Investigative radiology
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Investigative radiology · Dec 2006
Controlled Clinical TrialIn vivo determination of hepatic stiffness using steady-state free precession magnetic resonance elastography.
The objective of this study was to introduce an magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) protocol based on fractional motion encoding and planar wave acquisition for rapid measurements of in vivo human liver stiffness. ⋯ bSSFP combined with fractional MRE enables rapid measurement of liver stiffness in vivo. The used actuation principle supports a 2-dimensional analysis of the strain wave field captured by axial wave images. The measured data indicate individual variations of hepatic stiffness in healthy volunteers.
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Investigative radiology · Dec 2006
Comparative StudyMagnetic resonance imaging enhancement of normal tissues and tumors using macromolecular Gd-based cascade polymer contrast agents: preclinical evaluations.
We sought to compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancement using 4 novel macromolecular polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-based cascade-polymer gadolinium contrast agents (macromolecular contrast media) in normal soft tissues and a breast cancer model. ⋯ Two relatively large (effective molecular weight >82 kDa) PEG-based cascade polymer contrast agents were well-suited for MRI quantification of tissue plasma volume and for differentiating leaky cancer microvessels from nonleaky normal vessels.
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Investigative radiology · Nov 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyContrast-induced nephropathy in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing computed tomography: a double-blind comparison of iodixanol and iopamidol.
Based on a single clinical trial, it has been suggested that the contrast agent iodixanol, which is isotonic to human plasma, may be less nephrotoxic than other nonionic contrast agents in renally impaired patients after intra-arterial injection. We compared the effects on renal function of iopamidol-370 injection (796 mOsm/kg) and iodixanol-320 (290 mOsm/kg) in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (CE-MDCT) examinations using a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group design. ⋯ The rate of CIN was similarly low in risk patients after intravenous administration of iopamidol-370 or iodixanol-320 for CE-MDCT.
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Investigative radiology · Nov 2006
Comparative Study Clinical Trial3 T contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography for evaluation of the intracranial arteries: comparison with time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and multislice computed tomography angiography.
We sought to prospectively evaluate the image quality and visualization of the intracranial arteries using high spatial resolution contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) at 3 T and to perform intraindividual comparison with time-of-flight (TOF) MRA and multislice CT angiography (CTA). ⋯ The described 3 T CE-MRA protocol, spanning from the cervical to the intracranial vessels, visualized and characterized the majority of intracranial arteries with image quality comparable with that obtained using TOF-MRA and CTA. Further clinical studies are required to establish the accuracy of the technique in a broader clinical setting.
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Investigative radiology · Oct 2006
Controlled Clinical TrialMultishot diffusion-weighted PROPELLER magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using multishot PROPELLER for diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the abdomen. ⋯ The multishot DW-PROPELLER sequence is a promising technique for DWI of abdominal organs. Future clinical studies will evaluate the use of DW-PROPELLER technique for abdominal oncologic imaging applications.