Radiology
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Comparative Study
Intermittent claudication: cost-effectiveness of revascularization versus exercise therapy.
To compare the costs, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment strategies for intermittent claudication. ⋯ The results suggest that, on average, the expected gain in effectiveness achieved with bypass surgery for intermittent claudication is small compared with the costs. Angioplasty performed whenever feasible was more effective than was exercise alone, and the cost-effectiveness ratio was within the generally accepted range.
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Comparative Study
Emphysema: hyperpolarized helium 3 diffusion MR imaging of the lungs compared with spirometric indexes--initial experience.
To quantitatively evaluate hyperpolarized helium 3 ((3)He) diffusion magnetic resonance (MR) images of the lung in patients with emphysema and to determine whether apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) measured with MR imaging correlate with spirometric indexes. ⋯ Hyperpolarized (3)He diffusion MR imaging demonstrated potential for use in evaluating the global and regional severity of emphysema.
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To test the hypothesis that the accuracy of gadolinium- and ferumoxides-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is different in small (< or =1.5-cm) and large (>1.5-cm) hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). ⋯ For the detection of early HCC, gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is preferred to ferumoxides-enhanced MR imaging because the former demonstrated significantly greater accuracy in the detection of small HCCs.