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Query: UMLS:C0034065 (pulmonary embolism)
 14,979 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

MRI of lung parenchyma and pulmonary embolism (PE) remains challenging. "Ferrum," a ferric hydroxide sucrose complex used clinically for iron deficiency anemia for more than 40 years, was investigated as a negative MRI contrast agent in five rabbits bearing experimental PE as well as in five normal volunteers. Clots were prepared by spontaneous coagulation of 0.1 ml In-111 labeled autologous red blood cells and introduced through the jugular vein. Scintigraphic imaging permitted anatomical localization of PE in vivo and thereby served as a control for MR imaging. MRI was performed on a 1.5 T GE Signa scanner before and after induction of PE, and before and after the injection of Ferrum. T1-weighted images were obtained continuously for up to 90 min using varying doses of Ferrum. In five normal human volunteers, a single dose of 100 mg each was administered. T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo and gradient-echo images of lung parenchyma were repeatedly obtained before and after agent administration. In rabbit, Ferrum remained in circulation for several hours where it shortened both T1 and T2 of blood, improving the contrast between PE and lung parenchyma (i.e., intravascular compartment). A dose of 3 mg/kg was enough to increase the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between PE and lung parenchyma by almost three fold, substantially improving lesion detectability. CNR increased up to five-fold when the dose was increased up to 20 mg/kg at which point CNR reached a plateau. In humans, T2-weighted spin-echo sequence appeared to be most sensitive to changes in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of normal lung parenchyma. Within 60 min after injection of 100 mg of iron, SNR dropped by 34% (p < .025). However, 24 hr later, SNR returned to almost normal. Ferrum increased the contrast between PE and lung parenchyma in the rabbit and decreased the parenchymal SNR in humans in nontoxic doses. These results suggest that Ferrum is worthy of further investigation of PE imaging in humans.
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PMID:Use of Ferrum in MRI of lung parenchyma and pulmonary embolism. 831 63

The use of oral contraceptives (OC) by an estimated 150 million women worldwide has prompted concern about their potential risks. But, there are also health conditions--medical and surgical disorders, reproductive tract cancers, and menstruation disorders--that oral contraceptives affect beneficially. OC users have a lower risk of iron deficiency anemia, an important consideration for nutritionally deficient women. The risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease is also decreased in OC users, as is the risk of ectopic pregnancy. This is important for women in developing countries, where access to medical services for a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy might be limited. Using OCs lowers the incidence of surgery for benign breast disease, the incidence of retention cysts of the ovary, the risk of endometrial cancer, the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, and relieves symptoms of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome. The risks associated with OC use, including stroke and heart attack, vary among age groups, smoking status, and other cardiovascular risk factors. For example, elevated serum cholesterol is lower among women in developing countries, so the associated risk of heart attack is lower for these women. Other complications associated with OC use are deep-vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, gallbladder disease, and hepatic adenoma. There is controversy about whether OC use increases the risk of cervical neoplasia. Studies that have attempted to define this risk are subject to methodological problems, in that increased surveillance of OC users results in a higher rate of detection. Some controversy exists about OC use and an increased risk of breast cancer, but no definitive results are available. Although the risks associated with OC use can be serious, these risks are only slightly higher among OC users compared with non-users. The benefits, such as reduced risk of serious diseases and gynecological disorders, seem to outweigh the risks, pointing to the need for accurate communication between health professionals and the women they advise about contraceptive choices.
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PMID:Beyond contraception: the health benefits and risks of the pill. 1231 33

This was an institutional study of all maternal deaths that occurred among 56422 total births at the King Faisal University Hospital, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, between 1983 and 2002. The underlying cause of each maternal death and potentially avoidable factors were analysed. There were 16 maternal deaths in the hospital during the study period, giving a maternal mortality rate of 28.4/100,000 births. The leading cause of death was haemorrhage in seven (43.75%) patients, followed by pulmonary embolism in four (25%) and general anaesthesia in two (12.5%) mothers. The risk factors noted were maternal age 35 years and parity 5 coupled with iron deficiency anaemia. The main avoidable factors were failure of the patients to seek timely medical care and to follow medical advice. More than half the number of direct obstetrical causes of death was thought to be preventable. A rapidly changing attitude of women towards childbirth is occurring through progressively increasing female education and community health programmes in the region. Further reduction of maternal mortality rates in the community is envisaged through greater patient acceptance of medical advice, family spacing and proficient obstetric services.
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PMID:Maternal mortality: a twenty-year survey at the King Faisal University Hospital, Al-Khobar, Eastern Saudi Arabia. 1520 20

A 19-year-old woman presented with repeated episodes of haemoptysis and shortness of breath. Blood tests revealed iron deficiency anaemia and chest imaging studies showed bilateral lung opacities. In further laboratory tests and technical examination including bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy, pulmonary embolism, cardiac disease, and pulmonary vasculitis due to autoimmune disease were ruled out. Finally, a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH) was made in January 2008. The patient was treated with prednisone, azathioprine, and oral iron supplementation. Subsequently, the patient's condition and haemoglobin value improved notably. In May 2009, the patient was in full disease remission including a normal blood count and normal iron parameters. IPH is a rare cause of diffuse alveolar haemorrhage of unknown origin. It occurs most frequently in children and adolescents and typically presents with recurrent haemoptysis due to alveolar bleeding. However, pulmonary signs and symptoms often are obscure in children. In these cases iron deficiency anaemia is the prominent clinical finding. The purpose of this case report is to increase awareness of IPH as a possible cause of recurrent haemoptysis and anaemia.
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PMID:A female soccer player with recurrent haemoptysis and iron deficiency anaemia: idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis (IPH)-case report and literature review. 2224 52