Acta radiologica
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Review Multicenter Study
Effects of gadolinium-based contrast agent concentrations (0.5 M or 1.0 M) on the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging examinations: systematic review of the literature.
Background To date there is no agreement as to what is the optimal concentration for gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Purpose To assess whether diagnostic performance differences exist between 0.5 M and 1.0 M GBCAs used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods A PubMed literature search identified 21 clinical studies published between 2005 and 2013 which evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of both types of GBCAs. ⋯ Methodological biases were identified in several studies impairing the interpretation of comparisons. Conclusion Imaging differences between 0.5 M and 1.0 M GBCAs were essentially observed under non-equimolar delivery rates. However, they did not result into greater diagnostic efficacy when performed under equimolar conditions.
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Review Multicenter Study
Effects of gadolinium-based contrast agent concentrations (0.5 M or 1.0 M) on the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging examinations: systematic review of the literature.
Background To date there is no agreement as to what is the optimal concentration for gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Purpose To assess whether diagnostic performance differences exist between 0.5 M and 1.0 M GBCAs used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods A PubMed literature search identified 21 clinical studies published between 2005 and 2013 which evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of both types of GBCAs. ⋯ Methodological biases were identified in several studies impairing the interpretation of comparisons. Conclusion Imaging differences between 0.5 M and 1.0 M GBCAs were essentially observed under non-equimolar delivery rates. However, they did not result into greater diagnostic efficacy when performed under equimolar conditions.
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Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) are minimally invasive and effective vertebral augmentation techniques for managing osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Recent meta-analyses have compared the incidence of secondary vertebral fractures between patients treated with vertebral augmentation techniques or conservative treatment; however, the inclusions were not thorough and rigorous enough, and the effects of each technique on the incidence of secondary vertebral fractures remain unclear. ⋯ Despite current thinking in the field that vertebral augmentation procedures may increase the incidence of secondary fractures, we found no differences in the incidence of secondary fractures between vertebral augmentation techniques and conservative treatment for patients with OVCFs.
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Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a benign lesion with locally aggressive nature. Knowledge of its typical growth patterns is crucial for precise preoperative staging and adequate preoperative patient counseling. This pictorial essay focuses on characteristic radiological features and paths of invasive growth of this rare tumor. Also, the impact of accurate preoperative evaluation of tumor extensions on surgical planning and results of treatment are discussed.
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The application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diseases of the pediatric chest has been complicated, selective and cautious. More specifically, MRI of the pediatric lung has been a highly anticipated technique that has inherent great potential for improved imaging of the chest without the use of ionizing radiation. ⋯ More rapid respiratory and cardiac rates, patient instability, sedation requirements, and the low physical density of water in the lung, hinder the requirement for maximal spatial and contrast resolution. This review is intended to serve as a functional review of the practical and currently applicable ways in which the transition of imaging the non-cardiac aspects of the pediatric chest from MDCT to MRI can be done in a clinically useful way.