Radiologic clinics of North America
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Imaging of patients with pelvic trauma begins with a logical approach to plain radiographs. These films reveal the probable mechanism of injury and suggest a rationale for emergent reduction. Radiographs, along with the clinical impression, suggest the likelihood of associated soft tissue injury, possibly requiring further specific radiographic studies. ⋯ When multiple ribs are fractured in two places, the radiologist should suggest the possibility of flail chest. Sternal fractures and multiple rib fractures, including the first three ribs, may herald life-threatening vascular or cardiac damage. To summarize, the radiologist contributes most to the care of the trauma patient by recognizing roentgen patterns of injury, knowing which are commonly accompanied by damage to critical soft tissues, and performing the indicated radiographic studies efficiently.
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Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Sep 1988
Review Comparative StudyNuclear medicine: SPECT comparisons to PET.
Early comparisons between PET and SPECT imaging of the brain, therefore, confirm that SPECT is capable of revealing information about regional brain function and metabolism at a much lower cost and degree of complexity. While PET will continue to play a leading role in research, SPECT imaging will increasingly be used clinically to evaluate functional disorders of the brain.
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Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Sep 1988
Magnetic resonance imaging of degenerative disk disease of the spine.
MRI has undergone an incredibly rapid evolution, and technical advances are continually occurring. MRI allows for high resolution imaging that can clearly demonstrate a variety of degenerative processes of the spine. High-resolution MRI that gives detailed anatomic information, coupled with the use of MR contrast agents, promises to change our diagnostic approach significantly for degenerative disk disease of the spine.
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Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Jul 1988
ReviewThe magnetic resonance imaging of infections and inflammatory diseases.
The MR features of inflammatory lesions of the central nervous system are reviewed in this article, and the sensitivity and specificity of MR and CT in the detection of these lesions are compared. The advent of CT dramatically improved the morbidity and mortality of inflammatory disease by facilitating earlier and more accurate diagnosis which, in turn, produced more timely medical and surgical intervention. The efficacy of MR in the evaluation of inflammatory lesions must, therefore, be compared to CT in order to accurately asses its role.
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Radiol. Clin. North Am. · Jul 1988
Case ReportsArtifacts and diagnostic pitfalls on magnetic resonance imaging: a clinical review.
High field MRI of the brain occasionally exhibits imaging artifacts; most artifacts are obvious and easily recognized, but some are subtle and mimic disease. A thorough understanding of brain MRI artifacts is important to avoid potential diagnostic pitfalls. ⋯ These include additional projections, different pulse sequence, and 90 degree shift of phase-encoding gradient. The use of respiratory gating or cardiac gating may also improve image quality by reducing some of the motion-related artifacts.