Background: The cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) is a brain-enclosed cavity located on the midline between the two leaflets of the septum pellucidum that separates the lateral ventricles. This structure develops in the fetus from week 18 and can be seen up to week 37 in almost all cases and then begins to disappear.

Objectives: To measure and determine the normative values of the CSP volume in fetuses between 20 to 40 weeks of gestation.

Methods: The study comprised 161 consecutive pregnant women between 20 to 40 weeks of gestation with single viable fetuses. All patients had normal, disease-free pregnancies. Transvaginal or transabdominal ultrasound was used according to the fetal presentation. The fetal head was assessed in mid-sagittal sections. Once the CSP was visualized, its volume was measured using three-dimensional ultrasound with Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis software. The width of the CSP was also measured at the biparietal diameter (BPD) plane.

Results: Of the 161 fetuses, the CSP volume was measured in 158. In three patients the CSP was not identified. The CSP volume correlated poorly with gestational age (r=0.229) and with the BPD (r=0.295). The mean CSP volume was 0.508 ± 0.372 ml (range: 0.03-1.78 ml). The simple measurement of the CSP width correlated better with gestational age (r=0.535) and the BPD (r=0.484).

Conclusions: The CSP volume had a poor correlation with gestational age; however, the volume did not exceed 2 ml regardless of gestational age. This information can be used to assess pathologies involving the CSP.

 

Background: During an influenza pandemic, clinicians need easily available clinical and laboratory criteria to distinguish influenza from similar respiratory illnesses. We compared A/H1N1/2009-polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive and matched PCR-negative hospitalized patients with suspected H1N1 influenza to identify factors that could assist physicians at patient admission.

Objectives: To identify factors significantly associated with A/H1N1/2009 infection.

Methods: A group of 145 patients with PCR-confirmed A/H1N1 2009 influenza admitted between 27 May 2009 and 3 December 2009 was matched with 145 PCR-negative patients by age, epidemiological week and pregnancy status. Epidemiological and clinical parameters and radiological findings on initial chest X-ray were compared between the two groups.

Results: Asthma (PCR+ 26%, PCR- 12%, P = 0.006) and military service (PCR+ 13%, PCR- 4%, P = 0.15) were associated with PCR-positive status in non-pregnant patients. At presentation, fever, cough, myalgia and fulfilling the pandemic influenza case definition were significantly more frequent in non-pregnant PCR+ patients (62/90/43/59% in PCR+ versus 38/69/30/35% in PCR-). In pregnant patients, fever and fulfilling the case definition were significantly associated with PCR-positive status. Mean leukocyte and absolute lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in both pregnant and non-pregnant PCR-positive patients. Significantly more PCR-negative non-pregnant patients (43% vs. 22% PCR+, P = 0.004) had abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) findings on presentation. In PCR-positive patients, patchy consolidation and interstitial infiltrates were the most common abnormalities.

Conclusions: Under the conditions generated by the A/H1N1/2009 pandemic, radiological findings did not distinguish reliably between influenza and other febrile respiratory illnesses. Asthma, military service, the pandemic case definition (particularly fever, cough and myalgia) and lymphopenia were associated with confirmed H1N1 infection.
 

Background: Abdominal tuberculosis usually presents with general symptoms and obscure abdominal complaints for which computerized tomography is often the first imaging study.

Objective: To evaluate the CT findings of abdominal tuberculosis.

Methods: The CT scans of 19 patients (10 men and 9 women aged 20-85 years) with proven abdominal tuberculosis were retrospectively reviewed to define the location and extent of the disease. The patients were referred for the study mainly with general systemic symptoms. Additional abdominal com­plaints were present in four, including acute abdomen in one. Two had symptoms deriving from the urinary tract. Nine patients had recently arrived from high prevalence countries five of them and two others were positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Three patients had a family history of tuberculosis one had previously been treated for tubercu­losis and four others had an underlying chronic disease. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was established by standard micro­biological and histological techniques.

Results: We divided the disease manifestations into intraperitoneal (n-13) and genitourinary involvement (n- 6). Peritoneal tuberculosis was fairly common, characterized by ascites, omental and mesenteric infiltration, and smooth thickening of the parietal peritoneum. One oncology patient had a false positive Tc-99m CEA isotope scanning, suggesting tumor recurrence. Genitourinary disease manifested mainly as hydronephrosis and calcifications. Three patients had pulmon­ary tuberculosis as well.

Conclusion: The CT findings of abdominal tuberculosis may mimic various diseases, mainly diffuse peritoneal malig­nancy. We emphasize the need to consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis in patients with obscure abdominal symptoms, especially with multi-organ involvement. A high degree of clinical suspicion and familiarity with the abdominal CT manifestations allow early diagnosis of this treatable disease.