Perilesional enhancement of liver cavernous hemangiomas in magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the occurrence rate of temporal perilesional parenchymal enhancement (PPE) associated with hepatic hemangiomas in a large consecutive series and to determine which aspects are associated with this observation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approved this retrospective study. A computerized search of the MRI database was performed for consecutive patients between January 2008 and January 2012. The study population included 513 liver hemangiomas in 224 patients (104 males and 120 females; mean age of 55.2 ± 13.5 years; age range 24-89 years). Two readers independently reviewed the frequency of PPE, size, speed of enhancement and location of each hemangioma. Marginal models with generalized estimating equation were used. Wald test was applied to verify if the model coefficients were significant. RESULTS: 80/513 (15.6%) hemangiomas showed PPE. The incidence of PPE was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in hemangiomas with Type1 speed of enhancement (51/80, 63.8%) than in those with Type2 or Type3. 66/80 (82.5%) hemangiomas with PPE were subcapsular (p < 0.05). Conversely, the majority (280/433, 64.7%) of hemangiomas without PPE were deep in location (p < 0.001). Lesser proportion of hemangiomas with PPE was located in segment IVa (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PPE is not uncommonly seen along with hepatic hemangiomas. This appearance is most frequently observed in rapidly enhancing small lesions with a subcapsular location.

Pelvic splenosis-a very unusual location.

We present a rare case of pelvic splenosis, and its imaging findings, in a 54-year-old female complaining of pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding for several months. Splenosis is a benign acquired condition defined as heterotopic auto-transplantation of splenic tissue to other compartments of the body and occurs after rupture of the spleen, either traumatic or iatrogenic. Symptoms are unspecific and vary according to the location of the implants; commonly the presenting symptom is abdominal pain or enlarging abdominal mass. Owing to its intrinsic properties and safety, magnetic resonance imaging is a valuable imaging modality, in which the splenosis implants may be securely identified, showing the same signal characteristics and enhancing patterns of the normal spleen, especially visualization of serpiginous enhancement on the arterial phase is virtually diagnostic.

Renal cell carcinoma subtype differentiation using single-phase corticomedullary contrast-enhanced CT.

OBJECTIVE: To compare multiphase and single-phase corticomedullary contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) imaging in the differentiation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtype. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pathology records were reviewed from January 2008 to March 2013. The final cohort consisted of 79 patients (57 men, 22 women; mean age: 64±13). Quantitative tumor percentage enhancement (TE), cortical enhancement, and tumor-to-cortex enhancement (TCI) indexes were calculated. RESULTS: Single-phase evaluations showed significantly lower mean TE and TCI for papillary tumors when compared with clear cell and cromophobe tumors (P<.01). Comparison of receiver operating characteristic curve analyses did not show significant differences between both evaluation methods. CONCLUSION: Accuracy of RCC subtype differentiation with single-phase corticomedullary contrast-enhanced CT is comparable to multiphasic imaging.

Multidetector computer tomography: evaluation of blunt chest trauma in adults.

Imaging plays an essential part of chest trauma care. By definition, the employed imaging technique in the emergency setting should reach the correct diagnosis as fast as possible. In severe chest blunt trauma, multidetector computer tomography (MDCT) has become part of the initial workup, mainly due to its high sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of the technique for the detection and characterization of thoracic injuries and also due to its wide availability in tertiary care centers. The aim of this paper is to review and illustrate a spectrum of characteristic MDCT findings of blunt traumatic injuries of the chest including the lungs, mediastinum, pleural space, and chest wall.

B-cell lymphoma of the heart: A rare diagnosis.

We present a case of a primary cardiac lymphoma in a 60-year-old woman. The clinical presentation was non-specific and the diagnosis was suggested by its appearance on multidetector computed tomography. The final diagnosis was achieved by histopathological study and was corroborated by a decrease in tumor volume after targeted chemotherapy. A brief review of the appearance of primary cardiac lymphomas in imaging studies is presented.

The spleen revisited: an overview on magnetic resonance imaging.

Despite being well visualized by different cross-sectional imaging techniques, the spleen is many times overlooked during the abdominal examination. The major reason is the low frequency of splenic abnormalities, the majority consisting of incidental findings. There has been a steady increase in the number of performed abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies; therefore, it is important to be familiar to the major MRI characteristics of disease processes involving the spleen, in order to interpret the findings correctly, reaching whenever possible the appropriate diagnosis. The spleen may be involved in several pathologic conditions like congenital diseases, trauma, inflammation, vascular disorders and hematologic disorders, benign and malignant tumors, and other disease processes that focally or diffusely affect the spleen. This paper presents a description and representative MRI images for many of these disorders.

Heart extension of an intravenous leiomyomatosis.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare growth pattern of benign uterine leiomyomas. Approximately 300 cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis have been reported in the English literature; however, there have only been a few in radiology journals. Even more rare is its extension through the inferior vena cava and heart chambers. Radiologic diagnosis can be challenging, as it is often difficult to differentiate it from other entities. We present a case of a 45-year-old woman with a cardiac extension of an intravenous leiomyomatosis and discuss the cross-sectional imaging appearance of this entity as well as the differential diagnosis.

Magnetic resonance imaging of small bowel Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, which mostly affects young patients. Imaging techniques form a very important part for the evaluation of CD and for monitoring disease progression or response to therapy. Currently, imaging of CD is increasingly being performed by cross-sectional modalities, i.e. multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), since these techniques allow for simultaneous visualization of luminal, mural and extraintestinal disease extension. MR enterography has the potential to safely and noninvasively accomplish the imaging needs of patients with Crohn disease without exposing them to ionizing radiation. The new imaging paradigm should contemplate patient safety as a very important aspect when assessing the role of an imaging modality in comparison with others. For this reason, MRI may be the preferred modality for evaluation of small bowel disease, especially in young patients in the setting of CD, considering that the majority will undergo frequent repeat studies. Also, the information on disease activity is not matched by any other imaging method. In this review article, the authors discuss the essential aspects of MR evaluation of CD, including protocol and imaging findings, also referring the advantages over other radiological studies, concerning safety, accuracy and potential importance for therapeutic approach.