Search

AIM: To assess the diagnostic significance of magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and conventional enteroclysis (CE) in patients with complicated and/or advanced stage of Crohn's disease. METHODS: Patients with abnormal CE findings suggestive of mural and/or extramural involvement with the diagnosis or pre-diagnosis of CD are evaluated. After real-time bowel distension by enteroscopic examination, the patients with advanced or complicated stage were taken to the MRE examination in the same session. Mucosal-mural-extramural and activation findings, presence of stenosis/stricture, skip lesions and the mean duration of exams were evaluated with both CE and MRE. The superiority of one method over the other relative to these findings was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients evaluated by CE had the findings of CD. Of these, 24 patients with abnormal CE findings suggestive of advanced mural and extramural involvements were subsequently evaluated with MRE. CE was superior to MRE in the depiction of early superficial mucosal changes (aphthous-linear ulcer), cobblestone pattern (p = 0.002, p < 0.01), obstruction (p = 0.004, p < 0.01), and differentiation between the string sign and stricture. MRE was superior to conventional enteroclysis in mural and perienteric findings of bowel thickening, fibro-fatty proliferation, abscess (p = 0.016, p < 0.05) and colonic skip lesions. No significant difference was found between the evaluated methods in terms of fistula detection (p = 1.000; p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: CE and MRE are mutually complementary imaging modalities in CD staging, evaluation of activation findings, and detection of complications (Tab. 3, Fig. 8, Ref. 23). Text in PDF www.elis.sk KEY WORDS: Crohn's disease, enteroclysis, magnetic resonance enterography, magnetic resonance imaging, complicated, mucosal, mural, extramural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current imaging modalities underestimate the severity of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD). High resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI) MRI is a powerful tool in characterizing plaques. We aim to show that HR-VWI MRI is more accurate at detecting and characterizing intracranial plaques compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA), time-of-flight (TOF) MRA, and computed tomography angiogram (CTA)., Methods: Patients with symptomatic ICAD prospectively underwent 7T HR-VWI. We calculated: degree of stenosis, plaque burden (PB), and remodeling index (RI). The sensitivity of detecting a culprit plaque for each modality as well as the correlations between different variables were analyzed. Interobserver agreement on the determination of a culprit plaque on every imaging modality was evaluated., Results: A total of 44 patients underwent HR-VWI. Thirty-four patients had CTA, 18 TOF-MRA, and 18 DSA. The sensitivity of plaque detection was 88% for DSA, 78% for TOF-MRA, and 76% for CTA. There's significant positive correlation between PB and degree of stenosis on HR-VWI MRI (p < 0.001), but not between PB and degree of stenosis in DSA (p = 0.168), TOF-MRA (p = 0.144), and CTA (p = 0.253). RI had a significant negative correlation with degree of stenosis on HR-VWI MRI (p = 0.003), but not on DSA (p = 0.783), TOF-MRA (p = 0.405), or CTA (p = 0.751). The best inter-rater agreement for culprit plaque detection was with HR-VWI (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: The degree of stenosis measured by intra-luminal techniques does not fully reflect the true extent of ICAD. HR-VWI is a more accurate tool in characterizing atherosclerotic plaques and may be the default imaging modality in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, multisystemic, inflammatory, non-Langerhans cell histiocytic neoplasm. The discovery of recurrent and somatic mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, most commonly BRAF V600E , has led to a reclassification of ECD from an inflammatory disorder to a neoplastic process. It is now included in the revised 2016 World Health Organization classification of hematopoietic tumors and in the Langerhans group in the revised 2016 Histiocytosis Classification of the Histiocyte Society. When symptomatic, ECD most commonly manifests with bone pain and fatigue. Also, neurologic manifestations, central diabetes insipidus, exophthalmos, and periorbital xanthelasma-like lesions are frequently encountered. Pathologic findings may vary depending on the site of biopsy and may display a spectrum of features. Thus, due to the diverse clinical presentation and variable histologic findings, imaging can often show the first sign of the disease. Radiologic findings are, however, interpreted in conjunction with clinical and histologic findings to establish the diagnosis of ECD. From providing classic findings that facilitate diagnosis to helping radiologists determine the extent of disease and predicting a prognosis, the role of radiology in ECD has evolved with the understanding of the disease itself. Insights into the molecular pathogenesis and the development of targeted therapeutic agents along with approval of vemurafenib and cobimetinib have necessitated revision of the guidelines for the management of ECD. The authors discuss various radiologic findings of ECD and differential diagnoses by using an organ system-based approach and briefly describe the revised consensus recommendations for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment based on the International Medical Symposia on ECD from a radiologist's perspective. © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. The full digital presentation is available online.

Objective: Radiomics is a machine-learning method that extracts features from medical images. The objective of the present systematic review was to assess the quality of existing studies that use radiomics methods to predict functional outcomes in patients after acute ischemic stroke., Methods: Studies using radiomics-extracted features to predict functional outcomes among patients with acute ischemic stroke using the modified Rankin Scale were included. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were screened using the terms "radiomics" and "texture" in combination with "stroke." Quality scores were calculated based on Radiomics Quality Score, the IBSI (Image Biomarkers Standardization Initiative), and the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2)., Results: Fourteen studies were included. The median total Radiomics Quality Score was 14.5 (13-16) out of 36. Domains 1, 5, and 6 on protocol quality and stability of imaging and segmentation, level of evidence, and use of open science and data, respectively, were poor. Median IBSI score was 2.5 (1-5) out of 6. Few studies included bias-field correction algorithms, isovoxel resampling, skull stripping, or gray-level discretization. Of 14 studies, none received +6 points, 1 received +5 points, 5 received +4 points, 1 study received +3 points, 5 received +2 points, 2 received +1 points, and none received 0 points. As per the QUADAS-2, 6/14 (42.9%) studies had a risk of bias concern and 0/14 (0%) had applicability concern., Conclusions: The quality of the included studies was low to moderate. With increasing use of radiomics, future studies should attempt to adhere to and report established radiomics quality guidelines., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Sinonasal cancers are uncommon malignancies with a generally unfavorable prognosis, often presenting at an advanced stage. Their high rate of recurrence supports close imaging surveillance and the utilization of functional imaging techniques. Whole-body 18 F-FDG PET/CT has very high sensitivity for the diagnosis of sinonasal malignancies and can also be used as a "metabolic biopsy" in the characterization of some of the more common subgroups of these tumors, though due to overlap in uptake, histological confirmation is still needed. For certain tumor types, radiotracers, such as 11 C-choline, and radiolabeled somatostatin analogs, including 68 Ga-DOTATATE/DOTATOC, have proven useful in treatment planning and surveillance. Although serial scans for posttreatment surveillance allow the detection of subclinical lesions, the optimal schedule and efficacy in terms of survival are yet to be determined. Pitfalls of 18 F-FDG, such as post-surgical and post-radiotherapy crusting and inflammation, may cause false-positive hypermetabolism in the absence of relapse.

A 43-year-old woman presented to the hospital with severe low back pain and paresthesias in the bilateral lower extremities. MRI of the spine revealed spinal subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhage extending from T11 to L5-S1. A diagnostic spinal angiogram demonstrated a dissecting, partially thrombosed aneurysm of the artery of Adamkiewicz.At four weeks from the sentinel event, her symptoms had completely resolved with resolution on imaging.Isolated artery of Adamkiewicz aneurysms, which are most often dissecting, fusiform aneurysms are extremely rare and management controversial., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Spinal cord lesions are traditionally classified as either extradural or intradural extramedullary or of intramedullary origin. Intramedullary spinal cord tumours are histopathologically similar to cranial tumours with a diverse range of pathologies. Astrocytomas and ependymomas account for approximately 80% of all intramedullary tumours, with other primary and secondary lesions accounting for the remaining 20%. Magnetic resonance imaging is the preferred imaging modality for diagnosing and characterising spinal cord lesions; however, accurate characterisation of tumour histology can be challenging, and is further confounded by intramedullary non-neoplastic lesions, such as demyelinating vascular, inflammatory, infectious, or traumatic lesions. This review illustrates the spectrum of intramedullary tumours and tumour mimics with emphasis on the imaging findings., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To present cross-sectional imaging, surgical findings, and follow-up results of diaphragmatic mesothelial cysts., Materials and Methods: Radiological findings for location, size, shape, and internal structure of cysts were reviewed retrospectively. For patients that underwent surgery, surgical reports and laparoscopy images were reviewed. In conservatively managed patients, changes in size and imaging findings of the cyst were assessed during follow-up visits., Results: A total of 13 paediatric cases with an imaging and/or pathological diagnosis of diaphragmatic mesothelial cyst were identified. In all cases, the cystic lesions were located between the diaphragm and the posterolateral aspect of the right lobe of the liver. Eleven lesions (84.6%) had a bi-lobulate shape. Eight of these cases underwent laparoscopic cyst aspiration/unroofing. The postoperative course was uneventful and there were no cases of recurrence. The remaining five cases were managed conservatively with follow-up available in four cases. In three cases (75%), there was reduction in the size of the cysts with a mean volume reduction of 55%., Conclusion: Diaphragmatic mesothelial cysts are congenital cystic lesions that are usually detected incidentally. A common pitfall is incorrect interpretation of the lesion as a hepatic cyst. Conservative management with imaging follow-up can be adopted in asymptomatic cases with typical imaging findings., (Copyright © 2019 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pain is a significant cause of disability in knee osteoarthritis. Conventional radiography is widely used in the assessment of knee osteoarthritis, however radiographic findings do not correlate well with pain. Ultrasonography can be used to evaluate the soft tissue structures of the knee that can be related to pain., Objective: To evaluate pain-related soft tissue structures of the knee with ultrasonography., Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 198 knees from 99 patients with knee osteoarthritis. Knee pain and functional status were evaluated by performing visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). On the ultrasound, cartilaginous thickness, knee effusion and presence of Baker's cyst were assessed and the correlation to pain was investigated., Results: Baker's cyst was significantly more frequent in symptomatic knees (13.9%) compared to asymptomatic knees (2.5%). Patients with Baker's cyst had a significantly more limited degree of knee flexion, significantly higher resting VAS pain scores and worse WOMAC scores compared to patients without Baker's cyst. In log-linear analysis, presence of Baker's cyst increased the risk of pain by 2.94 times., Conclusion: Ultrasound as a modality that is easily accessible, inexpensive and without radiation exposure is helpful to demonstrate factors related to pain in knee osteoarthritis by allowing assessment of soft tissue structures.

Aim: To evaluate the role of superb microvascular imaging along with greyscale and Doppler imaging for thyroid gland evaluation in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) versus control subjects., Materials and Methods: The study included 33 healthy volunteers with normal ultrasound and laboratory findings and 70 patients with HT based on laboratory and sonographic findings who were undergoing follow-up and receiving medical treatment. HT patients were classified based on the modification of the scheme proposed by Sostre and Reyes that incorporates the extent of hypoechoic foci or patchy infiltration as grade A (foci involving <50% of the gland) and B (foci involving >50% of the gland). Thyroid volume, mean resistive indices, peak-systolic and end-diastolic velocities based on Doppler imaging, and vascularity index via superb microvascular imaging were obtained using a Canon Aplio 500 ultrasound device using a linear 10-14 MHz transducer., Results: Patients with HT had significantly higher median thyroid volume and peak-systolic velocities (7.32 ml and 19 cm/s, respectively) compared to control subjects (4.62 ml and 16 cm/s, respectively). HT patients had significantly higher median vascularity index (VI; 13.5%) compared to control subjects (7.95%). A significant fair positive correlation with VI and anti-thyroglobulin antibody levels (r=0.356, p<0.05) and significant moderate positive correlation with VI and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody levels (r=0.503, p<0.05) were found. In HT diagnosis, the optimal VI cut-off value was 10.58% with a sensitivity and specificity of 67.1% and 90%, respectively., Conclusion: Superb microvascular imaging appears to allow assessment of subtle vascularity changes in early HT stages that cannot be detected by Doppler parameters. This technique demonstrates excellent visualization of the microvascular structures and quantitative assessment based on a novel parameter such as VI., (Copyright © 2018 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Serpentine aneurysms are partially thrombosed aneurysms with an eccentrically located tortuous intra-aneurysmal vascular channel. The large size, distinctive neck anatomy, and supply of the brain parenchyma by the outflow tract pose technical challenges in treatment. The aim of this study was to discuss the endovascular treatment results and illustrate the dynamic nature of serpentine aneurysms. Spontaneous transformation of saccular and fusiform aneurysms into serpentine morphology, along with a case of serpentine-into-fusiform aneurysm transformation during follow-up, is presented., Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis from 3 institutions revealed 15 patients with serpentine aneurysms who underwent diagnostic evaluation and endovascular treatment. Nine of the 15 patients underwent endovascular occlusion of the parent vessel with detachable balloon or coils. Six of the 15 patients underwent aneurysm and parent artery occlusion with coiling., Results: In 11 patients, improvement or resolution of symptoms was achieved by an endovascular approach without any treatment-related morbidity. Morbidity related to treatment in the immediate postoperative period was seen in 3 patients, with resolution of the deficits at long-term follow-up in 2 patients and persistence of a mild deficit in 1 patient. Endovascular treatment failed to achieve resolution of symptoms in a case with a basilar tip aneurysm treated by aneurysm coiling., Conclusions: Serpentine aneurysms are dynamic structures with spontaneous transformation possible from a saccular or fusiform shape into a serpentine configuration. An endovascular approach by parent vessel occlusion or intra-aneurysmal occlusion is a successful treatment technique for serpentine aneurysms., (© 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare type of breast cancer that represents approximately 0.04% of all primary breast tumors. We report herein a case of primary breast angiosarcoma that was only visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. The patient presented with a palpable right breast lump that was not visible either on ultrasonography and mammography. MRI showed a lesion of the right breast that presented washout kinetics. MRI-guided biopsy allowed histopathological examination of the tumor that was further confirmed as primary angiosarcoma. Subsequently, MRI guided ROLL (radio-guided occult lesion localization) technique was used for localizing the lesion prior to surgery., (Copyright © 2015 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)