Myocardial delayed contrast enhancement in patients with arterial hypertension: initial results of cardiac MRI.

Purpose: In arterial hypertension left ventricular hypertrophy comprises myocyte hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis and structural alterations of the coronary microcirculation. MRI enables the detection of myocardial fibrosis, infarction and scar tissue by delayed enhancement (DE) after contrast media application. Aim of this study was to investigate patients with arterial hypertension but without known coronary disease or previous myocardial infarction to detect areas of DE.

Positive effects of nitric oxide on left ventricular function in humans.

Aims: The myocardial effect of tonically released nitric oxide (NO) in humans is still not known. We tested the hypothesis that low-dose NO exerts positive effects on left ventricular (LV) function.

Methods And Results: Twelve healthy volunteers, 26+/-4 years, were enrolled in this study.

Multi-detector CT-colonography in inflammatory bowel disease: prospective analysis of CT-findings to high-resolution video colonoscopy.

Aim: Prospective analysis of multi-detector CT-colonography (MDCTC) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared to high-resolution video-endoscopy (HRVC).

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one patients (mean age 49.6 years) with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis underwent MDCTC (Somatom Volume Zoom, Siemens, Erlangen; 1mm collimation, Pitch 8, 100 mAs, 120 kVp).

Feasibility of MDCT Colonography in ultra-low-dose technique in the detection of colorectal lesions: comparison with high-resolution video colonoscopy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of MDCT colonography in an ultra-low-dose technique in the detection of endoluminal colonic lesions compared with high-resolution video colonoscopy.

Subjects And Methods: After standard bowel cleansing, 137 patients (77 men, 60 women; mean [+/- SD] age, 57.1 +/- 11.