BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:CT angiography (CTA) and MR angiography (MRA) are increasingly used methods for evaluation of stented vessel segments. Our aim was to compare CTA, contrast-enhanced MRA (CE-MRA) at 1.5T, and CE-MRA at 3T for the visualization of carotid artery stents and to define the best noninvasive imaging technique as an alternative to conventional angiography for each stent.

SUMMARY:The diagnostic image quality of contrast-enhanced (CE) 3D MR venography (MRV) was prospectively compared with that of 2D time-of-flight (TOF) MRV and contrast-enhanced 3D magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition of gradient echo (MPRAGE) sequences for the visualization of the intracranial venous system at 3T in 22 patients. CE MRV provides high-quality images and was shown to be superior to TOF MRV and MPRAGE sequences in visualizing the normal intracranial venous system.

Rigidity in wages has long been thought to impede the functioning of labor markets. One recent strand of the research on wage fl exibility in the United States and elsewhere has focused on the possibility of downward nominal wage rigidity and what implications such rigidity might have for the macroeconomy at low levels of infl ation. The Great Recession of 2008-09, during which the unemployment rate topped 10 percent and price defl ation was at times seen as a distinct possibility, along with the subsequent slow recovery and persistently low infl ation, has added to the relevance of this line of inquiry. In this paper, we use establishment-level data from a nationally representative establishment-based compensation survey collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to investigate the extent to which downward nominal wage rigidity is present in U.S. labor markets. We use several distinct methods proposed in the literature to test for downward nominal wage rigidity, and to assess whether such rigidity is more severe at low rates of infl ation and in the presence of negative economic shocks than in more normal economic times. Like earlier studies, we fi nd evidence of a signifi cant amount of downward nominal wage rigidity in the United States. We fi nd no evidence that the high degree of labor market distress during the Great Recession reduced the amount of downward nominal wage rigidity and some evidence that operative rigidity may have increased during that period.

Rigidity in wages has long been thought to impede the functioning of labor markets. One recent strand of the research on wage fl exibility in the United States and elsewhere has focused on the possibility of downward nominal wage rigidity and what implications such rigidity might have for the macroeconomy at low levels of infl ation. The Great Recession of 2008-09, during which the unemployment rate topped 10 percent and price defl ation was at times seen as a distinct possibility, along with the subsequent slow recovery and persistently low infl ation, has added to the relevance of this line of inquiry. In this paper, we use establishment-level data from a nationally representative establishment-based compensation survey collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to investigate the extent to which downward nominal wage rigidity is present in U.S. labor markets. We use several distinct methods proposed in the literature to test for downward nominal wage rigidity, and to assess whether such rigidity is more severe at low rates of infl ation and in the presence of negative economic shocks than in more normal economic times. Like earlier studies, we fi nd evidence of a signifi cant amount of downward nominal wage rigidity in the United States. We fi nd no evidence that the high degree of labor market distress during the Great Recession reduced the amount of downward nominal wage rigidity and some evidence that operative rigidity may have increased during that period.

CTA and CEMRA evaluation of vessel patency after stent placement is possible, but considerably impaired by ALN. Investigators should be informed about the method of choice for every stent.