Immunohistochemical assessment of an asymptomatic glucagonoma in a patient with hypergastrinemia and marked antral angiodysplasia.

A 58-year-old patient had been treated for recurrent gastritis. Numerous gastroscopies indicated hemorrhagic gastritis combined with increasingly severe anemia. The patient was admitted with a hemoglobin of 4.4 g/dL. Gastroscopy showed marked antral angiodysplasia. Serum samples for gastrin were taken and found to be elevated (170-250 U/mL). The search for a gastrin-producing tumor with abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography, octreotide scan, and secretin test was negative, but angiography detected a pancreas tumor with a 2-cm diameter. Partial pancreatectomy and partial gastrectomy were performed. Immunohistochemical examination of the tumor did not show a gastrinoma but did show glucagon-reactive tissue. Further tumors or elevated plasma hormone levels were not detected, and a multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome could be excluded. We thus found antral angiodysplasia with hypergastrinemia leading to detection of a glucagonoma diagnosed by immunohistochemistry. After more than 4 years of follow-up, the patient is without any symptoms or signs of relapse or secondary hormone syndrome.

[Ultrasound detection of pneumoperitoneum based on typical ultrasound morphology]. / Sonographischer Nachweis des Pneumoperitoneums anhand typischer Sonomorphologie.

The correspondence of sonography and radiography to figure out a pneumoperitoneum was studied in a group of 140 patients having undergone abdominal surgery. Sonography revealed 14 (82.4%) out of 17 radiographically positive patients. Because of the predominant collection of free air in the right upper quadrant, the ventrolateral liver surface represents the most important region in search of a pneumoperitoneum. In another 3 patients free peritoneal gas was diagnosed which was not revealed radiographically. The possibility to observe motion in real-time sonography repeatedly proved to be decisive for the certain diagnosis of free air (the shifting air under patient's movent and the immobility of the gas reflex under respiration). An observed "step" between the air in the costophrenic sinus and the abdominal gas reflex is considered to be an additional sonographic sign. These results justify combined evaluation of a suspected pneumoperitoneum by both plain film radiography and sonography prior to other imaging modalities.

[Postpartum ovarian vein thrombophlebitis--case report]. / Postpartale Ovarialvenenthrombophlebitis-Kasuistik.

Because of the low incidence and the lack of clinical symptomatology, puerperal ovarian vein thrombophlebitis has constituted a diagnostic problem now as ever, and diagnostic errors are frequent. With the help of US and CT, however, the chances of early detection have improved. On the 26-year old patient P. C. a section had to be performed in the 34th week of pregnancy because of premature rupture of the bag of waters. On the 7th postoperative day, the patient developed pyrexia inspite of antibiotic therapy. Sonographical examinated lead us to suspect a floating thrombus in the vena cava inferior. It was in the CT that the diagnosis of ovarian vein thrombosis was made for the first time. On the 13th day post partum a laparotomy and exstirpation of the v.ovarica dextra with removal of the thrombus plug from the v.cava inferior infrarenally was performed. Primarily, conservative treatment is given preference if the development is uncomplicated; operative sanitation is undertaken in case of difficulties only.

[Sonography of the lower urogenital system]. / Sonographie des unteren Urogenitalsystems.

A suprapubic transvesical sonography of the lower urogenital tract performed by a radiologist is part of a complete investigation of the abdomen. The application of endosonographical methods is mainly subject-related in gynecology and obstetrics as well as in urology. The ranking rate of suprapubic transvesical sonography is compared with endosonographical methods, and, as indicated, also with CT und MRI. Concerning pathological-sonographical details, it is referred to the relevant literature. The diagnostic accuracy depends on the experience and ability of the investigator.

[Value of sonography in radiology--the retroperitoneum]. / Stellenwert der Sonographie in der Radiologie--Retroperitoneum.

Ultrasonography ranks highly among the diagnostic methods of retroperitoneal pathologies. It has shown its practicability for the screening of non-organ-linked retroperitoneal lesions. However, ultrasonography has proven to be inferior to computed tomography concerning the overall accuracy. In this review, the value of ultrasonography in the imaging of non-organ-linked retroperitoneal lesions will be discussed.

[Experimental ultrasound analysis of the appendix. Contribution to improving the diagnosis of acute inflammation in routine clinical practice]. / Experimentelle Ultraschallanalyse der Appendix. Beitrag zur Diagnoseverbesserung akuter Entzündungen im klinischen Alltag.

Sonographic investigations of fresh operative specimens - 50 non-infected, 50 chronic and 50 acute inflammatory appendices - and also of 335 pertinent operated patients with "typical" appendiceal disorders were performed. All other entities, mimicking acute or perforated appendicitis were excluded from this study. Under experimental conditions, negative, chronic and acute or phlegmonous appendices appeared as "cockade" or "pseudokidney sign" with reflecting wall and echoless lumen. The application of a 5 Mz linear transducer made the differentiation of three wall layers feasible, in negative appendices as well as in dilated acute appendicitis, whereas in chronic inflammation and in obliterating acute appendicitis a wall layer stratification was not possible. In clinical application of 335 operated patients we only could demonstrate cases of acute or perforated appendicitis (n = 182/220), but no cases of non-infected appendix. In 57% of pertinent cases the objectivation of lumen dilatation, in 35% a wall layer stratification was feasible. Acute, phlegmonous or perforated appendicitis was proven by demonstrating an immobile "pseudotumor mass" with dominating constant hypodense reflex property. The pertinent diameters as measured in clinical acute appendicitis exceeded significantly the diameters observed in experimental sonography of negative appendices with a differential intact mobility. Intraluminary coproliths and hyperdense reflecting attached omental segments facilitated a sonographic diagnosis. In 101/115 patients correct negative diagnosis was established. On the basis of these criteria, a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 88% and a diagnostic accuracy of 85% related to the diagnosis of acute or perforated appendicitis was obtained in this study.

[Percutaneous layer differentiation of the colonic wall by ultrasound. Clinical case examples and experimental results]. / Perkutane Schichtdifferenzierung der Kolonwand durch Ultraschall. Klinische Fallbeispiele und experimentelle Ergebnisse.

Based on 3 case observations, the feasibility of the percutaneous sonographic objectivation of a five-layer image of the colon wall using a 5 Mhz linear transducer is reported for the first time. Sonographic stratification is promoted by means of "ultrasound windows" or contrasting borderlines. Employing stepwise dissection of autoptic specimens and ultrasonic comparison, it was possible to identify the hypodense zones 2 and 4 as mucous membrane and muscle layer, divided by the reflecting submucous layer (zone 3). The hyperdense bands 1 and 5 were found to represent borderline echos of the large bowel wall. This preliminary report is a step towards an eventual percutaneous staging of colon neoplasms.

[Ultrasound study of "acute appendicitis," an elective procedure or obligation in general surgery. A prospective study]. / Ultraschalluntersuchung bei "Akuter Appendizitis", Kür oder Pflicht in der Allgemeinchirurgie. Eine prospektive Studie.

576 patients admitted for suspected acute appendicitis were prospectively assessed by sonography following physical examination. The collective comprised - as proven by operation - 156 patients with acute appendicitis, 178 patients with chronic appendicitis or mesenteric lymphadenitis, as proven by observation, 186 patients suffering from gastroenteritis. 56 patients suffered from other diseases and 21 of them required urgent surgery. Based on clinical symptoms, correct diagnosis had been made in 433 patients (75%): gastroenteritis n = 186, chronic appendicitis or lymphadenitis n = 111 and acute appendicitis n = 136 (87%). In 123 patients the diagnosis was false positive, in 20 patients false negative. Based on sonographic assessment, 537 patients (93%) were correctly diagnosed; thus, in 129 patients (83%) an inflamed appendix was confirmed, in 56 patients; diagnosis of unrelated entities requiring urgent surgery correct in 21 cases. In 12 patients with mesenteric lymphadenitis - as proven by operation-a false positive, in another 27 patients with acute appendicitis a false negative diagnosis was made. The combination of clinical assessment and sonographic diagnosis yielded a correct diagnosis in 97% (560/576) comprising 414 true negative and 146 true positive results (94%) in respect of acute appendicitis.