La Radiologia medica
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La Radiologia medica · Dec 2006
In vivo measurement of the apparent diffusion coefficient in normal and malignant prostatic tissue using thin-slice echo-planar imaging.
Diffusion is a physical process based on the random movement of water molecules, known as Brownian movement. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that provides information on such biophysical properties of tissues as density, cell organisation and microstructure, which influence the diffusion of water molecules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of MRI to obtain information on the diffusion of water molecules in normal and malignant prostate tissues. ⋯ Our preliminary results indicate that DWI is useful for characterising tissue in the different regions of the prostate gland and in distinguishing normal from cancerous tissues, given its ability to detect early changes in the structural organisation of prostate tissue.
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La Radiologia medica · Dec 2006
Multislice CT in emergency room management of patients with chest pain and medium-low probability of acute coronary syndrome.
The main cause of acute chest pain, which accounts for 6.5% of urgent medical examinations in emergency rooms in Italy, is acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We performed this prospective study to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a 16-channel computed tomography (CT) scanner with dedicated software in a group of patients with chest pain and medium to low risk of ACS. ⋯ Due to its high NPV, this technique can rule out significant stenoses or coronary occlusions provided that image quality is excellent. In patients with a medium to low coronary risk, MSCT is a more accurate indicator of the need for coronary angiography than is exercise stress testing, which is less expensive but has lower predictive values.
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La Radiologia medica · Dec 2006
Reconstructed urinary bladder following radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Multidetector CT evaluation of normal findings and complications.
The aim of this paper is to report the normal and pathological multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings in the morphofunctional evaluation of the orthotopic ileal reservoir in patients treated with radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma. ⋯ MDCT of the contrast-filled neobladder is useful for the morphological and, in part, functional evaluation of the neobladder during postoperative follow-up and helps detect surgical complications. Radiation protection concerns do not, however, support the routine use of the method, even if the MDCT data are in part correlated to the urodynamic data and may in many cases provide a morphological explanation to the presence of functional alterations.