La Radiologia medica
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La Radiologia medica · Oct 2009
Comparative StudyContrast-enhanced ultrasonography in blunt abdominal trauma: considerations after 5 years of experience.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic capability of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in a large series of patients with blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ Our study showed that CEUS is an accurate technique for evaluating traumatic lesions of solid abdominal organs. The technique is able to detect active bleeding and vascular lesions, avoids exposure to ionising radiation and is useful for monitoring patients undergoing conservative treatment.
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La Radiologia medica · Oct 2009
ReviewClinical application of lung ultrasound in patients with acute dyspnea: differential diagnosis between cardiogenic and pulmonary causes.
This review discusses the usefulness of bedside lung ultrasound in the diagnostic distinction between the various causes of acute dyspnoea in the emergency department, with special attention to the differential diagnosis of pulmonary oedema and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is made possible by using mid- to low-end scanners and simple acquisition techniques accessible to both radiologists and clinicians. Major advantages include ready availability at the bedside, the absence of ionising radiation, high reproducibility and cost efficiency. ⋯ These artefacts are caused by the interaction of water-rich structures and air, called comet tails or B-lines. When such artefacts are widely detected on anterolateral transthoracic lung scans, diffuse alveolar-interstitial syndrome can be diagnosed, which is often a sign of acute pulmonary oedema. This condition rules out exacerbation of COPD as the main cause of acute dyspnoea.
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Primary lymphomas of the breast (PBNHL) are uncommon. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of these malignancies can be relevant in establishing the extent of disease and planning the appropriate therapeutic strategy, usually represented by chemo- and radiotherapy, rather than surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess MRI features of PBNHL. ⋯ MRI features of primary breast lymphomas in this study cohort suggest that the occurrence of a PBNHL should be considered in the presence of large enhancing lesions of the breast, especially if associated with skin thickening. MRI may also have an important role in the assessment of response to therapy and diagnosis of recurrence.
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La Radiologia medica · Sep 2009
Comparative StudyAccuracy of early and delayed FDG PET-CT and of contrast-enhanced CT in the evaluation of lung nodules: a preliminary study on 30 patients.
The aim of our prospective study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of early, delayed and dual-time-point positron emission tomography (PET) acquisition with contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) within a PET-CT examination in the evaluation of pulmonary solitary nodules (SPNs). ⋯ In our small series of patients, early and delayed SUVmax showed comparable accuracies, whereas morphological and contrast enhanced CT evaluations showed the lowest accuracies. Dual-time-point SUVmax showed the largest AUC. However, dual-time-point SUVmax was most sensitive, whereas single-time-point SUVmax was most specific.
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La Radiologia medica · Aug 2009
Ultrasound enhanced with sulphur-hexafluoride-filled microbubbles agent (SonoVue) in the follow-up of mild liver and spleen trauma.
This study assessed the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the follow-up of patients with a diagnosis of traumatic liver or spleen lesions. ⋯ The conservative management of abdominal lesions in both adults and children is increasingly widespread but requires accurate follow-up over time. As a noninvasive, versatile, easy to perform and repeatable technique with a low rate of adverse reactions, CEUS is ideally suited for this purpose and allowed us to reduce the number of CT scans, especially in the follow-up of young patients.