Use of perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) to detect liver abscesses with computed tomography. Safety and efficacy.

Although perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) is known to stimulate macrophages, particulates given intravenously (IV) can inhibit the body's response to infection by blocking the reticuloendothelial system. Since PFOB enhances abscesses on computed tomography (CT), the authors evaluated its safety and efficacy by assessing the mortality and abscess volume in 104 rabbits with intrahepatic abscesses given either PFOB or lactated Ringer's (LR), and by comparing its efficacy to that of 76% meglumine sodium diatrizoate (MSD76). Abscesses were produced by injecting a virulent strain of E. coli into the liver. Two days later, five of the rabbits had died. Of the remaining rabbits, 50 were given 5 g/kg PFOB IV, and 49 were given an equal volume of LR. All rabbits had a CT scan at four and at ten days after infusion. They were killed before the second CT scan. Thirty seconds before being killed, 28 rabbits given LR were given a bolus of 2 ml/kg MSD76 IV. Following CT, rabbits were frozen, sliced, and photographed. Abscess volumes were calculated by digitizing the photographs of the anatomic sections and the CT images. MSD76 enhanced the liver by 105 Hounsfield units (HU) more than the liquefied abscess center. The abscess wall enhanced to the same degree as liver, resulting in nonvisualization of three of six abscesses less than 3 mm in size, and a 30% underestimation of true abscess volume.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Perfluorochemicals as US contrast agents for tumor imaging and hepatosplenography: preliminary clinical results.

In animals, perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are effective ultrasound (US) contrast agents that produce hepatic, splenic, and tumor enhancement. The use of Fluosol-DA 20%, an emulsion of perfluorodecalin and perfluorotripropylamine, was studied in nine non-critically ill patients with cancer who had liver lesions. US studies without Fluosol were compared with studies obtained 24, 48, and 72 hours after Fluosol infusion. Vital signs and extensive laboratory analyses are performed before and after Fluosol infusion. Liver metastases from colonic, pancreatic, and gastric carcinoma exhibited rim or diffuse enhancement after a Fluosol dose of 1.6 g/kg or greater. Fluosol produced echogenic enhancement of the liver and spleen relative to kidney at a dose of 2.4 g/kg, allowing the detection of nonenhancing lesions. In addition, Fluosol at a dose of 1.6 g/kg or greater allowed detection of lesions not seen before contrast medium was administered in three of the seven patients studied. There was a mild increase in the level of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in two patients, one given 2.4 and the other 3.2 g/kg of Fluosol. Mild and transient allergic reactions without change in vital signs were experienced by two patients.

Emergencies and rationality : The case of Three Mile Island

The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is analyzed from the perspective of rationality theory. Contrary to the popular view that operator errors are inexplicable, the concept of practical rationality reveals the subjective meaning of the operators' actions. It is argued that rationality is a valuable notion for the practical management of emergencies and man-made disasters, and that rationality is an essential element in the development of a sociology of disasters (AU)