1,720,984 research outputs found
Are pancreatic calcifications specific for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis? A multidetector-row CT analysis.
No full textAIM: To retrospectively establish the most frequently encountered diagnoses in
patients with pancreatic calcifications and to investigate whether the
association of certain findings could be helpful for diagnosis. MATERIALS AND
METHODS: One hundred and three patients were included in the study. The location
and distribution of calcifications; presence, nature, and enhancement pattern of
pancreatic lesions; pancreatic atrophy and ductal dilatation were recorded.
Differences between patients with chronic pancreatitis and patients with other
entities were compared by using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Patients had
chronic pancreatitis (n=70), neuroendocrine tumours (n=14), intraductal papillary
mucinous neoplasm (n=11), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=4), serous cystadenoma
(n=4). Four CT findings had a specificity of over 60% for the diagnosis of
chronic pancreatitis: parenchymal calcifications, intraductal calcifications,
parenchymal atrophy, and cystic lesions. When at least two of these four criteria
were used in combination, 54 of 70 (77%) patients with chronic pancreatitis could
be identified, but only 17 of 33 (51%) patients with other diseases. When at
least three of these four criteria were present, a specificity of 79% for the
diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis was achieved. CONCLUSION: Certain findings are
noted more often in chronic pancreatitis than in other pancreatic diseases. The
presence of a combination of CT findings can suggest chronic pancreatitis and be
helpful in diagnosis
MR evaluation of fat within the liver: tips and tricks. Radiologic Society of North America scientific assembly and annual meeting program
No full text
Fibropolycystic liver disease: CT and MR imaging findings.
No full textFibropolycystic liver disease encompasses a spectrum of related lesions of the liver and biliary tract that are caused by abnormal embryologic development of the ductal plates. These lesions (congenital hepatic fibrosis, biliary hamartomas, autosomal dominant polycystic disease, Caroli disease, choledochal cysts) can be clinically silent or can cause signs and symptoms such as cholangitis, portal hypertension, gastrointestinal bleeding, infections, and space-occupying masses. The different types of fibropolycystic liver disease demonstrate characteristic findings at computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Patients with congenital hepatic fibrosis typically have imaging evidence of liver morphologic abnormalities, varices, splenomegaly, renal lesions, and other associated ductal plate abnormalities. Biliary hamartomas usually manifest as multiple cysts that are nearly uniform in size and measure up to 15 mm in diameter. Autosomal dominant polycystic disease typically manifests as an enlarged and diffusely cystic liver. In Caroli disease, cystic or fusiform dilatation of the intrahepatic ducts is seen, as well as the "central dot sign," which corresponds to a portal vein branch protruding into the lumen of a dilated bile duct. Choledochal cyst manifests as a fusiform or cystic dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct. Awareness of these CT and MR imaging features is essential in detecting and differentiating between various fibropolycystic liver diseases and can assist in proper managemen
IS CT USEFUL FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC FISTULA AFTER PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH "SOFT" PANCREAS?
No full textUtility of CT in the diagnosis of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with soft pancreas.
Full text linkOBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of routine performance of CT on postoperative day 7 in patients at high risk of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two radiologists analyzed images from CT examinations of 50 patients with soft pancreas 7 days after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Pancreatic fistula was defined at CT as a fluid collection close to the pancreaticogastric or pancreaticojejunal anastomosis. Clinicobiologic criteria for the diagnosis of pancreatic fistula were drain output of any measurable volume of fluid on or after postoperative day 3 that had an amylase content more than three times the serum amylase activity. The final diagnosis of pancreatic fistula was rendered on the basis of clinicobiologic data at hospital discharge or at first readmission. RESULTS: At hospital discharge or at first readmission, 27 of 50 patients (54%) had a pancreatic fistula. On postoperative day 7, 30 patients (60%) had a total of 51 fluid collections, and CT showed a fluid collection close to the pancreaticogastric or pancreaticojejunal anastomosis in 21 of 51 cases. CT had a sensitivity of 63% (17/27 patients) and a specificity of 83% (19/23 patients) for the diagnosis of pancreatic fistula with four false-positive and 10 false-negative findings. The diagnosis of pancreatic fistula on the basis of clinicobiologic criteria on postoperative day 7 was made in 22 of 27 patients (81%), whereas five cases were false-negative. Four of these patients had CT evidence of pancreatic fistula. CONCLUSION: In patients at high risk who have undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy, systematic postoperative CT may be proposed as a complementary tool in the diagnosis of pancreatic fistula, particularly for detection of clinically occult pancreatic fistula
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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