DIGITAL CINERADIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF SWALLOWING IN PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

Purpose. This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of digital cineradiography in detecting swallowing disorders in dysphagic patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with a view to planning an adequate therapeutic approach. Material and methods. From January 2005 to September 2006, 23 patients (10 men and 13 women; mean age 41.3±8.6 years) affected by ALS were evaluated with digital cineradiography to assess the grade of dysphagia. All patients were classified using the Hillel ALS Severity Scale (ALSSS). All examinations were performed with radiocontrolled equipment provided with a digital C-arm. Results. The cineradiographic technique enabled us to differentiate p…

Videofluorography and MDCT findings in a case of pharyngeal perforation after anterior cervical spinal surgery with fusion (ACSF)

Purpose Anterior cervical spinal surgery with fusion (ACSF) is the most widely used technique in the management of cervical spondylosis or disc herniation. A case of pharyngeal perforation after ACSF demonstrated by videofluorography and MDCT is described. Methods A 39-year-old man, recently undergone to ACSF for interbody C3-C5 fusion with anterior cervical plate and screws, was submitted to a pharingoesophageal videofluorography and 64 row-MDCT of the neck before and after oral administration of iodine contrast medium for persistent high dysphagia. Results In the plain radiograph a fractured screw was detected, anterolaterally displaced on the right to the cervical spine, outside the phar…

Videofluorography swallow study of patients with systemic sclerosis

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of the videofluorographic (VFG) swallow study in patients with systemic sclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 23-month period, 45 women (mean age 58 years, range 27-76 years) with a known diagnosis of systemic sclerosis and a history of dysphagia underwent a dynamic and morphological study of the oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal phases of swallowing with videofluorography. All examinations were performed with a remote-controlled digital C-arm device with 16-in image intensifier, 0.6- to 1.2-mm focal spot range and maximum tube voltage of 150 kVp in fluorography and 120 kVp in fluoroscopy. Cineradiographic sequences were acquired for…

[Coronary artery ectasia: etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment].

Coronary ectasia is a dilation of coronary arteries, angiographically defined if the diameter of the artery is ≥ 1.5 times greater than that of the intact adjacent vascular segment. An association has been found between coronary artery ectasia and a broad spectrum of different diseases, first of all atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The mechanisms that determine the abnormal dilatation of the vascular lumen and the etiology of coronary artery ectasia are still poorly understood. Various hypotheses have been formulated over the time, the most accredited between these recognizes as main responsible an uncontrolled activity of a particular family of enzymes that degrade the extracellula…

Esophageal cineradiography in patients affected by Sclerodermia