Gadolinium use in spine procedures for patients with allergy to iodinated contrast--experience of 127 procedures.

Background And Purpose: To review the safety and efficacy of gadolinium as a contrast agent in spine pain management procedures in patients who are at high risk for a contrast reaction and are therefore unacceptable candidates for the use of standard nonionic contrast.

Methods: We reviewed our records over a 4-year period of interlaminar and foraminal epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, facet injections, intercostal blocks, and diskograms in the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine for cases in which patients had allergies that made them unsuitable candidates for standard nonionic contrast and where gadolinium was used to confirm needle tip placement before injection of medication.

Results: Ninety-two patients underwent 127 procedures.

The sacrum: pathologic spectrum, multimodality imaging, and subspecialty approach.

The sacrum is a structure that is imaged by both general and subspecialty radiologists. A wide variety of disease processes can involve the sacrum either focally or as part of a systemic process. Plain radiographs, although limited in evaluation of the sacrum, should be carefully examined when abnormalities of the sacrum are suspected.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the temporomandibular joint.

The spectrum of disease that affects the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can be varied. To differentiate among the diseases that cause pain and dysfunction, an intimate knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of this region is necessary. Due to the joint's complex anatomy and relationship to the skin, it has been difficult to image in the past.

Sinus lift procedure of the maxilla in patients with inadequate bone for dental implants: radiographic appearance.

Objective: Dental implants have gained popularity for treating edentulism, but some patients develop jaw atrophy, which leaves insufficient bone for implants. To treat these patients, the sinus lift procedure, which augments bone, was developed. Altered anatomy from this procedure has an unusual radiographic appearance, confusing those unfamiliar with it.

[Dental CT in pathologic changes of the maxillo-mandibular region].

CT with multiplanar reconstruction of the jaws (DentaScan) is the method of choice for the radiographic assessment of the mandible and maxilla. It is instrumental in delineating the relationship between bony lesions and the adjacent anatomy. Therefore, this technique allows precise evaluation of the intricate details of the oral cavity.