[Bickerstaff's encephalitis]. / Éntsefalit Bikerstaffa.

A clinical case of Bickerstaff encephalitis, an autoimmune neuropathy, which affects central and peripheral nerve systems, is presented. This article describes problems of the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Results of MRI, PET, electrophysiological and immunological studies are presented.

[Computed tomography in the diagnosis of tuberculous spondylitis complicated by neurological disorders]. / Komp'iuternaia tomografiia v diagnostike tuberkuleznogo spondilita, oslozhnennogo nevrologicheskimi rasstroistvami.

Computed tomographic data were studied in 50 patients with evolutional forms of tuberculous spondylitis and 3 patients with its sequels. 95% of the patients were operated on. Cross sections displayed 3 variants of vertebral body destruction in tuberculous spondylitis. The vertebral canal was evaluated in 28 patients with neurological disorders and in 22 patients without them. Epidural abscess was revealed in all the patients with neurological disorders and in 12 patients without them. There was a relationship of the severity of neurological disorders as classified by Frankel et al. to the degree of stenosis of the vertebral canal, to the presence of its reserve space, and to the extent of vertebral and spinal lesion. The informative value of computed tomography in detecting spinal cord compression was 98.1 +/- 1.8%.

[Ultrasound diagnosis of retroperitoneal abscesses in spinal tuberculosis]. / Ul'trazvukovaia diagnostika zabriushinnykh abstsessov pri tuberkuleze pozvonochnika.

Sixty four patients were examined to elucidate the capacities and accuracy of ultrasonography (USG) in the diagnosis of retroperitoneal abscesses by ultrasound and X-ray studies. They were all operated on. Retroperitoneal abscesses were detected in patients (58 observations). X-ray retroperitoneal abscesses aroused doubts in 23% of cases. Ultrasonographic evidence was erroneous in 4.9% of cases. USG may reveal accumulation or absence of liquid pus, define the extent and number of chambers of retroperitoneal abscesses, which is helpful in answering questions as what surgical access should be chosen and what scope of a surgical intervention made. The safety and cost-effectiveness of the procedure allows a follow-up to be made.

[Clinical and radiographic manifestations of tuberculous spondylitis in adults]. / Kliniko-rentgenologicheskie proiavleniia tuberkuleznogo spondilita vzroslykh.

Data on 348 adult patients with tuberculous spondylitis treated in 1994-1999 are analyzed. The radiation manifestations of spondylitis first occurring in maturity, which amount to 82.3% in the clinical setting were studied in 112 patients. In 50% of cases, spondylitis was a manifestation of multiorgan tuberculosis. The proportion of those with onset in youth increased (27.9). Isolated lesions of the corpus vertebrae were more frequently detected. The processes involving 2 vertebrae were predominant (61.2%), but complicated by foci at new levels. There was a drastic increase in the proportion of disseminated and multi-levelled spondylitis involving 3-9 vertebrae (36.9%). The exudative component of the inflammation was much pronounced, abscesses were extensive in all forms of spondylitis. Spinal cord deficit was noted in 68% of cases of thoracic and cervical spondylitis. MRI should be used for early diagnosis and determination of the extent of a process.

[Magnetic resonance imaging in the complex radiation diagnosis of tuberculous spondylitis in adults]. / Magnitno-rezonansnaia tomografiia v kompleksnoi luchevoi diagnostike tuberkuleznogo spondilita u vzroslykh.

The paper analyzes X-ray study and MR imaging of 36 adult patients with tuberculosis spondylosis having an active process developed in maturity (n = 20) and sequelae of childhood spondylitis (n = 16). X-ray study is shown to retain its basic value in the diagnosis of spondylitis. MRI is the optimum technique for early diagnosis of inflammatory changes in the spine and soft tissues, the method of choice in neurological disorders.

[Radiologic diagnosis of osteoarticular tuberculosis and borderline skeletal diseases]. / Luchevaia diagnostika kostno-sustavnogo tuberkuleza i pogranichnykh zabolevanii skeleta.

A total of 3305 ill children and adults treated for skeletal diseases and lesions underwent primary and follow-up radiation studies. Patients with spinal diseases amounted to 72%, of them 58% were found to have neurological diseases, 28% had articular diseases. The examination of patients involved X-ray tomography, contrast myelotomography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical and laboratory verifications of the diagnosis were made in 53% of adults and 78.5% of children. It is shown that there are difficulties in diagnosing and differentiating osteoarticular tuberculosis at present and X-ray tomography and contrast myelography are essential in diagnosing spinal diseases. Indications for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, osteoscintigraphy and the sequence of their use in the diagnosis of diseases were defined. The paper emphasizes that an osteoarticulogist's assessment of complex data of radiation diagnosis is very important.