BACKGROUND Spinal flexibility is determined preoperatively by manipulating the spine and assessing, radiographically, to what extent the amount of deformity reduces. Quantifying spinal flexibility is important when determining the approach to the planned operation in order to achieve the most optimal spinal correction and balance. Currently, supine traction radiography is a popular method used ...

Hepatobiliary conditions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of right pleural effusion. Here we present the illustrative images of thoracic empyema due to migrated gallstones in a woman who was treated for laparoscopic cholecystectomy one year before. The gallstones were obtained unexpectedly during a thoracentesis with aid of an Abrams needle. This rare complication is discussed...

The authors of this report present the history of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) treatment, its etiology, clinical symptoms, and diagnostic methodology. Further, they discuss minimally invasive methods of treating PSP such as thoracentesis and chemical pleurodesis. They discuss the pros and cons of each method, emphasizing that, according to the international recommendations, they shoul...

Position changes are believed to increase the efficacy of phototherapy and this practice is routinely used in all neonatal departments in our country. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of routine turning on the total serum bilirubin (TSB) concentration versus only supine position. In a randomized clinical trial fifty healthy term jaundiced neonates who were admitted to the ...

Allescheria boydii was repeatedly isolated from thoracentesis fluid from a patient with a right pleural effusion. Histological study of methanamine-stained pleural tissue revealed the presence of septate hyphae. After a thoracotomy and decortication, the patient's symptoms cleared, and he has remained asymptomatic over a postoperative period of 13 months.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine if the diagnosis of pleural malignancy is dependent on the volume of pleural fluid sampled. DESIGN AND SETTING Single-center retrospective chart review. PATIENTS Two hundred eighty-two patients who underwent diagnostic thoracentesis between October 1, 1998, and June 30, 1999. INTERVENTIONS Charts were analyzed for volume of fluid, pathologic and clinical diag...

Left ventricular (LV) performance at rest and during multilevel exercise in the supine and upright positions was studied in seven normal subjects with equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography. The mean left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) during supine rest was 107 4 10 ml (± SEM) and 85 ± 6 ml (p < 0.02) in the upright position; the mean resting left ventricular end-systolic volumes ...