Academic radiology
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Bladder rupture is a potentially serious injury in blunt trauma patients. We determined whether location and displacement of pelvic fractures and the degree of hematuria can accurately predict bladder injury. ⋯ Patients with isolated acetabular fractures and patients with <30 RBC/HPF did not sustain bladder injury. In addition to hematuria, specific pelvic injury patterns are associated with bladder rupture. If validated, a clinical prediction rule derived from this data has the potential to guide the care of the blunt trauma patient.
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Our aim is to document current imaging practices for diagnosing acute pulmonary embolism (PE) among physicians practicing in the United States and explore factors associated with these practices. ⋯ US clinicians unequivocally prefer CTPA in patients with suspected acute PE. Reasons for this preference include availability and timely reporting, a lower rate of inconclusive results, and the additional diagnostic capabilities that CTPA can provide.
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Comparative Study
Multidetector row CT pulmonary angiography and indirect venography for the diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease in intensive care unit patients.
To determine the diagnostic quality, performance characteristics and interreader reliability of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and venography (CTV) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE). ⋯ CTPA and CTV are sufficiently accurate and reliable techniques for evaluating VTE in ICU patients, particularly in light of patient complexity.
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Total body screening, despite its popularity, has not been evaluated in clinical trials. Even the appropriate target for screening has not been addressed. In this study, we determined the variables from a subject's demographic and medical and family history that are predictive of actionable findings on total body screening. ⋯ Total body screening targeted at older subjects has the highest yield of actionable findings. The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of total body screening for older subjects is unknown and needs further assessment.
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A major limitation of radiofrequency (RF) ablation is its inability to produce a large enough diameter of coagulation necrosis to encompass hepatic tumors with an appropriate ablative margin at a single RF application. We evaluated the in vivo efficiency of RF ablation (RFA) using an internally cooled perfusion (ICP) electrode with hypertonic saline infusion to induce coagulation necrosis compared with that of RFA using single needle electrode types. ⋯ RFA using the ICP electrode showed better performance in terms of creating a larger ablation zone than RFA using an internally cooled or a perfusion electrode.