Colorectal cancer is one of the common causes of cancer-related mortality with rectal cancer representing a significant proportion. Cross-sectional imaging techniques especially computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play an important role in preoperative staging of rectal cancer. There has always been a debate about the single best imaging modality for staging of rectal cancer in order to achieve the best surgical outcome. Hence, this article focuses on the comparative role of CT & MRI in staging of rectal cancers.

The above classification is relevant to imaging specialists as well, the type of DM (primary or secondary) will affect manifestations and the complications including their severity. It is of equal significance for those patients undergoing some interventional radiological procedure for diagnosis or treatment.

In the modern era of widespread utilisation of imaging procedures for preoperative diagnosis and minimal invasive surgeries, intravenous contrast plays a major role in delineation of variety of information related to vascularity of normal as well as abnormal tissues. Vascular structures may themselves be focus of attention for various vascular interventional procedures, again requiring intravenous contrast. Since the intravenous contrast agent used in the imaging procedures is primarily excreted through kidneys, hence pre-procedural renal function should be adequate not only to facilitate its excretion for preventing effects related to contrast retention in body but also contrast-induced nephrotoxicity. As contrast-induced nephropathy is being increasingly encountered in day-to-day practice recently, hence this article focuses on the different facets of contrast-induced nephropathy secondary to iodinated contrast from etiology, risk factors to management.

Background: Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in middle and elderly agegroups. It can be ischemic or hemorrhagic and thrombotic or embolic. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is a gold standard investigation for evaluating patients with CVA. Due to invasive nature of DSA, computed tomography angiography (CTA) has long been used as a primary noninvasive imaging tool to evaluated patients with CVA. Angiography can also be performed with magnetic resonance imaging, both with & without contrast. Introduction: CTA serves as a primary noninvasive imaging tool in evaluation of patients with CVA as nearly half of these patients do not have treatable underlying cause. Due to increasing awareness regarding the radiation exposure, contrast-induced nephrotoxicity and iodinesensitivity, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is gaining more and more attention. Noncontrast MRA (NC-MRA) can be performed utilizing 3D-time of flight sequence which provides results comparable to that of CTA. Hence, we performed a study to evaluate comparable role of NC-MRA and CTA. Methods: Fifty patients with cerebrovascular accidents were evaluated with CTA & NC-MRA in tandem on the same day. The results obtained were statistically evaluated and conclusions were drawn. Results & Conclusions: Detection of aneurysm in intracranial and stenoses in intracranial as well as extracranial vessels can be detected with good accuracy by NC-MRA. The results of NC-MRA was comparable to that obtained by CTA except in very small aneurysm (<3mm) and early stenosis (20-30%) which rarely affect immediate patient management. Hence, NC-MRA can be a good substitute to CTA especially in patients where iodinated contrast is relatively or absolutely contraindicated and in combination with routine protocol for stroke imaging.

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