Faculty Bibliography

Sonographic examination of the abdomen was performed in 155 patients with clinical diagnosis of AIDS. Approximately one half of the patients had hyperechoic (fatty) liver and splenomegaly. About one third of the patients had lymphadenopathy and hyperechoic kidneys. Intravenous drug abusers were more likely to have renal parenchymal changes, whereas patients with sexually transmitted AIDS have a greater incidence of splenomegaly. Lymphadenopathy is the most consistent finding that would question the immune competency of a patient in the appropriate clinical setting. The usefulness of sonography lies in the detection or exclusion of potentially treatable complications in AIDS

Anomalies of renal fusion and their sonographic findings can be straightforward or quite complex. Sonograms of eight cases of simple and complicated anomalies of renal fusion in pediatric patients are reviewed to determine characteristic sonographic findings in such cases. The correct diagnosis can be suspected by evaluation of the following parameters: (1) the echoic texture of the renal 'mass'; (2) the differential orientation of the renal pelves; (3) the content of the contralateral renal fossa; (4) the size of the ipsilateral kidney; (5) extension of the isthmus medially anterior to the spine; and (6) presence of a deep anteroposterior notch. Utilizing these parameters, a rationale for diagnosis and for selecting the appropriate sequence of further studies is suggested

A 15-year-old boy presented with a short history of right-sided flank pain was found to have bilateral duplex renal systems with obstructed upper poles. Sonographic examination and contrast-enhanced delayed computed tomography (CT) performed at the conclusion of the excretory urography (EU) demonstrated termination of both obstructed ureters in the seminal vesicles. These noninvasive studies allowed accurate preoperative diagnosis of this abnormality

Magnetic resonance imaging utilizing spin echo sequences was used to demonstrate cor triatriatum in an 18-year-old boy. Phase map images aided the diagnosis by demonstrating the presence of slowly flowing blood in the accessory atrial chamber. Magnetic resonance is an excellent modality for the noninvasive diagnosis of cor triatriatum

A retrospective examination of brain tumors in infants less than a year of age was undertaken by reviewing their charts and CT scans. In contradistinction to brain tumors found in older children, most tumors were supratentorial in location. The most common histologic types included: astrocytoma, ganglioglioma and primative neuroectodermal tumors. Apart from their larger size at the time of presentation, these tumors were radiologically and pathologically similar to analogous tumors found in adults

A 7-year-old male presented with a triple A syndrome, a tirad of ACTH insensitivity, achilasia and alacrima. His clinical course is followed and the literature reviewed