AJR. American journal of roentgenology
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jun 1987
Comparative StudyHigh-resolution CT scanning in the evaluation of cervical spine fractures: comparison with plain film examinations.
Forty-nine patients with cervical spine fractures were identified among 160 patients who underwent CT of the cervical spine for blunt trauma. Although there was a high index of suspicion on the plain film interpretation, as well as a large percentage of false positives, many fractures were found on CT that were not suggested, even in retrospect, on the plain radiographs. Of the 136 fractures ultimately identified in these patients, CT detected 135 (99%) while only 64 (47%) were seen or suspected on the initial screening radiographs. ⋯ Plain films should be used to guide the CT examination so that an intact vertebra above and below the lesion is included. If an adequately exposed and positioned plain film series of the cervical spine is normal, it is unlikely that CT will reveal a fracture. While conventional radiographs fail to detect a surprising number of fractures, they retain their value as a screening tool and as a guide to selective CT imaging.
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jun 1987
External hydrocephalus: radiologic spectrum and differentiation from cerebral atrophy.
External hydrocephalus (EH) is a condition in which infants with rapidly enlarging heads are found to have a CT scan that shows widening of the subarachnoid space with mild or no ventricular dilation. In this study, 74 infants with EH associated with a variety of conditions were examined clinically and with CT scans to identify the radiologic features of the condition as well as to understand its clinical and radiologic evolution. Some of these CT scans were compared with those of patients with cerebral atrophy. ⋯ The other major group (14) consisted of infants who sustained CNS or systemic insults such as subdural hematomas (8) or meningitis (3), which cause impaired CSF absorption. Thirteen premature infants with EH were also identified. It is concluded that EH is an age-related self-limited condition occurring in infants with open cranial sutures and that usually resolves without intervention by 2-3 years of age.
-
Lumbar hernias occur in the region of the flank bounded by the 12th rib, the iliac crest, and the erector spinae and external oblique muscles. We present the CT findings of seven lumbar hernias: six traumatic (four secondary to postoperative flank incisions, one secondary to an iliac bone-graft donor site, one secondary to nonunion of an iliac fracture) and one spontaneous. Because CT portrays the anatomic relationships in this region so well, it may be the only radiographic procedure necessary to make the diagnosis of a lumbar hernia. Furthermore, it can be helpful in the assessment of symptomatic patients after flank incision, to differentiate postincisional muscular weakness and intercostal neuralgia from a lumbar hernia.
-
Nonlymphomatous lymphoid disorders of the lung consist of several entities with varied histology and clinical behavior. On the basis of histologic appearance, six lesions can be identified. ⋯ Although a radiographic diagnosis may be suggested, overlapping features mandate open-lung biopsy in most instances. The frequent evolution toward malignant lymphoma with lymphomatoid granulomatosis and pseudolymphoma necessitates close follow-up and sometimes aggressive therapy.
-
AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jun 1986
Case ReportsElliptical cricoid cartilage: a unique type of congenital subglottic stenosis.
An elliptically shaped cricoid cartilage, a specific type of congenital subglottic stenosis, is described, and the laryngoscopic and radiographic findings in three cases are discussed. An "hourglass" deformity of the subglottic laryngeal airway on an anteroposterior airway radiograph is suggestive of this diagnosis.