DIFFERENT IMAGING TECHNIQUES

Different Imaging Techniques



Different Imaging Techniques

Introduction

The role of imaging techniques have in the study of vasculitis can be viewed from two perspectives: first the diagnosis of systemic manifestations and complications of the various entities that constitute the vasculitis and the other, the direct study of the arteries that primarily sits disease. The first paragraph is a very broad spectrum that would include virtually all of the body 1: an MRI to diagnose brain injury produced by a primary vasculitis of the central nervous system, a CT scan to study pulmonary hemorrhage in the context of Churg- Strauss or a mesenteric or renal infarction caused by polyarteritis nodosa, to name just a few examples. The second section represents a more specific study of the anatomical structures that sit on different entities and will be the central theme discussed in this article. Imaging techniques for the study of vasculitis Although most of vasculitis require histological examination to obtain a definitive diagnosis, imaging techniques offer a great help for diagnosis, assess the extent of the disease and track that allow monitoring response to treatment. Even the imaging findings are part of the diagnostic criteria for polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki disease and Takayasu arteritis 2. The imaging techniques currently available for the study of vasculitis are conventional arteriography, ultrasound, CT, MRI and PET.

Discussion

Nuclear medicine imaging is used for registration of radiation (gamma rays) emitted by radioactive isotopes. Elements (isotopes), radioactive or chemical compounds labeled them (radiopharmaceuticals) given intravenously, orally or by inhalation accumulate in certain organs, and their decay is accompanied by formation of radiation registered by external detectors. Imaging in nuclear medicine are therefore, in contrast to X-ray techniques, emission techniques. What's more steps enable observation of the body (bodies), and thus complement the structural studies feasible X-ray techniques.

Although most of vasculitis require histological examination to obtain a definitive diagnosis, imaging techniques are a great help to this end, and to assess the state of the vascular system and to monitor response to treatment (Lindh, 2010). Although there are different pathological substrates, from the point of view of imaging techniques, vasculitis present a common radiological semiology, consisting of inflammation and vascular wall thickening secondary to the possible formation of stenoses, occlusions or aneurysms. The differential diagnosis between the various entities will be established, in addition to clinical criteria, by anatomic location and topography of vascular involvement. This article describes the general semiology from the perspective of different imaging techniques, highlighting the main advantages and disadvantages of each. Their knowledge will allow us to select the most appropriate for each clinical situation.

Biological therapies with inhibitors of TNF-alpha molecule have managed not only the remission of rheumatoid arthritis, but in some cases it has been the repair of injuries. Imaging techniques are essential to assess the clinical outcome. For many years it was thought that the lesions associated with rheumatoid arthritis were irreversible, but recent studies have shown that biological therapy with inhibitors of TNF-alpha not only succeed in slowing the progression of the ...