Emergency radiology
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2011
Case ReportsEagle syndrome presenting with external carotid artery pseudoaneurysm.
Eagle syndrome refers to a clinical syndrome caused by the abnormal elongation of the styloid process with calcification/ossification of the stylohyoid ligament. We present the first reported case of Eagle syndrome resulting in an external carotid artery (ECA) pseudoaneurysm. A patient presented to emergency room with an expanding, painful right-neck mass. ⋯ Local resection of the styloid process with a rotational sternocleidomastoid flap was performed. The pathology report was consistent with a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm. A six-month clinical follow-up confirmed the complete resolution of symptoms with no neurological deficits.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2011
Case ReportsDelayed levorotation of the heart in traumatic pericardial rupture.
Traumatic pericardial rupture, with complicating cardiac herniation, is an extremely uncommon condition with a high mortality rate. We are reporting our experience with a case of blunt trauma to the chest, secondary to high-impact motor vehicle collision. ⋯ Upon thoracotomy, a posterior pericardial tear was found to be associated with laterally displaced cardiac axis. Delayed levorotation of the cardiac axis in traumatic pericardial rupture is an uncommon finding and needs to be recognized in a timely manner.
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To evaluate the yield of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and repeated follow-up imaging in patients with initial pattern of perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage (PSAH) and negative computed tomography angiography (CTA) in excluding an underlying aneurysm. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all nontraumatic SAH who underwent a DSA between January 2006 and January 2010 and selected those with a PSAH pattern on CT done within 72 h from ictus. All CTAs were performed with a 64-section multidetector row CT scanner, and findings were compared with DSA and to follow-up imaging. ⋯ One patient had a procedure-related transient complication, but evolved with no sequels. In patients with PSAH, CTA is reliable for ruling out an underlying aneurysm. DSA and, especially, further follow-up imaging have no increased diagnostic yield compared to initial negative CTA.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2011
Case ReportsMyocardial infarction after blunt chest trauma: usefulness of cardiac ECG-gated CT and MRI for positive and aetiologic diagnosis.
Myocardial infarction after blunt chest trauma has been reported in only few cases, and mechanisms of this complication have rarely been described. We report two cases of coronary artery lesions, one parietal hematoma of right coronary artery and one dissection of the left main coronary artery, which resulted in acute myocardial infarction following a blunt chest trauma. In these two cases, cardiac CT and MRI were useful to noninvasively explore these lesions.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2011
Comparative StudyIntraindividual comparison of gadolinium- and iodine-enhanced 64-slice multidetector CT pulmonary angiography for the detection of pulmonary embolism in a porcine model.
This study is an evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for the detection of pulmonary embolism (PE) in comparison with iodine-enhanced CTPA. PE was induced in five anesthetized pigs by administration of blood clots through an 11-F catheter inside the jugular vein. Animals underwent CTPA in breathhold with i.v. bolus injection of 50 ml gadopentetate dimeglumine (0.4 mmol/kg, 4 ml/s). ⋯ The interobserver agreement was excellent on lobar and segmental level (қ = 1.0 and 0.93, respectively), whereas readers only reached moderate agreement for PE evaluation on subsegmental level (қ = 0.56). Compared to conventional CTPA with iodinated contrast media, gadolinium-based contrast agents achieve an equivalent diagnostic accuracy in detection of PE down to segmental level. Gadolinium-enhanced CTPA may be considered as an alternative for the diagnostic workup of acute pulmonary embolism in patients with contraindications to iodinated contrast agents.