Investigation of the veins in patients with Behçet's disease with no known vascular event by Doppler ultrasonography.

In Behçet's disease, deep venous thrombosis occurs primarily in the lower extremities. Total recanalization rate is low, so thrombotic segment could be detected by imaging afterward. For disclosing vein involvement, leg swelling is commonly queried in the history taking in those patients. However, there are no data about the presence of "silent" thrombosis in patients with BD. We aimed at investigating the integrity of venous vessels in BD, without any known vascular event by using Doppler ultrasonography (DU). Patients having past events revealed in the vascular questionnaire or physical findings attributable to vascular disease were excluded. Various degree of venous insufficiency was detected in 74 patients in BD (74%), 24 out of 33 patients (72%) in AS and in 8 out of 34 (25%) in HC group. All were at the lower extremities, and there is no difference in the frequency between BD and AS, while both were significantly higher than in HC (P = 0.001, and 0.004, respectively). Six patients with BD (6%) have chronic venous thrombi at the lower extremities and none in either AS and HC. As a non-invasive method, DU of lower extremities may disclose "silent" thrombosis. Venous insufficiency in those patients should be considered cautiously as an indicator of vein involvement.

Radiologic assessment of the relationship between the maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle.

OBJECTIVE: The course of the second part of the maxillary can vary among different races. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between the maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle in a white population sample on computed tomographic (CT) angiograms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed multidetector CT angiograms of 209 patients (134 men and 75 women). The images were taken using a 64-row multidetector CT scanner. The imaging parameters were 0.5 × 64-mm slice thickness, 0.5- or 0.3-mm increment, 120 kV, 250 mA s, 0.5-second rotation time, 0.641 pitch, and 512 matrix. The relationship between the pterygoid portion of the maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle was assessed on axial, sagittal, and coronal multiplanar reformatted images with the Vitrea 2 software program. RESULTS: A total of 572 maxillary arteries in 286 patients were assessed. Of these maxillary arteries, 418 (68.42%) had a superficial course to the pterygoid muscle and 132 (31.58%) had a deep course. In 165 (78.94%) of 286 patients, there was a cross-lateral symmetry of the course of the artery; that is, both vessels were superficial or deep. In 44 (21.1%) of 209 patients, an asymmetric course was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the incidence of the asymmetric presentations, generalization regarding such a controversial topic should not be based on findings of cadaveric studies and each hemi head should be considered as a single entity. Therefore, advanced imaging systems are useful tools in preoperative planning and play a key role in the avoidance of hemorrhagic complications.

Risk factors associated with breast arterial calcifications.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have linked the presence of breast arterial calcifications (BACs) with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and cardiovascular mortality. Because there is a well-established screening system for breast cancer, it has been proposed that the presence of BACs can be used as a warning sign indicating an increased risk of metabolic and vascular diseases. PURPOSE: To determine the relation between BAC and early renal dysfunction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 6118 mammograms identified 701 cases with BACs. Women with BACs were compared to a random selection of 362 women without BACs based on available laboratory data. Univariate analysis was conducted according to age groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of BACs was 11.5% in our study. Hyperglycemia increased the odds of BACs by 8.1 (95% CI 3.0-22.1, P < 0.001) in the 50-59-year age group. The presence of an elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine increased the odds of BACs by 2.6 (95% CI 1.2-6.0, P = 0.016) and 2.3 (95% CI 1.0-5.2, P = 0.045) in women ≥70 years of age. Hyperlipidemia was not a significant risk factor for BACs in any age group. CONCLUSION: Our results support the view that the presence of BACs on mammography may be indicative of diabetes in middle-aged women. On the other hand, BACs are not very useful for predicting early renal dysfunction in women <70 years of age.

A new preoperative radiological assessment in LeFort I surgery: anterior nasal spine-sphenoidal rostrum.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the distance between the anterior nasal spine and the sphenoidal rostrum related to the LeFort I surgery in a Turkish population sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) scans of 209 patients (134 males and 75 females). The images were obtained on a 64-MDCT scanner. The imaging parameters were 0.5 × 64 mm slice thickness, 0.5/0.3 mm increment, 120 kV, 250 mAs, 0.5 sn rotation time, 0.641 pitch, and 512 matrix. The distance between the anterior nasal spine and the sphenoidal rostrum was assessed with the Vitrea 2 software program. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 134 male (mean age 57.90 ± 5.86) and 75 female (mean age 54.84 ± 4.31) patients. The distance between the anterior nasal spine and the sphenoidal rostrum was ranging between 40.4 and 70.9 mm (average 58.3 ± 5.9) in males and 45.0 and 63.2 mm in (average 55.2 ± 4.3) females. In addition, no statistically significant differences were found between genders. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study showed that after 40 mm proceeding of the ball end nasal osteotome, the surgeons must be aware of penetrating the sphenoidal rostrum.