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PurposeTo evaluate the value of dual-source CT angiography (DSCTA) in the diagnosis of carotid atherosclerosis, and to explore the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus (DM).Materials and Methods 145 patients with ischemic stroke were divided into DM group (n=80) and non-DM group (n=65). All patients underwent DSCTA. The location and characteristic of carotid atherosclerosis were analyzed using curve planE reconstruction (CPR), maximum intensity projection (MIP), multi-plane reformation (MPR) and volume rendering (VR). The differences between two groups were analyzed.Results Compared with non-DM group, the body mass index and high blood cholesterol were higher in DM group (t=6.197,P0.05). Carotid atherosclerosis was more common in carotid bifurcation and carotid artery siphon.Conclusion DSCTA can demonstrate the location and characteristics of carotid atherosclerosis in ischemic stroke patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is a risk factor for the formation of carotid atherosclerosis, especially vulnerable plaques.
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Objective Retrospectively analyze of urate crystal deposition using dual-source CT in asymptomatic hyperuricaemia and symptomatic gout patients.Methods Sixty patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (uric acid ≥540 μmol/L) and 48 patients with gout (without any change in the appearance of the limbs and obvious gout nodules) were selected.All patients underwent dual-energy CT imaging.The location number and size were analyzed using CT gout software.Results Eighteen patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia with urate crystal deposition in limb joints (13 in foot and ankle, 7 in the hand and wrist, 2 in knee), the average size of crystal was (0.12±0.04) cm3.Forty-eight gout patients (28 cases of early gout and 20 cases of late gout and 20 gout cases) had urate crystal deposition (48 in foot and ankle, 39 in hand and wrist, 27 in knee), the average size of crystal was (1.7±0.7) cm3.The number and size of urate crystals deposited in the joints, tendons and ligaments was higher in patients with gout than asymptomatic hyperuricemia (x2=52.076, P＜0.001;t=44.834, P＜0.001).There was no difference between the early gout and late gout in the size of urate crystals (t=0.163, P＞0.05).Conclusion Urate crystals can deposite in asymptomatic hyperuricemia.However, more and larger urate crystals appear in gout patients, there is no difference in size and number of urate crystals between the course duration of gout.
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Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of dual-source CT angiography (DSCTA) for vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis in patients with transient ischemia attack (TIA).Methods 80 TIA patients underwent DSCTA.Common data were collected.Vertebrobasilar plaques and stenosis degree were analyzed by using CT reconstruction.Results 152 plaques were found in 69 patients(86.2％,69/80),59 plaques(38.9％,59/152)in unilateral vertebral artery in 31 patients,83 plaques (54.6％,83/152) inbilateral vertebral artery in 28 cases,10 plaques (6.6％,10/152) in basilar artery in 10 patients,among which 51(33.6％,51/152)plaques were hard,69(45.3％,69/ 152)plaques were soft,32(21.1％,32/152)plaques were mixed.There were 31 cases (44.9％,31/ 69) with mild stenosis,27 cases (39.1％,27/69) with moderate stenosis,7 cases (10.1％,7/69) with severe stenosis,and 4 cases (5.8％,4/69) had vascular occlusion.Conclusions Vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis is a common cause of TIA.DSCTA can be used to analyze the vertebrobasilar plaques and stenosis degree.Soft plaques and severe stenosis promote TIA.
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Objective To evaluate the clinical application value of multi-slice helical CT volumetric (VH) scanning in lumber spine. Methods One thousand of patients with back and leg pain who underwent CT examinations were selected as subjects. We simulated the traditional protocol of single-slice(SS) discrete scanning for L3/4, L4/5, and LS/S1 intervertebral discs. The VH scanning mode was performed with 120 kV, 210 mAs,pitch of 1.5 and coverage of 97. 5 mm. The simulated SS scanning mode was performed with 120 kV, 240 mAs and coverage of 45.0 mm. The diagnostic outcomes and the radiation doses were compared between the two scanning modes. Two groups doctors observed ten terms, including the osseous spinal stenosis,narrowed intervertebral space and so on in two scanning modes respectively. Then consistency analysis of the data was carried out. Results The VH scanning mode showed far more features than the SS mode. The detection rates of the VH mode in the osseous spinal stenosis, narrowed intervertebral space,herniated nucleus pulposus, narrowed lateral recess, vertebral lesion, hypertrophy of L5 transverse process,abnormal direction of facet, facet degeneration, lumbar spondyloschisis, and paraspinal soft tissue were 11.8% (n =118), 38. 5% (n =385), 9. 3% (n =93), 46. 8% (n =468), 31.4% (n =314), 5.7% (n =57), 25.4% (n = 254), 49. 7% (n = 497), 9.9% (n = 99), and 0. 6% (n = 6) respectively, while the detection rates of the SS mode in ten terms were 5.6% (n = 56), 0, 0. 6% (n = 6), 27. 9% (n = 279),22.4% (n =224), 1.2% (n = 12), 16.7% (n = 167), 37.2% (n =372), 0.5% (n =5), and 0.2%(n = 2) respectively. The difference between the two groups had statistically significance (average P <0.05), except the paraspinal soft tissue abnormal (P > 0.05). The detection rates of the VH mode were higher than the SS mode in the osseous spinal stenosis, narrowed intervertebral space, herniated nucleus pulposus, lumbar spondyloschisis, being 6.2% (n = 62) , 38. 5% (n = 385) , 8.7% (n = 87), and 9.4%(n =94), respectively. In addition, VH mode only partially showed the articular facets, narrowed lateral recess, hypertrophy of L.5 transverse process, and paraspinal soft tissue. We could not acquire the imaging slices paralleling to intervertebral discs in SS mode in 467 patients (46.7%) with lumbosacral angle greater than 35°. The radiation dose of VH mode (164.9 mGy/em) was slightly higher than SS mode (147.0 mGy/cm) Conclusion MSCT VH scanning mode can significantly improve the diagnostic rate of lumbar spine diseases compared with SS mode, and was not restricted by the lumbosacral angle with slightly increasing radiation dosage.