[18F-Deoxyglucose PET for the staging of oesophageal cancer: influence of histopathological subtype and tumour grading]. / 18F-Desoxyglukose-PET zum Staging des Osophaguskarzinoms: Einfluss des histopathologischen Subtyps und des Gradings.

AIM: Evaluation of the influence of histopathologic sub-types and grading of primaries of oesophageal cancer, relative to their size and location, on the uptake of (18)F-deoxyglucose (FDG) as measured by positron emission tomography (PET). METHODS: 50 consecutive patients were evaluated. There were four drop-outs due to previous surgical and/or chemotherapeutical treatments and thus in 46 patients (28 squamous cell carcinomas and 18 adenocarcinomas) a pretherapeutic PET evaluation of the primary including a standard uptake value (SUV) was obtained. In 42 cases data on tumour grading were available also. RESULTS: Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were in 7/13/8 cases located in the proximal, medial and distal part of the oesophagus, respectively the grading was Gx in 3, G 2 in 12, G2-3 in 7, and G3 in 6 cases. The SUV(max) showed a mean of 6.5+/-2.8 (range 1.7-13.5). Adenocarcinomas (ACA) were located in the medial oesophagus in two cases and otherwise in its distal parts. Grading was Gx in one, G2 in 4, G2-3 in 3, G3 in 3, G3-4 in 3, and G4 in one case. The mean SUV(max) was 5.2+/-3.2 (range 1-13.6) and this was not significantly different from the SCC. Concerning the tumour grading there was a slight, statistically not relevant trend towards higher SUV(max) in more dedifferentiated cancer. DISCUSSION: SCC and ACA of the oesophagus show no relevant differences in the FDG-uptake. While there was a significant variability of tumour uptake in the overall study group, a correlation of SUV and tumour grading was not found.

[Nephrosonography during pregnancy (author's transl)]. / Nephrosonographie in der Gravidität.

In a consecutive series of 128 pregnant patients with sound kidneys the physiological changes of the renal cavity during gravidity with regard to primiparae and multiparae as well as to the stage of pregnancy have been investigated ultrasonographically. We found a dilatation of the renal cavity based on mechanical as well as on hormonal factors with the ultrasonographic picture of obstruction. The aim of this study is to identify border-line conditions in order to avoid false positive findings and to distinguish pathological stages from physiological changes. The ultrasonography represents an excellent technique to recognize macromorphologic changes of the kidney during pregnancy.