Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a transmissible febrile respiratory illness caused by a recently discovered coronavirus. Various patterns of disease progression may be observed that have different implications for the prognosis in those affected by SARS. The appearance of the lungs on chest radiographs of patients with this condition may be normal or may include focal airspace opacity or multifocal or diffuse opacities. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) is more sensitive in depicting SARS than is conventional chest radiography, and CT images obtained in patients with normal chest radiographs may show extensive disease and airspace consolidation. However, because the radiologic appearance of SARS is not distinct from that of other diseases that cause lower respiratory tract infection, early identification of SARS will depend in part on the prompt recognition of clusters of cases of febrile respiratory tract illness. To aid in the differential diagnosis and management of SARS, radiologists must be familiar with the typical clinical and histopathologic findings, as well as the radiologic features of the disease.

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Adnexal torsions are one among the causes of acute pelvic pain in females. Commonly occurring adnexal torsions are ovarian either involving the normal ovary with functional cysts or an associated mass. Fallopian tube torsions, torsions involving paraovarian, fimbrial cysts and subserosal fibroids are rare. Here we discuss the multimodality imaging approach for the diagnosis of adnexal torsion, its limitations and mimics.

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare cause of nasal airway obstruction that clinically mimics choanal atresia in a neonate. The differentiation between the two is very important as the management of the two conditions is different. Timely recognition is important to prevent fatal outcome. CNPAS may present as an isolated condition or with associated craniofacial anomalies. Despite typical findings of CNPAS being present on cross-sectional imaging, this condition is commonly overlooked, probably because of a lack of familiarity with the normal morphological features of the nasal cavity in infants and also owing to a lack of awareness of this rare entity. Here we report a case of CNPAS with pre- and post-surgical CT images and the complication that occurred owing to nasal stenting.

Gas-CT cisternography is a simple and accurate procedure for detection of small acoustic nerve tumors. Review of one of the largest series in a single institution found that 98% of the studies clearly showed the presence or absence of tumors. The diagnostic pitfalls of the small number of studies in which significant errors were made, or could have been made, are discussed. It is concluded that certain situations appear to call for extra caution: (a) when the filling defect does not show a convex surface, (b) when the amount of cisternal gas is marginal, and (c) when the canal is small. In such situations careful attention to details and healthy skepticism may avert potential errors.