Multilocular thymic cysts can be easily misdiagnosed as malignant tumor on computer tomography:A case report

BACKGROUND Multilocular thymic cyst(MTC)is a rare mediastinal lesion which is considered to occur in the process of acquired inflammation.It is usually characterized by well-defined cystic density and is filled with transparent liquid.CASE SUMMARY We report on a 39-year-old male with a cystic-solid mass in the anterior mediastinum.Computer tomography(CT)imaging showed that the mass was irregular with unclear boundaries.After injection of contrast agent,there was a slight enhancement of stripes and nodules.According to CT findings,it was diagnosed as thymic cancer.CONCLUSION After surgery,MTC accompanied by bleeding and infection was confirmed by pathological examination.The main lesson of this case was that malignant thymic tumor and MTC of the anterior mediastinum sometimes exhibit similar CT findings.Caution is necessary in clinical work to avoid misdiagnosis.

Multidetector computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of double superior mesenteric veins:A case report

BACKGROUND This study aimed to describe the findings of double superior mesenteric veins(SMVs),a rare anatomical variation,on multidetector computer tomography(MDCT)and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)images.CASE SUMMARY We describe the case of a 34-year-old male,who underwent both MDC and MRI examinations of the upper abdomen because of liver cirrhosis.MDCT and MRI angiography images of the upper abdomen revealed an anatomic variation of the superior mesenteric vein(SMV),the double SMVs.CONCLUSION The double SMVs are a congenital abnormality without potential clinical manifestation.Physicians need to be aware of this anatomical variation during abdominal surgery to avoid iatrogenic injury.

Avoiding misdiagnosis of multilocular thymic cysts as malignant tumors on computer tomography

This editorial provides insights from a case report by Sun et al published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases.The case report focuses on a case where a multilocular thymic cyst(MTC)was misdiagnosed as a thymic tumor,resulting in an unnecessary surgical procedure.Both MTCs and thymic tumors are rare conditions that heavily rely on radiological imaging for accurate diagnosis.However,the similarity in their imaging presentations can lead to misinterpretation,resulting in unnecessary surgical procedures.Due to the ongoing lack of comprehensive knowledge about MTCs and thymic tumors,we offer a summary of diagnostic techniques documented in recent literature and examine potential causes of misdiagnosis.When computer tomography(CT)values surpass 20 Hounsfield units and display comparable morphology,there is a risk of misdiagnosing MTCs as thymic tumors.Employing various differential diagnostic methods like biopsy,molecular biology,multi-slice CT,CT functional imaging,positron emission tomography/CT molecular functional imaging,magnetic resonance imaging and radiomics,proves advantageous in reducing clinical misdiagnosis.A deeper understanding of these conditions requires increased attention and exploration by healthcare providers.Moreover,the continued advancement and utilization of various diagnostic methods are expected to enhance precise diagnoses,provide appropriate treatment options,and improve the quality of life for patients with thymic tumors and MTCs in the future.continued advancement and utilization of various diagnostic methods are expected to enhance precise diagnoses,provide appropriate treatment options,and improve the quality of life for patients with thymic tumors and MTCs in the future.

Measurement and analysis of defects in high-performance concrete with three-dimensional micro-computer tomography

In order to investigate the effects of two mineral admixtures （i. e., fly ash and ground slag）on initial defects existing in concrete microstructures, a high-resolution X-ray micro-CT（ micro-focus computer tomography）is employed to quantitatively analyze the initial defects in four series of highperformance concrete （HPC）specimens with additions of different mineral admixtures. The nigh-resolution 3D images of microstructures and filtered defects are reconstructed by micro- CT software. The size distribution and volume fractions of initial defects are analyzed based on 3D and 2D micro-CT images. The analysis results are verified by experimental results of watersuction tests. The results show that the additions of mineral admixtures in concrete as cementitious materials greatly change the geometrical properties of the microstructures and the spatial features of defects by physical-chemistry actions of these mineral admixtures. This is the major cause of the differences between the mechanical behaviors of HPC with and without mineral admixtures when the water-to-binder ratio and the size distribution of aggregates are constant.

Positron emission tomography/computer tomography:Challenge to conventional imaging modalities in evaluating primary and metastatic liver malignancies

Computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),as conventional imaging modalities,are the preferred methodology for tumor,nodal and systemic metastasis (TNM) staging. However,all the noninvasive techniques in current use are not sufficiently able to identify primary tumors and even unable to define the extent of metastatic spread. In addition,relying exclusively on macromorphological characteristics to make a conclusion runs the risk of misdiagnosis due mainly to the intrinsic limitations of the imaging modalities themselves. Solely based on the macromorphological characteristics of cancer,one cannot give an appropriate assessment of the biological characteristics of tumors. Currently,positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) are more and more widely available and their application with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in oncology has become one of the standard imaging modalities in diagnosing and staging of tumors,and monitoring the therapeutic efficacy in hepatic malignancies. Recently,investigators have measured glucose utilization in liver tumors using 18F-FDG,PET and PET/CT in order to establish diagnosis of tumors,assess their biologic characteristics and predict therapeutic effects on hepatic malignancies. PET/ CT with 18F-FDG as a radiotracer may further enhance the hepatic malignancy diagnostic algorithm by accurate diagnosis,staging,restaging and evaluating its biological characteristics,which can benefit the patients suffering from hepatic metastases,hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

Computerized tomography-guided therapeutic percutaneous puncture catheter drainage-combined with somatostatin for severe acute pancreatitis: An analysis of efficacy and safety

BACKGROUND Severe acute pancreatitis(SAP),a condition with rapid onset,critical condition and unsatisfactory prognosis,poses a certain threat to human health,warranting optimization of relevant treatment plans to improve treatment efficacy.AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of computerized tomography-guided the-rapeutic percutaneous puncture catheter drainage(CT-TPPCD)combined with somatostatin(SS)in the treatment of SAP.METHODS Forty-two SAP patients admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from June 2020 to June 2023 were selected.On the basis of routine treatment,20 patients received SS therapy(control group)and 22 patients were given CT-TPPCD plus SS intervention(research group).The efficacy,safety(pancreatic fistula,intra-abdominal hemorrhage,sepsis,and organ dysfunction syndrome),abdominal bloating and pain relief time,bowel recovery time,hospital stay,inflammatory indicators(C-reactive protein,interleukin-6,and pro-calcitonin),and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation(APACHE)II score of both groups were evaluated for comparison.RESULTS Compared with the control group,the research group had a markedly higher total effective rate,faster abdominal bloating and pain relief and bowel recovery,INTRODUCTION Pancreatitis,an inflammatory disease occurring in the pancreatic tissue,is classified as either acute or chronic and is associated with high morbidity and mortality,imposing a socioeconomic burden[1,2].The pathogenesis of this disease involves early protease activation,activation of nuclear factor kappa-B-related inflammatory reactions,and infiltration of immune cells[3].Severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)is a serious condition involving systemic injury and subsequent possible organ failure,accounting for 20%of all acute pancreatitis cases[4].SAP is also characterized by rapid onset,critical illness and unsatisfactory prognosis and is correlated with serious adverse events such as systemic inflammatory response syn-drome and acute lung injury,threatening the health of patients[5,6].Therefore,timely and effective therapeutic inter-ventions are of great significance for improving patient prognosis and ensuring therapeutic effects.Somatostatin(SS),a peptide hormone that can be secreted by endocrine cells and the central nervous system,is in-volved in the regulatory mechanism of glucagon and insulin synthesis in the pancreas[7].It has complex and pleiotropic effects on the gastrointestinal tract,which can inhibit the release of gastrointestinal hormones and negatively modulate the exocrine function of the stomach,pancreas and bile,while exerting a certain influence on the absorption of the di-gestive system[8,9].SS has shown certain clinical effectiveness when applied to SAP patients and can regulate the severity of SAP and immune inflammatory responses,and this regulation is related to its influence on leukocyte apoptosis and adhesion[10,11].Computerized tomography-guided therapeutic percutaneous puncture catheter drainage(CT-TPPCD)is a surgical procedure to collect lesion fluid and pus samples from necrotic lesions and perform puncture and drainage by means of CT image examination and precise positioning[12].In the research of Liu et al[13],CT-TPPCD applied to pa-tients undergoing pancreatic surgery contributes to not only good curative effects but also a low surgical risk.Baudin et al[14]also reported that CT-TPPCD has a clinical success rate of 64.6%in patients with acute infectious necrotizing pan-creatitis,with nonfatal surgery-related complications found in only two cases,suggesting that this procedure is clinically effective and safe in the treatment of the disease.In light of the limited studies on the efficacy and safety of SS plus CT-TPPCD in SAP treatment,this study performed a relevant analysis to improve clinical outcomes in SAP patients.

Highly metabolic thrombus of the portal vein:^(18)F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography demonstration and clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To assess the ability of ^18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography （^18F-FDG PET/CT） to differentiate between benign and malignant portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） patients.METHODS： Five consecutive patients who had HBV cirrhosis, biopsy-proven HCC, and thrombosis of the main portal vein and/or left/right portal vein on ultrasound （US）, computer tomography （CT） or magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） were studied with ^18F-FDG PET/CT. The presence or absence of a highly metabolic thrombus on ^18F-FDG PET/CT was considered diagnostic for malignant or benign portal vein thrombosis, respectively. All patients were followed-up monthly with US, CT or MRI. Shrinkage of the thrombus or recanalization of the vessels on US, CT or MRI during follow-up was considered to be definitive evidence of the benign nature of the thrombosis, whereas enlargement of the thrombus, disruption of the vessel wall, and parenchymal infiltration over follow-up were considered to be consistent with malignancy. ^18SF-FDG PET/CT, and US, CT or MRI results were compared.RESULTS： Follow-up （1 to 10 mo） showed signs of malignant thrombosis in 4 of the 5 patients. US, CT or MRI produced a true-positive result for malignancy in 4 of the patients, and a false-positive result in 1. ^18F-FDG PET/CT showed a highly metabolic thrombus in 4 of the 5 patients. ^18F-FDG PET/CT achieved a true-positive result in all 4 of these patients, and a true-negative result in the other patient. No false-positive result was observed using ^18F-FDG PET/CT.CONCLUSION： ^18F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful in discriminating between benign and malignant portal vein thrombi. Patients may benefit from ^18F-FDG PET/CT when portal vein thrombi can not be diagnosed exactly by US, CT or MRI.

Positron emission tomography/computer tomography in guidance of extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis management

Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most common primary cancers in the world. Surgery is the gold standard for treatment of patients with HCC. Recurrence and metastasis are the major obstacles to further improve the prognosis of HCC. Most recurrences are intrahepatic. However, 30% of the recurrences are extrahepatic. The role of resection in intrahepatic recurrences is widely accepted. The role of resection in extrahepatic HCC recurrence and metastasis is not well established. 18F fluorodeoxyglucose （18F-FDG） positron emission tomography/computer tomography （PET/CT） is useful in detecting distant metastasis from a variety of malignancies and shows superior accuracy to conventional imaging modalities in identification of intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis. We present one patient with one new isolated omental lymph node metastasis, who had a history of huge HCC resected six years ago. The metastatic focus was identified with 18 F-FDG PET/CT and resected. The follow-up revealed good prognosis with a long-term survival potential after resection of the omental lymphatic metastasis.

Optic nerve sheath diameters in healthy adults measured by computer tomography

AIMTo measure optic nerve sheath diameters (ONSD) in different locations by computer tomography (CT) and to recommend the best location for cases when ONSD is used for intracranial pressure monitoring.METHODSIn a prospective cohort study, CT data of 300 healthy adults were analyzed (600 eyes). In all cases, the CT investigation was performed at the Emergency Department because of the various conditions that proved not to be connected with ophthalmological or neurological pathology. The ONSD were measured at 3 mm and 8 mm distance from the globe, and 3 mm from the anterior opening of the optic canal. The correlation analysis was performed with gender, age, and ethnic background.RESULTSThe right/left ONSD are 4.94±1.51/5.17±1.34 mm at 3 mm, 4.35±0.76/4.45±0.62 mm at 8 mm from the globe, and 3.55±0.82/3.65±0.7 mm at 3 mm from the optic canal. No significant differences correlated with gender of the patients, their age, and ethnic background were found.CONCLUSIONIn healthy persons, the ONSD varies from 5.17±1.34 mm to 3.55±0.82 mm in different locations within the intraorbital space. The most stable results with lesser standard deviation can be obtained if it is measured 8-10 mm from the globe.

Study on sex differences and potential clinical value of threedimensional computerized tomography pelvimetry in rectal cancer patients

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic rectal cancer radical surgery is a complex procedure affected by various factors.However,the existing literature lacks standardized parameters for the pelvic region and soft tissues,which hampers the establishment of consistent conclusions.AIM To comprehensively assess 16 pelvic and 7 soft tissue parameters through computerized tomography(CT)-based three-dimensional(3D)reconstruction,providing a strong theoretical basis to address challenges in laparoscopic rectal cancer radical surgery.METHODS We analyzed data from 218 patients who underwent radical laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer,and utilized CT data for 3D pelvic reconstruction.Specific anatomical points were carefully marked and measured using advanced 3D modeling software.To analyze the pelvic and soft tissue parameters,we emp-loyed statistical methods including paired sample t-tests,Wilcoxon rank-sum tests,and correlation analysis.RESULTS The investigation highlighted significant sex disparities in 14 pelvic bone parameters and 3 soft tissue parameters.Males demonstrated larger measurements in pelvic depth and overall curvature,smaller measurements in pelvic width,a larger mesorectal fat area,and a larger anterior-posterior abdominal diameter.By contrast,females exhibited wider pelvises,shallower depth,smaller overall curvature,and an increased amount of subcutaneous fat tissue.However,there were no significant sex differences observed in certain parameters such as sacral curvature height,superior pubococcygeal diameter,rectal area,visceral fat area,waist circumference,and transverse abdominal diameter.CONCLUSION The reconstruction of 3D CT data enabled accurate pelvic measurements,revealing significant sex differences in both pelvic and soft tissue parameters.This study design offer potential in predicting surgical difficulties and creating personalized surgical plans for male rectal cancer patients with a potentially“difficult pelvis”,ultimately improving surgical outcomes.Further research and utilization of these parameters could lead to enhanced surgical methods and patient care in laparoscopic rectal cancer radical surgery.

Evaluation of defects in aluminum piston castings by using ultrasonics and computer tomography

Pistons used in automobile engines are made of aluminum alloy; and endurance of high pressure and high temperature is required. Recently, high strength pistons are needed to cope with the increase of pressure and temperature in the engine cylinder. A high strength piston is possible when the piston casting has little or no casting defects, such as micro-pores and cracks. Generally the defects can be evaluated by non-destructive testing (NDT), and the most efficient ways for evaluation are using ultrasonics and computer tomography. In the present study, two NDT methods were compared and evaluated to investigate the defects in the aluminum piston castings. Artificial defects were machined by using very small drill bits with diameters 1, 0.5, 0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 mm. The defects were investigated by using an ultrasonic tester and a computer tomography system. Defects smaller than 0.3 mm may not be found by using the ultrasonic test, but the defects may be found by using the computer tomography system. The investigation conditions for detecting small defects and the scanning time for in-line defect analysis are discussed in the present study.

Computer tomography-guided negative pressure drainage treatment of intrathoracic esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage:A case report

BACKGROUND Esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage(EJAL)is a serious and potentially crucial complication of total gastrectomy and represents the major cause of postoperative death,with a mortality rate of up to 50%.However,treatment remains challenging and controversial.We report here the case of a patient whose intrathoracic EJAL was successfully treated with computer tomography(CT)-guided negative pressure drainage treatment.CASE SUMMARY A 69-year-old male patient complained of difficulty swallowing within the last six months.He was diagnosed with esophagogastric junction carcinoma,Siewert II,cT3N0M0 stage II.Total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy were performed.High fever,left chest pain and dyspnea appeared on postoperative day 5,and EJAL was confirmed by CT,gastroscopy and oral blue-dimethylene tests.Conservative treatment measures were applied immediately,including antibiotics,nasojejunal tubes,and repeated thoracic puncture and drainage under ultrasound guidance.However,without sufficient and effective drainage,the thoracic infection and systemic condition continued to deteriorate.With the cooperation of multiple departments,percutaneous CT-guided drainage(24 Fr 7 mm)in the thoracic cavity was successfully placed near the anastomotic leakage.Because of continuous negative pressure suction,the infection symptoms were effectively controlled and the general situation gradually recovered.Subsequent follow-up examination showed that the patient was in good condition.CONCLUSION Negative pressure drainage via CT may represent an effective minimally invasive approach to treating intrathoracic EJAL.

Comparison of detection results of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy at different degrees in infant patients between brain electrical activity mapping, transcranial Doppler sonography and computer tomography examinations

BACKGROUND： It has been proved that brain electrical activity mapping （BEAM） and transcranial Doppler （TCD） detection can reflect the function of brain cell and its diseased degree of infant patients with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy （HIE）. OBJECTIVE： To observe the abnormal results of HIE at different degrees detected with BEAM and TCD in infant patients, and compare the detection results at the same time point between BEAM, TCD and computer tomography （CT） examinations. DESIGN ： Contrast observation SETTING： Departments of Neuro-electrophysiology and Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College. PARTICIPANTS： Totally 416 infant patients with HIE who received treatment in the Department of Newborn Infants, Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College during January 2001 and December 2005. The infant patients, 278 male and 138 female, were at embryonic 37 to 42 weeks and weighing 2.0 to 4.1 kg, and they were diagnosed with CT and met the diagnostic criteria of HIE of newborn infants compiled by Department of Neonatology, Pediatric Academy, Chinese Medical Association. According to diagnostic criteria, 130 patients were mild abnormal, 196 moderate abnormal and 90 severe abnormal. The relatives of all the infant patients were informed of the experiment. METHOOS： BEAM and TCD examinations were performed in the involved 416 infant patients with HIE at different degrees with DYD2000 16-channel BEAM instrument and EME-2000 ultrasonograph before preliminary diagnosis treatment （within 1 month after birth） and 1,3,6,12 and 24 months after birth, and detected results were compared between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Comparison of detection results of HIE at different time points in infant patients between BEAM. TCD and CT examinations. RESULTS： All the 416 infant patients with HIE participated in the result analysis. （1） Comparison of the detected results in infant patients with mild HIE at different time points after birth between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations： BEAM examination showed that the recovery was delayed, and the abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination 1 and 3 months after birth [55.4%（72/130）vs. 17.0% （22/130 ）,x^2=41.66 ;29.2% （ 38/130 ） vs. 6.2% （ 8/130 ）, x^2=23.77, P 〈 0.01 ], exceptional patients had mild abnormality and reached the normal level in about 6 months. TCD examination showed that the disease condition significantly improved and infant patients with HIE basically recovered 1 or 2 months after birth, while CT examination showed that infant patients recovered 3 or 4 months after birth. （2） Comparison of detection results of infant patients with moderate HIE at different time points between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations： The abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination 1,3,6 and 12 months after birth [90.8% （178/196）,78.6% （154/196）,x^2=4.32,P 〈 0.05;64.3% （126/196）,43.9% （86/196） ,x^2=16.44 ;44.9% （88/196） ,22.4% （44/196）,x^2=22.11 ;21.4% （42/196）, 10.2% （20/196）,x^2=9.27, P 〈 0.01]. BEAM examination showed that there was still one patient who did not completely recovered in the 24^th month due to the relatives of infant patients did not combine the treatment,. TCD examination showed that the abnormal rate was 23.1%（30/196）in the 1^st month after birth, and all the patients recovered to the normal in the 3^rd month after birth, while CT examination showed that mild abnormality still existed in the 24^th month after birth （1.0% ,2/196）. （3） Comparison of detection results of infant patients with severe HIE at different time points between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations： The abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination in the 1^st, 3^rd, 6^th and 12^th months after birth[86.7% （78/90）,44.4% （40/90）,x^2=35.53;62.2% （56/90）,31.1% （28/90）,x^2=17.51 ;37.8% （34/90）,6.7% （6/90）, x^2=27.14, P 〈 0.01]. BEAM examination showed that mild abnormality still existed in 4 infant patients in the 24^th month after birth. TCD examination showed that the abnormal rate was 11.1% （10/90） in the 3^rd month after birth, and all the infant patients recovered in the 6^th month after birth. CT examination showed that the abnormal rate was 6.7%（6/90） in the 12^th month after birth, and all of infant patients recovered to the normal in the 24^th month after birth.CONCLUSION ： BEAM is the direct index to detect brain function of infant patients with HIE, and positive reaction is still very sensitive in the tracking detection of convalescent period. The positive rate of morphological reaction in CT examination is superior to that in TCD examination, and the positive rate is very high in the acute period of HIE in examination.

Application of high resolution computer tomography in external ear canal cholesteatoma diagnosis

Objective: To evaluate High Resolution Computer Tomography(HRCT) in the diagnosis of external ear canal cholesteatoma.Methods: In this retrospective study, HRCTs of 27 patients with external ear canal cholesteatoma were reviewed. The changes in the external ear canal, tympanic membrane(TM), scutum, tympanum and mastoid were measured and categorized.Results: Fourteen patients showed no or mild destruction in the external ear canal(stage Ⅰ group). Eight patients had obvious enlargement in the external ear canal(stage Ⅱ group) but showed limited destructions of the mastoid bone and no damage of the tympanums. Five patients had serious destruction of the mastoid bone and damage of the tympanum(stage Ⅲ group). All patients in the stage Ⅲ group showed a compression of manubriums and TMs, with 3 having damages on ossicular chain. Bone destruction of the vertical section of facial nerve canal was discovered in one case in the stage Ⅲ group.Conclusion: HRCT can provide detail information about the extent of external ear canal cholesteatoma. Such information can be used to identify special situations with serious complications and to differentiate external ear canal cholesteatoma from middle ear cholesteatoma.

Oil Production Optimization by Means of a Combined“Plugging,Profile Control,and Flooding”Treatment:Analysis of Results Obtained Using Computer Tomography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Due to long-term water injection,often oilfields enter the so-called medium and high water cut stage,and it is difficult to achieve good oil recovery and water reduction through standard methods(single profile control and flooding measures).Therefore,in this study,a novel method based on“plugging,profile control,and flooding”being implemented at the same time is proposed.To assess the performances of this approach,physical simulations,computer tomography,and nuclear magnetic resonance are used.The results show that the combination of a gel plugging agent,a polymer microsphere flooding agent,and a high-efficiency oil displacement agent leads to better results in terms of oil recovery with respect to the situation in which these approaches are used separately(the oil recovery is increased by 15.37%).Computer tomography scan results show that with the combined approach,a larger sweep volume and higher oil washing efficiency are obtained.The remaining oil in the cluster form can be recovered in the middle and low permeability layer,increasing the proportion of the columnar and blind end states of the oil.The nuclear magnetic resonance test results show that the combined“plugging,profile control,and flooding”treatment can also be used to control more effectively the dominant channels of the high permeability layer and further expand the recovery degree of the remaining oil in the pores of different sizes in the middle and low permeability layers.However,for the low permeability layer(permeability difference of 20),the benefits in terms of oil recovery are limited.

Coronary venous system in cardiac computer tomography: Visualization, classification and role

The role of the coronary venous system was underestimated for many years.In the last 20 years,a few percutaneous cardiology techniques in which the anatomy of the coronary venous system was significant were developed and are in use.The most important seems to be cardiac resynchronization therapy,which is an invasive method for the treatment of heart failure.Unfortunately,one of the major problems is the significant anatomical variability of the coronary venous system.The description of the selected anatomical structures is only useful in selected cases such as,for example,the obstruction of selected vessels,a huge Thebesian valve,etc.The 3D images can add significant value;however,their usefulness is limited due to the different points of view that are obtained during intra-operational fluoroscopy.After summarizing all of the articles andguidelines,it can be recommended that the visualization of the coronary venous system be performed in certain patients before cardiac resynchronization.The best option is to use tomography with retrospective gating with the optimal reconstruction of cardiac veins that occurs during the diastolic phases.

Dose Optimization in Computer Tomography Pediatric Cranial Scans

Background and Objective: Nowadays, Computer Tomography is one of the best radiological imaging technics which can give right diagnostic information, among the detection of multiphasic adenomas, the detection of cardiac, cerebral and vascular abnormalities. Although these good qualities, this technic is too radiant for the patient. In this paper, we based on the irradiation doses delivered from the current protocols to find a practical method of their optimization during the pediatric cranial scan. Materials and Methods: This work relies on a collection of data from patients in the hospitals, so that analyze them, give the conclusions and, propose an optimal practical method to decrease the irradiation doses. To collect data, we performed a prospective study of seventeen months (from December 2017 to May 2019) carried out simultaneously in three hospitals of the city: The Centre Medical la Cathédrale (H1), the Yaoundé Central Hospital (H2) and the Yaoundé Gyneaco-Obstetric and pediatric hospital (H3). This study included a total of 192 cases of cerebral trauma, of which 11 cases excluded for incomplete information. The dosimetry quality control (CTDIvol) using the PMMA phantoms of 16 cm and 32 cm fulfilled. The scanographic parameters of the patient acquisition protocol were recorded and analyzed. Some of those parameters were modified and entered the CT with the help of a biomedical engineer to reduce the delivered dose. The relationship between CTDIvol and kV is statistically significant (p Results: Among patients, 172 are boys, and the remaining 9 are girls all were in the 0 to 15 age group. CTDIvol values varied from 34.2 mGy to 107.8 mGy and PDLs from 107.8 mGy.cm to 2214.5 mGy.cm in H1. In H2, CTDIvol varied from 5.8 mGy to 44 mGy and PDLs from 91.4 mGy.cm to 665.5 mGy.cm. CTDIvol varied between 9.34 mGy to 92.81 mGy and PDLs from 162.38 mGy.cm to 2713.67 mGy.cm in H3. All values are taken at 75th percentile, with or without contrast injection. Conclusion: The implementation of the optimization of protocols requires the display of the CT parameters to use and to respect during the traumatic brain tests. With displaying and respecting protocol, the CTDIvol decreased by almost 50 per cent.

Computer Tomography and Ultrasonography Image Registration Based on the Cooperation of GPU and CPU

Image registration is wildly used in the biomedical image, but there are too many textures and noises in the biomedical image to get a precise image registration. In order to get the excellent registration performance, it needs more complex image processing, and it will spend expensive computation cost. For the real time issue, this paper proposes edge gradient direction image registration applied to Computer Tomography(CT) image and Ultrasonography (US) image based on the cooperation of Graphic Processor Unit (GPU) and Central Processor Unit (CPU). GPU can significantly reduce the computation time. First, the CT image slice is extracted from the CT volume by the region growing and the interpolation algorithm. Secondly, the image pre-processing is employed to reduce the image noises and enhance the image features. There are two kinds of the image pre-processing algorithms invoked in this paper: 1) median filtering and 2) anisotropic diffusion. Last but not least, the image edge gradient information is obtained by Canny operator, and the similarity measurement based on gradient direction is employed to evaluate the similarity between the CT and the US images. The experimental results show that the proposed architecture can distinctively improve the efficiency and are more suitably applied to the real world.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency Combining Ultrasound and Computer Tomography

Four cases of proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD) in an otherwise healthy infant are described. Antenatal diagnosis was made at 27, 23, 23 and 18 weeks of gestation by routine ultrasound (US) examination. Computer Tomography (CT) was performed after 30 weeks of gestation and confirmed the images obtained by US. The diagnosis was confirmed after delivery. These cases illustrate the importance of combining US and CT to improve accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of skeletal disorders.

Reduction of the Beam Hardening Artifacts in the X-Ray Computer Tomography: Energy Discrimination with a Photon-Counting Detector

The material identification is a pressing requirement for the sensitive security applications. Dual-energy X-ray computer tomography (DXCT) has been investigated for material identification in the medical and security fields. It requires two tomographic images at sufficiently different energies. To discriminate dangerous materials of light elements such as plastic bombs in luggage, it is needed to measure accurately with several tens of kilo electron volts where such materials exhibit significant spectral differences. However, CT images in that energy region often include artifacts from beam hardening. To reduce these artifacts, a novel reconstruction method has been investigated. It is an extension of the Al-gebraic Reconstruction Technique and Total Variation (ART-TV) method that reduces the artifacts in a lower-energy CT image by referencing it to an image obtained at higher energy. The CT image of a titanium sample was recon-structed using this method in order to demonstrate the artifact reduction capability.