Balancing the three missions and the impact on academic radiology.

The three missions of academic radiology compete with one another for time and funding. Revenue for the clinical mission often subsidizes education and research. Given the internal and external drivers/pressures on health care and, more particularly, on academic health centers, the current model is unsustainable.

Quantitative radiology: automated CT liver volumetry compared with interactive volumetry and manual volumetry.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate automated CT volumetry in the assessment of living-donor livers for transplant and to compare this technique with software-aided interactive volumetry and manual volumetry.

Materials And Methods: Hepatic CT scans of 18 consecutively registered prospective liver donors were obtained under a liver transplant protocol. Automated liver volumetry was developed on the basis of 3D active-contour segmentation.

Computed tomography liver volumetry using 3-dimensional image data in living donor liver transplantation: effects of the slice thickness on the volume calculation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the slice thickness and the calculated volume in computed tomography (CT) liver volumetry through the comparison of the results from images [including 3-dimensional (3D) images] with various slice thicknesses. Twenty potential adult liver donors (12 men and 8 women) with a mean age of 39 years (range = 24-64 years) underwent CT with a 64-section multidetector row CT scanner after the intravenous injection of a contrast material. Four image sets with slice thicknesses of 0.

Contrast enhancement of hepatic hemangiomas on multiphase MDCT: Can we diagnose hepatic hemangiomas by comparing enhancement with blood pool?

Objective: The purpose of this article is to determine whether enhancement of nodular foci within hemangiomas is homogeneous and matches blood vessels at different phases on contrast-enhanced MDCT.

Materials And Methods: Multiphase (unenhanced, arterial, portal venous, and delayed phases) MDCT images of 58 hemangiomas were reviewed by two radiologists. Nodular-enhancing foci within hemangiomas were evaluated for enhancement pattern and were subjectively compared with enhancement of the aorta, inferior vena cava, hepatic vein, and portal vein for each contrast-enhanced phase.

Diffusion-weighted MRI: a new tool for the diagnosis of fistula in ano.

Purpose: To retrospectively determine the additional value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to T2-weighted imaging in the evaluation of anal fistulae in comparison with gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced imaging.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen patients (mean age, 35.2 years) with 20 anal fistulae were included.

Single, aligned carbon nanotubes in 3D nanoscale architectures enabled by top-down and bottom-up manufacturable processes.

We have developed manufacturable approaches for forming single, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, where the tubes are centered precisely, and placed within a few hundred nm of 1-1.5 microm deep trenches. These wafer-scale approaches were enabled by using chemically amplified resists and high density, low pressure plasma etching techniques to form the 3D nanoscale architectures.

Focal confluent fibrosis in cirrhotic liver: natural history studied with serial CT.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the long-term natural history of focal confluent fibrosis in cirrhotic liver with CT.

Materials And Methods: Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed in consensus 118 liver CT examinations in 26 patients (19 men, seven women; age range, 32-68 years; mean age, 50 years) performed over approximately 6 years. Helical CT scans were obtained before and 30-35 and 65-70 seconds after injection of 125-150 mL of contrast medium at a rate of 4-5 mL/s.

Arterially enhancing liver lesions: significance of sustained enhancement on hepatic venous and delayed phase with magnetic resonance imaging.

Benign hepatic vascular neoplasms and vascular pseudolesions are commonly encountered in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Most of these benign lesions demonstrate not only arterial-phase hyperintensity, but also persistent enhancement on venous and delayed imaging, unlike most malignant hepatic masses. These features, along with other MR findings and morphological characteristics, may allow for more confident diagnosis and distinction from hepatic malignancy.

Computed tomographic imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The ability of x-ray computed tomography (CT) to detect and characterize liver lesions has been one of the most studied issues in radiology during the past 20 years. Technological advances, combined with increased knowledge about the pathophysiological characteristics of these tumors, have dramatically increased the ability to detect and characterize large hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). Nonetheless, detection and characterization of early and small HCC lesions remains a difficult task.

Helical CT screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis: frequency and causes of false-positive interpretation.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to determine the specificity of helical CT for depiction of hepatocellular carcinoma in a population of patients with cirrhosis.

Subjects And Methods: Single-detector helical CT screening was undertaken in 1329 patients with cirrhosis who were referred for transplantation. The patients underwent one or more helical CT examinations over 30 months and were followed up for an additional 19 months or until transplantation.

Imaging the spectrum of biliary tract disease.

An understanding of underlying biliary pathology and the corresponding subtle changes reflected at imaging can greatly improve imaging accuracy in evaluating the biliary tract. The optimal demonstration of biliary tract imaging findings requires attention to specific imaging and contrast techniques, regardless of the modality used.

Intrahepatic biliary anatomy of living adult liver donors: correlation of mangafodipir trisodium-enhanced MR cholangiography and intraoperative cholangiography.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the usefulness of mangafodipir trisodium-enhanced MR cholangiography for evaluating intrahepatic biliary anatomy of adult living liver donors and to correlate the results with intraoperative cholangiography.

Conclusion: Mangafodipir trisodium-enhanced MR cholangiography accurately shows the biliary anatomy in the livers of donors. Noninvasive preoperative evaluation of the biliary anatomy in donor candidates is important for the detection of common anatomic variants that may require alternative graft-harvesting surgery.