Staging and current treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is typically clinically silent, and HCC is often advanced at first manifestation. Without treatment, the 5-year survival rate is less than 5%. The selected treatment depends on the presence of comorbidity; tumor size, location, and morphology; and the presence of metastatic disease.

Evaluation of liver metastases after radiofrequency ablation: utility of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT.

Objective: Our objective was to review the CT appearance of liver metastases after radiofrequency ablation and to describe the imaging findings of and utility of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT in assessing tumor recurrence after ablation.

Conclusion: (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT can provide added diagnostic information compared with conventional imaging in patients after radiofrequency ablation of liver metastases and can be useful in guiding repeat ablation procedures.

The trend of using computed tomography in the detection of acute thoracic aortic and branch vessel injury after blunt thoracic trauma: single-center experience over 13 years.

Background: The purpose of this study was to review the trend of using chest computed tomography (CT) and aortography in evaluating patients with blunt thoracic trauma.

Methods: A total of 85 patients who had blunt aortic injury diagnosed by chest CT, aortography, or both were included in this study.

Results: Aortography was the dominant modality before 1998, and the use of chest CT has increased to 50% of patients with aortic injuries as of 2001.

Complications of ureteral stent placement.

The recent increase in usage of ureteral stents in the management of a variety of urinary tract disease processes mandates familiarity with these devices, their consequences, and their potential complications, which at times can be devastating. Radiology plays an important role in the routine monitoring of stents and in the evaluation of these consequences and complications. It may also offer solutions for their correction.

Noninvasive assessment of portomesenteric venous thrombosis: current concepts and imaging strategies.

Rapid, noninvasive imaging strategies, especially multidetector spiral CT and CT angiography (CTA) as well as gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography (MRA), have facilitated early diagnosis of splanchnic venous thrombosis, a potentially lethal cause of intestinal ischemia. Single breath-hold volumetric acquisitions permit superior temporal and contrast resolution while eliminating motion artifact and suppressing respiratory misregistration. Increased spatial resolution is aided by thinner slice collimation.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis: diagnosis and noninvasive imaging.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis is an uncommon but potentially lethal cause of bowel ischemia. Several imaging methods are available for diagnosis, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Doppler ultrasonography allows direct evaluation of the mesenteric and portal veins, provides semiquantitative flow information, and allows Doppler waveform analysis of the visceral vessels; however, it is operator dependent and is often limited by overlying bowel gas.

Percutaneous nephrostomy with extensions of the technique: step by step.

Minimally invasive therapy in the urinary tract begins with renal access by means of percutaneous nephrostomy. Indications for percutaneous nephrostomy include urinary diversion, treatment of nephrolithiasis and complex urinary tract infections, ureteral intervention, and nephroscopy and ureteroscopy. Bleeding complications can be minimized by entering the kidney in a relatively avascular zone created by branching of the renal artery.