[en] Bleomycin (BLM), a natural antibiotic toxic to dividing cells has been used for treatment of several forms of cancer. BLM has been labelled with various cations but most have turned out to be unstable in vivo. In-BLM has demonstrated high bone marrow uptake, but by using an In-111-bleomycin complex (BLMC) formed at low pH, the low in vivo stability and high bone marrow uptake can be avoided. Our premise is to combine radiotherapy and chemotherapy by using radionuclide-BLMC. In this study we used In-111-A_2a-c^'-BLMC in 28 head and neck cancer patients. Scintigraphic findings were compared to those of surgery, pre-operative radiology and proliferation markers. The injected patient activity was approximately 85 MBq, 100 MBq/mg. (Author)

[en] The results of ultrasound, cholescintigraphy, and their combination, were analysed in 57 patients with cholestasis. At ultrasound, the presence of an extrahepatic obstruction was correctly diagnosed in 13 and at cholescintigraphy in 14 of 18 cases. The correct diagnosis increased to 17 when the information was combined. In the 31 patients with intrahepatic disease, absence of extrahepatic obstruction was correctly predicted in 26 cases with either method alone, whereas the combined use yielded a correct result in 29. (Auth.)

[en] Some ruptural aneurysms cause nonspecific symptoms and the patients are referred for radiological examination because of the problems of differential diagnosis from conditions such as renal colic, diverticulitis, herniated disc, aortic dissection etc. Seven such patients have been examined either with ultrasonography, computed tomography or angiography. The diagnostic methods are compared. The more recent US and CT imaging methods are sufficiently rapid and reliable for diagnostic purposes, which should improve the prognosis for patients requiring immediate surgery for ruptured aortic aneurysms. (orig.)

[en] Ninety-three abdominal abscesses and fluid collections (pseudocysts, hematomas and bilomas) in 79 patients were treated under radiological guidance, for a total of 111 procedures (23 needle aspirations (NA) of 17 foci and 88 catheter drainages (CD) of 84 foci). In eight foci both methods were used. Catheter drainage was curative in 65% of abscesses and in 56% of pseudocysts and improved the patients' condition before surgery in another 11% or 10%, respectively. The aim of CD could not beachieved in 24% of the abscesses and in 34% of the pseudocysts. Needle aspiration showed little effect being curative in only 6% and patially beneficial in 24% as all the foci were considered. Complications occurred in 8% of CD:s and in 0% of NA:s. We suggest that radiologically guided CD of abscesses and fluid collections should be the primary therapeutic approach in all cases where this can be performed safely. The therapeutic effect of NA was poor. (orig.)

[en] Purpose: The aim was to investigate the use of perfusion CT of the brain in the assessment of flow alterations during brachytherapy of meningiomas. Material and Methods: Six patients with an intracranial meningioma were investigated during brachytherapy treatment by sterotactic implantation of I-125 seeds. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the tumour centre and the tumour periphery as well as in the normal brain parenchyma was determined by perfusion CT. Follow-up examinations were performed during the first year after the implantation. The CBF of the normal brain parenchyma was used as control. Results: In the beginning of therapy, the mean ±SEM blood flow in the tumour centre was 231.4±58.1 ml/100 g/min and in the periphery 223.5±53.8 ml/100 g/min. Within three months after the iodine seed implantation, the tumour blood flow had decreased 41%. At the one-year follow-up, the tumour blood flow in the centre had decreased to 68.7±45.9 ml/100 g/min. In the periphery of the tumour, it remained nearly unchanged (199.3±101.0 ml/100 g/min). The CBF values obtained form normal brain parenchyma did not decrease during the treatment. Throughout the study, the mean CBF for the normal grey matter was 38.5±2.9 ml/100 g/min, and 22.3±1.2 ml/100 g/min for the normal white matter. Conclusion: Perfusion CT seems to enable accurate monitoring of the blood flow of meningiomas during brachytherapy, and could be used in clinical situations where blood flow changes in brain and tumours should be investigated. (orig.)

[en] The MR image artifacts caused by minute metallic particles were investigated by imaging small powdered iron quantities from 0.01 mg to 1.7 mg in water phantoms. Images with T1-weighted GRE 3-D and T2-weighted SE 2-D sequences were reconstructed with 5 MR imagers: at 0.04 T, 0.1 T (2 scanners), 1.0 T and 1.5 T. In GRE 3-D images the artifacts were round, clearly demarcated black areas, whereas in SE 2-D images artifact areas were elliptic and surrounded by a bright irregular rim with ghost veils in the direction of frequency encoding. The area of the artifact increased slightly up to 0.1 mg of iron, but grew clearly with larger samples. It appeared to behave independently on the MR imager system for all iron samples. This study shows that even microscopic magnetic particles cause a notable distortion in the MR image independently of the MR equipment used. (orig.)

[en] An electronic level was used to ensure proper alignment of a high ratio grid at bedside chest radiography. The image quality was clearly improved. The method is inexpensive and simple to use. (orig.)