Assessment of the empty follicle syndrome by transvaginal sonography.

The empty follicle syndrome was assessed using transvaginal ultrasonography in a group of 152 consecutive women with unmedicated menstrual cycles being studied because of primary or secondary infertility or repetitive miscarriage. The overall frequency of the empty follicle syndrome was found to be 43.4%. The frequency increased with age but was independent of gravidity. The empty follicle syndrome may be a significant etiologic factor in infertility or other reproductive abnormalities, and transvaginal ultrasound represents a good, non-invasive means of evaluating it.

Sonographic definition of the empty follicle syndrome.

The sonographic definition of the empty follicle syndrome is presented in a group of 89 consecutive, unmedicated menstrual cycles in women with primary or secondary infertility. The incidence of the empty follicle syndrome was found to be 50%. The incidence increased with age and was independent of gravidity or the type of follicular rupture (or lack of rupture). These data suggest that the empty follicle syndrome may represent a significant etiologic factor in infertility or other reproductive abnormalities.

Hepatic artery infusion: surgical approach.

Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy for the treatment of nonresectable liver cancer is gaining popularity among the medical community. A lack of knowledge of the variants in the anatomy of the arterial blood supply to the liver may lead to inadequate hepatic perfusion, or inadvertent perfusion of extrahepatic organs. A review of 70 hepatic artery angiograms on patients referred to the liver program at the Creighton Cancer Center was performed to integrate angiographic findings, surgical techniques, and clinical decision making.

Normal anatomic variant: scintigraphy of the ischiopubic synchondrosis.

Radionuclide bone imaging in pediatric patients occasionally shows a focus of distinct localized increase of radiotracer uptake at the ischiopubic synchondrosis. Correlation of radionuclide bone images and conventional radiographs of this area in a group of pediatric patients demonstrates the positive bone scans to correlate with the period of beginning but incomplete fusion of the synchondrosis. This represents a normal phase of skeletal development that radiographically and scintigraphically may mimic disease and should not be confused with a focus of pathologic activity.

Mucolipidosis type III. Multiple elevated serum and urine enzyme activities.

The clinical characteristics of a 16-year-old white girl with mucolipidosis type III included early growth retardation, severe dysostosis multiplex, restricted joint motion, tight indurated skin, swollen eyelids, late-onset hepatosplenomegaly, umbilical hernia, corneal opacities, and only slightly impaired mental and neurological development. Cultured fibroblasts contained numerous coarse perinuclear retractile inclusions. Biochemical findings indicated the following: (1) normal levels of urinary acid mucopolysaccharides, (2) deficient activities of multiple lysosomal hydrolases in cultured fibroblasts, (3) elevated activity levels of seven serum lysosomal hydrolases, and (4) elevated activity levels of four lysosomal hydrolases in urine.