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Atrial fibrillation (AF) can lead to embolic stroke and in subjects with non-valvular AF most of thrombi are sited in the left atrial appendage (LAA). LAA is a structure located in the free wall of heart with a wide variable and complex anatomy. LAA occlusion (LAAO) could be taken in consideration in subjects with non-valvular AF and who cannot have long-term anticoagulant therapy. It is a complex preventive procedure given the high variability of patients characteristics and several LAAO devices available nowadays. Moreover, the ideal postprocedural antithrombotic strategy is still unclear. In this review we aim to describe clinical features of patients committed for LAA occlusion and the function of multimodality imaging in subjects selection, procedural management and follow up.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of using a wireless wearable device (WD) in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients undergoing radionuclide therapy with I-131 (RAI) and protected hospitalization, this study compared the measurements of residual radioactivity obtained with those registered by a permanent environmental home device (HD). Methods: Twenty consecutive patients undergoing RAI hospitalized in restricted, controlled areas were enrolled. The patients underwent comprehensive monitoring of vital/nonvital parameters. We obtained 45580± 13 measurements from the WD, detecting the residual radioactivity for each patient during approximately 56 hours of hospitalization, collecting data 53 times per hour. The samples, collected during daily activities, were averaged every two hours, and the results correlated with those from the HD. Bland-Altman analysis was also used to evaluate the agreement between the two techniques. Results: A significant relationship between the WD and HD was observed (r = 0.96, p

Studies of chest computed tomography (CT) in patients with primary antibody deficiency syndromes (ADS) suggest a broad range of bronchial pathology. However, there are as yet no multicentre studies to assess the variety of bronchial pathology in this patient group. One of the underlying reasons is the lack of a consensus methodology, a prerequisite to jointly document chest CT findings. We aimed to establish an international platform for the evaluation of bronchial pathology as assessed by chest CT and to describe the range of bronchial pathologies in patients with antibody deficiency. Ffteen immunodeficiency centres from 9 countries evaluated chest CT scans of patients with ADS using a predefined list of potential findings including an extent score for bronchiectasis. Data of 282 patients with ADS were collected. Patients with common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVID) comprised the largest subgroup (232 patients, 82.3%). Eighty percent of CVID patients had radiological evidence of bronchial pathology including bronchiectasis in 61%, bronchial wall thickening in 44% and mucus plugging in 29%. Bronchiectasis was detected in 44% of CVID patients aged less than 20 years. Cough was a better predictor for bronchiectasis than spirometry values. Delay of diagnosis as well as duration of disease correlated positively with presence of bronchiectasis. The use of consensus diagnostic criteria and a pre-defined list of bronchial pathologies allows for comparison of chest CT data in multicentre studies. Our data suggest a high prevalence of bronchial pathology in CVID due to late diagnosis or duration of disease.

Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are among the most common benign renal tumors, typically consisting of varying proportions of 3 components: blood vessels (angio), smooth muscle cells (myo), and fatty tissue (lipoma), and are thus called triphasic. Occasionally, AMLs may present atypical histologic features consisting almost exclusively of one component (monophasic) or containing numerous epithelioid muscle cells with small amount of fat, as in the rare epithelioid variant (E-AMLs). AMLs occur as a sporadic entity in 80% of cases; more rarely, they are related to hereditary diseases such as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Hereditary AMLs can reach huge dimensions and may present unusual imaging features determining diagnostic pitfalls. Few cases of giant sporadic AMLs are reported in literature, and even fewer regarding the epithelioid variant. We present a case of a 36-year-old man suffering from anemia and fever, whose contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) depicted the presence of a huge (14 x 21 x 30 cm) retroperitoneal fat-containing mass.

We report a case of a sixth-month-pregnant 37-year-old woman with abdominal pain with the presence of a dermoid cyst of the left ovary. The diagnostic work-up required a multi-modality imaging approach. In particular, US and MR examinations were initially performed but resulted with an inconclusive outcome of a final diagnosis. Hence, a CT scan was successively used to formulate lesion characterization. Thus, integrated imaging approach would be recommended. Keywords: Dermoid cyst, Ovarian teratoma, Pregnancy, Multimodality imaging

Extragonadal germ cell tumors (EGCTs) represent 1% to 5% of all germ cell tumors (GCTs) (1). Morphological type includes mature/immature teratoma, seminoma, yolk sac tumor, embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma and mixed gonadal GCTs. Their anatomic distribution varies widely and includes the mediastinum, sacrococcygeal region, neck, retroperitoneum and other rare anatomic sites. Diagnosis of EGCTs is made on the basis of histological findings and excluding the presence of a testicular/ovarian involvement. Laboratory is pivotal for diagnosis of EGCTs, often demonstrating high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) and/or α-fetoprotein (α-FP). The prognosis of patients with EGCTs is variable for the possible occurrence of aggressive behavior and distant metastasis (2). We describe computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of EGCTs reporting a case series of three male patients with different disease’s locations that underwent contrast-enhanced CT with or without positron emission tomography (PET) and/or MR examinations. The diagnostic workflow of all patients is also illustrated.

In the original version of this article unfortunately two authors were missing: Dr. Jurgen Weidemann and Dr. Daniel Berthold. The correct list of authors is presented above.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) comply with an advanced disease and are not eligible for radical therapy. In this distressed scenario new treatment options hold great promise; among them transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transarterial metabolic radiotherapy (TAMR) have shown efficacy in terms of both tumor shrinking and survival. External radiation therapy (RTx) by using novel three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy has also been used for HCC patients with encouraging results while its role had been limited in the past for the low tolerance of surrounding healthy liver. The rationale of TAMR derives from the idea of delivering exceptional radiation dose locally to the tumor, with cell killing intent, while preserving normal liver from undue exposition and minimizing systemic irradiation. Since the therapeutic efficacy of TACE is being continuously disputed, the TAMR with131I Lipiodol or90Y microspheres has gained consideration providing adequate therapeutic responses regardless of few toxicities. The implementation of novel radioisotopes and technological innovations in the field of RTx constitutes an intriguing field of research with important translational aspects. Moreover, the combination of different therapeutic approaches including chemotherapy offers captivating perspectives. We present the role of the radiation-based therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who are not entitled for radical treatment.

Cystic lymphangioma is a rare malformation characterized by cystic structure deriving from detachment of lymph sacs from venous drainage systems (1). The cystic variant of lymphangioma is included in the general classification of lymphangiomas according to Landing and Farber (2) enclosing the capillary and venous variant, characterized respectively by dilatation of capillary and sinusoidal lymphatic vessels (the latter with continued growth of the stromal component) which remain connected to the lymphatic network

This study evaluated the diagnostic impact of using skeletal 18 F-fluoride PET/CT on patients with painful bone metastases to schedule an early palliative radionuclide treatment. Methods : The skeletal involvement from prostate cancer metastases was assessed by both 99m Tc-diphosphonate bone scan (BS) and 18 F-fluoride PET/CT within four weeks in 24 patients (67.7 ± 5.1 years) suffering from a borderline degree of bone pain for which radionuclide palliation was not shortly planned for administration. The BS and 18 F-fluoride PET/CT results were compared, assessing the number and extension of the skeletal sites involved. Afterward, the patients were randomly assigned either to the study group (N = 12) receiving radionuclide therapy (Samarium-153 EDTMP) or to the control group (N = 12) not receiving radionuclide therapy. The short-term results from the radionuclide palliation group (evaluated with a visual analogue scale) were compared with the controls. Results : Overall, at BS, 7.6 ± 1.4 sites were considered metastatic, involving at least 5 ± 1 body regions. At 18 F-fluoride PET/CT, 116 ± 19 sites presented metastatic involvement with 12/12 body regions concerned. No differences were found in regards to either the number of metastatic sites or regions at both BS and 18 F-fluoride PET/CT between the study group and controls (p = ns). At CT, 88 blastic metastases were identified, whereas 110 were mainly lytic. Most of mainly lytic lesions were not detectable at BS. The reduction in total discomfort and bone pain in the study group was significantly greater than in the controls (p Conclusion : Sm-153 EDTMP therapy should be considered for patients with early bone pain from prostate cancer even if their BS only indicates a few metastases before the initiation of a severe pain syndrome. 18 F-fluoride PET/CT may be helpful in deciding if the implementation of bone pain palliation using bone-seeking radionuclides at pain onset is necessary.