Letter to the editor. A case of inborn choroid plexus carcinoma.

This is a short comment on the article by Balaji et al. "CT and MR Imaging in Choroid Plexus Carcinoma. Report of Two Cases" (The Neuroradiology Journal 2006, 19: 330-333).

[Prenatal diagnosis of a brain tumour--an example of diagnostic and therapeutical algorithm].

The authors describe their cooperation in the diagnosis and treatment of a newborn with malignant brain tumour (rare case of carcinoma of the choroid plexus) recognised by means of prenatal sonography and magnetic resonance. The case history is an example of modern algorithm of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in perinatal medicine and the necessary multicentre collaboration.

[MRI in the diagnosis of congenital white matter diseases and other neurodegenerative diseases]. / Wartosc rezonansu magnetycznego w diagnostyce wrodzonych chorób istoty bialej i innych zwyrodnieniowych chorób osrodkowego ukladu nerwowego.

The results of cranial magnetic resonance imaging in 76 children (aged 3 weeks--17 years) with neurometabolic or other neurodegenerative diseases are presented. The number of diagnosed diseases was 22. MR symptomatology of 11 of them is presented. The list of characteristic images includes metachromatic leukodystrophy, mucopolysaccharidoses, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, Leigh, Menkes and Pelizaeus-Merzbacher diseases, glutaric aciduria type I, Canavan disease, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, Hallervorden-Spatz and Huntington diseases. The diagnosis of neurometabolic/neurodegenerative diseases cannot be based on MRI alone but in some of them (metachromatic leukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy, Leigh and Menkes diseases, glutaric aciduria type I, Canavan and Hallervorden-Spatz diseases) MRI can strongly suggest the diagnosis.

[Magnetic resonance imaging: more sensitive method in the detection of leukemic central nervous system infiltration]. / Zwiekszona wykrywalnosc nacieków bialaczkowych w OUN dzieki zastosowaniu rezonansu magnetycznego.

PURPOSE: To define the ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in identifying leukemic infiltration of central nervous system (CNS) in children. METHODS: The MRI of CNS was carried out in 54 leukemic children (mean age 8.9 years). The results were compared with CSF cytology and neurological examinations. RESULTS: Leukemic involvement of CNS (1 intracerebral infiltration, 5 meningeal intracranial infiltration, and 5 cases of intraspinal infiltration) was found in 11 children (20.4%)--6 of them were before treatment. Blasts in CSF were found only in 3 examined children. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study implicate the importance of routine MRI screening in leukemic children. We found especially important to perform the first examination before the onset of treatment because therapy may cause very quick regression of leukemic infiltration in CNS.

[Cyst of lower mediastinum in a 14-year-old boy with tumor of mediastinum in the course of Hodgkin's disease]. / Torbiel sródpiersia dolnego u 14-letniego chlopca z guzem sródpiersia w przebiegu choroby Hodgkina.

Bilateral enlarged lymph nodes in supraclavian regions, bilateral large tumour of mediastinum and enlarged lymph nodes of hiluses of the lungs were detected in a boy with stage III of Hodgkin's disease. After chemotherapy (MVPP/B-DOPA) and radiotherapy partial remission was achieved. However abnormal mass in the lower mediastinum on the right side of the heart was still present. Results of USG and CT studies showed solid character of this mass. MRI revealed a mediastinal cyst at the place of this mass. The boy has been in the first remission for eight months.

Measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) with quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in postmenopausal osteoporosis: effect of estrogen.

UNLABELLED: To determine the efficacy of the estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on the bone mineral density (BMD) measured with quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in postmenopausal osteoporosis 16 women aged 46-72 were examined. They were divided into two groups: 8 women treated with conjugated estrogens (Group I) and 8 who did not received ERT (Group II). In all 16 patients the serum hormonal concentrations (LH, FSH and estradiol) were measured with radioimmunological methods. The bone densitometry was performed in all of them using the single-energy computed tomography (QCT) with the computer Picker 1200. Bone mineral density was measured in three lumbar vertebra (L1-L3) and expressed in milligrams K2HPO4 per ml. The bone mineral density (BMD) was statistically significantly higher in the estrogen treated group (Group I) in every vertebra compared with that of controls (Group II). The serum FSH concentration was statistically significantly lower in the ERT group (Group I) and a statistically significant correlation between FSH level and average BMD (Lmean) was present. IN CONCLUSION: 1. the ERT is very efficacious in preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women; 2. measurement of BMD in lumbar vertebra L1 or L3 may be a sufficiently reliable and accurate, cost-effective and time-saving method of screening for osteoporosis; 3. the serum FSH determination seems to be useful in monitoring of the estrogen therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis.