Reproducibility of temporal volume change in CT of lung cancer: comparison of computer software and manual assessment.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of volumetric software evaluation and manual evaluation of tumour growth. Three observers manually evaluated whether tumour volume was increasing, if it was unchanged, or if it had decreased in size in 2 serial CT examinations of 45 solid lung cancers. The tumour volumes were calculated 3 times using volumetric software and were evaluated using the same classifications as for manual evaluation. Both data sets were divided into three groups: growth or reduction with consistency among all three evaluations (group A), growth or reduction with consistency between only two evaluations (group B), and others (group C). The volume variation and relative volume variation were calculated from the median volumes measured by volumetric software. Although all 45 tumours were categorised in group A by volumetric software, only 21 tumours were categorised in group A by manual assessment. The relative volume variation of the manual assessment was 88.5 +/- 76.5%, 20.8 +/- 28.3% and 12.9 +/- 12.8% in group A, B and C, respectively. Significant differences were found between groups A and B (p<0.01) and between groups A and C (p<0.001). Inconsistency is often seen in manual assessment; in contrast, evaluation using volumetric software has good reproducibility, even when the relative change in tumour volume is small.

One-dimensional quantitative evaluation of peripheral lung adenocarcinoma with or without ground-glass opacity on thin-section CT images using profile curves.

The purpose of our investigation was to compare the usefulness of the subjective visual assessment of ground-glass opacity (GGO) with a quantitative method that used a profile curve to determine prognosis. 96 adenocarcinomas were studied. Three diameters ([D1]-[D3]) were defined for estimating the diameter of tumours on the monitor: the distance between two points was measured using software that displays a CT density profile across the tumour. One experienced and one less experienced radiologist independently evaluated the following six parameters: the three diameters [D1]-[D3]; the solid portion of total tumour in the two different ratios ([D2]/[D1], [D3]/[D1]); and the area ratio of GGO for total opacity to subjective visual evaluation. Interobserver agreement between the two radiologists of the diameters (mean bias+/- 1.96 standard deviations) was as follows: [D1], -0.7 +/- 6 mm; [D2], 0.4 +/- 4.4 mm; and [D3], -0.1 +/- 4.2 mm (Bland and Altman's method). Interobserver agreement was fair in evaluating the area ratio of GGO (kappa test, kappa = 0.309). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that two ratios ([D2]/[D1], [D3]/[D1]) might be significantly useful in estimating lymph node metastasis (p < 0.026), lymph duct invasion (p < 0.001) and recurrence (p < 0.015). Observation of the area ratio of GGO by an experienced radiologist would be necessary for estimating lymph node metastasis (p = 0.04) and lymph duct invasion (p < 0.001). We concluded that the ratio of solid component to total tumour, which is obtainable in a more objective and simple way using profile curves obtained by software, is a more useful method of estimating prognosis than is visual assessment.

Effects of increased physical activity and mild calorie restriction on heart rate variability in obese women.

The effects of exercise and mild calorie restriction on heart rate variability (HRV) were investigated in 12 mildly obese, normotensive Japanese women aged 45.8+/-4.2 (SEM) years with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.3+/-0.4 kg/m2. The subjects participated in a 3-month program aimed at increasing physical activity and modifying eating behavior (intervention group). The control group consisted of 12 women (age 50.1+/-4.8 years, BMI 27.2+/-0.6 kg/m2) who did not attend the program. The frequency domain of HRV was calculated from 5-min Holter recordings while the subjects rested in a supine position. After 3 months, BMI decreased to 25.0+/-0.5 kg/m2 (p<0.001 vs baseline) in the intervention group, which was accompanied by decreases in body fat mass, waist circumference, serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and improvement in insulin sensitivity. The mean and SD of the RR intervals, total power, and low and high frequency power of HRV significantly increased after the intervention, whereas no significant changes were seen for the controls. The changes in these HRV variables (calculated by subtracting the baseline values from the follow-up values) negatively correlated with the change in waist circumference, with the Pearson correlation coefficients being between -0.50 and -0.62 (p<0.05). A negative correlation was also seen between the changes in high frequency power and insulin resistance estimated by homeostasis model assessment (r=-0.49, p<0.05). The combination of exercise and mild calorie restriction led to changes in HRV indicative of an improvement in parasympathetic modulation.

Association of serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha with serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and blood pressure in apparently healthy Japanese women.

1. The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is considered to be involved in the development of atherosclerosis by inducing local inflammatory responses in the vascular wall. Because TNF-alpha is also known to affect lipid and glucose metabolism, the association between the circulating concentration of TNF-alpha and atherogenic risk factors was examined in 82 apparently healthy Japanese women (aged 19-69 years; mean age 48.5 years). 2. The mean (+/-SD) serum TNF-alpha concentration was 2.7+/-0.9 pg/mL (range 1.4-5.9 pg/mL). The TNF-alpha concentration showed significant correlations with age (r = 0.28; P = 0.01), body mass index (r = 0.27; P = 0.01), the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.41; P = 0.0002), percentage body fat (r = 0.30; P = 0.006), systolic (r = 0.32; P = 0.004) and diastolic (r = 0.24; P = 0.03) blood pressure, total cholesterol (r = 0.27; P = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C; r = 0.36; P = 0.001), while the correlations with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = -0.20; P = 0.08) and insulin resistance estimated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA(IR); r = 0.16; P = 0.15) were not statistically significant. 3. When adjusted for age and menopause, TNF-alpha was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.25; P = 0.02) and LDL-C (r = 0.27; P = 0.02). The association between TNF-alpha and LDL-C remained significant when adjustment was made for age, menopause and the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.24; P = 0.03). 4. Our results indicate that TNF-alpha may play a role in modulating blood pressure and LDL-C.

The usefulness of power Doppler ultrasonography for diagnosing prostate cancer: histological correlation of each biopsy site.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the findings of power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) of the prostate with those of site-specific transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 28 patients referred to our institution for TRUS-guided prostate biopsy because of an elevated PSA level and/or abnormal digital rectal examination. PDUS findings were graded 0, 1 or 2; grades 0-1 were considered as negative and grade 2 as positive. The blood volume of each biopsy site was also determined using the mean number (MN) value that represents the average vascularity in a 5-mm square sample. PDUS values were correlated with the histological findings of 147 biopsies with 19 focal lesions. RESULTS: Grade 2 was assigned to 19 sites, grade 1 to 52 sites, and grade 0 to 76 sites. Fourteen of the 19 PDUS findings of grade 2 sites revealed carcinoma and five were grade 1. Ten of 35 TRUS-positive sites were carcinomas, three benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 22 normal. The MN value for prostatic carcinoma was 4.33, for BPH 11.7 and for normal tissue 4.7. The overall sensitivity of PDUS was 74%, the specificity 96% and the positive predictive value 74%. CONCLUSIONS: Because TRUS alone cannot detect all cancers, PDUS should be used routinely in all patients undergoing TRUS-guided biopsy, to improve the diagnostic yield of prostate cancer.

[Cyclophosphamide-induced renal pelvic tumor--a case report].

We report a case of transitional cell carcinoma in the left renal pelvis, which occurred in a 24-year-old man. He had been treated with cyclophosphamide (CPM) for a period of 27 months for retroperitoneal rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosed at the age of 10. At first 1.2 g CPM had been given twice intravenously for 3 months, followed by oral administration of 41 g CPM for 23 months. Drip infusion pyelography revealed a filling defect in the left renal pelvis. A left renal pelvic tumor was strongly suspected on computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Left nephroureterectomy was then performed. Histological diagnosis of the left renal pelvic tumor was transitional cell carcinoma, grade 2, pT1N0M0. No recurrence was defected 17 months later. This case seems to be the second case of cyclophosphamide-induced upper urothelial carcinoma reported in Japan.

[A case of female paraurethral cyst diagnosed as epithelial inclusion cyst].

The patient was a 36-year-old woman with a chief complaint of pain of the urethral meatus. A cyst existed just below the urethral meatus. The paraurethral cyst was removed completely. Histologically, the cyst was lined by stratified squamous epithelium. According to the criteria proposed by Das, paraurethral cysts are classified into 4 groups: epithelial inclusion cysts, Müllarian cysts, Gärtner duct cysts, Skene duct cysts. In this case, the cyst seemed to be an epithelial inclusion cyst. In the Japanese literature, paraurethral cysts have been incompletely classified from an etiological perspective. Differential diagnoses based on the histological findings of the cysts may be important to determine the etiology.

[Clinical study of prostate cancer: statistical analysis of 107 cases in the past 12 years].

One hundred and seven patients with prostate cancer were treated at Mie University Hospital during the past 12 years between 1988 and 1999. They were between 53 and 83 years old, with an average age of 70.8 years old. The clinical stage was defined as A, B, C and D in 3 (2.8%), 19 (17.8%), 50 (46.7%) and 35 (32.7%) patients, respectively. At initial diagnosis, the tumor was well, moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in 26 (24.3%), 47 (43.9%) and 34 (31.8%) patients, respectively. The median follow-up period was 52.3 months. The overall 1, 3 and 5-year survival rates were 98.0%, 86.8% and 75.2%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates for stage A, B, C and D were 100%, 93.8%, 82.1% and 56.9%, respectively. A significant difference (p = 0.017) in 5-year survival rate was noted between stage C and D. The 5-year survival rate was 100% for well differentiated, 78.0% for moderately differentiated, and 53.2% for poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. A significant difference (p = 0.0016) in the 5-year survival rate was noted between well differentiated and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. According to the therapy, the 5-year survival rate in stage C was 86.2% for the radical prostatectomy group and 84.0% for the endocrine therapy group. There was no significant difference between these 2 treatment groups. Endocrine therapies, classified into maximum androgen blockade (MAB) and endocrine therapy other than MAB were performed for stage D as an initial therapy. Although the prognosis in the patients treated with MAB was better than that with other endocrine therapies, there was no significant difference between these 2 endocrine treatment groups.

[A case of emphysematous pyelonephritis with emphysematous cystitis].

A 74-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus had a high fever, and was treated with antibiotics and insulin in another hospital. She was referred to our department, because CT scan showed the right hydronephrosis and the abnormal gas shadow in the right renal calyces. Ureteral catheterization was performed on the right side and cloudy urine was drained. Urine culture yielded E. coli. Since submucosal emphysematous changes were demonstrated in the bladder mucosa by cystoscopy, she was diagnosed with emphysematous pyelonephritis with emphysematous cystitis associated with diabetes mellitus. Administration of antibiotics and insulin and the ureteral catheter drainage improved her condition immediately. Abnormal gas shadow on CT scan and submucosal emphysema on cystoscopy disappeared. We reviewed 110 cases of emphysematous pyelonephritis and 23 cases of emphysematous cystitis including our case in Japan, and report their clinical characteristics.

Paravesical granuloma after inguinal herniorrhaphy. Case report and review of the literature.

Paravesical granuloma after herniorrhaphy is an unusual complication due to infected suture material and often mimics bladder or urachal malignancy. We present 3 cases of this disease and reviewed 21 previously reported cases. Our patients underwent hernial repair 2-7 years before examination and presented urinary symptoms. They were treated with antibiotics and underwent exploration of the inguinal wound infection but the symptoms did not resolve. En bloc excision and partial cystectomy were performed and resulted in complete resolution of the symptoms. It is important to consider paravesical granuloma in patients who had undergone herniorrhaphy in the differential diagnosis of bladder or urachal tumors.

[The progress in diagnostic imaging for staging of bladder and prostate cancer: endorectal magnetic resonance imaging and magnetization transfer contrast].

We retrospectively studied the staging accuracy of endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in comparison with transrectal ultrasound examination (TRUS) for 71 localized bladder cancers and 19 localized prostate cancers (PC) radically resected. The accuracy of clinical staging for bladder cancer in endorectal MRI and TRUS was 85.9% and 69.2%, respectively. The presence or absence of the continuity of submucosal enhancement on T2-weighted MRI images could be useful for the staging of bladder cancer. The accuracy of the seminal vesicular invasion for prostate cancer in endorectal MRI and TRUS was 95% and 63%, respectively. To determine whether magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) provides additional information in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the magnetization transfer ratios (MTRs) were calculated in 22 patients with PC, 5 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 4 controls. The mean MTR in the peripheral zone of the normal prostate (8.0% +/- 3.4 [standard deviation]) showed a statistically significant decrease relative to that in the inner zone of the normal prostate (27.4% +/- 3.4, p < 0.01), BPH (25.5% +/- 3.7, p < 0.01), pre-treatment PC (30.6% +/- 5.9, p < 0.01), and PC after hormonal therapy (20.3% +/- 6.3, p < 0.01). The mean MTR in pre-treatment PC was significantly higher than that in BPH, or in PC after hormonal therapy (p < 0.01). MTC was considered to be useful for conspicuity of prostate cancer lesion.

[A case of renal cell carcinoma with metastasis in clivus presenting as diplopia].

We report a rare case of renal cell carcinoma presenting as diplopia which was caused by a metastasis to the clivus. A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of diplopia. Head magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass in the clivus accompanied by bone destruction. Metastatic tumor to the skull base was suspected. Further examinations for the primary lesion revealed left renal cell carcinoma. He was relieved of diplopia by radiotherapy to the clivus and subsequently underwent left radical nephrectomy.

[Laparoscopic fenestration of lymphocele after renal transplantation: report of two cases].

Lymphocele after renal transplantation is a complication that often requires surgical treatment. We performed laparoscopic drainage for the postoperative lymphocele in two renal transplantation patients. The patients were suffering from perineal discomfort and urinary frequency due to the lymphocele after the renal transplantation. Percutaneous catheter drainages and injections of tissue sclerosing agents such as povidone-iodine solution and tetracycline were not effective. Then fenestration of the lymphocele by laparoscopic technique was done. This procedure made the lymphatic fluid free from the lymphocele in the retroperitoneal space to the peritoneal cavity following creation of a peritoneal window. There were no apparent complications. The patients were free from symptoms and had no relapse 10 months after the operation. We report the procedure and the results of the laparoscopic fenestration.

Normal bladder wall morphology in Gd-DTPA-enhanced clinical MR imaging using an endorectal surface coil and histological assessment of submucosal linear enhancement using [14C]Gd-DOTA autoradiography in an animal model.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate normal bladder wall morphology in gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using an endorectal surface coil and to perform histological assessment of submucosal linear enhancement with experimental [14C]-gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecane-tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) autoradiography. METHODS AND MATERIAL: MR imaging of the bladder was performed using an endorectal coil in 13 consecutive patients with bladder carcinoma and T1-, T2-, and Gd-DTPA-enhanced spin-echo images of the bladder wall were compared. After injection of [14C]Gd-DOTA into a hamster, autoradiograms of the bladder wall were obtained and compared with serial histological sections. RESULTS: The normal bladder wall appeared as a homogeneous layer of intermediate intensity on T1-weighted images. After administration of Gd-DTPA, the bladder wall was visualized as three layers: an inner thin layer of low intensity, a middle layer of marked enhancement, and a thick outer layer of intermediate intensity. The autoradiograms demonstrated dense accumulation of [14C]Gd-DOTA in the submucosal layer. Thus, the inner, middle, and outer layers corresponded to the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis propria, respectively. The thickness of the bladder wall demonstrated on T2-weighted images was almost equal to that of the outer layer on enhanced T1-weighted images. Thus, T2-weighted images revealed only the muscle layer as an intermediate-intensity band. In the preliminary clinical study, MR imaging invariably showed accurate stages of the bladder carcinoma in 13 patients. CONCLUSION: In MR imaging of the normal bladder wall, the submucosa was strikingly enhanced after Gd-DTPA administration, separating the bladder wall into three layers. This may have a potential role in the staging of bladder tumors.

[Percutaneous sclerotherapy for chyluria with leg edema: a case report].

A 45-year-old woman with left leg edema was admitted to our hospital because of chyluria from the previous year. Her left leg edema appeared after Caesarean section for her first delivery and hysterectomy at the age of 31. Because microfilaria was not detected, she was diagnosed with postoperative lymphangiomatosis. The instillation of 0.1-0.5% silver nitrate into the renal pelvis was not effective. We however, after percutaneous sclerotherapy to the left inguinal lymph nodes with doxycycline, the chyluria disappeared and her left leg edema improved. Then, the surplus skin of her left lower leg was resected. We considered percutaneous sclerotherapy to be a good procedure for chyluria due to postoperative lymphangiomatosis.

[A case of metastatic ureteral tumor from rectal cancer].

A 67-year-old man was referred for further examination of left hydronephrosis. He had undergone anterior resection for rectal cancer 2 years previously and also right lobectomy for a solitary hepatic metastasis one year postoperatively. Antegrade pyelography demonstrated a filling defect in middle portion of the left ureter. Cytology of the aspirated urine was class V. Left nephrourete-rectomy was performed. Histologically metastatic adenocarcinoma with intact ureteral mucosa was demonstrated.

[Abscess of corpus cavernosum: a case report].

A 72-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of a penile mass. The local biopsy indicated an abscess formation in the corpus cavernosum. In spite of antibiotic treatment, the abscess cavity ruptured to the dorsal skin and the urethra. After cystostomy formation, dorso-caverno-urethral fistula was closed by conservative therapies. Although the patient was followed up with antibiotics on an outpatient basis, necrotic changes in the right foot were noticed and he was diagnosed with arteriosclerosis obliterance in the right lower leg. Therefore, he was referred to an orthopedic clinic for amputation of his right lower leg with cystostomy catheter. This is the 7th case reported in Japan.

[Selective transcatheter embolization for renal artery aneurysms: report of three cases].

Selective transcatheter embolization using an interlocking detachable coil (IDC) or detachable balloon was performed in three patients with renal artery aneurysms. All aneurysms were of the saccular type, located on segmental branches of the renal artery. After the embolization procedures, the levels of LDH, GOT, WBC and the body temperature were transitionally elevated in all patients. Complete occlusion of the aneurysms were achieved in all cases. Good clinical results were achieved in two of these patients without any renal dysfunction. However, local infarction of ipsilateral renal parenchyma occurred in one patient immediately after the embolization and a Tc-99m-DMSA renal scintigraphy study suggested renal dysfunction after infarction, and the level of serum renin activity was slightly elevated. Selective transcatheter embolization may constitute an acceptable therapeutic approach for renal artery aneurysms because beside avoiding surgery, it has a low risk of complications.