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Every month, Diagnostic Imaging features applications that make the most of CT and MR technology, ranging from emergency room scans for traumatic injury to brain studies to assess degenerative disease. Frequently, we look at one modality's prowess compared with another's, or focus on new technology or research. At the heart of every scan, however, are the mechanics of patient prep, protocol selection, and the other details that separate a good image from a great image.
In this supplement, the Diagnostic Imaging editors went back to the basics, specifically to contrast imaging. Timing and dose are everything, particularly with the rapid growth of cardiovascular imaging. In the following pages, imagers examine saline flush CT, popular in a number of cardiac and thoracic applications, and extremity MR angiography, in which image acquisition and contrast movement must be closely calibrated.
Contrast media itself can be overlooked, given its frequent use and high safety profile, but a number of imagers have outlined steps to minimize risks from iodinated contrast and prevent other reactions. Such steps form the basis of safe, effective imaging and, in turn, the basis of images that contribute the most to patient diagnosis and care.
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