European radiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Is fasting still necessary prior to contrast-enhanced computed tomography? A randomized clinical study.
There is very limited evidence to support the common practice of preparative fasting prior to contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT). This study examined the effect of withholding fasting orders, prior to contrast-enhanced CT, on the incidence of aspiration pneumonitis and adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. ⋯ Withholding fasting orders prior to contrast-enhanced CT was not associated with a greater risk of aspiration pneumonitis or a significant increase in rates of adverse gastrointestinal symptoms.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
CT fluoroscopy-guided transforaminal and intra-articular facet steroid injections for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy: injectate distribution patterns and association with clinical outcome.
To investigate injectate dispersal patterns and their association with therapeutic efficacy during a transforaminal (TFSI) or an intra-articular facet steroid injection (IFSI) to treat cervical radiculopathy. ⋯ • During intra-articular facet injection, the injectate spreads from the facet joint to the retrodural space and rarely reaches the epidural and/or foraminal spaces. • Epidural spread of the injectate during an anterolateral transforaminal steroid injection is the least effective for pain relief in patients with cervical radiculopathy. • Injection techniques targeting the extraforaminal or juxta-articular facet space are safer than transforaminal injections and effectively relieve pain in patients with cervical radiculopathy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Refining the criteria for immediate total-body CT after severe trauma.
Initial trauma care could potentially be improved when conventional imaging and selective CT scanning is omitted and replaced by immediate total-body CT (iTBCT) scanning. Because of the potentially increased radiation exposure by this diagnostic approach, proper selection of the severely injured patients is mandatory. ⋯ • Selection criteria for iTBCT can be reduced to 10 clinically useful criteria. • This reduces radiation exposure in 36% of less severely injured patients. • Overall discriminative capacity for selection of severely injured patients remained equal.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Low-dose CT angiography using ASiR-V for potential living renal donors: a prospective analysis of image quality and diagnostic accuracy.
To assess image quality and diagnostic accuracy of low-dose computed tomography (CT) angiography using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction V (ASiR-V) for evaluating the anatomy of renal vasculature in potential living renal donors. ⋯ • In this prospective study, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction V (ASiR-V) allowed 58.2% dose reduction while maintaining diagnostic image quality for renal vessels. • As compared with the standard protocol, the dose with ASiR-V was significantly lower (9.5 ± 0.8 mGy) than with standard computed tomography (CT) angiography (22.7 ± 4.1 mGy). • Low-dose CT using ASiR-V is useful for living donor evaluation before nephrectomy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
No evidence of improved efficacy of covered stents over uncovered stents in percutaneous palliation of malignant hilar biliary obstruction: results of a prospective randomized trial.
To investigate whether covered stents show a higher efficacy than uncovered stents in percutaneous treatment of malignant hilar biliary obstruction. ⋯ • Percutaneous palliation of hilar biliary obstruction is feasible with both uncovered and covered stents. • Clinical success in terms of bilirubin decrease and adjuvant chemotherapy is achievable with both stents. • Thirty-day mortality is considerable when stenting is also offered to patients with a low performance status.