The purpose of this study was to develop multimodality SPECT/MRI contrast agents for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in vivo. METHODS: Nanoparticles with a solid iron oxide core and a polyethylene glycol coating were labeled with (99m)Tc. The labeling efficiency was determined with instant thin-layer chromatography and magnetic separation. The ...

Improved survival in thalassemic patients has lead to the manifestation of morbidities such as renal dysfunction. This involvement suggests the need for a reliable and non-invasive method to assess the degree of kidney iron overload. We conducted the present study to evaluate the relationship between serum ferritin levels, liver, heart, ...

Nanotechnology is evolving as a new field that has a potentially high research and clinical impact. Medicine, in particular, could benefit from nanotechnology, due to emerging applications for noninvasive imaging and therapy. One important nanotechnological platform that has shown promise includes the so-called iron oxide nanoparticles. With specific relevance to ...

Concerning the outer sphere relaxation theory, the sensitivity of a T2 MRI contrast agent, expressed by the longitudinal relaxivity r2, depends on the diffusion length of water molecules relative to the particle size. For T2-weighted spin-echo imaging, theoretical concepts reveal three regimes regarding the r2 relaxivity depending on the nanocrystal ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate if in vivo micro-computed tomography (CT) is a reliable alternative to micro-CT scanning of a vascular corrosion cast. This would allow one to study the early development of cardiovascular diseases. Datasets using both modalities were acquired, segmented, and used to generate a ...

The objective of this prospective study is to compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings before and after surgery for repairing congenital aortic arch anomalies using regional cerebral perfusion. Neurologic examinations that included brain MRI, brain sonography, and electroencephalograms were performed before and after surgery for congenital aortic arch anomalies and ...

To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) assessment by in-plane velocity-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In 14 patients selected for cardiac catheterization on suspicion of coronary artery disease and 15 healthy volunteers, PWV was assessed with multislice two-directional in-plane velocity-encoded MRI (PWV(i.p.)) and compared with ...

Aortitis due to giant cell arteritis (GCA) is rare but probably underestimated given the frequent paucity of symptoms. Thus, early studies relied on the occurrence of complications to estimate the prevalence of GCA aortitis. With this method, aortitis was a feature in 3 to 18% of GCA patients. Since then, ...

To assess the accuracy of maximum diameter measurements of aortic aneurysms after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) on axial computed tomographic (CT) images in comparison to maximum diameter measurements perpendicular to the intravascular centerline for follow-up by using three-dimensional (3D) volume measurements as the reference standard. Forty-nine consecutive patients (73 ± 7.5 years, range ...

Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanner is available in most hospitals and is increasingly being used as the first line imaging in trauma and suspected cardiovascular emergencies, such as acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary artery thrombo-embolism, abdominal aortic aneurysm and acute haemorrhage (Ryan et al. Clin Radiol 60:599-607, 2005). A significant number ...

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is a devastating event, and development of noninvasive methods to detect AAA at risk is needed. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a major role in AAA growth and their subsequent rupture. This study was aimed to evaluate the ability of P947, a recently developed magnetic resonance ...

The patient is a 12-year-old boy who underwent prospectively gated step-and-shoot chest CT (computed tomographic) angiography with a 64-multislice CT scanner (64-MSCT) for a preliminary diagnosis of coarctation of aorta. The data was acquired in a manner to significantly minimize radiation to the patient, including use of 80 kVp (rather ...

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of cardiac CT for the evaluation of patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients with aortic stenosis who underwent surgical valve repair between September 2005 and November 2006 were examined by ECG-gated CT and echocardiography. ...

We report a case of a 3-year-old girl with a history of recurrent dysphagia and feeding difficulties. After chest x-ray and esophagogram examination, magnetic resonance imaging revealed the presence of a right-sided aortic arch with an aberrant retroesophageal left subclavian artery arising from a Kommerell diverticulum.

To predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a clinical care population by using prevalent subclinical ancillary aortic findings detected on chest computed tomographic (CT) images. The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of the primary participating facility and the institutional review boards of all other participating centers. From a ...

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), being predominantly atherosclerotic in nature, have underlying inflammatory activity. As it is well established that ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) particles accumulate in the macrophages within atheromatous lesions, USPIO-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be potentially effective in the quantification of the associated inflammatory processes. A ...

Medical imaging evaluations provide valuable information and are often imperative in the care of our patients. Radiation exposure in patients who undergo medical imaging procedures is not routinely monitored and the associated risks are often underestimated. Radiation exposure associated with computed tomography (CT) angiography and coronary intervention is reviewed. Vascular ...

A 64-year old patient underwent aortic valve replacement with a bileaflet Medtronic Advantage prosthesis. Six years later, she presented with a recurrence of symptoms, at which time Doppler echocardiography revealed an obstruction of the aortic mechanical prosthesis (mean transvalvular gradient 35 mmHg). Both, transesophageal echocardiography and fluoroscopy failed to identify ...

To determine whether blood pool contrast agent-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can visualize endoleaks that are occult on computed tomography (CT) in patients with nonshrinking aneurysms after endovascular aneurysm repair. Written informed consent was obtained for this prospective institutional review board approved study. Twelve patients with nonshrinking aneurysms but no ...

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for surgical extracervical approach in patients with substernal goiter. We used a novel classification system based on CT scan cross-sectional imaging (CSI) reconstruction. Medical records of 4297 patients with thyroid disease operated on at our department were reviewed. A CSI ...

Endovascular repair is increasingly considered a less-invasive alternative to open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. However, there are still many potential complications of endovascular repair, including endoleaks, graft migration, thrombosis, and fistula formation. Endoleak is the most common complication for which these patients undergo long-term imaging surveillance. Most centers acquire ...

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of 64-row multidetector cardiac computed tomography (MDCT) in detecting aortic regurgitation (AR) on prospectively acquired images with trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) as a reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three consecutive patients underwent MDCT and TTE. AR was defined on MDCT images acquired at ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate replacing unenhanced and arterial single-energy CT acquisitions after endovascular aneurysm repair with one dual-energy CT arterial acquisition. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients underwent arterial dual-energy CT (80 and 140 kVp) and venous single-energy CT (120 kVp) after endovascular aneurysm repair, and ...

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification (VC) is a major contributor to increased cardiovascular (CV) disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and an independent predictor of mortality. VC is inversely correlated with bone mineral density (BMD). Screening for VC may be useful to determine those at greater CV risk and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry ...

Current long-term surveillance after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is based on high-resolution contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans at scheduled, lifelong intervals. The cancer and nephrotoxicity risks of interval CT scanning and prolonged radiation exposure are concerning. We sought to determine if surveillance CT angiography (CTA) can be safely ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether the quantitative assessment of myocardial fibrosis (MF), either by histopathology or by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (ce-MRI), could help predict long-term survival after aortic valve replacement. BACKGROUND: Severe aortic valve disease is characterized by progressive accumulation of interstitial MF. METHODS: Fifty-four patients scheduled to ...

Hakki's formula (simplified Gorlin formula) can be used during cardiac catheterization to calculate the stenosed cardiac valve areas and can also be adapted to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the stenosed cardiac valve areas. We evaluated the reliability of this approach to determine the severity of aortic stenosis compared ...

BACKGROUND: Incidental abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are identified during imaging for other reasons. Incidental AAAs are important findings because they require monitoring and surgical treatment, when indicated, to prevent rupture. The prevalence of incidental AAAs and their management has not been extensively studied. METHODS: We electronically screened a 25% simple ...

Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) (aortic dissection, intramural aortic haematoma, or penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer) is a surgical emergency. Computed tomography (CT) is the reference technique for the diagnosis of this critical situation. However, a few reports of false-positive images leading to unnecessary interventions have been published. It is important to recognize ...

The precise intra- vs. extradural localization of aneurysms involving the paraclinoid internal carotid artery is critical for the evaluation of patients being considered for aneurysm surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of T2-weighted three-dimensional (3-D) fast spin-echo (FSE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to test the feasibility and the additional value of time-resolved computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the aorta, using multiple low-dose phases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive patients underwent a time-resolved CTA protocol (TR-CTA) of the aorta, either for follow-up of endovascular aneurysm repair ...

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been successfully used to guide the implantation of stents in the thoracic aorta. However, its accuracy in measuring the diameter of the aortic lumen has not been clearly established. Thirteen patients with thoracic aortic disease underwent IVUS, and lumen diameter measurements were compared with those obtained ...

BACKGROUND: M1-activated Macrophages (M1M) play a major role in atherosclerotic lesions of aortic arch, promoting proinflammatory response. In vivo trafficking of M1M in aortic plaques is therefore critical. METHODS: M1M from bone marrow cell culture were magnetically labeled, using iron nanoparticles, intravenously injected and followed up with 3 day magnetic ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the computerized tomographic (CT) findings in traumatic aortic injury (TAI) at presentation and after conservative management. METHODS: Institutional review board-approved retrospective review of trauma registry during a 6-year period identified class 1 or 2 trauma patients with TAI. The CT findings were correlated with patient outcome. RESULTS: ...

We report on a 22-year-old male carrying a presumptive clinical diagnosis of Dubowitz-like phenotype who has been followed-up by cardiology for bicuspid aortic valve with ascending aorta and aortic root dilatation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) confirmed these findings, along with an incidental finding of left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC). Genetic ...

AIM: To investigate the prevalence and imaging appearances of anatomical variations of the common aortic arch, as depicted on multidetector computed tomography (CT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective study of 861 CT chest and thoracic aorta examinations in consecutive patients who underwent CT imaging over a 4 year period was ...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) without replacement requires precise knowledge of the anatomic dimensions and physical characteristics of the peripheral vasculature and aortic valve annulus at the insertion of the aortic valve leaflet and root at the level of the sinus of Valsalva. Multislice computed tomography (CT) allows detailed and ...

PURPOSE: To assess if segmentation of the aorta can be accurately achieved using the modulus image of phase contrast (PC) magnetic resonance (MR) acquisitions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PC image sequences containing both the ascending and descending aorta of 52 subjects were acquired using three different MR scanners. An automated segmentation ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of intraoperative 3-dimensional rotational angiography (DynaCT) as a single tool to assess suitability for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and for sizing the stent-graft. METHODS: Twenty elective patients undergoing EVAR were prospectively recruited. All had preoperative multidetector computed tomography (CT) scans and intraoperative (pre-stent deployment) DynaCT ...

Computed tomography (CT) is generally considered the investigation of choice to exclude acute aortic syndrome. We report an important potentially disastrous misdiagnosis using a modern 32 slice multidetector CT system.

OBJECTIVES: This study characterized temporal changes in the infrarenal aortic aneurysm neck in patients with small, untreated abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). METHODS: Patients with infrarenal AAA who had contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans separated by >6 months were identified and their images reviewed. Infrarenal neck diameter and length were measured ...

A case of double aortic arch with an atretic left arch distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery was suspected by echocardiography (ECHO) in an asymptomatic 9-year-old girl and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The authors report their ECHO findings, which could be an important diagnostic tool ...

This study compared the area of the regurgitant orifice, as measured by the use of multidetector-row CT (MDCT), with the severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) as determined by the use of echocardiography for AR. In this study, 45 AR patients underwent electrocardiography-gated 40-slice or 64-slice MDCT and transthoracic or transesophageal ...

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the accuracy and clinical utility of an automated method of image analysis of 4D (3D + time) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the human aorta. Serial MR images of the entire thoracic aorta were acquired on 32 healthy individuals. Graph theory based ...

Recent advances in noninvasive imaging methods, such as CT and MR imaging, have replaced most of invasive angiographic procedures in the diagnosis of acquired aortic disease, decreasing the cost and morbidity of diagnosis. This article reviews and illustrates present MR imaging methods for evaluation of the aorta. Common diseases of ...

The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the use of thoracic Computed Tomography (CT) in the Emergency Department of a Dublin Academic Teaching Hospital over a six month period. Data was retrieved using the hospital's computerised information system. There were 202 referrals in total for thoracic CT from ...

PURPOSE: Thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans provide information about cardiovascular risk status. These scans are non-ECG synchronized, thus precise quantification of coronary calcifications is difficult. Aortic calcium scoring is less sensitive to cardiac motion, so it is an alternative to coronary calcium scoring as an indicator of cardiovascular risk. The ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used as part of the assessment of patients presenting with leg/back pain to the orthopedic spinal outpatient clinic. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can cause symptoms often similar to those of spinal stenosis. We report a case series of four patients who had incidental AAA ...

Growth rate of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is thought to be an important indicator of the potential risk of rupture. Wall stress is also thought to be a trigger for its rupture. However, stress change during the expansion of an AAA is unclear. Forty-four patients with AAAs were included in ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to prospectively investigate the feasibility and image quality of and to calculate the radiation dose estimates for CT angiography (CTA) of the thoracic aorta in patients with atrial fibrillation or accelerated heart rates using prospective ECG-triggered sequential dual-source data acquisition in end-systole. CONCLUSION: ...