OBJECTIVE. This study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of cardiac CT for the evaluation of patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Fifty consecutive patients with aortic stenosis who underwent surgical valve repair between September 2005 and November 2006 were examined by ECG-gated CT and echocardiography. A 64-MDCT scanner was used. The image findings regarding the number of leaflets (bicuspid or tricuspid) were compared against the intraoperative findings and were statistically analyzed by one-way univariate analysis of variance. The aortic valve area (AVA) was also measured by CT and echocardiography, and the measured values were statistically compared by use of the paired Student's t test.RESULTS. Seventeen patients had a bicuspid aortic valve, and 33 had a tricuspid aortic valve. In 10 of the 50 patients, echocardiography was unable to depict the type of aortic valve because of extensive calcification. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and...

Despite advances, challenges remain for less invasive imaging of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) using computed tomography (CT) angiography. The application of dual-energy imaging to PAOD has been reported to improve the diagnostic accuracy of this application; however, severe arteriosclerosis with heavy arterial wall calcification still hampers definitive lesion characterisation, especially in distal and smaller arteries. Recently an ultra-high resolution scanner has been introduced. In combination with advances in post-processing, such as subtraction techniques, these developments may overcome some of the current challenges and allow far more detailed characterisation of PAOD non-invasively. The aim of this review is to describe our current experience with ultra-high resolution CT in combination with subtraction and discuss the potential advantages of their application for peripheral angiography.

Radiation therapy (RT) plays a significant role in the management of head and neck malignancies. This study aimed to review the clinical symptoms and various imaging findings of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) and provide a clinical perspective on the development of ORN. The retrospective cohort was composed of 57 sites in 54 patients who had a history of RT and suspected ORN and 48 sites in 45 patients who were confirmed to have ORN. Image analyses included computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, bone scintigraphy, and single-photon emission CT (SPECT). The irradiated tissue was damaged by RT, and the extent of damage was correlated with clinical symptoms. The bone marrow showed sclerotic changes and the devitalized bone showed bone resorption after invasive stimulation. Chronic trismus and pathological fracture are considered severe conditions, typically occurring in the last stage of ORN. Furthermore, neurological symptoms were an important sign of tumor recurrence, since diagnostic imaging was difficult. The possible treatment options vary depending on the stage of ORN. We speculate that bone sclerosis reactions and bone resorption are sequential reactions that seem to be protective measures of the bone to radiation injury.