Background: Duplex ultrasound is inexpensive, non-invasive and can provide functional and anatomical information about vessel stenosis and plaque morphology. Color duplex flow ultrasonography has thus become the most widely used noninvasive method of assessing extra cranial cerebrovascular occlusive disease.
Objectives:To find the relation of the severity of carotid artery stenosis, intima media thickness, and atheromatous plaque morphology with the size of cerebral infarction.
Patients and Methods: A prospective study, conducted from September 2010 to May 2011, in Department of Radiology in Baghdad Teaching Hospital. A total of 62 Patients with clinical & radiological (brain CT) diagnosis of acute stroke, (42 males & 20 females) had been referred from Medical & Neurological units to the Radiology Department / Ultrasound Unit for carotid arteries examination.
Results: Thirty out of 62(48.4%) patients had evidence of ipsilateral carotid stenosis distributed as: 18 out of 30 patients (60%) had < 50% stenosis, 8 patients (26.7%) had 50-69% stenosis, and 4 patients (13.3%) had > 70% stenosis. Also in our study we found that homogenous hypoechoic and ulcerated plaques were more frequent in patients with large size infarcts.
Conclusion: From this study we concluded that the size of cerebral infarction is related to degree of ipsilateral carotid artery stenosis, especially when the plaque is soft with irregular or ulcerated surface, and that increased intima media thickness of common carotid artery is strongly associated with stroke and its risk factors.
Background: Atherosclerosis causes thickening of the artery walls. The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA) is widely used as an early indicator of the development of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and independently cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diabetes increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, also accelerates the common IMT progression. The Sonographic measurement of carotid intima-media thickness is used as a valid simple and noninvasive method for the assessment of atherosclerosis disease.
Also the ankle brachial index (ABI) is considered as a strong predictor for future cardiovascular events, and a golden standard for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease (PA
... Show MoreBackground: Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is a common joint disorder leading to considerable pain and with substantial impact on hand function. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a measurable index of the presence of atherosclerosis. Increased CIMT is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, so early diagnosis and management may improve quality of life.
Objective: To assess the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and hand osteoarthritis (HOA), and to evaluate the predictors of this relationship.
Patients and Methods: One hundred Iraqi HOA patients and 100 healthy controls were included in this study. Full history was taken and complete clinical examination was done for all patients
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colon that often extends to involve the remainder of the large intestine in a continuous manner. Intestinal amoebiasis can present as a chronic, dysenteric syndrome of diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain that can last for years and mimic ulcerative colitis.
Objective: Studying the prevalence of E..histolytica by using serological method ELISA for their detection, Investigate the possible role of E.histolytica as a cause of blood, diarrhea in non-ulcerative colitis group &Comparison between serological detection of E.histolytica and stool examination.
Patients and Methods: Retrospective and prospective study was conducted
Background: Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition. It's not an uncommon disease, in both the developed and developing countries, causes high morbidity and mortality, and inflicts a heavy economic burden. Severe acute pancreatitis is present in up to 25% of patients with acute pancreatitis, with considerable mortality. Changes in the management of acute pancreatitis in the last 2 decades contributed to reduce the mortality.
Objective: was to review the diagnosis and management and outcomes of patients with acute pancreatitis of patients with acute pancreatitis in Al- Karama teaching hospital.
Patients and Methods: This prospective study included 63 patients
... Show MoreBackground: Colonic cancer is a very common disease world-wide being fourth most common cancer characterized by abnormal proliferation of the inner wall of colon then taking full colon wall thickness then spreading to surrounding lymph nodes and tissues and finally distant metastasis. It is one of most complicated diseases with debilitating symptoms which becomes more sever , prominent and specific with advancing stage with high percent of fatality and relatively short survival if diagnosed late or if left untreated.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of serum CEA & sAPRIL levels in the diagnosis and screening of colon cancer and their validity for this.
Patients and methods: This study was applied on 35 patients with colonic
Fibroblast growth factors-23 (FGF-23) are a class of cell signaling proteins produced by macrophages. They have a range of roles, but they play a particularly important role in the development of animal cells, where they are essential for appropriate growth. Phosphate, which is found in the body as both organic and mineral phosphate, plays crucial roles in cell structure, communication, and metabolism. Most phosphate in the body resides in bone, teeth, and inside cells, with less than 1% circulating in serum. The aim of the study is to evaluate the levels of the Fibroblast Growth Factors-23 and phosphate and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) in acromegaly patients against healthy control. A case control study Fibroblast Growth Fact
... Show MoreCholesteryl ester transfer protein gene contains some single nucleotide polymorphisms, which have been associated with serum high-density lipoprotein concentration and other lipoproteins. This study is done for determining of cholesteryl ester transfer protein polymorphism and evaluate its effect on serum lipid profile concentrations in some hyperlipidemic patients compared with healthy subjects in Salah Al-din governorate-Iraq. Blood samples were taken from (90) patients suffering from hyperlipidemia, and (70) samples that were apparently healthy controls. Serum lipid concentrations were measured by enzymatic assays. The polymorphism was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.&n
... Show MoreBackground: Bladder cancer (BC) one of the most common urologic cancer characterized by the highest recurrence rate, many types belong to BC, but most common of them worldwide are transitional cell carcinoma(TCC) which constitute about 90-95% cases, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinomas
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate parameters of humoral immunity in Non-muscle invasive (superficial or early) bladder cancer patients in Iraq that may provide a new insight into the future of immunotherapies development and BC management.
Materials and methods: Fifty-nine volunteer's patients ranged from 24 to 83years old, and 30 control individuals ranged from 51-80 years old, who attended and admitted to Hospital of Gazi
Background: The excess mortality associated with
rheumatoid arthritis is largely due to
cardiovascular disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is of
primary importance in atherogenesis. The intimamedia thickness of extracranial carotid arteries is a
measurable index of the presence of
atherosclerosis.
Objective: To assess carotid intima-media
thickness in rheumatoid arthritis by Doppler
ultrasound.
Methods: Fifty two Iraqi patients with rheumatoid
arthritis were studied and compared with another
fifty two, healthy individuals matched for age and
sex as a control group. Full history was taken and
complete clinical examination was done for all
individuals in both groups. Rheumatoid arthritis
diagnosis was
Background: The diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is frequently delayed, because clinical clues are neglected and respiratory symptoms are ascribed to more common pulmonary diagnosis such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the primary care setting.
Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic yield of open lung biopsy in patients with suspected ILD in relation to clinical and radiological features.
Patients and methods: Thirty-five patients were admitted with suspected interstitial lung disease (ILD), and scheduled for open lung biopsy (OLB) in Ghazi AL-Hariri hospital for surgical specialty, were included in this study. Data collected from the patient's files (who were subjected to open lung biopsies which