AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Aug 2009
Diffusion-weighted imaging of surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma: imaging characteristics and relationship among signal intensity, apparent diffusion coefficient, and histopathologic grade.
The objective of our study was to determine the relationship between the signal intensity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) assessed with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and T2-weighted imaging and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with the histopathologic grade of each nodule. ⋯ The histopathologic grade of HCC had no correlation with the ADC, but HCC tumors tended to show a higher signal on DWI as the histopathologic grade rose. However, predicting the correct histopathologic grade of each HCC before surgery on the basis of DWI findings was difficult because of the large overlap among histopathologic grades.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Aug 2009
Probability of reduced renal function after contrast-enhanced CT: a model based on serum creatinine level, patient age, and estimated glomerular filtration rate.
The objectives of our study were to develop a model to predict the probability of reduced renal function after outpatient contrast-enhanced CT (CECT)--based on patient age, sex, and race and on serum creatinine level before CT or directly based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) before CT--and to determine the relationship between patients with changes in creatinine level that characterize contrast-induced nephropathy and patients with reduced GFR after CECT. ⋯ The probability of a reduced estimated GFR after CECT can be predicted by the pre-CT estimated GFR using the four-variable MDRD equation. Furthermore, standard criteria for contrast-induced nephropathy are poor predictors of poor renal function after CECT. Criteria need to be established for what is an acceptable risk to manage patients undergoing CECT.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jul 2009
Controlled Clinical TrialDiagnosis of acute appendicitis with sliding slab ray-sum interpretation of low-dose unenhanced CT and standard-dose i.v. contrast-enhanced CT scans.
The purpose of this study was to compare low-dose unenhanced CT with standard-dose i.v. contrast-enhanced CT in the diagnosis of appendicitis. ⋯ Low-dose unenhanced CT is potentially useful in the diagnosis of appendicitis.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jul 2009
Low-risk patients with chest pain in the emergency department: negative 64-MDCT coronary angiography may reduce length of stay and hospital charges.
The current standard-of-care workup of low-risk patients with chest pain in an emergency department takes 12-36 hours and is expensive. We hypothesized that negative 64-MDCT coronary angiography early in the workup of such patients may enable a shorter length of stay and reduce charges. ⋯ In low-risk patients with chest pain, discharge from the emergency department based on negative cardiac CT, enzyme tests, and ECG may significantly decrease both length of stay and hospital charges compared with the standard of care.