Radiologic clinics of North America
-
This article emphasizes multirow detector CT (MDCT) technique, the spectrum of findings for diagnosing major thoracic vascular injuries, and the challenges and potential errors that might be encountered. In particular, the role of MDCT data after processing to enhance diagnostic accuracy and convey appropriate and required diagnostic information to the doctors who are managing these vascular injuries are discussed.
-
Chest pain is one of the most common presentations in emergency medicine. The initial evaluation should always consider life-threatening causes such as aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pericarditis, and esophageal perforation. Radiographic imaging is performed in tandem with the initial clinical assessment and stabilization of the patient. Radiologic findings are key to diagnosis and management of this entity.
-
Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Jan 2006
Review Comparative StudyModern emergent stroke imaging: pearls, protocols, and pitfalls.
Stroke remains one of the most important clinical diagnoses for which patients are referred to the radiologist for emergent imaging. Timely and accurate imaging guides admission from the emergency department or transfer to a hospital with a dedicated stroke service, triage to the intensive care unit, anticoagulation, thrombolysis, and many other forms of treatment and management. ⋯ Time saved in getting an accurate diagnosis of stroke may indeed decrease morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the current management of stroke imaging and reviews the relevant literature.
-
Approximately 2% to 3% of blunt trauma victims suffer injury to the spinal column each year, often with devastating consequences. This article discusses clinical criteria for screening for spinal injury and the increasing roles of multidetector CT and MR imaging in the evaluation of spinal trauma. Both CT and MR imaging safety issues also are addressed. Lastly, the role of imaging in the evaluation of whiplash injury, instability, vascular injury, and delayed traumatic sequelae is discussed.
-
In this article the basic features of the focal MR imaging lesions and the underlying pathology are reviewed. Next, the diffuse pathology in the normal-appearing white and gray matter as revealed by conventional and quantitative MR imaging techniques is discussed, including reference to how the focal and diffuse pathology may be in part linked through axonal-neuronal degeneration. The MR imaging criteria incorporated for the first time into formal clinical diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis are next discussed. Finally, a discussion is provided as to how MR imaging is used in monitoring subclinical disease either before or subsequent to initiation of treatment, in identifying aggressive subclinical disease, and treatment of nonresponders.