Whole-body MR imaging for the evaluation of metastases compared well with the reference techniques for cerebral, pulmonary, and hepatic lesions. Whole-body MR imaging was more sensitive in the detection of hepatic and osseous metastases than were the reference techniques.

Effect on small-bowel distention of additives to water as contrast agents for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was assessed. Oral contrast agents included water and water in combination with mannitol, a bulk fiber laxative, locust bean gum, and a combination of mannitol and locust bean gum. Filling of the small bowel was quantified on coronal images obtained with two-dimensional true fast imaging with steady-state precession sequence; bowel diameters were measured. Ingestion of water with locust bean gum and mannitol provided the best distention of the small bowel. MR imaging of the small bowel with oral administration of water can be improved with addition of osmotic and nonosmotic substances that lead to decreased water resorption.

This postmarketing surveillance study suggests diagnostic efficacy and a favorable clinical safety profile of Gd-DOTA in clinical practice.

The presented data point toward an increased use of MRI for screening in the future, but to date screening MRI should not be performed outside a research setting because the cost-benefit relation is unclear.

ECG-triggered black blood-prepared HASTE MRI is reliable for detecting pulmonary nodules exceeding 5 mm and has proven significantly more accurate than conventional chest radiography. The technique appears useful as an adjunct to MRI of the heart, great vessels, or chest, potentially increasing the diagnostic yield of MRI examinations.

A technique for performing whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) angiography with multi-station three-dimensional MR angiography by using a self-developed rolling table platform that integrates the surface coil was evaluated in three volunteers and 10 patients. Use of the surface coil resulted in high signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, which translated into sensitivity and specificity of 95.3% and 95.2%, respectively, for detection of significant stenoses (luminal narrowing, >50%) in lower extremity peripheral vascular disease.

Automatic and manual analysis of data acquired during CT coronary angiography using a 16-MDCT scanner allows a reliable assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction and a rough estimation of left ventricular volumes and mass.

No abstract