CT evaluation of self-induced and retained foreign bodies in the abdomen and pelvis.

Computed tomography (CT) can both locate and identify foreign bodies as well as pinpoint complications to help direct treatment. Retained foreign bodies in the abdomen and pelvis can lead to perforation, obstruction, intussusception, fistula formation, and abdominal abscess formation. This article reviews the imaging appearance of incidentally found common foreign bodies and the role of CT in identifying unsuspected foreign bodies.

Postoperative Spinal CT: What the Radiologist Needs to Know.

During the past 2 decades, the number of spinal surgeries performed annually has been steadily increasing, and these procedures are being accompanied by a growing number of postoperative imaging studies to interpret. CT is accurate for identifying the location and integrity of implants, assessing the success of decompression and intervertebral arthrodesis procedures, and detecting and characterizing related complications. Although postoperative spinal CT is often limited owing to artifacts caused by metallic implants, parameter optimization and advanced metal artifact reduction techniques, including iterative reconstruction and monoenergetic extrapolation methods, can be used to reduce metal artifact severity and improve image quality substantially.

High-Value Multidetector CT Angiography of the Superior Mesenteric Artery: What Emergency Medicine Physicians and Interventional Radiologists Need to Know.

The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) provides vital blood supply to the midgut, and an acute abnormality can rapidly precipitate bowel ischemia and infarction and lead to morbidity and mortality. Vascular diseases that acutely compromise the SMA threaten its tributaries and include occlusion, dissection, aneurysm rupture, pseudoaneurysm, vasculitis, and SMA branch hemorrhage into the bowel. Emergency medicine physicians rely on the radiologist to identify SMA abnormalities, to characterize them, and to detail findings that guide the appropriate triage of these patients.