AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Apr 2009
Automated algorithm for quantifying the extent of cystic change on volumetric chest CT: initial results in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.
The purpose of our study was to develop a new method for quantifying the severity of cystic lung disease using chest CT and to evaluate this method in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). ⋯ A new method for quantifying cyst volume as a percentage of total lung volume using chest CT correlates with pulmonary function parameters in patients with LAM and may have utility in the assessment of disease severity and progression of cystic lung diseases.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Apr 2009
Fluoroscopic and sonographic guidance to place peritoneal catheters: how we do it.
The purpose of this article is to detail a percutaneous approach to placing peritoneal catheters using sonographic and fluoroscopic guidance. Fluoroscopic-assisted placement of these catheters has been previously described in the literature. We emphasize the use of additional sonographic guidance, including color Doppler sonography, to determine the safest puncture site and to guide the initial needle puncture to avoid bowel perforation and injury to the epigastric artery. ⋯ Imaging-guided-that is, sonography plus fluoroscopy-percutaneous placement of peritoneal catheters is a safe, minimally invasive, and effective alternative to blind or open surgical placement. The use of sonographic guidance together with fluoroscopic assistance makes placement of peritoneal catheters a safer and effective alternative to blind or open surgical placement.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Apr 2009
ReviewWhole-body MRI and FDG PET fused images for evaluation of patients with cancer.
The purpose of this article is to illustrate the feasibility of fused whole-body MRI and PET for the evaluation of patients with cancer. ⋯ MRI has proven to be superior to CT for studying several regions of the body, and PET FDG has become an established diagnostic tool in oncology. Because FDG accumulates avidly in tumor tissue, fusing FDG PET to whole-body MRI allows good anatomy-based evaluation of disease.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Apr 2009
Cumulative radiation exposure and cancer risk estimates in emergency department patients undergoing repeat or multiple CT.
The purpose of our study was to define a conservative estimate of the number of patients undergoing repeat or multiple emergency department CT studies and to quantify their cumulative CT radiation doses and lifetime attributable risk of developing cancer. ⋯ A small proportion (1.9%) of emergency department patients undergoing CT of the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis have high cumulative rates of multiple or repeat imaging. Collectively, this patient subgroup may have a heightened risk of developing cancer from cumulative CT radiation exposure.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Apr 2009
PET/CT for the characterization of adrenal masses in patients with cancer: qualitative versus quantitative accuracy in 150 consecutive patients.
The objective of our study was to evaluate a large cohort of patients with PET/CT to determine whether qualitative (visual) assessment, quantitative standardized uptake value (SUV), or standardized uptake ratio (SUR) techniques should be used when attempting to characterize adrenal masses in patients with cancer. ⋯ PET/CT is a highly accurate method for differentiating benign from malignant adrenal masses particularly when using qualitative, rather than quantitative, PET data. The routine use of quantitative mean or maximal SUV or SUR data may be unnecessary. Occasional benign lesions do show mild to moderate increased FDG uptake compared with that of the liver and may mimic some malignant lesions. Without evidence that these lesions are benign by unenhanced CT densitometry or adrenal mass stability or growth from previous CT scans, we recommend that these lesions be characterized using contrast-enhanced washout tests and that if those tests are inconclusive, using percutaneous biopsy if early lesion characterization is mandatory.