[Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of oral carcinoma]. / La resonancia magnética en el diagnóstico del carcinoma oral.

Oral cancer accounts for 5% of all tumors in men and 2% in women. We analyzed frequency, sex distribution and cervical lymph node involvement in relation to tumor site. Local extension was diagnosed in 66 patients by MR imaging and the results were compared to CT scan. The results of these studies were correlated with the histopathological study of the specimen in relation to the diagnosis of bone infiltration, tumor size and cervical node infiltration. Bone infiltration was similar in MR images and CT scans. Tumor size was better diagnosed by MR imaging. Detection of cervical lymph node involvement was similar in MR imaging and CT scan.

[Computerized tomography of the pituitary gland in the diagnosis of prolactinoma: a concordance study]. / La tomografía computadorizada de hipófisis en el diagnóstico de los prolactinomas: estudio de concordancia.

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic capacity of computed tomography (CT) of the pituitary gland in the diagnosis of prolactinomas is difficult to define in terms of specificity and sensitivity since, up to the present, there is no definite diagnostic test for prolactin producing tumors. The aim of this study is to establish the consistency of CT of the hypophysis in the diagnosis of the prolactinomas based on a concordance design. METHODS: In the follow-up study of 48 patients diagnosed as affected of prolactinoma a concordance study was carried out on the blind lecture of 35 pituitary gland CT by two radiologists. RESULTS: The degree of concordance for all the diagnosis (kappa = 0.58) was greater than what might be expected by chance. The degree of concordance was also different for the different diagnosis given by the two radiologists: empty sella turcica, kappa = 0.84 (p less than 0.01); macroprolactinoma, kappa = 0.68 (p less than 0.01); microprolactinoma, kappa = 0.45 (p less than 0.01) and normal sella turcica, kappa = 0.28 (NS). CONCLUSIONS: CT of the hypophysis must be less sensitive (more false negatives) in cases of high prolactin due to microprolactinomas and less specific (more false positives) in cases of high prolactin due to a cause other than pituitary tumor, thereby making it a complementary diagnostic test to clinical evaluation and to prolactin determinations.