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BACKGROUND: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR)-based virtual percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with improved post-PCI physiological results. Murray law-based QFR (μQFR) is a new method for physiological assessment that has higher feasibility and efficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of μQFR-guided virtual PCI in improving post-PCI outcomes. METHODS: The QUITE RIGHT study (Quantitative Flow Ratio Virtual Stenting and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) is a prospective, multicenter, blinded, randomized, controlled superiority study. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to either the μQFR-guided virtual PCI group or the angiography-guided PCI group. The primary end point was the proportion of the target vessels with a post-PCI μQFR ≥0.90, accepted as an optimal post-PCI physiological outcome. RESULTS: A total of 622 patients with 666 vessels were enrolled. The optimal physiological outcome was reached more often in the μQFR-guided virtual PCI group (absolute difference, 9.1% [95% CI, 4.53–13.76]; P<0.001). The μQFR-guided virtual PCI group had a better QFR value, a lower contrast agent dose and x-ray dose, and a more appropriate stent length than the angiography-guided group. CONCLUSIONS: The QUITE RIGHT study showed that the μQFR-guided virtual PCI strategy is superior to angiography-guided PCI in terms of physiological outcomes. The μQFR-guided virtual PCI strategy is associated with lower contrast and x-ray doses and a more appropriate stent length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity remains a global health challenge linked to several comorbidities, such as obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. The prevalence of bariatric surgeries being performed is steadily increasing because it is a highly effective surgical tool used to achieve significant permanent weight loss. However, with all weight loss surgeries, several complications may not present for months to years after the initial procedure. In particular, the anatomical changes that occur after the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNYGB) make the risk of internal hernias high. This particular complication is rare but lethal if unrecognized and not treated promptly. This clinical case study aims to provide readers with an overview of diagnosing and recognizing an internal hernia in the setting of previous laparoscopic RNYGB surgical history. Because of the sheer increase in the volume of patients undergoing bariatric surgery worldwide, health care providers must be well educated on the insidious presentations of this late complication and be prepared to act quickly to diagnose and treat these acute abdomen scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) is recommended for guiding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, a sizable proportion of TAVR candidates have chronic kidney disease, in whom the use of iodinated contrast media is a limitation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a promising alternative, but randomized data comparing the effectiveness of CMR-guided versus CT-guided TAVR are lacking. METHODS: An investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial was conducted at 2 Austrian heart centers. Patients evaluated for TAVR according to the inclusion criteria (severe symptomatic aortic stenosis) and exclusion criteria (contraindication to CMR, CT, or TAVR, a life expectancy <1 year, or chronic kidney disease level 4 or 5) were randomized (1:1) to undergo CMR or CT guiding. The primary outcome was defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium--2 definition of implantation success at discharge, including absence of procedural mortality, correct positioning of a single prosthetic valve, and proper prosthetic valve performance. Noninferiority was assessed using a hybrid modified intention-to-treat/per-protocol approach on the basis of an absolute risk difference margin of 9%. RESULTS: Between September 11, 2017, and December 16, 2022, 380 candidates for TAVR were randomized to CMR-guided (191 patients) or CT-guided (189 patients) TAVR planning. Of these, 138 patients (72.3%) in the CMR-guided group and 129 patients (68.3%) in the CT-guided group eventually underwent TAVR (modified intention-to-treat cohort). Of these 267, 19 patients had protocol deviations, resulting in a per-protocol cohort of 248 patients (121 CMR-guided, 127 CT-guided). In the modified intention-to-treat cohort, implantation success was achieved in 129 patients (93.5%) in the CMR group and in 117 patients (90.7%) in the CT group (between-group difference, 2.8% [90% CI, -2.7% to 8.2%]; P<0.01 for noninferiority). In the per-protocol cohort (n=248), the between-group difference was 2.0% (90% CI, -3.8% to 7.8%; P<0.01 for noninferiority). CONCLUSIONS: CMR-guided TAVR was noninferior to CT-guided TAVR in terms of device implantation success. CMR can therefore be considered as an alternative for TAVR planning. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03831087. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Development of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, hospital length of stay, and overall health care costs. Objectives: The purpose of this project was to evaluate a clinical practice change--the addition of high-dose statin therapy to standard renal protection measures--in adults undergoing acute cardiac catheterization procedures and assessing its effect on CI-AKI. Method: The evaluation was a pretest/posttest descriptive design. Adult patients undergoing acute cardiac catheterization procedures were evaluated for the rate of CI-AKI before (10 months preimplementation, N = 283) and after (10 months postimplementation, N = 286) a recent practice change that added high-dose statin therapy (within 24 hours of dye exposure) to a standard renal protection bundle (intravenous fluids, maximum dye calculations, and avoidance of nephrotoxic medications). Outcomes included the rate of CI-AKI, stage of acute kidney injury, need for new hemodialysis, discharge disposition (alive or died in the hospital), and hospital length of stay. Results: Patients in the postintervention group that received renal protection bundle with high-dose statin had significantly lower incidence of CI-AKI (10.1% pre vs 3.2% post; P < .001). There were no significant differences in hospital length of stay, need for new hemodialysis, or mortality. Administration of high-dose statin within 24 hours of the cardiac catheterization procedure improved significantly (19.4%pre vs 74.1%post; P < .001). Adherence to all 5 components of the renal bundle improved post intervention (17% pre vs 73.4% post; P < .001). Discussion: The addition of a high-dose statin in addition to existing renal protective measures in patients with acute cardiac procedures is associated with a decreased incidence of CI-AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Use of whole-body CT scan (WBCT) is widespread in the evaluation of traumatically injured patients and may be associated with improved survival. WBCT protocols include the use of IV contrast unless there is a contraindication. This study tests the hypothesis that using plain WBCT scan during the global contrast shortage would result in greater need for repeat contrast- enhanced CT, but would not impact mortality, missed injuries, or rates of acute kidney injury (AKI). STUDY DESIGN: All trauma encounters at an academic level-I trauma center between March 1, 2022 and June 24, 2022, excluding burns and prehospital cardiac arrests, were reviewed. Imaging practices and outcomes before and during contrast shortage (beginning May 3, 2022) were compared. RESULTS: The study population included 1,109 consecutive patients (72% male), with 890 (80%) blunt and 219 (20%) penetrating traumas. Overall, 53% of patients underwent WBCT and contrast was administered to 73%. The overall rate of AKI was 6% and the rate of renal replacement therapy (RRT) was 1%. Contrast usage in WBCT was 99% before and 40% during the shortage (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the rate of repeat CT scans, missed injuries, AKI, RRT, or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma imaging practices at our center changed during the global contrast shortage; the use of contrast decreased despite the frequency of trauma WBCT scans remaining the same. The rates of AKI and RRT did not change, suggesting that WBCT with contrast is insufficient to cause AKI. The missed injury rate was equivalent. Our data suggest similar outcomes can be achieved with selective IV contrast use during WBCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (CHPS), the most common infantile disease requiring surgical intervention, is routinely treated with open or laparoscopic pyloromyotomy. Recently, gastric peroral endoscopic pyloromyotomy (G-POEM) has been used for adult gastroparesis. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of G-POEM in treating infantile CHPS. METHODS: We reviewed data from 21 G-POEM-treated patients at 3 tertiary children's endoscopic centers in China between January 2019 and December 2020. Clinical characteristics, procedure-related parameters, perioperative management, and follow-up outcomes were summarized. RESULTS: G-POEM was performed successfully in all patients. The median operative duration was 49 (14-150) minutes. The submucosal tunnelswere successfully establishedalong the greater curvature of the stomach in19 cases, and 2 caseswere switched to the lesser curvature because of difficulty. No perioperativemajor adverse events occurred. Minor adverse events included inconsequential mucosal injury in 5 cases and unsatisfactory closure of themucosal incision in 1 case. Upper gastrointestinal contrast radiography in all patients showed smooth passage of the contrast agent through the pylorus on postoperative day 3. The growth curves of the patients reached normal levels 3 months after the procedure. No recurrent clinical symptoms occurred in any patient during the median follow-up period of 25.5 (14-36) months. DISCUSSION: G-POEM is feasible, safe, and effective for infants with CHPS, with satisfactory clinical responses over a short-term follow-up. Further multicenter studies should be performed to compare the long-term outcomes of this minimally invasive technique with open or laparoscopic pyloromyotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidural space is commonly accessed via an interlaminar or transforaminal approach to administer corticosteroids for radicular pain. An alternative is a transarticular approach, which may be considered when conventional access to the epidural space is either not desired or contraindicated. This approach has been described in the cervical spine using computed tomography guidance but not fluoroscopic guidance. We describe a cervical transarticular approach to the epidural space under fluoroscopy and review the computed tomography–guided literature. The risks of transarticular epidural injections are likely low given that when performed prudently, they avoid direct contact with the vertebral artery, spinal medullary arteries, venous plexus, spinal cord, and nerve roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To better understand the efficacy of water-soluble contrast (WSC) in the treatment of adhesive small bowel obstruction (SBO). Background: Guidelines recommend using WSC to treat adhesive SBO nonoperatively by acting as a cathartic agent. The evidence supporting this practice is mixed. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles describing the effect of WSC compared with control treatments was performed for the period of January 1, 1990 to November 1, 2021. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias and the Newcastle-Ottawa tools. The therapeutic effect of WSC was assessed by operative rates and hospital length of stay (HLOS) in nonsurgical patients. Results: The initial search yielded 4879 articles, of which, 28 were selected for full text review. We identified 11 eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which included 817 patients and 9 observational studies of 3944 patients. HLOS in nonsurgical patients decreased by 1.95 days (95% confidence interval: 0.56–3.3) in the RCTs and could not be assessed in the observational studies. WSC did not significantly affect operative rates in the RCTs (19.8% vs. 21.4%) but did reduce rates in the observational studies (11% vs. 16%, risk ratio: 0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.39–0.82). Conclusion: WSC studies may reduce HLOS for patients who have SBO and do not require surgery. However, the current literature is heterogenous with considerable design limitations. High-quality RCTs are needed using standardized protocols to determine the full benefit of WSC for the management of SBO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the setting of structural heart disease often requires extensive substrate elimination that is not always achievable by endocardial radiofrequency ablation. Epicardial ablation is not always feasible. Case reports suggest that venous ethanol ablation (VEA) through a multiballoon, multivein approach can lead to effective substrate ablation, but large data sets are lacking.Methods: VEA was performed in 44 consecutive patients with ablation-refractory VT (ischemic, n=21; sarcoid, n=3; Chagas, n=2; idiopathic, n=18). Targeted veins were selected by mapping coronary veins on the epicardial aspect of endocardial scar (identified by bipolar voltage <1.5 mV), using venography and signal recording with a 2F octapolar catheter or by guidewire unipolar signals. Epicardial mapping was performed in 15 patients. Vein segments in the epicardial aspect of VT substrates were treated with double-balloon VEA by blocking flow with 1 balloon while injecting ethanol through the lumen of the second balloon, forcing (and restricting) ethanol between balloons. Multiple balloon deployments and multiple veins were used as needed. In 22 patients, late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaged the VEA scar and its evolution.Results: Median ethanol delivered was 8.75 (interquartile range, 4.5-13) mL. Injected veins included interventricular vein (6), diagonal (5), septal (12), lateral (16), posterolateral (7), and middle cardiac vein (8), covering the entire range of left ventricular locations. Multiple veins were targeted in 14 patients. Ablated areas were visualized intraprocedurally as increased echogenicity on intracardiac echocardiography and incorporated into 3-dimensional maps. After VEA, vein and epicardial ablation maps showed elimination of abnormal electrograms of the VT substrate. Intracardiac echocardiography demonstrated increased intramural echogenicity at the targeted region of the 3-dimensional maps. At 1 year of follow-up, median of 314 (interquartile range, 198-453) days of follow-up, VT recurrence occurred in 7 patients, for a success of 84.1%.Conclusions: Multiballoon, multivein intramural ablation by VEA can provide effective substrate ablation in patients with ablation-refractory VT in the setting of structural heart disease over a broad range of left ventricular locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Dark-blood late gadolinium enhancement (DB-LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance has been proposed as an alternative to standard white-blood LGE (WB-LGE) imaging protocols to enhance scar-to-blood contrast without compromising scar-to-myocardium contrast. In practice, both DB and WB contrasts may have clinical utility, but acquiring both has the drawback of additional acquisition time. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a deep learning method to generate synthetic WB-LGE images from DB-LGE, allowing the assessment of both contrasts without additional scan time., Materials and Methods: DB-LGE and WB-LGE data from 215 patients were used to train 2 types of unpaired image-to-image translation deep learning models, cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN) and contrastive unpaired translation, with 5 different loss function hyperparameter settings each. Initially, the best hyperparameter setting was determined for each model type based on the Fréchet inception distance and the visual assessment of expert readers. Then, the CycleGAN and contrastive unpaired translation models with the optimal hyperparameters were directly compared. Finally, with the best model chosen, the quantification of scar based on the synthetic WB-LGE images was compared with the truly acquired WB-LGE., Results: The CycleGAN architecture for unpaired image-to-image translation was found to provide the most realistic synthetic WB-LGE images from DB-LGE images. The results showed that it was difficult for visual readers to distinguish if an image was true or synthetic (55% correctly classified). In addition, scar burden quantification with the synthetic data was highly correlated with the analysis of the truly acquired images. Bland-Altman analysis found a mean bias in percentage scar burden between the quantification of the real WB and synthetic white-blood images of 0.44% with limits of agreement from -10.85% to 11.74%. The mean image quality of the real WB images (3.53/5) was scored higher than the synthetic white-blood images (3.03), P = 0.009., Conclusions: This study proposed a CycleGAN model to generate synthetic WB-LGE from DB-LGE images to allow assessment of both image contrasts without additional scan time. This work represents a clinically focused assessment of synthetic medical images generated by artificial intelligence, a topic with significant potential for a multitude of applications. However, further evaluation is warranted before clinical adoption., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from the Wellcome Trust (WT 222678/Z/16/Z) and the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering (WT 203148/Z/16/Z)., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

To explore the application value of postoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters for lymph node metastasis (LNM), tumor, node, metastasis staging, and treatment response evaluation of resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively analyzed 100 patients with liver cancer who underwent liver CEUS at our hospital between October 2020 and October 2022. The patient's LNM, pathological staging, and therapeutic effects were recorded based on the histopathological results. CEUS parameters were analyzed and compared CEUS parameters between different lymph node metastases, pathological stages, and therapeutic effects. Twenty-three patients experienced LNM, 77 patients did not experience LNM; and the rise time (RT), peak intensity (PI), and area under the curve (AUC) of the metastatic group were significantly smaller than those of the nonmetastatic group (P < .05). 44 cases were classified into groups I to II by pathological staging, and 56 cases were classified into groups III to IV. The RT, PI, and AUC of groups III to IV were significantly lower than those of groups I-II (P < .05). Seventy-nine cases were complete necrosis, 21 cases were residual or recurrent; The RT, PI, and AUC of the residual or recurrent group were significantly lower than those of the complete necrosis group (P < .05). The receiver operating characteristic curve shows that RT, PI, and AUC have a certain value in evaluating LNM, pathological staging, and treatment response of HCC, and the combined evaluation/evaluation value of these 3 factors is relatively high. The postoperative CEUS parameters RT, PI, and AUC can be used for LNM, pathological staging evaluation, and treatment response evaluation of HCC. Moreover, the combination of the 3 parameters is feasible and valuable in evaluating LNM, tumor, node, metastasis staging, and treatment response of HCC., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disease found by Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson and prevalent in childhood and adolescents., Patient Concerns: An 18-year-old female patient presented to our hospital with a continuous decrease of 3 blood cell lines for more than 10 days, and diagnosed as decompensated cirrhosis. Ultrasonography showed diffuse lesions in the hepatic parenchyma, with multiple hypoechoic light masses in the parenchyma, the outline was still clear, and the internal echo was uneven. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound showed that the nodules were enhanced rapidly and uniformly, with an initial enhancement time of 9 seconds and a peak time of 17.2 seconds. The washing time was slightly earlier than that of the hepatic parenchyma and showed slightly higher enhancement in the delayed phase. Finally, ultrasound-guided biopsies showed unexplained liver cirrhosis., Diagnoses: Combined with clinical examination, it was inferred to be Wilson disease. It is difficult to diagnose hepatolenticular degeneration because of its concealed incidence, complex clinical manifestations, expensive detection of the ATP7B gene, and lack of other specific imaging signs., Outcomes: After admission, the patient was given symptomatic support treatment such as liver protection., Interventions: The patient was discharged after improvement of symptoms., Lessons: Here, the results of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in our case may provide a new idea for the diagnosis of Wilson., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

We aim to quantitatively investigate the difference between benign and malignant solid pulmonary nodules that appeared on dual-energy spectral computed tomography, and assess the diagnostic accuracy of several parameters derived from computed tomography in differentiating malignant from benign pulmonary nodules. Between September 2021 and December 2022, spectral images of 71 patients (male:female = 44:27, mean age = 71.0 years) confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed in the venous phase. Patients were classified into the malignant group and the benign group. The iodine concentration values of the nodules, normalized iodine concentration of the nodules to the neighboring vessels, virtual monochromatic images of 40 and 80 keV, and slope of the spectral curve were calculated and compared between the benign and malignant groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the above parameters. Both virtual monochromatic images and iodine concentration maps prove to be highly useful in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The malignant pulmonary nodules have higher iodine density and slope of the spectral curve than the benign lesions. The combined model of iodine density and curve slope with an optimal cutoff of 0.39 (area under the curve = 0.82) yielded a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 63%. Contrast-enhanced dual-energy spectral computed tomography allows promising capability of distinguishing malignant from benign lesions, potential for avoiding unnecessary invasive procedure or surgery., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Angiodysplasia (AD) in the gastrointestinal tract is a degenerative vascular condition characterized by vascular dilation, tortuosity, and arteriovenous connections within the mucosal and submucosal layers. AD is a significant cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly, often presenting as chronic, intermittent hemorrhage. The research challenge lies in the potential for multiple and minute AD lesions to be missed during endoscopy, which may lead to post-hemostatic rebleeding., Patient Concerns: An 82-year-old female with a history of coronary artery disease treated with aspirin, presenting with recurrent melena and anemia. The patient exhibited a suboptimal response to blood transfusions and octreotide therapy., Diagnosis: After excluding tumorous bleeding in the initial contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), we suspect vascular bleeding as the most probable etiology., Interventions: The initial colonoscopy was unsuccessful due to the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia. Considering the patient's advanced age, cardiac dysfunction, and frailty, a repeat CECT were conducted during episodes of suspected active bleeding. Vascular dilatation within the colonic hepatic flexure wall was visualized during the venous phase, accompanied by contrast agent extravasation into the intestinal lumen. The subsequent urgent colonoscopy and pathological specimens from surgical resection supported the diagnosis of colonic AD., Outcomes: After the surgery, the patient did not experience melena thereafter., Lessons: We highlight that CECT for diagnosing AD-related bleeding offers higher safety and convenience, potentially superior to digital subtraction angiography, particularly in critically ill elderly patients., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR)-based virtual percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with improved post-PCI physiological results. Murray law-based QFR (μQFR) is a new method for physiological assessment that has higher feasibility and efficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of μQFR-guided virtual PCI in improving post-PCI outcomes., Methods: The QUITE RIGHT study (Quantitative Flow Ratio Virtual Stenting and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) is a prospective, multicenter, blinded, randomized, controlled superiority study. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to either the μQFR-guided virtual PCI group or the angiography-guided PCI group. The primary end point was the proportion of the target vessels with a post-PCI μQFR ≥0.90, accepted as an optimal post-PCI physiological outcome., Results: A total of 622 patients with 666 vessels were enrolled. The optimal physiological outcome was reached more often in the μQFR-guided virtual PCI group (absolute difference, 9.1% [95% CI, 4.53-13.76]; P <0.001). The μQFR-guided virtual PCI group had a better QFR value, a lower contrast agent dose and x-ray dose, and a more appropriate stent length than the angiography-guided group., Conclusions: The QUITE RIGHT study showed that the μQFR-guided virtual PCI strategy is superior to angiography-guided PCI in terms of physiological outcomes. The μQFR-guided virtual PCI strategy is associated with lower contrast and x-ray doses and a more appropriate stent length., Registration: URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn/; Unique identifier: ChiCTR2100045452., Competing Interests: Dr Tu reports research grants and consultancy from Pulse Medical. The other authors report no conflicts.

Background: Orbital tumors present a diagnostic challenge due to their varied locations and histopathological differences. Although recent advancements in imaging have improved diagnosis, classification remains a challenge. The integration of artificial intelligence in radiology and ophthalmology has demonstrated promising outcomes., Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of machine learning models in accurately distinguishing malignant orbital tumors from benign ones using multiparametric 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data., Materials and Methods: In this single-center prospective study, patients with orbital masses underwent presurgery 3 T MRI scans between December 2015 and May 2021. The MRI protocol comprised multiparametric imaging including dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), as well as morphological imaging acquisitions. A repeated nested cross-validation strategy using random forest classifiers was used for model training and evaluation, considering 8 combinations of explanatory features. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) values were used to assess feature contributions, and the model performance was evaluated using multiple metrics., Results: One hundred thirteen patients were analyzed (57/113 [50.4%] were women; average age was 51.5 ± 17.5 years, range: 19-88 years). Among the 8 combinations of explanatory features assessed, the performance on predicting malignancy when using the most comprehensive model, which is the most exhaustive one incorporating all 46 explanatory features-including morphology, DWI, DCE, and IVIM, achieved an area under the curve of 0.9 [0.73-0.99]. When using the streamlined "10-feature signature" model, performance reached an area under the curve of 0.88 [0.71-0.99]. Random forest feature importance graphs measured by the mean of SHAP values pinpointed the 10 most impactful features, which comprised 3 quantitative IVIM features, 4 quantitative DCE features, 1 quantitative DWI feature, 1 qualitative DWI feature, and age., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that a machine learning approach, integrating multiparametric MRI data such as DCE, DWI, IVIM, and morphological imaging, offers high-performing models for differentiating malignant from benign orbital tumors. The streamlined 10-feature signature, with a performance close to the comprehensive model, may be more suitable for clinical application., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the presence of thyroid nodules of different sizes. We retrospectively analyzed 110 patients with surgically operated unimodular thyroid nodules in Yichang City Central Hospital from July 1, 2021, to April 1, 2023, all of whom underwent conventional thyroid ultrasound, CEUS, and US-FNAB, and all of whom were classified according to the size of nodules into <0.5, 0.5 to 1, and ≥1 cm groups. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the 2 methods for benign and malignant nodules were calculated. Among 110 thyroid nodules, 102 were malignant nodules and 8 were benign nodules. In patients with nodule diameters <1 cm the sensitivity of US-FNAB and CEUS was 87.02% and 93.89%, respectively, and the specificity was 100.00% and 66.67%, with an accuracy of 87.31% and 93.28%, respectively. In patients with nodule diameter <0.5 cm, the sensitivities of US-FNAB and CEUS were 74.29% and 100.00%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05); in patients with nodule diameter 0.5 to 1 cm, the sensitivities of US-FNAB and CEUS were 79.59% and 95.92%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05); among patients with nodule diameters ≥1 cm, the sensitivities of US-FNAB and CEUS were 88.89% and 77.78%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). For thyroid nodules ≤1 cm in diameter, the sensitivity of CEUS examination was higher than that of US-FNAB; and CEUS still has good diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules <0.5 cm, CEUS is recommended for thyroid nodules diagnosed negatively by US-FNAB with a diameter of <1 cm; and CEUS should be preferred for thyroid nodules with a diameter of <0.5 cm. CEUS should be preferred for thyroid nodules <0.5 cm in diameter., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Abstract: Sonazoid is a new ultrasound contrast agent with unique Kupffer phase imaging advantages and high mechanical index stability. This paper introduces the basic theories and advantages of Sonazoid ultrasound. Then, the application and latest advances of Sonazoid in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases are reviewed in detail. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of Sonazoid ultrasound and its future directions are discussed. Sonazoid is expected to become an important tool for clinical ultrasound diagnosis and treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Abstract: We aimed to measure cerebral, splanchnic, and renal transit times and the associated blood volumes using contrast ultrasound. In healthy individuals, regional transit times were calculated from time-intensity curves generated as ultrasound contrast passed through the associated inflow and outflow vessels. These included the internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein (brain), the superior mesenteric artery and portal vein (intestines), and the renal artery and renal vein (kidney). An organ's blood volume relative to the stroke volume delivered to that organ with each cardiac cycle was calculated from the product of heart rate and transit time of contrast passage through the associated vascular bed. The fraction of systemic stroke volume received by each organ was calculated from the respective velocity-time integral and inflow vessel cross-sectional area and used to estimate absolute organ blood volume. The cohort consisted of 16 participants (age: 42 ± 13 years; 5 female) without known cerebrovascular, gastrointestinal, or renal disease. Cerebral, splanchnic, and renal transit times were obtained for 15, 14, and 8 individuals, respectively. Anatomic variability of the renal vessels confounded the acquisition of renal transit times. For all organs, transit times were reproducible and the associated blood volumes were generally comparable to reference values. Cerebral, gastrointestinal, and renal transit times/blood volumes can be reasonably acquired from contrast ultrasound, although the latter is less reliably available. Assessment of the impact on regional blood volumes of pharmacologic or other interventions is a next step toward clinical application of this technique., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Sonographic detection of mobile echogenic foci within the main portal vein and its branches or within the liver parenchyma extending along the portal triads to the periphery of the liver is an alarming finding that has been associated with portal venous gas in the setting of bowel ischemia. Ultrasound-enhancing agents (UEAs) have been widely utilized in abdominal ultrasound for evaluation of organ neoplasms and vascular patency as well as in echocardiography for the evaluation of cardiac function. The appearance of UEAs on abdominal ultrasound can resemble gas like that seen in the portal venous system and liver in patients with bowel ischemia; therefore, UEA residuals should always be a part of the differential diagnosis of echogenic foci when seen on abdominal ultrasounds with preceding recent UEA administration. In this observational study, we present a series of cases with suspected portal venous gas suspicious for bowel ischemia that turned out to be a result of residual or persistent UEA from the recent contrast-enhanced echocardiography. Discussion of this phenomenon and its potential explanation is provided., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Contrast-MRI scans carry risks associated with the chemical contrast agents. Accurate prediction of enhancement pattern of gliomas has potential in avoiding contrast agent administration to patients. This study aimed to develop a machine learning radiomics model that can accurately predict enhancement pattern of gliomas based on T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery images. A total of 385 cases of pathologically-proven glioma were retrospectively collected with preoperative magnetic resonance T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery images, which were divided into enhancing and non-enhancing groups. Predictive radiomics models based on machine learning with 6 different classifiers were established in the training cohort (n = 201), and tested both in the internal validation cohort (n = 85) and the external validation cohort (n = 99). Receiver-operator characteristic curve was used to assess the predictive performance of these radiomics models. This study demonstrated that the radiomics model comprising of 15 features using the Gaussian process as a classifier had the highest predictive performance in both the training cohort and the internal validation cohort, with the area under the curve being 0.88 and 0.80, respectively. This model showed an area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 0.81, 0.98, 0.61, 0.82, 0.76 and 0.96, respectively, in the external validation cohort. This study suggests that the T2-FLAIR-based machine learning radiomics model can accurately predict enhancement pattern of glioma., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Competing Interests: Dr Zhang has authorship rights for patent WO2021044153: Enhancement of Medical Images. W.Y.R. Fok reports no conflicts.

Competing Interests: Beijing Luhe Hospital received free ferumoxytol sponsorship from Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co, Ltd. The authors report no conflict.

Objective: Anastomotic leakage is one of the most severe complications after esophagectomy. However, a diagnostic gold standard for anastomotic leakage has not been established yet. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the potential use of routine postoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography findings as an early predictor of anastomotic leakage in patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer., Methods: This study included 75 patients who underwent Mckeown esophagectomy, of whom 22 developed anastomotic leakage after surgery. The computed tomography findings for this patient cohort were categorized into 3 grades based on mural enhancement patterns observed at the anastomotic site. Both semiquantitative and quantitative analyses were performed, and the interobserver agreement between the 2 experienced radiologists was assessed., Results: It was found that poor enhancement in both the early and portal venous phases (grade 2) had a robust association with the occurrence of anastomotic leakage. The computed tomography enhancement ratio that is used to estimate wall degeneration and ischemia was significantly higher in patients with anastomotic leakage., Conclusions: Routine postoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography could be beneficial for the early detection of anastomotic leakage, even in asymptomatic patients, after esophagectomy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study assessed whether patient-specific contrast enhancement optimizer simulation software (p-COP) can reduce the contrast material (CM) dose compared with the conventional body weight (BW)-tailored scan protocol during transcatheter aortic valve implantation-computed tomography angiography (TAVI-CTA) in patients with aortic stenosis., Methods: We used the CM injection protocol selected by the p-COP in group A (n = 30). p-COP uses an algorithm that concerns data on an individual patient's cardiac output. Group B (n = 30) was assigned to the conventional BW-tailored CM injection protocol group. We compared the CM dose, CM amount, injection rate, and computed tomography (CT) values in the abdominal aorta between the 2 groups and classified them as acceptable (>280 Hounsfield units (HU)) or unacceptable (<279 HU) based on the optimal CT value and visualization scores for TAVI-CTA. We used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare patient characteristics and assess the interpatient variability of subjects in both groups., Results: Group A received 56.2 mL CM and 2.6 mL/s of injection, whereas group B received 76.9 mL CM and 3.4 mL/s of injection ( P < 0.01). The CT value for the abdominal aorta at the celiac level was 287.0 HU in group A and 301.7HU in group B ( P = 0.46). The acceptable (>280 HU) and unacceptable (<280 HU) CT value rates were 22 and 8 patients in group A and 24 and 6 patients in group B, respectively ( P = 0.76). We observed no significant differences in the visualization scores between groups A and B (visualization score = 3, P = 0.71)., Conclusion: The utilization of p-COP may decrease the CM dosage and injection rate by approximately 30% in individuals with aortic stenosis compared with the body-weight-tailored scan protocol during TAVI-CTA., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Unexpected accumulations of gadolinium in various organs were reported after the administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents, making desirable to reduce the dose while maintaining equivalent diagnostic performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contrast enhancement performance of high relaxivity gadopiclenol compared with gadoterate meglumine in abdominal contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA)., Materials and Methods: In a first study in healthy rabbits, axial 3D gradient echo sequences were applied at 4.7 T to study arterial enhancement as a function of gadopiclenol dose (0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 mmol Gd/kg) or gadoterate meglumine at 0.1 mmol Gd/kg (n = 5-6/group). The increase in signal-to-noise ratio (ΔSNR) in the aorta at the first pass was measured and compared. In a second, crossover study in 6 healthy pigs, abdominal CE-MRA sequences were acquired at 3 T with gadopiclenol at 0.05 mmol Gd/kg or gadoterate meglumine at 0.1 mmol Gd/kg at a 1-week interval. Quantitatively on the maximum intensity projection (MIP) images, the mean MIP SNR within the aorta of both groups was compared. Qualitatively, a blinded comparison of the angiograms was performed by an experienced radiologist to determine the preferred contrast agent., Results: In the rabbit, ∆SNR is linearly correlated with the gadopiclenol dose ( P = 0.0010). Compared with gadoterate meglumine 0.1 mmol Gd/kg, an increase in the ∆SNR is observed after 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 mmol Gd/kg of gadopiclenol (+63% P = 0.0731, +78% P = 0.0081, and +72% P = 0.0773, respectively), whereas at 0.025 mmol Gd/kg, ∆SNR is in the same range as with gadoterate meglumine 0.1 mmol Gd/kg (+15% P > 0.9999). In pigs, contrast enhancement after gadopiclenol at 0.05 mmol/kg is +22% superior to MIP SNR after gadoterate meglumine at 0.1 mmol Gd/kg ( P = 0.3095). Qualitatively, a preference was shown for gadopiclenol images (3/6) over the gadoterate meglumine examinations (1/6), with no preference being shown for the remainder (2/6)., Conclusions: First-pass CE-MRA is feasible with gadopiclenol at 0.05 mmol Gd/kg with at least the same arterial signal enhancement and image quality as gadoterate meglumine at 0.1 mmol Gd/kg., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: To investigate imaging features of fat-poor hepatic angiomyolipomas in noncirrhotic livers in order to enhance the diagnostic accuracy for this condition., Methods: The clinical and imaging data of 19 patients with fat-poor hepatic angiomyolipoma (fpHAML) was retrospectively analyzed., Results: Of the 19 patients without hepatitis, cirrhosis, or sarcoidosis, 16 had no clinical symptoms. There were 20 lesions in 19 patients. Macroscopic fat, calcification, hemorrhage, necrosis, and pseudocapsule were not observed in the 20 lesions. All lesions showed marked enhancement on the arterial phase, and the degree of enhancement was significantly higher than that in the adjacent hepatic parenchyma. In 8 cases, the enhancement of the portal phase was higher than that in the arterial phase. Multiple intratumor vessels were observed in the tumor, and lesions with diameters larger than 3.0 cm were more frequently observed. The degree of enhancement of 18 lesions on portal phase or delayed phase was slightly higher than or equal to that in the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. The lesions were hyperintense on diffusion-weighted imaging and showed homogeneous hypointensity on the hepatobiliary phase. Only 6 cases showed the presence of an early draining vein., Conclusions: These imaging features have some implications for the diagnosis of fpHAML. Therefore, an increased awareness of fpHAML is needed among radiologists., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the presence of occult peritoneal metastasis (OPM) in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) by using clinical characteristics and abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) features., Methods: This retrospective study included 66 patients with OPM and 111 patients without peritoneal metastasis (non-PM [NPM]) who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced CT between January 2020 and December 2021. Occult PMs means PMs that are missed by CT but later diagnosed by laparoscopy or laparotomy. Patients with NPM means patients have neither PM nor other distant metastases, indicating there is no evidence of distant metastases in patients with AGC. Patients' clinical characteristics and CT features such as tumor marker, Borrmann IV, enhancement patterns, and pelvic ascites were observed by 2 experienced radiologists. Computed tomography features and clinical characteristics were combined to construct an indicator for identifying the presence of OPM in patients with AGC based on a logistic regression model. Receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were generated to assess the diagnostic performance of the combined indicator., Results: Four independent predictors (Borrmann IV, pelvic ascites, carbohydrate antigen 125, and normalized arterial CT value) differed significantly between OPM and NPM and performed outstandingly in distinguishing patients with OPM from those without PM (AUC = 0.643-0.696). The combined indicator showed a higher AUC value than the independent risk factors (0.820 vs 0.643-0.696)., Conclusions: The combined indicator based on abdominopelvic CT features and carbohydrate antigen 125 may assist clinicians in identifying the presence of CT OPMs in patients with AGC., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate current policies and practices regarding preparative fasting before contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and the knowledge and attitudes of radiology head nurses., Methods: Radiology head nurses in 499 Chinese hospitals participated in an online survey on preparative fasting for CECT, which mainly included current departmental policies and practices and their knowledge and attitudes., Results: Response rate was 89.8% (448/499). All surveyed hospitals established preparative fasting protocols, mainly based on guidelines for iodinated contrast media (ICM) usage (68.8%). For the nongastrointestinal CECT scan, the most frequent fasting duration for solid food, semiliquid diet, liquid diet, and clear liquids was 4 to 6 hours (215/422 [50.9%]), less than 6 hours (332/396 [83.8%]), less than 6 hours (275/320, 85.9%), and less than 6 hours (151/189 [79.9%]), respectively. Forty-six percent of the respondents confirmed that unnecessary excessive fasting existed in practice, and the related patient discomfort occurred in 60.3% of the hospitals, mainly manifested as hypoglycemia (86.7%). Expert consensus and guidelines for iodinated contrast media usage (75%) were the leading approach to gain knowledge about preparative fasting; 90.6% of the respondents believed that the clinical scenarios requiring preparative fasting were the upper abdominal examinations. A majority of respondents (72.1%) believed that the current preparative fasting policies needed improvement., Conclusion: Preparative fasting policies varied among hospitals in terms of the fasting content and duration. Respondents' opinions differed on fasting requirements based on various CECT examination sites and patients. The latest guideline regarding no fasting before CECT has not been fully adopted. Further research is required to promote the transformation of guideline evidence., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: Accurately acquiring and assigning different contrast-enhanced phases in computed tomography (CT) is relevant for clinicians and for artificial intelligence orchestration to select the most appropriate series for analysis. However, this information is commonly extracted from the CT metadata, which is often wrong. This study aimed at developing an automatic pipeline for classifying intravenous (IV) contrast phases and additionally for identifying contrast media in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT)., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study used 1200 CT scans collected at the investigating institution between January 4, 2016 and September 12, 2022, and 240 CT scans from multiple centers from The Cancer Imaging Archive for external validation. The open-source segmentation algorithm TotalSegmentator was used to identify regions of interest (pulmonary artery, aorta, stomach, portal/splenic vein, liver, portal vein/hepatic veins, inferior vena cava, duodenum, small bowel, colon, left/right kidney, urinary bladder), and machine learning classifiers were trained with 5-fold cross-validation to classify IV contrast phases (noncontrast, pulmonary arterial, arterial, venous, and urographic) and GIT contrast enhancement. The performance of the ensembles was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: For the IV phase classification task, the following AUC scores were obtained for the internal test set: 99.59% [95% CI, 99.58-99.63] for the noncontrast phase, 99.50% [95% CI, 99.49-99.52] for the pulmonary-arterial phase, 99.13% [95% CI, 99.10-99.15] for the arterial phase, 99.8% [95% CI, 99.79-99.81] for the venous phase, and 99.7% [95% CI, 99.68-99.7] for the urographic phase. For the external dataset, a mean AUC of 97.33% [95% CI, 97.27-97.35] and 97.38% [95% CI, 97.34-97.41] was achieved for all contrast phases for the first and second annotators, respectively. Contrast media in the GIT could be identified with an AUC of 99.90% [95% CI, 99.89-99.9] in the internal dataset, whereas in the external dataset, an AUC of 99.73% [95% CI, 99.71-99.73] and 99.31% [95% CI, 99.27-99.33] was achieved with the first and second annotator, respectively., Conclusions: The integration of open-source segmentation networks and classifiers effectively classified contrast phases and identified GIT contrast enhancement using anatomical landmarks., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: The Clinician Scientist Academy of the University Hospital Essen (UMEA), which is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (FU 356/12-2), provided financial support to J.H., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The prognostic significance of focal and diffuse myocardial fibrosis in patients with cardiovascular risk factors is unclear.Methods: REMODEL (Response of the Myocardium to Hypertrophic Conditions in the Adult Population) is an observational cohort of asymptomatic patients with essential hypertension. All participants underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance to assess for myocardial fibrosis: nonischemic late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), native myocardial T1, postcontrast myocardial T1, extracellular volume fraction including/excluding LGE regions, interstitial volume (extracellular volume×myocardial volume), and interstitial/myocyte ratio. Primary outcome was a composite of first occurrence acute coronary syndrome, heart failure hospitalization, strokes, and cardiovascular mortality. Patients were recruited from February 2016 and followed until June 2021.Results: Of the 786 patients with hypertension (58±11 years; 39% women; systolic blood pressure, 130±14 mm Hg), 145 (18%) had nonischemic LGE. Patients with nonischemic LGE were more likely to be men, have diabetes, be current smokers, and have higher blood pressure (P<0.05 for all). Compared with those without LGE, patients with nonischemic LGE had greater left ventricular mass (66±22 versus 49±9 g/m2; P<0.001), worse multidirectional strain (P<0.001 for all measures), and elevated circulating markers of myocardial wall stress and myocardial injury, adjusted for potential confounders. Twenty-four patients had primary outcome over 39 (30-50) months of follow-up. Of all the cardiovascular magnetic resonance markers of myocardial fibrosis assessed, only nonischemic LGE (hazard ratio, 6.69 [95% CI, 2.54-17.60]; P<0.001) and indexed interstitial volume (hazard ratio, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.04-1.19]; P=0.002) demonstrated independent association with primary outcome.Conclusions: In patients with hypertension, myocardial fibrosis on cardiovascular magnetic resonance is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury, cardiovascular diseases, computed tomography angiography, contrast media, practice guideline, renal insufficiency, chronic Keywords: acute kidney injury; cardiovascular diseases; computed tomography angiography; contrast media; practice guideline; renal insufficiency, chronic EN acute kidney injury cardiovascular diseases computed tomography angiography contrast media practice guideline renal insufficiency, chronic 847 849 3 03/14/23 20230314 NES 230314 In 2020, the American College of Radiology and the National Kidney Foundation released consensus statements declaring the prevalence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) to be much lower than historically reported.[1] This guideline concluded that most CI-AKI from intravenous contrast medium administration is not caused by contrast medium, but instead by coincident nephrotoxic exposures.[1],[2] It was a dramatic shift in thinking. These differences may relate to the contrast medium (eg, contrast medium dose, contrast medium concentration received by the kidneys, such as with ventriculography) or to other factors unrelated to contrast medium administration (eg, atheroemboli). [Extracted from the article]

Background: Type 2 myocardial infarction is caused by myocardial oxygen supply-demand imbalance, and its diagnosis is increasingly common with the advent of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays. Although this diagnosis is associated with poor outcomes, widespread uncertainty and confusion remain among clinicians as to how to investigate and manage this heterogeneous group of patients with type 2 myocardial infarction.Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 8064 consecutive patients with increased cardiac troponin concentrations were screened to identify patients with type 2 myocardial infarction. We excluded patients with frailty or renal or hepatic failure. All study participants underwent coronary (invasive or computed tomography angiography) and cardiac (magnetic resonance or echocardiography) imaging, and the underlying causes of infarction were independently adjudicated. The primary outcome was the prevalence of coronary artery disease.Results: In 100 patients with a provisional diagnosis of type 2 myocardial infarction (median age, 65 years [interquartile range, 55-74 years]; 43% women), coronary and cardiac imaging reclassified the diagnosis in 7 patients: type 1 or 4b myocardial infarction in 5 and acute myocardial injury in 2 patients. In those with type 2 myocardial infarction, median cardiac troponin I concentrations were 195 ng/L (interquartile range, 62-760 ng/L) at presentation and 1165 ng/L (interquartile range, 277-3782 ng/L) on repeat testing. The prevalence of coronary artery disease was 68% (63 of 93), which was obstructive in 30% (28 of 93). Infarct-pattern late gadolinium enhancement or regional wall motion abnormalities were observed in 42% (39 of 93), and left ventricular systolic dysfunction was seen in 34% (32 of 93). Only 10 patients had both normal coronary and normal cardiac imaging. Coronary artery disease and left ventricular systolic dysfunction were previously unrecognized in 60% (38 of 63) and 84% (27 of 32), respectively, with only 33% (21 of 63) and 19% (6 of 32) on evidence-based treatments.Conclusions: Systematic coronary and cardiac imaging of patients with type 2 myocardial infarction identified coronary artery disease in two-thirds and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in one-third of patients. Unrecognized and untreated coronary or cardiac disease is seen in most patients with type 2 myocardial infarction, presenting opportunities for initiation of evidence-based treatments with major potential to improve clinical outcomes.Registration: URL: https://www.Clinicaltrials: gov; Unique identifier: NCT03338504. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in critical illness and associated with adverse outcomes. Imaging, specifically ultrasound, is increasingly finding a role in AKI diagnostics. This includes the assessment of arterial and venous blood flow, tissue perfusion and the condition of the renal parenchyma. This review provides an update on ultrasound techniques and their application to AKI in critical care., Recent Findings: Advances have been made in arterial and venous Doppler, contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE). Doppler and CEUS techniques offer benefit in terms of AKI diagnosis and in identifying patients at risk. In addition, through the demonstration of altered flow or impaired perfusion, these techniques provide information on the pathophysiology of AKI, offering potential for targeted intervention. Renal SWE, an emerging technique, assesses tissue stiffness potentially allowing exploration of the role of venous congestion in the pathogenesis of AKI., Summary: Ultrasound continues to demonstrate great promise in the diagnosis and management of AKI, offering a noninvasive means to diagnose perfusion deficits and assess response to treatments. Further research, with standardization of techniques, may allow multifaceted renal ultrasound assessment in the critically ill for more accurate diagnosis and tailored intervention in AKI., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the detectability of non-contrast-enhanced and contrast-enhanced spiral breast computed tomography ([non]-CE-SBCT) compared with mammography. Secondary objectives are to determine detectability depending on breast density and to evaluate appearance of breast malignancies according to BI-RADS descriptors., Methods: This retrospective institutional review board-approved study included 90 women with 105 biopsy-proven malignant breast lesions. Breast density, BI-RADS descriptors, and detectability were evaluated by 2 independent readers. Diagnostic confidence was rated on a 4-point Likert scale., Results: For readers 1 and 2, detectability was 83.8% and 80.0% for mammography, 99.1% and 99.1% for CE-SBCT ( P < 0.05), and 66.7% and 61.9% for non-CE-SBCT ( P < 0.05). With both readers, detectability in CE-SBCT was high for density A/B/C/D (both 100%/100%/100%/87.5%). Detectability of readers declined with increasing density for mammography (density A = 100%, B = 89.1% and 95.1%, C = 73.1%, D = 50.0% and 71.4%; P < 0.05) and for non-CE-SBCT (density A = 87.5% and 90.7%, B = 65.5% and 69.1%, C = 54.8% and 60.0%, D = 37.5%; P < 0.05). Mass lesions were detected with CT as often as with mammography, whereas architectural distortions and microcalcifications were detected less often with SBCT. Diagnostic confidence was very high or high in 97.2% for CE-SBCT, in 74.1% for non-CE-SBCT, and in 81.4% for mammography., Conclusions: Detectability and diagnostic confidence were very high in CE-SBCT, regardless of breast density. The detectability of non-CE-SBCT was lower than that of mammography and declined with increasing breast density., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: M.W. is part of the speaker bureau of Siemens Healthineers AG. E.W. is part of the speaker bureau of Siemens Healthineers AG and is a member of the advisory board of AB-CT and of Becton Dickinson GmbH. For the remaining authors, none were declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is little evidence supporting the use of a water-soluble contrast challenge (WSCC) for conservative management of nonadhesive small bowel obstruction (NASBO). Our objective was to evaluate the prognostic value of the WSCC in a diverse group of patients with NASBO in comparison with patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO).Study Design: Retrospective chart review of patients with ASBO or NASBO who underwent a WSCC during a 4-year time period was performed. The primary study endpoint was any intervention for small bowel obstruction during the initial admission or within 30 days of discharge.Results: A total of 106 patients were included, 53 with ASBO (mean age 64 ± 13 years [SD]; 55% women) and 53 with NASBO (mean age 59 ± 13 years [SD]; 57% women). A higher rate of interventions during admission or within 30 days of discharge was seen in patients with NASBO compared with ASBO (24/53 [45%] vs 12/53 [23%]; p = 0.01), including those with colonic transit times of less than 36 hours (14/41 [34%] vs 5/43 [12%]; p = 0.01). Using multivariate analysis, transit time greater than 36 hours remained an independent predictor of an intervention during admission or within 30 days of discharge (p < 0.001, odds ratio 19.0), after controlling for the type of small bowel obstruction.Conclusions: A majority of patients with NASBO were successfully managed conservatively during a 30-day period, supporting the use of WSCC in patients with NASBO; however, patients with NASBO had a higher rate of interventions during admission or within 30 days of discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrast-induced nephropathy is the leading cause of acute kidney injury in hospital settings. Practitioners must have a comprehensive understanding of preventive interventions. This article provides a mnemonic NPs can use to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy. The mnemonic, CHIPS, addresses C ontrast minimizations, H emofiltration, I so-osmolar/low osmolar contrast, P harmacologic interventions, and S aline I.V. hydration. Contrast-induced nephropathy is the leading cause of acute kidney injury in hospital settings. Practitioners must have a comprehensive understanding of preventive interventions. This article provides a mnemonic NPs can use to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy. The mnemonic, CHIPS, addresses Contrast minimizations, Hemofiltration, Iso-osmolar/low osmolar contrast, Pharmacologic interventions, and Saline I.V. hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Kidney diseases significantly impact individuals' quality of life and strongly reduce life expectancy. Glomeruli play a crucial role in kidney function. Current imaging techniques cannot visualize them due to their small size. Sensing ultrasound localization microscopy (sULM) has shown promising results for visualizing in vivo the glomeruli of human kidney grafts. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of sULM to visualize glomeruli in vivo in native human kidneys despite their depth and a shorter duration of ultrasound acquisition limited by the period of the patient's apnea. Sensing ultrasound localization microscopy parameters in native kidneys and kidney grafts and their consequence regarding glomeruli detection were also compared., Materials and Methods: Exploration by sULM was conducted in 15 patients with native kidneys and 5 with kidney allografts. Glomeruli were counted using a normalized distance metric projected onto sULM density maps. The difference in the acquisition time, the kidney depth, and the frame rate between native kidneys and kidney grafts and their consequence regarding glomeruli detection were assessed., Results: Glomerular visualization was achieved in 12 of 15 patients with native kidneys. It failed due to impossible breath-holding for 2 patients and a too-deep kidney for 1 patient. Sensing ultrasound localization microscopy found 16 glomeruli per square centimeter in the native kidneys (6-31) and 33 glomeruli per square centimeter in kidney transplant patients (18-55)., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that sULM can visualize glomeruli in native human kidneys in vivo. The proposed method may have many hypothetical applications, including biomarker development, assisting biopsy, or potentially avoiding it. It establishes a framework for improving the detection of local microstructural pathology, influencing the evaluation of allografts, and facilitating disease monitoring in the native kidney., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: O.C. holds patents in the field of ultrasound localization microscopy (EP4011299A1). O.C. is one founder and shareholder of the ResolveStroke startup and receives speaker fees from Bracco. J.M.C. receives speakers fees from Canon MS, General Electric MS, Hitachi MS, Philips Ultrasound, Siemens Ultrasound, and Supersonic Imagine. Other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. The authors also have disclosed that off-label use of SonoVue for the kidney is discussed in this article; readers should consult product labeling for approved indications., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value and accuracy of a deep learning (DL)-accelerated fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence with fat saturation (FS) in patients with inflammatory synovitis of the knee., Materials and Methods: Patients with suspected knee synovitis were retrospectively included between January and September 2023. All patients underwent a 3 T knee magnetic resonance imaging including a DL-accelerated noncontrast FLAIR FS sequence (acquisition time: 1 minute 38 seconds) and a contrast-enhanced (CE) T1-weighted FS sequence (acquisition time: 4 minutes 50 seconds), which served as reference standard. All knees were scored by 2 radiologists using the semiquantitative modified knee synovitis score, effusion synovitis score, and Hoffa inflammation score. Diagnostic confidence, image quality, and image artifacts were rated on separate Likert scales. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the semiquantitative scores. Interreader and intrareader reproducibility were calculated using Cohen κ., Results: Fifty-five patients (mean age, 52 ± 17 years; 28 females) were included in the study. Twenty-seven patients (49%) had mild to moderate synovitis (synovitis score 6-13), and 17 patients (31%) had severe synovitis (synovitis score >14). No signs of synovitis were detected in 11 patients (20%) (synovitis score <5). Semiquantitative assessment of the whole knee synovitis score showed no significant difference between the DL-accelerated FLAIR sequence and the CE T1-weighted sequence (mean FLAIR score: 10.69 ± 8.83, T1 turbo spin-echo FS: 10.74 ± 10.32; P = 0.521). Both interreader and intrareader reproducibility were excellent (range Cohen κ [0.82-0.96])., Conclusions: Assessment of inflammatory knee synovitis using a DL-accelerated noncontrast FLAIR FS sequence was feasible and equivalent to CE T1-weighted FS imaging., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy regimens have significantly improved the prognosis of GEJ (gastroesophageal junction) cancer; however, there are a significant percentage of patients who benefit from earlier resection or adapted therapy regimens, and the true response rate can only be determined histopathologically. Methods that allow preoperative assessment of response are lacking., Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study is to assess the potential of pretherapeutic and posttherapeutic spectral CT iodine density (IoD) in predicting histopathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the GEJ., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 62 patients with GEJ carcinoma were studied. Patients received a multiphasic CT scan at diagnosis and preoperatively. Iodine-density maps were generated based on spectral CT data. All tumors were histopathologically analyzed, and the tumor regression grade (TRG) according to Becker et al ( Cancer . 2003;98:1521-1530) was determined. Two experienced radiologists blindly placed 5 defined ROIs in the tumor region of highest density, and the maximum value was used for further analysis. Iodine density was normalized to the aortic iodine uptake. In addition, tumor response was assessed according to standard RECIST measurement. After assessing interrater reliability, the correlation of IoD values with treatment response and with histopathologic TRG was evaluated., Results: The normalized ΔIoD (IoD at diagnosis - IoD after neoadjuvant treatment) and the normalized IoD after neoadjuvant treatment correlated significantly with the TRG. For the detection of responders and nonresponders, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for normalized ΔIoD yielded the highest area under the curve of 0.95 and achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 92.3% and 92.1%, respectively. Iodine density after neoadjuvant treatment achieved an area under the curve of 0.88 and a sensitivity and specificity of 86.8% and 84.6%, respectively (cutoff, 0.266). Iodine density at diagnosis and RECIST did not provide information to distinguish responders from nonresponders. Using the cutoff value for IoD after neoadjuvant treatment, a reliable classification of responders and nonresponders was achieved for both readers in a test set of 11 patients. Intraclass correlation coefficient revealed excellent interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, >0.9). Lastly, using the cutoff value for normalized ΔIoD as a definition for treatment response, a significantly longer survival of responders was shown., Conclusions: Changes in IoD after neoadjuvant treatment of GEJ cancer may be a potential surrogate for therapy response., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: This study aims to explore the value of real-time strain elastography (RTE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of breast BI-RADS 4 lesions. It collected 85 cases (totaling 85 lesions) diagnosed with breast BI-RADS 4 through routine ultrasound from October 2020 to December 2022 in Huangshan City People's Hospital. All lesions underwent RTE and CEUS examination before surgery, and the ImageJ software was used to measure the periphery of lesion images in the enhancement peak mode and grayscale mode to calculate the contrast-enhanced ultrasound area ratio. The diagnostic capabilities of single-modal and multimodal ultrasound examination for the malignancy of breast BI-RADS 4 lesions were compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve; the Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to evaluate the correlation between multimodal ultrasound and CEUS area ratio. As a result, among the 85 lesions, 51 were benign, and 34 were malignant. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of routine ultrasound (US), US + RTE, US + CEUS, and US + RTE + CEUS were 0.816, 0.928, 0.953, and 0.967, respectively, with the combined method showing a higher AUC than the single application. The AUC of the CEUS area ratio diagnosing breast lesions was 0.888. There was a strong positive correlation (r = 0.819, P < 0.001) between the diagnostic performance of US + RTE + CEUS and the CEUS area ratio. In conclusion, based on routine ultrasound, the combination of RTE and CEUS can further improve the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions in breast BI-RADS 4., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All of the authors had no any personal, financial, commercial, or academic conflicts of interest separately., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: The objective of the study was to use a deep learning model to differentiate between benign and malignant sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in patients with breast cancer compared to radiologists' assessments.Seventy-nine women with breast cancer were enrolled and underwent lymphosonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examination after subcutaneous injection of ultrasound contrast agent around their tumor to identify SLNs. Google AutoML was used to develop image classification model. Grayscale and CEUS images acquired during the ultrasound examination were uploaded with a data distribution of 80% for training/20% for testing. The performance metric used was area under precision/recall curve (AuPRC). In addition, 3 radiologists assessed SLNs as normal or abnormal based on a clinical established classification. Two-hundred seventeen SLNs were divided in 2 for model development; model 1 included all SLNs and model 2 had an equal number of benign and malignant SLNs. Validation results model 1 AuPRC 0.84 (grayscale)/0.91 (CEUS) and model 2 AuPRC 0.91 (grayscale)/0.87 (CEUS). The comparison between artificial intelligence (AI) and readers' showed statistical significant differences between all models and ultrasound modes; model 1 grayscale AI versus readers, P = 0.047, and model 1 CEUS AI versus readers, P < 0.001. Model 2 r grayscale AI versus readers, P = 0.032, and model 2 CEUS AI versus readers, P = 0.041.The interreader agreement overall result showed κ values of 0.20 for grayscale and 0.17 for CEUS.In conclusion, AutoML showed improved diagnostic performance in balance volume datasets. Radiologist performance was not influenced by the dataset's distribution., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: M.Y.N. has received funding from Circle CVI, Arterys, TeraRecon, Lode, GE, and Bayer. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objectives: Administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) in magnetic resonance imaging results in the long-term retention of gadolinium (Gd) in tissues and organs, including the bone, and may affect their function and metabolism. This study aims to investigate the effects of Gd and GBCA on the proliferation/survival, differentiation, and function of bone cell lineages., Materials and Methods: Primary murine osteoblasts (OB) and osteoclast progenitor cells (OPC) isolated from C57BL/6J mice were used to test the effects of Gd 3+ (12.5-100 μM) and GBCA (100-2000 μM). Cultures were supplemented with the nonionic linear Gd-DTPA-BMA (gadodiamide), ionic linear Gd-DTPA (gadopentetic acid), and macrocyclic Gd-DOTA (gadoteric acid). Cell viability and differentiation were analyzed on days 4-6 of the culture. To assess the resorptive activity of osteoclasts, the cells were grown in OPC cultures and were seeded onto layers of amorphous calcium phosphate with incorporated Gd., Results: Gd 3+ did not affect OB viability, but differentiation was reduced dose-dependently up to 72.4% ± 6.2%-73.0% ± 13.2% (average ± SD) at 100 μM Gd 3+ on days 4-6 of culture as compared with unexposed controls ( P < 0.001). Exposure to GBCA had minor effects on OB viability with a dose-dependent reduction up to 23.3% ± 10.2% for Gd-DTPA-BMA at 2000 μM on day 5 ( P < 0.001). In contrast, all 3 GBCA caused a dose-dependent reduction of differentiation up to 88.3% ± 5.2% for Gd-DTPA-BMA, 49.8% ± 16.0% for Gd-DTPA, and 23.1% ± 8.7% for Gd-DOTA at 2000 μM on day 5 ( P < 0.001). In cultures of OPC, cell viability was not affected by Gd 3+ , whereas differentiation was decreased by 45.3% ± 9.8%-48.5% ± 15.8% at 100 μM Gd 3+ on days 4-6 ( P < 0.05). Exposure of OPC to GBCA resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cell viability of up to 34.1% ± 11.4% at 2000 μM on day 5 of culture ( P < 0.001). However, differentiation of OPC cultures was reduced on day 5 by 24.2% ± 9.4% for Gd-DTPA-BMA, 47.1% ± 14.0% for Gd-DTPA, and 38.2% ± 10.0% for Gd-DOTA ( P < 0.001). The dissolution of amorphous calcium phosphate by mature osteoclasts was reduced by 36.3% ± 5.3% upon incorporation of 4.3% Gd/Ca wt/wt ( P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Gadolinium and GBCA inhibit differentiation and activity of bone cell lineages in vitro. Thus, Gd retention in bone tissue could potentially impair the physiological regulation of bone turnover on a cellular level, leading to pathological changes in bone metabolism., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: none declared. This work was supported by a CTU Research Grant from the Inselspital, University of Bern (Switzerland) and Gottfried und Julia Bangerter-Rhyner-Foundation to R.J.E., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: Accurate locoregional staging is crucial for effective breast cancer treatment. Photon-counting computed tomography (PC-CT) is an emerging technology with high spatial resolution and the ability to depict uptake of contrast agents in tissues, making it a promising tool for breast cancer imaging. The aim of this study was to establish the feasibility of locoregional staging of breast cancer through contrast-enhanced thoracic PC-CT, assess its diagnostic performance, and compare it with that of digital mammography (DM)., Materials and Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, DM, and indication of thoracic CT staging were prospectively enrolled in this clinical cohort study over a period of 6 months. Participants underwent contrast-enhanced thoracic PC-CT and breast magnetic resonance imaging in prone position. After blinding to patient data, 2 radiologists independently rated PC-CT and DM regarding the following 6 characteristics: (1) diameter of the largest mass lesion, (2) infiltration of cutis/pectoral muscle/thoracic wall, (3) number of mass lesions, (4) presence/absence of adjacent ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), (5) tumor conspicuity, and (6) diagnostic confidence. Reference standard was generated from consensus reading of magnetic resonance imaging combined with all histopathological/clinical data by an independent adjudication committee applying TNM eighth edition., Results: Among 32 enrolled female subjects (mean ± SD age, 59 ± 13.0 years), diagnostic accuracy for T-classification was higher for PC-CT compared with DM (0.94 vs 0.50, P < 0.01). Moreover, the correlation of the number of detected tumor masses with the reference standard was stronger for PC-CT than for DM (0.72 vs 0.50, P < 0.01). We observed that PC-CT significantly ( P < 0.04) outperformed DM regarding not only sensitivity (0.83 and 0.25, respectively) but also specificity (0.99 and 0.80, respectively) for adjacent DCIS. The κ values for interreader reliability were higher for PC-CT compared with DM (mean 0.88 vs 0.54, respectively; P = 0.01)., Conclusions: Photon-counting computed tomography outperformed DM in T-classification and provided higher diagnostic accuracy for the detection of adjacent DCIS. Therefore, opportunistic locoregional staging of breast cancer in contrast-enhanced thoracic PC-CT is feasible and could overcome limitations of DM with the potential to improve patient management., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Accurate detection of lymph node (LN) metastases in prostate cancer (PCa) is a challenging but crucial step for disease staging. Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables distinction between healthy LNs and nodes suspicious for harboring metastases. When combined with MRI at an ultra-high magnetic field, an unprecedented spatial resolution can be exploited to visualize these LNs., Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore USPIO-enhanced MRI at 7 T in comparison to 3 T for the detection of small suspicious LNs in the same cohort of patients with PCa., Materials and Methods: Twenty PCa patients with high-risk primary or recurrent disease were referred to our hospital for an investigational USPIO-enhanced 3 T MRI examination with ferumoxtran-10. With consent, they underwent a 7 T MRI on the same day. Three-dimensional anatomical and T2*-weighted images of both examinations were evaluated blinded, with an interval, by 2 readers who annotated LNs suspicious for metastases. Number, size, and level of suspicion (LoS) of LNs were paired within patients and compared between field strengths., Results: At 7 T, both readers annotated significantly more LNs compared with 3 T (474 and 284 vs 344 and 162), with 116 suspicious LNs on 7 T (range, 1-34 per patient) and 79 suspicious LNs on 3 T (range, 1-14 per patient) in 17 patients. For suspicious LNs, the median short axis diameter was 2.6 mm on 7 T (1.3-9.5 mm) and 2.8 mm for 3 T (1.7-10.4 mm, P = 0.05), with large overlap in short axis of annotated LNs between LoS groups. At 7 T, significantly more suspicious LNs had a short axis <2.5 mm compared with 3 T (44% vs 27%). Magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T provided better image quality and structure delineation and a higher LoS score for suspicious nodes., Conclusions: In the same cohort of patients with PCa, more and more small LNs were detected on 7 T USPIO-enhanced MRI compared with 3 T MRI. Suspicious LNs are generally very small, and increased nodal size was not a good indication of suspicion for the presence of metastases. The high spatial resolution of USPIO-enhanced MRI at 7 T improves structure delineation and the visibility of very small suspicious LNs, potentially expanding the in vivo detection limits of pelvic LN metastases in PCa patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: Funding of the 7T MRI system at the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MRI was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG; project number 432657511)., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the factors underlying the difference between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated from serum creatinine and Gate's GFR (gGFR) measured using technetium-99m diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid ( 99m Tc-DTPA) scintigraphy., Methods: This study was based on consecutive patients who underwent 99m Tc-DTPA scintigraphy at our hospital between January 2021 and December 2022 and whose blood serum creatinine data were obtained on the same day as the 99m Tc-DTPA scintigraphy. Relationships between the ratio of gGFR and eGFR (gGFR/eGFR) and age, sex, BMI, visceral fat, psoas muscle index (PMI), serum blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine level were investigated based on 75 patients. Additionally, for 44 patients who had two or more follow-up DTPA studies, we compared gGFR values for studies that used iodine contrast media (ICM) for computed tomography before same-day 99m Tc-DTPA studies and those that did not in the same patients., Results: Weak correlations were observed between gGFR/eGFR and PMI ( r  = 0.30), BMI ( r  = 0.24), and the visceral fat area ( r  = 0.33). Multi-regression analyses showed that gGFR/eGFR was correlated with PMI ( β  = 0.34, P  < 0.01) and approached significance with the visceral fat area ( β  = 0.24, P  = 0.05). A significant difference was observed in gGFR between patients who received ICM before the 99m Tc-DTPA renogram and those who did not ( P  < 0.001, eGFR 80.5 ± 19.0 vs. 91.7 ± 27.8 ml/min)., Conclusion: ICM administration temporarily decreased gGFR, and increased muscle mass increased the difference between eGFR and gGFR values., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)