Unusual radiological appearance of a faecaloma.

Faecaloma is a hardened, relatively immobile, tumour-like mass of accumulated faeces, usually found in the rectosigmoid region. Rarely, a faecaloma may be observed in other locations along the colon. It is a rare condition but has important complications, including ulceration, perforation and obstruction. The diagnosis is important not only to avoid confusion with neoplasm but also to alert the physician to the possibility of complications. Here we present a case of faecaloma, including the clinical and radiological difficulties in the diagnosis.

Imaging features of esophageal leiomyomatosis: a case report.

Leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of the esophagus. However, esophageal leiomyomatosis is a rare pathologic entity that has received little attention in the radiologic literature. We present a case of esophageal leiomyomatosis with imaging features on barium swallow and computed tomography (CT).

Carcinoma of the gallbladder: role of sonography in diagnosis and staging.

PURPOSE: In an attempt to define the sonographic characteristics of gallbladder cancer, we retrospectively analyzed the sonographic findings in 203 cases of gallbladder cancer confirmed by cytology or histopathology. Patients and Methods Patients with proven gallbladder cancer presenting to a single surgical unit between 1991 and 1995 were identified through a records search. All patients underwent sonographic examination followed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA), biopsy, or laparotomy for establishing the diagnosis. RESULTS: A mass in the gallbladder and gallbladder wall thickening (> 12 mm) were cardinal sonographic findings of carcinoma. Liver infiltration was correctly identified in all patients who had it. Sonography was highly accurate for detecting mass lesions, gallstones, liver infiltration, metastasis, and ascites. However, visualization of lymph nodes, common bile duct infiltration, and peritoneal dissemination was poor. CONCLUSIONS: Sonography was found to be a good diagnostic tool for carcinoma of the gallbladder; however, its sensitivity was poor for staging nodal spread of the disease.

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy in mediastinal tuberculosis.

SETTING: Diagnosis of mediastinal tuberculosis (TB) is difficult due to non-specific clinical features and lack of characteristic radiographic features. Histopathological confirmation has often required computed tomography guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) or even invasive procedures such as mediastinoscopy or open/surgical biopsy. FNAB under ultrasound (US) guidance can also be performed in this clinical setting. OBJECTIVE: To define the role of percutaneous US guided FNAB in the diagnosis of mediastinal tuberculosis. DESIGN: Twenty-six patients with a proven diagnosis of mediastinal TB formed the study group. Chest radiographs and sputum examination were negative. FNAB was performed via suprasternal (n = 20) and parasternal (n = 6) route under sonographic guidance using 22G spinal needle. Aspirates were considered positive for TB when epithelioid cell granuloma with caseation necrosis and/or the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by acid-fast bacilli (AFB) or culture was demonstrated, indeterminate when epithelioid cell granulomas were seen but without caseation necrosis or AFB, and negative when aspirate contained non-representative material. RESULTS: A total of 30 biopsies were performed in the 26 patients, including repeat biopsy and biopsy of different sites in two patients each. FNAB was positive for TB in 20 of the 26 patients. In four, AFB were demonstrated, and in seven culture was positive for M. tuberculosis; in the remaining six patients, cytologic diagnosis was indeterminate in four and negative in two. No procedure related complications were noted. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound guided FNAB is a safe, effective technique in the diagnosis of mediastinal TB.

CT features of acute phlegmonous gastritis.

One case of phlegmonous gastritis is presented. Radiological diagnosis of this condition is difficult. In the setting of a clinical suspicion of this condition, computed tomography (CT) is the imaging modality of choice.

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of gall bladder malignancies.

PURPOSE: To establish the safety and efficacy of US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in gall bladder malignancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 142 patients suspected to have gall bladder malignancies underwent FNAB under real-time US guidance. The most common sonographic appearances were a mass filling or replacing the gall bladder (n=98), focal or diffuse wall thickening (n=25) and intraluminal polypoidal mass (n=19). FNAB was performed with a 0.7-mm spinal needle using a free-hand technique. RESULTS: On initial FNAB, 115 patients were diagnosed to have malignancy. In the remaining 27 patients, aspirates on first FNAB showed either inflammatory pathology (n=14) or the sample was suspicious of malignancy (n=7), or the aspirates were non-representative (n=6). Of these 27 patients, 13 underwent repeat FNAB because of the high suspicion of malignancy and 12 of them showed malignancy. The FNAB diagnosis of inflammatory disease of 7 patients was confirmed on subsequent surgery and 8 patients were lost to follow-up. Thus, a total of 127/142 were diagnosed to have gall bladder malignancy. Adenocarcinoma was the most common malignancy (89.76%). No procedure-related complications were encountered. CONCLUSION: US-guided FNAB is a safe and accurate technique to diagnose gall bladder malignancy. Either a repeat FNAB or surgical biopsy is recommended when the suspicion of malignancy is high and the initial FNAB is negative.

Sonographically guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of abdominal lymph nodes: experience in 102 patients.

We present our experience with sonographically guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of abdominal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes in 102 patients. The biopsied lymph nodes measured 1 to 6 cm (mean, 2.3 cm) and were located at the porta hepatis (n = 23), in the peripancreatic (n = 31), paraaortic (n = 22), aortocaval (n = 1), common iliac (n = 3), or external iliac (n = 6) regions, or in the mesentery (n = 16). Material sufficient for cytologic analysis was obtained in 87 (85.2%) of the 102 patients. The cytologic diagnosis in these patients included malignancy in 47 patients, tuberculosis in 28 patients, reactive lymphoid hyperplasia in 10 patients, and aspergillosis in two patients. In the other 15 patients, fine needle aspiration biopsy could not provide a definitive diagnosis. No major or minor complications occurred in our study. Thus, sonographic guidance is an effective alternative to computed tomography for biopsy of abdominal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes.

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of splenic lesions.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of focal splenic lesions has been infrequently utilized because of the risk of haemorrhage. This study was carried out to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound guided FNAB of splenic lesions. 35 patients with focal splenic lesions underwent FNAB under real-time ultrasound guidance using a free hand technique. Ultrasound findings were single or multiple focal hypoechoic lesions (n = 33), focal hyperechoic lesion (n = 1) and diffuse heterogeneous echotexture (n = 1). Aspirations were performed with 22 G spinal needles using either the subcostal or the intercostal approach. Definite cytological diagnosis was made in 22 patients (62.8%), including tuberculosis in 10 patients, lymphoma in seven patients, extramedullary haematopoiesis in two patients and aspergillosis, histoplasmosis and bacterial abscess in one patient each. FNAB was negative in 12 patients because the aspirates were either scanty or contained only blood. FNAB was falsely positive in one patient. Only one patient had significant intraabdominal bleeding, which was managed conservatively. In conclusion, splenic FNAB performed under ultrasound guidance is a safe and accurate method in the diagnosis of focal splenic lesions.

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology of malignant gallbladder masses.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy and reliability of ultrasound (US)-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) over blind aspiration in gallbladder masses. STUDY DESIGN: We performed FNAC in 107 cases of carcinoma of the gallbladder; blind aspiration was done in 71 patients (66.36%) and US-guided aspiration in 36 (33.64%). In cases where FNAC after the first aspiration showed the aspirate to be inflammatory, acellular (inconclusive) or suspicious for malignancy, FNAC was repeated under US guidance. Diagnosis was later confirmed by histopathology in all cases. RESULTS: After the first aspiration, gallbladder malignancy was confirmed in 77 (71.96%) cases. Of these 77 cases, 34 underwent US-guided aspiration, and the remaining 43 underwent blind aspiration. Cases with inflammatory or acellular (inconclusive) aspirates or that were suspicious for malignancy after the first aspiration underwent a second aspiration under ultrasonic guidance. On the second aspiration of 30 cases, 16 (53.33%) proved to be of adenocarcinoma, 7 (23.33%) were suspicious for malignancy, 5 (16.66%) were inflammatory, and 2 (6.66%) were acellular. Diagnosis was later confirmed by histopathology in all cases. US-guided FNAC had diagnostic accuracy of 95% as compared to 60% on blind aspiration. There was no major complication or needle tract recurrence of the disease. CONCLUSION: US-guided FNAC is safe, rapid, reliable, cost-effective and accurate in diagnosing gallbladder carcinoma.

Cholecystosonographic evaluation of the prevalence of gallbladder diseases. A university hospital experience.

Ninety-five healthy volunteers and 515 patients with problems other than those of the biliary tract were examined using real-time, gray-scale, B-mode ultrasonography. Eighty-two patients (13.44%) were found to have asymptomatic gallbladder disease: 68 (11.14%) had cholelithiasis, 5 (0.81%) had acalculus cholecystitis, and 2 (0.32%) had polyps. Three cases of carcinoma of the gallbladder were also detected, suggesting that ultrasound examination of the high-risk population in an endemic area should not be confined to the disease concerned but that the gallbladder of such patients should also be screened to pick up asymptomatic gallbladder disease. Hence ultrasound can be used as a screening modality for the early detection of carcinoma of the gallbladder.