Node Detection Research Articles

Using simulation to assess basic ultrasound skills in plastic surgical trainees: a prospective cohort validation study

BackgroundUltrasound has become an invaluable diagnostic tool in plastic surgery. It is quick and easy to use, and it increases the safeness of invasive procedures. Its applications include among others identification of perforators when designing flaps, conducting safe seroma aspirations, and detecting lymph nodes. Despite its extensive use, a standardized competency test for ultrasound examination among junior level plastic surgical trainees has not yet been established. The study aimed to develop and gather validity evidence for a stimulation-based, three-station test in plastic surgery and to establish a credible pass/fail score.MethodsAn expert panel reached consensus on three relevant ultrasound scenarios for junior plastic surgeons: (1) ultrasound-guided seroma aspiration, (2) identification of a perforator for DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap reconstruction, and (3) lymph node detection. Thirty-eight participants were categorized as novices, intermediates, or experienced, based on their number of performed ultrasound procedures. Performance was assessed using a modified OSAUS (Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills) score. Validity evidence was gathered through Messick’s framework, and statistical analyses included Cronbach’s alpha for reliability and t-tests for group comparisons. A pass/fail score was determined using the contrasting groups’ method.ResultsMean scores were 27.9 ± 9.5 points for novices (n = 15), 78.3 ± 15.1 points (n = 12) for intermediates, and 88.2 ± 11.4 points (n = 11) for experienced. The test’s reliability was high, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94. The pass/fail score was set to 56 out of 120 points. The test had no false negatives and one false positive.ConclusionsThis study established a reliable simulation-based ultrasound test for junior level plastic surgical trainees. It provided validity evidence and showed a correlation between experience and test performance.

ASO Author Reflections: The Necessity of Computed Tomography in Detecting Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

ASO Author Reflections: The Necessity of Computed Tomography in Detecting Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Enhanced lion swarm optimization and elliptic curve cryptography scheme for secure cluster head selection and malware detection in IoT-WSN

Wireless Sensor Networks present a significant issue for data routing because of the potential use of obtaining data from far locations with greater energy efficiency. Networks have become essential to modern concepts of the Internet of Things. The primary foundation for supporting diverse service-centric applications has continued to be the sensor node activity of both sensing phenomena in their local environs and relaying their results to centralized Base Stations. Malware detection and inadequate Cluster Heads node selection are issues with the current technology, resulting in a drastic decrease in the total Internet of Things-based performance of sensor networks. The paper proposes an Enhanced Lion Swarm Optimization (ELSO) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) scheme for secure cluster head selection and malware detection in IoT-based Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). The paper includes network models, choice of Cluster Head (CH) and attack detection procedures. The proposed method chooses the Cluster Head with the best fitness function values, increasing data transmission speeds and energy efficiencies. Minimum Hop Detection has been implemented to provide the best routing paths against attack nodes. Security level for quick data transmissions via the Internet of Things using Wireless Sensor Networks strengthen sinkhole attacks and black hole nodes, which are successfully removed using this method. The proposed method integrates the use of Lion Swarm Optimization and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) enhances network security by ensuring secure data transmission and preventing unauthorized access, which is particularly important in IoT-WSN environments. The proposed method achieves less End delay, increased throughput of 93%, lower energy utilization of 4%, increased network lifetime of up to 96%, Packet Delivery Ratio of up to 98% and 97% of malicious node detection efficiently compared to existing methods.

Optimization of Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection Side for Prostate Cancer.

This study aimed to show the association between tumor location and laterality of positive lymph nodes by evaluating biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and to optimize the extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) side for prostate cancer. The study enrolled patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with ePLND. Tumor locations were determined according to International Society of Urological Pathology grade group 4/5 in biopsies and Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System category 4/5 in MRI results. The concordance of tumor location lobe and positive lymph node side with the performance of tumor location-guided ePLND for positive lymph node detection was evaluated. For 301 patients who underwent ePLND at Kyushu University Hospital, tumor locations determined by biopsy and MRI findings showed no lesion in 8 (2.7%) patients, unilateral lobe in 223 (74.1%) patients, and bilateral lobe in 70 (23.3%) patients. The accuracies for detection of any and all positive lymph nodes by tumor location-guided unilateral ePLND were 99.6% and 97.3%, respectively. Among the patients at St. Luke's International Hospital, the accuracies for detection of any and all positive lymph nodes by tumor location-guided unilateral ePLND were estimated to be 99.0% and 97.3%, respectively. This study proposed tumor location-guided ePLND according to biopsy and MRI findings. This novel strategy is expected to reduce the burden of bilateral ePLND at the cost of acceptable risk of failing to detect positive lymph nodes.

Comparative Study of [18F]AlF-LNC1007, [18F]FDG, and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Methodological Exploration and Analytical Insight.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic value of [18F]AlF-LNC1007, [18F]FDG, and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT in breast cancer. Methods: 33 patients with highly suspected or already diagnosed but untreated breast cancer were enrolled in the study and underwent [18F]AlF-LNC1007 (30 patients), [18F]FDG (22 patients), and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 (8 patients) PET/CT. Quantitative measurements included the SUVmax and tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) for all lesions and background tissues. The Chi-square test was used for intergroup diagnostic efficacy, and the Wilcoxon test was used for intergroup SUVmax or TBR. Diagnostic efficacy for lymph node metastasis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Compared to [18F]FDG, [18F]AlF-LNC1007 had a higher positive predictive value (100% vs 91%, P = 0.0004) in lymph node metastases (42 vs 46) and higher sensitivity (100 vs 76%, P = 0.0003) in bone metastases (33 vs 25) but lower sensitivity (93 vs 100%, P = 0.001) in liver metastases. Apart from liver metastases, [18F]AlF-LNC1007 PET/CT had higher SUVmax in primary tumor and other metastases, with no statistical difference in TBR. Compared to [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT, [18F]AlF-LNC1007 had less false-positive and a higher positive predictive value in bone metastases (99 vs 95%, P = 0.0003) but had lower SUVmax(P < 0.01) in all primary and metastases lesions. The TBR difference between [18F]AlF-LNC1007 and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 was statistically significant only in bone metastases (5.97 vs 5.02, P = 0.001). The comparison of lymph node detection efficacy between [18F]AlF-LNC1007 and [18F]FDG PET/CT showed significant differences in SUVmax cutoff values for diagnosing lymph node metastases (2.62 vs 3.90), sensitivity (95.2% vs 66.67), and specificity (100% vs 85.00) (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: [18F]AlF-LNC1007 demonstrated superior efficacy compared to [18F]FDG and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 and higher uptake than [18F]FDG in primary tumor, lymph node and bone metastases, and higher TBR than [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04, especially in bone metastases. [18F]AlF-LNC1007 also showed high specificity in differentiating inflammatory and metastatic lymph nodes.

Routing Protocol for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Based on a Trust Model and Void-Avoided Algorithm

Underwater wireless sensor networks have a wide range of application prospects in important fields such as ocean exploration and underwater environment monitoring. However, the influence of complex underwater environments makes underwater wireless sensor networks subject to many limitations, such as resource limitation, channel openness, malicious attacks, and other problems. To address the above issues, we propose a routing scheme for underwater wireless networks based on a trust model and Void-Avoided algorithm. The proposed scheme establishes a trust model, evaluates the behavior of underwater nodes through direct trust, indirect trust, and environmental trust, and finds malicious nodes while taking into account evaluation of the channel, which provides support for the next data transmission event. The proposed scheme prioritizes the total cabling distance and introduces a two-hop availability checking model for data transmission, checking the nodes for voids and avoiding the void areas, to find the transmission path with the lowest energy consumption and lowest latency as much as possible. In this study, simulation experiments were conducted on the proposed scheme, and the results showed that the target scheme can effectively detect malicious nodes through anomalous behaviors and outperforms existing work in terms of malicious node detection rate, energy consumption, and end-to-end latency, and network performance.

Preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of nanocarbon for central lymph node dissection in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

To explore better methods for tracing central lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma by comparing the differences in the numbers and staining rates of central lymph nodes as well as the degree of nanocarbon extravasation between the preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of nanocarbon particles and the intraoperative injection of nanocarbon particles. A total of 302 patients were randomly divided into a preoperative ultrasound-guided injection group and an intraoperative injection group. The number and degree of staining of the lymph nodes in each subgroup of central lymph nodes, including linea alba cervical lymph nodes, Delphian lymph nodes, and pretracheal and paratracheal lymph nodes, were recorded and analyzed. The extent of dye extravasation was reduced when nanocarbon was injected preoperatively. Significantly more linea alba cervical lymph nodes and pretracheal and paratracheal lymph nodes were detected in the preoperative injection group. Preoperative injection of nanocarbon can accelerate the staining and detection of central lymph nodes in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, clinically positive lymph nodes (cN1) and tumors with diameters > 1 cm. Preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of nanocarbon can reduce the likelihood of dye spillage and improve the staining rate as well as the detection rate of central lymph nodes.

Value of Computed Tomography Scan for Detecting Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The necessity of computed tomography (CT) scan for detecting potential lymph node metastasis (LNM) in early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) before endoscopic and surgical treatments is under debate. Patients with histologically proven ESCC limited to the mucosa or submucosa were examined retrospectively. Diagnostic performance of CT for detecting LNM was analyzed by comparing original CT reports with pathology reports. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. A total of 625 patients from three tertiary referral hospitals were included. The rate of pathologically confirmed LNM was 12.5%. Based on original CT reports, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of CT to determine LNM in T1 ESCC were 41.0%, 83.2%, 77.9%, 25.8%, and 90.8% respectively. For mucosal cancers (T1a), these parameters were 50.0%, 81.7%, 80.9%, 6.8%, and 98.4%, respectively. For submucosal cancers (T1b), they were 40.0%, 85.0%, 75.0%, 43.0%, and 83.3%, respectively. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of CT for LNM was relatively better for ESCC in the lower esophagus. Pathologically, 69.2% of patients with LNM did not exhibit lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and the sensitivity of CT for recognizing LNM in these patients (33.3%) was lower than those with LVI (58.3%). Computed tomography can detect nearly half of the LNM cases in early ESCC with high specificity. The performance of CT further improved in LNM cases with LVI. Therefore, we conclude that routine preoperative CT for the assessment of potential LNM risk in patients with early ESCC is necessary.

Assessing the Comparative Efficacy of Sentinel Lymph Node Detection Techniques in Vulvar Cancer: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol aims to evaluate the comparative efficacy of different sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection techniques in the management of vulvar cancer. Vulvar cancer, though rare, predominantly affects older women and requires effective management strategies. The SLN technique has become a standard approach for early-stage cases, offering reduced morbidity compared to complete lymphadenectomy. Currently, various SLN detection methods exist, including the use of Technetium-99m (Tc99m), Indocyanine Green (ICG), and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO), but there is a lack of comprehensive comparison of their efficacy. This review will systematically search relevant databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science and Embase following PRISMA guidelines, to gather data from clinical trials. The primary outcome will be the detection rates of SLN techniques with secondary outcomes examining patient characteristics and procedural factors. The analysis will utilize random-effects models to compare detection rates across studies. The results of this study aim to provide insights into the optimal SLN detection method with potential implications for clinical practice guidelines in vulvar cancer management. The protocol is registered under the PROSPERO registration number CRD42024590774.

Embedded YOLO v8: Real-time detection of sugarcane nodes in complex natural environments by rapid structural pruning method

In the exploring of sugarcane intelligent harvesting technology, the target detection task of sugarcane node faces serious challenges on low detection accuracy affected by complex natural environment and the time-consuming task to lightweight algorithm structure. In addition, the classical target detection model, such as YOLO (You Only Look Once), with requirement of huge computationally ability puts huge computing pressure to the embedded device for sugarcane nodes detection. In order to solve these problems, this study proposed an improved YOLOv8n-ghost, which adopted Ghost module to build lightweight network and reduce model redundancy while ensuring performance. The dataset was extended and diversified by data classification and enhancement to increasing the robustness and generalization ability of the model. The structured pruning method based on DepGraph (Dependency Graph) was adopted to compress the optimized model, which greatly reduced the complexity of the model. To reduce experimentation time and computational cost, a rapid method for the optimal pruning rate was proposed by combination of big-small step size to quickly achieve the optimal pruning rate with shorter experiment time and satisfied accuracy. By comparison of different pruning methods and lightweight methods, the AP (Average Precision) of model Pruned 65 %-YOLOv8n-ghost was > 90 % with only 0.53 M parameters and 2.2G FLOPs. Finally, the model was accelerated with TensorRT and tested in the embedded device. The real-time speed of the improved model approached 30 frames per second, which was 200 % higher than before and met the requirements of real-time detection of sugarcane node.

Leveraging Phase Information of 3D Isotropic Ultrashort Echo Time Pulmonary MRI for the Detection of Thoracic Lymphadenopathy

Background Ultrashort echo time (UTE) allows imaging of tissues with short relaxation times, but it comes with the expense of long scan times. Magnitude images of UTE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are widely used in pulmonary imaging due to excellent parenchymal signal, but have insufficient contrast for other anatomical regions of the thorax. Our work investigates the value of UTE phase images (UTE-Ps)—generated simultaneously from the acquired UTE signal used for the magnitude images—for the detection of thoracic lymph nodes based on water-fat contrast. It employs an advanced imaging sequence and reconstruction allowing isotropic 3D UTE MRI in clinically acceptable scan times. Methods In our prospective study, 42 patients with 136 lymph nodes had undergone venous computed tomography and pulmonary MRI scans with UTE within a 14-day interval. 3D isotropic UTE images were acquired using FLORET (fermat looped, orthogonally encoded trajectories). Background-corrected phase images (UTE-P) and magnitude images were reconstructed simultaneously from the UTE-Signal. Three radiologists performed a blinded reading in which all lymph nodes with a short-axis diameter (SAD) of at least 0.5 cm were detected. Detection rates and performance metrics of UTE-P for all lymph node regions and for pathologic (SAD ≥10 mm) and nonpathologic lymph nodes (SAD &lt;10 mm) were calculated using computed tomography as a reference. The interreader agreement defined as the presence or absence of lymph nodes based on patient and region was calculated using Fleiss kappa (κ). Findings In the phase images, pathologic lymph nodes in the mediastinal and hilar region were detected with a high diagnostic confidence due to the achieved water-fat contrast (average sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 95.83% [confidence interval (CI), 92.76%–98.91%], 100%, 100%, and 99.32% [CI, 98.08%–100%]). Stepwise inclusion of all lymph node regions and nonpathologic lymph nodes was associated with a moderate decrease resulting in an average sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 77.9% (CI, 70.9%–84.7%), 99.4% (CI, 98.7%–99.9%), 97.0% (CI, 93.4%–99.7%), and 94.7% (CI, 92.8%–96.4%) for the inclusion of all lymph nodes sizes and regions. Interreader agreement was almost perfect (κ = 0.92). Conclusions Pathological lymph nodes in the mediastinal and hilar region can be detected in phase-images with high diagnostic confidence, thanks to the ability of the phase images to depict water-fat contrast in combination with high spatial 3D resolution, extending the clinical applicability of UTE into the simultaneous assessment of lung parenchyma and lymph nodes.

Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (CT) With Concordant Sonography as Sufficient Early Detection Tools for Recurrent and Persistent Cervical Metastases After (Chemo)radiotherapy (CRT).

Most challenging treatment needs are in recurrent or persisting head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients after (((chemo-)radiotherapy) (C)RT). This 10-year retrospective study included 100 patients, who initially received (C)RT followed by neck dissection (ND). The results of computed tomography (CT) and sonography were evaluated for residual/recurrent cervical lymph nodes and compared to the histopathology. On this basis we calculate the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV). A total of 144 ND specimens were analyzed. The combination of CT and sonography (n = 103) reached values 97% sensitivity, 71% specificity, 98% NPV, 66% PPV, and 81% overall accuracy. For patients who received as primary treatment CRT the values for the combined imaging were: 100.0%, 73.5%, 100.0%, 66.7% and 82.7% respectively. Our study demonstrates that the combined use of CT and sonography reliably detects lymph node metastases, particularly in patients previously treated with CRT, even after a long time after treatment.

Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for lymph node detection and long-term clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The indocyanine green fluorescence imaging (ICG-FI) technique is increasingly being used in laparoscopic colorectal surgery for lymph node mapping. However, there is no definitive standard regarding whether the application of this technique can significantly increase the detection rate of metastatic lymph nodes and improve long-term prognosis. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to include studies including ICG-FI in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Data on the detection rate of lymph nodes, metastatic rate of ICG-positive nodes, and long-term clinical outcomes were extracted following inclusion criteria. Eighteen studies with a total of 1552 patients 922 with ICG-guided laparoscopic and 630 without ICG technique were finally included. Clinical stage II/III colorectal tumors were the most commonly studies types. The patients using the ICG-FI technique had more harvested lymph nodes (weighted mean: 23.5 vs. 18.9; WMD=4.6; p<0.00001) during dissection but a lower metastasis rate of ICG-positive nodes (61/218 [28%] vs. 96/333 [28.9%]; OR=1.45; p=0.08). Compared with conventional laparoscopic colorectal surgery, additional ICG-FI technique did not improve the 3year overall survival rate (272/289 [94.1%] vs. 269/289 [93.1%]; OR=1.19; p=0.61), relapse-free survival (246/289 [85.1%] vs. 249/289 [86.2%]; OR=0.92; p=0.72), and local recurrence rate (22/289 [7.6%] vs. 28/289 [9.7%]; OR=0.77; p=0.38). The overall detection rate of sentinel lymph nodes, lymph flow, and metastatic rate of ICG-positive nodes with the help of ICG-FI were 86.8%, 89.9%, and 22.8%, respectively. No patients experienced major adverse events during ICG injection preoperatively or postoperatively. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging-guided procedure, compared to conventional laparoscopic dissection, can assist in obtaining a greater number of harvested lymph nodes and metastatic lymph nodes, however, it did not significantly improve the long-term clinical outcomes. Level III systematic review of randomized control and nonrandomized studies.

Indocyanine Green Marking of Axillary Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Early Breast Cancer

AbstractAxillary sentinel lymph node excision (SLNE) in breast cancer patients with clinically node-negative disease may be carried out using different tracers. The standard tracer is technetium colloid (99mTc). Indocyanine green (ICG) can be used as an alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of this fluorescent dye in a standardized setting.A prospective, single-center cohort study carried out at the University Gynecological Hospital of Rostock from September 2023 to May 2024 carried out sentinel lymph node marking using only ICG in patients with breast malignancies. The ICG injection was administered immediately after the induction of anesthesia. Detection of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) was done using a laparoscopy system suitable for ICG. The aim was to determine the detection rate (DR) for SLNs marked exclusively using ICG and to record any complications. The costs of using ICG to mark SLNs were compared with those for 99mTc marking.During the study period, contraindications against marking with ICG were ascertained for five (3.8%) of 132 patients with planned SLNE. A total of 100 SLNEs were carried out after ICG marking in patients who met the inclusion criteria in the context of the study. A median of two SLNs were resected. The detection rate (DR) for SLNs was 98.0%. SLNs were identified in all obese patients. No serious systemic side effects occurred following ICG injection. Transient skin discoloration in the area around the injection site were observed in eight patients. The direct cost of ICG marking was 62.73 Euros, which was 170.36 Euros lower than the cost of 99mTc marking.The detection rate of axillary SLNs marked using ICG is high and the method is cost-effective, has few side effects and can also be used in obese patients. Contraindications against the administration of ICG are rare. Marking with ICG is a good alternative to the 99mTc method and offers advantages in terms of costs, logistics, no exposure to radiation, and patient comfort.

A fuzzy based chicken swarm optimization algorithm for efficient fault node detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are built with miniature sensor nodes (SN), which are deployed into the geographical location being sensed to monitor environmental conditions, which transfer the sensed physical information to the base station for further processing. The sensor nodes frequently experience node failure as a result of their hostile deployment and resource limitations. In WSN, node failure can cause a number of issues, namely Wireless Sensor Networks topology changes, broken communications links, disconnected portions of the network, and data transmission errors. An important concern of WSN is the detecting, diagnosing and recovering of sensor node failures. In the course of this effort, an effective strategy for sensor node failure detection algorithm using the Poisson Hidden Markov Model (PHMM) and the Fuzzy-based Chicken Swarm Optimization (F-CSO) is proposed for efficient detection of sensor node faults in the WSN. The proposed work offers optimal false alarm, false positive, energy consumption, detection accuracy, network lifetime, and least delay rates. Moreover, the F-CSO provides improved localization to locate the defective sensor nodes that are present in the WSN. The proposed work is implemented in the NS2 simulator with realistic simulation parameters, and the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed work is more effective in terms of 89.5% fault detection accuracy, 19.53% throughput, 8.43% energy consumption with minimum delay and less false positive rate when it is compared with other existing state-of-art systems.

A head-to-head comparison of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 and [18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of lung cancer.

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 and [18F]FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of lung cancer patients. A prospective study was conducted between March 2023 and July 2023. Patients with high clinical suspicion of lung cancer were recruited. Each participant underwent PET/CT scanning using [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 and [18F]FDG within 6 days. Histopathology and clinical follow-up results serve as reference criteria for final diagnosis. We used a paired samples t-test or a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 and [18F]FDG. The diagnostic performance between the two tracers was compared using the McNemar χ² test. A total of 101 participants were included (mean age 63.267 ± 9.344 [range 39-86 years]). In benign lung lesions, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 had lower TBR and SUVmax than [18F]FDG (2.924 vs. 5.705, P < 0.001;1.395 vs. 4.014, P < 0.001). The TBR of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 in benign lymph nodes was also lower than [18F]FDG (0.880 vs. 1.25, P < 0.001). [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 had a higher diagnostic specificity for primary tumors than [18F]FDG (52% vs. 28%, P = 0.031). The specificity, accuracy, and PPV of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 for detecting lymph node metastasis were 82.54%, 78.66%, and 53.73%, respectively, higher than that of [18F]FDG (53.80%, P < 0.001, 63.15%, P < 0.001 and 38.35%, P = 0.003). However, its sensitivity in the diagnosis of lymph node and distant metastasis was not as good as [18F]FDG PET/CT (P < 0.001, P = 0.016, respectively). There was a significant correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 uptake and FGFR1 expression (Spearman r = 0.6901, p < 0.0001). [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 PET/CT had higher specificity than [18F]FDG PET/CT for the detection of primary lung cancer. In addition, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 PET/CT also had higher diagnostic accuracy, specificity, and NPV for lymph node metastasis, but its diagnostic sensitivity for metastatic lesions was lower than [18F]FDG PET/CT. Therefore, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FGFR1 can be used as an effective supplement to [18F]FDG to a certain extent.

Diagnostic performance of simultaneous PET-MR versus PET-CT in oncology with an overview on clinical utility and referral pattern of PET-MR: a single institutional study.

PET-Magnetic Resonance (PET-MR) imaging is an upcoming investigative modality with a few installations in Asia and only three in India. PET-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) is an established diagnostic cornerstone for oncological indications but with limited resolution for small lesions due to low soft-tissue contrast and additional radiation exposure. Our primary objective was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of simultaneous PET-MR and PET-CT in lesion detection in oncological practice. Secondly to assess the referral pattern and study the clinical utility of PET-MR in a university hospital practice. A total of 100 consecutive biopsy-proven cancer patients (breast or lung malignancy with suspected metastases) underwent 18 F Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-MR and PET-CT for staging as a single injection, double examination protocol. Morphological lesion detection on correlative imaging/histopathology was used as the gold standard. Analysing the referral pattern, a total of 9366 patients underwent simultaneous PET-MR imaging for various indications in the past 5 years since installation. 18 F FDG PET-MR detected 100% of primary tumours in breast/lung carcinoma patients while PET-CT was positive in 96%. Overall accuracy of nodal metastases detection for PET-MR and PET-CT was 96 and 88%, while for distant metastases the accuracy was 100 and 93%, respectively. FDG PET-MR proved more sensitive and specific than PET-CT for regional nodal ( P = 0.011 and P < 0.001) and distant metastases detection ( P = 0.017 and P < 0.001, respectively). Analysing the general referral pattern for PET-MR, the majority were oncology referrals when compared to nononcological indications (66.5, 33.5%). About 66.24% were FDG based, followed by 68 Ga Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) and dodecane tetraacetic acid (DOTA). The general utility of PET-MR was found incremental in better delineation of small lesions especially in head, neck, liver, brain and gynaecological malignancies. In our past 5 years of PET-MR practice, we found that simultaneous PET-MR is a highly recommended ideal imaging technique for oncological and nononcological indications. It has excellent diagnostic performance with high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy when compared to PET-CT in primary tumour, nodal and distant metastases (TNM) staging in specific subgroup of breast and lung malignancy patients.

Prospective evaluation of MRI artefacts following breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node dissection with the magnetic technique

IntroductionSuperparamagnetic Iron Oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles serve as a promising tracer for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in breast cancer. Concerns exist regarding artefacts on postoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), especially following breast conservation (BCS). Materials and methodsIn this prospective observational study, 97 women with DCIS or invasive breast cancer underwent BCS and SLN detection with peritumoral SPIO injection administered up to four weeks before surgery. Postoperatively, patients were followed with MRI and mammograms, and imaging outcomes were evaluated by four, independent breast radiologists, blinded to clinical data, using a predefined, standardized questionnaire. ResultsIn 97 patients included, there was inter-rater discordance in the prevalence of “any artefact” (range: 24.1–74.4 %; weighted average: 32.4 %) and “SPIO specific artefact” (range: 12.0–49.4 %; weighted average: 20.9 %). The median area of “any artefact” was 9.24 cm2 (iqr 4.72, 15.50) and SPIO specific artefact 9.88 (iqr 5.32, 15.5). Likert scores indicated higher difficulty interpreting MRI if artefacts were present (OR: 2.295, 95 % CI 1.028, 5.123; p = 0.043), but this was reduced if intravenous contrast was administered (OR: 0.177, 95 % CI 0.091, 0.342; p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified free-hand SPIO administration as a risk factor (OR 8.929, 95 % CI 2.849, 27.778; p < 0.001). All six patients with local recurrence were successfully diagnosed on MRI by all raters. ConclusionThis prospective cohort study suggests that a targeted peritumoral SPIO injection can result in the removal of SPIO during lumpectomy and address the concerns for artefacts on postoperative MRI follow-up, in the selected patients that MRI may be warranted.

Smaller is better? Compact vs. Conventional gamma camera for sentinel lymph node localization in patients with breast cancer.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been recognized as "the gold standard" for axillary staging in early breast cancer patients with clinically negative lymph nodes, resulting in significant morbidity decrease and quality of life improvement. This study aims to validate the performance of a newly developed handheld portable gamma camera (PGC) produced by Imagensys (Italy), in detecting and locating sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) during the preoperative and intraoperative phases in breast cancer patients compared to conventional lymphoscintigraphy. Adult female patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer, candidates for surgery and SLNB, were prospectively enrolled in this open-label, pre-marketing clinical trial. All patients underwent pre- operative assessment using both the PGC and conventional lymphoscintigraphy. The performance of the two devices was compared using the Poisson regression model for incidence rate ratios (IRRs). The intrinsic sensitivity of the devices was compared using the Wilcoxon Ranked Sign Test. The utility of PGC during intra-operative procedures was also evaluated. The manoeuvrability of the devices was evaluated using operator-satisfaction questioner. Sixty-eight patients (median age 50 years, BMI 21.4) were enrolled, including two patients with bilateral breast cancer, who underwent SLNB on both axillae. The PGC demonstrated superior preoperative lymph node detection rate (IRR 8.01, 95% CI 6.11-10.50; p < 0.0001) and intrinsic device sensitivity (mean counts per second 409 ± 286 vs. 255 ± 1173 for conventional device, p = 0.0003) compared to the conventional gamma camera. Intra-operative assessment with PGC was performed in 62 patients and no additional lymph nodes were visualised. However, the conventional gamma camera demonstrated superior manoeuvrability (p < 0.0001). The PGC handheld gamma camera showed promising results for preoperative SLN assessment in patients with breast cancer. The limited manoeuvrability may be related to the operator's experience leading to higher inter-operator variability. Appropriate training and frequent use of nuclear medicine and surgical equipment could overcome this limitation.

Malicious node detection using SVM and secured data storage using blockchain in WSN

Malicious node detection using SVM and secured data storage using blockchain in WSN