Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine
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Comparative Study
[Comparative studies of breath-hold magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) between different two sequences and between 1.0T and 1.5T units].
In this article, a comparative study in the diagnostic ability of a breath-hold MRCP between thin slice half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) and thick slice rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE), and between 1.5T and 1.0T units was made. Although thin slice HASTE sequence might be more excellent in the diagnostic ability than thick slice RARE, the ability of depiction of pancreaticobiliary system on MRCP was not statistically different between these two sequences and between 1.0T and 1.5T units. ⋯ However, thick slice RARE sequence was useful for MRCP because a projection image of pancreaticobiliary system could be easily obtained without postprocessing and without misregistration. Thick slice RARE sequence should be used in combination with thin slice HASTE sequence for the diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary system.
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HASTE (half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo) is the single-section pulse sequence with high-resolution and moderate T2 contrast. Therefore it allows ultra fast acquisition, it is not influenced by respiratory motion, and it is insensitive to susceptibility effect because all of the data are from spin-echo. ⋯ Recently it is recognized as one of the most powerful tool for imaging abdomen, especially for MRCP (Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreato-graphy). The features of HASTE and some examples of possible clinical application are shown.
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Each year approximately 30,000 persons in Japan experience prehospital cardiac arrest complicating acute coronary syndrome, and about 96 percent of them die. The majority of these sudden cardiac deaths are the result of fatal arrhythmias that often can be stopped by rapid initial medical care. In Tokyo, however, the first responder to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation are about 10 percent, the successful defibrillation rate by Japanese paramedics who are not authorized advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) with drugs are about 15 percent and there are very few cardiologists who have been engaged in ACLS and initial management of suspected acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department. Therefore, each community emergency medical system should develop a plan to provide rapid initial medical care to patients with cardiac arrest (those with and without acute coronary syndrome).
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Ulcerative colitis is a nonspecific inflammatory disease of large intestine. Its inflammation is limited to intestinal mucosa. The most essential symptom is hematochezia, bloody stool and intestinal bleeding. ⋯ These diseases include Crohn disease, ischemic colitis, intestinal Behçet disease, Enterohemorrhagic E. coli including O157, antibiotics associated hemorrhagic colitis and so on. Drugs for the treatment of ulcerative colitis are sulphapyridine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, prednisolone, betamethasone and immunosuppressive drugs. Recently, leukocytapheresis and massive immunoglobulin 7S treatment are available for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
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Clinical staging can be defined as the attempt to determine the pathologic extent of cancer by clinical tests. Accurate preoperative assessment is essential for the appropriate selection of therapy and design of treatment for the individual patients with prostate cancer. Transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) was initially applied clinically in 1971. ⋯ More importantly, ultrasound guidance allows accurate sampling of prostatic tissue. However, the role of sonographic imaging itself in diagnosing of tumor extent remains uncertain. In this chapter we will assess critically the present role of ultrasound in staging prostate cancer based on currently available criteria.