NEW: Brazil Module in Portuguese & English for BerlinCaseViewer App

What makes Brazil special from a radiological point of view? That is what the new Brazil module of the BerlinCaseViewer is all about. 

Carnival, samba and soccer — all of these are typical for Brazil — and so is the Portuguese language. Maybe you also know the Brazilian martial art Capoeira? Also fun to know: New features of the Instagram app are often rolled out in Brazil first to test acceptance.

Capoeira fighters in Pelourinho, Salvador — State of Bahia, Brazil. Photo by Nigel SB Photography on Unsplash.

For sure, in the last decade, people from all over the world have looked towards Brazil more often. This was partly due to the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. With the Brazil module, we, on the other hand, turn our attention to characteristic infectious diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.

Focus on in Europe Rare and Neglected Diseases

Whether in Germany or Brazil, doctors share a common language to communicate about their “work object”, the human being. The professional language in everyday life is often English, and with technical terms such as “vertebra” or “clavicle”, people know which body part is meant even across national borders.

But there are also differences. The diseases that medical professionals have to deal with on a daily basis vary from country to country. In Germany, so-called civilization diseases such as diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disease, or cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, as well as back pain, are part of the daily routine. Diseases that are rather rare here and sometimes neglected in research and teaching are very present in clinical practice elsewhere. This is true, for example, of tuberculosis and cysticercosis in Brazil. Our Brazil module focuses on such diseases — and does so in two languages: English and Portuguese.

Case examples of typical infectious diseases of South America in the BerlinCaseViewer app

Another Module All About Brazilian Radiology

With MSK.Cases, we already offer a module with Brazilian cases, which is available in two languages. We want to underline the diversity of Brazilian radiology once again with a special module. The experienced radiologist Aline Serfaty has supported us in this endeavor. She has been the President of the Radiological Society of the State of Rio de Janeiro until 2022, and brought the 12 authors on board as well as coordinated the project.

13 authors and contributors who created the content of the new module: Aline Serfaty, Francisco Abaeté, Rodrigo Aguiar, Alessandro Amorim Aita, Marcelo Bordalo, Clarissa Canella, Tatiane Cantarelli, Claudia Fontan, Julio Brandao Guimaraes, Sergio Lopes Viana, Karina Todeschini, Sabrina Veras, Carolina Aleixo.

The cases have been selected considering the following three points: Which diseases are common in South America and comparatively rare in other parts of the world? Which diseases are particularly frequently diagnosed due to the Brazilian lifestyle? Which rare entities highlight the excellence of Brazilian skeletal radiologists?

Thus, a “typical Brazilian” case collection has emerged:

Infectious diseases:

• Actinomycetoma
• Paracoccidioidomycosis
• Disseminated intramuscular cysticercosis
• Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
• Tuberculous arthritis

Lifestyle-associated injuries:

• Traction apophysitis
• Chopart dislocation fractures
• Isolated lesion of the posterolateral corner of the knee joint
• Osteitis pubis (also known as “athlete’s groin”)

Rare musculoskeletal disorders:

• SAPHO syndrome
• POPP syndrome (psoriatic onycho-pachydermic periostitis)
• Sacral chordoma

One Brazil Module — Two Languages

Carolina Aleixo played a major role in the didactic preparation of the cases as well as the translation. A native of Portugal, she currently works as a radiology resident at Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In an interview for the BerlinCaseViewer blog, Aline Serfaty and Carolina Aleixo give online editor Eva Reidemeister a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to get the Brazil module off the ground. 

For us, the new module represents another contribution to connecting radiologists around the globe. The BerlinCaseViewer app is a collaborative project and everyone is welcome to present their cases — also in their own native language. After all, the easiest way to learn is in your first language.