Summarizing the 4D image stack of ultrafast dynamic contrast enhancement MRI of breast cancer in 3D using color intensity projections.

Background: Each ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI sequence for breast cancer generates thousands of images in a 4D stack that need to be reviewed by a radiologist.

Purpose: To assess whether color intensity projections (CIP) effectively summarizes-using only the time of arrival (ToA) and amount of signal enhancement (AoE) of the contrast agent-the thousands of ultrafast images.

Study Type: Retrospective cohort clinical trial.

Systolic time intervals vs invasive predictors of fluid responsiveness after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objectives: Haemodynamic parameters for predicting fluid responsiveness in intensive care patients are invasive, technically challenging or not universally applicable. We compared the initial systolic time interval (ISTI), a non-invasive measure of the time interval between the electrical and mechanical activities of the heart measured by impedance cardiography, with invasively measured haemodynamic parameters in predicting fluid responsiveness after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Thirty-two clinically hypovolemic patients admitted to the intensive care unit after coronary artery bypass surgery received 500 ml of gelatine solution in two volume loading steps of 250 ml at an infusion rate of 1000 ml/h.

A semi-automatic method to determine electrode positions and labels from gel artifacts in EEG/fMRI-studies.

The analysis of simultaneous EEG and fMRI data is generally based on the extraction of regressors of interest from the EEG, which are correlated to the fMRI data in a general linear model setting. In more advanced approaches, the spatial information of EEG is also exploited by assuming underlying dipole models. In this study, we present a semi automatic and efficient method to determine electrode positions from electrode gel artifacts, facilitating the integration of EEG and fMRI in future EEG/fMRI data models.

Long-term reendothelialization of excimer laser-assisted nonocclusive anastomoses compared with conventionally sutured anastomoses in pigs.

Object: In contrast to conventional anastomosis methods, the excimer laser-assisted nonocclusive anastomosis (ELANA) technique involves a platinum ring and intima-adventitia apposition with a rim of medial and adventitial layers exposed to the bloodstream. The authors assessed the reendothelialization of porcine carotid arteries through ELANA compared with conventional anastomosis by using scanning electron microscopy.

Methods: In 28 pigs a bypass with one ELANA and one conventional anastomosis was made on the left common carotid artery.