Iranian Journal of Radiology
Volume:18 Issue: 3, Jul 2021

Context:

 If the diameter of an aneurysm increases by more than 6 cm, the risk of aortic rupture increases by 50% within 10 years. Therefore, rupture of aneurysm, which is usually asymptomatic, can lead to severe complications and increase the risk of mortality. The current study aimed to systematically review studies comparing the cost-effective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and open surgical repair (OSR) as the primary treatment options for patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).

 An electronic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct, Scopus, and other scientific economic databases. Relevant articles were searched from 1999 to 2020 using keywords, such as “abdominal aortic aneurysm”, “endovascular”, “open surgery”, “rupture”, “economic evaluation”, and “cost-effectiveness”. The quality of articles was assessed using the Quality of Health Economic studies (QHES) checklist; finally, five articles were included in this review.

 The results of the QHES checklist showed that most studies had a good quality. A third-party payer’s perspective was the dominant perspective in all selected studies, comparing EVAR with OSR. All studies considered the direct medical costs and did not disclose any discount rates, except for one study, reporting a 3.5% discount rate. Almost all included studies found EVAR to be a cost-effective intervention; only one study concluded that EVAR, with a cost-effectiveness ratio of €424,542, was not the best treatment option.

 In patients with ruptured AAAs, the EVAR intervention improved the quality of life, decreased the mortality rate, and shortened the hospital stay as compared to OSR.

 Most previous studies have demonstrated the possibility of using dual-source dual-energy computed tomography (DSDECT) to distinguish pure stones with high accuracy. While stones are usually composed of a mixture of substances, very few studies have focused on these stone compositions.

 To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DSDECT in predicting the composition of mixed urinary calculi in vivo compared to the postoperative infrared spectroscopy (IRS) for stone analysis.

 We retrospectively included 111 patients with 117 mixed urinary stones, detected by IRS, who underwent DSDECT between June 2018 and March 2020. Patients diagnosed with urolithiasis were examined by DSDECT preoperatively. The final stone composition was detected by IRS in vitro postoperatively. Also, the stone composition predicted by DSDECT was compared to the IRS results, known as the reference standard.

 According to the results of IRS, 117 mixed urinary calculi, composed of a main constituent and minor admixtures, were divided into four groups: calcium oxalate (CaOx)-hydroxyapatite (HA) (n = 70); HA-CaOx (n = 36); uric acid (UA)-CaOx (n = 8); and cystine (CYS)-HA (n = 3). The accuracy of DSDECT in predicting different components of mixed urinary stones was 68.4%, 64.1%, 97.4%, and 97.5% for the CaOx-HA, HA-CaOx, UA-CaOx, and CYS-HA stones, respectively. The imaging characteristics of different mixed urinary stones, as shown by DSDECT, revealed that the CaOx-HA ratio value was lower than that of HA-CaOx (1.59 ± 0.11 vs. 1.66 ± 0.22; P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the computed tomography (CT) values of CaOx-HA under 150 kV were higher than those of HA-CaOx (915.41 ± 226.84 vs .799.56 ± 252.01; P < 0.05).

 Although DSDECT has a relatively low accuracy for predicting the components of CaOx-HA and HA-CaOx in vivo, its combination with the measured ratio and CT values may help differentiate these stones.
 

A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a common treatment for patients with portal hypertension. In these patients, the portal vein can be punctured under the guidance of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

To compare standard-dose (SD) CBCT with low-dose (LD) CBCT, as three-dimensional (3D) intraprocedural guidance for transhepatic puncture in TIPS placement, in terms of image quality, radiation dose, technical success, and complications.

A total of 44 patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Eighteen patients underwent LD-CBCT, while 26 patients underwent SD-CBCT for guiding the portal vein puncture. A quantitative assessment of image quality was performed by calculating the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the hepatic portal vein. This analysis was based on a five-point vascular visualization scale (VVS), ranging from optimal (score = 1) to non-diagnostic (score = 5), while a three-point Likert scale was used for motion artifacts (1 = no motion artifacts, 3 = blurred). Image streak artifacts were also rated from one to three, based on the image quality results. Technical success was also investigated, including the number of puncture attempts, time to successful portal vein access, and radiation dose of the TIPS procedure.

Based on the results, TIPS could be placed successfully in all cases. Neither VVS (LD-CBCT VVS: 2.78, SD-CBCT VVS: 2.54; P = 0.467), nor the procedure time showed any significant differences between the groups (LD-CBCT: 48.3 min, SD-CBCT: 40.2 min; P = 0.45). Moreover, the objective evaluation of image quality indicated the lower quality of LD-CBCT images; however, the difference was not statistically significant (LD-CBCT CNR: 1.1 ± 0.76, SD-CBCT CNR: 1.3 ± 1.1; P = 0.5). The median number of puncture attempts was the same for SD-CBCT and LD-CBCT (n = 3; range: 1 - 6). Also, the mean dose area product (DAP) was significantly lower in LD-CBCT as compared to SD-CBCT (LD-CBCT: 2733 ± 848 µGm2, SD-CBCT: 6119 ± 1677 µGm2; P < 0.0001). The total DAP was significantly lower using LD-CBCT (LD-CBCT: 14831 ± 9299 µGm2, SD-CBCT: 20985 ± 10127 µGm2; P = 0.047).

Both SD-CBCT and LD-CBCT provided successful 3D guidance for portal vein puncture during TIPS creation. Although these methods did not differ significantly in terms of image quality, complications, or number of puncture attempts, LD-CBCT significantly reduced the radiation dose.

 The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block is the most commonly used mandibular injection method for local anesthesia in restorative and surgical procedures. Ultrasound images can provide more accurate information about the location of the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle.

 This study aimed to evaluate the ultrasound images of patients to determine the location of the mandibular foramen (MF) relative to the adjacent landmarks.

 In this cross-sectional analytical study, 50 patients were subjected to intra-oral ultrasonography of the right and left sides of the mandible. An Alpinion ultrasound system (Seoul, South Korea) was used for detecting the MF, as well as its distance from different landmarks.

 In all patients, the MF was found using color Doppler ultrasonography. The probability of detecting MF in conventional ultrasonography was estimated at 36% and 18% for the right and left sides of the mandible without using the Doppler technique, respectively. The mean MF distance from the anterior border of the ramus was 14.6 ± 2.1 and 16.1 ± 2.1 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. Also, the vertical distance of MF from the occlusal plane was 7.5 ± 1.1 mm on the right side and 8.7 ± 1.2 mm on the left side of the mandible. In all studied patients, the MF was above the occlusal plane.

 The results of this study showed that ultrasonography is not only a suitable option for intra-oral imaging due to its non-ionizing beams, but is also appropriate for localization of the MF and its related landmarks.

 The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global public health emergency. Computed tomography (CT) offers valuable clues to the diagnosis of COVID-19. However, little is known about the correlation between dynamic changes of CT scores and therapeutic response in the course of COVID-19.

 To describe the temporal changes of CT findings and characterize the time window of disease progression on the follow-up CT scans of patients with COVID-19.

 In this historical cohort study performed in Shanghai, China, the follow-up chest CT images of 91 patients with COVID-19 with different therapeutic responses were reviewed in multiple centers, with an emphasis on characterizing the changing trend of CT scores for lung lesions at 13 - 15 days after the symptom onset and thereafter. The CT score curve patterns were categorized into type 1 (characterized by an increase to the peak level, followed by a decrease), type 2 (characterized by a steady change without an obvious peak), and type 3 (characterized by a progressive increase).

 The CT scores of the progression group (n = 9) with a longer time to the peak were significantly higher than those of the non-progression group (n = 82) on the first day and days 13 - 15 (P < 0.05), except for the median CT scores before days 13 - 15. The CT curve type 1 and type 2 were commonly observed in the non-progression group (63.4% and 36.6%, respectively), while type 3 was more common in the progression group (88.9%).

 Most patients with COVID-19 show favorable responses to clinical treatments in Shanghai. Thirteen to fifteen days after the symptom onset can be considered as a turning point for the therapeutic response. The CT curve type 3 usually represents a poor response. The CT scores of patients with different therapeutic responses may overlap before days 13 - 15. The changing trend of longitudinal CT scores may contribute to the prediction of disease progression.
 

 Accurate imaging of the anatomical relationship between the intraparotid facial nerve branches and parotid tumor can be helpful for surgical planning and effective protection of the facial nerve during surgery. Three-dimensional sheath inked rapid acquisition with refocused echoes imaging (3D-SHINKEI) is a new MRI sequence with a high tissue contrast resolution, which has been used for imaging the peripheral nerves in several organs.

 To evaluate the value of 3D-SHINKEI sequence in representing the intraparotid facial nerve branches and their anatomical relationship with neoplasms of the parotid gland.

 Thirty-six patients with parotid tumors underwent MRI with 3D-SHINKEI and 3D-T2-fast field echo (3D-T2-FFE) sequences in the coronal plane. The contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) and signal intensity ratios (SIRs) of the facial nerves in the two sequences were compared. The relationship between the intraparotid facial nerve branches and parotid tumor was also analyzed in 36 patients, and the results were compared with the intraoperative anatomy and postoperative pathological findings.

 The image quality score of the 3D-SHINKEI sequence for anatomical representation of the intraparotid facial nerve branches was significantly higher than that of the 3D-T2-FFE sequence (Z = −6.197, P < 0.01). The SIRs and CNRs of the facial nerves were significantly higher in the SHINKEI images as compared to the 3D-T2-FFE images (t = 10.772, P < 0.01 and t = 11.586, P < 0.01, respectively). The delineation accuracy of the anatomy of the main trunk of the facial nerve and its first-level branches and their relationship with tumors was significantly higher with the 3D-SHINKEI sequence than with the 3D-T2-FFE sequence (P < 0.01). Besides, the relationship between parotid tumors and the main trunk of the facial nerve and its first-level branches was classified into six types.

 A high-resolution 3D-SHINKEI sequence could accurately represent the relationship between the intraparotid facial nerve branches and parotid gland neoplasms. It was also found to be more accurate than the 3D-T2-FFE sequence.
 

 Asymptomatic subacute thyroiditis (aSAT) lacking inflammatory features is often difficult to distinguish from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), even with the help of ultrasound. Under the circumstances, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB) may be performed, which increasing patients’ suffering.

 To investigate the value of quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS) analysis in discriminating aSAT from PTC nodules.

 A total of 30 aSAT and 23 PTC patients were systematically reviewed. Quantitative CEUS indicators, including rise time(RT), time to peak(TTP), maximum intensity (IMAX) and their extension indicators, were gathered from various nodule areas(the whole, central, peripheral and control regions of the nodules). We used a chi-square test and independent-sample t test to compare significant differences between the two diseases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess diagnostic efficacy (and its indices including sensitivity and specificity) for each variable in discriminating aSAT from PTC nodules.

 Compared with PTC patients, aSAT patients showed longer RT of the control region−RT of the whole region(∆RT1; 0.12 ± 0.69 vs. -0.2 ± 0.57, P = 0.03) and RT of the control region−RT of the central region(∆RT3; 0.43 ± 0.72 vs. 0.04 ± 0.94, P = 0.049). In addition, aSAT patients showed shorter RT of the whole region(RT1; 4.05 ± 1.56 vs. 4.91 ± 2.09, P = 0.045), TTP of the whole region(TTP1; 4.91 ± 1.76 vs. 7.30 ± 3.92, P = 0.005), TTP of the peripheral region(TTP2; 5.06 ± 1.97 vs. 7.00±3.48, P = 0.01) and TTP of the central region (TTP3; 4.90 ± 1.68 vs. 7.57 ± 4.41, P = 0.004), as well as lower IMAX of the peripheral region(IMAX2; 0.74 ± 0.36 vs. 1.09 ± 0.57, P = 0.009), than PTC patients. Also, when compared with the ROC curve, the area under the curve for TTP1 was significantly larger than that for RT1 (P = 0.027).

 Conventional-ultrasound and contrast-enhancing analysis were still inadequate for distinguishing PTC from aSAT. Quantitative analysis might provide more nodule biological characteristics, which would be more helpful in differential diagnosis.
 

 Precise detection and classification of intracortical (IC) lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are very important for understanding their role in disease progression and determining their effects on the clinical presentations of the disease.

 This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) in delineation of cortical lesions in MS patients.

 This cross-sectional, single-center study was performed among 38 patients with the mean age of 31 years, who were recruited from December 2018 to August 2020. All MS patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using a 1.5-Tesla scanner. Two expert neuroradiologists interpreted the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), T2-weighted turbo spin echo (T2W-TSE), and PSIR images. The lesions were classified as purely IC, mixed gray/white matter (WM) [leukocortical (LC)], and juxtacortical (JC). The number of lesions in each region was compared between the FLAIR, T2W-TSE, and PSIR sequences.

 The number of cortical lesions (IC and LC) was significantly higher in PSIR compared to T2W-TSE and Fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) (P < 0.001), while the number of JC lesions was lower; in other words, the mean number of plaques was higher in T2W-TSE and FLAIR as compared to PSIR.

 The PSIR sequence significantly improved the delineation of cortical lesions and could be useful in monitoring cortical injuries and disease progression in MS patients.

Accurate preoperative detection of the invasive components of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is essential for an appropriate treatment. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan, which can indicate the metabolic activity and aggressiveness of breast cancer, may be used as one of the predictors of the invasive components of DCIS in needle biopsy.

To determine whether the FDG-PET/CT findings are associated with the histological upgrade of DCIS in biopsy.

In this retrospective cohort, we reviewed 165 cases of DCIS in 162 patients, who underwent preoperative FDG-PET/CT examinations between April 2008 and September 2015. The clinicopathological characteristics and FDG-PET/CT findings of the patients were compared with respect to cancer invasion. The predictors of DCIS upgrade to invasive cancer were also examined. Moreover, the diagnostic performance of visual and semi-quantitative analyses of FDG-PET/CT in predicting invasion was compared. The semiquantitative analyses were based on the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), divided by the cutoff point in a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

The final pathological findings indicated 119 cases of pure DCIS and 46 cases of DCIS with invasion. The optimal SUVmax threshold was 1.9 in the ROC curve analysis. Young age, high SUVmax, positivity in the visual analysis of FDG-PET/CT, and large pathological tumor size were significantly more frequent in the DCIS + invasion group. The significant predictors of DCIS histological upgrade were age (P = 0.011), SUVmax (P < 0.001), visual analysis of FDG-PET/CT (P = 0.004), and pathological tumor size (P = 0.003) in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, the SUVmax (odds ratio [OR] = 3.31, P = 0.003) and tumor size (OR = 1.20, P = 0.022) were significant when the model included the SUVmax, age, and size (model 1). On the other hand, age (OR = 0.96, P = 0.032), visual analysis (OR = 4.67, P = 0.006), and tumor size (OR = 1.25, P = 0.005) were significant predictors when the model included visual analysis, age, and size (model 2). The sensitivity was significantly higher in the visual analysis, whereas the specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and accuracy were significantly higher in the semi-quantitative analysis.

FDG-PET/CT is a potentially useful imaging tool to predict the upgrade of DCIS to invasive cancer.

 Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Preoperative prediction of the malignancy grade of gliomas are of particular importance. These tumors are often accompanied by peritumoral brain edema (PTBE). Previous studies have suggested that the degree of PTBE is an independent indicator of the prognosis of gliomas.

 This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the degree of PTBE and the grade of glioma, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation status, and Ki-67 expression level in gliomas.

 In this retrospective cross-sectional study, a total of 82 patients were enrolled, according to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of CNS tumors. Overall, 29 tumors were pathologically confirmed as low-grade gliomas (LGGs , grade I-II), whereas the remaining 53 tumors were classified as high-grade gliomas (HGGs, grade III-IV). The IDH1 mutations, Ki-67 expression, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were retrospectively analyzed. The tumor and tumor + PTBE volumes were also measured, and the tumor edema index (EI) was calculated for each patient. Edema was then graded and correlated with the pathological parameters.

 The degree of EI was higher in the HGG group compared to the LGG group, and the difference was statistically significant (z = -7.018, P < 0.05). Besides, the degree of EI was higher in the IDH1 wild-type compared with mutant groups (z = -4.116, P < 0.05). The degree of EI significantly associated with Ki-67 expression and patient’s age (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant association between the degree of EI and gender (z = -0.497, P = 0.619). The Spearman’s correlation test revealed that the EI degree was positively correlated with the Ki-67 expression level and age, with correlation coefficients of 0.740 and 0.466, respectively. Moreover, the multivariate regression analysis indicated that EI and IDH1 had significant effects on differentiating LGGs from HGGs (P < 0.05 for both). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that EI was an optimal index for differentiating LGGs from HGGs, with an AUC of 0.822 (cutoff value: 1.722, sensitivity: 95.8%, specificity: 70.0%, 95% CI: 0.718 - 0.899).

 The degree of PTBE was found to be a valuable index for the differential diagnosis of LGGs from HGGs. It has a significant difference between IDH1 wild and mutation status, furthermore, it was positively correlated with the age and Ki-67 level.

Today, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known as a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, risk assessment is necessary for making a correct decision in disease management.

This study aimed to assess the risk of progression to the critical stage in COVID-19 patients, based on the early quantitative chest computed tomography (CT) parameters.
Patients and

In this case-control study, 39 laboratory-confirmed critical or expired COVID-19 cases (critical group), as well as 117 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients including mild, moderate, and severe cases (non-critical group), were enrolled. Seven quantitative CT parameters, representing the lung volume percentages at different density intervals, were automatically calculated, using the artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, based on the quantitative CT parameters, were established to predict the adverse outcomes (critical vs. non-critical). The predictive performance was estimated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and by measuring the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The quantitative CT parameters in different stages were compared between the two groups.

No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the lung volume percentages at different density intervals within 0 - 4 days (P = 0.596-0.938); however, this difference began to become significant within 5 - 9 days and persisted even after one month. Overall, the quantitative CT parameters could well predict the severity of COVID-19. The lung volume percentage of -7 Hounsfield units (-7 HUs) had the largest crude odds ratio (OR: 1.999; 95% CI, 1.453 ~ 2.750; P < 0.001) and adjusted OR (adjusted OR: 1.768; 95% CI, 1.114 ~ 2.808; P = 0.016). The lung volume percentage of -6 HU showed the best predictive performance with the largest AUC of 0.808; the cutoff value of 5.93% showed 71.79% sensitivity and 84.62% specificity.

Early quantitative chest CT parameters can be measured to assess the risk of progression to the critical stage of COVID-19; this is of critical importance in the clinical management of this disease.

 Hepatobiliary disorders are common problems during pregnancy, causing significant morbidity and mortality in both mother and fetus. Biliary pancreatitis and cholangitis are common sequelae that warrant urgent endoscopic interventions. However, fetal radiation exposure is a major concern during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Fetal malformation, preterm labor, and intrauterine fetal death are the recognized complications of ERCP.

 To evaluate the application of transabdominal ultrasound (US) guidance in endoscopic biliary stenting as a substitute for fluoroscopy and contrast injection.

 In this study, we reviewed the data of ten pregnant patients, who had undergone endoscopic biliary stenting under US guidance without fluoroscopy between January 2018 and October 2020. An abdominal US examination was performed to confirm that the guide wire and the stent were placed inside the common bile duct (CBD) without fluoroscopy. The CBD clearance was postponed until after delivery.

 The mean gestational age was 12 weeks (range: 5 - 33 weeks), and the mean maternal age was 23 years (range: 19 - 33 years). All procedures were performed successfully, with biochemical and clinical improvements after endoscopy. In none of the patients, maternal or fetal complications were reported after endoscopy or at birth. Also, no cases of post-endoscopic pancreatitis were documented.

 Based on the present findings, abdominal US guidance in endoscopic biliary stenting can be a safe and effective approach.

 Automatic detection and classification of breast masses in mammogram images are still a challenging task. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems are being developed to assist radiologists in interpreting mammograms.

 The aim of this study is to provide a novel method for automatic segmentation and classification of the masses in mammograms to assist radiologists for accurate diagnosis.

 For the purpose of efficient mass diagnosis in mammogram images, we propose an automatic scheme to perform both detection and classification. Firstly, a combination of several image enhancement algorithms that include the contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE), Guided image, and median filtering is investigated to enhance the breast area visual details and make the segmentation result more accurate. Secondly, the Density of Wavelet Coefficients (DWC) based on Quincunx Lifting Scheme (QLS) is proposed to find suspicious mass regions (region of interest, ROIs). Finally, the mass lesions that appear in the mammogram image are classified into four categories based on the morphological shape properties as benign, probably benign, malignant and probably malignant. The proposed method is evaluated on 1593 images from CBIS-DDSM dataset.

 The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed suspicious region localization achieves 100% sensitivity with an average of 6/4 ± 4/5 False Positive (FP) detections per image. Moreover, the results showed an overall accuracy of 85.9% and AUC of .901 for the mass classifying algorithm.

 The results showed that the proposed method suggests comparable performance to the state-of-the-art methods.

Obstructive nephropathy is a common clinical disease.

To explore the value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in obstructive nephropathy.

Forty healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were examined in this study. Thirty-two animals underwent complete obstruction of the left ureter, while eight animals underwent a sham surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed before surgery and within different intervals after surgery. Eight rats from the experimental group and two rats from the sham group were used in each interval. Following MRI, the animals were sacrificed and sent for medical examinations. The scanning sequences included positioning, transverse T2-weighted (T2W), coronal, and coronal DTI sequences. Image postprocessing was performed after DTI to measure DTI parameters, including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA), and to reconstruct DTI fiber traces. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the parameters between the cortex and medulla and between different intervals.

The fiber tracing showed that the obstructed renal fiber bundles were sparse and disordered. The ADC and FA values of the renal cortex, extrarenal medulla, and inner medulla decreased with prolonged hydrops and were negatively correlated with the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the renal tubulointerstitial lesion grade (r < 0, P < 0.001). Comparison of the cortex, extrarenal medulla, and inner medulla showed the following trends for the ADC and FA values: cortex > extrarenal medulla > inner medulla and cortex < extrarenal medulla < inner medulla, respectively.

DTI in obstructive nephropathy not only can reflect the degree of renal interstitial fibrosis and accurately indicate the renal function, but also can provide information regarding renal blood perfusion, water metabolism, and ultrastructural changes.

Diagnosis of an inflamed appendix is commonly based on clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging data. Ultrasonography (US) is the leading diagnostic modality for these patients. However, an inconclusive US examination suggests the application of non-enhanced computed tomography (NECT).

This study aimed to compare US, NECT, and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) examinations for an accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis with the rate of proven appendicitis by surgery.
Patients and

This retrospective study was performed on 70 patients, diagnosed with acute appendicitis between February 2018 and January 2020. The diagnostic accuracy of US, CT, and DW-MRI for acute appendicitis was examined in relation to the demographic and clinical variables.

Age and gender were not significantly associated with surgically proven appendicitis. However, the appendix diameter had a significant association with surgically proven appendicitis. All DW-MRI–positive patients with acute abdominal symptoms were surgically diagnosed with acute/subacute appendicitis (even those with < 6 mm in diameter). Based on the ROC curve analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of DW-MRI in predicting acute appendicitis was 100% and 90.90%, respectively.

The appendix diameter was an important factor in diagnosing acute appendicitis. However, DW-MRI is an advanced technique that may exclude the need for the appendix diameter measurements.

Asymptomatic subacute thyroiditis (aSAT) without inflammatory features is often difficult to distinguish from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), even with ultrasonography. Under certain circumstances, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is performed, which is known to increase the patient’s physical pain.

To investigate the value of quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in discriminating aSAT from PTC nodules.

A total of 30 aSAT and 23 PTC patients were systematically reviewed. Quantitative CEUS parameters, including the rise time (RT), time to peak (TTP), maximum intensity (IMAX), as well as their extension indicators (ΔRT and ΔTTP), were determined in various nodule areas (total, central, peripheral, and control regions of nodules). Chi-square test and independent-samples t-test were performed to compare significant differences between PTC and aSAT. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was also performed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of each parameter, as well as diagnostic efficacy indices, including sensitivity and specificity, in discriminating aSAT from PTC nodules.

Compared to the PTC group, patients with aSAT had a longer ∆RT1 (RT of the control area − RT of the whole area; 0.12 ± 0.69 vs. -0.2 ± 0.57, P = 0.03) and ∆RT3 (RT of the control area − RT of the central area; 0.43 ± 0.72 vs. 0.04 ± 0.94, P = 0.049). Besides, compared to the PTC group, the aSAT group had a shorter RT in the total area (RT1: 4.05 ± 1.56 vs. 4.91 ± 2.09, P = 0.045); a shorter TTP in the total (TTP1: 4.91 ± 1.76 vs. 7.30 ± 3.92, P = 0.005), peripheral (TTP2: 5.06 ± 1.97 vs. 7.00 ± 3.48, P = 0.01), and central (TTP3: 4.90 ± 1.68 vs. 7.57 ± 4.41, P = 0.004) areas; and a lower IMAX in the peripheral area (IMAX2: 0.74 ± 0.36 vs. 1.09 ± 0.57, P = 0.009). Based on the ROC curve analysis, the area under the curve was significantly larger for TTP1 as compared to RT1 (P = 0.027).

Conventional ultrasound and CEUS examinations were inadequate in distinguishing PTC from aSAT. Overall, a quantitative analysis may indicate more biological characteristics of nodules, which can be helpful in the differential diagnosis.

Although intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery has been the standard of care for patients with advanced maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma (MSSCC), concurrent intra-arterial chemotherapy and high-dose radiotherapy without surgery has emerged as a promising alternative.

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of intra-arterial CRT alone to increase the overall survival (OS) of patients with MSSCC.

Forty patients with histologically confirmed MSSCC, who were treated at Tokyo Medical University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) between February 1999 and June 2015, were enrolled in this study. Twenty-seven patients were treated with intra-arterial CRT (median dose of 60 Gy) without surgery (CRT group), whereas 13 patients were treated with neoadjuvant intra-arterial CRT (median dose of 40 Gy), followed by surgery (S group). The association of OS with age, performance status, T factor (mean tumor size according to the tumor-node-metastasis [TNM] grading system), N factor (mean lymph node involvement according to the TNM grading system), and treatment method was assessed.

The median follow-up duration was 36.0 months. There were no significant differences regarding the patients’ characteristics between the two groups. The treatment method was the only significant prognostic factor for OS. The five-year OS rates were 92% and 55% in the CRT and S groups, respectively (P = 0.01).

The intra-arterial CRT (60 Gy) without surgery yielded improved survival outcomes in patients with advanced MSSCC as compared to the neoadjuvant intra-arterial CRT (40 Gy) followed by surgery.

Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube is a rare, but fatal gynecologic cancer. The preoperative diagnosis of this carcinoma is challenging due to the absence of specific symptoms and signs, and in most patients, it is an intraoperative finding. A 55-year-old patient (G3Ab1P2) was referred to the urogynecology clinic of our hospital with the chief complaints of heavy, prolonged menstrual bleeding and a persistently abnormal yellow discharge, which could not be distinguished by the patient from urinary leaks. After a complete diagnostic work-up, the patient was identified as a candidate for hysterectomy due to abnormal vaginal bleeding resistant to megestrol acetate, family history of malignancy, and abnormal vaginal discharge. Laparotomy revealed unusual left fallopian tube features (large, bulky, and vegetative), suggesting malignancy. The intraoperative frozen-section analysis of the left fallopian tube and the ovarian specimens indicated the mass as a high-grade serous carcinoma of the fallopian tube. Total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and partial omentectomy were performed for the patient. The definitive histopathological diagnosis was high-grade serous carcinoma of the left fallopian tube (stage 2b) with omental involvement, without any evidence of lymphovascular invasion. High-grade serous carcinoma of the fallopian tube is likely to have non-specific symptoms, causing a significant delay in diagnosis and treatment, which negatively affects the prognosis and survival of these patients.