat has a characteristic CT and US appearance. A myelolipoma also containing macroscopic quantities of nonfatty material (blood, calcium, or myeloid tissue) may have a nonspecific CT or US appearance if fat is not identified in the lesion. In equivocal cases, needle biopsy may be used to establish the diagnosis of myelolipoma.

Pitfalls related to the urinary bladder in pelvic sonography: a review.

A number of pitfalls related to the urinary bladder may be encountered during ultrasound examination of the pelvis. Examples of particularly difficult or frequently encountered situations are illustrated in this report. In our experience, difficulties most commonly arise from incorrect identification of the urinary bladder, with an abnormal cystic pelvic mass simulating the normal urinary bladder, or vice versa. In addition, confusing appearances may be caused by urine refluxed into the vagina, technical artifacts, bladder diverticula, or mobile pelvic masses displaced by the bladder. Definitive bladder identification is useful to avoid errors in situations likely to be associated with bladder related pitfalls.

Sonographic transducer performance cannot be evaluated with clinical images.

A wide variety of in vitro tests, some too sophisticated to perform in a clinical setting, is available to provide information on the performance of sonographic transducers. However, it is a common belief among many clinicians that clinically generated in vivo images are a necessary and sufficient test of sonographic image quality. In order to examine the sensitivity and reliability of quality judgments made from clinical images, some transducers that failed elaborate in vitro tests were used to create clinical scans. In a discrimination test between clinical images created by normal and abnormal transducers, a panel of experienced sonographers was unable to consistently identify scans made by transducers with major flaws in the beam uniformity when the defect occurred only in the near field. The study confirms that rigorous in vitro tests provide unique information on transducer performance and can reveal performance flaws that are overlooked in routine clinical images.

Detection of neonatal intracranial hemorrhage utilizing real-time and static ultrasound.

Accurate assessment of neonatal brain anatomy and pathology can now be obtained with commercially available ultrasound equipment. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) has a 50% to 60% incidence in premature infants under 32 wk gestational age and is felt to be one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Computerized tomography (CT) has been the standard for detecting ICH; this study demonstrates that ultrasound is equally accurate and sensitive. Real-time examination through the anterior fontanelle resulted in 100% accuracy when compared with CT in a prospective study. Compound axial scans through the parietal bone were not as accurate, with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 85%. If available, good quality real-time, transfontanelle sector ultrasound should be the screening procedure of choice for detecting and following intracranial hemorrhage in the high-risk premature infant.

Case report. Computer assisted tomographic evaluation of a ganglioneuroblastoma in an adult.

A case of ganglioneuroblastoma in an adult is presented. The precise localization of the tumor mass with computer assisted tomography aided the planning of radiation therapy. In addition, follow-up scans allowed evaluation of tumor response to both radiation and chemotherapy. The clinical and radiologic characteristics of this unusual tumor are discussed.

Mediastinal masses of vascular origin. A review.

Vascular lesions must be considered in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses. Knowledge of the vascular anatomy of the mediastinum and the clinical setting, as well as an awareness of key radiographic features, should suggest the vascular origin and guide appropriate diagnostic imaging. Although angiography is used most often, radionuclide flow studies and computed tomographic scanning may also be useful.