bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Frequency of benign hepatic lesions incidentally detected with contrast-enhanced thin-section portal venous phase spiral CT
Authors: Völk M. , Strotzer M. , Lenhart M. , Techert J. , Seitz J. , Feuerbach S. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the frequency of benign focal hepatic lesions incidentally detected at contrast-enhanced thin-section portal venous phase spiral CT. Material and Methods: Between January 1998 and February 1999, contrast-enhanced hepatic spiral CT examinations were performed in 1,892 patients. Out of these, only 100 patients fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: No underlying malignant disease, no liver cirrhosis, no suspected or known focal liver lesions. Standardized spiral CT parameters were applied. All CT studies were reviewed retrospectively by one radiologist. Any focal lesion was recorded and classified. Lesion size and number were noted. Results: A total of 108 hepatic lesions were reported in 33 out of 100 patients (80 cysts; 18 hemangiomas; 3 focal fatty infiltrations; 2 focal non-tumorous perfusion defects; 1 calcification; and 4 non-classified lesions). The average lesion size was 9.4 mm (≤5 mm: n=40; 6-10 mm: n=30; 11-15 mm: n=28; >15 mm: n=10). Conclusion: Benign liver lesions are probably a frequent incidental finding at abdominal spiral CT.
MR imaging of upper abdomen following cholecystectomy: Normal and abnormal findings
Authors: Håkansson K. , Leander P. , Ekberg O. , Håkansson H.-O. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To describe the normal MR appearance after cholecystectomy and the findings in patients with postoperative complications using fast pulse sequences in abdominal MR imaging. Material and Methods: In a prospective study of 119 patients, 64 were examined with MR after cholecystectomy. In total, 56 patients with uncomplicated cholecystectomy were examined with MR 1–5 days (mean 1.6 days) after cholecystectomy. Nine patients had an abdominal postoperative complication and 8 of these were examined with MR after the complication commenced 1–12 days after the cholecystectomy. Results: Oedema in the gallbladder fossa was the only finding in 39 patients (61%), all with uneventful recovery. Small fluid collections in an area consistent with the gallbladder fossa were seen in 9/64 (14%) patients, of which 3 had surgical complications: 1 bleeding and 2 bile duct leakage. Twenty-two (34%) patients had small locally situated fluid collections adjacent to the liver, 14 were uneventful and 8 showed postoperative surgical complications. Seven patients had fluid in the rest of the abdomen of which 5 had surgical complications; 4 due to bile duct leakage and 1 acute pancreatitis. One patient had a postoperative bleeding not seen on MR images. Conclusion: MR is very sensitive in detecting fluid collections. Early MR findings following cholecystectomy are normally only subtle changes, mainly in the gallbladder fossa. Fluid collections diagnosed elsewhere than in the gallbladder fossa usually indicate a surgical complication and a surgical complication is unlikely if MR fails to show a fluid collection.
Femorotibial rotation and the Q-angle related to the dislocating patella
Authors: Sanfridsson J. , Arnbjörnsson A. , Fridén T. , Ryd L. , Svahn G. , Jonsson K. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To compare the femorotibial rotation, the patellar translation, the hip-knee-ankle angle and the Q-angle in patients with a dislocation of the patella with those of healthy volunteers. Further, the clinically measured Q-angle was compared to that measured by radiography. Material and Methods: A system for measurement of patellar variables was previously developed and applied to 80 healthy volunteers. In the present study, 28 patients (20 women, 8 men) with dislocation of the patella were examined bilaterally. Fourteen patients had habitual dislocations (20 affected knees) and 14 patients traumatic dislocations (17 affected knees). In 20 patients the clinical Q-angle was measured bilaterally by an orthopaedic surgeon and in 9 of these patients also by a second independent orthopaedic surgeon. Results: The most striking finding was that dislocating knees in both groups showed a smaller Q-angle than the healthy knees. Further, the habitual group showed greater relative rotation between the tibia and the femur and an increased patellar translation compared to the traumatic group and to the healthy volunteers. There was a poor correlation between clinical and radiographic measurements of the Q-angle and no correlation was found between two independent clinical measurements. Conclusion: Surgical operations aiming at decreasing the Q-angle should be challenged.
Doppler ultrasonography in testicular tumors presenting with acute scrotal pain
Authors: Varsamidis K. , Varsamidou E. , Mavropoulos G. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To determine whether Doppler ultrasonography (US) could be useful in the evaluation of testicular neoplasms presenting with acute scrotal pain. Material and Methods: We examined 18 patients with acute scrotal pain using Doppler US. Peak systolic and end-diastolic velocity measurements were performed at first admission and on completion of 1-week proper antibiotic treatment. Data were retrospectively reviewed and compared with findings of a control group of 17 age-matched subjects. Results: Of the 18 patients evaluated, 11 were found to have testicular tumors and 7 testicular inflammation. Peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities were significantly increased in patients with testicular tumor ( p<0.002) and orchitis ( p<0.01) versus normal controls. Follow-up examination on completion of 1-week antibiotic treatment demonstrated persistent high velocity values in patients with tumor and normalization of velocity values in patients with orchitis. Conclusion: Our results support the concept that follow-up Doppler US examination is of value in patients with acute scrotal pain submitted to antibiotic treatment since it may contribute to the differentiation between orchitis and testicular tumor.
High signal intensity of the posterior pituitary gland on T1-weighted MR images: Correlation with plasma vasopressin concentration to water deprivation
Authors: Lee M.-H. , Choi H.-Y. , Sung Y.-A. , Lee J.-K. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of water deprivation on the signal intensity of the posterior pituitary gland on T1-weighted MR images and correlate the signal intensity with the plasma vasopressin concentration. Material and Methods: Fifteen rabbits were studied: Group 1 (n=10) was deprived of water for 9 days and Group 2 (n=5) was replenished water for 7 days after 7-day water deprivation. MR imaging and plasma vasopressin measurement by radioimmunoassay were made before and after water deprivation and replenishment. Sequential changes of the signal intensity ratio of the posterior lobe to the pons and plasma vasopressin concentration were correlated. Results: Before water deprivation, the hyperintense posterior lobe was demonstrated in all rabbits. During water deprivation, the signal intensity ratio decreased and vasopressin concentration increased gradually. On the contrary, the signal intensity ratio increased and vasopressin concentration decreased with water replenishment. The signal intensity ratio correlated well with the plasma vasopressin concentration ( p<0.05). Conclusion: There was a negative, linear correlation between the signal intensity ratio of the posterior pituitary gland on T1-weighted MR images and plasma vasopressin concentration to water deprivation. The results support that the high signal intensity of the posterior pituitary gland on T1-weighted MR images is attributed to the normal content of vasopressin-neurosecretory granules.
Image quality in extended ARC filtered digital tomosynthesis
Authors: Badea C. , Kolitsi Z. , Pallikarakis N. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To study image quality in filtered digital tomosynthesis (FDTS) tomograms as a function of their reconstruction arc, using isocentrically acquired, fluoroscopic projection data. Material and Methods: Both digital tomosynthesis (DTS) and cone beam CT (CBCT) reconstruction algorithms are based on backprojection and use cone beam projection data as input. Under limited angle conditions, CBCT is reduced to FDTS, where only a subset of projection data are used for reconstruction. The effect of the reconstruction arc on the spatial resolution, slice thickness, contrast sensitivity, shape distortion and artifacts, was also experimentally studied. The investigation was performed using both simulated and actual fluoroscopic images. Results and Conclusion: Image quality in terms of spatial resolution, slice thickness, shape distortion and artifacts, improved with increasing reconstruction arc and was optimized at 180°, while contrast continued to improve as the arc was increased to 360°. However, DTS was determined to be the technique of choice when reconstruction arcs of less than 40° were used. Consequently, FDTS may be successfully implemented in applications involving extended arc reconstructions, in the range between 40° delimiting the DTS domain and 360° corresponding to CBCT.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound doppler examination of the retrobulbar arteries
Authors: Brabrand K. , Kerty E. , Jakobsen J.Å. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of an ultrasound contrast agent in examination of the retrobulbar arteries. Material and Methods: Ten healthy volunteers received a galactose-based echo-contrast medium (Levovist) by i.v. infusion. The ophthalmic, central retinal, the nasal and the temporal posterior ciliary arteries and the short ciliary arteries were studied in 19 eyes by color and spectral Doppler ultrasonography before and after contrast administration. Peak systolic and end diastolic velocities and spectral Doppler indices (pulsatility and resistive) were assessed. The quality of the spectral and color Doppler imaging of the arteries were visually graded on a 5-point scale. Results: There were significant differences in pre- and post-contrast peak systolic velocities in the ophthalmic arteries ( p<0.05), but not in the other retrobulbar arteries, or in any of the spectral Doppler indices. After contrast administration the mean spectral Doppler score for vessels poorly visualized before contrast increased from 2.2 (±0.4) to 3.1 (±0.9). The number of short ciliary arteries with sufficient spectral Doppler quality increased from 7 prior to contrast to 14 following contrast. Prior to the infusion of Levovist, 62 (73%) out of 85 retrobulbar arteries could be evaluated with a sufficient spectral Doppler quality. Following the administration of contrast 66 (78%) arteries had sufficient spectral Doppler quality. However, by combining the results of the pre- and post-contrast examinations, sufficient spectral Doppler quality was obtained in 77 (91%) of the 85 retrobulbar arteries. Conclusion: Contrast enhancement increased the number of detectable retrobulbar vessels. However, in the case of good quality pre-contrast imaging of the retrobulbar vessels, the use of Levovist did not add any substantial diagnostic information. The optimal spectral Doppler results were obtained when both pre- and post-contrast examinations were performed.
Complementary role of MR imaging of ethmomaxillary sinus disease depicted at CT in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Eggesbø H.B. , Dølvik S. , Stiris M. , Søvik S. , Storrøsten O.T. , Kolmannskog F. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To assess whether MR imaging can improve characterization of ethmomaxillary opacification diagnosed at CT in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) in order to select patients that may benefit from functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Material and Methods: Sixty-two CF patients (26 females and 36 males) aged 4–50 years (median 20 years) with ethmomaxillary sinus disease at CT underwent MR examination of the paranasal sinuses (coronal T1 and STIR sequences). FESS had been performed in 28 of the patients prior to this study. MR signal intensities were interpreted as mucosal thickening or infectious material, according to a previous study. Results: Three major maxillary sinus MR patterns could be distinguished: Air-filled, oval-shaped pus-filled, and streaky-shaped pus-filled sinus lumen. For air-filled maxillary sinuses with mucosal thickening, CT and MR imaging were diagnostically equivalent. Where CT showed homogeneous opacification of the maxillary sinuses, MR imaging differentiated between thickened mucosa and pus-filled areas. Patients who had undergone FESS most commonly had air-filled or streaky-shaped pus-filled maxillary sinus lumen. In non-operated patients oval-shaped pus-filled sinus lumen was most common and could occur without ethmoid disease. Conclusion: MR imaging of the paranasal sinuses can differentiate between infectious material and thickened mucosa and should be used to select CF patients with pus-filled areas that can be eradicated with FESS.
Abscesses of the breast: US-guided serial percutaneous aspiration and local antibiotic therapy after unsuccessful systemic antibiotic therapy
Authors: Imperiale A. , Zandrino F. , Calabrese M. , Parodi G. , Massa T. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: The usual therapeutic approach to acute breast abscesses (ABAs) not responsive to systemic antibiotics is surgical incision and drainage. Our purpose was to assess the efficacy of treating ABAs with serial US-guided percutaneous aspiration and local injection of antibiotics. Material and Methods: Twenty-six patients with 28 ABAs, in whom systemic antibiotic therapy had failed, underwent serial US-guided aspiration with local injection a of large-spectrum antibiotic. The treatment was repeated weekly until complete resolution was observed at clinical and US examination. The volume of the ABAs was calculated before each US-guided aspiration. Follow-up US examinations were performed at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after clinical and US resolution. A comparison betweeen costs of surgical and US-guided treatment of ABAs in our institution was done. Results: In 27 ABAs the treatment was successful: a progressive volume reduction and a complete resolution at clinical and US examination was observed within 1 to 7 weeks. In 1 case only, with a large ABA markedly increased in volume at the second examination, surgical drainage was performed. Conclusion: US-guided aspiration with local antibiotic injection is a safe and effective approach to ABAs, cheaper than surgical drainage of these lesions.
Doppler sonography of the deep lingual artery
Authors: Kimura Y. , Ariji Y. , Gotoh M. , Toyoda T. , Kato M. , Kawamata A. , Fuwa N. , Ariji E. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To clarify the Doppler sonographic features of the lingual artery in normal subjects and to evaluate those of patients with cancer of the tongue. Material and Methods: Sixty-seven volunteers and 12 patients with cancer and/or leukoplakia of the tongue were examined with an intraoral sonographic probe. The visibility of the deep lingual artery was determined on transverse and anteroposterior images. On the transverse images, the vascular index, which was defined as the number of colored pixels, was measured on bilateral lingual arteries. Thereafter, the degree of symmetry was evaluated for normal subjects and patients. Results: In normal subjects, between younger and older volunteers, there were no significant differences in visibility of the trunk but differences were found between the two groups for the dorsal branches. The vascular indices of the right and left sides were not different. The characteristic Doppler sonographic feature was vasculature in and around the tumors in the patients with cancer of the tongue. The symmetry indices of the cancer patients were significantly different from those of normal subjects. Conclusion: Doppler sonography should be an important procedure for evaluation of tongue neoplasms.
Splenic involvement in lymphomas: Evaluation on serial CT examinations
Authors: Daskalogiannaki M. , Prassopoulos P. , Katrinakis G. , Tritou I. , Eliopoulos G. , Gourtsoyiannis N. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate changes in splenic volume (SV) on serial CT of patients with lymphoma and correlate them with other indicators of the disease process. Material and Methods: SV was calculated in 290 abdominal CT examinations of 58 consecutive adults with lymphoma (42 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 16 Hodgkin's disease). Each patient had one CT investigation before, 2 during chemotherapy and 2 post-chemotherapy. The changes in SV were correlated with clinical, laboratory and other imaging indicators of the disease process. Results: Three groups of patients were identified. Group A (n=20) presented no changes in SV, showed no splenic parenchymal abnormalities and had normal SV and serum lactic dehydrogenase (S-LDH). Group B (n=25) presented a decrease in SV during treatment suggesting response to therapy. Splenic parenchymal abnormalities (n=5) and other subdiaphragmatic sites of involvement (n=20) underwent remission during treatment. Eighteen patients with high S-LDH at presentation showed normal values during therapy. Group C (n=12) showed an increase in SV post-therapy associated with manifestations of disease recurrence. The S-LDH levels were elevated in 10 patients at the same time. Conclusion: Quantitatively assessed splenic size on CT may serve as an indicator of splenic involvement in the course of lymphomas.
Large middle cerebral artery infarctions and the hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Berge E. , Nakstad P.H. , Sandset P.M. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: Strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation are often due to large middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarctions, caused by cardiogenic emboli. The purpose of this study was to characterise the large MCA infarctions and to describe the prevalence and prognostic value of the hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) in patients with atrial fibrillation. Material and Methods: The patient material comprised all 449 patients included in a randomised clinical trial of low molecular-weight heparin versus aspirin in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and atrial fibrillation. Patients with Scandinavian Stroke Scale score &lt;8 were excluded. CT was performed on admission and at day 7, and was evaluated blinded to clinical data. The CT findings on admission were related to functional outcome at 14 days and 3 months, and incidence of cerebral haemorrhage within 7 days. Results: Altogether 66/449 (15%) of the patients had large MCA infarctions. These patients had poorer clinical outcomes, and a higher frequency of haemorrhage on control CT within 7 days (15/59, 26% vs. 43/368, 12%). The HMCAS was found in 32/449 (7%) of the patients. It was significantly more frequent in patients with large MCA infarctions (17/66, 26% vs. 15/383, 4%), and was found most frequently within the first few hours following stroke onset. The HMCAS was associated with poor clinical outcomes and a higher frequency of cerebral haemorrhage, but these effects were partially explained by a preponderance of other risk factors in the HMCAS group. Conclusion: Large MCA infarction is a frequent finding in patients with atrial fibrillation. These patients have a high prevalence of the HMCAS, which is an early infarction sign and a marker of a poor prognosis.
MR evaluation of chronic achilles tendinosis: A longitudinal study of 15 patients preoperatively and two years postoperatively
Authors: Shalabi A. , Kristoffersen-Wiberg M. , Aspelin P. , Movin T. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: To evaluate surgically treated patients with chronic Achilles tendinosis by MR. Material and Methods: Gd-contrast-enhanced (CME) T1-, precontrast T1-, PD- and T2-weighted images were obtained preoperatively and 2 years following surgical treatment on 15 middle-aged patients with severe symptoms of chronic Achilles tendinosis. MR evaluation included the depiction of intratendinous signal alterations and their volume, and also measurement of tendon diameter. A questionnaire and clinical examination evaluated the clinical outcome. Results: The most sensitive sequence to depict an intratendinous lesion was the CME T1-WI. There was marked regress of the estimated volume of the intratendinous signal alteration from a median of 1.2 cm3 preoperatively to 0.0 cm3 postoperatively on CME T1-WI. CME T1-WI showed a regress in intratendinous signal abnormality from 13 out of 15 patients preoperatively to 4 of 15 patients 2 years postoperatively. The a.p. dimension was 9 mm at both MR occasions. The clinical outcome was excellent in 8, good in 5, fair in 1 and poor in 1 patient. Conclusion: Surgical treatment of chronic Achilles tendinosis and its healing resulted in a decrease or elimination of the intratendinous signal alteration correlating to an improved clinical outcome 2 years postoperatively.
Direct MR arthrography of plica synovialis mediopatellaris
Authors: Kobayashi Y. , Murakami R. , Tajima H. , Yamamoto K. , Ichikawa T. , Mase Y. , Kumazaki T. 
Published: July 2004

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of direct MR arthrography for diagnosing plica synovialis mediopatellaris (PSM). Material and Methods: Twenty-two knees of 19 patients were examined by direct MR arthrography. In 19 of those knees, field-echo T2*-weighted transaxial images were obtained with intra-articular administration of 40 ml of saline (“direct MR arthrography”). In the other 3 knees, T1-weighted transaxial images were obtained with intra-articular administration of 40 ml of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Conventional MR images were evaluated prior to direct MR arthrography in 12 of the 22 knees. The results of direct MR arthrography and conventional MR imaging were compared with the arthroscopic findings. Results: Direct MR arthrography demonstrated 17 of 19 PSMs proved on arthroscopy. The features of 16 PSMs on direct MR arthrography corresponded accurately with the arthroscopic classification. Conventional MR demonstrated only 3 plicae. Conclusion: Direct MR arthrography enabled accurate diagnosis of PSMs and could replace diagnostic arthroscopy.
Vascularization of malignant and benign skin tumours measured by d-galactose-based signal-enhanced colour doppler sonography
Authors: Schröder R.-J. , Mäurer J. , Zlowodski M. , Hidajat N. , Schlums D. , Weber S. , Felix R. 
Published: July 2004

Purpose: Evaluation of colour Doppler criteria to differentiate between malignant and benign skin tumours on the basis of the degree of vascularization. Material and Methods: The B-mode sonomorphology and the degree of vascularization in colour Doppler of 81 clinically potentially malignant tumours of cutaneous and subcutaneous structures were analyzed and quantified by number of intratumoral vessels per sonographic slice and percentage vessel area. Results: Of all criteria employed, counting the intratumoral vessels visible on one ultrasound slice after application of a signal-enhancing agent led to highest sensitivity (94%) of all used criteria but the specificity was poor (64%). The highest specificity (88%) and greatest diagnostic accuracy (86%) discriminating benign and malignant lesions were found using the criterion "percentage vessel area &gt;5.0%" after all inflamed lesions had been excluded on the basis of clinical criteria. Plain colour Doppler increased the specificity up to 97%, although the sensitivity decreased simultaneously to max. 75%. Analysis of the B-mode morphology and spectral Doppler parameter of intratumoral vessels did not contribute to the differential diagnosis. Conclusion: Signal-enhanced colour Doppler sonography is a valuable tool in the pretherapeutic assessment of cutaneous lesions. This method may be relevant for therapy and prognosis.