AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Mar 2007
Automated identification of minimal myocardial motion for improved image quality on MR angiography at 3 T.
Imaging during a period of minimal myocardial motion is of paramount importance for coronary MR angiography (MRA). The objective of our study was to evaluate the utility of FREEZE, a custom-built automated tool for the identification of the period of minimal myocardial motion, in both a moving phantom at 1.5 T and 10 healthy adults (nine men, one woman; mean age, 24.9 years; age range, 21-32 years) at 3 T. ⋯ Quantitative analysis of the moving phantom showed that dimension measurements approached those obtained in the static phantom when using FREEZE. In vitro, vessel sharpness, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were significantly improved when coronary MRA was performed during the software-prescribed period of minimal myocardial motion (p < 0.05). Consistent with these objective findings, image quality assessments by consensus review also improved significantly when using the automated prescription of the period of minimal myocardial motion. The use of FREEZE improves image quality of coronary MRA. Simultaneously, operator dependence can be minimized while the ease of use is improved.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Mar 2007
Clinical TrialImportance of intravertebral fracture clefts in vertebroplasty outcome.
The importance of filling intravertebral fracture clefts with polymethylmethacrylate during percutaneous vertebroplasty to maximize stabilization of fracture fragments has been emphasized in the literature. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with a single compression fracture with an intravertebral cleft have better outcome after percutaneous vertebroplasty than do patients with a compression fracture but no cleft. ⋯ Pain relief with vertebroplasty is similar in patients with and those without intravertebral fracture clefts. Because of the small number of unfilled fracture clefts in our population, the true incidence of post-percutaneous vertebroplasty pain in patients with an un-filled cleft remains uncertain.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Mar 2007
Patterns of bone and soft-tissue injury at the symphysis pubis in soccer players: observations at MRI.
The objectives of our study were, first, to use MRI to determine the prevalence of osteitis pubis and of adductor dysfunction at the symphysis pubis in soccer players presenting with pubalgia and, second, to determine whether the two entities are mechanically related and whether one of the entities precedes or predisposes the development of the other. ⋯ In soccer players with pubalgia, adductor dysfunction is a more frequent MRI finding than osteitis pubis. The findings of this study suggest that both entities are mechanically related and that osteitis pubis and adductor dysfunction frequently coexist but, because adductor dysfunction is commonly identified in the absence of osteitis, that adductor dysfunction most likely precedes the development of osteitis pubis in soccer players. The presence of edema on fat-suppressed images of the symphysis is a strong predictor of abnormality at this site in soccer players when compared with age- and sex-matched control subjects.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Mar 2007
Accuracy of abdominal radiography in acute small-bowel obstruction: does reviewer experience matter?
The purposes of this study were to determine the accuracy of abdominal radiography in the detection of acute small-bowel obstruction (SBO), to assess the role of reviewer experience, and to evaluate individual radiographic signs of SBO. ⋯ Our results confirmed that abdominal radiographs are accurate in the detection of acute SBO, that more-experienced radiologists are more accurate than less-experienced reviewers in the evaluation of abdominal radiographs, and that three types of air-fluid levels are highly predictive of the presence of SBO.