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CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE: Radiological emergencies or incidental findings that require rapid treatment are part of the daily routine of radiological units in clinics-but also in outpatient radiology. What is special about the care of these patients in the outpatient radiological area? STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS: An acute or incidental diagnosis of an emergency situation generally occurs with CT or MRI. Outpatient radiology serves as a gatekeeper by preselecting critical cases and then, in close cooperation with all those involved, providing optimal therapy. METHODOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS: Use of CT and MRI to assess the emergency situation allows optimal therapy for the patient to be initiated. In outpatient radiology, close cooperation in the team with the patient and the referring physicians means achieving an optimal result, which can be a great opportunity. ACHIEVEMENTS: Close personal collaboration in the team with the referring physician and the patient is a decisive strength of outpatient radiology and can guarantee optimum care for the patient, especially in the case of acute emergencies or incidental findings which turn out to be clinical-radiological emergencies. The largest challenge in outpatient radiology is to select the critical cases of the many noncritical cases in the face of growing time and cost pressure in a time-economic manner. PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS: Outpatient radiology should be aware of the chance for close cooperation and communication with referring physician and patient, especially in emergency situations-for the well-being of the patient, but also to increase the acceptance and significance of the field of radiology.

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PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate and discuss economic aspects of whole-body MRI and PET/CT in oncologic staging. Considerations from the perspective of the health care system, the radiologist, and the patients are presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Costs of both whole-body techniques are compared with the conventional radiologic diagnostic recommendations of the AWFM (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wissenschaftlich Medizinischer Fachgesellschaften) in oncologic staging of the five most frequent tumor entities. Temporal and monetary aspects are calculated. Invasive, endoscopic, and endosonographic techniques are regarded as essential and cannot be replaced by other techniques. Thus only the minimal potential for cost reduction is quantified. RESULTS: In the German system there is no cipher to correctly balance whole-body MRI and PET/CT. Using the frequently applied ciphers 5700-5730 and 5378, 5489 (factor 1.0) total costs were 440.45 euros, and adding the cipher for additional series 545.37 euros (60 min examination time) for whole-body MRI and 774.74 euros (879.66 euros) (60/90 min examination time) for whole-body PET/CT. Using the common factor 1.8 costs were 981.66 and 1583.38 euros. On the basis of a simple full cost analysis total costs of whole-body PET/CT were higher than of whole-body MRI by a factor of about 2.0 (about 1123 vs 575 euros). There were substantial monetary and temporal differences between tumor entities. In extended bronchial carcinoma 375.32 euros and 55 min can be saved using whole-body MRI in comparison to conventional recommended techniques and using whole-body PET/CT 88.14 euros and 45 min. In tumor entities of lower stages with thus less essential radiologic diagnostics the potential for cost reduction is substantially lower. CONCLUSION: Whole-body imaging techniques make it possible to reduce the number of necessary separate radiologic examinations and thus time in oncologic staging. A substantial reduction of health care costs seems to be possible in many tumor entities but differences between different tumor entities are decisive.

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INTRODUCTION: Due to technical innovations in sectional diagram methods, whole-body imaging has increased in importance for clinical radiology, particularly for the diagnosis of systemic tumor disease. Large numbers of images have to be evaluated in increasingly shorter time periods. The aim was to create and evaluate a new software tool to assist and automate the process of diagnosing whole-body datasets. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirteen whole-body datasets were evaluated by 3 readers using the conventional system and the new software tool. The times for loading the datasets, examining 5 different regions (head, neck, thorax, abdomen and pelvis/skeletal system) and retrieving a relevant finding for demonstration were acquired. Additionally a Student T-Test was performed. For qualitative analysis the 3 readers used a scale from 0 - 4 (0 = bad, 4 = very good) to assess dataset loading convenience, lesion location assistance, and ease of use. Additionally a kappa value was calculated. RESULTS: The average loading time was 39.7 s (+/- 5.5) with the conventional system and 6.5 s (+/- 1.4) (p < 0.01) with the new software tool. For the different regions (conventional system/new software tool), the time reduction for readers 1, 2, and 3 were as follows: in the head region 35.9 % (p < 0.01)/49.9 % (p < 0.01)/54.3 % (p < 0,01), in the neck region 48.5 % (p < 0.01)/52.6 % (p < 0.01)/59.4 % (p < 0.05), in the thorax region 59.1 % (p < 0.01)/56.2 % (p < 0.05)/62.1 % (p < 0.05), in the abdominal region 61.9 % (p < 0.01)/62.7 % (p < 0.05)/47.9 % (p < 0.01) and in the pelvis region 73.1 % (p < 0.01)/63.7 % (p < 0.05)/55 % (p < 0.01), respectively. 148.2 s (+/- 94.8) compared to 2.5 s (+/- 0.5) were required to retrieve a previously described finding (p < 0.01). With and without the new software tool the same number of metastases was found (p < 0.01, k > 0.9). The qualitative analysis showed a significant advantage with respect to convenience (p < 0.01, k > 0.9). CONCLUSION: Use of the new software can achieve a significant time savings when working with whole-body datasets with a constant quality of findings and a significant advantage with respect to convenience. As a result, the problem of evaluating examinations with thousands of images can be approached systematically.

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PURPOSE: To develop a model for exactly reproducible respiration motion simulations of animal lung explants inside an MR-compatible chest phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials included a piston pump and a flexible silicone reconstruction of a porcine diaphragm and were used in combination with an established MR-compatible chest phantom for porcine heart-lung preparations. The rhythmic inflation and deflation of the diaphragm at the bottom of the artificial thorax with water (1 - 1.5 L) induced lung tissue displacement resembling diaphragmatic breathing. This system was tested on five porcine heart-lung preparations using 1.5T MRI with transverse and coronal 3D-GRE (TR/TE = 3.63/1.58, 256 x 256 matrix, 350 mm FOV, 4 mm slices) and half Fourier T2-FSE (TR/TE = 545/29, 256 x 192, 350 mm, 6 mm) as well as multiple row detector CT (16 x 1 mm collimation, pitch 1.5, FOV 400 mm, 120 mAs) acquired at five fixed inspiration levels. Dynamic CT scans and coronal MRI with dynamic 2D-GRE and 2D-SS-GRE sequences (image frequencies of 10/sec and 3/sec, respectively) were acquired during continuous "breathing" (7/minute). The position of the piston pump was visually correlated with the respiratory motion visible through the transparent wall of the phantom and with dynamic displays of CT and MR images. An elastic body splines analysis of the respiratory motion was performed using CT data. RESULTS: Visual evaluation of MRI and CT showed three-dimensional movement of the lung tissue throughout the respiration cycle. Local tissue displacement inside the lung explants was documented with motion maps calculated from CT. The maximum displacement at the top of the diaphragm (mean 26.26 [SD 1.9] mm on CT and 27.16 [SD 1.5] mm on MRI, respectively [p = 0.25; Wilcoxon test]) was in the range of tidal breathing in human patients. CONCLUSION: The chest phantom with a diaphragmatic pump is a promising platform for multi-modality imaging studies of the effects of respiratory lung motion.

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Visualization of pulmonary nodules using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a minor role compared with computed tomography (CT). Technical developments made it possible to apply MRI more and more frequently in functional imaging. Imaging of the motion of pulmonary nodules during respiration, e.g., to optimize high precision therapy techniques, is a new field of research. This paper describes developments in analysis and visualization of pulmonary nodules during respiration using MRI. Besides actual 2D techniques new 3D techniques to quantify motion of pulmonary nodules during respiration are presented.

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The purpose of this study was to describe the use of parallel imaging technique (PAT) using dynamic MRI in lung and tumour mobility during the breathing cycle. 20 patients with stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma were investigated using two dynamic gradient echo sequences with PAT (TrueFISP (fast imaging with steady precession), and fast low angle shot (FLASH). Craniocaudal distance from the apex to the diaphragm of the thorax and tumour mobility during the breathing cycle were measured. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the tumour was determined. In spite of the different temporal resolutions both trueFISP and FLASH sequence proved to be adequate to continuously measure lung motion and tumour mobility. SNR of the tumour was significantly higher using the trueFISP sequence than FLASH sequence (20.7+/-3.6 vs 5.8+/-2.3, p<0.01). Mobility of the tumour bearing hemithorax was significantly lower compared with the non-tumour bearing hemithorax (p<0.05). Dynamic MRI using PAT allows for continuous quantitative documentation of tumour mobility and lung motion. Because of the higher SNR, trueFISP sequence provides a better delineation of intrapulmonary lesions with a sufficient temporal resolution.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the image quality of time-resolved echo-shared parallel MRA of the lung. The pulmonary vasculature of nine patients (seven females, two males; median age: 44 years) with pulmonary disease was examined using a time-resolved MRA sequence combining echo sharing with parallel imaging (time-resolved echo-shared angiography technique, or TREAT). The sharpness of the vessel borders, conspicuousness of peripheral lung vessels, artifact level, and overall image quality of TREAT was assessed independently by four readers in a side-by-side comparison with non-echo-shared time-resolved parallel MRA data (pMRA) previously acquired in the same patients. Furthermore, the SNR of pulmonary arteries (PA) and veins (PV) achieved with both pulse sequences was compared. The mean voxel size of TREAT MRA was decreased by 24% compared with the non-echo-shared MRA. Regarding the sharpness of the vessel borders, conspicuousness of peripheral lung vessels, and overall image quality the TREAT sequence was rated superior in 75-76% of all cases. If the TREAT images were preferred over the pMRA images, the advantage was rated as major in 61-71% of all cases. The level of artifacts was not increased with the TREAT sequence. The mean interobserver agreement for all categories ranged between fair (artifact level) and good (overall image quality). The maximum SNR of TREAT did not differ from non-echo-shared parallel MRA (PA: TREAT: 273+/-45; pMRA: 280+/-71; PV: TREAT: 273+/-33; pMRA: 258+/-62). TREAT achieves a higher spatial resolution than non-echo-shared parallel MRA which is also perceived as an improved image quality.

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PURPOSE: To evaluate, discuss and compare economic aspects of teleradiological applications in CT examinations in a small hospital. Scenario (1): CT examination by an extern institution including transport of a patient. Szenario (2): External consultation of an internal CT examination (teleradiology according to ROV). Scenario (3): Complete in-house radiology department. To evaluate economic aspects of teleradiology service providers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Costs have been separated into fixed and variable costs in a model. Total costs of 500 CT examinations per year have been calculated for the three scenarios. A break-even analysis has been performed to determine the necessary/minimal number of CTs per year for economical advantages. The number of CT consultations for teleradiology service providers to make profit has been calculated. RESULTS: Scenario (1): This is the most cost-effective scenario for 500 CTs per year, but most time-consuming. Beyond 548 CTs per year using a single slice CT and 965 CTs per year using a multislice CT the teleradiology scenario [scenario (2)] is most cost-effective. Beyond 1065 CTs per year an in-house radiology department [scenario (3)] is economically reasonable. On the basis of 30 Euros per CT consultation a teleradiology service providing system will be profitable starting from 322 CT consultations per year. CONCLUSION: Teleradiology applications are economically reasonable in a wide range in small hospitals. CT teleradiology services can also be provided on a cost-effective basis at a reachable number of consultations.

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The purpose of this study was to monitor liver metastases after radiotherapy using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). In 15 patients, follow-up examinations after stereotactic, single-dose radiotherapy were performed using CEUS (low mechanical index (MI), 2.4-ml SonoVue) and computed tomography (CT). Besides tumor size, the enhancement of the liver and the metastases was assessed at the arterial, portal venous, and delayed phases. The sizes of the tumor and of a perifocal liver reaction after radiotherapy measured with CEUS significantly correlated with those measured at CT (r=0.93, p<0.001). CEUS found a significant reduction of the arterial vascularization in treated tumors (p<0.05). In the arterial phase, the perifocal liver tissue was hypervascularized compared to the treated tumor (p<0.001); in the late phase, it was less enhanced than the liver (p<0.001) and more than the tumor (p<0.01). The perifocal liver reaction was also seen in CT, but with a variable enhancement at the arterial (50% hyperdense compared to normal liver tissue), venous, or delayed phase (each with 70% hyperdense reactions). CEUS allows for the assessment of tumor and liver perfusion, in addition to morphological tumor examination, which was comparable with CT. Thus, changes of tumor perfusion, which may indicate tumor response, as well as the perifocal liver reaction after radiotherapy, which must be differentiated from perifocal tumor growth, can be sensitively visualized using CEUS.

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AIM: Sacral chordoma is a primarily benign tumor with a high tendency to recur. A correct definition of tumor volume is a significant prognostic factor. We compared the value of CT and MRI in diagnosing a sacral chordoma. METHODS: 31 patients with a histologically proven sacral chordoma were included in this study. Following parameters were analyzed by two independent radiologists: septation, signs of blood and ossification in the tumor tissue, contrast enhancement, maximal tumor diameter, infiltration of the soft tissue, the dural salc and the cauda equina and multifocality. RESULTS: In CT all chordomas showed a hypodensity to the normal tissue and in MRI a hyperintensity on T2w images with a low level of contrast enhancement. On the basis of the more precise soft tissue contrast of MRI compared with CT, MRI was significantly more accurate in all tested parameters (p <0.05) besides in detecting tumor ossification. In CT tumor volume was frequently underestimated. CONCLUSION: MRI in sacral chordoma is an essential tool in the pretherapeutic diagnostic regimen and in a state of relapse.

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PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical value of 1H MR spectroscopy (1H MRSI) for follow-up of irradiated glioma compared to positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]-2-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) and single photon emission tomography with [123I]-a-methyl-L-tyrosine (IMT-SPECT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients with irradiated gliomas were examined using 1H MRSI (2D spectroscopic imaging; PRESS; TE = 135 msec; 1.5T Magnetom Vision, Siemens; Voxel size 9 x 9 x 15 mm (3)). MR spectra (n = 233) were evaluated in areas suspicious of tumor (n = 86) as well as in healthy appearing brain tissue (n = 147). Relative signal intensity ratios of choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) were calculated. PET scans (n = 19) were performed with 200 - 250 MBq FDG, IMT-SPECT examinations (n = 14) with 200 - 250 mBq IMT. Based on clinical and MRI/CT, follow-up lesions were classified as either neoplastic [PT] or non-neoplastic [nPT]. RESULTS: True positive results for the diagnosis of PT/nPT were 88/89 % (1H MRSI), 73/100 % (PET) and 100/75 % (SPECT). Cho/Cr showed highly significant changes for PT. Determinating a correlation between Cho, Cr, NAA and IMT-SPECT as well as FDG-PET was not possible because of different location of maximum tracer uptake and acquired 2D 1H MRSI. CONCLUSION: IMT-SPECT seems to be superior to detect tumor progression in irradiated gliomas. 1H MRSI was more suitable than FDG-PET to differentiate between recurrence and radiation-induced changes. FDG-PET plays a role as sensitive method for detecting high-grade tumors. PET and SPECT allowed the examination of the entire tumor including surrounding brain tissue with higher spatial resolution than the acquired 2D 1H MRSI. A main limitation of our study was that only 2D 1H MRSI was used, with only parts of the tumor evaluated. The use of 3D MR spectroscopic imaging may further increase the diagnostic accuracy.

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PURPOSE: Evaluation of lung perfusion by contrast-enhanced 3D MRI using partial parallel imaging techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers were examined using a contrast-enhanced dynamic FLASH 3D sequence with partial parallel imaging technique at 1.5 T MRI with a TA of 1.5 sec. The whole lung was covered by 36 coronal slices. A ventral, middle and dorsal slice of each lung was manually segmented and signal-to-time curves were computed. For absolute quantification of blood flow through the right and left pulmonary artery, phase-contrast flow measurements were performed. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the signal intensity in the right (8.9 +/- 2.6) and left (8.0 +/- 3.5) lung, corresponding to a left-to-right signal intensity ratio of 0.9. A significantly higher signal intensity was found in the dorsal regions of the lungs (p = 0.01) compared to the ventral regions. The time to peak of the signal intensity was significantly shorter in the dorsal (15.3 sec) and middle (15.7 sec) regions of the lungs (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively) than in the ventral regions (16.3 sec). The ratio between blood flow through the left (2.2 L/min) and right (2.7 L/min) lung was 0.84. CONCLUSION: Partial parallel image acquisition can assess the perfusion of the lungs at high temporal resolution. The perfusion is slightly higher on the right than on the left. The signal increases faster and has a higher peak in the dorsal lung regions.

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Compared to computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) only plays a minor role for the imaging of lung cancer. Among the reasons are technical limitations, such as longer acquisition times or inferior spatial resolution, as well as unfavourable tissue characteristics which cause a low signal-to-noise ratio of the lung parenchyma. However, MRI is a valuable tool for staging lung cancer and may in some cases even be considered the method of choice. The following review illustrates the role of MRI for the diagnosis of lung cancer using current MR-techniques. In particular, the potential of MRI for TNM-staging, new technical developments (e. g. parallel MRI), and the application of functional MRI of the chest are described.

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PURPOSE: To assess the use of time-resolved parallel 3D MRI for a quantitative analysis of pulmonary perfusion in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients with pulmonary embolism or pulmonary hypertension were examined with a time-resolved 3D gradient echo pulse sequence with parallel imaging techniques (FLASH 3D, TE/TR: 0.8/1.9 ms; flip angle: 40 degrees; GRAPPA). A quantitative perfusion analysis based on indicator dilution theory was performed using a dedicated software. RESULTS: Patients with pulmonary embolism or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension revealed characteristic wedge-shaped perfusion defects at perfusion MRI. They were characterized by a decreased pulmonary blood flow (PBF) and pulmonary blood volume (PBV) and increased mean transit time (MTT). Patients with primary pulmonary hypertension or Eisenmenger syndrome showed a more homogeneous perfusion pattern. The mean MTT of all patients was 3.3 - 4.7 s. The mean PBF and PBV showed a broader interindividual variation (PBF: 104 - 322 ml/100 ml/min; PBV: 8 - 21 ml/100 ml). CONCLUSION: Time-resolved parallel 3D MRI allows at least a semi-quantitative assessment of lung perfusion. Future studies will have to assess the clinical value of this quantitative information for the diagnosis and management of cardiopulmonary disease.

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Artifacts due to metal implants are an important problem in diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy planning in tumors such as chordoma of the spine. A strict differentiation between target and radiosensitive structures e.g. spinal cord is absolutely essential for high-dose radiotherapy. Up to now CT and MRI techniques have provided only limited image quality in such situations. We introduce an approach to facilitate segmentation by using the technique of CT-myelography for radiation treatment. PATIENT AND METHOD: A 48-year-old woman with multiple inoperable relapses of a chordoma in the lumbar spine and extensive metal instrumentation in this area was given to radiotherapy using IMRT-technique (intensity modulated). MRI- and CT-planning images did not allow differentiation between myelon, cauda equina, dural sac and tumor. In this situation we performed a CT-myelography with the patient in treatment position. RESULT: CT-myelographic images enabled precise differentiation between myelon, cauda equina and intraspinal tumor. A substantial improvement of the segmentation of the spinal cord was obtained. There was no compression of the dural sac along the spine. This information provided the basis for a precise radiotherapy planning in IMRT-technique. CONCLUSION: In situations where CT- and MRI-techniques are not able to generate precise images which allow differentiation between tumor, myelon and cauda equina because of metal artifacts, CT-myelography is a promising technique which may help the diagnostic radiologist and radiation oncologist in planning radiotherapy.

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We extracted troponin-I (TnI) from skinned rat and rabbit soleus muscle fibres using a modification of the method described by Strauss et al. (FEBS Lett 310:229-234, 1992) for replacement of TnI in cardiac preparations. Incubation of soleus muscle fibres with 10 mmol/l vanadate virtually completely abolished the Ca2+dependence of force. Immunoblot analysis revealed that more than 80% of TnI had been extracted from the preparations. The Ca2+dependence of force was restored by incubation with a complex of cardiac TnI (cTnI) and troponin-C (cTnC). We examined the effects of the Ca2+-sensitizing compound EMD 53998 on isometric tension in native porcine cardiac and rabbit soleus skinned fibres as well as soleus in which the endogenous slow skeletal TnI (ssTnI) had been replaced by cTnI (soleus-cTnI). It was found that 10 micromol/l EMD 53998 in native soleus increased maximum Ca2+-activated force to 120+/-1.4% of control. In soleus-cTnI fibres, maximum force was increased to only 105+/-0.9%, which was similar to the effect observed in cardiac muscle (108+/-0.6%). In cardiac muscle, 10 micromol/l EMD 53998 induced a leftward shift of the pCa-tension relation by 0.65 log units. In native soleus, DeltapCa was only 0.40. Again, the effect of EMD 53998 on soleus-cTnI (DeltapCa=0.56) more closely resembled the response found in cardiac muscle than that observed in native soleus muscle. The apparent TnI-isoform dependence of the effects elicited by EMD 53998 suggests that its actions are modulated by the regulatory proteins of the thin filament.

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