Gallstones and Colon Cancer: A Result of a Wrong Study Revived

Ultrasonography and alpha-fetoprotein in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis

The accuracy of ultrasound (US) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 363 patients with cirrhosis (C) and a clinical suspicion of HCC was assessed. The ultrasonographic patterns of HCC and their relationship with AFP values were analyzed. Echographic patterns were distributed as follows: 47 patients had sonodense lesions; 30 patients had hypoechoic lesions; 47 had mixed-pattern lesions, and in four patients focal dilated intrahepatic bile ducts were demonstrated. The sensitivity of US was 90%; specificity was 93.3%. Serum AFP level greater than or equal to 500 ng/ml (RIA) was the first clue to the diagnosis in 71 patients (48.6%); specificity was …

Treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma with percutaneous ethanol injection: a validated prognostic model.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous ethanol injection may prolong the survival of patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis. The aim was to identify prognostic factors of survival and of local recurrence, as well as separate new lesions. METHODS: We performed Cox regression analysis in 115 consecutive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (81 Child-Pugh class A, 34 Child-Pugh class B) treated by percutaneous ethanol injection. The validity of the model was tested by comparing predicted and observed survival in 105 independent patients from an external series. RESULTS: Overall survival rates were 89%, 63%, and 43% at 1, 2, and 3 yr, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-yr surviv…

Sludge and stones in gallbladder after pregnancy

Summary The prevalence of sludge and stones in the gallbladder of 298 women in the immediate post-partum period was ultrasonographically assessed. We have investigated some risk factors for the development of sludge or stones in these patients and followed up most of these patients by ultrasonography to detect the presence of sludge and/or stones in the year following their discovery. We found sludge in 80 (26.2%) and gallstones in 16 (5.2%) of these patients. Age, obesity and months of oral contraceptive use were risk factors only for the presence of gallstones. After 1 year of follow-up only 2 out of 45 patients with sludge but 13 out of 15 patients with gallstones still had abnormal ultr…

Ultrasonographic and radionuclide detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotics with low alpha-fetoprotein levels

A total of 67 cirrhotic patients with clinically suspected neoplastic degeneration and low alpha-fetoprotein levels were assessed prospectively with ultrasound and gold (198Au) scintigraphy. Ultrasound showed space-occupying lesions in 22 of the 24 patients who had a final diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (sensitivity, 95.8%) and excluded the presence of HCC in 37 of the 43 patients with cirrhosis only (specificity, 86.0%; efficiency, 90.8%). Scintigraphy demonstrated a cold defect in 22 of the 24 patients who had a final diagnosis of HCC (sensitivity, 95.8%) and excluded the presence of HCC in 22 of the 43 patients with cirrhosis only (specificity, 51.1%; efficiency, 69.8%). It …

Treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis by percutaneous ethanol injection. A trial with a comparison group.

Ethanol injection has been reported to be effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, but no controlled randomized trials have been performed. We therefore performed a trial comparing ethanol injection with an untreated, matched historical comparison group in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.From 1992 to 1993, 35 patients (14 Child's A and 21 Child's B cirrhosis) with small (4 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis were treated by ethanol injection. Each patient was matched with an untreated case (followed up during the period 1984-89) for variables known to have independent prognostic value (age, Child's classification, number of lesions, alpha-fetoprot…

Biliary sludge and gallstones in pregnancy: Incidence, risk factors, and natural history

To evaluate the incidence and symptoms of and risk factors for biliary sludge and gallstones during pregnancy and to assess the natural history of these conditions in the first year after delivery.Cohort study.A total of 272 pregnant women recruited in the first trimester.Biliary sludge and gallstones were diagnosed using ultrasonography, both during pregnancy and after delivery. Predictors of the presence or disappearance of sludge and stones were examined.Overall, from the first trimester of pregnancy until the immediate postpartum period, 67 women were newly diagnosed with biliary sludge, and 6 women were newly diagnosed with gallstones. The respective incidence rates were 31% (95% Cl, 2…