A case of a male, 29-year-old patient who, in a suicide attempt, has self-administered a 2 ml injection of metallic mercury into his left arm is reported. Radiological studies have shown the presence of several metallic spheres in the subcutaneous tissue of the olecranal fossa and along the veins of the left arm, with dissemination to lungs, heart, liver, spleen and brain.

Keywords: Embolism, Mercury, Radiology, Computed tomography

The authors report a case of a newborn term infant with horseshoe lung associated with supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage; such association remains unreported in the Western literature.

Keywords: Horseshoe lung, Chest radiography, Computed tomography, Angiography

OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) with chest radiography in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis (SSc). MATERIALS AND METHODS: HRCT scans and chest radiographs in postero-anterior and lateral views were performed in 34 patients with systemic sclerosis, according to the American College of Rheumatology preliminary criteria for the diagnosis of SSc. The prevalence of radiological findings suggestive of interstitial lung disease in SSc seen on both imaging methods was compared. RESULTS: Interstitial disease was observed on HRCT images of 31 patients (91%) and in the chest radiographs of 16 patients (47%). The most frequent findings observed on HRCT were septal lines (74%), honeycombing (56%) and parenchymal bands (26%). Chest radiographs showed reticular areas of attenuation in 11 patients (32%) and parenchymal distortion in 12% of the patients. In 18 patients (53%) with normal chest radiographs HRCT showed septal lines in 55%, ground glass in 44%, honeycombing in 38.5% and cysts in 33%. CONCLUSION: HRCT is more sensitive than chest radiography in the evaluation of incipient interstitial lung involvement in patients with SSc and can provide a justification for immunosuppressive therapy in patients with early disease.

Keywords: Lung high-resolution computed tomography, Lung diseases, Systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To determine the average productivity of radiologists, as measured by number of reports issued per 6-h shift, evaluating variables that could affect the results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a study utilizing an online questionnaire sent to radiologists affiliated with the Brazilian College of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging. The questions were related to the demographic profile and professional practice characteristics (form of remuneration, primary imaging method employed, and subspecialty) of the radiologists, as well as their individual productivity (average personal productivity) and the productivity considered reasonable in a 6-h shift. The association between productivity and the practice characteristics of the radiologists was determined by using Poisson regression to calculate the prevalence ratio. RESULTS: A total of 510 radiologists completed the questionnaire. The great majority of the respondents (84%) reported that their remuneration is directly related to their productivity. The productivity varied according to the subspecialty, work environment, and remuneration model. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the productivity of radiologists is associated with the characteristics of their employment. We hope that this study will encourage other studies aimed at evaluating the productive capacity of the radiologists in Brazil, addressing the various functions they perform in their daily routine, including activities other than issuing reports.

Keywords: Radiologists/standards; Efficiency; Remuneration; Reimbursement, incentive; Workload; Diagnostic imaging/statistics & numerical data.