Seminars in ultrasound, CT, and MR
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Although the use of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has increased the diagnostic quality by reducing the number of missed diagnoses in polytraumatized patients, errors remain a common phenomenon in emergency room setting. MDCT errors, contributing more commonly to missed or delayed diagnoses in polytrauma patients, are diagnostic errors commonly related to perceptual errors or to nonvisual errors. ⋯ Knowledge of common patterns of error is the most effective way to avoid future errors. The purpose of this article is to highlight the most frequent types of diagnostic errors in evaluating with MDCT of polytrauma patients.
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Semin. Ultrasound CT MR · Feb 2012
Pregnancy-induced acute neurologic emergencies and neurologic conditions encountered in pregnancy.
Neurologic complications and conditions associated with pregnancy are rare. Frequently, presenting symptoms of neurologic conditions are nonspecific and can overlap with normal symptoms of pregnancy. ⋯ It is imperative that the radiologist have a basic familiarity with the most common neurologic conditions encountered in pregnancy. The most commonly imaged acute and nonemergent disorders will be described, including eclampsia, cerebrovascular disease including cerebral venous thrombosis, postpartum cerebral angiopathy, multiple sclerosis, tumors, Bell palsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and pituitary disorders.
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Semin. Ultrasound CT MR · Dec 2011
Role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in evaluation of congenital/developmental brain abnormalities.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is an invaluable tool to study brain development and in vivo metabolism of brain. MRS is a noninvasive method and also does not involve ionizing radiation. ⋯ This discussion is limited to the use of MRS in evaluation of congenital or developmental brain abnormalities. The discussion of clinical utility of MRS is preceded by a brief overview of the technical aspects of MRS, followed by description of normal brain spectra in the neonates and the changes with normal brain development.
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After a brief discussion of the rarity of soft tissue sarcomas in children and of the limited ability of magnetic resonance imaging to provide a tissue diagnosis, this article discusses the incidence, presentation, treatment, prognosis, and imaging characteristics of the more common and unusual pediatric soft tissue sarcomas. It begins with extensive discussion of rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and congenital/infantile fibrosarcoma. It then presents a more abbreviated discussion of uncommon tumors such as alveolar soft part sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma, granulocytic sarcoma, hemangiopericytoma, liposarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, and undifferentiated sarcoma.