Search results for "neuroradiology"
showing 10 items of 231 documents
Prognostic outcome of routine clinical noninvasive Multidetector row Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography in Patients with suspected coronary art…
2011
The aim of the study was to assess the prognostic value of multidetector-row CT coronary angiography (MDCT-CA) in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) in a routine clinical context.A total of 125 patients (82 men, age 57.4±10.3 years) with suspected CAD underwent MDCT-CA. All patients were assessed for cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms and coronary calcium score. A 2-year follow-up study for the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events was performed.According to the Morise pretest score, 76 patients (60.8%) were at intermediate risk. Patients with suspected CAD presented the following prognostic outcome (p0.0001): in 41 patients with normal coronary arteries at MDCT-C…
Acceptance of noninvasive computed tomography coronary angiography: for a patient-friendly medicine.
2014
PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the psychological state and anxiety of patients undergoing computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA), and assess their acceptance and satisfaction compared to invasive conventional coronary angiography (CCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 442 consecutive patients (282 male; mean age 57.7 ± 9.5 years) who underwent CTCA for suspected or known coronary artery disease were evaluated with the Endler Multimodality Anxiety Scales (EMAS) before and after the scan, and a questionnaire administered after the scan. Among the 442 patients, 181 had a history of CCA. Two radiologists assessed the image quality of CTCA. RESULTS: Anxiety was more intense …
Prognostic value of Morise clinical score, calcium score and computed tomography coronary angiography in patients with suspected or known coronary ar…
2011
Our aim was to determine the prognostic value of computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA), coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) and Morise clinical score in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 722 patients (480 men; 62.7 +/- 10.9 years) who were referred for further cardiac evaluation underwent CACS and contrast-enhanced CTCA to evaluate the presence and severity of CAD. Of these, 511 (71%) patients were without previous history of CAD. Patients were stratified according to the Morise clinical score (low, intermediate, high), to CACS (0-10, 11-100, 101-400, 401-1,000, > 1,000) and to CTCA (absence of CAD, nonsignificant CAD, obstructive CAD…
Assessment of left main coronary artery atherosclerotic burden using 64-slice CT coronary angiography: correlation between dimensions and presence of…
2009
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to correlate left main (LM) coronary artery dimensions with the presence of atherosclerosis by multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography (CA) and to assess coronary atherosclerotic plaques with a semiquantitative method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive patients (41 men, mean age 60+/-11) with suspected coronary artery disease underwent 64-MDCT coronary angiography. LM dimensions (length, ostial and bifurcation diameters), quantitative [location, Hounsfield unit (HU) attenuation] and qualitative (composition, shape) analysis of plaques within the LM were performed. All patients underwent conventional CA. RESULTS: Thirty …
Low dose CT of the heart: a quantum leap into a new era of cardiovascular imaging.
2010
In 10 years, computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) has shifted from an investigational tool to clinical reality. Even though CT technologies are very advanced and widely available, a large body of evidence supporting the clinical role of CTCA is missing. The reason is that the speed of technological development has outpaced the ability of the scientific community to demonstrate the clinical utility of the technique. In addition, with each new CT generation, there is a further broadening of actual and potential applications. In this review we examine the state of the art on CTCA. In particular, we focus on issues concerning technological development, radiation dose, implementation,…
Anatomical variants and anomalies of the coronary tree studied with MDCT coronary angiography
2010
Le anomalie delle arterie coronariche sono presenti alla nascita nella maggior parte dei casi asintomatiche ma possono manifestarsi con sintomatologia severa quale angina pectoris o addirittura l’arresto cardiaco. L’angiografia coronarica mediante tomografia computerizzata multistrato (TCMS) permette, tramite ricostruzioni multiplanari secondo piani curvilinei e riformattazioni 3D, la visualizzazione dell’albero coronarico e delle sue varianti ed anomalie in maniera non invasiva, fornendo migliore e più accurata alternativa alla angiografia coronarica (AC). Lo scopo di questo pictorial consiste nella descrizione mediante immagini TCMS con ricostruzioni multiplanari e 3D delle principali var…
CT coronary angiography at an ultra-low radiation dose (< 0.1 mSv): feasible and viable in times of constraint on healthcare costs
2013
Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) has reached very high standards both in terms of diagnostic performance and radiation dose reduction. This commentary follows a report on CTCA using less than 0.1 mSv in selected patients. This is an extraordinary accomplishment, both for technology and for medicine. The difficult task is now to implement this tool in clinical practice so it can play the best possible role. CTCA can improve diagnostic pathways, can save money for healthcare systems and could even improve pharmacological therapy. All of this may happen, but it will require the combined effort of all the experienced operators in this field, including the referring clinicians. In…
Overdiagnosis and overimaging: an ethical issue for radiological protection
2019
Aims and objectives: This study aimed to analyse the key factors that influence the overimaging using X-ray such as self-referral, defensive medicine and duplicate imaging studies and to emphasize the ethical problem that derives from it. Materials and methods: In this study, we focused on the more frequent sources of overdiagnosis such as the total-body CT, proposed in the form of screening in both public and private sector, the choice of the most sensitive test for each pathology such as pulmonary embolism, ultrasound investigations mostly of the thyroid and of the prostate and MR examinations, especially of the musculoskeletal system. Results: The direct follow of overdiagnosis and overi…
Imaging techniques for the vulnerable coronary plaque
2007
The goal of this article is to illustrate the main invasive and noninvasive diagnostic modalities to image the vulnerable coronary plaque, which is responsible for acute coronary syndrome. The main epidemiologic and histological issues are briefly discussed in order to provide an adequate background. Comprehensive coronary atherosclerosis imaging should involve visualization of the entire coronary artery tree and plaque characterization, including three-dimensional morphology, relationship with the lumen, composition, vascular remodelling and presence of inflammation. No single technique provides such a comprehensive description, and no available modality extensively identifies the vulnerab…
Coronary artery anomalies: incidence, pathophysiology, clinical relevance and role of diagnostic imaging
2006
Conventional coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies. Coronary anomalies are relatively rare findings in patients undergoing conventional coronary angiography for suspected obstructive coronary artery disease. Recently, the increasing performance of diagnostic techniques, such as electron beam tomography (EBT), magnetic resonance (MR) and, more recently, multislice computed tomography (MSCT), has enabled their application to cardiac imaging. MSCT, in particular, has a prominent role in coronary imaging due to its spatial and temporal resolution and three-dimensional capabilities. We report the incidence and pathophysiology of coronary artery …