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This study investigates Intraobserver Features Variability (IFV) in radiomics studies and assesses the effectiveness of the ComBat harmonization method in mitigating these effects. Methods: This study utilizes data from the NSCLC-Radiomics-Interobserver1 dataset, comprising CT scans of 22 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients, with multiple Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) delineations performed by five radiation oncologists. Segmentation was completed manually ("vis") or by autosegmentation with manual editing ("auto"). A total of 1229 radiomic features were extracted from each GTV, segmentation method, and oncologist. Features extracted included first order, shape, GLCM, GLRLM, GLSZM, and GLDM from original, wavelet-filtered, and LoG-filtered images. Results: Before implementing ComBat harmonization, 83% of features exhibited p-values below 0.05 in the "vis" approach; this percentage decreased to 34% post-harmonization. Similarly, for the "auto" approach, 75% of features demonstrated statistical significance prior to ComBat, but this figure declined to 33% after its application. Among a subset of three expert radiation oncologists, percentages changed from 77% to 25% for "vis" contouring and from 64% to 23% for "auto" contouring. This study demonstrates that ComBat harmonization could effectively reduce IFV, enhancing the feasibility of multicenter radiomics studies. It also highlights the significant impact of physician experience on radiomics analysis outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Standardized reporting of treatment response in oncology patients has traditionally relied on methods like RECIST, PERCIST and Deauville score. These endpoints assess only a few lesions, potentially overlooking the response heterogeneity of all disease. This study hypothesizes that comprehensive spatial-temporal evaluation of all individual lesions is necessary for superior prognostication of clinical outcome. Methods: [18F]FDG PET/CT scans from 241 patients (127 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 114 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)) were retrospectively obtained at baseline and either during chemotherapy or post-chemoradiotherapy. An automated TRAQinform IQ software (AIQ Solutions) analyzed the images, performing quantification of change in regions of interest suspicious of cancer (lesion-ROI). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards (CoxPH) models were trained to predict overall survival (OS) with varied sets of quantitative features and lesion-ROI, compared by bootstrapping with C-index and t-tests. The best-fit model was compared to automated versions of previously established methods like RECIST, PERCIST and Deauville score. Results: Multivariable CoxPH models demonstrated superior prognostic power when trained with features quantifying response heterogeneity in all individual lesion-ROI in DLBCL (C-index = 0.84, p < 0.001) and NSCLC (C-index = 0.71, p < 0.001). Prognostic power significantly deteriorated (p < 0.001) when using subsets of lesion-ROI (C-index = 0.78 and 0.67 for DLBCL and NSCLC, respectively) or excluding response heterogeneity (C-index = 0.67 and 0.70). RECIST, PERCIST, and Deauville score could not significantly associate with OS (C-index < 0.65 and p > 0.1), performing significantly worse than the multivariable models (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Quantitative evaluation of response heterogeneity of all individual lesions is necessary for the superior prognostication of clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: The 3‐dimensional cranial nerve imaging (CRANI) sequence may assist visualization of anatomical details of extraforaminal cranial nerves and aid in clinical diagnosis and preoperative planning. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using a combined CRANI and magnetization‐prepared rapid‐acquisition gradient‐echo (MPRAGE) imaging protocol to comprehensively identify trigeminal nerve projections. Method: We evaluated the detection of distal regions of three branches of the ophthalmic nerve (V1), three branches of the maxillary nerve (V2), and five branches of the mandibular nerve (V3) in seven healthy adult subjects, with and without contrast injection. Nerve branches were rated on a 5‐point scale by three observers. Interobserver reliability was studied using weighted kappa statistics and percentage agreement. Results: Among V1 and V2 branches, the frontal nerve and infraorbital nerve were most successfully identified (average rating of 3.9, agreement >80%) in precontrast MPRAGE images. In V3 branches, lingual and inferior alveolar nerves were most successfully identified (average rating of 3.9, agreement >80%) in precontrast CRANI images, with an excellent average rating. In all cases except one, interobserver reliability was rated good to excellent. The buccal nerve was the only branch with a low average interobserver rating. Gadolinium contrast did not improve nerve segment visualization in our study. This may relate to the specific anatomic regions assessed, gadolinium dose, postcontrast image timing, and lack of pathology. Conclusion: A combined CRANI and MPRAGE protocol can be combined to visualize distal branches of V1, V2, and V3 and has potential for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: 3D printing (3DP) technology has emerged as a valuable tool for surgeons and cardiovascular interventionalists in developing and tailoring patient-specific treatment strategies, especially in complex and rare cases. This short review covers advances, primarily in the last three years, in the use of 3DP in the diagnosis and management of heart failure and related cardiovascular conditions. Recent Findings: Latest studies include utilization of 3DP in ventricular assist device placement, congenital heart disease identification and treatment, pre-operative planning and management in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, clinician as well as patient education, and benchtop mock circulatory loops. Summary: Studies reported benefits for patients including significantly reduced operation time, potential for lower radiation exposure, shorter mechanical ventilation times, lower intraoperative blood loss, and less total hospitalization time, as a result of the use of 3DP. As 3DP technology continues to evolve, clinicians, basic science researchers, engineers, and regulatory authorities must collaborate closely to optimize the utilization of 3D printing technology in the diagnosis and management of heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived value of clinical photographs for traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). Methods: A survey was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). The survey collected respondents' responses to case-based questions with and without photographs, and opinions about the value of photography for TDI. Results: A total of 496 respondents (5.8 percent response) completed the survey. Overall, no significant difference in correct answers was observed between cases with and without a photograph (P=0.09). The majority of respondents (82.2 percent) agreed that photographs should be taken for the management of TDIs, with 88.7 percent stating that the photographs aided in the diagnosis of TDIs. The majority of respondents acknowledged the time-saving (80.9 percent) and legal importance (77.0 percent) of photographs. Conclusion: Photographs should be taken in the management of traumatic dental injuries when possible for history and documentation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an important, emerging risk factor for dementia, but it is not clear whether HFpEF contributes to a specific pattern of neuroanatomical changes in dementia. A major challenge to studying this is the relative paucity of datasets of patients with dementia, with/without HFpEF, and relevant neuroimaging. We sought to demonstrate the feasibility of using modern data mining tools to create and analyze clinical imaging datasets and identify the neuroanatomical signature of HFpEF-associated dementia. We leveraged the bioinformatics tools at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to identify patients with a diagnosis of dementia with and without comorbid HFpEF using the electronic health record. We identified high resolution, clinically-acquired neuroimaging data on 30 dementia patients with HFpEF (age 76.9 ± 8.12 years, 61% female) as well as 301 age- and sex-matched patients with dementia but without HFpEF to serve as comparators (age 76.2 ± 8.52 years, 60% female). We used automated image processing pipelines to parcellate the brain into 132 structures and quantify their volume. We found six regions with significant atrophy associated with HFpEF: accumbens area, amygdala, posterior insula, anterior orbital gyrus, angular gyrus, and cerebellar white matter. There were no regions with atrophy inversely associated with HFpEF. Patients with dementia and HFpEF have a distinct neuroimaging signature compared to patients with dementia only. Five of the six regions identified in are in the temporo-parietal region of the brain. Future studies should investigate mechanisms of injury associated with cerebrovascular disease leading to subsequent brain atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Understanding the complex nature of low back pain (LBP) is crucial for effective management. The PainDETECT questionnaire is a tool that distinguishes between neuropathic (NeP), nociceptive (NoP), and ambiguous pain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pain classification and lumbar intervertebral degenerative parameters obtained from imaging. Methods: A cohort study was conducted involving 279 patients, aged 18 years and above, who completed PainDETECT questionnaires and underwent lumbar MRI and/or X-ray scans. Results: The study included 102 patients with NoP, 78 with ambiguous pain, and 99 with NeP. The NeP group had lower mean age (58.21 vs. 53.63, p < 0.05) and higher mean numerical rating scale score (7.9 vs. 5.9, p < 0.001) compared to the NoP group. A negative correlation was found between PainDETECT scores and pelvic incidence (τ = − 0.177, p = 0.043). The NeP group exhibited significantly higher severity of foraminal stenosis (U = 18.962, p = 0.002), spinal stenosis (U = 14.481, p = 0.005), and Pfirrmann grade (U = 14.221, p = 0.028) compared to the NoP group. A higher proportion of NeP patients had intervertebral disk bulge (96% vs. 78% vs. 78%, p = 0.002) and high-intensity zones (51% vs. 41% vs. 19%, p < 0.001) compared to those with NoP and ambiguous pain. Conclusion: NeP, as determined by the PainDETECT questionnaire, is associated with more severe neural compression, increased presence of discogenic disease and inflammatory disk severity, and decreased pelvic incidence. This pioneering study establishes a connection between pathological findings and pain categorization, providing clinicians with valuable guidance for formulating tailored management plans and reducing the need for unnecessary pharmacotherapy, imaging, and non-targeted surgical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke poses a significant global health challenge, necessitating ongoing exploration of its pathophysiology and treatment strategies. This comprehensive review integrates various aspects of ischemic stroke research, emphasizing crucial mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, and the role of clinical imaging in disease management. It discusses the multifaceted role of Netrin-1, highlighting its potential in promoting neurovascular repair and mitigating post-stroke neurological decline. It also examines the impact of blood–brain barrier permeability on stroke outcomes and explores alternative therapeutic targets such as statins and sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling. Neurocardiology investigations underscore the contribution of cardiac factors to post-stroke mortality, emphasizing the importance of understanding the brain–heart axis for targeted interventions. Additionally, the review advocates for early reperfusion and neuroprotective agents to counter-time-dependent excitotoxicity and inflammation, aiming to preserve tissue viability. Advanced imaging techniques, including DWI, PI, and MR angiography, are discussed for their role in evaluating ischemic penumbra evolution and guiding therapeutic decisions. By integrating molecular insights with imaging modalities, this interdisciplinary approach enhances our understanding of ischemic stroke and offers promising avenues for future research and clinical interventions to improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates Intraobserver Features Variability (IFV) in radiomics studies and assesses the effectiveness of the ComBat harmonization method in mitigating these effects. Methods: This study utilizes data from the NSCLC-Radiomics-Interobserver1 dataset, comprising CT scans of 22 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients, with multiple Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) delineations performed by five radiation oncologists. Segmentation was completed manually (“vis”) or by autosegmentation with manual editing (“auto”). A total of 1229 radiomic features were extracted from each GTV, segmentation method, and oncologist. Features extracted included first order, shape, GLCM, GLRLM, GLSZM, and GLDM from original, wavelet-filtered, and LoG-filtered images. Results: Before implementing ComBat harmonization, 83% of features exhibited p-values below 0.05 in the “vis” approach; this percentage decreased to 34% post-harmonization. Similarly, for the “auto” approach, 75% of features demonstrated statistical significance prior to ComBat, but this figure declined to 33% after its application. Among a subset of three expert radiation oncologists, percentages changed from 77% to 25% for “vis” contouring and from 64% to 23% for “auto” contouring. This study demonstrates that ComBat harmonization could effectively reduce IFV, enhancing the feasibility of multicenter radiomics studies. It also highlights the significant impact of physician experience on radiomics analysis outcomes.

Clinical Scenario: Pathologies of the long head of the biceps brachii (LHB) tendon are a source of shoulder pain in many people. It is important to have a reliable assessment of the LHB tendon to make an accurate diagnosis and provide the correct treatment or referral if necessary. Shoulder ultrasound is very accurate in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. However, its ability to detect pathologies of the LHB tendon is still unclear. Clinical Question: In patients with shoulder pain, can musculoskeletal ultrasound accurately diagnose LHB tendon pathologies? Summary of Key Findings: Four high-quality cohort studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the critical appraisal. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology checklist was used to score the articles on methodology and consistency. Three studies evaluated accuracy in diagnosis of full-thickness tears and found high sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP). Three studies evaluated accuracy in diagnosis of partial-thickness tears and found low SN and negative predictive value, but high SP and positive predictive value. Two studies evaluated tendon subluxation/dislocation and found high SN and SP. Two studies evaluated tendinitis and found moderate SN and high SP. Clinical Bottom Line: There is moderate to strong evidence to support the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in diagnosis of LHB tendon pathology. Strength of Recommendation: There is grade B evidence that musculoskeletal ultrasound can accurately diagnose full-thickness tears and tendon subluxation/dislocation; can rule in partial-thickness tears (based on SP and positive predictive value), but not rule out partial-thickness tears; and can rule in tendinitis (based on SP and positive predictive value), but not rule out tendinitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data for healthcare is diverse and includes many different modalities. Traditional approaches to Artificial Intelligence for cardiovascular disease were typically limited to single modalities. With the proliferation of diverse datasets and new methods in AI, we are now able to integrate different modalities, such as magnetic resonance scans, computerized tomography scans, echocardiography, x-rays, and electronic health records. In this paper, we review research from the last 5 years in applications of AI to multi-modal imaging. There have been many promising results in registration, segmentation, and fusion of different magnetic resonance imaging modalities with each other and computer tomography scans, but there are still many challenges that need to be addressed. Only a few papers have addressed modalities such as x-ray, echocardiography, or non-imaging modalities. As for prediction or classification tasks, there have only been a couple of papers that use multiple modalities in the cardiovascular domain. Furthermore, no models have been implemented or tested in real world cardiovascular clinical settings.

Introduction: The dentist should be able to carry out systematic oral examinations of the mucosa of patients in order to diagnose any alterations at an early stage. Materials and Methods: An observational, analytical, prospective, and longitudinal study was carried out. 161 students were evaluated at the beginning of their clinical practice in their 4th year of dental school (September 2019), at the beginning and at the end of their 5th year of dental school (June 2021). Thirty oral lesions were projected, and the students were asked to provide an answer; if the lesions were benign, malignant, or potentially malignant, whether they should be biopsied and/or treated and a presumptive diagnosis. Results: Significant improvement (p <.001) was obtained between the 2019 and 2021 results, in relation to the classification, need for biopsy and treatment of lesions. For differential diagnosis, no significant difference (p =.985) was obtained between the 2019 and 2021 responses. Malignant lesions and PMD obtained mixed results, with the best results corresponding to OSCC. Discussion: In this study, a correct lesion classification by the students was over 50%. As for the OSCC, the results were superior to the rest of the images, reaching more than 95% correct. Conclusion: Theoretical‐practical training from universities and continuing education for graduates in relation to oral mucosal pathologies should be further promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collecting lymphatic vessel (CLV) dysfunction has been implicated in various diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA patients with active hand arthritis exhibit significantly reduced lymphatic clearance of the web spaces adjacent to the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints and a reduction in total and basilic-associated CLVs on the dorsal surface of the hand by near-infrared (NIR) imaging of indocyanine green (ICG). In this pilot study, we assessed direct lymphatic drainage from MCP joints and aimed to visualize the total lymphatic anatomy using novel dual-agent relaxation contrast magnetic resonance lymphography (DARC-MRL) in the upper extremity of healthy human subjects. Methods and Results: Two healthy male subjects >18 years old participated in the study. We performed NIR imaging along with conventional- or DARC-MRL following intradermal web space and intra-articular MCP joint injections. ICG (NIR) or gadolinium (Gd) (MRL) was administered to visualize the CLV anatomy of the upper extremity. Web space draining CLVs were associated with the cephalic side of the antecubital fossa, while MCP draining CLVs were localized to the basilic side of the forearm by near-infrared indocyanine green imaging. The DARC-MRL methods used in this study did not adequately nullify the contrast in the blood vessels, and limited Gd-filled CLVs were identified. Conclusion: MCP joints predominantly drain into basilic CLVs in the forearm, which may explain the reduction in basilic-associated CLVs in the hands of RA patients. Current DARC-MRL techniques show limited identification of healthy lymphatic structures, and further refinement in this technique is necessary. Clinical trial registration number: NCT04046146. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke poses a significant global health challenge, necessitating ongoing exploration of its pathophysiology and treatment strategies. This comprehensive review integrates various aspects of ischemic stroke research, emphasizing crucial mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, and the role of clinical imaging in disease management. It discusses the multifaceted role of Netrin-1, highlighting its potential in promoting neurovascular repair and mitigating post-stroke neurological decline. It also examines the impact of blood–brain barrier permeability on stroke outcomes and explores alternative therapeutic targets such as statins and sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling. Neurocardiology investigations underscore the contribution of cardiac factors to post-stroke mortality, emphasizing the importance of understanding the brain–heart axis for targeted interventions. Additionally, the review advocates for early reperfusion and neuroprotective agents to counter-time-dependent excitotoxicity and inflammation, aiming to preserve tissue viability. Advanced imaging techniques, including DWI, PI, and MR angiography, are discussed for their role in evaluating ischemic penumbra evolution and guiding therapeutic decisions. By integrating molecular insights with imaging modalities, this interdisciplinary approach enhances our understanding of ischemic stroke and offers promising avenues for future research and clinical interventions to improve patient outcomes.

Abstract Thyroid cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, with a continuously increasing incidence rate in recent decades. Although ultrasonography, which is the current screening method in clinical workflows, has successfully triaged cancerous nodules for biopsy, overdiagnosis has also grown due to the relatively low specificity of the method. Studies are conducted to overcome this overdiagnosis issue by complementing ultrasonography with additional image‐based analysis techniques. This review presents an overview of the current advances in clinical trials using advanced ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging techniques for thyroid nodules in humans. A summary of initial trials by Doppler US and US elastography to improve the classification accuracy of thyroid nodules is presented. Furthermore, recent PA techniques with multispectral analyses utilizing clinically available machines are explored. By amending the existing ultrasonography, the advanced US and PA techniques can enhance the triaging accuracy by analyzing both structural and functional information of thyroid nodules in vivo.

Purpose To assess the influence of deep learning (DL)-based image reconstruction on acquisition time, volumetric results, and image quality of cine sequences in cardiac MRI. Materials and Methods This prospective study (performed from January 2023 to March 2023) included 55 healthy volunteers who underwent a noncontrast cardiac MRI examination at 1.5 T. Short-axis stack DL cine sequences of the left ventricle (LV) were performed over one (1RR), three (3RR), and six cardiac (6RR) cycles and compared with a standard cine sequence (without DL, performed over 10-12 cardiac cycles) in regard to acquisition time, subjective image quality, edge sharpness, and volumetric results. Results Total acquisition time (median) for a short-axis stack was 47 seconds for the 1RR cine, 108 seconds for 3RR cine, 184 seconds for 6RR cine, and 227 seconds for the standard sequence. Volumetric results showed no difference for the conventional cine (median LV ejection fraction [EF] 63%), 6RR cine (median LVEF, 62%), and 3RR cine (median LVEF, 61%). The 1RR cine sequence significantly underestimated EF (57%) because of a different segmentation of the papillary muscles. Subjective image quality ( P = .37) and edge sharpness ( P = .06) of the three-heartbeat DL cine did not differ from the reference standard, while both metrics were lower for single-heartbeat DL cine and higher for six-heartbeat DL cine. Conclusion For DL-based cine sequences, acquisition over three cardiac cycles appears to be the optimal compromise, with no evidence of differences in image quality, edge sharpness, and volumetric results, but with a greater than 50% reduced acquisition time compared with the reference sequence. Keywords: MR Imaging, Cardiac, Heart, Technical Aspects, Cardiac MRI, Deep Learning, Clinical Imaging, Accelerated Imaging Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2024.

ObjectivePrimary pulmonary nucleoprotein of the testis (NUT) carcinoma is very rare in the clinic. In this study, the clinicopathological manifestations and imaging features of the primary pulmonary NUT carcinoma were investigated to improve the diagnosis of this disease.MethodsSix patients with pathologically diagnosed pulmonary NUT carcinoma were analyzed, including three males and three females, aged 19–64 (49.00 ± 16.40) years, with clinical manifestations of cough in two cases, hoarseness in one case, blood in sputum in one case, chest pain in one case, and physical examination findings in one case, with a disease duration of 5 days to 4 months. The clinical and imaging data including CT and PET/CT were retrospectively analyzed. Further literature reviews were analyzed in both pulmonary and extrapulmonary NUT carcinoma cases who performed 18F-FDG PET/CT.ResultsMost of the patients with pulmonary NUT carcinomas presented as heterogeneous lobulated masses (83.33%), four cases (66.67%) were located in the upper lobe of the left lung, one case (16.67%) in the middle lobe of the right lung, and one case (16.67%) in the lower lobe of the right lung, with the maximum diameter ranging from 1.30 to 8.90 cm and the median of 3.55 cm, most of them were irregularly shaped, with more lobulated margins and more heterogeneous density (83.33%), and the enhancement was mild. PET/CT showed increased 18F-FDG uptake in the lesion and metastatic areas. Both the pulmonary NUT patients in this study and literature reviews showed the SUVmax of the tumor ranged from 5 to 40 with an average value of 12.8, whereas that of extrapulmonary lesions had a range of SUVmax at 4.5–64.1 and a mean of 13.8.ConclusionIn patients with central lung masses, rapid disease progression, and poor response to initial treatment, the possibility of NUT cancer should be considered and anti-NUT monoclonal antibody immunohistochemical staining, combined with genetic detection, if necessary, should be performed as soon as possible. CT and PET/CT imaging are essential for the staging, management, treatment response assessment, and monitoring of pulmonary NUT cancer.

Background: Despite the increasing ubiquity and accessibility of teledermatology applications, few studies have comprehensively surveyed their features and technical standards. Importantly, features implemented after the point of capture are often intended to augment image utilization, while technical standards affect interoperability with existing healthcare systems. We aim to comprehensively survey image utilization features and technical characteristics found within publicly discoverable digital skin imaging applications. Materials and Methods: Applications were identified and categorized as described in Part I. Included applications were then further assessed by three independent reviewers for post‐imaging content, tools, and functionality. Publicly available information was used to determine the presence or absence of relevant technology standards and/or data characteristics. Results: A total of 20 post‐image acquisition features were identified across three general categories: (1) metadata attachment, (2) functional tools (i.e., those that utilized images or in‐app content to perform a user‐directed function), and (3) image processing. Over 80% of all applications implemented metadata features, with nearly half having metadata features only. Individual feature occurred and feature richness varied significantly by primary audience (p < 0.0001) and function (p < 0.0001). On average, each application included under three features. Less than half of all applications requested consent for user‐uploaded photos and fewer than 10% provided clear data use and privacy policies. Conclusion: Post‐imaging functionality in skin imaging applications varies significantly by primary audience and intended function, though nearly all applications implemented metadata labeling. Technical standards are often not implemented or reported consistently. Gaps in the provision of clear consent, data privacy, and data use policies should be urgently addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiographer reporting is accepted practice in the UK. With a national shortage of radiographers and radiologists, artificial intelligence (AI) support in reporting may help minimise the backlog of unreported images. Modern AI is not well understood by human end-users. This may have ethical implications and impact human trust in these systems, due to over- and under-reliance. This study investigates the perceptions of reporting radiographers about AI, gathers information to explain how they may interact with AI in future and identifies features perceived as necessary for appropriate trust in these systems. A Qualtrics® survey was designed and piloted by a team of UK AI expert radiographers. This paper reports the third part of the survey, open to reporting radiographers only. 86 responses were received. Respondents were confident in how an AI reached its decision (n = 53, 62%). Less than a third of respondents would be confident communicating the AI decision to stakeholders. Affirmation from AI would improve confidence (n = 49, 57%) and disagreement would make respondents seek a second opinion (n = 60, 70%). There is a moderate trust level in AI for image interpretation. System performance data and AI visual explanations would increase trust. Responses indicate that AI will have a strong impact on reporting radiographers' decision making in the future. Respondents are confident in how an AI makes decisions but less confident explaining this to others. Trust levels could be improved with explainable AI solutions. This survey clarifies UK reporting radiographers' perceptions of AI, used for image interpretation, highlighting key issues with AI integration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looking back at the cases of brain cutting conducted in Sumitomo Hospital over the past 32 years, cases where clinical brain imaging could be compared with pathological findings other than degenerative diseases are examined and carefully selected, and instructive examples of them are presented. Although there are some limitations, the comparison between clinical brain imaging and pathological finding is significant to the final diagnosis and understanding of the pathogenesis of brain lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optoacoustic imaging relies on the detection of optically induced acoustic waves to offer new possibilities in morphological and functional imaging. As the modality matures towards clinical application, research efforts aim to address multifactorial limitations that negatively impact the resulting image quality. In an endeavor to obtain a clear view on the limitations and their effects, as well as the status of this progressive refinement process, we conduct an extensive search for optoacoustic image quality improvement approaches that have been evaluated with humans in vivo, thus focusing on clinically relevant outcomes. We query six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar) for articles published from 1 January 2010 to 31 October 2021, and identify 45 relevant research works through a systematic screening process. We review the identified approaches, describing their primary objectives, targeted limitations, and key technical implementation details. Moreover, considering comprehensive and objective quality assessment as an essential prerequisite for the adoption of such approaches in clinical practice, we subject 36 of the 45 papers to a further in-depth analysis of the reported quality evaluation procedures, and elicit a set of criteria with the intent to capture key evaluation aspects. Through a comparative criteria-wise rating process, we seek research efforts that exhibit excellence in quality assessment of their proposed methods, and discuss features that distinguish them from works with similar objectives. Additionally, informed by the rating results, we highlight areas with improvement potential, and extract recommendations for designing quality assessment pipelines capable of providing rich evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of structural disconnection and multivariate lesion-behaviour relationships associated with post-stroke deficits across six commonly impacted cognitive domains: executive function, language, memory, numerical processing, praxis, and visuospatial attention. Stroke survivors (n = 593) completed a brief domain-specific cognitive assessment (the Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS)) during acute hospitalisation. Network-level and multivariate (sparce canonical correlation) lesion mapping analyses were conducted to identify focal neural correlates and distributed patterns of structural disconnection associated with impairment on each of the 16 OCS measures. Network-level and multivariate lesion mapping analyses identified significant correlates for 12/16 and 10/16 OCS measures, respectively which were largely consistent with correlates reported in past work. Language impairments were reliably localised to network- and voxel-level correlates centred in left fronto-temporal regions. Memory impairments were associated with disconnection in a large network of left hemisphere regions. Number processing deficits were associated with damage to voxels centred in the left insular/opercular cortex, as well as disconnection within the surrounding white matter tracts. Within the domain of attention, different subtypes of visuospatial neglect were linked to distinct but partially overlapping patterns of disconnection and voxel-level damage. Praxis impairment was not linked to any voxel-level regions but was significantly associated with disconnection within the left hemisphere dorsal attention network. These results highlight the utility of routine, domain-specific cognitive assessment and imaging data for theoretically-driven lesion mapping analyses, while providing novel insight into the complex anatomical correlates of common and debilitating post-stroke cognitive impairments. • Complex brain-behaviour relationships are captured by a brief, domain-specific cognitive screen. • Common post-stroke deficits can be linked to specific patterns of disconnection in the brain. • Routine imaging and cognitive screening data can be used to support advanced lesion-mapping analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, deep learning (DL) has emerged as a powerful tool in clinical imaging, offering unprecedented opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders (NDs). This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted role of DL techniques in leveraging vast datasets to advance our understanding of NDs and improve clinical outcomes. Beginning with a systematic literature review, we delve into the utilization of DL, particularly focusing on multimodal neuroimaging data analysis—a domain that has witnessed rapid progress and garnered significant scientific interest. Our study categorizes and critically analyses numerous DL models, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), LSTM-CNN, GAN, and VGG, to understand their performance across different types of Neurology Diseases. Through particular analysis, we identify key benchmarks and datasets utilized in training and testing DL models, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities in clinical neuroimaging research. Moreover, we discuss the effectiveness of DL in real-world clinical scenarios, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize ND diagnosis and therapy. By synthesizing existing literature and describing future directions, this review not only provides insights into the current state of DL applications in ND analysis but also covers the way for the development of more efficient and accessible DL techniques. Finally, our findings underscore the transformative impact of DL in reshaping the landscape of clinical neuroimaging, offering hope for enhanced patient care and groundbreaking discoveries in the field of neurology. This review paper is beneficial for neuropathologists and new researchers in this field. • To design a survey on neurological disorders based on computer vision. • To find out the way of real-time clinical data analysis using deep learning. • To conduct a survey on Alzheimer, Strock, Parkinson and Brain Tumor based on Image Processing. • To find out the research gap and future scope in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rapid adoption of digital skin imaging applications has increased the utilization of smartphone‐acquired images in dermatology. While this has enormous potential for scaling the assessment of concerning skin lesions, the insufficient quality of many consumer/patient‐taken images can undermine clinical accuracy and potentially harm patients due to lack of diagnostic interpretability. We aim to characterize the current state of digital skin imaging applications and comprehensively assess how image acquisition features address image quality. Materials and methods: Publicly discoverable mobile, web, and desktop‐based skin imaging applications, identified through keyword searches in mobile app stores, Google Search queries, previous teledermatology studies, and expert recommendations were independently assessed by three reviewers. Applications were categorized by primary audience (consumer‐facing, nonhospital‐based practice, or enterprise/health system), function (education, store‐and‐forward teledermatology, live‐interactive teledermatology, electronic medical record adjunct/clinical imaging storage, or clinical triage), in‐app connection to a healthcare provider (yes or no), and user type (patient, provider, or both). Results: Just over half (57%) of 191 included skin imaging applications had at least one of 14 image acquisition technique features. Those that were consumer‐facing, intended for educational use, and designed for both patient and physician users had significantly greater feature richness (p < 0.05). The most common feature was the inclusion of text‐based imaging tips, followed by the requirement to submit multiple images and body area matching. Conclusion: Very few skin imaging applications included more than one image acquisition technique feature. Feature richness varied significantly by audience, function, and user categories. Users of digital dermatology tools should consider which applications have standardized features that improve image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aortic valve endocarditis sometimes extends to peri-annular tissue causing annular abscess, aortico-cavitory fistula, and heart failure. Dedicated clinical imaging with transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac computed tomographic angiogram is very helpful for diagnosis of valvular endocarditis and its complications. The utility of optimum imaging discussed in a series of two adult patients who developed aortico left ventricular fistula in native aortic valve endocarditis.

In recent decades, photoacoustic imaging has been used widely in biomedical research, providing molecular and functional information from biological tissues in vivo. In addition to being used for research in small animals, photoacoustic imaging has also been utilized for in vivo human studies, achieving a multispectral photoacoustic response in deep tissue. There have been several clinical trials for screening cancer patients by analyzing multispectral responses, which in turn provide metabolomic information about the underlying biological tissues. This review summarizes the methods and results of clinical photoacoustic trials available in the literature to date to classify cancerous tissues, specifically of the thyroid and breast. From the review, we can conclude that a great potential exists for photoacoustic imaging to be used as a complementary modality to improve diagnostic accuracy for suspicious tumors, thus significantly benefitting patients' healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its significant clinical use, there is no standardized point‐of‐care ultrasonography (POCUS) curriculum in undergraduate medical education. As Covid‐19 abruptly mandated the use of virtual education, instructors were challenged to incorporate and improve POCUS education within these new constraints. It was hypothesized that integrating POCUS into anatomy via brief video lessons and a subsequent interactive virtual lesson would lead to an objective understanding of POCUS concepts, improved understanding of the corresponding anatomy, and subjective improvement of student confidence with POCUS. A cross‐sectional descriptive study assessed first‐year medical students' perspectives and performance before and after the interventions (n = 161). The intervention was split into two parts: (1) three optional 10‐minute POCUS videos that reinforced anatomy concepts taught in the laboratory sessions, and (2) a subsequent two‐hour interactive virtual session reviewing POCUS and anatomy concepts. Students completed a knowledge and confidence assessment tool before and after the interactive session. Survey responses (n = 51) indicated that 94% of students felt the optional videos improved their understanding of POCUS and were educationally valuable. One half of medical students (50%) indicated that the demonstrations improved their anatomy understanding. Initial self‐reported confidence was low after the optional video lessons, despite an average score of 58% on the knowledge assessment (n = 130). However, confidence increased significantly along with an increase in score performance to 80% after the interactive session (n = 39, P < 0.01). Results suggest that the virtual integration pilot enhanced student learning of both anatomy and POCUS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intraforaminal ligaments (IFL) are of great interest to anatomists and clinicians to fully understand the detailed anatomy of the neuroforamina and to diagnose unclear radicular symptoms. Studies published until now have described radiological imaging of the IFLs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on donor bodies. In the present study, we investigated the detectability of lumbar IFLs in vivo in adults using the high spatial resolution of the constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequence. Methods: A total of 14 patients were studied using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. The lumbar spine was imaged using the parasagittal CISS sequence, and the detectability of the IFLs was assessed for each lumbar level. All image datasets were analyzed by a radiologist, an orthopedic surgeon, and an anatomist. Interrater reliability was expressed as Fleiss' Kappa. Using a single data set, a three-dimensional (3D) model was created to map the location of the IFLs within the intervertebral foramen (IF) and the immediate surrounding vessels. Results: Overall, the radiologist was able to detect IFLs in 60% of all imaged IFs, the orthopedic surgeon in 62%, and the anatomist in 66%. Fleiss' Kappa for the various segments varies from 0.71 for L4/5 up to 0.90 for L3/4. Conclusion: Lumbar IFLs were successfully detected in vivo in every patient. The detection frequency varied from 42–86% per IF. We demonstrated reproducible imaging of the IFLs on MRI, with good interrater reliability. The present study was a launching point for further clinical studies investigating the potential impact of altered IFLs on radicular pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous steroids are a staple of modern medicine, with utility in a variety of direct and supplemental treatment modalities. However, all pharmaceuticals are undoubtedly coupled with unique side effect profiles, and steroids are no exception. In the case presented, the assessment and management of a 36-year-old male who inappropriately self-administered high-dose steroids for prolonged periods of time is reviewed. In doing so, attention is drawn to both the impact of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and the greater risk of online availability of these powerful medications., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.)

Purpose: A damaged vertebral body can exhibit accelerated 'creep' under constant load, leading to progressive vertebral deformity. However, the risk of this happening is not easy to predict in clinical practice. The present cadaveric study aimed to identify morphometric measurements in a damaged vertebral body that can predict a susceptibility to accelerated creep. Methods: A total of 27 vertebral trabeculae samples cored from five cadaveric spines (3 male, 2 female, aged 36 to 73 (mean 57) years) were mechanically tested to establish the relationship between bone damage and residual strain. Compression testing of 28 human spinal motion segments (three vertebrae and intervening soft tissues) dissected from 14 cadaveric spines (10 male, 4 female, aged 67 to 92 (mean 80) years) showed how the rate of creep of a damaged vertebral body increases with increasing "damage intensity" in its trabecular bone. Damage intensity was calculated from vertebral body residual strain following initial compressive overload using the relationship established in the compression test of trabecular bone samples. Results: Calculations from trabecular bone samples showed a strong nonlinear relationship between residual strain and trabecular bone damage intensity (R2 = 0.78, P < 0.001). In damaged vertebral bodies, damage intensity was then related to vertebral creep rate (R2 = 0.39, P = 0.001). This procedure enabled accelerated vertebral body creep to be predicted from morphological changes (residual strains) in the damaged vertebra. Conclusion: These findings suggest that morphometric measurements obtained from fractured vertebrae can be used to quantify vertebral damage and hence to predict progressive vertebral deformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiopaque and degradable hydrogel microspheres have a range of potential uses in medicine including proper placement of embolic material during occlusion procedures, acting as inherently embolic materials, and serving as drug carriers that can be located after injection. Current methods for creating radiopaque microspheres are either unable to fully and homogeneously incorporate radiopaque material throughout the microspheres for optimal imaging capabilities, do not result in degradable or fully compressible microspheres, or require elaborate, time‐consuming preparation. We used a simple one‐step microfluidic method to fabricate imageable, degradable polyethylene glycol (PEG) microspheres of varying sizes with homogenous dispersion of barium sulfate—a biocompatible, high‐radiopacity contrast agent. The imageability of the microspheres was characterized using optical microscopy and microcomputed tomography as a function of barium sulfate loading. Microspheres with 20% wt/vol barium sulfate had a mean CT attenuation value of 1,510 HU, similar to that of cortical bone, which should enable visualization with soft tissue. Compared with unloaded microspheres, barium sulfate‐loaded ones saw an increase in gelation and degradation times and storage modulus and decrease in swelling. Imageable microspheres retained compressibility and were injectable via catheter. The developed radiopaque, degradable PEG microspheres have various potential uses for interventional radiologists and imaging laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While integrated delivery of anatomy and radiology can support undergraduate anatomical education, the interpretation of complex three‐dimensional spatial relationships in cross‐sectional and radiological images is likely to be demanding for novices. Due to the value of technology‐enhanced and multimodal strategies, it was hypothesized that simultaneous digital and physical learning could enhance student understanding of cross‐sectional anatomy. A novel learning approach introduced at a United Kingdom university medical school combined visualization table‐based thoracic cross‐sections and digital models with a three‐dimensional printed heart. A mixed‐method experimental and survey approach investigated student perceptions of challenging anatomical areas and compared the multimodal intervention to a two‐dimensional cross‐section control. Analysis of seven‐point Likert‐type responses of new medical students (n = 319) found that clinical imaging (mean 5.64 SD ± 1.20) was significantly more challenging (P < 0.001) than surface anatomy (4.19 ± 1.31) and gross anatomy (4.92 ± 1.22). Pre‐post testing of students who used the intervention during their first anatomy class at medical school (n = 229), identified significant increases (P < 0.001) in thoracic cross‐sectional anatomy interpretation performance (mean 31.4% ± 15.3) when compared to the subsequent abdominal control activity (24.1% ± 17.6). Student test scores were independent of mental‐rotation ability. As depicted on a seven‐point Likert‐type scale, the intervention may have contributed to students considering cross‐sectional interpretation of thoracic images (4.2 ± 1.23) as significantly less challenging (P < 0.001) than comparable abdominal images (5.59 ± 1.14). These findings could have implications for how multimodal cross‐sectional anatomy learning approaches are implemented within medical curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in nanotechnology promoted the production of nanomaterials with various shapes and sizes by utilizing interdisciplinary researches of biology, chemistry, and material science toward the clinical perspectives. In particular, gold and silver (Ag) are noble metals that exhibit tunable and unique plasmonic properties for the downstream applications. Ag exhibits higher thermal and electrical conductivities, and more efficient in the electron transfer than gold with sharper extinction bands. In addition, modified Ag nanoparticle is more stable in water and air. With all these above features, Ag is an attractive tool in various fields, including diagnosis, drug delivery, environmental, electronics, and as antimicrobial agent. In particular, applications of Ag nanoparticle in the fields of biosensor and imaging are prominent in recent days. Enhancing the specific detection of clinical markers with Ag nanoparticle has been proved by several studies. This review discussed the constructive application of Ag nanoparticle in biosensor and bioimaging for the detection of small molecule to larger whole cell in the perspectives of diagnosing diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical imaging is the most vital part for precise medical analysis by physicians. Huge number of researcher's explore various possibilities to come up with an optimal solution. Innumerable innovative progressions aligned to medical images are radically growing. This article emphasizes on the various optimization techniques which helps the clinicians to have a clear picture on the region of interest. Unique modalities provide detailed information on a specific area, such sequences are made to stabilize to reduce the artefacts and they are allowed to pass through the processing stage for fusing so that the doctors can envisage the common features of CT and MRI. Further, Registration of the images is initialized to effectively align and overlay for appropriate determination by the physicians. To ensure the quality, essential optimization is performed and the assessments are performed subjectively and objectively. The proposed method is instigated with appropriate optimization procedures and is found that it outperforms the existing approaches subjectively and objectively. The proposed approach is also statistically investigated to prove its predominance. Quantum computation is being extensively used for research in medical applications. The computation complexity becomes less while adopting quantum processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optoacoustic imaging relies on the detection of optically induced acoustic waves to offer new possibilities in morphological and functional imaging. As the modality matures towards clinical application, research efforts aim to address multifactorial limitations that negatively impact the resulting image quality. In an endeavor to obtain a clear view on the limitations and their effects, as well as the status of this progressive refinement process, we conduct an extensive search for optoacoustic image quality improvement approaches that have been evaluated with humans in vivo, thus focusing on clinically relevant outcomes. We query six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar) for articles published from 1 January 2010 to 31 October 2021, and identify 45 relevant research works through a systematic screening process. We review the identified approaches, describing their primary objectives, targeted limitations, and key technical implementation details. Moreover, considering comprehensive and objective quality assessment as an essential prerequisite for the adoption of such approaches in clinical practice, we subject 36 of the 45 papers to a further in-depth analysis of the reported quality evaluation procedures, and elicit a set of criteria with the intent to capture key evaluation aspects. Through a comparative criteria-wise rating process, we seek research efforts that exhibit excellence in quality assessment of their proposed methods, and discuss features that distinguish them from works with similar objectives. Additionally, informed by the rating results, we highlight areas with improvement potential, and extract recommendations for designing quality assessment pipelines capable of providing rich evidence.

Both healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are characterized by concurrent alterations in several biological factors. However, generative brain models of aging and AD are limited in incorporating the measures of these biological factors at different spatial resolutions. Here, we propose a personalized bottom-up spatiotemporal brain model that accounts for the direct interplay between hundreds of RNA transcripts and multiple macroscopic neuroimaging modalities (PET, MRI). In normal elderly and AD participants, the model identifies top genes modulating tau and amyloid-β burdens, vascular flow, glucose metabolism, functional activity, and atrophy to drive cognitive decline. The results also revealed that AD and healthy aging share specific biological mechanisms, even though AD is a separate entity with considerably more altered pathways. Overall, this personalized model offers novel insights into the multiscale alterations in the elderly brain, with important implications for identifying effective genetic targets for extending healthy aging and treating AD progression.

Brain atlases and templates are at the heart of neuroimaging analyses, for which they facilitate multimodal registration, enable group comparisons and provide anatomical reference. However, as atlas-based approaches rely on correspondence mapping between images they perform poorly in the presence of structural pathology. Whilst several strategies exist to overcome this problem, their performance is often dependent on the type, size and homogeneity of any lesions present. We therefore propose a new solution, referred to as Virtual Brain Grafting (VBG), which is a fully-automated, open-source workflow to reliably parcellate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets in the presence of a broad spectrum of focal brain pathologies, including large, bilateral, intra- and extra-axial, heterogeneous lesions with and without mass effect.The core of the VBG approach is the generation of a lesion-free T1-weighted image, which enables further image processing operations that would otherwise fail. Here we validated our solution based on Freesurfer recon-all parcellation in a group of 10 patients with heterogeneous gliomatous lesions, and a realistic synthetic cohort of glioma patients (n = 100) derived from healthy control data and patient data.We demonstrate that VBG outperforms a non-VBG approach assessed qualitatively by expert neuroradiologists and Mann-Whitney U tests to compare corresponding parcellations (real patients U(6,6) = 33, z = 2.738, P < .010, synthetic-patients U(48,48) = 2076, z = 7.336, P < .001). Results were also quantitatively evaluated by comparing mean dice scores from the synthetic-patients using one-way ANOVA (unilateral VBG = 0.894, bilateral VBG = 0.903, and non-VBG = 0.617, P < .001). Additionally, we used linear regression to show the influence of lesion volume, lesion overlap with, and distance from the Freesurfer volumes of interest, on labeling accuracy.VBG may benefit the neuroimaging community by enabling automated state-of-the-art MRI analyses in clinical populations using methods such as FreeSurfer, CAT12, SPM, Connectome Workbench, as well as structural and functional connectomics. To fully maximize its availability, VBG is provided as open software under a Mozilla 2.0 license (https://github.com/KUL-Radneuron/KUL_VBG).

In recent decades, photoacoustic imaging has been used widely in biomedical research, providing molecular and functional information from biological tissues in vivo. In addition to being used for research in small animals, photoacoustic imaging has also been utilized for in vivo human studies, achieving a multispectral photoacoustic response in deep tissue. There have been several clinical trials for screening cancer patients by analyzing multispectral responses, which in turn provide metabolomic information about the underlying biological tissues. This review summarizes the methods and results of clinical photoacoustic trials available in the literature to date to classify cancerous tissues, specifically of the thyroid and breast. From the review, we can conclude that a great potential exists for photoacoustic imaging to be used as a complementary modality to improve diagnostic accuracy for suspicious tumors, thus significantly benefitting patients’ healthcare.

Dermatologists mainly entrust visual clinical examinations in conjunction with histopathology for an informed skin condition diagnosis, which is invasive and not adequate to assess skin conditions still present in subcutaneous skin layers. With emerging complementary imaging and spectroscopic technologies currently available, the assessment of skin conditions is more accessible than before. This review article will cover these technologies including: photoacoustic imaging, reflectance confocal microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, optical coherence tomography and confocal Raman spectroscopy. The basic concepts of these technologies and their configurations will be touched on, together with their limitations and future directions. The review article will discuss how these technologies are utilized for cutaneous applications, examining studies accomplished either in vivo on humans or on ex vivo human specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease, is a major cause of chronic morbidity and disability, and premature death. The hepatosplenic form of schistosomiasis is characterized by hepatosplenomegaly, liver fibrosis, portal hypertension, and esophageal varices, whose rupture may cause bleeding and death. We review currently available abdominal imaging modalities and describe their basic principles, strengths, weaknesses, and usefulness in the assessment of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS). Advanced imaging methods are presented that could be of interest for hepatosplenic schistosomiasis evaluation by yielding morphological, functional, and molecular parameters of disease progression. We also provide a comprehensive view of preclinical imaging studies and current research objectives such as parasite visualization in hosts, follow-up of the host's immune response, and development of noninvasive quantitative methods for liver fibrosis assessment. Liver fibrosis and portal hypertension in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS) may lead to variceal bleeding. Fibrogenesis in HSS differs from fibrogenesis of other etiology and requires specific and sensitive markers covering fibrosis heterogeneity. Currently no imaging markers are specific for HSS. Ultrasonography is the leading imaging modality for HSS diagnosis, but other diagnostic imaging techniques can quantify liver fibrosis. Quantitative markers of HSS (collagen, iron and calcium deposition, microvascular density and flow) became accessible by medical imaging modalities. Semiquantitative and quantitative imaging markers for the assessment of vascular and hemodynamic alterations constitute valuable markers for staging, prognosis, and treatment response. Preclinical imaging studies of HSS contribute to the development of clinically transferable markers sensitive to granulomatous inflammation and mild fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to provide a short review of the research methodology 'visual ethnography'. The review article will provide a summary of the foundations of visual ethnography, outline the key debates and refer to some of the main authors working in this field. Visual Ethnography is both a methodology and a method of research. It should be selected for research in radiography when research questions seek to focus upon aspects or elements of a culture. A research plan that is designed using a visual ethnographic approach should be flexible and take into account the requirements of the researcher and research participants. Visual methods of research include the use of various images, for example, photographs, collage, film or drawings. Visual methods are commonly employed together with interviews, conversations and observation. The approach enables researchers to generate new and unique insights into cultures. This review of visual ethnography provides background information that informs an introduction to the methodology. It demonstrates a methodology with the potential to explore culture and expand knowledge of radiography practice. The authors suggest that for future studies visual ethnography is a methodology that can expand the paradigm of radiography research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical photography is an important tool in teaching, clinical practice and academia especially for mucosal pathologies. Our aim was to examine differences in attitude towards clinical photography for mucosal pathologies among students. Methods: Questionnaires about clinical photography were completed by students in dental teaching hospitals in Birmingham (UK) and in Israel (ISR). The questionnaires focussed on the perceived value of clinical photography for a number of purposes and also explored perceived barriers to clinical photography and technology in general. The two departments have different access to clinical photography; in the United Kingdom a separate dedicated photography unit takes all the photographs, whereas in ISR the clinicians take their own photographs. Pearson Chi‐squared tests determined statistical significance between categorical variables (P < 0.05). Results: Among the 163 respondents, there were no significant differences in the value of photography between countries or genders. The participants felt that the aims of photography included: teaching (99.4%), monitoring premalignancy (97.6%) and clinician communication (95.8%). More than 90% thought photography should be used for dysplasia and erosive lichen planus cases. Respondents from ISR were more in favour of photographing pathologies including simple leukoplakia, reticular lichen planus, vesiculobullous or pigmented lesions (P < 0.001 compared to the UK). Overall, the main reasons for not using photography were time constraints (25.5%) and access (21.8%). Conclusions: This study highlights a favourable attitude towards clinical photography for various teaching and clinical indications thereby demonstrating its importance. In order to maximise the benefits of clinical photography, access should be simplified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intraforaminal ligaments (IFL) in lumbar neural foramina (NF) and their relation to the lumbar spinal nerves (SN) are addressed.Method: Giemsa- and PAS-stained plastinated body slices of 15 lumbar spines were made and compared to MRI and CT data acquired of the same fresh specimens. We dissected one fixed lumbar spine to discuss our results with previous literature. Macroscopic pathophysiological changes and operational interventions at these lumbar spines were excluded.Results: In the NF, thin medial IFL touch the SN. As a second compartment, intermedial vertical IFL are seen. A third lateral horizontal compartment of IFL is formed by thick cranial and caudal ligaments. Ligaments of the second and third compartments have no direct contact with the SN. From medial to lateral, the IFL thicken. All compartments are 3D reconstructed. If compartments of the IFL have no direct contact with the SN seen in the slices, a connection was noticed after dissection.Conclusion: Manual dissection seems to be inappropriate for a detailed study of the IFL. The lateral and intermedial compartments being free of the SN may transmit power and protect the SN, while the thin medial IFL may lead the SN passing the NF under physiological conditions. We conclude from the close topographical relation that the IFL may be relevant in foraminal stenosis. Any herniation in the NF presses IFL to the SN. Therefore, we think the IFL themselves could cause neurogenic claudication in case of their non-physiological turnover. Visualisation of IFL seems to be possible by using MRI. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]