Detecting ICRS grade 1 cartilage lesions in anterior cruciate ligament injury using T1ρ and T2 mapping.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the detectability of the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade 1 cartilage lesions in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees using T1ρ and T2 mapping.

Materials And Methods: We performed preoperative T1ρ and T2 mapping and 3D gradient-echo with water-selective excitation (WATS) sequences on 37 subjects with ACL injuries. We determined the detectability on 3D WATS based on arthroscopic findings.

Successful treatment of mesenteric varices by retrograde transvenous obliteration by the delivery of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate via an abdominal wall vein.

Bleeding from mesenteric varices associated with portal hypertension is occasionally life-threatening. A 53-year-old man who had undergone esophageal transection for esophageal varices and balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration for gastric varices presented with melena due to ruptured mesenteric varices. He was treated by injecting N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate via an abdominal wall vein to obtain retrograde transvenous obliteration.

Percentage of future liver remnant volume before portal vein embolization influences the degree of liver regeneration after hepatectomy.

Background: Clinical determinants of liver regeneration induced by portal vein embolization (PVE) and hepatectomy remain unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate how liver regeneration occurs after PVE followed by hepatectomy and to determine which factors strongly promote liver regeneration.

Methods: Thirty-six patients who underwent both preoperative PVE and major hepatectomy were enrolled in this study.

Added value of high-b-value (b = 3000 s/mm2) diffusion-weighted imaging at 3 T in relation to fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images for the evaluation of cortical lesions in inflammatory brain diseases.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine how the gray-to-white matter contrast in healthy subjects changes on high-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquired at 3 T and evaluate whether high-b-value DWI at 3 T is useful for the detection of cortical lesions in inflammatory brain diseases.

Methods: Ten healthy volunteers underwent DWI at b = 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 s/mm(2) on a 3-T MRI unit. On DW images, 1 radiologist performed region-of-interest measurements of the signal intensity of 8 gray matter structures.

Low radiation dose protocol in cardiac CT with 100 kVp: usefulness of display preset optimization.

To evaluate the radiation dose and image quality of 100 kVp cardiac CT, and the effects of display setting optimization. We randomly assigned 100 patients undergoing cardiac CT to one of following two protocols. Fifty patients underwent our conventional protocol with 120 kVp, and the other 50 patients underwent our low radiation dose protocol with 100 kVp.

Novel contrast-injection protocol for coronary computed tomographic angiography: contrast-injection protocol customized according to the patient's time-attenuation response.

We developed a new individually customized contrast-injection protocol for coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography based on the time-attenuation response in a test bolus, and investigated its clinical applicability. We scanned 60 patients with suspected coronary diseases using a 64-detector CT scanner, who were randomly assigned to one of two protocols. In protocol 1 (P1), we estimated the contrast dose to yield a peak aortic attenuation of 400 HU based on the time-attenuation response to a small test-bolus injection (0.

Low-contrast dose protection protocol for diagnostic computed tomography in patients at high-risk for contrast-induced nephropathy.

Objective: To evaluate the safety of a low-contrast dose computed tomography (CT) protocol for patients with renal insufficiency for contrast-induced nephropathy.

Methods: One hundred forty-three patients with renal insufficiency who underwent low-contrast dose-enhanced abdominal CT were reviewed. Another group of 327 patients who received unenhanced CT was reviewed as a control group.

Contrast enhancement during hepatic computed tomography: effect of total body weight, height, body mass index, blood volume, lean body weight, and body surface area.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of total body weight, height, body mass index, blood volume, lean body weight, and body surface area (BSA) on aortic and hepatic contrast enhancement during hepatic computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We calculated the changes in the CT number per gram of iodine ((Δ Hounsfield units/g [ΔHU/g])) for the aorta and the liver during portal venous phase. We performed linear regression analyses between ΔHU/g and each of the body parameters.

Comparison of 3D phase-sensitive inversion-recovery and 2D inversion-recovery MRI at 3.0 T for the assessment of late gadolinium enhancement in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Rationale And Objectives: To compare free-breathing three-dimensional (3D) phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) with breath-holding two-dimensional (2D) IR sequences to determine which is better for detecting and characterizing myocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients.

Materials And Methods: Thirty HCM patients clinically underwent 3.0 T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that included 3D-PSIR and 2D-IR.

Preoperative evaluation of the cystic duct for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: comparison of navigator-gated prospective acquisition correction- and conventional respiratory-triggered techniques at free-breathing 3D MR cholangiopancreatography.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) images obtained with a three-dimensional navigator-gated (NG) technique and compare findings with conventional respiratory-triggered (RT) images in pre-laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients.

Methods: Turbo-spin-echo (TSE) RT-MRCP (average 242 s) and balanced turbo-field-echo (bTFE) NG-MRCP (average 263 s) were acquired at 1.5-T MRI for 49 pre-laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients.

Evaluation of contrast-enhanced MR angiography in the follow-up of visceral arterial aneurysms after coil embolization.

Background: The placement of detachable coil has become the alternative method of treating visceral arterial aneurysms (VAAs). Imaging follow-up is necessary after coil embolization because of frequent incomplete occlusion.

Purpose: To compare contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) at 3T with a reference standard of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for the evaluation of VAAs after coil embolization.

Improved coronary in-stent visualization using a combined high-resolution kernel and a hybrid iterative reconstruction technique at 256-slice cardiac CT-Pilot study.

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic performance of 256-slice cardiac CT for the evaluation of the in-stent lumen by using a hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) algorithm combined with a high-resolution kernel.

Methods: This study included 28 patients with 28 stents who underwent cardiac CT. Three different reconstruction images were obtained with: (1) a standard filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm with a standard cardiac kernel (CB), (2) an FBP algorithm with a high-resolution cardiac kernel (CD), and (3) an HIR algorithm with the CD kernel.

MR diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection: value of 3D time-of-flight and true fast imaging with steady-state precession fusion imaging.

Objectives: We hypothesized that 3D time-of-flight (TOF) and true fast imaging with steady-state precession (true-FISP) fusion imaging could provide more information regarding the arterial vessel wall. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of lesion detection and the diagnostic confidence of VAD between TOF images alone and fused TOF and true-FISP images.

Methods: Fifty patients were studied: 17 had VAD and 33 had vertebral artery hypoplasia.

Compact-bolus dynamic CT protocol with a test bolus technique in 64-MDCT coronary angiography: comparison of fixed injection rate and duration protocol.

Purpose: We compared the fixed injection rate protocol (P2) with the fixed injection duration protocol (P1) for coronary CT angiography using the test bolus technique.

Materials And Methods: We randomly assigned 100 patients to one of two protocols. In P1, they received 0.

Low contrast- and low radiation dose protocol for cardiac CT of thin adults at 256-row CT: usefulness of low tube voltage scans and the hybrid iterative reconstruction algorithm.

To evaluate the effect on image quality of a low contrast and radiation dose protocol for cardiac computed tomography (CT) using a low tube voltage, the hybrid-iterative reconstruction algorithm, and a 256-row CT scanner. Before clinical study, we performed phantom experiments to evaluate the hybrid iterative reconstruction technique. We randomly assigned 68 patients undergoing cardiac CT to one of two protocols; 33 were scanned with our conventional 120 kVp protocol, the contrast material (370 mgI/kg body weight) was delivered over 15 s.

A simple method for accurate liver volume estimation by use of curve-fitting: a pilot study.

In this paper, we describe the effectiveness of our curve-fitting method by comparing liver volumes estimated by our new technique to volumes obtained with the standard manual contour-tracing method. Hepatic parenchymal-phase images of 13 patients were obtained with multi-detector CT scanners after intravenous bolus administration of 120-150 mL of contrast material (300 mgI/mL). The liver contours of all sections were traced manually by an abdominal radiologist, and the liver volume was computed by summing of the volumes inside the contours.

Can MRI-derived factors predict the survival in glioblastoma patients treated with postoperative chemoradiation therapy?

Background: Advanced diagnostic and therapeutic developments may yield novel prognostic factors in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Purpose: To validate the predictive values of pretreatment quantitative diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI performed within 72 h after surgery in patients with GBM.

Material And Methods: Between January 2000 and September 2009, 138 patients with GBM underwent postoperative chemoradiation therapy (chemo-RT) and longitudinal MRI before surgery, in the early postoperative period, and at 1-month intervals thereafter.

Parkinson's disease: diagnostic potential of high-resolution phase difference enhanced MR imaging at 3 T.

Objectives: To determine whether it is possible to diagnose patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) on an individual basis using magnetic resonance imaging with phase difference enhanced imaging (PADRE).

Methods: PADRE delineated the crural fibres as a layer of low signal intensity and the substantia nigra as a layer of medium signal intensity in a healthy volunteer, and showed a clear boundary between the crural fibres and the substantia nigra (BCS). Twenty-four PD patients and 24 control subjects were enrolled.

Radiofrequency ablation in a porcine kidney model: effect of occlusion of the arterial blood supply on ablation temperature, coagulation diameter, and histology.

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is susceptible to the cooling effect of flowing blood. The reduced efficacy of RFA in large tumors reflects the in vivo biophysiological limitations imposed by perfusion-mediated vascular cooling.

Purpose: To compare the effects of RFA alone and of RFA combined with occlusion of the arterial blood supply on the tissue temperature, coagulation diameter, and histological changes in the acute phase.

Risk factors associated with delayed haemorrhage after pancreatic resection.

Background: Delayed haemorrhage (DH) is a life-threatening complication of pancreatic resection (PR) and the mortality rate for DH is very high. However, the risk factors and prognostic factors associated with DH are rarely evaluated.

Methods: A pancreatic resection was performed on 457 patients.

Usefulness of 3D DSA-MR fusion imaging in the pretreatment evaluation of brain arteriovenous malformations.

Rationale And Objectives: For the evaluation of patients scheduled for the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), accurate anatomical information is essential. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-magnetic resonance (MR) fusion imaging for the pretreatment evaluation of AVMs.

Materials And Methods: The study population consisted of 11 consecutive patients (7 males, 4 females; age 10-72 years; mean 45 years) with brain AVMs.

Coronary artery stent evaluation by combining iterative reconstruction and high-resolution kernel at coronary CT angiography.

Purpose: To evaluate stent lumen visualization by combining high-resolution cardiac kernel and the iterative reconstruction (iDose) on an anthropomorphic moving heart phantom and in patients at coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography.

Materials And Methods: We used the moving heart phantom and a 64 detector-row CT, retrospectively gated helical scanning, and image reconstruction. The heart rate was set at nonpulsating condition of 0 beats/min, 50 beats/min, and 80 beats/min.

Outer-diameter narrowing of the internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries in moyamoya disease detected on 3D constructive interference in steady-state MR image: is arterial constrictive remodeling a major pathogenesis?

Background: To obtain information on affected vessels in moyamoya disease (MMD), we analyzed the vascular morphological characteristics of MMD using three-dimensional (3D) constructive interference in steady-state (CISS) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: The population of this 3D-CISS MRI study consisted of 51 patients with MMD: 16 patients with atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis or occlusion, 42 MRI control patients, and 28 control digital subtraction angiography (DSA) patients. We measured the outer diameters of the terminal portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the proximal portion of the MCA (M1 portion).

Detection of flat colorectal polyps at screening CT colonography in comparison with conventional polypoid lesions.

Background: Although the screening of small, flat polyps is clinically important, the role of CT colonography (CTC) screening in their detection has not been thoroughly investigated.

Purpose: To evaluate the detection capability and usefulness of CTC in the screening of flat and polypoid lesions by comparing CTC with optic colonoscopy findings as the gold standard.

Material And Methods: We evaluated the CTC detection capability for flat colorectal polyps with a flat surface and a height not exceeding 3 mm (n = 42) by comparing to conventional polypoid lesions (n = 418) according to the polyp diameter.

Improvement of image quality at low-radiation dose and low-contrast material dose abdominal CT in patients with cirrhosis: intraindividual comparison of low tube voltage with iterative reconstruction algorithm and standard tube voltage.

Objective: To intraindividually compare a low-tube voltage, low-contrast material dose computed tomography (CT) reconstructed with iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm at standard tube voltage reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) and standard-contrast material dose during liver dynamic CT.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five patients with liver cirrhosis underwent 64-section multidetector CT. One hundred twenty kilovolt (peak) (kV[p]) with standard contrast material dose of 600 mg of iodine per kilogram (protocol A) and 80 kV(p) with low-contrast material dose of 450 mg of iodine per kilogram (protocol B) CT image sets were reconstructed by using FBP algorithm and that of using IR algorithm with a 60%/40% blend of IR-FBP reconstruction at 80-kV(p) image set (protocol C).