Acta radiologica
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Osteoporosis screening with dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) is not recommended due to low diagnostic utility and costs. Radiographic absorptiometry (RA) determines bone mineral density (BMD) of the phalangeal bones of the hand and is a potential osteoporosis pre-screening tool. ⋯ BMD(RA) correlated weakly with BMD(DXA) of the lumbar spine and total hip, and RA has a moderate ability to identify osteoporotic individuals. Nevertheless, RA may be used as a pre-screening tool in men, since the diagnosis may be ruled out in half the population at little cost.
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Fibrothecomas are the most common solid ovarian tumors and may undergo torsion. Early diagnosis of these tumors is important in order to allow prompt surgical treatment. ⋯ Fibrothecomas usually appear as a homogeneous solid tumor with varying degrees of enhancement. Calcification may be present and, as these tumors enlarge, myxoid or cystic degeneration may occur, resulting in a heterogeneous pattern. The larger the tumor, the greater is the chance of torsion. Lack of tumor enhancement is the most reliable sign for detection of ovarian torsion and should facilitate prompt surgical intervention to remove damaged tissue.
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Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a fluoroscopically guided procedure for the treatment of painful vertebral compression fractures and metastases. Routine legal personal dosimetry repeatedly showed dosimeter doses exceeding 1 mSv/month for the only radiologist performing PVP at our hospital. Based on the nature of the procedure, this raised concern about potentially high doses to the eyes and fingers. ⋯ Placing the X-ray tube on the side of the patient opposite to the operator and the use of radiation protection gloves significantly reduces radiation exposure to the operator. In phantom simulations, the dose was reduced by a factor of 4-5. Knowledge of fluoroscopy equipment, radiation physics, and protection is essential in order to reduce exposure.
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Correlation between clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings is essential in low-back-pain patients. Most previous studies have analyzed concordance in the interpretation of lumbar MRI among a few radiologists who worked together. This may have overestimated concordance. ⋯ Images from 0.2 T MRIs appear to lead to good agreement in the reporting of disc contour, high-intensity zones, Schmorl nodes, and, in particular, Modic changes, suggesting that they can possibly be reliably used for clinical research purposes. In contrast, assessment of osteophytes and disc degeneration is not reliable.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intraindividual comparison between gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadobutrol for magnetic resonance perfusion in normal brain and intracranial tumors at 3 Tesla.
In vitro studies have shown that the 3-Tesla (T) magnetic resonance (MR) characteristics of high- and standard-molar gadolinium-based contrast agents differ. Such differences may indicate that high-molar (1.0 M) agents offer advantages for perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) at 3T, as has been previously reported at 1.5 T. ⋯ Higher-concentration 1.0 M gadobutrol can offer advantages over standard 0.5 M gadopentetate dimeglumine, particularly with respect to delineation between gray and white matter and for the demarcation of highly vascularized tumor tissue on brain PWI performed at 3T.