No abstract

Our data suggest that colonoscopy and MR enteroclysis are of similar value to predict the risk of clinical recurrence in postoperative patients with Crohn's disease.

The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of MR enteroclysis in patients with Crohn's disease recurrence after ileocolic resection and to establish an MR scoring sytem. MR enteroclysis and endoscopy were performed in 30 patients with suspected Crohn's disease recurrence after ileocolic resection. Findings were evaluated by three radiologists, using an MR score based on image quality, contrast enhancement, and mural and extramural bowel-wall changes: MR0 (no abnormal features), MR1 (minimal mucosal changes), MR2 (diffuse aphtoid ileitis, moderate recurrence), and MR3 (severe recurrence with trans- and extramural changes). The endoscopic Rutgeerts score defines changes at the ileum on a scale from I0 to I4. In 3/30 (10%) patients, evaluation was not possible. The mean overall image quality was rated as 1.7 (kappa 0.78). Comparing MR and Rutgeerts score, the mean observer agreement for the total score rating was 77.8% (kappa 0.67). When comparing only scores below or above MR2-the threshold indicative of the necessity of medical treatment-there was a total agreement of 95.1% (kappa 0.84). MR enteroclysis allows assessment of Crohn's disease recurrence after ileocolic resection. The MR score is reproducible and shows high agreement with the approved endoscopic Rutgeerts score.

This study indicates that MR angiography is an accurate imaging modality in clinical practice. Our data support the concept that MR angiography can modify the diagnosis of suspected peripheral vascular occlusive disease.

Primary benign and malignant neoplasm of the small bowel are rare. Malignant tumours often present late symptoms resulting in a poor prognosis. Early detection of small bowel neoplasms is desirable but challenging for both clinicians and radiologists. Conventional double contrast enteroclysis was the method of choice in small bowel imaging but is increasingly being replaced by cross-sectional imaging methods as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multidetector CT (MDCT) produces high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the abdomen and the small bowel. It allows multiplanar visualisation of small bowel tumours, demonstrates signs of small bowel obstruction as well as the mural and extramural extent of small bowel malignancies. This aids planning for surgical resection. In addition, liver metastases or peritoneal seeding can be detected with CT. The best visualisation of small bowel neoplasms is achieved with CT enteroclysis or enterography and this review discusses these techniques and MDCT characteristics of small bowel tumours.

Endovascular treatment of acute and chronic aortic type B dissections and penetrating ulcer is a minimally invasive method with a low complication rate that could be considered a feasible alternative to surgical repair. Depending on the length of the dissection, we recommend the placement of two overlapping stent-grafts in the thoracic aorta to stabilize the affected thoracic aorta over a longer distance. This might provide a reliable sealing of the entry tear and should prevent further communication between the true lumen and the false lumen.

The purpose was to assess axial alignment of the lower limb using mechanical axis measurements on conventional and digital radiographs. Total-leg radiographs of 24 patients, 8 male and 16 female, with a mean age of 68.6+/-10.2 years, were performed in a standardized anterior-posterior projection and standing position using a conventional and digital phosphor storage film screen radiography system. Knee joint angulation was assessed by measuring the angle between a line drawn from the center of the femoral head to the middle of the femoral condyles and a line drawn from the middle of the tibial condyles to the midpoint of the malleolus. On conventional leg radiographs, line drawing and angle measurement were performed manually with a transparent goniometer. Angle measurement on digital leg radiographs was performed on a PACS workstation using computer-assisted measurement software (IMPAX, AGFA-GEVAERT, Belgium). Evaluation time for both measurements was recorded. We diagnosed 14 varus and 10 valgus angulations of the knee joint. The mean individual difference between axis deviation of conventional digital leg radiographs was 0.93+0.6 degrees (min 0 degrees, max 2 degrees), the mean difference in varus angulation was 1.13+/-0.45 degrees (min 0.3 degrees, max 2 degrees), and the mean difference in valgus angulation was 0.65+/-0.71 degrees (min 0 degrees, max 2 degrees). Angle measurements on conventional and digital radiographs did not show any statistically significant difference. Mean time exposure was 4.9 min/patient for manual and 1.08 min/patient for computer-assisted angle measurement (P<0.001). Computer-assisted angle measurement on digital total-leg radiographs represents a reliable method with no significant angle differences compared to conventional radiographic systems and offers a significantly lower evaluation time.

VR is the superior reading method compared with MIP for the detection of small solid intrapulmonary nodules.