La Radiologia medica
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La Radiologia medica · Oct 2001
[Magnetic resonance angiography with three-dimensional dynamic technique after contrast media administration for the study of the portal system ].
To evaluate the feasibility of a contrast enhanced MR angiography (MRA) technique, using the latest 1.5 T MR tomoscan, to obtain optimal imaging of the portal system and compare the angiographic images with those obtained by color-Doppler and DSA. ⋯ Where available, advanced MRA technology with contrast enhancement should be used as a routine modality to study the anatomy and pathology and the portal system in all patients in whom Doppler ultrasound has yielded doubtful information. MRA is well-suited to obtain good vascular imaging before surgical or interventional procedures.
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La Radiologia medica · Sep 2001
Comparative Study[Longitudinal follow-up evaluation of pulmonary emphysema using high-resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) study and pulmonary function tests].
To evaluate the usefulness of HRCT in the identification of longitudinal progression of emphysema and to establish the sensitivity of HRCT compared with functional tests. ⋯ HRCT is able not only to identify and quantify anatomic emphysema, but also to evaluate progression of the disease. In the middle-short term anatomic emphysema worsens significantly and visual score HRCT is more sensitive than functional tests for longitudinal evaluation because emphysematous destruction is faster than decline in function. Furthermore emphysematous destruction in smokers progresses even after smoking cessation. The usefulness of combining HRCT with functional tests in the follow-up remains to be established. Longitudinal examination by HRCT could allow us to identify the smokers that tend to develop earlier and more seriously the symptoms of chronic obstructive lung disease.
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La Radiologia medica · Sep 2001
Comparative Study[Opto-electronic techniques and 3D body surface reconstruction for the control of patient positioning in the radiotherapy of breast cancer].
In radiotherapy clinical practice, the currently existing gap between the high degree of accuracy in treatment planning and, the possibility of conforming the high-energy radiation beams on the one hand, and the uncertain set-up of each irradiation session on the other is a decisive factor for optimizing radiation treatment. Indeed there is wide experimental evidence that the current methods used for patient alignment and immobilization do not guarantee the necessary precision in delivering therapy with respect to the specifications of the treatment plan. The main reason for this is the lack of control systems that may be applied systematically to provide quantitative real-time feedback on the quality of patient repositioning and immobility during radiation emission. ⋯ The synergistic use of opto-electronic technologies and stereophotogrammetric techniques associated to surface registration methods proved to provide an accurate description of the spatial transformation between the reference position and the actual position of the controlled body area. This allowed us to define an effective procedure to correct the patients position and recover the quality of the irradiation set-up, in agreement with the clinical requirements. The reported results confirm that the dynamic sensing of the body surface by opto-electronic technologies is a particularly promising technique that allows to systematically achieve swift and accurate patient alignment, thus ensuring that the treatment plan specifications are reproduced in the reality of each irradiation session.