BACKGROUND Abnormalities of basal ganglia structure in schizophrenia have been attributed to the effects of antipsychotic drugs. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that abnormalities of basal ganglia structure are intrinsic features of schizophrenia by assessing basal ganglia volume and shape in the unaffected siblings of schizophrenia subjects. METHOD The study involved 25 pairs of schizophr...

Eye movement abnormalities constitute an important clinical sign that can be a manifestation of dysfunction of cranial nerves III, IV, and VI (the 3 ocular motor nerves). Specific motility deficits often have highly localizing value within the neuroaxis, serving to refine a differential diagnosis and guide management. This article reviews the key anatomic concepts, clinical presentation, differ...

Increased mortality among patients with moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), regardless of pulmonary hypertension and left ventricular systolic function, has raised interest in the various underlying causes of TR. Causes of TR may be classified into 2 major categories: primary and secondary. Primary TR is caused by an anatomic abnormality of the tricuspid valve (TV) itself, whereas ...

Catheter ablation of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is associated with up to 5% of failure. Coronary sinus (CS) abnormalities or connections between CS myocardial coat and left ventricular epicardium are associated with posteroseptal and left posterior accessory pathways (AP). A 41-year-old patient with WPW syndrome was referred to our hospital after three unsuccessful ablations. The 12-lead EC...

Increased awareness that changes in sleeping habits and daytime behaviour may be attributable to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has led many patients to seek both information and definitive treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide information to dentists that will enable them to identify patients who may have OSAS and to assist these patients in making informed decisions re...

Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) are found in 3-6 out of 1.000 of the newborns, or according to some statistics they are represented in 0.5% of all pregnancies. Congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary tract present a family of diseases of various anatomic spectrum, including renal anomalies, and anomalies of the bladder and urethra. The study was retrosp...

A quantitative study of arteriolar structure has been undertaken in 23 individuals with chronic hypertension and 18 normotensive controls. In the hypertensive individuals, some arterioles were found to have an increased, and others a subnormal, mass of medial smooth muscle. Both abnormalities often bear a definite relation to arteriolar sclerotic lesions, those arterioles proximal to sclerotic ...

MR-PET is a novel imaging modality that combines anatomic and metabolic data acquisition, allowing for simultaneous depiction of morphological and functional abnormalities with an excellent soft tissue contrast and good spatial resolution; as well as accurate temporal and spatial image fusion; while substantially reducing radiation dose when compared with PET-CT. In this review, we will discuss...

Catecholamines given in high concentrations produce myocardial damage in several mammalian species. The histological changes are similar to those found in patients given large amounts of pressor agents and in those who develop pheochromocytomas. They include myofiber necrosis, myofibrillar degeneration, and mononuclear leukocytic infiltration. Cardiac function is significantly impaired. Endogen...

Objective: Doppler ultrasound and digital plethysmography are used at our institution to determine the suitability of the radial artery for harvest prior to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of this study is to determine the value of this preoperative evaluation. Methods: A retrospective analysis of non-invasive radial artery testing was performed on 187 CABG patients. Criteri...