Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus: unusual case of spontaneous resolution.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a common echocardiographic finding. Caseous calcification is a rare variant appearing as a round, tumor-like mass with central echolucent area located in the periannular region. Although occasionally misdiagnosed as a tumor and submitted to exploratory cardiotomy, this lesion appears to carry a benign prognosis.

Contrast medium injection optimisation in spiral CT for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

Purpose: Spiral CT, normally a highly accurate diagnostic method to diagnose pulmonary embolism, has its weak point in the synchronisation of contrast medium (CM) injection and the start of the acquisition, essential to obtain optimal vascular enhancement. The aim of this paper is to introduce a method to control the CM injection based on the enhancement of blood vessels in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

Materials And Methods: The CARE bolus software pilots an electronic trigger that first monitors the CM passage, then starts the acquisition procedure when the intensity of enhancement reaches a pre-set value.