Ultrasonic evaluation of effect of radiotherapy of plaque ulcer of carotid artery / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To investigate the effect of radiotherapy on carotid plaque ulcer formation by using ultrasound imaging.Methods Totally 93 cases diagnosed with head and neck cancers which had complete carotid ultrasound data and other baseline data before and after radiotherapy (RT) were retrospectively enrolled.The total number of plaques,average intima-media thickness,maximum plaque area,total number of ulcer plaques,maximum ulcer plaque area and the maximum area of the ulcer pit were compared in RT side and non RT side before and after RT respectively.Results The average interval time was 6.1±1.9 years between twice RT.Before RT,there were no statistical differences between RT side and non-RT side in the total number of plaques,the average intima-media thickness,maximum plaque area,total number of ulcer plaques,maximum ulcer plaque area and maximum area of the ulcer pit.After RT,compared with those of non-RT side,there were more lesions of the total number of plaques,the thicker average intima-media thickness,the larger maximum plaque area,the more maximum number of ulcer plaques,the larger maximum ulcer plaque area and maximum area of the ulcer pit in RT side,which had statistical defference (all P＜0.05).Conclusion RT can lead to the formation and progression of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with head and neck cancers,and the plaque has a vulnerability characteristics.

Preliminary study of lateral cerebral angiography with reverse rotation in the digital image registration and subtraction / 中华放射学杂志

ObjectiveInvestigate the value and feasibility of image registration with reverse rotation in lateral cerebral DSA.Methods ( 1 ) Experimental study:the target images were subtracted directly,and subtracted again after reverse rotation.Software of registration and subtraction with reverse rotation edited by the author utilizing Visual Basic.The function of the automatic angle detection by the software were evaluated to see whether it detected the angle of line.The subtraction function of DSA by the software was evaluated.(2) Clinical retrospective study:the untreated mask and target inages of 15 patients with motion along vertical axis during lateral cerebral DSA were uploaded to the software.The target images were processed with and without the software to get two sets of images.( 3 ) Evaluation:four experienced radiologists read and compared the two sets of the images,and graded their findings.Results ( 1 ) The automatic detection by the software suggested that the target images should be rotated counterclockwise 1.3°. The subtraction result of the software was satisfactory.(2)In the 15 sets of images,there were only three sets of images deemed optimal after traditional subtraction.After reverse rotation,artifacts were significantly reduced and the image sharper. There were ten cases with significant artifacts after traditional subtraction,and those images were sharper and showed more peripheral vessels after reverse rotation. The traditional subtraction images of two sets could not be interpreted,the reverse rotation registration images reached the diagnostic quality.(3)Subjective evaluation: there were more information and less noise and distortion in the registration images with reverse rotation than in the traditional subtraction. But the image resolution decreased slightly after reverse rotation registration.ConclusionThe registration of digital angiography with reverse rotation can improve the image quality in lateral cerebral DSA.