The human pineal gland is a small neuroendocrine organ which produces melatonin. The main goal of this study was to provide a reference range for pineal volume in all age groups and to determine calcified and noncalcified tissue and their proportions, which may be a reflection of melatonin production in all age groups, by using very thin computerized tomography (CT) slices. A total of 167 outpatients had undergone cranial CT. Each of the subject's total pineal volume (TPV), calcified pineal volume (CPV) and noncalcified pineal volume (NPV) according to age groups were calculated in cubic millimeters. Also, proportion of calcification (POC) was noted. The median values were 88.5 mm3 (12.3 mm3-411mm3) for TPV, 74.3 mm3 (12.3 mm3-298 mm3) for NPV, and 3.9 mm3 (0 mm3-141 mm3) for CPV. POC showed a gradual increase from 0-49 years. In the ≥70 group, when compared with the 60-69 age group, CPV and POC values were significantly lower (P: 0.036, P: 0.034, respectively). This study brings a radiological point of view to the distribution of pineal calcification according to age that has a link with melatonin secretion.

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare, usually asymptomatic disease. Its incidence increases with age. If symptomatic, diverticulosis may cause life-threatening acute complications such as diverticulitis, perforation, intestinal hemorrhage and obstruction. In this report, we aimed to present a 67-year-old male patient with jejunal diverticulitis accompanying with abdominal pain and vomiting. A 67-year-old male patient complaining of epigastric pain for a week and nausea and fever for a day presented to our emergency department. Ultrasonographic examination in our clinic revealed diverticulum-like images with thickened walls adjacent to the small intestine loops, and increase in the echogenicity of the surrounding mesenteric fat tissue. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography showed multiple diverticula, thickened walls with showing contrast enhancement and adjacent jejunum in the left middle quadrant, increased density of the surrounding mesenteric fat tissue, and mesenteric lymph nodes. The patient was hospitalized by general surgery department with the diagnosis of jejunal diverticulitis. Conservative intravenous fluid administration and antibiotic therapy were initiated. Clinical symptoms regressed and the patient was discharged from hospital after 2 weeks. In cases of diverticulitis it should be kept in mind that in patients with advanced age and pain in the left quadrant of the abdomen, diverticular disease causing mortality and morbidity does not always originate from the colon but might also originate from the jejunum.

Joint Diseases and Related Surgery (JDRS), the official journal of the Turkish Joint Diseases Foundation, is an international, peer-reviewed, immediate open access journal. All published articles in JDRS has been free for everyone, without embargo, since 1990.

Our aim is to define the sonographic criteria for assessing involved axillary nodes and to evaluate the accuracy of axillary ultrasound in the staging workup of individuals with breast cancer. Thirty-five patients with breast cancer were prospectively evaluated with preoperative ultrasonography (US) to determine the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis. We determined whether there was axillary lymph node metastasis after axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy. If metastasis was found, the number of metastatic lymph nodes was recorded and compared with preoperative axillary US findings using histopathological evaluation as a reference. Metastatic lymph node detection in sonographic evaluation was associated with echogenic hilus obliteration, complete hypoechoic or anechoic appearance of lymph nodes, and asymmetric/nodal or diffuse cortical thickening greater than 3.8 mm. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of US were calculated as (20/22) 91 percent, (10/13) 77 percent, (20/23) 87 percent, and (10/12) 83 percent, respectively. Ultrasonography examination is a valuable method for evaluating the axilla in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and provides valuable information for planning proper breast cancer management.

Aims: Hyperechoic/echo-rich periportal cuffing (ErPC) is defined as an increase in echogenicity relative to the adjacentliver parenchyma. Thickening in the periportal area may occur with proliferation of bile ducts, hemorrhage, oedema, fibrosis,inflammatory changes or a combination of these. The aim of this study is to determine which intraabdominal inflammatory diseases are associated with the presence of ErPC in the pediatric population and to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of this finding.Material and methods: In this prospective study 200 consecutive children who underwent abdominal ultrasonography (US) were included: group 1, the patient group (100 children with appendicitis, gastroenteritis, mesenteric lymphadenitis, intestinal infection, terminal ileitis and invagination as cause of intra-abdominal inflammation) and group 2, the control group (100 children).Results: The ErPC was positive in 74 (74%) cases in the patient group and in 3 (3%) in the control group. According to final diagnoses, we found ErPC in most of patients with gastroenteritis (16/17), perforated appendicitis (10/11), mesenteric lymphadenitis (5/6) and acute appendicitis (27/37). The sensitivity of ErPC in indicating intra-abdominal inflammation was 0.80 and its specificity was 0.87. No significant correlation between ErPC and age, gender and CRP was found but a moderate and significant positive correlation between ErPC and WBC (p=0,010; r=0.255) was detected. Very good concordance between observers in terms of the presence of ErPC on abdominal US was found (concordance 97% and kappa 0.93).Conclusions: We consider that the presence of ErPC in pediatric patients, when evaluated alongside clinical and laboratory findings, has a high sensitivity and specificity for inflammatory intra-abdominal pathology.