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Objectives The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity of detection of lung nodules on low-dose screening CT images between radiologists and technologists. Methods 11 radiologists and 10 technologists read the low-dose screening CT images of 78 subjects. On images with a slice thickness of 5 mm, there were 60 lung nodules that were ≥5 mm in diameter: 26 nodules with pure ground-glass opacity (GGO), 7 nodules with mixed ground-glass opacity (GGO with a solid component) and 27 solid nodules. On images with a slice thickness of 2 mm, 69 lung nodules were ≥5 mm in diameter: 35 pure GGOs, 7 mixed GGOs and 27 solid nodules. The 21 observers read screening CT images of 5-mm slice thickness at first; then, 6 months later, they read screening CT images of 2-mm slice thickness from the 78 subjects. Results The differences in the mean sensitivities of detection of the pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules between radiologists and technologists were not statistically significant, except for the case of solid nodules; the p-values of the differences for pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules on the CT images with 5-mm slice thickness were 0.095, 0.461 and 0.005, respectively, and the corresponding p-values on CT images of 2-mm slice thickness were 0.971, 0.722 and 0.0037, respectively. Conclusion Well-trained technologists may contribute to the detection of pure and mixed GGOs ≥5 mm in diameter on low-dose screening CT images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the potential diagnostic value of three-dimensional T2-weighted imaging using the dark blood method for detecting pulmonary embolism (PE).Materials and Methods: Ten consecutive patients with already diagnosed acute PE (five men, five women; mean age 58.6 years, range 35-79 years) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a 1.5-T scanner. MRI was performed on the same day as CT angiography (CTA), which was undertaken to monitor treatment. Two radiologists performed a consensus evaluation of MRI followed by CTA on a per-vessel basis: the main pulmonary artery (PA), lobar PA, segmental PA, and subsegmental PA. Each modality was evaluated independently on separate days (at least 8 weeks apart). The accuracy of MRI for detecting PE was determined by comparing it with CTA results, which were used as a reference standard. Cohen's kappa analysis was used for statistical analyses.Results: Among the 10 patients, pulmonary emboli were seen in 6 of 20 main arteries, 22 of 60 lobar arteries, 35 of 180 segmental arteries, and 8 of 410 subsegmental arteries on CTA. The sensitivities/specificities of MRI were 100%/100% for the main PA, 90.9%/97.3% for the lobar PA, and 74.2%/97.9% for the segmental PA, respectively. Altogether, 304 (83%) of 410 subsegmental arteries were not visualized on MRI and only 1 of the 8 emboli in the subsegmental branches was depicted. The kappa values for the main, lobar, and segmental arteries were 1.0, 0.89, and 0.77, respectively.Conclusion: Three-dimensional T2-weighted imaging using the dark blood method appears to be principally useful for diagnosing main, lobar, and segmental PEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a middle-aged man, without occupational or environmental exposure to asbestos, who presented with spontaneous pneumothorax. Computed tomography showed a 13-mm right apical mass. He underwent tumorectomy and was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. A local recurrence with multiple and diffuse pleural involvement later appeared. The patient eventually underwent panpleuropneumonectomy, recovered well, and has been doing well for 18 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]