Occupational radiation dose: percutaneous interventional procedures on hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas and grafts.

Purpose: To evaluate operator radiation exposure during percutaneous interventions on hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and arteriovenous grafts (AVGs).

Materials And Methods: Seventy-seven procedures were performed in 57 patients while the interventional radiologist wore two ring dosimeters, two thermoluminescent dosimeters at the lower legs, and a thermoluminescent dosimeter on the forehead. Dose-area product, fluoroscopy time, total procedure time, and radiation exposures to eye lens, hands, and legs were recorded.

Comparison of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in 471 patients with known or suspected renal lesions: results of a multicenter, single-blind, interindividual, randomized clinical phase III trial.

The purpose of this phase III clinical trial was to compare two different extracellular contrast agents, 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with known or suspected focal renal lesions.

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of kidneys in healthy volunteers and patients with parenchymal diseases: initial experience.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate feasibility of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in assessment of renal function in healthy volunteers and patients with various renal abnormalities and to prospectively evaluate reproducibility of DW MR imaging in volunteers.

Materials And Methods: Study protocol was approved by local ethics committee; informed consent was obtained. Eighteen healthy volunteers and 15 patients underwent transverse fat-saturated echo-planar DW MR imaging of the kidneys during normal breathing.

High-spatial-resolution 3D balanced turbo field-echo technique for MR angiography of the renal arteries: initial experience.

Purpose: To compare a multislab balanced turbo field-echo magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic technique, without the use of a contrast agent, with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for imaging of the renal arteries.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five randomly selected patients (eight women and 17 men; age range, 27-88 years; mean age, 72 years) suspected of having renal artery stenosis underwent both DSA and balanced turbo field-echo MR angiography. A consensus result was obtained among three radiologists in evaluation of main renal arteries on balanced turbo field-echo images and DSA images.