Late hepatic dysfunction and cirrhotic change were often seen in Fontan patients. Moreover, hepatic complications were correlated with the duration of Fontan circulation. Therefore, after a Fontan operation, regular evaluation of the hepatic condition is required--for which some non-invasive hepatic fibrosis markers can be effectively used.

WI and WO xenon ventilation CT is feasible for the simultaneous regional evaluation of structural and ventilation abnormalities both quantitatively and qualitatively in patients with COPD.

Intimal flap, thrombosed false lumen, and aneurysmal dilatation are the most common CT findings of spontaneous splanchnic artery dissection. In splanchnic artery dissection, conservative management without anticoagulation had good outcome except in patients with bowel ischemia, aneurysmal dilatation three times larger than a normal segment, or progression of dissection.

Background: Cardiac dysfunction is increasingly recognized in patients with liver cirrhosis. Nevertheless, the presence or absence of structural alterations such as diffuse myocardial fibrosis remains unclear. We aimed to investigate myocardial structural changes in cirrhosis, and explore left ventricular (LV) structural and functional changes induced by liver transplantation. Methods: This study included 33 cirrhosis patients listed for transplantation and 20 healthy controls. Patients underwent speckle-tracking echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with extracellular volume fraction (ECV) quantification at baseline (n = 33) and 1 year after transplantation (n = 19).

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To assess the image quality and radiation dose of low-dose dual-source CT (DSCT) coronary angiography reconstructed using iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS), in comparison with routine-dose CT using filtered back projection (FBP). Eighty-one patients underwent low-dose coronary DSCT using IRIS with two protocols: (a)100 kVp and 200 mAs per rotation for body mass index (BMI) < 25 (group I), (b)100 kVp and 320 mAs for BMI ≥ 25 (II). For comparison, two sex-and BMI-matched groups using standard protocols with FBP were selected: (a)100 kVp and 320 mAs for BMI < 25 (III), (b)120 kVp and 320 mAs for BMI ≥ 25 (IV). Image noise, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and modulation transfer function (MTF) 50% were objectively calculated. Two blinded readers then subjectively graded the image quality. Radiation dose was also measured. Image noise tended to be lower in IRIS of low-dose protocols: 22.0 ± 4.5 for group I versus 24.8 ± 4.0 for III (P < 0.001); 20.9 ± 4.5 for II versus 21.6 ± 4.9 for IV (P = 0.6). SNR was better with IRIS: 25.8 ± 4.4 for I versus 22.7 ± 4.6 for III (P < 0.001); 24.6 ± 5.4 for II versus 18.7 ± 4.5 for IV (P < 0.001). No differences in MTF 50% or image quality scores were seen between each two groups (P > 0.05). Radiation reduction was 40% for I and 51% for II, compared to standard protocols. Compared with routine-dose CT using FBP, low-dose coronary angiography using IRIS provides significant radiation reduction without impairment to image quality.

Intraluminal attenuation was shown to decrease with diminution of vessel diameters. In addition, TAG exhibited a significant correlation with TDG, implying that TAG may be a secondary result because of differences in diameters.

Xenon-enhanced chest CT may be a useful technique for visualizing dynamic changes in airflow in response to methacholine and salbutamol inhalation in patients with asthma. Optimization of the protocol for radiation exposure is warranted.