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EDITORIAL Richard Semelka, MD n this issue the current status and future directions of novel areas of clinical use in body IMRI are discussed. The first article by Hyslop and Semelka provides an overview of developments in Body MRI, which sets the stage for the subsequent articles. Thomas Lauenstein addresses the new approach of imaging the whole body with MRI, which may, in various capacities, become a very commonly performed study in the future. The focus of whole body MRI is speed combined with diagnostic accuracy—and the considerably safer nature of this approach compared with whole body CT, should in the near future carve out an important role for MRI, especially in the screening for malignant disease. MRA continues to evolve and advance, and MRI’s role in vascular imaging is expected to maintain its constant growth—and this subject is well described in the article by Tim Leiner. Masa Kanematsu discusses work with perfusion imaging and the evaluation of liver disease, and this area of investigation is expected to continue to develop, especially in regards to evaluating growth of malignant liver lesions, and response to therapeutic intervention. Diego Martin elaborates on the burgeoning role of MRI into the investigation of bowel disease, emphasizing the combination of high sensitivity for detecting disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease, with safety, due to the lack of ionizing radiation. It is anticipated that MRI should occupy more of a dominant role in the investigation of disease processes, such as Crohn’s, which tends to involve young patients, and often requires multiple serial investigations. In the near future, the deleterious effects of repeat investigation by CT of disease processes in the abdomen and pelvis will likely come to the fore in public attention, due to the carcinogenic potential of the radiation exposure. Major advances in therapy for malignant liver lesions have occurred over recent years, with anticipation of many more new types and classes of chemotherapeutic agents. Accurate and timely assessment of the pretreatment appearances and post treatment responses of malignant liver lesions will continue to increase in importance. Because of the range of different types of data acquisition, MRI provides the most comprehensive evaluation of pre- and post-treatment appearances of malignant liver disease, and Dr. Braga discusses a broad range of information on this subject. Finally, Miles Kirchen and Guenther Schneider complete this issue with a description of a comprehensive evaluation of the full range of contrast agents used for abdominal evaluation. Compared with the other imaging modalities of ultrasound and CT, MRI has a great many different types and functions of contrast agents, and this diversity of agents is discussed. The future of abdominal MRI is very bright, and this issue describes many of the exciting developments. Better appreciation of the diagnostic utility of MRI in the abdomen comes at a very important time, as our understanding of the deleterious effects of radiation requires a more moderate use of CT for the evaluation of abdominal disease. From the University of North Carolina, 101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7510. Copyright 2005 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Top Magn Reson Imaging Volume 16, Number 1, February 2005 1
Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging – Wolters Kluwer Health
Published: Feb 1, 2005
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