[Ultrafast MR sialography: comparison of two coil systems including an alternative surface coil]. / Ultraschnelle MR-Sialografie: Intraindividueller Vergleich einer Oberflächenempfangs- mit einer konventionellen Kopf-Hals-Spule.

PURPOSE: To compare the visualization of salivary ducts by ultrafast magnetic resonance sialography (MR sialography) using an alternative surface coil and a conventional head-neck coil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 11 healthy volunteers, ultrafast MR sialography (single shot turbo spin echo; acquisition time, 2.8 s) was performed before and after oral application of a sialogogue. Each subject received examinations with both a bilateral surface coil (SC) and a conventional head-neck coil (HNC). The depiction of parotideal and submandibular duct systems was graded from 1 to 5 (5 = poor) by four independent radiologists. ANOVA served for statistical analysis of duct rankings, and interobserver variability was determined by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: With an excellent ICC of 0.96, both coil systems offered symmetric visualization of salivary ducts, and the image quality increased after oral application of sialogogue (p < 0.001). In total, the overall rating was worse for SC than for HNC (2.13 +/- 1.24 vs. 1.45 +/- 0.65, p < 0.001). SC was especially inferior in depiction of submandibular and extraglandular duct components compared to HNC (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Most notably due to the reduced visualization of extraglandular and submandibular ducts, the specific surface coil used in this study was inferior in image quality and does not constitute a reasonable alternative to conventional coil systems.

[Image quality of thickened slabs in multislice CT chest examinations: postprocessing vs. direct reconstruction]. / Bildqualität aufaddierter Schichten bei MSCT-Untersuchungen des Thorax: Bildnachverarbeitung versus Direktrekonstruktion.

PURPOSE: Postprocessing offers the possibility of real-time creation of thickened slabs from a set of thin slices. This allows the interactive change from thick to thin slices for better evaluation of unclear lesions. As a result the clinical workflow of MSCT evaluation can be improved. However, to be able to apply this postprocessing software in the clinical routine, degradations in the image quality (compared to standard original reconstructed images) have to be avoided. The purpose of this study was to compare the image quality of thickened slabs from MSCT chest examinations that have either been directly reconstructed from the raw data or have been retrospectively generated via postprocessing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest MSCT examinations of 20 patients (mean age: 56 years) were performed on a 16-slice MSCT scanner (Mx8000IDT16, Philips, Best, Netherlands) using the following scan parameters: 120 kV, 94 effective mAs, 16 x 1.5 mm collimation, 512 x 512 matrix, field of view 371 x 371 mm, CTDIvol = 6.3 mGy, DLP = 210 mGyxcm). Slices with a thickness of 3 and 5 mm were generated for each examination both directly from the raw data and via postprocessing. Corresponding images from postprocessing and direct reconstruction (lung/soft tissue window) were evaluated by two radiologists with respect to 5 criteria on the basis of a five-point scale: organ structure, contour of small objects, contrast, image noise and artifacts. Differences between both data sets regarding image quality were assessed for each of the 5 criteria using a Wilcoxon test with Bonferroni correction. In addition, image noise was analyzed quantitatively in a region of interest in the aorta. RESULTS: For the lung and soft tissue window, both reviewers and all criteria, no differences in image quality were detected between the thickened slices obtained via direct reconstruction and the postprocessing method. In 96 % and 95 % of the cases images of the two reconstruction methods were graded identically for 3 mm and 5 mm slices. In the remaining 4 % and 5 %, the evaluations differed only by one point on the five-point scale. The median grade of the first reviewer was 1 and that of the second reviewer was 2. There were no differences in the quantitative analysis of image noise between both methods. CONCLUSION: The interactive creation of thickened slices is an effective tool for the evaluation of MSCT examinations. For the defined scan parameters in this study there were no differences in image quality between postprocessing methods (e. g. slab viewer) and direct image reconstruction.

[MR-sialography: optimisation and evaluation of an ultra-fast sequence in parallel acquisition technique and different functional conditions of salivary glands]. / MR-Sialographie: Optimierung und Bewertung ultraschneller Sequenzen mit paralleler Bildgebung und oraler Stimulation.

PURPOSE: To optimise a fast sequence for MR-sialography and to compare a parallel and non-parallel acquisition technique. Additionally, the effect of oral stimulation regarding the image quality was evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All examinations were performed by using a 1.5-T superconducting system. After developing a sufficient sequence for MR-sialography, a single-shot turbo-spin-echo sequence (ss-TSE) with an acquisition time of 2.8 sec was used in transverse and oblique sagittal orientation in 27 healthy volunteers. All images were performed with and without parallel imaging technique. The assessment of the ductal system of the submandibular and parotid gland was performed using a 1 to 5 visual scale for each side separately. Images were evaluated by four independent experienced radiologists. For statistical evaluation, an ANOVA with post-hoc comparisons was used with an overall two-tailed significance level of P =.05. For evaluation of interobserver variability, an intraclass correlation was computed and correlation >.08 was determined to indicate a high correlation. RESULTS: All parts of salivary excretal ducts could be visualised in all volunteers, with an overall rating for all ducts of 2.26 (SD +/- 1.09). Between the four observers a high correlation could be obtained with an intraclass correlation of 0.9475. A significant influence regarding the slice angulations could not be obtained (p = 0.74). In all healthy volunteers the visibility of excretory ducts improved significantly after oral application of a Sialogogum (p < 0.001; eta (2) = 0.049). The use of a parallel imaging technique did not lead to an improvement of visualisation, showing a significant loss of image quality compared to an acquisition technique without parallel imaging (p < 0.001; eta (2) = 0.013). CONCLUSION: The optimised ss-TSE MR-sialography seems to be a fast and sufficient technique for visualisation of excretory ducts of the main salivary glands, with no elaborate post-processing needed. To improve results of MR-sialography, it is reasonable to use an oral Sialogogum.

[Animal welfare in schools--experiences from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]. / Tierschutz im Schulunterricht--Erfahrungen aus Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

More and more our schools are asked to include questions of animal protection in their curricula. So far animal-related topics have only been dealt with in the subjects Biology and "Sachunterricht" from a more ecological and/or economical point of view. Many teachers lack sufficient knowledge to teach their pupils topics of animal protection in a practical and interesting way. Moreover there exist various obstacles such as red tape problems and missing curricula that make it difficult to integrate questions of animal protection in our schools. That is why a workable structure for in-service-training including experts, teachers and politicians is being developed to improve the situation.