OBJECTIVE: To identify chest radiography findings suggestive of type 1 neurofibromatosis, establishing their frequency and evaluating the possibility of including the presence of posterior mediastinal masses as a criterion for the diagnosis of type 1 neurofibromatosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included 141 patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis assisted at the Service of Radiology of Hospital de Base and Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, and submitted to standard chest radiography in postero-anterior and lateral views. The results were analyzed by non-parametric methods and the level of statistical significance was set at 0.05 (p = 0.05). RESULTS: The most frequent findings were the following: ribs erosion (19.8%), pectus excavatum (12.0%), kyphoscoliosis (3.5%) and posterior mediastinal masses (7.1%). Such results suggest that posterior mediastinal masses (neurofibroma and meningocele) should be included as a diagnostic criterion of type 1 neurofibromatosis, in conjunction with dysplasia of the sphenoid wing, pseudoarthrosis and thinning of long bone cortex, as defined by the National Institutes of Health. CONCLUSION: The presence of posterior mediastinal masses in association with the typical bone changes defined by the National Institutes of Health is a consistent finding to be considered as a diagnostic criterion of the disease.

Keywords: Type 1 neurofibromatosis, Radiology, Chest radiography, Bone abnormalities, Mediastinal neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To identify lung abnormalities in patients with esophageal cancer, to compare the obtained data and to demonstrate its relationship with smoking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a series of cases type of cross-sectional study. We studied 55 patients with esophageal carcinoma diagnosed between 1998 and 2001 at "Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto", SP, Brazil. Chest plain films and computed tomography scans were analyzed. The frequency of the tumors and other lung abnormalities in two groups of patients were compared: smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: Forty-six (83%) patients had spinous cell carcinoma, seven (13%) adenocarcinomas, one (2%) carcinoma of small cells and one (2%) non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Forty-eight (87%) patients were smokers and seven (13%) were non-smokers. In the smokers group, 89% had spinous cell carcinoma, 9% adenocarcinoma and 2% small cells carcinoma. In the non-smokers group, 57% had adenocarcinoma, 28% spinous cell carcinoma and 15% non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Metastases were identified in four smokers and in two non-smokers. The prevalence of the lung abnormalities (interstitial infiltration, emphysema and pneumonia) was higher in the smokers group (73%) than in the non-smokers group (27%) (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: This fact reinforces the importance of evaluation of the lungs in patients with esophageal neoplasms.

Keywords: Cancer of esophagus, Lung, Smoking, Metastasis

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is one of the most common genetic diseases with autosomic dominant inheritance pattern in humans. The main radiological findings are: scoliosis, kyphoscoliosis, bone erosions, abnormal osseous growth, pseudarthrosis, meningeal cysts, deformity of the posterior wall of the vertebral bodies ("scalloping"), pectus excavatum, osteolytic lesions in the long bones and central nervous system abnormalities. The authors present the statistical data from the analysis of the radiological findings in 82 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 attending the "Centro de Pesquisa e Atendimento em Neurofibromatose", in São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, a multidisciplinary center for the study and treatment of neurofibromatosis.

Keywords: Neurofibromatosis, Neurofibromatosis type 1, Radiology, Phacomatosis

New injectable fillers such as hyaluronic acid have recently been employed as a non-surgical alternative to implants such as silicone for aesthetic breast enhancement. Although their utilization is not yet widespread in Brazil, radiologists should be aware of the imaging findings in this context and of the implications of the presence of this filler for the radiological evaluation in the screening for breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast; Breast implants; Hyaluronic acid; Imaging diagnosis.