Objective To assess the spectrum of causes, clinical features, differences between disease phases, and prognosis of extrinsic allergic alveolitis （EAA）. Methods Patients with EAA diagnosed at Peking Union Medical C...Objective To assess the spectrum of causes, clinical features, differences between disease phases, and prognosis of extrinsic allergic alveolitis （EAA）. Methods Patients with EAA diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 1983 to May 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. Their medical records were examined to gather clinical, laboratorial, radiological, and histopathological data. Patients were divided to three phases （acute, subacute, and chronic） according to clinical presentations. Follow-up data regarding treatment response, subsequent radio- logical and pulmonary function studies, and clinical outcomes were collected. Results A total of 21 cases were enrolled. Among them, 11 were subacute, 10 were chronic. The most common exposure was pet birds （6 cases, 28.6%）. The primary abnormality of pulmonary function was restriction and/or reduction in diffusing capacity （12 cases, 63.2%）. The most common findings on high-resolution computed tomography （HRCT） were ground-glass opacities （13 cases, 68.4%） and centri- lobular nodules （8 cases, 42.1%）. Airway obstruction in pulmonary function test, emphysema, hmg cysts, and fibrosis on HRCT were more frequently seen in chronic than in subacute patients, though the differences were not statistically significant. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） showed lymphocytosis. The total＇cell count and the percentage of neutrophils were significantly higher in subacute than in chronic patients （P〈0.05）. Nonnecrotizing granulomas were seen in 8 （47.1%） cases. Improvement or normalization in symptoms, radiography, and pulmonary function test after treatment were seen in all 18 patients with avail- able follow-up data. Five patients recurred. Conclusions The characteristic abnormalities of pulmonary function, findings on HRCT, and pa- thology are essential for all phases of EAA, and the atypical manifestations such as obstruction and fibrosis can also be present frequently, particularly in chronic cases. Differential cell counts of BALF are related to the phase of the disease. The treatment response and prognosis of EAA are good.展开更多
Objective To establish the normal measurements of diameter of extraocular muscles (EOMs) by multislice computed tomography (CT). Methods Orbits of 50 volunteers (25 male and 25 female) were scanned with a multislice C...Objective To establish the normal measurements of diameter of extraocular muscles (EOMs) by multislice computed tomography (CT). Methods Orbits of 50 volunteers (25 male and 25 female) were scanned with a multislice CT scanner. For each subject, one axial image at the central level of the eyeball, one coronal image about 1 cm behind globe, and two oblique sagittal images respectively along the left and right optic nerve were used for measurements of the thickness and width of EOMs. The statistic significance of measurement value between male and female and between left and right eyes was evaluated. Results There were no significant differences in the thickness and width of superior muscle group, lateral rectus, medial rectus, lateral rectus, superior oblique, inferior oblique and the thickness of levator palpebrae superioris between the left and right eyes as well as between male and female groups (all P>0.05). The thickness of superior muscle group and inferior rectus had not significant difference (2.9±0.7 vs. 3.3±0.8 mm, P=0.162), while the thickness of medial rectus was significantly higher than that of lateral rectus (3.1±0.5 vs. 2.2±0.6 mm, P=0.000). Conclusions The CT measurement of extraocular musculature is simple and time-saving and can be applied in the clinical work. The normative data obtained may be useful in determining pathologic enlargement of the EOMs in both thyroid-associated orbitopathy patients and other various orbital conditions.展开更多
Objective To describe the pitfalls in positron emission tomography/computed tomography （PET/CT） imaging and classify them according to the principles of their generation. Methods We summarized retrospectively the ^...Objective To describe the pitfalls in positron emission tomography/computed tomography （PET/CT） imaging and classify them according to the principles of their generation. Methods We summarized retrospectively the ^18F-fluorodeoxyglucose （FDP） PET/CT imaging pitfalls through reviewing the PET/CT images of 872 patients. The pitfalls were divided into artifacts and infrequent physiological uptake, and the artifacts were further classified according to their causes. Meanwhile, we calculated the incidences of various pitfalls. Whether the PET/CT pitfalls influenced the diagnostic decision was analyzed. The appearances of pitfalls in PET were also described. Results Pitfalls could be found in PET/CT images of 684（78.4%） patients. Artifacts were found in 664 （76.15%） patients, and could be classified into self-factor artifacts and equipment-or technology-related artifacts. Among self-factor artifacts, respiratory motion （57.5%）, postprandial or hyperglycemia artifacts （2.41%）, and metal or high density matter artifacts （1.38%） were frequent. As for equipment-or tectmology-related factors, injection point outleakage or radiotracer contamination （13.88%） and truncation artifacts （1.83%） were most common ones. Infrequent physiological FDG uptakes, including fatty up-take, endometrial uptake, and bilateral breast feeding period uptake, were found in 20 （2.29%） patients. Among all pitfalls, the artifacts in 92 （13.4%） patients and infrequent physiological uptakes in 6 （0.88%） patients affected the diagnostic results. Artifact images in PET could be described as hot or cold area and the images of infrequent physiological uptake were always shown as hot area. Conclusions The incidence of pitfall in PET/CT imaging was high and the causes of pitfalls are various. Among all causes that artifacts generated, respiratory motion is the most common. Some pitfalls may disturb clinical physicians＇ decision, so it is important to recognize artifacts and physiological uptake, and distinguish them from pathological uptakes.展开更多
Background Thalassemic patients demonstrate an increased rate of extracardiae vascular complications and increased carotid wall intima-media thickness （cIMT）, but very low prevalence of coronary artery disease （CAD...Background Thalassemic patients demonstrate an increased rate of extracardiae vascular complications and increased carotid wall intima-media thickness （cIMT）, but very low prevalence of coronary artery disease （CAD）. We investigated the atheroma burden by assessing the coronary artery calcium （CAC） and elMT in these patients. Methods We examined 37 patients with β-thalassemia and 150 healthy control volunteers with multi-detector computer tomography （CT） and ultrasonography to determine CAC score and cIMT, respectively. Results Propensity score matching （C-statistic： 0.88; 95% CI： 0.83-0.93） resulted in 27 pairs of patients; severe CAC was observed in 2 （7.4%） and 0 of β-thalassemia patients and healthy volunteers respectively （P = 0.5）. Median calcium score was 0 （0-0） in β-thalassemia patients and 0 （0-4） in healthy volunteers （P = 0.8）. Median intima-media thickness was higher in β-thalassemia patients compared to control group [0.45 （0.06-0.65） vs. 0.062 （0.054-0.086）; P = 0.04]. Conclusions Patients with β-thalassemia in comparison with healthy control subjects exhibit similar CAC score and increased cIMT. Our findings indicate a disparate rate of progression of atherosclerosis between coronary and extracardiac arteries in these patients lending support to the epidemiological evidence.展开更多
A series of triaxial laboratory experiments are performed on thick-walled hollow cylindrical samples of boom clay.The aim of this testing program is to better understand the anisotropic deformation during the excavati...A series of triaxial laboratory experiments are performed on thick-walled hollow cylindrical samples of boom clay.The aim of this testing program is to better understand the anisotropic deformation during the excavation.The testing conditions are similar to those to be experienced by host rocks around disposal galleries for radioactive waste.X-ray computed tomography is performed at different steps for each test with the samples remaining inside the loading cell.Initial analysis of the tomography images allows of the observation of the deformation of the central hole.In addition,particles manual tracking and 3D volumetric digital image correlation processing methods are considered being used to analyze the particles displacements and the boundary deformation of the sample quantitatively.An unsymmetrical damaged zone is induced around the hole,with a reverse deformation trend being found at the boundary after unloading,which indicates that the significant anisotropic deformation of boom clay can be induced by mechanical unloading.展开更多
Biological behavior is a hot issue in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) study. Positron emis-sion tomography (PET), a biological imaging technique, has been widely applied in many types of tumors. It is capable of noninv...Biological behavior is a hot issue in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) study. Positron emis-sion tomography (PET), a biological imaging technique, has been widely applied in many types of tumors. It is capable of noninvasive detection of biological behavior. Different radiotracers provide different information of HCC, including glucose/lipid metabolism, DNA synthesis, and apoptosis. In addition, radiotracer uptake relates to biological and clinical prognostic markers. In this article we review the application of several existing and novel radiotracers in PET in HCC study.展开更多
文摘Objective To assess the spectrum of causes, clinical features, differences between disease phases, and prognosis of extrinsic allergic alveolitis （EAA）. Methods Patients with EAA diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 1983 to May 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. Their medical records were examined to gather clinical, laboratorial, radiological, and histopathological data. Patients were divided to three phases （acute, subacute, and chronic） according to clinical presentations. Follow-up data regarding treatment response, subsequent radio- logical and pulmonary function studies, and clinical outcomes were collected. Results A total of 21 cases were enrolled. Among them, 11 were subacute, 10 were chronic. The most common exposure was pet birds （6 cases, 28.6%）. The primary abnormality of pulmonary function was restriction and/or reduction in diffusing capacity （12 cases, 63.2%）. The most common findings on high-resolution computed tomography （HRCT） were ground-glass opacities （13 cases, 68.4%） and centri- lobular nodules （8 cases, 42.1%）. Airway obstruction in pulmonary function test, emphysema, hmg cysts, and fibrosis on HRCT were more frequently seen in chronic than in subacute patients, though the differences were not statistically significant. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） showed lymphocytosis. The total＇cell count and the percentage of neutrophils were significantly higher in subacute than in chronic patients （P〈0.05）. Nonnecrotizing granulomas were seen in 8 （47.1%） cases. Improvement or normalization in symptoms, radiography, and pulmonary function test after treatment were seen in all 18 patients with avail- able follow-up data. Five patients recurred. Conclusions The characteristic abnormalities of pulmonary function, findings on HRCT, and pa- thology are essential for all phases of EAA, and the atypical manifestations such as obstruction and fibrosis can also be present frequently, particularly in chronic cases. Differential cell counts of BALF are related to the phase of the disease. The treatment response and prognosis of EAA are good.
文摘Objective To establish the normal measurements of diameter of extraocular muscles (EOMs) by multislice computed tomography (CT). Methods Orbits of 50 volunteers (25 male and 25 female) were scanned with a multislice CT scanner. For each subject, one axial image at the central level of the eyeball, one coronal image about 1 cm behind globe, and two oblique sagittal images respectively along the left and right optic nerve were used for measurements of the thickness and width of EOMs. The statistic significance of measurement value between male and female and between left and right eyes was evaluated. Results There were no significant differences in the thickness and width of superior muscle group, lateral rectus, medial rectus, lateral rectus, superior oblique, inferior oblique and the thickness of levator palpebrae superioris between the left and right eyes as well as between male and female groups (all P>0.05). The thickness of superior muscle group and inferior rectus had not significant difference (2.9±0.7 vs. 3.3±0.8 mm, P=0.162), while the thickness of medial rectus was significantly higher than that of lateral rectus (3.1±0.5 vs. 2.2±0.6 mm, P=0.000). Conclusions The CT measurement of extraocular musculature is simple and time-saving and can be applied in the clinical work. The normative data obtained may be useful in determining pathologic enlargement of the EOMs in both thyroid-associated orbitopathy patients and other various orbital conditions.
文摘Objective To describe the pitfalls in positron emission tomography/computed tomography （PET/CT） imaging and classify them according to the principles of their generation. Methods We summarized retrospectively the ^18F-fluorodeoxyglucose （FDP） PET/CT imaging pitfalls through reviewing the PET/CT images of 872 patients. The pitfalls were divided into artifacts and infrequent physiological uptake, and the artifacts were further classified according to their causes. Meanwhile, we calculated the incidences of various pitfalls. Whether the PET/CT pitfalls influenced the diagnostic decision was analyzed. The appearances of pitfalls in PET were also described. Results Pitfalls could be found in PET/CT images of 684（78.4%） patients. Artifacts were found in 664 （76.15%） patients, and could be classified into self-factor artifacts and equipment-or technology-related artifacts. Among self-factor artifacts, respiratory motion （57.5%）, postprandial or hyperglycemia artifacts （2.41%）, and metal or high density matter artifacts （1.38%） were frequent. As for equipment-or tectmology-related factors, injection point outleakage or radiotracer contamination （13.88%） and truncation artifacts （1.83%） were most common ones. Infrequent physiological FDG uptakes, including fatty up-take, endometrial uptake, and bilateral breast feeding period uptake, were found in 20 （2.29%） patients. Among all pitfalls, the artifacts in 92 （13.4%） patients and infrequent physiological uptakes in 6 （0.88%） patients affected the diagnostic results. Artifact images in PET could be described as hot or cold area and the images of infrequent physiological uptake were always shown as hot area. Conclusions The incidence of pitfall in PET/CT imaging was high and the causes of pitfalls are various. Among all causes that artifacts generated, respiratory motion is the most common. Some pitfalls may disturb clinical physicians＇ decision, so it is important to recognize artifacts and physiological uptake, and distinguish them from pathological uptakes.
文摘Background Thalassemic patients demonstrate an increased rate of extracardiae vascular complications and increased carotid wall intima-media thickness （cIMT）, but very low prevalence of coronary artery disease （CAD）. We investigated the atheroma burden by assessing the coronary artery calcium （CAC） and elMT in these patients. Methods We examined 37 patients with β-thalassemia and 150 healthy control volunteers with multi-detector computer tomography （CT） and ultrasonography to determine CAC score and cIMT, respectively. Results Propensity score matching （C-statistic： 0.88; 95% CI： 0.83-0.93） resulted in 27 pairs of patients; severe CAC was observed in 2 （7.4%） and 0 of β-thalassemia patients and healthy volunteers respectively （P = 0.5）. Median calcium score was 0 （0-0） in β-thalassemia patients and 0 （0-4） in healthy volunteers （P = 0.8）. Median intima-media thickness was higher in β-thalassemia patients compared to control group [0.45 （0.06-0.65） vs. 0.062 （0.054-0.086）; P = 0.04]. Conclusions Patients with β-thalassemia in comparison with healthy control subjects exhibit similar CAC score and increased cIMT. Our findings indicate a disparate rate of progression of atherosclerosis between coronary and extracardiac arteries in these patients lending support to the epidemiological evidence.
基金supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No.FRF-TP-14-033A1)TIMODAZ project as part of the sixth EURATOM framework programme for nuclear research and training activities (2002–2006)The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology of the CHUV and the collaboration with Laboratoire 3S-R,Grenoble are gratefully acknowledged
文摘A series of triaxial laboratory experiments are performed on thick-walled hollow cylindrical samples of boom clay.The aim of this testing program is to better understand the anisotropic deformation during the excavation.The testing conditions are similar to those to be experienced by host rocks around disposal galleries for radioactive waste.X-ray computed tomography is performed at different steps for each test with the samples remaining inside the loading cell.Initial analysis of the tomography images allows of the observation of the deformation of the central hole.In addition,particles manual tracking and 3D volumetric digital image correlation processing methods are considered being used to analyze the particles displacements and the boundary deformation of the sample quantitatively.An unsymmetrical damaged zone is induced around the hole,with a reverse deformation trend being found at the boundary after unloading,which indicates that the significant anisotropic deformation of boom clay can be induced by mechanical unloading.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30770607)
文摘Biological behavior is a hot issue in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) study. Positron emis-sion tomography (PET), a biological imaging technique, has been widely applied in many types of tumors. It is capable of noninvasive detection of biological behavior. Different radiotracers provide different information of HCC, including glucose/lipid metabolism, DNA synthesis, and apoptosis. In addition, radiotracer uptake relates to biological and clinical prognostic markers. In this article we review the application of several existing and novel radiotracers in PET in HCC study.
