ABSTRACT
Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is the rare but most severe form of antiphospholipid syndrome with multiple organ ischemia developing over a short period of time. CAPS should be considered when imaging suggests an acute and concurrent multiorgan ischemia, associated with positive antiphospholipid antibodies. As CAPS can have fulminant irreversible complications, its early recognition is important to initiate the treatment promptly. We present three patients of CAPS who were managed at our institution.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the image noise, radiation dose, and image quality of ultra-low-dose computed tomography (CT) and standard CT in the imaging of pulmonary pathologies. Material and methods: This observational study was performed between July 2020 and August 2021. All enrolled patients underwent both ultra-low-dose and standard CTs. The image noise, image quality for normal pulmonary structures, presence or absence of various pulmonary lesions, and radiation dose were recorded for each of the scans. The findings of standard-dose CT were regarded as the gold standard and compared with that of ultra-low-dose CT. Results: A total of 124 patients were included in the study. The image noise was higher in the ultra-low-dose CT compared to standard-dose CT. The overall image quality was determined to be diagnostic in 100% of standard CT images and in 96.77% of ultra-low-dose CT images with proportional worsening of the image quality as the body mass index (BMI) range was increased. Ultra-low-dose CT offered higher (> 90%) sensitivity for lesions like consolidation (97%), pleural effusion (95%), fibrosis (92%), and solid pulmonary nodules (91%). The effective radiation dose (mSv) was many times lower in ultra-low-dose CT when compared to standard-dose CT (mean ± SD: 0.50 ± 0.005 vs. 3.99 ± 1.57). Conclusions: The radiation dose of ultra-low-dose chest CT was almost equal to that of a chest X-ray. It could be used for the screening and/or follow-up of patients with solid pulmonary nodules (> 3 mm) and consolidation.
ABSTRACT
Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the detection rate of pulmonary nodules in ultrashort echo time (UTE) lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare it with computed tomography (CT) in oncology patients. Materials and Methods All individuals undergoing radiotherapy/chemotherapy/regular follow-up or visiting the oncology department and referred to radiology department for nodule detection, during the period of 1 year, were subjected to UTE lung MRI using the sequence Flash 3d_spiralvibe coronal 1.25 mm iso and high-resolution CT lungs and the images were analyzed. Results Among the total number of nodules detected in both lungs of all patients, nodules detected by CT were 241, and nodules detected by MRI were 212. The nodule detection rate by MRI was 87.96%. The detection rate of nodules for size equal to or more than 5 mm was nearly 100%. For nodules less than 5 mm, and equal to or more than 4 mm, MRI showed a comparable detection rate of 75%, while for nodules less than 4 mm, the detection rate was only 25%. Conclusion Our study results indicate that lung MRI had a near-complete detection rate for nodules equal to or more than 5 mm in size. Hence, in oncology patients who are undergoing regular follow-up of the lung nodules, lung MRI using UTE can replace low-dose CT, which in turn reduces the radiation dose to the patient.
