Investigating of the Usefulness of Multidetector-row Computed Tomography for Diagnosing Abdominal Visceral Pseudoaneurysms

Abdominal visceral pseudoaneurysms are rare, but rapid diagnosis is clinically important because of the associated conditions that are often fatal. Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is important in the diagnosis and treatment of many human conditions. This study thus sought to investigate the usefulness of MDCT for diagnosing abdominal visceral pseudoaneurysms. We retrospectively assessed the MDCT diagnosis of pseudoaneurysms and identification of the responsible vessels or cases diagnosed with an abdominal visceral pseudoaneurysm via angiography. The study comprised 35 patients who underwent MDCT preoperatively and in whom angiography detected an abdominal visceral pseudoaneurysm over a 7-year period. Using the angiography findings as the gold standard, we investigated whether a pseudoaneurysm and the responsible vessel could be diagnosed using preoperatively imaged MDCT findings. For angiography and MDCT, diagnosis was reached on the basis of two radiologists\u27 agreement. Of 35 patients (28 males and 7 females), the median subject age was 67 years (range: 22–84 years). We found that MDCT could preoperatively detect abnormal findings such as hematomas in all patients. MDCT detected the presence of a pseudoaneurysm in 88.6% (31/35) of patients and identified the responsible vessel in 71% (25/35) of patients. In 6 patients, MDCT findings could successfully reveal both the pseudoaneurysm and the extravasation. MDCT was effective for diagnosing abdominal visceral pseudoaneurysms and it could be useful for determining treatment strategies and aiding treatment techniques in such patients

Clinical Significance of Reverse Redistribution Phenomenon for 201Tl Scintigraphy in Nonischemic Disease

The reverse redistribution phenomenon (RR) on 201Tl SPECT has been focused mainly on ischemic improvement regions after reperfusion therapy or vasospastic angina pectoris. However, RR analysis has not been used in the context of non-ischemic disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical role of RR on 201Tl SPECT in patients without a history of myocardial ischemia. We retrospectively enrolled 86 patients showing RR by myocardial perfusion SPECT and studied 75 other patients as a control group. For quantitative analysis, each 201Tl SPECT polar map was divided into 13 segments. Differences between the RR and control group were assessed with respect to patient characteristics and cardiac event-free survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. RR was detected frequently in the inferoposterior wall, septal portion of the anterior wall, and septum. The two groups showed signi_cant differences in rates of heart failure (P ＜ 0.01), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (P ＜ 0.05), and wall motion abnormality (P ＜ 0.05), but not in the rate of event occurrence. The study demonstrated that RR on 201Tl SPECT could indicate the existence of myocardial damage ; however, it would not be a factor that determines the prognosis