CT angiography evaluation of intracranial aneurysms: Distribution, characteristics, and association with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

AIMS: To investigate the distribution, characteristics, and association with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) of aneurysms identified in Turkish adult patients with computed tomography angiography (CTA) performed with suspicion of intracranial aneurysms and/or SAH. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 356 patients (164 male, and 192 female) with a mean age of 55.6 ± 4.0 (range, 18-90) years were analyzed retrospectively. The dimension in millimeters, localization, type, and multiplicity of aneurysms were noted. The differences in these parameters between females and males were investigated. The correlations of sex, aneurysm size, multiplicity, and size with SAH were researched. RESULTS: On 356 CTA, 140 cases were identified to have aneurysm (39.3%) (56 males [40.0%], 84 females [60.0%]). The incidence of aneurysms and SAH in females was high relative to males. In 140 patients, a total of 187 aneurysms were present (mean size, 7.25 ± 2.56 mm). The highest number of aneurysms was found in the middle cerebral artery 64 (34.2%) while the least was in posterior circulation 20 (10.7%). There was no significant difference between genders in terms of aneurysm size, type, and multiplicity. Individuals with aneurysm site on the internal carotid artery had lower SAH incidence. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis results determined that individuals with aneurysm size >13.5 mm had increased incidence of SAH. CONCLUSIONS: The general properties of intracranial aneurysms investigated with CTA in Turkish adults had similarities to information defined in the literature. These results will likely be beneficial to direct approaches to aneurysm diagnosis and treatment in routine practice.

The effectiveness of whole body magnetic resonance imaging (diffusion-weighted imaging and fat saturated T2-weighted imaging) in the evaluation of patients with newly diagnosed malignancies in comparison with positron emission tomography-computed tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of WB-MRI for the detection of primary and metastatic lesions in comparison to PET-CT in patients with newly diagnosed malignancies MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 36 patients were evaluated between August 2008 and October 2012. The findings of WB-MRI (DWI and fat saturated T2 weighted images) were compared to the findings of PET-CT re- garding the primary lesions and metastasis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. To assess the aggreement between PET-CT and WB-MRI, kappa analysis was performed. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for WB-DWI for the detection of primary and metastatic lesions in comparison to PET-CT were 96%, 89%, 97% and 84%, respectively. These are calculated as 96%, 56%, 90% and 77%, for fat-saturated T2W images. According to kappa analysis, the agreement between PET-CT and WB-DWI was excellent (χ = 0.83), but between PET-CT and fat-saturated T2 weighted images, it was moderate (χ = 0.58). CONCLUSION: Providing both morphogical and functional data, WB-MRI with DWI is emerging as a promising alternative imaging tool in the evaluation of cancer patients and may become complementary to PET-CT in several clinical applications.

Evaluation of coronary bypass graft occlusion and stenosis with 64-detector-row computed tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND: A noninvasive imaging modality is desirable for the evaluation of coronary bypass graft stenosis and occlusion. PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of 64-detector-row computed tomography (DCT) for the assessment of coronary bypass grafts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-two patients (35 male, seven female, mean age 66.3 years) with 103 bypass grafts (32 arterial, 71 venous) were examined with 64-DCT. The evaluations were done by two radiologists blinded to the results of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), used as the reference standard. RESULTS: All of the 26 occluded grafts, nine of the 10 stenosed grafts, and 66 of the 67 patent grafts were correctly diagnosed with 64-DCT angiography. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for 64-DCT in detecting graft stenosis were 90%, 99%, 90%, and 99%, respectively. For graft occlusion, all were 100%. No statistically significant difference was found between 64-DCT and QCA for the evaluation of bypass grafts. Intermodality and interobserver agreement were excellent. CONCLUSION: 64-DCT angiography is a reliable, noninvasive diagnostic method for the assessment of coronary bypass grafts. It can be considered as a useful tool for follow-up purposes and may function as a gatekeeper before invasive procedures.