Tanja Blank
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Tanja Blank has a total of 7 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Anoshirwan Andrej Tavakoli
Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
1 shared publication - Dieter Buchheidt
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Mannheim University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
1 shared publication - Dietmar Dinter
Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
1 shared publication - Miriam Reichert
Department of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
1 shared publication - Sabine Weckbach
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany
1 shared publication - Stefan Oswald Schoenberg
Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, D-68167 Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 7 August 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in BMC Medical Imaging
- Vol. 20 (1) , 1-7
Findings in whole body MRI and conventional imaging in patients with fever of unknown origin-a retrospective study
Background: To analyse the influence of whole body (wb)-MRI on patient management compared to routine diagnostic tests in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). Methods: Twenty-four patients with FUO, defined as illness of more than three weeks with fever greater than 38.3 °C, underwent wb-MRI at a 1.5 T MR-system. The MR-protocol consisted of the following sequences: axial T1 VIBE, coronal T2-TIRM and a coronal echoplanar diffusion weighted sequence (overall acquisition time 29:39 min:s). Furthermore, laboratory findings, chest-x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, CT-scans and/or PET-CT scans were evaluated and compared to the wb-MRI findings in regard to treatment changes. Results: Wb-MRI yielded a correct diagnosis in 70% of the patients. In 46% the inflammatory focus was exclusively detected by wb-MRI. Focus detection by wb-MRI led to a subsequent change of the clinical management in 92% of the patients. In 6 patients both a wb-MRI and a PET-CT were performed yielding the correct diagnosis in the same 4 of 6 patients for both imaging modalities. Conclusions: Wb-MRI appears to be of value in the evaluation of FUO patients, allowing for optimized treatment by increasing diagnostic certainty. Due to its lack of nephrotoxicity and ionizing radiation it may be preferred over standard imaging techniques and PET-CT in the future. However, given the low number of patients in our trial, further prospective studies have to be performed to confirm our results.
- 7 August 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in BMC Medical Imaging
- Vol. 20 (1) , 1-7
Open AccessFindings in whole body MRI and conventional imaging in patients with fever of unknown origin-a retrospective study
Background: To analyse the influence of whole body (wb)-MRI on patient management compared to routine diagnostic tests in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). Methods: Twenty-four patients with FUO, defined as illness of more than three weeks with fever greater than 38.3 °C, underwent wb-MRI at a 1.5 T MR-system. The MR-protocol consisted of the following sequences: axial T1 VIBE, coronal T2-TIRM and a coronal echoplanar diffusion weighted sequence (overall acquisition time 29:39 min:s). Furthermore, laboratory findings, chest-x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, CT-scans and/or PET-CT scans were evaluated and compared to the wb-MRI findings in regard to treatment changes. Results: Wb-MRI yielded a correct diagnosis in 70% of the patients. In 46% the inflammatory focus was exclusively detected by wb-MRI. Focus detection by wb-MRI led to a subsequent change of the clinical management in 92% of the patients. In 6 patients both a wb-MRI and a PET-CT were performed yielding the correct diagnosis in the same 4 of 6 patients for both imaging modalities. Conclusions: Wb-MRI appears to be of value in the evaluation of FUO patients, allowing for optimized treatment by increasing diagnostic certainty. Due to its lack of nephrotoxicity and ionizing radiation it may be preferred over standard imaging techniques and PET-CT in the future. However, given the low number of patients in our trial, further prospective studies have to be performed to confirm our results.