La Radiologia medica
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La Radiologia medica · Feb 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyContrast-enhanced MR angiography: does a higher relaxivity MR contrast agent permit a reduction of the dose administered for routine vascular imaging applications?
The authors prospectively compared single dose (0.1 mmol/kg bodyweight) gadobenate dimeglumine with double dose (0.2 mmol/kg bodyweight) gadopentetate dimeglumine for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) in patients with suspected or known steno-occlusive disease of the carotid, renal or peripheral vasculature using an intra-individual crossover study design. ⋯ Under identical examination conditions a single 0.1 mmol/kg body weight dose of gadobenate dimeglumine can fully replace a double 0.2 mmol/kg body weight dose of gadopentetate dimeglumine for routine CE-MRA procedures.
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La Radiologia medica · Jan 2015
ReviewBody packing: a review of general background, clinical and imaging aspects.
To avoid detection at border crossings or airport customs, drug trafficking is increasingly performed by intra-corporeal concealment. Body packers may ingest packets of varying size and containing varying drugs (mostly cocaine, heroin and cannabis) mixed with other compounds, while body pushers will insert packets in the rectum or vaginal cavity. Body packing may lead to potential life-threatening complications with acute overdose syndromes after packet rupture and intestinal obstruction with possible ensuing bowel rupture being the most significant complications. ⋯ Although conventional radiography has long been and still is the most important imaging modality for screening for presence of intestinal packets, the better test characteristics in conjunction with the decreasing radiation exposure, will likely render computed tomography (CT) more important in the future. For imaging of symptomatic patients, CT already is the modality of choice. Besides these modalities, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging will be discussed in this paper, together with more general background and clinical information.
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Nonocclusive mesenteric ischaemia (NOMI) is an acute mesenteric circulatory disorder that is not caused by an organic occlusion of blood vessels. It could involve all the abdominal parenchymas and viscera and the whole gastrointestinal tract (from the oesophagus to the rectum), insomuch that the involvement of the entire colon should be considered a distinctive tract in diagnosing this condition in respect of the occlusive forms of ischaemia. The aim of this article is to review the role of imaging in the diagnosis of NOMI and in particular its CT appearances. Recognition of the characteristic CT appearances and the variations associated with a reperfusion event may help in the accurate interpretation of CT in the diagnosis and management of NOMI.
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La Radiologia medica · Dec 2014
Myocardial perfusion defects in scleroderma detected by contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
The authors investigated whether contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging may be used to detect early cardiac involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). ⋯ Myocardial hypoperfusion is common in SSc and occurs early in the course of the disease. Co-localisation of perfusion defects and delayed contrast enhancement indicative of fibrosis suggests that myocardial hypoxia may play a role in the pathogenesis of myocardial fibrosis.
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La Radiologia medica · Nov 2014
Use of "Time-Out" checklist in interventional radiology procedures as a tool to enhance patient safety.
This study was done to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of adopting a safety checklist (SC) in the angiography suite during interventional radiology (IR) procedures to enhance patient safety. ⋯ The use of a checklist in IR, named "Time-Out" in our experience was feasible and effective allowing elimination of adverse events in the first year of use and promoting significant involvement and awareness of patient safety among the health-care team. The level of implementation, completeness and acceptability of the SC within the team increased after adequate training had been provided.