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Biomedical subjects

W B Gefter

Publications and source records attributed to W B Gefter.

117 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Computed tomography of bronchial carcinoid.

Computed tomography was used to evaluate three patients with endobronchial tumors. In each case the mass showed enhancement following intravenous contrast medium administration. Each patient underwent surgical resection, and pathology showed carcinoid tumor in each case.

Aged↗

MR imaging of focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver.

The magnetic resonance appearance of three lesions of focal nodular hyperplasia observed in two patients is reviewed. All three lesions demonstrated isointensity with the liver on the short repetition time (TR) and echo time (TE) spin echo images. One lesion also showed a central area of low signal intensity that pathologically corresponded to a scar. The long TR and TE images had a varied appearance, from mixed high signal intensity to predominantly isointense with the liver. The histopathology for each lesion was carefully reviewed. The primary microscopic difference between the lesion that was predominantly isointense with liver on the long time TR and TE images and the other two, which were of mixed high signal intensity on the long time TR and TE images, was the former's relative lack of fibromuscular obliteration of septal blood vessels in the scar. Focal nodular hyperplasia can have at least two possible appearances at 1.5 T; in these three lesions there was consistent isointensity with the liver on the short TR and TE images.

Adult↗

MR imaging of recurrent colorectal carcinoma versus fibrosis.

Locally recurrent cancer can be difficult to distinguish from postoperative and radiation fibrosis on most imaging modalities. We report a case in which magnetic resonance imaging suggested the presence of both fibrosis and recurrent tumor in a patient following abdominoperineal resection for colorectal carcinoma, and demonstrate its role for precise needle placement when percutaneous biopsy is recommended.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Pulmonary MR angiography utilizing phased-array surface coils.

Magnetic resonance angiography of the pulmonary vasculature was evaluated in 12 subjects using breath-hold gradient echo scans and surface coils at 1.5 T. Flow-compensated GRASS, spoiled GRASS (SPGR), and WARP-SPGR sequences were utilized. Comparisons were made among flip angles of 10-60 degrees, slice thicknesses of 3-10 mm, and body coil as well as Helmholtz pair and phased-array multiple coils. With 30-40 contiguous slices encompassing the lung, intrathoracic vasculature was segmented using a UNIX/X-windows based package dubbed VIDA. Three-dimensional anatomy was visualized by a brightest voxel projection algorithm, following reduction of chest wall pixel intensities by an operator-interactive module. Both SPGR (30 degrees flip angle, 4 mm slice thickness) and WARPSPGR (15 degrees flip angle, 5 mm slice thickness) in combination with phased-array multiple coils provided the most satisfactory images, based upon observations by three radiologists and signal-to-noise ratio measurements. The MR angiograms visualized vessels as distal as sixth to seventh order branches. The technique was successfully applied to three patients with pulmonary embolism. The results of this study demonstrate that the pulmonary vascular tree can be imaged by MR angiography combining a high resolution technique utilizing phased-array multiple coils, fast gradient echo sequences with breath-holding, and postprocessing of the volumetric image data. The technique is attractive since it is noninvasive and provides a full three-dimensional portrayal of the pulmonary vasculature.

Humans↗

The costs of CT procedures in an academic radiology department determined by an activity-based costing (ABC) method.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to determine the costs of computed tomography (CT) procedures in a large academic radiology department, including both professional (PC) and technical (TC) components, by analyzing actual resource consumption using an activity-based costing (ABC) method and comparing them with Medicare payments. METHOD: Over a 12 month period from July 1, 1996, to June 30, 1997, 1,011 CT procedures, representing 16 Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and 98.3% of CT studies performed, were carefully observed by a research assistant trained in ABC methodology. Information collected during these time and motion studies included personnel/machine time and direct materials used. Actual resource units used during the different activities in each CT procedure were valued using appropriate cost drivers. Unit values for both direct and overhead costs were calculated: the cost of an individual procedure equaled the sum of component costs. Costs were compared with PC and TC payments according to the 1997 Medicare Fee Schedule. RESULTS: Total costs of CPT codes 70450 (CT Head unenhanced), 71260 (CT Chest enhanced), and 74160 (CT Abdomen enhanced), which represented 71.2% of CT studies performed, were $189.19, $273.53, and $343.20, respectively. For all 16 nonmodified CPT codes analyzed, Medicare's professional reimbursement was less than the professional cost, whereas its technical reimbursement exceeded respective cost in 14 of the 16 codes. CONCLUSION: In the setting and time period studied, Medicare underreimbursed professional costs while overreimbursing technical costs.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations: diagnosis by gradient-refocused MR imaging.

Six known or suspected pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in four patients were evaluated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 1.5 T. All lesions were imaged using a gradient-refocused echo pulse sequence with a 25/13 ms [repetition (TR)/echo (TE) times] and a 30 degrees flip angle, as well as with a cardiac-gated spin echo short TR/TE pulse sequence technique. Five of the lesions were vascular in nature based on their signal intensity characteristics, and one nonvascular lesion was a carcinoid tumor. On the spin echo images, the AVMs showed a central signal intensity void with a peripheral rim of intermediate signal intensity that was detectable for lesions greater than or equal to 1.5 cm in size. Smaller lesions were more difficult to distinguish from the surrounding air-filled lung, which normally generates no appreciable signal on MR images. The AVMs demonstrated uniform high signal intensity on the gradient echo pulse sequence and were more conspicuous, irrespective of size. With a single breath-hold scan, the vascular nature of the lesion could be rapidly confirmed with an acquisition time of 13 s. In three patients, the cine MR gradient echo images showed a pulsatile quality to the signal intensity in the lesion over the cardiac cycle similar to that within adjacent pulmonary vessels. The results of this study show a potential role for gradient echo MR imaging as a rapid, noninvasive method to evaluate the vascular nature of an atypical pulmonary nodule.

Adult↗