AJR. American journal of roentgenology
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Aug 2008
Hepatocellular carcinoma in liver transplantation candidates: detection with gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI.
The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of dynamic gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI with explant pathologic correlation in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients undergoing liver transplantation. ⋯ Dynamic gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI has a sensitivity of 80-85% and a positive predictive value of 65-66% in the detection of HCC. The technique, however, is of limited value for detecting and characterizing lesions smaller than 1 cm in diameter.
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Aug 2008
Frequency, outcome, and appropriateness of treatment of nonionic iodinated contrast media reactions.
The objective of our study was to evaluate the frequency, outcome, and appropriateness of treatment of adults with acute allergiclike reactions related to IV-administered nonionic iodinated contrast media. ⋯ Patients usually do well after developing acute allergiclike reactions to nonionic iodinated contrast media. Fortunately, in our series, this was true even in the rare cases in which the instituted treatment was considered to be inappropriate. Reacting patients rarely develop serious long-term sequelae.
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Aug 2008
Cost-effectiveness of coronary MDCT in the triage of patients with acute chest pain.
Patients at low risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who present to the emergency department complaining of acute chest pain place a substantial economic burden on the U.S. health care system. Noninvasive 64-MDCT coronary angiography may facilitate their triage, and we evaluated its cost-effectiveness. ⋯ CT coronary angiography-based triage for patients with low-risk chest pain is modestly more effective than the SOC. It is also cost-saving in women and associated with low cost-effectiveness ratios in men.
-
The purpose of this study was to assess the appropriate use of CT angiography (CTA) in the diagnostic evaluation of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Our data showed suboptimal use of the Wells criteria and subjective overestimation of the probability of PE before ordering of CTA. Although a definitive acceptable PE positivity rate for CTA has not been established, the 10% yield represents overuse of CTA as a screening rather than a diagnostic examination.