Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging of pituitary adenomas.

Eleven previously nonoperated patients with suspected pituitary microadenomas were scanned on a 1.5-T GE system before and after administration of IV gadolinium-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg). Six patients had Cushing disease, four had hyperprolactinemia, and one had acromegaly. Surgical confirmation was available in all cases, and these findings were correlated with results of CT and venous sampling, when available. The normal pituitary gland, infundibulum, and cavernous sinuses enhance immediately after the administration of gadolinium-DTPA, allowing contrast between the enhancing normal glandular tissue and low-intensity microadenomas. Contrast-enhanced MR detected a lesion not seen on the unenhanced images in two patients with Cushing disease and in one patient with hyperprolactinemia. Tumor delineation was improved with gadolinium administration in two additional cases. In six patients, administration of gadolinium did not significantly alter the precontrast interpretation. Adenomas were found at surgery in all 11 patients. The tumor was correctly localized on MR in four of the six patients with Cushing disease, resulting in an accuracy of 66.7%. In another patient, although a focal lesion was detected on MR, location of the adenoma at surgery was discrepant with the MR findings and was therefore considered a false-positive study. In the single false-negative examination, both pre- and postcontrast MR failed to detect a surgically confirmed microadenoma suspected on both contrast-enhanced CT and venous sampling. Correct localization of the adenoma was achieved in all of the five non-Cushing patients, yielding an accuracy of 100%. Immediate T1-weighted coronal scans were most useful in detecting intrasellar disease. Delayed scans obtained 30 min after injection did not improve the differentiation of pituitary gland from microadenoma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Economic impact of CT scanning on the evaluation of pituitary adenomas.

The medical and financial records of three cohorts of 20 consecutive patients with pituitary adenomas surgically treated in 1976, 1978, and 1980 were evaluated to assess the impact of changing technology on the cost of preoperative diagnostic evaluation. The average preoperative length of hospital stay decreased from 6.8 days in 1976 to 1.9 days in 1980. The average diagnostic radiologic charge adjusted to 1980 dollars decreased from +1,747 in 1976 to +585 in 1980, while the radiologic bill as a percentage of the total hospital bill changed from 17.3% in 1976 to 11.9% in 1980. The decline in cost parameters coincided with the dramatic increase in the use of cranial computed tomography and the sharp reduction in the use of angiography and pneumoencephalography. These findings suggest that computed tomography is a highly efficacious technique for the evaluation of patients with suspected pituitary adenoma, resulting in significant savings in the costs of diagnostic evaluation.

Coexistent rheumatoid arthritis and tophaceous gout: a case report.

Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are both common rheumatic diseases, but their coincidence is rare. We report the case of a 67-year-old Caucasian woman with rheumatoid arthritis who later developed tophaceous gout. The tophi disappeared with remarkable rapidity on treatment with allopurinol.

Chromosome analysis on 930 consecutive newborn children using quinacrine fluorescent banding technique.

Chromosome analysing using quinacrine fluorescence was performed on 930 consecutive newborn infants. The total incidence of major chromosome aberrations including numerical changes of the sex chromosomes, and structural changes of autosomes, was 0.54%. Incidence of XYY (0.4%) and XXY (0.2%) were relatively higher as compared to other studies. About 0.75% of the newborn infants were found to have a variable bright fluorescent band located on the proximal area of the short arm (p11) rather than on the proximal long arm (q11) of chromosome No. 3. Attempts were also made to record the variable fluorescent regions on 7 autosomes and the Y chromosome.

Quinacrine fluorescence and Q-banding patterns of human chromosomes. I. Effects of varying factors.

Various factors involved in the production of "Q-bands" have been studied. It was found that a Zeiss standard WL fluorescent microscope required a shorter exposure time for photography as compared to a Zeiss photomicroscope. The minimal exposure time was obtained when the standard WL microscope was equipped with a UV light source containing a DC powered mercury burner and a concave mirror. Further, the pH and type of water used in the staining, washing and mounting of the slide were also important factors in producing clear and well differentiated "Q-bands". It also appears that the factors involved in the production of "Q-bands" effect the enhancement or quenching of fluorescence by poly d(A-T)-poly d(A-T) and salmon sperm DNA or poly dG-poly dC respectively. This preliminary report also suggests that DNA or polynucleotides with a specific base sequence may play an important role in Q-banding patterns on chromosomes.