Bowel Dilatation on Initial Plane Abdominal Radiography May Help to Assess the Severity of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common life-threatening gastrointestinal emergency associated with prematurity. Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment are crucial to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the affected infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of bowel dilatation on plane abdominal radiography (AR) in the early diagnosis and NEC severity in preterm infants. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed initial ARs of 50 preterm infants with NEC ≥ stage II admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a tertiary-care hospital. The largest bowel loops diameters (AD), the latero-lateral diameters of the peduncle of the first lumbar vertebra (L1), and the distance of the upper edge of the first lumbar vertebra and the lower edge of the second one, including the disc space (L1-L2), were measured. All anteroposterior ARs were done in a supine projection on the day of onset of the initial symptoms of NEC. RESULTS: Preterm infants with surgical NEC showed a statistically significant increase in the AD/L1 ratio (p < 0.001) and AD/L1-L2 ratio (p < 0.001) compared with preterm infants with medical NEC. We found no significant association between the site of the most distended bowel loop and the severity of NEC (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Bowel loop distension on initial AR may serve as an additional diagnostic tool in the early diagnosis and severity of stages II/III NEC. Further prospective clinical studies should validate the results from this study.

Evaluation of Congenital Hydronephrosis with Static and Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Urography in Comparation to Dynamic Renal Scintigraphy.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital hydronephrosis (CH) is a condition with dilated renal pelvis with or without dilation of renal calyces. AIM: To examine the role of magnetic resonance urography in the detection of congenital hydronephrosis in comparison to dynamic renal scintigraphy (DRS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Resarch included 58 (n=58) patients with diagnosis of congenital unilateral or bilateral dilatation of kidney duct system. Each patient had a one-time or multiple hospitalization at the Nephrology Department of the Pediatric Clinic, with performed: ultrasound which confirmed CH, voiding cystourethrography / voiding urosonography was confirmed based on which the vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was established / excluded, dynamic renal scintigraphy and magnetic urography (analysis was made by CHOP-fMRU software) on the basis of which the uterine anatomy and the relative renal function were evaluated. RESULTS: Male patients were represented in 40 cases (69%). The average age was 4.4 ± 4.3 years with the youngest patient at the age of 2 months, and the oldest was 17 years old. According to diagnostic entities, the most common diagnosis was ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction in over half of cases (30 or 51.7%), followed by subjects with ureterovesical junction (UVJ) obstruction (11 or 19%), VUR was recorded in 9 (15.5%) cases, and pyelon fissus in 7 (12.1%), and one case (1.7%) was recorded with bilateral megaureter. Comparison of the value of the renal function obtained with DRS and CHOP-fMRU methods shows that there were no statistically significant differences between two methods. In the case of right kidney, the mean DRS value was 53.4 ± 18.4% (range 13-100%), while CHOP-fMRU was 51.8 ± 22.4 (range 0-96.7%). In the case of left kidney, the average value according to the DRS method was 46.9 ± 18.9% (range 0-87%) and according to CHOP-fMRU 47.6 ± 21.5% (range 8.3-100%). The correlation coefficients of both right and left kidneys show a highly statistically significant correlation between these two methods. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance urography in the pediatric population in CH based on results should be an integral part of the management of these patients, especially in congenital obstructive uropathy, in complex and associated congenital anomalies, as it provides morphological and functional data on the state of the kidneys and urinary tract.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Fetal Pathology.

INTRODUCTION: Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an imaging method for displaying anatomical structures of the fetus without ionizing radiation and it has been in use since the MRI has been used for the analysis of the adult human body. AIM: The aim of our paper is the two-year retrospective analysis of fetal MRI examinations for the purpose of presenting various pathological conditions of the fetuses. METHODS: A total of 59 fetal MRI examinations were performed on pregnant women in the time period 2016 to 2018 at the Radiology Clinic at Sarajevo University Clinical Center, on Siemens and Toshiba 1.5 Tesla scanners. All cases were referred by gynecologists who suspected a fetal pathology. The comparison of the fetal age at which the congenital anomalies are usually detected is performed using the univariate analysis of variance and the Student t test, at the 95% level of confidence. RESULTS: Of the total of 59 fetal MRI examinations, 2 fetuses (3,4%) were healthy, while pathology of the head and CNS was found in 26 fetuses (44,2%), thoracic cavity pathology in 5 fetuses (8,5%), abdominal cavity pathology in 18 fetuses (30,6%), pathology of extremities in 2 fetuses (3,4%), spinal cord pathology in one fetus (1,7%), and in 3 fetuses associated anomalies were found (5,1%). The pathology of the uterus and placenta was found in two pregnant women (3,4%). CONCLUSION: Prenatal MRI provides extremely useful information in cases where the ultrasound examination of the fetus is insufficient due to the size and position of the fetus. MRI is a key tool in deciding whether to continue or stop the further development of the fetus.

Encysted hydrocele of the canal of Nuck in an 11-month-old child with a past history of duodenal atresia and Arnold-Chiari malformation: A case report.

RATIONALE: Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is a rare developmental disorder and represents of a homolog of hydrocele of spermatic cord in males. Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is a very rare cause of inguinal swelling in female infants and children. It results from the failure of obliteration of the distal portion of evaginated parietal peritoneum within the inguinal canal, which forms a sac containing fluid. PATIENT CONCERNS: We describe a case of hydrocele of the canal of Nuck in an 11-month-old girl with a past medical history of duodenal atresia and Arnold-Chiari malformation. DIAGNOSIS: Physical examination and ultrasound revealed a soft, cystic, noncompressible, and non-fluctuant labial mass measuring approximately 5 cm. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent surgical exploration through a right skin crease incision. The cystic lesion was histologically confirmed to be a non-communicated hydrocele of canal of Nuck. OUTCOMES: The child is doing well at 1-year follow-up with no swelling or recurrence on the operated side. LESSONS: Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is a rare developmental disorder but should be considered in a differential diagnosis in young girls with an inguino-labial swelling.

Possibilities of differentiation of solitary focal liver lesions by computed tomography perfusion.

AIM: To evaluate possibilities of computed tomography (CT) perfusion in differentiation of solitary focal liver lesions based on their characteristic vascularization through perfusion parameters analysis. METHODS: Prospective study was conducted on 50 patients in the period 2009-2012. Patients were divided in two groups: benign and malignant lesions. The following CT perfusion parameters were analyzed: blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT), capillary permeability surface area product (PS), hepatic arterial fraction (HAF), and impulse residual function (IRF). During the study another perfusion parameter was analyzed: hepatic perfusion index (HPI). All patients were examined on Multidetector 64-slice CT machine (GE) with application of perfusion protocol for liver with i.v. administration of contrast agent. RESULTS: In both groups an increase of vascularization and arterial blood flow was noticed, but there was no significant statistical difference between any of 6 analyzed parameters. Hepatic perfusion index values were increased in all lesions in comparison with normal liver parenchyma. CONCLUSION: Computed tomography perfusion in our study did not allow differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions based on analysis of functional perfusion parameters. Hepatic perfusion index should be investigated in further studies as a parameter for detection of possible presence of micro-metastases in visually homogeneous liver in cases with no lesions found during standard CT protocol.

Relationship between ultrasound criteria and voiding ultrasonography (VUS) in the evaluation of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).

AIM: To analyze the usefulness of five ultrasound parameters (ureteral dilatation, renal pelvis dilatation, renal parenchyma width reduction, calyceal dilatation, and urothelial reaction) in detecting vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). METHODS: The study included 101 patients with diagnosed and therapeutically treated urinary infection. The ultrasound examination and voiding urosonography (VUS) were carried out according to a standard protocol. In the group of patients with proven VUR the presence of the indirect ecomorphological signs of VUR was evaluated. RESULTS: The referral diagnosis urinary tract infection was present at the admission in 53 patients, while the remaining 48 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of infectio tractus urinarii recidivans. Pathological VUS was found in 53 patients. The ultrasound parameter with the highest sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (77.4%, 79.2%, and 76.0%, respectively) in detection of VUR was urethral dilatation, while the parameter with the highest positive predictive value (62.5%) in detection of VUR was urothelial reaction. CONCLUSION: In case of ultrasound verification of ureteral dilatation or urothelial reaction, especially in if the urinary infection has proved, it is necessary to exclude the existence of VUR.