Case of the Month – 3D and Quantitative Imaging Laboratory

This 60 year-old patient had a CT scan performed to rule out mesenteric ischemia (inadequate blood flow to the small intestine). The CT scan was ordered as a result of the patient reporting multiple episodes of sharp abdominal pain over the…

July 2017 – Abnormal vs Normal Pulmonary Arteries

View #1 (arrow 1) above shows a total blockage of the right upper pulmonary artery in a curved planar reformat (CPR) on the left and volume-rendering (VR) on the right. View #2 (arrow 2) above shows a severe narrowing/stenosis…

June 2017 – Bland-White-Garland Syndrome (ALCAPA)

Case of the Month, Lower Extremity

A 38 year old female presented to the emergency department for increased shortness of breath and dry cough. The patient had a history of congenital heart disease during childhood, reactive airway disease and seasonal allergies. A CT Coronary…

May 2017 – Arterial Venous Fistula

76 y/o female with a history of GSW (gunshot wound) in 1993 to left groin/thigh causing an AVF (arterial venous fistula). AVFs (indicated by the white arrow in Image 1) are an abnormal connection or passageway between arteries and veins…

April 2017 – Tractography

Case of the Month, Head and Neck, Techniques

Three-dimensional fiber tract reconstruction (Tractography) based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is becoming a widely-used tool to study and visualize human white matter (nerve pathways) anatomy. T1 and T2 data sets from MRI studies are…

March 2017 – Airway Stenting

Case of the Month, Techniques

69 year old male with follow-up airway stent placement. Airway stents, also known as tracheobronchial prosthesis, are small tube shaped devices inserted into an airway used to treat narrow or weak airways and a variety of large airway…

February 2017 – Aortic Surveillance

Case of the Month, Chest, Techniques

Cross-Section: VR Movie: 70 year-old male has an aortic dissection that begins in the Ascending Aorta and extends along the Aorta involving multiple abdominal and pelvic arteries along the course. The video with black/white image…

January 2017 – Lesion Tracking

75 yr. old female, diagnosed with Parotid Adenocarcinoma metastasis to the lung. Figure A demonstrates the longest diameters of three lung nodules (one per row) at four time points (one per column), consistent with known history of metastatic…

December 2016 – 3D Printed Aorta for TAVR

3D Printing, Case of the Month, Chest

This 3D printed model (Figure A) was created using a Computed Tomography (CT) scan of an 89-year-old patient with a history of severe aortic stenosis, now being scanned for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) evaluation. Figure…

November 2016 – Living Related Renal Donor

These images were created from an MRI scan of a potential living kidney donor. The 3D technologist, using specialized software and thorough knowledge of the anatomy, carefully selected the kidneys and connecting structures from the scan…

October 2016 – Craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis is a birth defect affecting one or more of the joints or sutures of a baby’s skull, causing them to close prematurely. When this happens, the baby’s brain is not able to grow in its natural shape and the head is malformed.…

September 2016

A 64 year old male with hypoxemia (low oxygen level in the blood). The CT result shows as: Acute pulmonary artery embolism (a blockage of an artery in the lung) spanning the right and left pulmonary arteries. Occlusive lobar thrombus (blood…

August 2016

24 year old female with symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). The symptoms for TOS include but are not limited to pain, loss of sensation, and muscle weakness in both arms and shoulders. This patient also has a history of thoracolumbar…

July 2016

This 14 year old male was found to have an enhancing tangle of abnormal vessels on the medial aspect of the right upper chest. This is also know as an AVM (ArterioVenous Malformation). An AVM is defined (by brainavm.uhnres.utoronto.ca) as: A…

June 2016

Clinical HX: 27 year old man with pelvis fracture from motor vehicle accident; status post surgical repair with screws, persistent pain. These 3D images represent a 27 year old man with severe excessive bone growth (heterotopic ossification)…

May 2016

The 3DQ lab technologists process DICOM data sets to produce Curved Planar Reformations, Maximum Intensity Projections, and Volume Rendered images for clinicians and surgeons. These images depict a normal variant of the Renal Arterial blood…

April 2016

Male, 53-years old with a single gunshot wound to left jaw received comminuted fractures along the bullet trajectory from the left cheek to right superior scalp. A large right frontotemporal intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) formed along the path…

March 2016

3D Printing, Case of the Month, Chest

Printing 3D models improves communication between radiologists, technologists, surgeons and patients and their families by allowing for tactile interaction with the anatomy and increased understanding of the relationship between anatomical…

February 2016

Male, 59 years of age with no family history and no symptoms, came in for a follow up calcium score scan. A non–contrast CT (Cardiac Gating) scan was performed. Green represents the calcium in the left main coronary artery, red represents…

January 2016

A 77 year-old Male requires evaluation of venous system for possible removal of an IVC (Inferior Vena Cava) filter (labeled in Movie A), which had been put in place to prevent blood clots from reaching the heart. Images also show a filling…

December 2015

The 3D Images above represent a 40 year old woman with a 10-15 year history of osteomas in the skull. The patient was sent for a CT Scan of the Head to evaluate the osteomas. An osteoma is an outgrowth of the bone which is benign. These tumors…

November 2015

Case of the Month, Lower Extremity

This is a 55 year old female with right sided moyamoya disease, which is caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain. Moyamoya means “puff of smoke” in Japanese, and describes the appearance of the tangle of tiny vessels which form…

October 2015

20-year-old female with a 4-year history of right calf pain 12-24 hours after physical activity. A CT scan was done with a "relaxed" phase with the patient lying on the table with the legs in a naturally straight position, and a "flexed"…

September 2015

Evaluation of uterine fibroids in preparation for UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) treatment of a 52 year old female. The 3D volume rendered models (shown below) produced by one of our technologists clearly demonstrate the uterus (rendered…

August 2015

3D opaque and transparent volume rendered images show the complete spine of a 4 year old female with a thoracolumbar kyphoscoliotic curve consistent with mucopolysaccharidosis. Mucopolysaccharidosis (types I-VII) are a group of metabolic disorders…

July 2015

5 month old with a congenital aorta abnormality, a double aortic arch. The right arch is larger than the left, measuring 6.5 mm, compared to the left, which measures 2.5 mm at it’s narrowest. The vessels which feed the right side of the body…

June 2015

68 year old male with a history of a stented abdominal aortic aneurysm. CT scan with IV contrast reveals the stent graft placement and aneurysm thrombus. There was also an incidental finding of extensively convoluted right inferior renal artery…

May 2015