Introduction The demand for pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is steadily increasing because MRI is radiation free, has exquisite soft tissue contrast, and provides quantitative structural, functional, and vascular information for diagnosing a wide spectrum of diseases. Furthermore, the advent…
Introduction Contrast agents used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be either endogenous or exogenous. The most common type of endogenous contrast-enhanced MRI is arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques, which use a dynamic labeling of internal water to measure brain…
Introduction Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) enables noninvasive assessment of vascular disease in both the arterial and venous circulation. Owing to the availability of volumetric data sets without the need for ionizing radiation exposure and facilitated by technologic and methodological advances…
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on spatially encoding a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal. Therefore an understanding of the basics of NMR is critical for understanding MRI, and this information is given in the first section of this chapter.…
Protocol Management and Optimization Protocols are the turn-by-turn instructions that allow the computed tomography (CT) operator to get from point A—registering the patient on the scanner from the order in the radiology information system (RIS)—to point B—sending a complete set…
Computed tomography (CT) has grown quickly from an innovative specialized tool to a mainstay of medicine in every healthcare setting. Hospitals, outpatient clinics, and physician offices find CT to be an essential tool for patient diagnosis and management. Every year…
Overview Critical care ultrasound (CCU) is a noninvasive tool used for diagnostic evaluation and for guiding procedures in critical care patients. Ultrasound improves success and lowers complication rates when used to guide procedures such as vascular access and fluid drainage.…
Overview Echocardiography provides intensivists with a means of rapidly assessing the anatomy and function of the heart in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with hemodynamic failure, thus guiding management. Since echocardiography is a key skill for frontline intensivists, developing effective…
Overview Despite well-established evidence on the use of ultrasound for placement of any vascular access, a formal training program on how to perform ultrasound-guided vascular access (UGVA) and how to certify adequate competence has not been clearly defined. , According…
Overview Significant advancements have been made in the use of ultrasound technology since its inception in the early 1950s. These advances have revolutionized the practice of critical care medicine. Currently, clinicians in the intensive care unit (ICU) have at their…