Radiology
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The study was approved by the local ethics committee, and informed consent was provided by all participants prior to the examination. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of whole-body three-dimensional (3D) contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography with parallel imaging in the phase- and section-encoding directions (ie, integrated parallel acquisition technique [iPAT(2); Siemens, Erlangen, Germany]) for all anatomic imaging stations in combination with a single injection of contrast material. Whole-body contrast-enhanced MR angiography was performed in 23 patients at 3.0 T. ⋯ Mean image quality scores were 3.13 +/- 1.15 (standard deviation) and 3.17 +/- 1.14 for observers 1 and 2, respectively (kappa = 0.81). Signal intensity measurements revealed mean SNR values between 36.2 +/- 8.0 and 56.2 +/- 17.7 and mean CNR values between 29.0 +/- 7.4 and 48.2 +/- 15.7. The data suggest that contrast-enhanced MR angiography with iPAT(2) is feasible for whole-body applications and allows acquisition of 3D data sets with adequate spatial resolution within short measurement times, facilitating a single injection of contrast material.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Lumbar spine: reliability of MR imaging findings.
To characterize the inter- and intraobserver variability of qualitative, non-disk contour degenerative findings of the lumbar spine at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. ⋯ The interpretation of general lumbar spine MR characteristics has sufficient reliability to warrant the further evaluation of these features as potential prognostic indicators.
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Comparative Study
Repeated transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of liver metastases of colorectal cancer: prospective study.
To evaluate local tumor control and survival data after transarterial chemoembolization with different drug combinations in the palliative treatment of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer. ⋯ Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive therapy option for palliative treatment of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer, with similar results among three chemoembolization protocols.
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Comparative Study
Determination of regional ejection fraction in patients with myocardial infarction by using merged late gadolinium enhancement and cine MR: feasibility study.
To quantify regional ejection fraction (EF) in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) by using merged late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and compare this method with the standardized 17-segment American Heart Association approach. ⋯ Assessment of regional ventricular performance (regional EF) in well-defined areas (eg, infarcted and remote myocardium) is feasible by using merged LGE and cine MR imaging.
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To study the clinical usefulness of ultrasonography (US)-guided core-needle biopsy (CNB) of axillary lymph nodes and the US-depicted abnormalities that may be used to predict nodal metastases. ⋯ Axillary lymph nodes with abnormal US findings can be sampled with high accuracy and without major complications by using a modified 14-gauge CNB technique.