Investigative radiology
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialOptimization of contrast material delivery for dual-energy computed tomography pulmonary angiography in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.
To prospectively compare subjective and objective measures of image quality using 4 different contrast material injection protocols in dual-energy computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) studies of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. ⋯ High iodine concentration and high IDR contrast material delivery protocols provide the best image quality of both CTPA and perfusion map images of the lung through high attenuation in the pulmonary arteries and minimization of beam-hardening artifacts.
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2012
Pulmonary embolism detection and characterization through quantitative iodine-based material decomposition images with spectral computed tomography imaging.
To assess the diagnostic value of pulmonary embolism (PE) detection and characterization through quantitative iodine-based material decomposition images with spectral computed tomography (CT) imaging. ⋯ Spectral CT imaging generated both monochromatic CTPA images for morphologic analysis of PE and material decomposition images for quantitative depiction of pulmonary blood flow and perfusion defects. Quantification of iodine density may be used as a predictor in distinguishing the presence or absence of PE and the severity of PE.
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Investigative radiology · Nov 2011
Cerebral perfusion in perinatal hypoxia and resuscitation assessed by transcranial contrast-enhanced ultrasound and 3 T MRI in newborn pigs.
Cerebrovascular factors are crucially involved in the early injury after perinatal asphyxia. With magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US), this study aimed to quantify microvascular perfusion changes due to hypoxia and resuscitation, by comparing contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced (DSC)-MRI and diffusion-weighted MRI. ⋯ CEUS and DSC-MRI can detect an early temporal evolution of cerebral perfusion in perinatal hypoxia and resuscitation, reversible after 7 hours. Hyperoxic resuscitation caused early decreased cerebral perfusion, not present in the normoxic group. The combined use of CEUS and DSC-MRI can provide important diagnostic information and give new insights into perinatal vascular hypoxia mechanisms.
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Investigative radiology · Oct 2011
Free-breathing radial 3D fat-suppressed T1-weighted gradient echo sequence: a viable alternative for contrast-enhanced liver imaging in patients unable to suspend respiration.
: To compare free-breathing radially sampled 3D fat suppressed T1-weighted gradient-echo acquisitions (radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination [VIBE]) with breath-hold (BH) and free-breathing conventional (rectilinearly sampled k-space) VIBE acquisitions for postcontrast imaging of the liver. ⋯ : Radial VIBE can be performed during free breathing for contrast-enhanced imaging of the liver with comparable image quality to BH VIBE. However, further work is necessary to shorten the acquisition time to perform dynamic imaging.
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Investigative radiology · Oct 2011
Quantitative analysis of the diffusion-weighted steady-state free precession signal in vertebral bone marrow lesions.
: Diffusion-weighted steady-state free precession (DW-SSFP) sequences have shown great potential for the differential diagnosis of benign osteoporotic and malignant neoplastic vertebral compression fractures, which appear hypo- to isointense or hyperintense in DW-SSFP magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. In contrast to other diffusion weighting sequences, the DW-SSFP signal depends not only on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), but also on the tissue relaxation times and sequence parameters. The purpose of the present study was to provide a detailed analysis of the DW-SSFP signal in benign and malignant vertebral lesions (VLs) and in vertebral bone marrow (VBM) to understand the observed signal alterations and their dependence on tissue and sequence parameters. ⋯ : Although the ADCs of the evaluated malignant and benign VLs showed highly significant differences, the influence of diffusion on the DW-SSFP signal contrast is relatively low compared with other tissue parameters due to the very complex signal mechanism of the SSFP sequence. Thus, the observed DW-SSFP signal contrast of different VLs (hypo-/isointense vs. hyperintense signal) is rather fat- and T2*-weighted than diffusion-weighted. The intermediate diffusion weighting of the applied SSFP sequence, however, helps to shift the different contrasts into a signal range that is easily visually accessible.