Background The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is a rare entity presenting with upper gastrointestinal tract obstruction and weight loss. Studies to determine the optimal methods of diagnosis and treatment are required. Aims and Methods This study aims at analyzing the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of SMA syndrome. Ten cases of SMA syndrome out of 2074 esophagogastroduodenoscopies were suspected. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan was performed to confirm the diagnosis. After, a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist personalized the therapy. Furthermore, we compared the demographical, clinical, endoscopic, and radiological parameters of these cases with a control group consisting of 10 cases out of 2380 EGDS of initially suspected (but not radiologically confirmed) SMA over a follow-up 2-year period (2015-2016). Results The prevalence of SMA syndrome was 0.005%. Median age and body mass index were 23.5 years and 21.5 kg/m2, respectively. Symptoms developed between 6 and 24 months. Median aortomesenteric angle and aorta-SMA distance were 22 and 6 mm, respectively. All patients improved on conservative treatment. In our series, a marked (>5 kg) weight loss (p = 0.006) and a long-standing presentation (more than six months in 80% of patients) (p = 0.002) are significantly related to a diagnosis of confirmed SMA syndrome at CECT after an endoscopic suspicion. A “resembling postprandial distress syndrome dyspepsia” presentation may be helpful to the endoscopist in suspecting a latent SMA syndrome (p = 0.02). The narrowing of both the aortomesenteric angle (p = 0.001) and the aortomesenteric distance (p < 0.001) was significantly associated with the diagnosis of SMA after an endoscopic suspicion; however, the narrowing of the aortomesenteric distance seemed to be more accurate, rather than the narrowing of the aortomesenteric angle. Conclusion SMA syndrome represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Our results show the following findings: the importance of the endoscopic suspicion of SMA syndrome; the preponderance of a long-standing and chronic onset; a female preponderance; the importance of the nutritional counseling for the treatment; no need of surgical intervention; and better diagnostic accuracy of the narrowing of the aorta-SMA distance. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify the best diagnosis and management of the SMA syndrome.

MSCT-CA is a reliable, noninvasive method that is able to depict myocardial bridging and associated atherosclerotic plaque in the proximal segments.

The diagnostic performance of CEUS in liver tumor characterization was dependant on the observer's level of experience.

The aim of this study was to assess the added diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) combined with 64-row multidetector CT (CT) in the assessment of hepatocellular nodule vascularity in patients with liver cirrhosis. One hundred and six cirrhotic patients (68 male, 38 female; mean age +/- SD, 70 +/- 7 years) with 121 biopsy-proven hepatocellular nodules (72 hepatocellular carcinomas, 10 dysplastic and 15 regenerative nodules, 12 hemangiomas, and 12 other benignancies) detected during US surveillance were prospectively recruited. Each nodule was scanned by CEUS during the arterial (10-40 s), portal venous (45-90 s), and delayed sinusoidal phase (from 100 s after microbubble injection to microbubble disappearance). Nodule vascularity at CEUS, CT, and combined CEUS/CT was evaluated side-by-side by two independent blinded readers who classified nodules as benign or malignant according to reference diagnostic criteria. The combined assessment of CEUS/CT provided higher sensitivity (97%, both readers) than did separate assessment of CEUS (88% reader 1; 87% reader 2) and CT (74% reader 1; 71% reader 2; P < 0.05), while no change in specificity was provided by combined analysis. The combined assessment of hepatocellular nodule vascularity at CT and CEUS improved sensitivity in the diagnosis of malignancy in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Conventional coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies. Coronary anomalies are relatively rare findings in patients undergoing conventional coronary angiography for suspected obstructive coronary artery disease. Recently, the increasing performance of diagnostic techniques, such as electron beam tomography (EBT), magnetic resonance (MR) and, more recently, multislice computed tomography (MSCT), has enabled their application to cardiac imaging. MSCT, in particular, has a prominent role in coronary imaging due to its spatial and temporal resolution and three-dimensional capabilities. We report the incidence and pathophysiology of coronary artery anomalies based on the capabilities of recent diagnostic tools with the aim of improving an accurate and noninvasive diagnostic approach.