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Objective: Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of the brain is a primary neuroimaging modality in emergency patients suspected of having cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). The objective of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of Hounsfield unit (HU) values and the ratio of HU to hematocrit value (HU/Htc) in predicting CVST in suspected patients., Material and Methods: A retrospective, case-control study was done in a tertiary care institute which included 35 patients with CVST constituted as cases and 41 patients without CVST as controls on the basis of magnetic resonance venography (MRV). Non-contrast CT brain of all 76 subjects were assessed by two experienced radiologists independently. HU values of dural venous sinuses were calculated in both groups, and HU/Htc ratio was also determined. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (SPSS© for Windows, IBM© Corp.) was used for statistical analysis. Independent samples t-test was applied to compare the means of continuous variables. The diagnostic values were computed using the Calculator 1 tool on clinical research calculators tab on vassarstats.net. The predictive values of HU and HU/Htc ratio were estimated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis., Results: In CVST group, the mean Hounsfield Unit (HU) value was "75.9±3.9 (mean±SD)", while in control group, it was 57.78±4.65 (mean±SD), p < 0.001. The mean HU/Htc ratio was 1.98±0.42 (mean±SD) in the CVST group and 1.51±0.12 (mean±SD) in the control group (p < 0.001). Optimum cut-off HU value was calculated as 68, with 97% sensitivity and 100% specificity. For HU/Htc ratio, optimum cut-off was calculated as 1.69, yielding 71.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity on the basis of ROC curves. The difference was not statistically significant in hemoglobin and hematocrit (Htc) values between the cases and controls., Conclusion: The quantitative measurements like HU value and HU/Htc ratio provide an easily obtainable metric in patients with suspected CVST on non-contrast CT brain, thus enhancing the role of non-contrast CT brain in diagnosing CVST., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Ratnaparkhi et al.)

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between thyroid computed tomography (CT) density and serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in patients with hypothyroidism., Methods: The research involved 60 hypothyroid patients aged 18 years and older, with TSH levels exceeding 5 mIU/mL or those already receiving thyroid supplementation therapy. These individuals had undergone non-contrast CT chest scans due to concurrent respiratory concerns. The thyroid CT densities, as evaluated through non-contrast chest CT, were compared to those of euthyroid patients with normal TSH levels. Correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between serum TSH levels and thyroid CT densities., Results: Hypothyroid patients exhibited significantly reduced thyroid CT densities (P<0.0001). The correlation analysis revealed an inverse correlation between TSH levels and thyroid CT densities in hypothyroid patients (r=-0.365, p=0.020) and a positive correlation (r=0.270, p=0.036) in euthyroid patients., Conclusion: This study demonstrates a substantial correlation between thyroid CT density and serum TSH levels. As TSH levels increase in hypothyroid patients, thyroid CT density tends to decrease., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Chaudhary et al.)

Background Nephrolithiasis is one of the most common renal pathologies and is routinely encountered in daily practice. Non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) is the gold standard diagnostic imaging modality for urolithiasis. The role of HU (Hounsfield units) in calculus as a predictor of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has been studied in the past. This study aims to evaluate the role of HU value and various other NCCT indices in predicting the outcome of ESWL. Material and methods This was a prospective observational study that included 45 patients suffering from nephrolithiasis who underwent NCCT-KUB (kidney, ureter, and bladder) followed by ESWL. The NCCT indices were evaluated and correlated with the outcome of ESWL. NCCT-KUB was performed using multidetector SIEMENS® SOMATOM EMOTION 16-slice CT scanner (SIEMENS, Munich, Germany). Results In our study, the HU value turned out to be a statistically significant predictor of ESWL success (p <0.05), and the renal pelvis also proved to be a good prognostic indicator for ESWL success. The cut-off value of <1179 HU favored a successful outcome of ESWL, while if >1179 HU, ESWL is likely to fail. Hence, the successful outcome of ESWL is inversely proportional to the HU value. Renal pelvic calculi (n=14) showed a 100% success rate, which was better than all other calculus locations (p<0.05). However, the rest of the indices did not show any statistical significance. Conclusion Multi-detector NCCT-KUB indices can help in the selection of patients with a good prognosis for ESWL, which will prevent the patient from undergoing undesired invasive procedures., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Singh et al.)