AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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The objectives of the present study were to estimate the frequency of epipericardial fat necrosis among patients undergoing chest CT for chest pain and to compare the clinical and laboratory data between patients with epipericardial fat necrosis and control subjects. ⋯ Epipericardial fat necrosis is a significant clinical condition. For patients seen in the emergency department with isolated acute chest pain but no additional clinical history, no medication history, and normal laboratory results, chest CT is recommended to support a diagnosis of epipericardial fat necrosis.
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CT plays a crucial role in the evaluation of stable patients with blunt and penetrating trauma in the emergency department. Among the more severe injuries that may occur in penetrating and blunt trauma are those to the inferior vena cava (IVC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate and differentiate the CT findings associated with penetrating versus blunt trauma to the IVC to aid the radiologist in diagnosing IVC injuries. ⋯ Injury to the IVC is frequently fatal in patients with penetrating or blunt trauma. The CT appearance of IVC injury is dichotomous between the two causes, with blunt IVC injury more likely to show extravasation, contour abnormality, and associated hepatic laceration. Injury of the retrohepatic IVC portends a poor outcome. With the continued use of CT for evaluation of trauma patients, the radiologist should be familiar with IVC injury and its different CT appearances.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 2016
The Zombie Plot: A Simple Graphic Method for Visualizing the Efficacy of a Diagnostic Test.
One of the most important jobs of a radiologist is to pick the most appropriate imaging test for a particular clinical situation. Making a proper selection sometimes requires statistical analysis. The objective of this article is to introduce a simple graphic technique, an ROC plot that has been divided into zones of mostly bad imaging efficacy (ZOMBIE, hereafter referred to as the "zombie plot"), that transforms information about imaging efficacy from the numeric domain into the visual domain. ⋯ The numeric rationale for the use of zombie plots is given, as are several examples of the clinical use of these plots. Two online calculators are described that simplify the process of producing a zombie plot.