US CT and MRI findings in cirrhosis US: The hepatic parenchyma in cirrhosis is typically heterogeneous and hyperechoic with “coarsened” echoes and poorly defined intrahepatic vasculature. Unfortunately, these findings are nonspecific, with increased parenchymal echogenicity also present in fatty infiltration, and parenchymal heterogeneity also present in infiltrating neoplasms. Sonographic features with greater specificity for cirrhosis include …
Ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of fatty infiltration of the liver. US: Fatty infiltration is seen as areas of focal or diffuse increased echogenicity that do not demonstrate mass effect on adjacent biliary structures or blood vessels. Fatty infiltration may limit or prevent visualization of intrahepatic vessels, the deeper posterior …
How is segmental liver anatomy defined? The liver is divided into four lobes based on the surface configuration and the hepatic veins (HVs). The different hepatic segments are divided by intersegmental fissures, which are traversed or are in the same plane as the HVs. The main lobar fissure divides the liver into right and left …
How has multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) changed the evaluation of the liver, pancreas, and biliary system? MDCT allows for the rapid acquisition of images using very thin collimation (0.6 mm) and reconstruction intervals (0.5 mm). Using these true isotropic volumetric data sets, exquisite multiplanar reformations (MPR) in the coronal, sagittal, or any other imaging plane …
What malignancies can PET and PET/CT be used for? PET is a proved modality in the evaluation of various malignancies, including esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and colon cancers, as well as GI stromal tumors (GISTs), carcinoid tumors, and lymphoma. In addition, PET/CT has demonstrated utility in the assessment of inflammatory bowel disease. Combined with CT, PET/CT …
What is PET and how does it work? PET uses specialized positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals and equipment to detect areas of increased metabolic activity, a characteristic commonly seen in malignancies. The most commonly used radiopharmaceutical in PET imaging is 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG), which is a marker for glucose metabolism. Unlike other commonly used radiopharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine, 18 F-FDG has a …
Can abdominal malignancies be evaluated with nuclear medicine studies ? 111 In pentetreotide is a somatostatin analog that targets a variety of neuroendocrine tumors including carcinoid tumors, pancreatic islet cell neoplasm, gastrinoma, pheochromocytoma, neuroblastoma, and paraganglioma. Whole-body planar and SPECT imaging are performed at 4 and 24 hours. The additional anatomic information provided by CT images, …
Nuclear medicine studies in abdominal malignancies Read More »