AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 1995
Sonographic assessment of the distal end of the thoracic duct in healthy volunteers and in patients with portal hypertension.
Our study assessed the feasibility of detecting and measuring by sonography the diameter of the thoracic duct in healthy subjects and in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. We also evaluated the relationship of thoracic duct size with age and with clinical, endoscopic, and sonographic signs of portal hypertension. ⋯ This is the first report of the sonographic visualization of the distal end of the thoracic duct. Its diameter is small in healthy young subjects, whereas in patients with cirrhosis its increased diameter seems to be associated only with the presence of portal hypertension and not with its severity.
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Many of the pathologic processes that increase intracerebral mass may eventually cause brain herniation. It is important to recognize brain herniation, as it can often produce the presenting clinical signs and symptoms and is often the cause of serious neurologic sequelae or death.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 1995
CT diagnosis of pancreatic injury in children: significance of fluid separating the splenic vein and the pancreas.
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship of fluid between the splenic vein and the pancreas to fluid in the anterior pararenal space in children following blunt trauma and to assess the usefulness of detecting fluid separating the splenic vein and the pancreas in the CT diagnosis of pancreatic injury in children. ⋯ Fluid separating the splenic vein and the pancreas on CT scans is a nonspecific finding usually associated with fluid in the anterior pararenal space. Although it may be seen in conjunction with pancreatic injury, it is rarely the only abnormal CT finding in such an injury.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 1995
Comparative StudyMR imaging of the brain: comparison of gradient-echo and spin-echo pulse sequences.
Gradient-echo pulse sequences can reduce imaging time and decrease motion artifacts. If gradient-echo pulse sequences are shown to be comparable to spin-echo sequences in MR imaging of the brain, then gradient-echo imaging can be valuable for examining critically ill, anxious, or uncooperative patients and can increase patient throughput. The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare one fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state (GRASS) (FMPSPGR) sequence with one conventional T1-weighted spin-echo sequence to determine the reliability of the FMPSPGR sequence for detecting cerebral lesions. ⋯ The FMPSPGR sequence provides high-quality images with fewer vascular pulsation artifacts three to four times faster than the spin-echo sequence. The FMPSPGR sequence can reliably show intracranial lesions and can substitute for the T1-weighted spin-echo sequence in routine brain imaging.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 1995
Can CT distinguish hypersensitivity pneumonitis from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?
The clinical management of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis differs markedly from that of patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. However, the two diseases often cannot be differentiated on clinical grounds. The purpose of this study was to establish whether CT can be used to make the distinction. ⋯ Our results show that CT can be used to distinguish idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from hypersensitivity pneumonitis in most but not all cases. Desquamative interstitial pneumonia cannot reliably be distinguished from acute or subacute hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis may have findings identical to those of usual interstitial pneumonia. Lung biopsy should still be considered the gold standard for diagnosis of interstitial lung disease.