Contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography Scan Research Articles

Isoprognostic functional CT map for open partial horizontal laryngectomy.

To identify a radiological map of laryngeal subsites whose involvement by the tumor could predict patients' functional outcomes after open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL). The present retrospective analysis concerned 96 patients with glottic squamous cell carcinoma, who were radiologically staged with contrast-enhanced neck CT scans before undergoing supracricoid or supratracheal laryngectomy. A radiological map of patients' functional risk was developed by considering the distribution of functional outcomes in relation to the laryngeal subsites involved. The functional outcomes considered were: (i) decannulation at discharge; (ii) time to removal of the nasogastric feeding tube (NFT); (iii) postoperative complication rate; and (iv) length of hospital stay. Involvement of the anterior supraglottis was related to a longer need for NFT, and a longer hospital stay (p = 0.003, and p = 0.003, respectively). Involvement of the posterior glottis negatively affected the time to decannulation, and the likelihood of postoperative complications (p = 0.000, and p = 0.002, respectively). Anterior glottic small tumors (without significant subglottic and/or supraglottic extension) are related to the best functional outcomes after OPHL, since the suprahyoid epiglottis and both the arytenoids are likely to be spared.

Development of Clinical Radiomics-Based Models to Predict Survival Outcome in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

This multicenter retrospective study aims to identify reliable clinical and radiomic features to build machine learning models that predict progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Between 2010 and 2020 pre-treatment contrast-enhanced CT scans of 287 pathology-confirmed PDAC patients from two sites of the Hopital Universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB) and from 47 hospitals within the HUB network were retrospectively analysed. Demographic, clinical, and survival data were also collected. Gross tumour volume (GTV) and non-tumoral pancreas (RPV) were semi-manually segmented and radiomics features were extracted. Patients from two HUB sites comprised the training dataset, while those from the remaining 47 hospitals of the HUB network constituted the testing dataset. A three-step method was used for feature selection. Based on the GradientBoostingSurvivalAnalysis classifier, different machine learning models were trained and tested to predict OS and PFS. Model performances were assessed using the C-index and Kaplan-Meier curves. SHAP analysis was applied to allow for post hoc interpretability. A total of 107 radiomics features were extracted from each of the GTV and RPV. Fourteen subgroups of features were selected: clinical, GTV, RPV, clinical & GTV, clinical & GTV & RPV, GTV-volume and RPV-volume both for OS and PFS. Subsequently, 14 Gradient Boosting Survival Analysis models were trained and tested. In the testing dataset, the clinical & GTV model demonstrated the highest performance for OS (C-index: 0.72) among all other models, while for PFS, the clinical model exhibited a superior performance (C-index: 0.70). An integrated approach, combining clinical and radiomics features, excels in predicting OS, whereas clinical features demonstrate strong performance in PFS prediction.

Thyroid abscess presenting as a discharging sinus: a case report

BackgroundIt is unusual to get an isolated thyroid abscess. Thyroid abscess or acute suppurative thyroiditis accounts for 0.7–1% of all instances of thyroid diseases. The thyroid gland typically has a high level of iodine, a well-enveloped capsule, and resistance to infections. The diagnosis and treatment of this unusual entity are covered in this paper.Case presentation.An adult male patient presented with anterior neck swelling for 15 days and pus discharge for 2 days. The neck ultrasound revealed characteristics that could indicate a thyroid abscess. The thyroid function test and other laboratory data were within normal bounds. A neck contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan was performed, and it only revealed a single thyroid abscess and no other abnormalities. After starting the patient on intravenous antibiotics, the abscess was incised and drained. The patient’s symptoms got better.ConclusionIn the era of advanced antibiotics incidence of thyroid abscess is extremely rare. Early diagnosis and intervention may improve the outcome of this condition. Knowledge of disease and its potential complications can prevent morbidity.

Increased lesion detectability in patients with locally advanced breast cancer—A pilot study using dynamic whole-body [18F]FDG PET/CT

BackgroundAccurate diagnosis of axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases is essential for prognosis and treatment planning in breast cancer. Evaluation of ALN is done by ultrasound, which is limited by inter-operator variability, and by sentinel lymph node biopsy and/or ALN dissection, none of which are without risks and/or long-term complications. It is known that conventional 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has limited sensitivity for ALN metastases. However, a recently developed dynamic whole-body (D-WB) [18F]FDG PET/CT scanning protocol, allowing for imaging of tissue [18F]FDG metabolic rate (MRFDG), has been shown to have the potential to increase lesion detectability. The study purpose was to examine detectability of malignant lesions in D-WB [18F]FDG PET/CT compared to conventional [18F]FDG PET/CT.ResultsThis study prospectively included ten women with locally advanced breast cancer who were referred for an [18F]FDG PET/CT as part of their diagnostic work-up. They all underwent D-WB [18F]FDG PET/CT, consisting of a 6 min single bed dynamic scan over the chest region started at the time of tracer injection, a 64 min dynamic WB PET scan consisting of 16 continuous bed motion passes, and finally a contrast-enhanced CT scan, with generation of MRFDG parametric images. Lesion visibility was assessed by tumor-to-background and contrast-to-noise ratios using volumes of interest isocontouring tumors with a set limit of 50% of SUVmax and background volumes placed in the vicinity of tumors. Lesion visibility was best in the MRFDG images, with target-to-background values 2.28 (95% CI: 2.04–2.54) times higher than target-to-background values in SUV images, and contrast-to-noise values 1.23 (95% CI: 1.12–1.35) times higher than contrast-to-noise values in SUV images. Furthermore, five imaging experts visually assessed the images and three additional suspicious lesions were found in the MRFDG images compared to SUV images; one suspicious ALN, one suspicious parasternal lymph node, and one suspicious lesion located in the pelvic bone.ConclusionsD-WB [18F]FDG PET/CT with MRFDG images show potential for improved lesion detectability compared to conventional SUV images in locally advanced breast cancer. Further validation in larger cohorts is needed.Clinical trial registrationThe trial is registered in clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05110443, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05110443?term=NCT05110443&rank=1.

Diagnostic and therapeutic approach to abdominal masses in a country with limited resources

ObjectiveTo report the diagnostic and therapeutic approach for the management of abdominal masses in the General Surgery department of the Niamey General Reference Hospital (HGR).Materials and methodsThis were a retrospective and preliminary study of 2 years and 3 months on patients operated for abdominal masses in the General Surgery department of the HGR. A palpable mass and/or its size on imaging (40 mm) were the inclusion criteria.ResultsAbdominal masses accounted for 6.7% (n = 53) of other pathologies. The average age of the patients was 41.26 years, with a standard deviation of 14.2 and a female predominance of 75.5% (n = 40) with a sex ratio of 0.32. The abdominal mass was clinically palpable in 75.5% (n = 40). Abdominal pelvic ultrasound was performed as a first step in all patients and in 75.5% (n = 40) it specified the origin of the mass. Contrast-enhanced abdomino-pelvic CT scan, performed in 52.8% of patients (n = 28) and in 89.3% (n = 25) specified the preoperative diagnosis. The most frequent etiologies were uterine fibroids, 35.8% (n = 19). In 5.6% (n = 3) the diagnosis was not precise preoperatively despite the two imaging studies, and these patients had underwent exploratory laparotomy. Surgery was the initial therapeutic approach for all patients, and laparoscopy accounted for 22.6% (n = 12). Postoperative complications occurred in 7.5% (n = 11). The death rate was 5.6% of cases (n = 3).ConclusionImaging remains important in the etiological research for abdominal masses. Definitive treatment remains surgical; mortality would be linked to the malignant nature and the significant volume of the mass.

Contrast-enhanced CT in the differential diagnosis of bladder cancer and paraganglioma.

We sought to summarize the value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in the differential diagnosis of bladder paraganglioma (BPG) and bladder cancer. The medical records of 19 patients with BPG (13 males, 6 females) and 56 patients with bladder cancer (49 males, 7 females) between November 2007 and June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT scanning. Patient age (46.4 ± 11.1years vs. 58.6 ± 16.0years), tumor calcification (1/19 vs. 18/56), stalk (0/19 vs. 10/56), internal vessels (15/19 vs. 19/56) and the enlarged adjacent supplying artery (14/19 vs. 10/56) were significantly different between BPG and bladder cancer (P < 0.05). The CT value in the corticomedullary phase (92.4 ± 16.6HU vs. 64.0 ± 14.5HU) and the contrast-enhanced value in the corticomedullary phase (54.5 ± 17.4HU vs. 28.5 ± 12.8HU) were significantly greater in BPG patients than in bladder cancer patients (P < 0.001), with corresponding area under the curve values of 0.930 and 0.912, respectively. The optimal cutoff values were 83.2HU and 38.5HU, respectively. A CT value > 83.2HU in the corticomedullary phase and a contrast-enhanced CT value > 38.5 HU in the corticomedullary phase were used to indicate BPG with sensitivities of 78.9% and 89.5%, respectively, and specificities of 94.6% and 75.0%, respectively. The corticomedullary phase of CECT plays an important role in the preoperative differential diagnosis of BPG and bladder cancer.

Spontaneous idiopathic liver hemorrhage: a systematic review of a rare entity.

Spontaneous idiopathic liver hemorrhage (SILH) is a rare life-threatening condition occurring without a clear and specific etiology. A systematic review was performed to provide guidelines for the perioperative management of patients affected by SILH. A case report was also included. A systematic search of the last 24-year literature was conducted and the manuscript was structured following point-by-point the PRISMA guidelines. After an initial selection of 6995 titles, 15 articles were considered for the final qualitative analysis (n = 22 patients, including the present report). Conservative treatment was chosen in 12 cases (54.5%) with stable clinical conditions, while 9 patients (40.9%) required a primary operative approach for emergency presentation at diagnosis. Direct liver resection was the preferred surgical treatment (n = 6), mostly major hepatectomies (n = 4). Hepatic arterial embolization was performed as the primary operative approach in three patients, followed by emergency laparotomy during the same hospitalization because of rebleeding in one case. Contrast-enhanced CT scan was the gold standard for diagnosis (n = 19). Conservative treatment of SILH is mainly based on stable clinical conditions and may be considered even in case of a limited arterial blush found on imaging. The absence of underlying hepatic or systemic disorders seems to correlate with favorable outcomes and no mortality.

Anatomical attention can help to segment the dilated pancreatic duct in abdominal CT

PurposePancreatic duct dilation is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, the most lethal malignancy with the lowest 5-year relative survival rate. Automatic segmentation of the dilated pancreatic duct from contrast-enhanced CT scans would facilitate early diagnosis. However, pancreatic duct segmentation poses challenges due to its small anatomical structure and poor contrast in abdominal CT. In this work, we investigate an anatomical attention strategy to address this issue.MethodsOur proposed anatomical attention strategy consists of two steps: pancreas localization and pancreatic duct segmentation. The coarse pancreatic mask segmentation is used to guide the fully convolutional networks (FCNs) to concentrate on the pancreas’ anatomy and disregard unnecessary features. We further apply a multi-scale aggregation scheme to leverage the information from different scales. Moreover, we integrate the tubular structure enhancement as an additional input channel of FCN.ResultsWe performed extensive experiments on 30 cases of contrast-enhanced abdominal CT volumes. To evaluate the pancreatic duct segmentation performance, we employed four measurements, including the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), sensitivity, normalized surface distance, and 95 percentile Hausdorff distance. The average DSC achieves 55.7%, surpassing other pancreatic duct segmentation methods on single-phase CT scans only.ConclusionsWe proposed an anatomical attention-based strategy for the dilated pancreatic duct segmentation. Our proposed strategy significantly outperforms earlier approaches. The attention mechanism helps to focus on the pancreas region, while the enhancement of the tubular structure enables FCNs to capture the vessel-like structure. The proposed technique might be applied to other tube-like structure segmentation tasks within targeted anatomies.

Just give the contrast? Appraisal of guidelines on intravenous iodinated contrast media use in patients with kidney disease

ObjectiveTo appraise the quality of guidelines on intravenous iodinated contrast media (ICM) use in patients with kidney disease, and to compare the recommendations among them.MethodsWe searched four literature databases, eight guideline libraries, and ten homepages of radiological societies to identify English and Chinese guidelines on intravenous ICM use in patients with kidney disease published between January 2018 and June 2023. The quality of the guidelines was assessed with the Scientific, Transparent, and Applicable Rankings (STAR) tool.ResultsTen guidelines were included, with a median STAR score of 46.0 (range 28.5–61.5). The guidelines performed well in “Recommendations” domain (31/40, 78%), while poor in “Registry” (0/20, 0%) and “Protocol” domains (0/20, 0%). Nine guidelines recommended estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 as the cutoff for referring patients to discuss the risk-benefit balance of ICM administration. Three guidelines further suggested that patients with an eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 and high-risk factors also need referring. Variable recommendations were seen in the acceptable time interval between renal function test and ICM administration, and that between scan and repeated scan. Nine guidelines recommended to use iso-osmolar or low-osmolar ICM, while no consensus has been reached for the dosing of ICM. Nine guidelines supported hydration after ICM use, but their protocols varied. Drugs or blood purification therapy were not recommended as preventative means.ConclusionGuidelines on intravenous ICM use in patients with kidney disease have heterogeneous quality. The scientific societies may consider joint statements on controversial recommendations for variable timing and protocols.Critical relevance statementThe heterogeneous quality of guidelines, and their controversial recommendations, leave gaps in workflow timing, dosing, and post-administration hydration protocols of contrast-enhanced CT scans for patients with kidney diseases, calling for more evidence to establish a safer and more practicable workflow.Key points• Guidelines concerning iodinated contrast media use in kidney disease patients vary.• Controversy remains in workflow timing, contrast dosing, and post-administration hydration protocols.• Investigations are encouraged to establish a safer iodinated contrast media use workflow.Graphical

Evaluating aortomesenteric parameters in a tertiary center of Nepal for superior mesenteric artery syndrome diagnosis and risk factors: cross-sectional study.

This study examines aortomesenteric angle (AMA) and distance (AMD), which are critical in superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome. Addressing the scarcity of SMA cases, the research explores potential links with lower BMI and aims to establish normative data for diagnostic and predictive purposes, using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans across various BMI and sex categories. A retrospective quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 189 patients undergoing abdominal contrast-enhanced CT scans between December 2019 and December 2020. Ethical clearance was obtained, and participants provided informed consent. Exclusion criteria targeted specific medical histories. Patient demographics, BMI categories, and imaging data were recorded. Helical 128-slice CT scans were employed, with sagittal-oblique multiplanar reconstructions for parameter assessments. Statistical analysis utilized SPSS 26.0, including Pearson correlation coefficients and mean calculations. The study reveals a mean AMA of 54.07°±8.53° and a mean distance of 16.25±3.44 mm. Elevated BMI is found to positively correlate with AMA and distance, indicating that higher BMI values may augment these parameters, with an additional positive correlation observed between AMA and distance. No significant correlations are found with patient age or sex. The study concludes that decreased BMI may pose a potential risk for SMA syndrome, as evidenced by the observed correlations with aortomesenteric parameters. Understanding these normal values in the Nepalese population is critical for accurate diagnoses and predictions using CT scans. The research highlights the impact of demographic factors on these parameters and emphasizes their significance in clinical assessments related to SMA syndrome.

Preoperatively predicting vessels encapsulating tumor clusters in hepatocellular carcinoma: Machine learning model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Recently, vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) was considered as a distinct pattern of tumor vascularization which can primarily facilitate the entry of the whole tumor cluster into the bloodstream in an invasion independent manner, and was regarded as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To develop and validate a preoperative nomogram using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) to predict the presence of VETC+ in HCC. We retrospectively evaluated 190 patients with pathologically confirmed HCC who underwent CECT scanning and immunochemical staining for cluster of differentiation 34 at two medical centers. Radiomics analysis was conducted on intratumoral and peritumoral regions in the portal vein phase. Radiomics features, essential for identifying VETC+ HCC, were extracted and utilized to develop a radiomics model using machine learning algorithms in the training set. The model's performance was validated on two separate test sets. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to compare the identified performance of three models in predicting the VETC status of HCC on both training and test sets. The most predictive model was then used to constructed a radiomics nomogram that integrated the independent clinical-radiological features. ROC and decision curve analysis were used to assess the performance characteristics of the clinical-radiological features, the radiomics features and the radiomics nomogram. The study included 190 individuals from two independent centers, with the majority being male (81%) and a median age of 57 years (interquartile range: 51-66). The area under the curve (AUC) for the combined radiomics features selected from the intratumoral and peritumoral areas were 0.825, 0.788, and 0.680 in the training set and the two test sets. A total of 13 features were selected to construct the Rad-score. The nomogram, combining clinical-radiological and combined radiomics features could accurately predict VETC+ in all three sets, with AUC values of 0.859, 0.848 and 0.757. Decision curve analysis revealed that the radiomics nomogram was more clinically useful than both the clinical-radiological feature and the combined radiomics models. This study demonstrates the potential utility of a CECT-based radiomics nomogram, incorporating clinical-radiological features and combined radiomics features, in the identification of VETC+ HCC.

Diagnostic performance of photon-counting detector CT for differentiation between adrenal adenomas and metastases

ObjectivesAim of this study was to assess the value of virtual non-contrast (VNC) reconstructions in differentiating between adrenal adenomas and metastases on a photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT).Material and methodsPatients with adrenal masses and contrast-enhanced CT scans in portal venous phase were included. Image reconstructions were performed, including conventional VNC (VNCConv) and PureCalcium VNC (VNCPC), as well as virtual monochromatic images (VMI, 40–90 keV) and iodine maps. We analyzed images using semi-automatic segmentation of adrenal lesions and extracted quantitative data. Logistic regression models, non-parametric tests, Bland–Altman plots, and a random forest classifier were used for statistical analyses.ResultsThe final study cohort consisted of 90 patients (36 female, mean age 67.8 years [range 39–87]) with adrenal lesions (45 adenomas, 45 metastases). Compared to metastases, adrenal adenomas showed significantly lower CT-values in VNCConv and VNCPC (p = 0.007). Mean difference between VNC and true non-contrast (TNC) was 17.67 for VNCConv and 14.85 for VNCPC. Random forest classifier and logistic regression models both identified VNCConv and VNCPC as the best discriminators. When using 26 HU as the threshold in VNCConv reconstructions, adenomas could be discriminated from metastases with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 75.6%.ConclusionVNC algorithms overestimate CT values compared to TNC in the assessment of adrenal lesions. However, they allow a reliable discrimination between adrenal adenomas and metastases and could be used in clinical routine in near future with an increased threshold (e.g., 26 HU). Further (multi-center) studies with larger patient cohorts and standardized protocols are required.Clinical relevance statementVNC reconstructions overestimate CT values compared to TNC. Using a different threshold (e.g., 26 HU compared to the established 10 HU), VNC has a high diagnostic accuracy for the discrimination between adrenal adenomas and metastases.Key Points• Virtual non-contrast reconstructions may be promising tools to differentiate adrenal lesions and might save further diagnostic tests.• The conventional and a new calcium-preserving virtual non-contrast algorithm tend to systematically overestimate CT-values compared to true non-contrast images.• Therefore, increasing the established threshold for true non-contrast images (e.g., 10HU) may help to differentiate between adrenal adenomas and metastases on contrast-enhanced CT.

A Rare Case of Bilateral Second Arch Branchial Fistulae; A Case Report.

Branchial arch anomalies are considered congenital defects that can occur during fetal development. They may present as cysts, sinuses, or fistulae. Anomalies of the second branchial arch are the most common. The existence of bilateral complete fistulae is exceptionally rare. In this case report, a 5-year-old boy presented with recurrent episodes of bilateral neck swelling and watery discharge from openings on the anterolateral sides of his neck since birth. He was diagnosed with bilateral branchial fistulae after confirmation via a contrast-enhanced CT scan. Surgery was performed to entirely excise the fistula tracts bilaterally. Additionally, a bilateral tonsillectomy was performed to help prevent recurrence.

Analysis of the Accuracy of the Modified CT Severity Index in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

To evaluate the accuracy of the modified CT severity index (MCTSI) in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis and to prognosticate the clinical outcomes. The study was conducted at a tertiary health center between January 2021 and June 2023. A total of 150 consecutive patients with clinical/laboratory features suggestive of acute pancreatitis were included in the study and underwent a contrast-enhanced CT scan within 24 hours of admission. Based on their MCTSI score, these patients had conservative or surgical/endoscopic treatment. Clinical outcomes were assessed in terms of recovery, development of complications, or death. The receiver operating characteristic curve and descriptive statistics were computed to determine the sensitivity and specificity. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL), and an attempt was made to evaluate the accuracy of MCTSI in predicting these clinical outcomes. The mean age of patients in our study was 49.21 ± 11.02 years. Out of the 150 included patients, 103 were men and 47 were women. Compared to 11.68% of severe acute pancreatitis patients who died, 88.32% recovered. The area under the curve was determined as 0.865, based on which the MCTSI score predicted acute pancreatitis clinical outcome with 64% sensitivity and 92% specificity. The MCTSI demonstrated value in predicting clinical outcomes with a p-value of 0.043 ± 0.012 (p < 0.05) in the recovered patients while p = 0.032 ± 0.012 for patients who succumbed. The p-value for MCTSI in predicting complications was p = 0.0012 ± 0.0008 (p < 0.05). Our study was able to demonstrate the high level of accuracy of the MCTSI score in predicting complications and clinical outcomes, especially in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. The MCTSI serves as a valuable asset in the preliminary evaluation of acute pancreatitis, thereby facilitating appropriate management.

Ectopic epipericardial fat necrosis: a case report

BackgroundEpipericardial fat necrosis (EFN) is a rare disease in which local inflammation and necrosis occur in the adipose tissue surrounding the heart, particularly epicardial fat. Few cases of EFN in which surgical resection was performed have been reported. We report a case of EFN after surgical resection of a right extrapulmonary tumor, in which a malignant disease could not be excluded.Case presentationA 75-year-old male patient presented with fever and chest pain. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the chest revealed a lesion, 53 × 48 mm in size, with mixed fatty density spanning the middle and lower lobes of the right lung. Thoracic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass with mixed fat and soft tissue density in the same area; the lesion was contiguous with pericardial fatty tissue. The tumor was diagnosed as a liposarcoma or teratocarcinoma based on imaging results; however, the possibility of lung cancer could not be excluded. Finally, EFN was diagnosed based on the postoperative histopathological examination. The patient underwent surgical resection of the suspected right extrapulmonary tumor. The intraoperative findings revealed a mediastinal mass contiguous with pericardial fat located between the middle and lower lobes. Intraoperative pathological examination of the lesion was performed using a needle biopsy; however, no definitive diagnosis was made. The tumor may have invaded the middle lobe of the right lung, and partial resection of the right lower lobe was performed in addition to resection of the middle lobe of the right lung. The patient was followed up every 3 months without adjuvant therapy. No recurrence was reported at 1 year after surgery.ConclusionEFN should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an extrapulmonary tumor when continuity with the pericardial space is observed on MRI or other imaging studies. Surgical resection is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of EFNs. Preoperative three-dimensional reconstructive imaging and MRI should be used to identify vascular structures and confirm the continuity of the lesion with the surrounding tissues to ensure safe and rapid tumor removal.

Policies and Practices Regarding Preparative Fasting for Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography: A Nationwide Survey.

To evaluate current policies and practices regarding preparative fasting before contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and the knowledge and attitudes of radiology head nurses. 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. 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. 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.

Abstract B020: A clinically relevant orthotopic endometrial carcinosarcoma mouse model using human patient-derived organoids

Abstract Uterine carcinosarcoma (CS) is a rare but aggressive endometrial malignancy. The incidence of CS has been increasing and is projected to continue to rise. African American women in particular have an increased incidence of CS and overall increased mortality related to endometrial cancer, underscoring known disparities in cancer care across racial and ethnic groups. Compared to other histologic subtypes, CS remains rare and understudied on a molecular and cellular basis, and under-represented in clinical trials. Therefore, current treatment therapies available for CS have been extrapolated from treatments used in other histologies of endometrial cancer, highlighting a significant need for effective treatment targeted at this subtype. Due to this paucity of data surrounding targeted therapies for CS, patients who are diagnosed with this aggressive and lethal cancer tend to have worse outcomes. We have developed a clinically relevant CS murine model by injecting human CS patient-derived organoids (PDO) from diverse ancestries into the endometrium of immunocompromised mice. Tumor progression in the mice was monitored with physical examination, PET/CT scan, contrast enhanced CT scan, ultrasound, and bioluciferase imaging. The tumor was established after three months, and the mice were sacrificed following the experiment. The diagnosis of invasive CS was confirmed by macroscopic and histologic analyses in the orthotopic model. Our orthotopic CS PDO transplantation model has many potential applications for studying tumor biology of CS in the pre-clinical setting. Future directions include trialing the efficacy of standard of care chemotherapy in the orthotopic model. Using this model, we aim to identify targeted therapy for CS and potentially advance to Phase I human clinical trials. Citation Format: Megan Gorman, Divya Gowthaman, Arielle Katcher, Charlie Chung, Brian Yueh, Mali Barbi, Libia Garcia, Marina Frimer, Gary L. Goldberg, Semir Beyaz. A clinically relevant orthotopic endometrial carcinosarcoma mouse model using human patient-derived organoids [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Endometrial Cancer: Transforming Care through Science; 2023 Nov 16-18; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2024;30(5_Suppl):Abstract nr B020.

Texture analysis of 18F-FDG PET/CT and CECT: Prediction of refractoriness of Hodgkin lymphoma with mediastinal bulk involvement.

To recognize patients at high risk of refractory disease, the identification of novel prognostic parameters improving stratification of newly diagnosed Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is still needed. This study investigates the potential value of metabolic and texture features, extracted from baseline 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET) and Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography scan (CECT), together with clinical data, in predicting first-line therapy refractoriness (R) of classical HL (cHL) with mediastinal bulk involvement. We reviewed 69 cHL patients who underwent staging PET and CECT. Lesion segmentation and texture parameter extraction were performed using the freeware software LIFEx 6.3. The prognostic significance of clinical and imaging features was evaluated in relation to the development of refractory disease. Receiver operating characteristic curve, Cox proportional hazard regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to examine the potential independent predictors and to evaluate their prognostic value. Among clinical characteristics, only stage according to the German Hodgkin Group (GHSG) classification system significantly differed between R and not-R. Among CECT variables, only parameters derived from second order matrices (gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and gray-level run length matrix (GLRLM) demonstrated significant prognostic power. Among PET variables, SUVmean, several variables derived from first (histograms, shape), and second order analyses (GLCM, GLRLM, NGLDM) exhibited significant predictive power. Such variables obtained accuracies greater than 70% at receiver operating characteristic analysis and their PFS curves resulted statistically significant in predicting refractoriness. At multivariate analysis, only HISTO_EntropyPET extracted from PET (HISTO_EntropyPET ) and GHSG stage resulted as significant independent predictors. Their combination identified 4 patient groups with significantly different PFS curves, with worst prognosis in patients with higher HISTO_EntropyPET values, regardless of the stage. Imaging radiomics may provide a reference for prognostic evaluation of patients with mediastinal bulky cHL. The best prognostic value in the prediction of R versus not-R disease was reached by combining HISTO_EntropyPET with GHSG stage.

Hepatic Involvement in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma: A Descriptive Analysis on CT, MRI, and Ultrasound.

To retrospectively analyse the different imaging manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated hepatic Kaposi's sarcoma (AIDS-HKS) on CT, MRI, and Ultrasound. Eight patients were enrolled in the study. Laboratory tests of liver function were performed. The CT, MRI, and Ultrasound manifestations were reviewed by two radiologists and two sonographers, respectively. The distribution and imaging signs of AIDS-HKS were evaluated. AIDS-HKS patients commonly presented multiple lesions, mainly distributed around the portal vein on CT, MRI, and Ultrasound. AIDS-HKS presented as ring enhancement in the arterial phase on contrast-enhanced CT and MRI scanning, and nodules gradually strengthen in the portal venous phase and the delayed phase. AIDS-HKS presented as intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and bile duct wall thickening around the lesion. Five patients (62.5%, 5/8) were followed up. After chemotherapy, the lesions were completely relieved (60.0%), or decreased (40.0%). AIDS-HKS presented as multiple nodular lesions with different imaging features. The combination of different imaging methods was helpful for the imaging diagnosis of AIDS-HKS.

A case of late-onset bleeding from an intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm after hemostasis using soft coagulation

BackgroundThe use of soft coagulation is becoming common in thoracic surgery. Soft coagulation provides rapid hemostasis from small vessels during surgery by dehydrating tissue and denaturing proteins, without burning the tissue.Case presentationA 68-year-old man, with a history of right lower lobectomy 3 years prior, underwent a partial resection of the right upper lobe for a pulmonary nodule suspicious for secondary lung cancer. During the surgery, dissection of the adhesion caused a bleeding from the 6th intercostal artery, and hemostasis was achieved using soft coagulation (some degree of tissue carbonization was noticed at later mortality and morbidity conference). He experienced hemoptysis at postoperative day 18 and was transferred to our hospital. Contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed bleeding from the pseudoaneurysm of the 6th intercostal artery. Embolization was performed by angiography to stop the bleeding.ConclusionsWe experienced a case of late-onset bleeding from a pseudoaneurysm related to soft coagulation hemostasis. Lessons learned from this patient are that additional hemostasis, such as ligation, would be considered for small arteries after hemostasis has been achieved by soft coagulation, especially when some degree of tissue carbonization is suspected.