Damage to the lower ureters during pelvic surgery is a serious and well-recognised complication. This iatrogenic injury, when undetected intra-operatively, continues to give rise to significant patient morbidity. In 1987, this Department was referred 18 cases of iatrogenic ureteric injuries. 16 patients were from gynaecologic surgery and 2 patients were from general surgery. Only 4 cases (24%) were detected and referred intra-operatively. 13 patients presented post-operatively with various symptoms viz., anuria, loin pain and urinary leak per vagina. Good recovery of urinary function was achieved in all cases after urological intervention, usually by ureteric re-implantation.
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the quality of bitewing radiograph taken by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dental
students during daily clinical practices and to evaluate the difference in caries lesions found on bitewing
radiographs and clinical examination.
Materials and method: 120 patients who attended the undergraduate dental clinic for dental examination were
included in this study. The inclusion criteria were patients within the age range of 17-45 years old, possessing
at least three sets of posterior teeth, with bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students. The
number of caries lesions detected by clinical examination, bitewing radiographs, and a combination of both
methods were recorded. The quality of 240 bitewing radiographs was classified into three categories; excellent,
acceptable, and unacceptable. The frequency of radiographic errors; foreshortening/elongation, horizontal
overlapping, inadequate film coverage, non-ideal centering and inadequate contrast and density were also
evaluated.
Results: The quality of bitewing radiographs are mostly accepted to be used as a diagnostic tool and one of the
factors which commonly affected the quality of the bitewing is the overlapping of adjacent teeth. The highest
number of caries lesions were detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical
examination. The majority of radiographs (71%, n=171) were deemed to be of acceptable quality, 39(16%) were
excellent, and 30(13%) were diagnostically unacceptable. “Horizontal overlap” was the most common error
detected on the radiographs (n=139, 57.9%), followed by “non-ideal centering” (n=93, 38.8%), “inadequate
contrast” (n=46, 19.2%) and “inadequate film coverage” (n=24,10%). The highest number of caries lesions were
detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical examination.
Conclusion: The quality of the majority of bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students in this
institution is acceptable. However, given that more than half of the radiographs possessed horizontal
overlapping error, caries diagnosis may have been underestimated. Further training and periodic audits are
required to reduce the percentage of errors in bitewing radiographs amongst undergraduate dental students.
The management of heterotopic ossification is controversial. This is a rare case affecting both hips and knees of a 22-year-old woman that prevented her from walking. The management and the outcome, three years after excision of the ossific masses, as well as the measures to prevent recurrence after excision of the heterotopic ossification, are discussed.
Content-based medical image retrieval (CBMIR) system enables medical practitioners to perform fast diagnosis through quantitative assessment of the visual information of various modalities.
Ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) copolymer 70/30 thin films are prepared by spin coating. The crystalline structure of these films is investigated by varying the annealing temperature from the ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase. A hot plate was used to produce a direct and an efficient annealing effect on the thin film. The dielectric, ferroelectric and pyroelectric properties of the P(VDF-TrFE) thin films are measured as a function of different annealing temperatures (80 to 140 °C). It was found that an annealing temperature of 100 °C (slightly above the Curie temperature, Tc) has induced a highly crystalline β phase with a rod-like crystal structure, as examined by X-ray. Such a crystal structure yields a high remanent polarization, Pr = 94 mC/m2, and pyroelectric constant, p = 24 μC/m2K. A higher annealing temperature exhibits an elongated needle-like crystal domain, resulting in a decrease in the crystalline structure and the functional electrical properties. This study revealed that highly crystalline P(VDF-TrFE) thin films could be induced at 100 °C by annealing the thin film with a simple and cheap method.
Small bowel obstruction is a common clinical problem presenting with abdominal distention, colicky pain, absolute constipation and bilious vomiting. There are numerous causes, most commonly attributed to an incarcerated hernia, adhesions or obstructing mass secondary to malignancy. Here we present an unusual cause of a small bowel obstruction secondary to an incarcerated incisional hernia in association with an acute organoaxial gastric volvulus.
We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who was referred to us for evaluation of a 2-week history of fever, headache, vomiting, bilateral ptosis, and blurred vision. Imaging obtained by the referring institution had identified a sphenoid sinus mass and diffuse meningeal infiltration, which was thought to represent an infective process. We subsequently identified the mass as a metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The patient was placed under palliative care, and she died 1 month later. Metastases to the sphenoid sinus from any primary source are very rare, and they are generally not considered in the radiologic differential diagnosis. HCC is known to metastasize to the lung, lymph nodes, and musculoskeletal system; again, reported cases of metastasis to the sphenoid sinus are rare. Indeed, our review of the English-language literature found only 6 previously reported cases of sinonasal metastasis of a primary HCC. A diagnosis of a sinonasal metastasis is more difficult in a patient who has no previous diagnosis of a primary malignancy. In presenting this case, our aim is to remind readers of this possibility.