Pancreatic Cystic Lesions and Malignancy: Assessment, Guidelines, and the Field Defect.

The widespread use of high-spatial-resolution cross-sectional imaging has led to an increase in detection of incidental pancreatic cystic lesions. These lesions are a diverse group, ranging from indolent and premalignant lesions to invasive cancers. The diagnosis of several of these lesions can be suggested on the basis of their imaging appearance, while many other lesions require follow-up imaging and/or aspiration.

Feasibility of sub-second CT angiography of the abdomen and pelvis with very low volume of contrast media, low tube voltage, and high-pitch technique, on a third-generation dual-source CT scanner.

Background: Concerns about potential risks of using contrast media in patients with chronic renal insufficiency limit the utilization of CT angiography in this population.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of abdominopelvic CTA with very low volumes of contrast media.

Material And Methods: In this retrospective study, 20 patients with chronic renal insufficiency underwent high-pitch abdominopelvic (AP) CTA on a third-generation dual-source CT scanner with 30 mL of nonionic iodinated contrast.

An Unusual Cause of Acute Pancreatitis in a Liver Transplant Recipient.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in liver transplant recipients is relatively uncommon, with an estimated incidence of 1%-3%. Retrospective reviews of liver transplant recipients have mainly reported posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder affecting the liver, gastrointestinal tract, or lymph nodes. In this case report, we describe a 45-y-old female with a history of deceased donor liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis who had recurrent hospital admissions for acute pancreatitis.

Gastric outlet obstruction in the setting of acute cholecystitis.

Acute cholecystitis is a rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) and may manifest with nonspecific symptoms which may preclude or delay diagnosis. During the latter part of the 20th century, benign disease was responsible for most cases of GOO in adults with peptic ulcer disease accounting for up to 90% of these cases. Although precise estimates on GOO incidence and prevalence are lacking, as many as 2000 surgical operations were reportedly performed annually for GOO in the United States in the 1990s.

Pancreatitis in the developmentally anomalous pancreas.

Developmental anomalies of the pancreas include more common entities such as pancreas divisum and annular pancreas, and unusual entities such as heterotopic pancreas. While these anomalies can present a diagnostic challenge to the radiologist, when the pancreatic tissue involved in these processes develops pancreatitis, the radiographic appearance can present a diagnostic dilemma. Awareness of these pancreatic anomalies and familiarity with their appearance when inflamed is necessary to distinguish pancreatitis in the developmentally anomalous pancreas from other inflammatory or neoplastic processes.

Reactions to Both Nonionic Iodinated and Gadolinium-Based Contrast Media: Incidence and Clinical Characteristics.

Objective: The objective or our study was to assess the incidence rate and clinical characteristics of allergiclike reactions in patients who received both nonionic iodinated contrast medium (ICM) and gadolinium-based contrast medium (GBCM).

Materials And Methods: Acute allergiclike reactions in patients who received both ICM and GBCM to nonionic ICM or GBCM injections during a 5-year period were analyzed. Allergy preparation was not administered when patients received a different type of contrast material.

Renal Pretransplantation Work-up, Donor, Recipient, Surgical Techniques.

Renal transplant is the single best treatment of end-stage renal disease. Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent method for the evaluation of potential renal donors and recipients. Multiphase CT is particularly useful because of detailed evaluation of the kidneys, including the vascular anatomy and the collecting system.

Magnetic resonance imaging of pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma.

Pancreatic metastases are rare but are thought to be most commonly from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). These metastases can present many years after the initial tumor is resected, and accordingly, these patients require prolonged imaging follow-up. Although the computed tomographic findings of these metastases have been extensively reviewed in the literature, little has been written about the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of these metastases.

Imaging of choledochal cysts.

Choledochal cysts are rare cystic dilatations of the intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic biliary tree, which may be mistaken for other cystic lesions if their characteristic features are not recognized. The etiology is unknown, and likely multifactorial, and it is uncertain whether they are congenital or acquired. Multiple imaging modalities can be used to diagnose choledochal cysts, including ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography.

CT and MR imaging for evaluation of cystic renal lesions and diseases.

Cystic renal lesions are commonly encountered in abdominal imaging. Although most cystic renal lesions are benign simple cysts, complex renal cysts, infectious cystic renal disease, and multifocal cystic renal disease are also common phenomena. The Bosniak classification system provides a useful means of categorizing cystic renal lesions but places less emphasis on their underlying pathophysiology.

Taking advantage of chemical shift imaging: using opposed-phase images to locate the normal appendix on MR.

Multiple sequences of 50 consecutive adult pelvic MRI exams were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists to determine if opposed-phase T1 gradient echo imaging can assist in locating the normal appendix on pelvic MRI. If the appendix was visualized, it was always seen on the T2 sequence, except for one exam. The opposed-phase sequence had the second highest visualization rate, and the appendix was identified the least on the post-gadolinium sequence.