HYPOTHESIS Spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is sensitive and specific in diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) in critically ill surgical patients. DESIGN Prospective study comparing CTPA with the criterion standard, pulmonary angiography (PA). SETTING Surgical intensive care unit of an academic hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-two critically ill surgical patients with clini...

BACKGROUND In order to declare the preoperative diagnostic value of brain aneurysms, two radiological modalities, computed tomographic angiography and digital subtraction angiography were compared. METHODS In this descriptive analytic study, diagnostic value of computed tomographic angiography (CTA) was compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Sensitivity, specificity, positive an...

BACKGROUND Carotid dissection may lead to many different types of neurological deficits, both transient and permanent. CASE DESCRIPTION We present a patient with an isolated central retinal artery occlusion who was found to have an ipsilateral carotid dissection by neck computed tomographic scan, later confirmed by angiography. CONCLUSIONS This is the first reported case of carotid dissecti...

Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CTA) using multidetector computed tomographic scanners has proven to be a reliable technique to image the coronary vessels. CTA also provides excellent visualization of the mitral and aortic valves, and yields useful information regarding valve anatomy and function. Accordingly, an assessment of the valves should be performed whenever possible during CT...

Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), especially those because of a large vessel occlusion (LVO), have poor prognosis. Although intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator has been shown to offer benefit in some patients with an AIS, its efficacy in those with LVOs is poor. The majority of the AIS patients with LVOs will die or have severe disability despite intravenous tissue-type plasm...

The Case A 68-year-old diabetic woman presents to the emergency department 1 hour after right-sided hemiplegia and global aphasia. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score is 21; Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASEPCTS) on computed tomographic scan is 8; and computed tomographic angiography shows severe left internal carotid artery stenosis and proximal left M1 middle cerebral ar...

We report the case of a ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysm that showed pseudoaneurysm formation in an intracerebral hematoma. A 61-year-old man who was taking warfarin complained of dysarthria. Three days later, he was found unconscious, and computed tomography on admission showed subarachnoid hemorrhage and an intracerebral hematoma in the left temporal lobe. Three-dimensional computed t...

BACKGROUND Diagnostic testing in the care of patients newly presenting with symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease may influence risk factor management, independent of test type or test results. However, little is known about changes in medications and lifestyle after anatomical or functional testing. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined what factors influenced preventive medical therapy a...