Articles on Medical Diseases and Conditions

The clinical pathologist frequently encounters situations in which laboratory tests alone are not sufficient to provide a diagnosis. If this happens, certain diagnostic procedures may be suggested to provide additional information. These procedures are noted together with the laboratory tests that they complement or supplement. Nevertheless, it seems useful to summarize some basic information about […]

Ultrasound has been reported to detect metastatic liver tumor in approximately 85%-90% of patients (literature range, 63%-96%, with some of the lower figures being earlier ones). Computerized tomography (CT) has a sensitivity of 90%-95%. Radionuclide scans detect a few more patients with diffuse liver abnormality than CT or ultrasound. However, CT and ultrasound can differentiate […]

Intraabdominal abscess is a recurrent problem that deserves attention. Some use the term “subphrenic” synonymously with intraabdominal, although most use the term subphrenic to refer only to abscess just below the diaphragm. The most common etiologies are postoperative complications of biliary tract or peptic ulcer surgery, penetrating abdominal trauma, and perforated appendix. Some 80%-90% of […]