Bronchogenic Cyst in Posterior Mediastinum with Butterfly Vertebra: A Case Report

Most mediastinal cystic masses result from abnormal development of the embryo. Common developmental cysts in the posterior mediastinum are bronchogenic, neurenteric, and esophageal duplication cysts. These cystic masses appear identical on CT, but a cystic lesion adjacent to the esophagus is usually an esophageal duplication cyst, and a cyst associated with vertebral anomalies indicates a presumptive diagnosis of a neurenteric cyst. Herein, we present the case of a 27-year-old man with a bronchogenic cyst in the posterior mediastinum with a butterfly vertebra.

Main Pulmonary Artery Dilatation in Patients with Anthracofibrosis

This study assessed main pulmonary artery diameter of patients with anthracofibrosis. Patients with anthracofibrosis and CT scans were evaluated after exclusion of patients with co-existing disease. We measured the diameter of the main pulmonary artery (PAD) and ascending aorta (AD) and calculated the pulmonary artery to aorta ratio (APR). The upper reference limit for comparison of PAD was 29 mm. Cut-off values for PAD and APR indicating pulmonary hypertension were 33 mm and 1. We correlated the CT parameters with echocardiographic results. Total 51 patients were included in the analysis. The mean PAD, AD, and APR were 33 mm, 38 mm, and 0.87 respectively. The PAD was larger than the upper reference limit, 29 mm (P33 mm in 30 (65%) and the APR was >1 in 9 patients (18%). Of 21 patients with echocardiography, 11 (52%) were found to have pulmonary hypertension. There was no statistical difference in the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension between echocardiography and CT (P=1.000). In conclusion, main pulmonary artery is dilated in patients with anthracofibrosis more than in the healthy population.

Clinical Experience with 3.0 T MR for Cardiac Imaging in Patients: Comparison to 1.5 T using Individually Optimized Imaging Protocols

PURPOSE: To report our clinical experience with cardiac 3.0 T MRI in patients compared with 1.5 T using individually optimized imaging protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 30 consecutive patients and 20 consecutive patients who underwent 1.5 T and 3 T cardiac MRI within 10 months. A comparison study was performed by measuring the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and the image quality (by grading each sequence on a 5-point scale, regarding the presence of artifacts). RESULTS: In morphologic and viability studies, the use of 3.0 T provided increase of the baseline SNRs and CNRs, respectively (T1: SNR 29%, p < 0.001, CNR 37%, p < 0.001; T2-SPAIR: SNR 13%, p = 0.068, CNR 18%, p = 0.059; viability imaging: SNR 45%, p = 0.017, CNR 37%, p = 0.135) without significant impairment of the image quality (T1: 3.8 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.9 +/- 0.7, p = 0.438; T2-SPAIR: 3.8 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.9 +/- 0.5, p = 0.744; viability imaging: 4.5 +/- 0.8 vs. 4.7 +/- 0.6, p = 0.254). Although the image qualities of 3.0 T functional cine images were slightly lower than those of 1.5 T images (3.6 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.6, p < 0.001), the mean SNR and CNR at 3.0 T were significantly improved (SNR 143% increase, CNR 108% increase, p < 0.001). With our imaging protocol for 3.0 T perfusion imaging, there was an insignificant decrease in the SNR (11% decrease, p = 0.172) and CNR (7% decrease, p = 0.638). However, the overall image quality was significantly improved (4.6 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.0 +/- 0.8, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: With our experience, 3.0 T MRI was shown to be feasible for the routine assessment of cardiac imaging.