Bone single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) of the knees has been shown to be of diagnostic value for the investigation of intemal derangement of knees(IDK). This study compared bone SPECT and magnetic resonance image(MRI) with arthroscopic findings for the diagnosis of IDK. Fifty patients who had been performed arthroscopy in Seoul National University Hospital from January 1997 to September 1997 were studied with both the modalities preoperatively. There were 38 meniscal injuries, 26 cruciate ligament injuries and 8 cases of patellofemoral joint problems. In view of SPECT, the most remarkable results were from meniscal tears. In meniscal tears, the diagnostic values of SPECT were 89.5% of sensitivity, 66.7% of specificity, 84% of diagnostic accuracy, which were comparable to those of MRI, 97.4%, 91.7% and 96%, respectively. But SPECT showed inferior diagnostic values in cruciate ligament injuries. For anterior knee pain, SPECT was more sensitive than MRI for the detection of pathology. And for functionally related cases, such as ACL impingement to intercondylar notch, SPECT was far more valuable than MRI. Bone SPECT will not provide the anatomical detail of MRI but seems to be a useful tool for the detection of wide range of knee disorders including IDK. Further research is justified to investigate the precise role of bone SPECT in clinical practice and its value in relation to MRI.
Arthroscopy ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Knee* ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Patellofemoral Joint ; Pathology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy is characterized by reversible systolic dysfunction of the ventricles, usually involving the apical segments. It occurs more commonly in women and is frequently precipitated by emotional or physical stressors. Ever since the first report of typical stress-induced cardiomyopathy-usually known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome-was issued, variant forms of stress-induced cardiomyopathy have been reported. We describe a patient who presented with typical ischemic chest pain, but who was found to have an atypical form of stress-induced cardiomyopathy: midventricular ballooning syndrome involving both the left and right ventricles. Transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography were used in this patient.
Cardiomyopathies ; Chest Pain ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

The prevalence of coronary artery disease is gradually increasing. The importance of accurate, early diagnosis and treatment has been emphasized repeatedly, given the possible fatal outcome of coronary artery disease, such as in acute myocardial infarction or heart failure. In order to detect patients at high risk of coronary artery disease, noninvasive multi-detector computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCAG) has recently been introduced for clinical use. It has become popular thanks to its noninvasiveness and high negative predictive value. Most studies have focused on these advantages, while neglecting a number of flaws in multi-detector CTCAG. We present two cases of multi-detector CTCAG with false positive and false negative results. We would like to emphasize that the interpretation of the findings obtained with multi-detector CTCAG should depend on the clinical findings in the patient, along with other factors, such as the location or length of the lesion.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Early Diagnosis ; Fatal Outcome ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prevalence