Acta radiologica
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Background Reduced field of view (rFOV) imaging may be used to improve the quality of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the head and neck (HN) region. Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of rFOV-DWI in patients affected by HN tumors, through a comparison with conventional full FOV (fFOV) DWI. Material and Methods Twenty-two patients with histologically-proven malignant or benign tumors of the head and neck were included in a retrospective study. ⋯ The difference in SD of ADC was statistically significant in the lesions, indicating a higher ADC homogeneity for rFOV DWI ( P = 0.005). Conclusion The application of rFOV DWI in patients affected by HN tumors is feasible and promising, based on both qualitative and quantitative analyses. This technique has potential for improving the diagnostic accuracy of fFOV-DWI for the study of specific tumoral areas.
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Background Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently causes feeding artery stenosis or occlusion that may interfere with repeated treatment. Purpose To investigate the incidence and predictors of hepatic arterial damage (HAD) after drug-eluting bead-TACE (DEB-TACE) in comparison with conventional TACE (Conv-TACE). Material and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 54 patients who underwent DEB-TACE for HCC as an initial treatment with follow-up angiography and 54 patients who underwent Conv-TACE using doxorubicin-lipiodol mixture and gelfoam particles for comparison. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, risk factors of HAD included mean doxorubicin dose and selective embolization in the Conv-TACE group ( P = 0.03 and P < 0.001, respectively) and mean doxorubicin dose in the DEB-TACE group ( P = 0.004). Conclusion The incidence and grade of HAD were higher after DEB-TACE compared to Conv-TACE with doxorubicin dose as a possible risk factor. HAD was independent of overall survival in both groups.
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Background Conventionally, two-dimensional (2D) fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences have been widely used for clinical cartilage imaging as well as gradient (GRE) sequences. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been introduced with one 3D volumetric scan, and this is replacing slice-by-slice 2D MR scans. Purpose To evaluate the image quality and diagnostic performance of two 3D sequences for abnormalities of knee cartilage: fat-suppressed (FS) FSE-based 3D volume isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition (VISTA) and GRE-based 3D T1 high-resolution isovolumetric examination (THRIVE). ⋯ Results Although inter-observer agreement for both sequences was excellent, the inter-observer agreement for 3D-VISTA was higher than for 3D-THRIVE for cartilage grading in all regions of the knee. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic performance ( P > 0.05) between the two sequences for detecting cartilage grade. Conclusion FSE-based 3D-VISTA images had good diagnostic performance that was comparable to GRE-based 3D-THRIVE images in the evaluation of knee cartilage, and can be used in routine knee MR protocols for the evaluation of cartilage.
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Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) has demonstrated inconsistent results in pulmonary nodule differentiation. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), which quantifies non-Gaussian diffusion, is believed to better characterize tissue micro-structure than conventional DWI. ⋯ The initial results of this study indicate the feasibility of DKI in human lungs. However, there was no significant benefit of DKI derived MK values over ADC for malignant and benign pulmonary nodule differentiation.
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Background Few studies have focused on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of the conus medullaris after chronic compression in the cervical spinal cord. Purpose To discuss the correlation of DTI parameters between the chronically compressed cervical spinal cord and the conus medullaris in a rat model at different time points. Material and Methods Fifty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into five groups: control group (group A), sham group (group B), and test groups C, D, and E (1, 2, and 3 weeks after compression, respectively). ⋯ There were no linear correlations of FA values between the cervical spinal cord and the conus medullaris in all test groups. Conclusion After compression of the cervical spinal cord, ADC values of the cervical spinal cord and conus medullaris in test group were significantly increased, while FA values were significantly decreased. The ADC value of the cervical spinal cord was linearly correlated with that of the conus medullaris at 2 weeks after compression.