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A comparative study of roentgenograms of the paranasal sinuses between 37 patients with cleft lip and palate and 37 control subjects of the same age group was done using a planimeter. The results indicate that there is no statistical difference in the sizes. The paranasal sinuses increased in size with age in patients as well as in control subjects.

Spread of microabscesses along white matter tracts and frequent trigeminal nerve involvement are unique imaging characteristics of CNS melioidosis. These findings may provide insight into potential mechanisms for B. pseuodomallei entry into the CNS through direct axonal transport in cranial nerves bypassing the blood brain barrier. Prompt recognition of the neuroimaging features of this potentially fatal infection may allow for early microbiological culture and treatment.

The study was undertaken to compare the MR imaging features of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) in a country with a high prevalence of ADEM. Magnetic resonance scans from 33 patients diagnosed clinically with MS (14 patients) or ADEM (19 patients) were reviewed concurrently by two radiologists blinded to the clinical diagnosis. The size, site, morphology and pattern of brain and spinal cord involvement were recorded and the MR imaging diagnosis was compared with the clinical diagnosis. The MR imaging findings matched with the clinical diagnosis in 11 of 14 patients with MS (sensitivity = 78.6%), and with the clinical diagnosis in 15 of 18 patients with ADEM (sensitivity = 78.9%). Three patients had non-specific findings and in a further three patients discordant imaging features were present. One patient with imaging features typical of Balo's concentric sclerosis was diagnosed clinically as suffering from ADEM. In a country with a high prevalence of ADEM, the majority of patients with ADEM and MS can be differentiated on MR imaging.

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OBJECTIVE. There are few articles in the literature describing the security and safety aspects of networked medical equipment in radiology departments. Most radiologists are unaware of the security issues. We review the security of the networked medical equipment of a typical radiology department. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All networked medical equipment in a radiology department was scanned for vulnerabilities with a port scanner and a network vulnerability scanner, and the vulnerabilities were classified using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System. A network sniffer was used to capture and analyze traffic on the radiology network for exposure of confidential patient data. We reviewed the use of antivirus software and firewalls on the networked medical equipment. USB ports and CD and DVD drives in the networked medical equipment were tested to see whether they allowed unauthorized access. Implementation of the virtual private network (VPN) that vendors use to access the radiology network was reviewed. RESULTS. Most of the networked medical equipment in our radiology department used vulnerable software with open ports and services. Of the 144 items scanned, 64 (44%) had at least one critical vulnerability, and 119 (83%) had at least one high-risk vulnerability. Most equipment did not encrypt traffic and allowed capture of confidential patient data. Of the 144 items scanned, two (1%) used antivirus software and three (2%) had a firewall enabled. The USB ports were not secure on 49 of the 58 (84%) items with USB ports, and the CD or DVD drive was not secure on 17 of the 31 (55%) items with a CD or DVD drive. One of three vendors had an insecure implementation of VPN access. CONCLUSION. Radiologists and the medical industry need to urgently review and rectify the security issues in existing networked medical equipment. We hope that the results of our study and this article also raise awareness among radiologists about the security issues of networked medical equipment.

MR cholangiography can be used to confirm the diagnosis of choledochal cysts and define the extent of involvement preoperatively. The pancreatobiliary junction, however, is difficult to visualize. Non-biliary cysts such as a hydatid cyst can mimic a choledochal cyst on the MR cholangiogram and should be correlated with the MR cross-sectional images to avoid misinterpretation.

This study was conducted to determine the epidemiological characteristics and clinical presentation of adverse reactions to intravenous radiocontrast media (CM) in patients of Indian origin. 379 of 1798 patients who received either sodium iothalamate or sodium meglumine diatrizoate developed adverse reactions (i.e. 21.08% of patients). The incidence of mild, moderate and severe adverse reactions were 19.47%, 1.33% and 0.28%, respectively. One patient who developed a severe reaction expired. There were no differences in the incidence of adverse reactions according to gender (males 21.2%; females 20.8%; p = 0.907) or age (p = 0.876). The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly higher in patients with a history of previous reactions (45.5%) than in those with no history (20.9%; p = 0.046). The incidence of reactions was also significantly higher in patients with a history of predisposing factors such as bronchial asthma (69.2%) and diabetes mellitus (60.0%) than in those without such a history (20.6%; p = 0). The incidence of adverse reactions in patients who received premedication prior to CM administration because of a history of predisposing factors (21.4%) was not significantly different from that in patients who were not premedicated (21.2%; p = 0.974), a result probably due to inadequate premedication used in the study. The skin was the most commonly affected site of reaction.