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The advent of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) revolutionized abdominal imaging. In particular, the definitive assessment of CT injection protocols, for the evaluation of the liver parenchyma, is still a critical issue for radiologists. Over the last years, this feature encouraged several authors to address their efforts to find the most accurate delay between the contrast medium injection and the effective scan-start, for the identification and characterization of liver lesions. Technological developments of the present century such as number of slices, submillimetric collimation, and the use of multiple dynamic post-contrast phases per single examination, may all contribute to increase the radiation exposure of single patients. The aim of this review is to propose liver imaging protocols, taking into consideration different clinical needs such as patients with chronic liver disease, healthy patients with focal liver lesion, and oncological patients to minimize radiation exposure. Finally, two recent innovations in MDCT which illustrate the potential application of multi-energy computed tomography (MECT) and perfusion computed tomography (CTp) when evaluating liver parenchyma will be discussed in a short closing paragraph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latest developments of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), which is today considered a real volumetric technique, have revolutionized abdominal imaging. Technological improvements such as higher spatial resolution, larger volume coverage and higher temporal resolution, have reduced scan times allowing CT studies of the abdomen within a single breath-hold. Furthermore, the increased number of slices, the submillimetric collimation, and the use of multiple dynamic post-contrast phases per single examination, may all contribute to increase the radiation exposure of single patients. The aim of this review is to discuss different parameters affecting contrast media enhancement, as vascular enhancement, parenchymal enhancement and timing, in order to minimize the amount of contrast medium injected and the radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the capability of a 3D isotropic MRI T2-weighted sequence (3D T2 ISO) in the depiction of changes of neurovascular bundles (NVBs) after bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). Furthermore, our aim was also to introduce a new MRI classification score of the NVB alteration patterns using the International Index Erectile Function Five-Item (IIEF-5) score as standard of reference. Fifty-three consecutive patients were postoperatively submitted to two MR examinations, including both 2D TSE T2-weighted (2D T2) and 3D T2 ISO sequences. Image findings were scored using a relative five-point classification and correlated with the postoperative IIEF-5 score. Radiologists attributed 13.2% of patients to class 0, 11.3% to class I, 34% to class II, 24.5% to class III, and 16.9% to class IV. With 3D T2 ISO images, the same radiologists determined 43.3% class 0, 32% class I, 11.4% class II, 7.5% class III, and 5.7% class IV. In all cases, the correlation and regression analysis between the 3D T2 ISO and IIEF-5 score resulted in higher coefficients values. The 3D sequence correlated most closely with patients' grading of erectile function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Different surgical techniques (open and arthroscopic) have been described for the treatment of post-traumatic recurrent anterior instability. The aim of the surgery is to restore when possible, normal shoulder anatomy by repairing the underlying pathology responsible for the instability. Sometimes other surgical techniques are indicated. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the long-term clinical and radiographic results and complications of the open Latarjet procedure after a minimum follow-up of 24 years., Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed for 67 patients treated with an open Latarjet procedure in a single center. Forty of these 67 patients returned for follow-up evaluation and clinical/radiological examination during the year 2018, having had a minimum of 24-year follow-up. Clinical outcomes were analyzed using two functional scores, in addition to the ROM and strength assessment. Radiographic evaluation included several views (AP views in neutral, internal and external rotation and a comparative Bernageau view) RESULTS: A total of 40 patients underwent an open Latarjet procedure. All the patients were avaible for follow-up at an average of 25.6 years. Clinically, no patient reported any episode of dislocation at the time of follow-up. The mean Rowe score and the Walch-Duplay score were 84.5 (range 45-100) and 83.5 (range 55-100), respectively. Non-union/fibrous union was reported in 12.5% of cases, partial resorption of the graft was found in 7.5% of cases, while total resorption was found in 5% of cases. Osteoarthritis was identified in 52.5% (21) of the patients., Conclusions: This long-term follow-up study demonstrated that the open Latarjet procedure is a safe and reliable technique for recurrent anterior shoulder instability. The Latarjet procedure provides good long-term stability although associated with a slight limitation in external rotation., Level of Evidence: Level III; retrospective cohort comparison; treatment study.

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term outcomes of rotator cuff repair in the presence of a greater tuberosity cyst (GTC) using a transosseous repair technique., Methods: This study included patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff tear repair with a transosseous technique and were evaluated clinically and by postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 1 year. The inclusion criteria were based on the results of preoperative MRI and were as follows: patients identified as having a repairable full-thickness rotator cuff tear associated with the presence of cystic changes at the tendon insertion site of the greater tuberosity, defined as a GTC involving the footprint area of the torn tendon (supraspinatus and/or infraspinatus tendons)., Results: We evaluated 25 patients. The mean preoperative and postoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores were 39.48 ( P  = .530) and 84.64 ( P  = .035), respectively; Constant shoulder scores, 38.96 ( P < .005) and 80.28 ( P  = .425), respectively; and University of California-Los Angeles shoulder rating scale scores, 10.6 ( P  = .045) and 29.04 ( P  = .315), respectively. The GTC mapping system was easily adopted in all the MRI examinations independently from the quality of the images. The GTCs were mostly located in the superficial anterolateral section of the humeral head and in both the posterolateral sections (superficial and deep)., Conclusions: Arthroscopic transosseous rotator cuff repair led to significant mid-term improvement and satisfactory subjective outcomes with low complication and failure rates in this study. The GTC mapping system could be useful to evaluate GTCs and to aid surgeons in the choice of the best surgical technique., Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series., (© 2020 by the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose  The aim of the present retrospective study is to describe the results obtained at 2-year follow-up by using a porcine dermis-derived collagen membrane implanted as augmentation to treat large rotator cuff tears. Methods  Thirty-five patients in total were included according to the following criteria: large or massive rotator cuff tear, confirmed during surgery, measuring between 3 and 5 cm in width and stage 1 to 2 fatty infiltration documented at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients underwent arthroscopic repair of the cuff augmented by the implantation of a porcine dermal collagen membrane. Patients were evaluated up to 24 months after surgery by the Constant score and MRI imaging to assess functional outcomes and re-tear rate. The results obtained were compared to those of a matched cohort of 35 patients operated by arthroscopic repair alone by the same surgical team. Results  The application of the porcine membrane proved to be safe without scaffold-related adverse events documented. A statistically significant difference in the Constant score in favor of the treatment group was documented at the final evaluation ( p  = 0.036 ). Furthermore, a subgroup analysis revealed that patients treated by augmentation and presenting re-tear at MRI showed a significantly higher functional outcome compared with control patients with MRI evidence of re-tear ( p  = 0.0136). Conclusion  Arthroscopic repair augmented by porcine dermal xenograft for the treatment of chronic and retracted rotator cuff tears with low-grade fatty degeneration proved to be safe and also effective, with higher functional score compared with the arthroscopic repair alone. Level of Evidence  This is a Level III, retrospective cohort study.

All-arthroscopic anchorless transosseous suture techniques combine the advantages of the open transosseous repair with the benefits of arthroscopic technique. However, all the techniques described until now are very complex, difficult to reproduce and associated with an increased surgical time. The authors developed a novel all-arthroscopic anchorless transosseous suture technique easy to perform and to reproduce. This procedure maximizes the tendon-footprint contact area obtaining both medial and lateral fixation without using any device, employing only 1 suture tape so to avoiding the risk of suture twist. The preparation of two transosseous tunnels is very easily and safely performed thanks to a dedicated instrument. The procedure is described in details. Moreover, the preliminary favorable results after a minimum follow-up of 12 months are reported.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic value of computed tomography perfusion (CTp) of prostate in distinguishing between normal tissue and malignant lesion by using quantitative threshold values of CTp parameters., Materials and Methods: Sixty-one consecutive men with indication for radical prostatectomy were prospectively enrolled. All patients were intravenously injected with 80-mL bolus of nonionic iodinated contrast medium during cine-mode acquisition protocol. Perfusion data sets were analyzed by a dedicated software system and values for each of the 4 CTp parameters (blood volume, blood flow, mean transit time, and permeability surface-area product measurements) were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to find which CTp parameter and which cutoff value might reveal the best diagnostic accuracy. Histopathology was used as reference standard., Results: Statistical correlation between radiological and pathological results was performed on 48 patients using 3456 segmented squares. Blood volume and permeability surface revealed the best diagnostic accuracy for differentiating between malignant and benign squares, with cutoff values of 6.1 and 16.5, respectively, and a sensitivity of 84.8% and 81.8%, respectively. All parameters showed also a high negative predictive value: 97.1% for blood volume and 95.4% for permeability surface., Conclusions: Blood volume and permeability surface are the 2 CTp parameters with the highest diagnostic accuracy in differentiating between normal tissue and prostatic neoplasia. Due to the extremely high negative predictive value, they are particularly valuable in excluding the presence of cancer and thus resulting potentially useful in assessing cancer response to adjuvant therapy.

Background. Acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation is a common shoulder problem. However, information about the basic epidemiological features of this condition is scarce. The aim of this study is to analyze the epidemiology of isolated AC dislocation in an urban population. Materials and Methods. A retrospective database search was performed to identify all patients with an AC dislocation over a 5-year period. Gender, age, affected side and traumatic mechanism were taken into account. X-rays were reviewed by two of the authors and dislocations were classified according to the Rockwood's criteria. Results. A total of 108 patients, with a mean age of 37.5 years were diagnosed with AC dislocation. 105 (97.2%) had an isolated AC dislocation, and 3 (2.8%) were associated with a clavicle fracture. The estimated incidence was 1.8 per 10000 inhabitants per year and the male-female ratio was 8.5 : 1. 50.5% of all dislocations occurred in individuals between the ages of 20 and 39 years. The most common traumatic mechanism was sport injury and the most common type of dislocation was Rockwood type III. Conclusions. Age between 20 and 39 years and male sex represent significant demographic risk factors for AC dislocation.

Objective: The aim of our study was to correlate perfusion MDCT parameters and immunohistochemical markers of angiogenesis in prostate cancer., Subjects and Methods: Twenty-two patients scheduled for radical surgical prostatectomy because of biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent perfusion CT on a 64-MDCT scanner. Eight contiguous 5-mm sections were acquired at 1-second intervals for 45 seconds followed by three additional scans every 10 seconds after the administration of 80 mL of iodinated contrast medium (350 mg I/mL). Blood volume, blood flow, mean transit time, and permeability surface-area product were calculated, dividing each slice into nine square regions. Values obtained were correlated with the mean microvessel density (MVD) and mean vascular area of corresponding areas on histologic macrosections., Results: The mean values of the perfusion parameters detected on all square fields of patients with prostate cancer, benign hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, and healthy tissue were, respectively, 18.36 ± 6.30, 19.49 ± 8.46, 19.67 ± 11.44, and 20.32 ± 4.53 mL/min/100 g for blood flow; 8.45 ± 2.75, 6.21 ± 4.32, 4.94 ± 2.31, and 5.44 ± 2.67 mL/100 mg for blood volume; 19.19 ± 4.45, 18.74 ± 4.91, 16.24 ± 4.12, and 16.37 ± 4.83 seconds for mean transit time; and 26.34 ± 11.88, 18.67 ± 9.15, 18.08 ± 7.72, and 19.93 ± 7.22 mL/min/100 g for permeability surface-area product. Both blood volume and the permeability surface-area product of cancerous squares showed the highest correlation with mean MVD and mean vascular area (0.618 [p < 0.01] and 0.614 [p < 0.01], respectively) and the highest area under the curve (0.769 and 0.708)., Conclusion: Our results show that blood volume and permeability surface-area product measurements obtained with perfusion CT have the highest correlation with immunohistochemical markers of angiogenesis in prostate cancer.

Purpose: To determine the optimal 64-multidetector-row computed tomography scan delay from bolus-tracking trigger for the arterial phase and the evaluation of vascularization in healthy liver., Materials and Methods: One hundred twenty patients are randomized into 3 groups according to scan delay (5-, 10-, 15-second arterial phase) and underwent CT of the liver. Images were evaluated on the basis of quantitative and qualitative scores. A correlation analysis between them was managed to find the most effective scan delay for best radiologists' diagnostically performances., Results: Scanning too early results in images that are acquired before the vascular peak enhancement while scanning to late results in the increasing of liver parenchyma portal feeding. Good performances were obtained with a scan delay ranging between 10 and 19 seconds from the trigger., Conclusions: When a 64-multidetector-row computed tomography with a bolus-tracking program is used, only 1 arterial phase should be acquired, setting a scan delay of 10 to 19 seconds.

Multivariate analysis has been applied on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data of patients with different prostatic diseases such as chronic inflammation, fibrosis and adenocarcinoma. Multivariate analysis offers a global view of the entire range of information coming from both the imaging and spectroscopic side of NMR technology, leading to an integrated picture of the system relying upon the entire metabolic and dynamic profile of the studied samples. In this study, we show how this approach, applied to (1)H-MRSI/DCE-MRI results, allows us to differentiate among the various prostatic diseases in a non-invasive way with a 100% accuracy. These findings suggest that multivariate analysis of (1)H-MRSI/DCE-MRI can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy for these pathological entities. From a more theoretical point of view, the complementation of a single biomarker approach with an integrated picture of the entire metabolic and dynamic profile allows for a more realistic appreciation of pathological entities.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR (DCEMR) in the depiction of local prostate cancer recurrence in patients with biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy (RP)., Materials and Methods: 1H-MRSI and DCEMR were performed in 70 patients at high risk of local recurrence after RP. The population was divided on the basis of the clinical validation of MR results with the use of a transrectal ultrasound biopsy examination in a group of 50 patients (group A) and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum level restitution after external beam radiotherapy, in a group of 20 patients (group B)., Results: In group A, 1H-MRSI analysis alone showed a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 88%; the DCEMR analysis alone, a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 94%; combined 1HMRSI-DCEMR, a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 94%. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for 1HMRSI, DCEMR, and combined 1HMRSI /DCEMR were 0.942, 0.93,1 and 0.964, respectively. In group B, 1HMRSI alone showed a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 83%; DCEMR, a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 100%; combined 1HMRSI and DCEMR, a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 100%. Areas under the ROC curve for each of these groups were 0.81, 0.923, and 0.94, respectively., Conclusion: Our results show that combined 1H-MRSI and DCMRE is an accurate method to identify local prostate cancer recurrence in patients with biochemical progression after RP.