[Gastric mesenchymal tumours (GIST)].

The incidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) has increased in recent years. A number of authors have attempted to define the actual nature of these tumours. Immunohistochemistry highlighting the positivity of tyrosine-kinase (CD117/c-Kit) has revealed the difference between gastrointestinal stromal tumours and other mesenchymal tumours and, therefore, the possibility of medical rather than surgical therapy.

Contribution of CT to treatment planning in patients with GIST.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to illustrate the morphological and structural computed tomography (CT) patterns of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) and to discuss the technique's role in identifying lesions at a higher risk for malignant potential, in treatment planning and in the follow-up of patients with GIST.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the CT scans of 26 patients who underwent surgery for histologically confirmed GIST of the stomach (20 cases), the duodenum (1), the caecum (1), the small bowel (2), the descending colon (1) and the rectum (1). CT exams were performed with a single-slice scanner and a 5-mm collimation before and after the intravenous administration of contrast material.

Radiologic evaluation in planning surgery of renal tumors.

The evolution in diagnostic imaging modalities, mainly in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have made it possible to extend the applications of these techniques from diagnosis to staging and surgical planning. Nowadays, the possibility to present images on different planes with an intrinsic resolution close to that of the original axial sections allows presentation of the kidney on sagittal, coronal, and oblique planes. Three-dimensional reconstructions can be obtained with different methods and have attained excellent image quality.

Detection of liver metastases by pulse inversion harmonic imaging during Levovist late phase: comparison with conventional ultrasound and helical CT in 160 patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate capabilities of pulse inversion harmonic imaging (PIHI) with Levovist in detection of liver metastases compared with conventional ultrasound (US) and helical CT (HCT). One hundred sixty consecutive patients with known malignancies were evaluated by conventional US, PIHI 2 min (40 patients) or 4 min (120 patients) after Levovist injection and HCT. Conspicuity and number of the identified metastatic lesions were evaluated and assessed by statistical analysis (significance p<0.