Background Chest CT is used to assess the severity of lung involvement in COVID-19 pneumonia. Purpose To determine the change in chest CT findings associated with COVID-19 pneumonia from initial di...

One year after COVID-19 diagnosis, chest CT scans showed persistent abnormalities in 53 of 209 adult study participants (25%). Background The chest CT manifestations of COVID-19 from hospitalization to convalescence after 1 year are unknown. Purpose To assess chest CT manifestations of COVID-19 up to 1 year after symptom o...

OBJECTIVES: Isolated abdominal aortic dissection (IAAD) is a rare disease. Currently, there is no consensus on the management of IAAD. Our goal was to report our experience with the management of IAAD. METHODS: A cohort of 45 consecutive patients with IAAD was treated between January 2010 and December 2018. We reviewed the demographics, clinical features, therapeutic modalities and follow-up results. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients had successful endovascular repair (EVAR) and 12 patients underwent conservative treatment initially. During a mean follow-up of 16.6 months, 2 of the patients in the EVAR group had endoleak; neither of them needed reintervention. Complete or partial thrombosis of the false lumens was seen in all patients (88% and 12%) on the latest computed tomographic angiography images, and a significant enlargement of the true lumen and regression of the false lumen and maximal abdominal aortic diameter were observed in all patients (P < 0.001). In the group receiving conservative treatment, 3 patients were lost to follow-up; 1 patient died; 2 patients had small re-entry sites, neither of which needed intervention; 1 patient had EVAR; and the others remain symptom-free. The latest computed tomographic angiography images showed that 1 patient had spontaneous healing with complete thrombosis of the false lumen, 7 patients had partial thrombosis and the diameter of the maximal abdominal aortic and false lumen remained stable or was less decreased. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with IAAD, close surveillance is necessary. In addition, EVAR is an effective therapeutic method with a high technical success rate and low complication rate for carefully selected patients.

Dual-energy CT has shown promising results in determining tumor characteristics and treatment effectiveness through spectral data by assessing normalized iodine concentration (nIC), normalized effective atomic number (nZeff), normalized electron density (nED), and extracellular volume (ECV). This study explores the value of quantitative parameters in contrast-enhanced dual-layer spectral detector CT (SDCT) as a potential tool for detecting lymph node activity in lymphoma patients. A retrospective analysis of 55 lymphoma patients with 289 lymph nodes, assessed through ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT and the Deauville five-point scale, revealed significantly higher values of nIC, nZeff, nED, and ECV in active lymph nodes compared to inactive ones (p < 0.001). Generalized linear mixed models showed statistically significant fixed-effect parameters for nIC, nZeff, and ECV (p < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of nIC, nZeff, and ECV reached 0.822, 0.845, and 0.811 for diagnosing lymph node activity. In conclusion, the use of g nIC, nZeff, and ECV as alternative imaging biomarkers to PET/CT for identifying lymph node activity in lymphoma holds potential as a reliable diagnostic tool that can guide treatment decisions.

Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) that mimics intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Its computed tomography (CT) findings (cortical contrast enhancement, sulci effacement) overlap with cerebrovascular conditions (e.g., cerebral infarction, subarachnoid hemorrhage). Dual-energy CT (DECT) differentiates blood/calcification from iodinated contrast medium (CM) extravasation via material decomposition, contributing to the accurate diagnosis of CIE. We report a CIE case highlighting DECT’s value. A 74-year-old woman underwent PCI. 50 min post-PCI, she had moderate headache (Numeric Rating Scale 4), dizziness, non-projectile vomiting (no seizures); vital signs were stable, no focal deficits, mannitol ineffective. Non-contrast CT demonstrated a left parietal 75 Hounsfield unit (HU) high-attenuation lesion, indistinguishable from acute intracerebral hemorrhage. Conventional non-contrast CT revealed a high-attenuation lesion (75 HU) in the left parietal lobe—indistinguishable from ICH. DECT clarified the diagnosis: virtual non-contrast maps showed CM extravasation, iodine concentration maps confirmed focal CM accumulation, and effective atomic number maps improved lesion visualization. The patient’s headache resolved within 5 h; follow-up non-contrast CT at 24 h showed complete disappearance of the lesion. She resumed clopidogrel, discharged day 3 without sequelae. This case underscores DECT’s role in distinguishing CIE (transient CM, normal neuro exam) from ICH (persistent hemorrhage), guiding safe post-PCI antiplatelet therapy.