OBJETIVO: Este estudo objetiva apresentar sete casos de necrose avascular de sesamoide e relatar o papel da cintilografia óssea no diagnóstico desses pacientes. MÉTODOS: Sete pacientes com suspeita clínica de necrose avascular de sesamoide submetidos a cintilografia óssea trifásica com 30mCi de MDP-99mTc. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos pacientes eram adultos jovens, do sexo feminino, com queixas de dor limitante em antepé, que faziam uso de calçados inadequados e/ou apresentavam relato de trauma associado ou não à fratura. Não houve predileção por um dos pés ou entre sesamoides tibial ou femoral. Dois (28,57%) pacientes apresentavam sesamoides tibiais bipartidos e um (14,29%) apresentava bipartição de sesamoides tibial e fibular. Em 100% dos pacientes a cintilografia óssea trifásica, associada a outros métodos propedêuticos, mostrou-se fundamental para o diagnóstico. A conduta inicial em todos os casos foi conservadora. Nos quatro casos (57,14%) em que não houve remissão dos sintomas, excisão cirúrgica do tecido sesamoideo necrotizado foi realizada. Em todos os pacientes a terapia utilizada se mostrou eficaz, havendo completa remissão dos sintomas sem complicações ou deformidades do antepé. CONCLUSÕES: A cintilografia óssea trifásica torna-se angular na propedêutica da necrose avascular do sesamoide, concorrendo com diagnóstico precoce acurado e permitindo ao especialista tratamento adequado.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present seven cases of avascular necrosis of the sesamoid end report the role of bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of these patients. METHODS: Seven patients with clinical suspicion of avascular necrosis of the sesamoid underwent three-phase bone scintigraphy with 30 mCi of 99mTc-MDP. RESULTS: Most of the patients were young female adults with complaints of limiting pain in the forefoot, who were making use of inappropriate footwear and/or had a history of injury with or without fracture. There was no predominance of either of the feet or between the femoral or tibial sesamoid. Two patients (28.57%) had a bipartite tibial sesamoid and one (14.29%) had splitting of the tibial and fibular sesamoids. In 100% of the patients, three-phase bone scintigraphy, combined with other propaedeutic methods, proved to be crucial for the diagnosis. The initial procedure in all cases was conservative. In four cases (57.14%), there was no remission of symptoms, and surgical excision of the necrotized sesamoid tissue was performed. In all the patients, the therapy used was effective, with complete remission of symptoms, without complications or deformities of the forefoot. CONCLUSIONS: Three-phase bone scintigraphy becomes a cornerstone of the propaedeutics when avascular necrosis of the sesamoid is suspected, through contributing towards early and accurate diagnosis and enabling allowing appropriate specialized treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of the radiological study of the thorax for diagnosing left ventricular dilation and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with Chagas' disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 166 consecutive patients with Chagas' disease and no other associated diseases. The patients underwent cardiac assessment with chest radiography and Doppler echocardiography. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of chest radiography were calculated to detect left ventricular dysfunction and the accuracy of the cardiothoracic ratio in the diagnosis of left ventricular dysfunction with the area below the ROC curve. The cardiothoracic ratio was correlated with the left ventricular ejection fraction and the left ventricular diastolic diameter. RESULTS: The abnormal chest radiogram had a sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 80.5%, and positive and negative predictive values of 51.2% and 79.8%, respectively, in the diagnosis of left ventricular dysfunction. The cardiothoracic ratio showed a weak correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction (r=-0.23) and left ventricular diastolic diameter (r=0.30). The area calculated under the ROC curve was 0.734. CONCLUSION: The radiological study of the thorax is not an accurate indicator of left ventricular dysfunction; its use as a screening method to initially approach the patient with Chagas' disease should be reevaluated.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a utilidade do Doppler tissular na avaliação da função sistólica em indivíduos chagásicos com e sem anormalidades ao eletrocardiograma, comparando-a ao estudo ecocardiográfico. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 77 pacientes (3 grupos: 1-controle; 2-chagásicos com eletrocardiograma normal e 3-chagásicos com eletrocardiograma alterado), obtendo-se as dimensões e fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo, dimensão atrial esquerda e parâmetros de função diastólica ao ecocardiograma. Ao Doppler tissular, foram avaliadas a velocidade sistólica e o tempo de contração isovolumétrica regional (TCIVr) nos segmentos apical, médio e basal das paredes septal, anterior, lateral, posterior e inferior do ventrículo esquerdo. RESULTADOS: As dimensões cavitárias e fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo e a análise da onda sistólica pelo Doppler tissular demonstraram diferenças significativas entre os grupos 1x3 e 2x3, resultados não obtidos entre os grupos 1x2. O TCIVr permitiu a discriminação entre os três grupos, com diferença estatisticamente significativa. CONCLUSÃO: O Doppler tissular permitiu a discriminação entre os diversos grupos avaliados, sendo superior à ecocardiografia na identificação de anormalidades precoces da contratilidade longitudinal e, portanto, potencialmente útil na detecção de alterações miocárdicas incipientes em indivíduos chagásicos com eletrocardiograma normal.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) for evaluating the systolic function of chagasic patients with and without electrocardiographic abnormalities, in comparision with echocardiographic study. METHODS: We studied 77 patients divided into 3 groups as follows: group 1 - control; group 2 - chagasic patients with normal electrocardiographic findings; and group 3 - chagasic patients with abnormal electrocardiographic findings. The following parameters were assessed: left ventricular dimensions and ejection fraction, left atrial dimensions and diastolic function on echocardiography. Systolic velocity and regional isovolumic contraction time (IVCTr) of the septal, anterior, lateral, posterior and inferior left ventricular walls were assessed on DTI. RESULTS: Left ventricular cavitary dimensions, ejection fraction and DTI systolic wave showed significant differences between groups 1 and 3 and between groups 2 and 3, which were not found between groups 1 and 2. IVCTr allowed a statistically significant discrimination among the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: DTI allowed discrimination among the different groups assessed, being superior to echocardiography in identifying early abnormalities of contractility, and, therefore, potentially useful for detecting incipient myocardial alterations in chagasic patients with normal electrocardiographic findings.