Clinical radiology
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Review Meta Analysis
Predictors of abnormal chest CT after blunt trauma: a critical appraisal of the literature.
To identify and to evaluate predictors that determine whether chest computed tomography (CT) is likely to reveal relevant injuries in adult blunt trauma patients. ⋯ The current literature indicates that in blunt trauma patients with abnormal physical examination, abnormal conventional radiography, or abnormal ultrasonography of the chest, CT was likely to reveal relevant chest injuries. However, there was no strong evidence to suggest that CT could be omitted in patients without these criteria, or whether these findings are beneficial for patients.
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Multicenter Study
Ultrasonography for suspected deep vein thrombosis: how useful is single-point augmentation?
To assess the role of single-point augmentation of spectral Doppler flow in the diagnosis of acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Secondary objectives included identifying the augmentation response in non-DVT diagnoses. ⋯ This study demonstrates that single-point augmentation has a low sensitivity in suspected lower-limb DVT, and that the majority of undetected DVTs are isolated to the calf veins. An abnormal augmentation response is a poor predictor of lower-limb DVT as alternative diagnoses can produce diminished or reduced augmentation. Therefore, single-point augmentation does not add to the standard compression ultrasound examination for suspected DVT and should not be routinely performed.
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To assess the efficacy and safety of covered retrievable nitinol stents in oesophageal cancer patients with airway involvement. ⋯ Placement of covered retrievable expandable nitinol stents was safe and effective for the palliative treatment of airway strictures and/or ERF, with a reasonable range of complications, in patients with advanced oesophageal cancer.
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Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) is a magnetic resonance (MR) technique that is exquisitely sensitive to paramagnetic substances, such as deoxygenated blood, blood products, iron, and calcium. This sequence allows detection of haemorrhage as early as 6h and can reliably detect acute intracerebral parenchymal, as well as subarachnoid haemorrhage. It detects early haemorrhagic transformation within an infarct and provides insight into the cerebral haemodynamics following stroke. ⋯ The sequence helps in detecting microbleeds in various conditions, such as vasculitis, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy, subacute infarcts and leucoencephalopathy (CADASIL), amyloid angiopathy, and Binswanger's disease. The sequence also aids in the diagnosis of vascular malformations and perinatal cerebrovascular injuries. This review briefly illustrates the utility of this MR technique in various aspects of stroke diagnosis and management.