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Abstract Background Acute non-variceal gastrointestinal bleedings (GIBs) are pathological conditions associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Embolization without angiographic evidence of contrast media extravasation is proposed as an effective procedure in patients with clinical and/or laboratory signs of bleeding. The purpose of this systematic review is to define common clinical practice and clinical and technical outcomes of blind and preventive embolization for upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Main body Through the PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar database, an extensive search was performed in the fields of empiric and preventive embolization for the treatment of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleedings (UGIB and LGIB). Inclusion criteria were: articles in English for which it has been possible to access the entire content; adults patients treated with empiric or blind transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for UGIB and/or LGIB. Only studies that analysed clinical and technical success rate of blind and empiric TAE for UGIB and/or LGIB were considered for our research. Exclusion criteria were: recurrent articles from the same authors, articles written in other languages, those in which the entire content could not be accessed and that articles were not consistent to the purposes of our research. We collected pooled data on 1019 patients from 32 separate articles selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. 22 studies focused on UGIB (total 773 patients), one articles focused on LGIB (total 6 patients) and 9 studies enrolled patients with both UGIB and LGIB (total 240 patients). Technical success rate varied from 62% to 100%, with a mean value of 97.7%; clinical success rate varied from 51% to 100% with a mean value of 80%. The total number of complications was 57 events out of 1019 procedures analysed. Conclusion TAE is an effective procedure in the treatment of UGIB patients in which angiography does not demonstrate direct sign of ongoing bleeding. The attitude in the treatment of LGIBs must be more prudent in relation to poor vascular anastomoses and the high risk of intestinal ischemia. Blind and preventive procedures cumulatively present a relatively low risk of complications, compared to a relatively high technical and clinical success.

Obesity is a widespread pathology among the population related to an increase in mortality and morbidity of patients. Bariatric surgery provides several forms of treatment for obese patients. Laparoscopic mini/one anastomosis gastric bypass (MGB/OAGB) is a recent low risk bariatric surgical procedure common in a large number of countries in the treatment of severe obesity. MGB/OAGB, compared to other bariatric surgery techniques, offers the significant technical improvement of requiring only one anastomosis in place of two. In this scenario, diagnostic imaging takes a significant role in the postoperative period, to evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment and to detect possible complications both in early and late postoperative period. The prevalent radiological procedure to investigate suspicions of clinical post-operative complications is Computed tomography (CT) with oral and intravenous contrast administration. This pictorial essay aims to illustrate and identify normal radiological aspects of MGB/OAGB and post-surgery complication imaging features. We think that this article will serve to familiarize all the specialists with the diagnostic imaging of MGB/OAGB.

Alagille syndrome is an autosomal dominant and multisystemic disease that generally manifests itself with intrahepatic bile ducts paucity, chronic cholestasis, xanthomas and with other less frequent clinical manifestations such as congenital heart disease, skeletal abnomalies, ophthalmic, vascular, renal and growth failure. Symptoms can be subclinical or very severe. Is caused by various genetic mutations and the majority of patients have a detectable mutation in JAG1 (90%), the remainder have mutations in NOTCH2. The diagnosis is molecular and the incidence is approximately 1 in 30,000 – 50.000. Patient management can be very complex and treatment depends on the district affected and on the symptoms. In more serious cases, with terminal liver disease, liver transplantation is used. We describe a case with main bile duct hypoplasia, intrahepatic bile ducts paucity, cholestasis and gallbladder dimorphism associated with renal malrotation and butterfly vertebrae.

Branchiogenic fistulas are congenital alterations that affect the cervical compartments. Those of the fourth branchial cleft are rarest and can begin late with very serious complications. The suppurative thyroiditis can be a complication of these alterations. We describe a case of 3-year-old girl with high fever, left cervical swelling and increased inflammation indices. The neck ultrasound showed an abscess of the left thyroid lobe and a fluid mass with aerial content in laterocervical region. On MRI, the fluid mass extended from the left piriform sinus to the mediastinum. Fluoroscopy also highlighted a fistolose trait that extended from the left side wall of the esophagus, anteriorly towards the trachea. Treatment of these pathologies must be early and a late diagnosis can put patients' lives at risk.

The Spigelian hernia is a abdominal wall hernia that originates from a discontinuity of the Spigelian fascia located lateral to the rectus abdominis muscle. It can be acquired in adults or congenital in newborns. In very rare cases in male it can be associated with cryptorchidism, in which case it is known as “Spigellian-Cryptorchidism Syndrome”. It can be clinically highlighted with abdominal swelling wall along the semilunar line and intestinal obstruction. The diagnosis, as in all pediatric emergencies, must be timely and the method of choice is ultrasound which allows a rapid localization of the hernia breach and herniated structures. The treatment of choice is surgical with herniopexy and repositioning of the testicle into the scrotal sac, or orchipessy in cases of testicular necrosis. We describe ultrasound characteristics of Spigellian-cryptorchidism syndrome presenting with acute intestinal obstruction in a newborn.

Atherosclerotic disease of the carotid arteries is a crucial risk factor in predicting the likelihood of future stroke events. In addition, emerging studies suggest that carotid stenosis may also be an indicator of plaque load on coronary arteries and thus have a correlation with the risk of acute cardiovascular events. Furthermore, although in symptomatic patients the degree of stenosis is the main morphological parameter studied, recent evidence suggests, especially in asymptomatic patients, that plaque vulnerability should also be evaluated as an emerging and significant imaging parameter. The reference diagnostic methods for the evaluation of carotid stenosis are currently ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography angiography (CTA). In addition, other more invasive methods such as 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy and PET-CT, as well as digital subtraction angiography, can be used. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and there is often some confusion in their use. For example, the usefulness of MRI is often underestimated. In addition, implementations for each method have been developed over the years and are already enabling a significant increase in diagnostic accuracy. The purpose of our study is to make an in-depth analysis of all the methods in use and in particular their role in the diagnostic procedure of carotid stenosis, also discussing new technologies.

Ultrasound (US) is the primary tool for evaluating patients with thyroid nodules, and the risk of malignancy assessed is based on US features. These features help determine which patients require fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. Classification systems for US features have been developed to facilitate efficient interpretation, reporting, and communication of thyroid US findings. These systems have been validated by numerous studies and are reviewed in this article. Additionally, this overview provides a comprehensive description of the clinical and laboratory evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules, various imaging modalities, grayscale US features, color Doppler US, contrast-enhanced US (CEUS), US elastography, FNA biopsy assessment, and the recent introduction of molecular testing. The potential of artificial intelligence in thyroid US is also discussed.

Non-traumatic hepatic hernia is defined as hepatic protrusion through acquired or congenital defects on diaphragm without prior trauma. This event is rare among adults and infrequently reported in literature. 52-year-old Caucasian woman with surgically treated breast cancer with suspected lung metastasis detected during a routine Multidetector Computed Tomography lung exam. Ultrasound and subsequently Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed which revealed an overdiaphragmatic mass in contiguity with liver parenchyma compatible with overdiaphragmatic hepatic hernia. Differential diagnosis should be made with diaphragmatic or pulmonary nodule. Correct diagnosis can avoid further diagnostic investigations or invasive procedures such as biopsy. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-risky method and can clarify interpretative doubts. Currently there are still controversies about traumatic or idiopathic nature of this hernia.

Abstract Vascular compression syndromes are rare alterations that have in common the compression of an arterial and/or venous vessel by contiguous structures and can be congenital or acquired. The best known are the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Nutcracker Syndrome, May–Thurner Syndrome, and Dunbar Syndrome. The incidence of these pathologies is certainly underestimated due to the non-specific clinical signs and their frequent asymptomaticity. Being a first-level method, Ultrasound plays a very important role in identifying these alterations, almost always allowing a complete diagnostic classification. If in expert hands, this method can significantly contribute to the reduction of false negatives, especially in the asymptomatic population, where the finding of the aforementioned pathologies often happens randomly following routine checks. In this review, we briefly discuss the best known vascular changes, the corresponding ultrasound anatomy, and typical ultrasound patterns.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure. The primary and insidious early post-SG complication is the gastric leak (GL). In literature, there are many studies describing the endoscopic stent placement as treatment of GL and few studies about stent placement performed by interventional radiology under fluoroscopic guide. Our aims were to describe the radiological stent placement technique, to compare endoscopic and radiological stent placement, to illustrate normal diagnostic features and summarise the incidence of complications after stent placement, removal, and their imaging features. This was a single centre retrospective study of 595 patients who underwent SG between 2011 and 2019. Inclusion criteria: patients who developed GL after SG and treated with gastro-oesophageal stent placement by endoscopy or interventional radiology; availability of medical history and imaging studies; follow-up time after stent removal (1 year). The rates of technical success, clinical success and complications after stent placement and removal were collected and compared between the two methods of stent positioning. A total of 17/595 (2.8%) patients developed a radiologically diagnosed GL after SG. The type II-III GLs (15/17) were treated with endoscopic or radiological stent placement. 9/15 (60%/Group A) patients underwent gastro-oesophageal stenting by interventional radiology and 6/15 (40%/Group B) were treated with endoscopic stent placement. The technical and clinical success rate was 100% for both groups. Stent migration occurred in 22% and 27% for Group A and B respectively. Post-extraction stenosis was the main late complication, occurring in 22% in Group A and 0% in Group B. Gastro-esophageal stent placement performed by interventional radiologists is a valid “mini-invasive” treatment for GL. This procedure is not inferior to endoscopic positioning regarding efficacy, periprocedural and postprocedural complication rate. It's necessary to be familiar with radiological findings after stent placement and removal. Computed tomography (CT) scan is the main radiological technique to identify stent placement complications. Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series are the first radiological procedures used to detect late complications after stent removal.

Vasculitides represent a heterogeneous group of immune-mediated disorders, characterized by a systemic inflammatory destructive process of the blood vessels resulting either in ischemia or hemorrhage. The organ involved and vessel size influence the pattern of presentation of the pathology. The lung is commonly involved in systemic vasculitides, with heterogeneous clinical, radiological, and histopathological presentations. Primary vasculitides most commonly associated with lung parenchymal involvement include small-vessel antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides, such as granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Several studies have reported cases of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) associated with systemic vasculitis, particularly those positive for ANCA associated vasculitis/vasculitidis: AAV. We have selected from our case series different radiological features of pulmonary vasculitis (i.e., solitary or multiple nodules, cavitary lesions, nodules with centrilobular or peribronchial distribution, airspace consolidations, “crazy paving” appearance, interstitial disease), including cases with interstitial lung alterations. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the typical clinical manifestations of vasculitides and their main radiologic features (especially AAV).

Background: Currently, radiotherapy represents the most widely employed therapeutic option in patients with uveal melanoma. Although the effects of proton beam radiotherapy on uveal melanoma end ocular tissues have been histologically documented, their appearance at MR imaging is still poorly understood. The purpose of our study was to elucidate the magnetic resonance (MR) semiotics of radiotherapy-induced changes to neoplastic tissues and ocular structures in patients with uveal melanoma undergoing secondary enucleation after proton beam radiotherapy. Methods: Nine patients with uveal melanoma who had undergone proton beam radiotherapy, MR imaging, and subsequent secondary enucleation were retrospectively selected. The histopathologic findings evaluated for irradiated tumors were necrosis, fibrosis, and viable tumor, while the histopathologic findings evaluated for extratumoral ocular/periocular tissues were radiation-related intraocular inflammation, vitreous hemorrhage, optic nerve degeneration, iris neovascularization, and periocular fibrotic adhesions. On MR images, the appearance of the abovementioned histologic features was assessed on conventional and diffusion-weighted sequences. Results: T2-weighted sequences performed better in detecting radiation-induced necrosis, fibrosis, optic nerve degeneration, and periocular fibrotic adhesions. T1-weighted sequences were preferable for identifying cataracts, vitreous hemorrhage, and inflammatory complications. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences were irreplaceable in assessing iris neovascularization, and in confirming inflammatory complications. Conclusions: In the light of their increasing role in the multidisciplinary management of patients with uveal melanoma, radiologists should be aware of the MR appearance of the effects of radiotherapy on neoplastic and ocular tissue, in order to improve the accuracy of follow-up MR examinations.

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) represent a heterogeneous group of pathologies, which may be related to different causes. A low percentage of these lung diseases may be secondary to the administration of drugs or substances. Through the PubMed database, an extensive search was performed in the fields of drug toxicity and interstitial lung disease. We have evaluated the different classes of drugs associated with pulmonary toxicity. Several different high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) patterns related to pulmonary drug toxicity have been reported in literature, and the most frequent ILDs patterns reported include Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP), Usual Interstitial Pneumonia (UIP), Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP), Organizing Pneumonia (OP), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and Diffuse Alveolar Damage (DAD). Finally, from the electronic database of our Institute we have selected and commented on some cases of drug-induced lung diseases related to the administration of common drugs. As the imaging patterns are rarely specific, an accurate evaluation of the clinical history is required and a multidisciplinary approach—involving pneumologists, cardiologists, radiologists, pathologists, and rheumatologists—is recommended.

Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a rare but severe neurological syndrome characterized, in its classic form, by the acute onset of ocular disturbances, ataxia, and cognitive impairment. It is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) and mainly affects chronic alcoholics, although it can also affect patients with pathologies that lead to malnutrition. We present a case of a 58-year-old woman, who presented with significant weight loss over the past 6 months and who came to the emergency department for episodes of repetitive vomiting and a sleepy state. The patient underwent blood chemistry tests and a brain CT scan, which revealed symmetrical and bilateral hypodensity of the medial portion of the thalamus, tectal plate, and periaqueductal gray matte, suggestive of WE. She was subsequently referred to the Department of Neurology and underwent a brain MRI, which confirmed the clinical suspicion. She also had an abdominal CT scan and ileo-colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Immediately after the clinical diagnosis of WE, a replacement therapy based on intravenous thiamine at high doses was promptly set up, and the patient improved from a clinical point of view.Wernicke encephalopathy can be difficult to diagnose when it occurs in non-alcoholic patients; WE associated with IBD is a rare condition, and it can present with atypical and more subtle symptoms. Radiologists and physicians must be aware of this condition and imaging findings for rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Left renal vein variants are not commonly observed in the general population. Usually, the renal vein runs in front of the aorta before entering the inferior vena cava, while the most common variants include the presence of a circumaortic or retroaortic renal vein. However, when present, left venal rein variants are important to recognize due to their potential clinical and surgical relevance. In this regard, CE-CT is an instrument with high sensitivity and specificity in detecting vascular anomalies and can certainly help diagnose. In this article, we present a unique case of a left venal rein compressed between the left iliac artery and vertebral bodies associated with the presence of a superior mesenteric artery Syndrome, another rare entity that occurs when the duodenum is compressed between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis represents a clinical compensatory condition characterized by the growth of hematopoietic tissue outside the bone marrow. It can mainly occur in patient with myeloproliferative disorders where alteration or neoplastic invasion of the bone marrow causes ineffective production of blood cells with the recruitment of progenitrix blood cells in non-hematopoietic organs, including kidneys. Renal extramedullary hematopoiesis is a rare condition manifesting as parenchymal or perirenal soft tissue masses with different patterns mimicking neoplasms, infectious or vascular diseases. We describe a unique case of a patient affected by primary myelofibrosis underwent ultrasound and magnetic resonance examinations showing bilateral perirenal alterations to be related to hemopoietic tissue. We also focused on the pathophysiology of this condition with imaging correlation. The case we present emphasises the importance of recognising the main radiological features of renal extramedullary hematopoiesis. MR examination should become part of the diagnostic pathway of the patient with primary myelofibrosis.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety, technical, and clinical effectiveness of percutaneous Transarterial Embolization (TAE) in treating spontaneous retroperitoneal hematomas as well as assess treatment outcomes in patients who underwent target or empirical embolization. Materials and methods Through the PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases, an extensive search was performed in the fields of spontaneous retroperitoneal hematomas treated with transcatheter arterial embolization. We collected pooled data on 141 patients from 6 separate articles selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Technical success rate was 100% in all six studies, for both targeted and empirical embolization. The clinical success rate varied from 56.3 to 89.5%. The total number of complications related to the embolization procedure was 10 events out of 116 procedures analyzed. Empirical or empirical embolization was performed in three studies, where the source of active bleeding was not evident during DSA. A meta-analysis compared the rebleeding rates between targeted and empirical embolization groups. The odds ratio from pooled data from the three assessed studies (72 patients) showed no significant difference in rebleeding rates after empirical TAE compared with targeted TAE. Conclusions TAE is a safe, effective, and potentially life-saving procedure for the treatment of life-threatening spontaneous retroperitoneal hematomas. Empirical and targeted TAE procedures demonstrate a relatively low risk of complications, compared to the high technical and relatively high clinical success rates.

Acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) is the most common complication of diverticular disease and represents an abdominal emergency. It includes a variety of conditions, extending from localized diverticular inflammation to fecal peritonitis, hence the importance of an accurate diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis due to its high sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and interobserver agreement. In fact, CE-CT allows alternative diagnoses to be excluded, the inflamed diverticulum to be localized, and complications to be identified. Imaging findings have been reviewed, dividing them into bowel and extra-intestinal wall findings. Moreover, CE-CT allows staging of the disease; the most used classifications of ACD severity are Hinchey’s modified and WSES classifications. Differential diagnoses include colon carcinoma, epiploic appendagitis, ischemic colitis, appendicitis, infectious enterocolitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. We propose a structured reporting template to standardize the terminology and improve communication between specialists involved in patient care.