Barium simply cannot compete with milk in cost or taste when it comes to contrast- enhanced CT of the gastrointestinal tract, according to Columbia University researchers.
Barium simply cannot compete with milk in cost or taste when it comes to contrast-
enhanced CT of the gastrointestinal tract, according to Columbia University researchers.
Radiologist Dr. Chi Wan Koo and colleagues enrolled 215 consecutive patients scheduled for abdominal and pelvic CT. One hundred received a 0.1% barium suspension, and 115 were given whole milk. Researchers compared visibility and costs for the two enhancing techniques and asked patients about their tolerance of either oral contrast agent. The investigators found that images from patients who drank milk were just as clinically useful as those from patients who received the barium suspension. Milk was also less expensive ($1.48 versus $18 per dose) and had better patient acceptance and fewer adverse symptoms.
The researchers published their findings in the American Journal of Roentgenology (2008;190:1307-1313).
MRI-Based AI Radiomics Model Offers 'Robust' Prediction of Perineural Invasion in Prostate Cancer
July 26th 2024A model that combines MRI-based deep learning radiomics and clinical factors demonstrated an 84.8 percent ROC AUC and a 92.6 percent precision-recall AUC for predicting perineural invasion in prostate cancer cases.
Breast MRI Study Examines Common Factors with False Negatives and False Positives
July 24th 2024The absence of ipsilateral breast hypervascularity is three times more likely to be associated with false-negative findings on breast MRI and non-mass enhancement lesions have a 4.5-fold likelihood of being linked to false-positive results, according to new research.
Can Polyenergetic Reconstruction Help Resolve Streak Artifacts in Photon Counting CT?
July 22nd 2024New research looking at photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) demonstrated significantly reduced variation and tracheal air density attenuation with polyenergetic reconstruction in contrast to monoenergetic reconstruction on chest CT.