Institut für Bilddiagnostik

Kidneys

The kidney is an important organ for filtering and detoxifying the blood. In order to fulfill this task, the paired kidneys are the organs with the best blood supply in the entire body in relation to their weight. Both substances absorbed from the outside, such as medication, and numerous toxins produced during metabolic processes in the body are filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. In addition, the kidneys perform a variety of other tasks in the body, such as regulating the water and electrolyte balance, the acid-base balance and the regulation of blood pressure and blood volume.

Back pain? MRI shows why

Pain in joints and the spine is widespread. They are linked to our lifestyle, lack of exercise and increasing life expectancy. Countermeasures can be taken if detected at an early stage. However, precise diagnostics are necessary to identify the causes of joint and back pain.

Investigation of Thyroid Nodules

Thyroid nodules are relatively common; some of the nodules may conceal cancerous lesions. Differentiating between benign and malignant lumps has been difficult up until now: neither nuclear medicine scintigraphy nor sonography (ultrasound) can reliably rule out cancerous lesions. Even tissue biopsies often yield inconclusive results. With diffusion-weighted MRI, it is now possible to differentiate between benign and malignant thyroid nodules non-invasively, without interfering with the body.

Assurance with whole-body skeletal MRI

Whole-body skeletal MRI has replaced nuclear medicine skeletal scintigraphy in several key areas for about 15 years. As a replacement for skeletal scintigraphy, it demonstrates significantly better accuracy in detecting skeletal metastases and/or degenerative changes, without exposure to radiation.

Modern Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

Prostate MRI (magnetic resonance imaging – MRI) detects prostate cancer with over 90% certainty – or excludes relevant cancer foci. Many experts are now of the opinion that an MRI of the prostate should be carried out first if a prostate carcinoma is suspected. Palpation with the urologist’s finger (DRU – digital rectal examination) usually fails because the urologist cannot reach the entire prostate with his finger. Also, only carcinomas that are located near the rectum – or are very advanced – are detected. Ultrasound (US), on the other hand, finds only about 50% of all prostate cancers – the other 50% do not show up on ultrasound. On the other hand, a large number of benign nodules are found on ultrasound, which then have to unnecessarily be investigated further, often by biopsy.

Paranasal Sinuses

The paranasal sinuses (NNH) are a site of frequent inflammation. While X-rays used to be taken to visualize changes in the nasal sinuses, this practice is no longer recommended. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide 3D cross-sectional images with superior contrast and detail resolution. A CT scan is recommended if an operation is pending and the fine bone structures of the paranasal sinuses need to be visualized in detail.

Head

There are many causes of headaches. A distinction is made between primary headaches, i.e. those without an underlying illness, and secondary headaches as a result of an illness. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can be used to directly identify many causes of headaches; in some cases, computer tomography (CT) is an alternative method. In the following table, these are marked with “MRI!” or “CT!” if the MRI or CT is essential for the diagnosis. Imaging with MRI and/or CT also provides valuable information in many other cases; these are marked with “MRI” or “CT”. Only if the cause is found can targeted therapy be carried out and provide effective relief. And avoid overlooking dangerous causes – however rare they may be!

Heart

Risk factors such as obesity, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of heart attack – as the Framingham study has shown. This applies to population groups. But not necessarily to individual cases. It was already clear around 20 years ago that the detection of deposits (atherosclerotic plaques) in the coronary arteries can predict an individual’s risk of heart attack – better than any other parameter.

Brain

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) has become the method of choice for examining the central nervous system (CNS), the brain and spinal cord. MRI provides unparalleled detail resolution of all complex structures of the CNS. It enables the differentiation of gray and white brain matter, cranial nerve nuclei and axonal nerve cords, cranial nerves, vessels, cerebrospinal fluid and meninges.

Bile Ducts, Gallbladder, Pancreas

Disorders of the bile ducts and pancreas were and still are sometimes examined using endoscopic procedures, known as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatoscopy (ERCP). An endoscope is inserted via the mouth into the duodenum (distal to the stomach) in order to probe the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts from there. In order to visualize these small ducts, contrast medium must be injected into them, which often leads to inflammation of these sensitive tissues.

Petrous Part (of the Temporal Bone)

The petrous part of the temporal bones is among the most complex anatomical structures in the human body. Located directly behind the ears, the petrous part, houses the organs responsible for hearing and balance, as well as many nerves, such as the facial nerve, which supplies the facial muscles. All this is housed in a tiny space of just a few cubic centimeters, surrounded by the densest and hardest bone in the body.

Small Intestine

The small intestine is difficult to examine using conventional methods due to its location – in the middle of the gastrointestinal tract – and its length. MRI and CT enteroclysis examinations are special 3D examinations of the small intestine that enable the precise detection of inflammatory bowel diseases and tumors. The MR enteroclysis examination is primarily used in younger people who are suspected of having Crohn’s disease or if complications (fistulas, stenoses, etc.) are to be assessed in cases where Crohn’s disease has already been diagnosed.

The Pelvic Floor

Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs, especially in women, after difficult births, vaginal surgery and with increasing age. The consequences are fecal and urinary incontinence and/or difficulties with bowel and bladder emptying. It can also lead to protrusions of bowel loops, the bladder and the uterus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is today’s method of choice for comprehensive functional imaging diagnostics of the pelvic floor. In contrast to imaging the pelvic floor with X-rays (X-ray defecography or video defecography), there is no radiation exposure and all pelvic organs, including the small bowel loops and the urinary bladder, are imaged without the need to administer a contrast agent.

Liver and Gallbladder

The liver is the most important metabolic organ in the body. This is where food is metabolized and stored, various building materials for the body are synthesized and excreted via waste products. Bile is transported via the bile ducts to the gallbladder for storage, which plays an important role in the absorption of fats from the intestine. Due to its active metabolism, the liver is susceptible to pathological changes in its tissue (liver parenchyma), e.g. fatty degeneration caused by excessive calorie intake, or inflammation, which can for example be triggered by alcohol, medication and viruses. Chronic damage can lead to scarring – liver cirrhosis – with impaired liver function. But the liver is also particularly susceptible to metastases, the colonization of cancer foci in the intestines, lungs and many other organs. This is due to the dual blood supply to the liver, which is supplied on the one hand via the hepatic artery and on the other via the portal vein, which carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestine to the liver, but also cancer cells.

Temporomandibular Joint

In a joint project, the Prof. Stehling Institute for Imaging Diagnostics and the ANOVA Institute for Regenerative Medicine have developed new diagnostic and treatment approaches for a previously poorly resolved medical problem: The chronically painful temporomandibular joint. Due to the complexity of the temporomandibular joint and its diverse conditions, patients often suffer chronically, sometimes for decades, from pain and functional limitations without finding an adequate medical solution. This motivated us to combine modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods in order to provide patients with temporomandibular joint disorders an effective approach to treating their complaints.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disease in which cells from the uterus (womb) grow in the abdomen, most commonly in the area of the ovaries (ovaries), fallopian tubes (tubes) and around the uterus itself. The endometriosis tissue is subject to the menstrual cycle of the woman, so that associated internal bleeding can occur. As a result, 70% of affected women experience pelvic pain during menstruation and almost half suffer from chronic pelvic pain; pain during sexual intercourse is also common. Infertility occurs in up to half of those affected.

Diagnostics

Prof. Dr. Stehling Institutefor Imaging Diagnostics GmbH

Prof. Dr. Stehling Institute
for Imaging Diagnostics GmbH