Preliminary Diagnosis: Tracheal stenosis I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis CT soft tissue of the neck with contrast (thin section, 1-2 mm helical cuts with secondary 2- and 3-dimensional reformations, allowing virtual endoscopy) II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosis of tracheal stenosis. Advantages Highly sensitive and specific…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Toxic Megacolon I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? Plain radiograph of the abdomen and pelvis. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing toxic megacolon. Advantages Highly portable and relatively inexpensive imaging modality. Exposes patients to minimal ionizing radiation. Moderately sensitive and moderately specific for diagnosing toxic…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Thyroiditis I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? Ultrasound of the thyroid gland. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing thyroiditis. Advantages Highly portable imaging modality. Does not expose patients to ionizing radiation. Offers exquisite detail of the vascularity of the thyroid bed. May guide percutaneous biopsy…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Beurger Disease) I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? Ultrasound (Gray scale, Color Doppler, and spectral waveform) of the region of interest to evaluate the underlying vasculature. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing thromboangiitis obliterans. Advantages Highly portable and relatively inexpensive imaging modality that…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Syringomyelia I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? Non-contrasted intradural protocol MR of the (cervical, thoracic, and/or lumbar spine) in patients without a history of prior spine surgery. In patients with prior spine surgery, the first line for diagnosis is a contrasted intradural protocol MR of the (cervical, thoracic, and/or lumbar…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Suppurative lymphadenitis I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis CT soft tissue neck with IV contrast is the first-line imaging modality (given that the location of interest of lymphadenitis is the neck.) II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosis of suppurative lymphadenitis. Advantages Highly sensitive and specific…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Superior semicircular canal dehiscence I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis CT temporal bone without contrast. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosis of superior semicircular canal dehiscence. Advantages Relatively inexpensive and fast imaging modality that offers exquisite detail of the osseous structures of the inner, middle,…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? Fluoroscopic guided double contrasted esophagram. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Advantages Highly portable, relative quick imaging modality. Double contrast esophagraphy offers exquisite detail of the esophageal…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Splenic Infarction I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with IV contrast. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing splenic infarction. Advantages Most sensitive and specific imaging modality in detecting and characterizing a splenic infarct. Highly specific in characterizing the…
Preliminary Diagnosis: Sigmoid Sinus Thrombosis I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis? CT venography of the brain. II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosing sigmoid sinus thrombosis. Advantages Relatively inexpensive, fast imaging modality. Better able to evaluate the surrounding osseous structures than other imaging modalities. Disadvantages Exposes the patient…
