MRI with contrast enhancement is a valuable tool for detecting and characterizing disease of the cranial nerves. Abnormal cranial nerve enhancement on MRI may sometimes be the first or only indication of an underlying disease process.

Doppler ultrasonography of the hepatic vasculature is an integral part of evaluating precirrhotic and cirrhotic patients. While the reversal of the portal venous flow is a well-recognized phenomenon, other flow patterns, although not as easily understood, may play an important role in assessing the disease status. This article discusses the different characteristic flow patterns observed from the portal vein, hepatic artery, and hepatic vein in patients with liver cirrhosis or related complications and procedures. Knowledge of these different flow patterns provides additional information that may reinforce the diagnosis of cirrhosis, help in staging, and offer prognostic information for determining the direction of therapy. Doppler ultrasonography is invaluable when liver transplantation is being considered and aids in the diagnosis of cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

TA is associated with less RPV loss than PN in the management of SRM, but there is no difference between modalities of TA (CA vs RFA) or between approaches to PN.

The purpose of the study was to assess the possibility of placental injury detection on computed tomography (CT) in pregnant trauma patients. The images and dictated reports of 44 CT scans of pregnant women who presented to the University of California Irvine Medical Center (UCIMC) from 2003 to 2008 for traumatic abdominal conditions were reviewed for placental abruption. Performances of original dictated reports, an untrained reviewer, and a trained reviewer (who was trained on 22 non-traumatic scans) were compared. Of the 66 pregnant women who received abdominal CT scans, 44 sustained abdominal trauma. Seven suffered placental abruptions, all of which were identified on CT. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 79.5%, respectively, for the untrained reviewer, 100% and 82.1% for the trained reviewer, and 42.9% and 89.7% for the original dictated reports. Placental abruptions are often overlooked on CT scan. Sensitivity may be improved by systematic evaluation of the placenta and specificity by training on normal placental morphology.

Patients with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) have poor prognoses and experience negative sequelae of disease. Patients often suffer from dyspnea and/or hemoptysis, with overall pulmonary compromise. Patients with advanced, inoperable disease have limited options for treatment. This study summarizes our early experience and findings using photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an effective modality in the palliation of hemoptysis, dyspnea, and physical airway obstruction in cases of inoperable lung cancer. A retrospective review was conducted for the first 10 patients diagnosed with stage III/IV obstructive NSCLC who underwent PDT at our institution. Endobronchial lesions were identified by bronchoscopy. Treatments were initiated 48 hours after intravenous injection of 2 mg/kg of the photosensitizing agent porfimer sodium (Photofrin, QLT PhotoTherapeutics, Vancouver, BC). The porfimer sodium was then activated by illumination with a 630 nm wavelength light using a Coherent argon ion laser through a flexible bronchoscope. Repeated bronchoscopies were performed 1-3 days following initial PDT for evaluation and airway debridement. In 8 cases, a second treatment of PDT was administered within 72 hours of the first injection. One patient received a third treatment several months later. Three patients also received endobronchial stents after PDT. Overall, all 10 patients responded to PDT. Physical airway obstruction was reduced in all patients, with a noted improvement in bronchoscopic luminal diameter. Acute hemoptysis resolved in all 7 symptomatic patients. Median survival was 5.5 months post-PDT, while median survival postdiagnosis was 10.5 months. Three patients are alive at the time of this review at 5-21 months following therapy. Patients with unresectable late-stage NSCLC have few options for treatment. Our early experience with PDT indicates effective relief of hemoptysis, dyspnea, and airway obstruction and improves their quality of life.