Mediastinal perigraft seroma: CT and MR imaging.

We report a patient who developed a perigraft seroma after a modified Blalock-Taussig procedure in which a polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-tex) graft was used. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance were instrumental in the evaluation of this seroma.

Protein S deficiency: imaging findings.

Protein S deficiency is an autosomal-dominant inherited disorder of coagulation associated with spontaneous and recurrent venous thrombosis. Approximately 5% of patients with deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities who are less than 45 years old have a deficiency of protein S. Patients frequently have spontaneous and recurrent deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism during young adulthood.

Mediastinal bronchogenic cyst: demonstration of a fluid-fluid level at MR imaging.

The appearance of mediastinal bronchogenic cysts at cross-sectional imaging is variable. Intracystic hemorrhage, proteinaceous fluid, or suspended calcium may belie the true cystic nature of the lesion at computed tomography or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The authors report a case of a fluid-fluid level seen on MR images of a bronchogenic cyst.

Calcified intrahepatic portal vein thrombus: distinction from intrahepatic choledocholithiasis.

In a case of calcified intrahepatic portal vein thrombus CT demonstrated a branching calcified intrahepatic mass with peripheral enhancement following dynamic bolus contrast medium administration. The distinction from intrahepatic choledocholithiasis was made with normal cholangiography. Calcified portal vein thrombus should be considered an unusual cause of branching calcified intrahepatic mass on CT.

Leukemic infiltrates of the heart: CT findings.

Although primary cardiac tumors are rare, metastatic disease to the heart is not uncommon. This is particularly true of the leukemias. Because of increased patient survival, cardiac leukemic infiltrates may assume a larger role in the gamut of leukemic complications.

Histogram-directed processing of digital chest images.

One of the potential advantages of digital chest imaging is the ability to process these images. However, such processing, when uniformly applied to the entire image, is often unsatisfactory due to the different processing requirements of lung field and mediastinum. Therefore, a method to selectively process these regions based upon the histogram of the original image has been developed.