Should the artery be trimmed before anastomosis in every finger replantation/revascularization case? Prospective, single-center, multidisciplinary study over 46 months.

INTRODUCTION: Despite optimal arterial anastomosis, some finger replantations fail. Our objective was to evaluate how the mechanism of injury (MOI) affects the artery's microscopic appearance and the success of anastomosis. We hypothesized that the MOI influences arterial histology and microsurgical success. METHODS: This single-center prospective study enrolled patients who had an acute traumatic arterial injury of the hand and/or wrist. The proximal and distal ends of the artery were trimmed before anastomosis in every case. The arterial margins were analyzed in anatomical pathology. Clinical follow-up along with an ultrasound arterial patency check was carried out at 1 month postoperative. RESULTS: Between 2018 and 2022, 104 patients were enrolled with a follow-up of 12 months. Macroscopically, 42% of the arterial margins were dilapidated. Histological analysis found damage in 74% of surgical specimens: blast (100%)>laceration by mechanical or power tool (92%; 82%)>amputation by mechanical or power tool (80%; 67%)>laceration by glass (50%)>crush injury (33%). The arterial margins were more likely to be normal based on the histological analysis when the MOI was laceration by glass (p<.05; OR=3.72) and the patient was 65 years or older (p<.01). Risk factors for anastomosis failure were an amputation by power tool (p<.01, OR 8.19) and shorter length of arterial resection (p<.02). The clinical failure rate was 7.8% and the patency failure rate was 10.4%. DISCUSSION: Histological arterial lesions correlate with the MOI. Trimming >2mm from the proximal and distal arterial ends is recommended for all MOI before arterial end-to-end anastomosis. For blast injuries or amputation, we recommend trimming>4mm and using a vein bypass graft. This study's findings could lead to a change in surgical practices. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II; well-conducted non-randomized comparative study; recommendation grade B: scientific presumption.

Real-World Experience of Efficacy and Safety of Trabectedin in Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Bicentric Retrospective Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a rare and heterogenous group of tumors, with poor prognostic, judging from their frequency to relapse. Few drugs are available after the conventional first-line regimen. Since 2007, trabectedin got approval after failure of anthracyclines and ifosfamide, for advanced or metastatic STS. This led to a FDA approval in 2015, but real-world evidence is still required, complementary to the pivotal phase II and III trials. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six patients with STS, treated by trabectedin between 2002 and 2019, were analyzed in this retrospective study, in two French centers. The effects of trabectedin on survival, response, and toxicity were described. All patients were tested for toxicities, and efficacy was assessed in patients exposed to at least 2 cycles of trabectedin. RESULTS: Three median cycles were administered per patient (1-79). Among the 113 patients analyzed for efficacy, the median progression-free survival was 3.0 months (95% CI: 2.3-4.8), with an overall survival of 12.3 months (95% CI: 10.2-16.9). The rate of disease control was 46% at the end of treatment. Myxoid liposarcoma (n = 11) was the histology subtype that benefited most from this chemotherapy with median progression-free survival and overall survival of 13.3 months (95% CI: 2.3-18.7) and 27.8 months (95% CI: 3.2-64.7), respectively. Adverse events were manageable. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Efficacy of trabectedin is confirmed in terms of clinical benefit and low toxicity, especially for myxoid liposarcoma. Combinatory regimens are under clinical trials to optimize the place of this chemotherapy.

Frequency and anatomic distribution of magnetic resonance imaging lesions in the sacroiliac joints of spondyloarthritis and non-spondyloarthritis patients.

Background: Lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints are critical to the diagnosis of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. However, inflammatory and structural lesions may be encountered in other conditions. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the frequency and localization of inflammatory and structural lesions on MRIs of the sacroiliac joint of spondyloarthritis (SpA) and non-spondyloarthritis (non-SpA) patients. Design: This is a retrospective study including 200 patients, each having undergone an MRI of the sacroiliac joints. Methods: Two experienced readers evaluated the whole set of images to detect erosions, subchondral sclerosis, fatty lesions, bone marrow edema (BME) and ankylosis according to the definitions established by the ASAS MRI working group. We divided sacroiliac joints into five segments: upper, antero-middle, intermediate-middle, postero-middle and lower. Results: A total of 96 subjects with SpA (mean age 37.4 ± 11.8 years) and 104 without SpA (mean age 39.9 ± 11.6 years) were included. Of the 96 SpA patients, 65% had inflammatory buttock pain compared with 25% in the non-SpA group. BME was seen in 65% of SpA patients, mainly in the intermediate-middle segment, and in 20% of non-SpA patients, predominantly in the antero-middle segment. Subchondral sclerosis occurred in 44% of non-SpA patients, mostly in the antero-middle segment, and in 36% of SpA patients. Fatty lesions were present in 34% of SpA and in 21% of non-SpA patients. Erosions were seen in 25% of non-SpA and in 60% of SpA patients. BME and structural lesions were minimally observed in the postero-middle segment in non-SpA patients. Conclusion: Inflammatory and structural lesions were observed in all segments of the joint in SpA, mainly in the middle segments, while lesions predominantly affected the antero-middle segment in non-SpA, and were uncommon in the postero-middle segment.

Added value of an artificial intelligence solution for fracture detection in the radiologist's daily trauma emergencies workflow.

PURPOSE: The main objective of this study was to compare radiologists' performance without and with artificial intelligence (AI) assistance for the detection of bone fractures from trauma emergencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred consecutive patients (232 women, 268 men) with a mean age of 37 ± 28 (SD) years (age range: 0.25-99 years) were retrospectively included. Three radiologists independently interpreted radiographs without then with AI assistance after a 1-month minimum washout period. The ground truth was determined by consensus reading between musculoskeletal radiologists and AI results. Patient-wise sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for fracture detection and reading time were compared between unassisted and AI-assisted readings of radiologists. Their performances were also assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: AI improved the patient-wise sensitivity of radiologists for fracture detection by 20% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14-26), P< 0.001) and their specificity by 0.6% (95% CI: -0.9-1.5; P = 0.47). It increased the PPV by 2.9% (95% CI: 0.4-5.4; P = 0.08) and the NPV by 10% (95% CI: 6.8-13.3; P < 0.001). Thanks to AI, the area under the ROC curve for fracture detection of readers increased respectively by 10.6%, 10.2% and 9.9%. Their mean reading time per patient decreased by respectively 10, 16 and 12 s (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AI-assisted radiologists work better and faster compared to unassisted radiologists. AI is of great aid to radiologists in daily trauma emergencies, and could reduce the cost of missed fractures.

CT-guided microwave ablation of osteoid osteoma: Long-term outcome in 28 patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term efficacy of CT-guided microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of osteoid osteoma. Secondary objectives were to assess early outcome and side-effects of MWA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight consecutive patients (18 men, 10 women) with a median age of 19.5 years (IQR: 16, 25.5) with a total of 28 non-spinal osteoid osteoma treated by CT-guided MWA were retrospectively included. The ablations were performed with a median power and duration of 60 Watt and 1 min 30 s, respectively. Pain referred to osteoid osteoma was assessed at predefined time points using a 0-10 numeric rating scale. At one month, contrast-enhanced follow-up MRI was performed to evaluate the nidus vascularization and the volume of necrosis induced by MWA. Clinical success was defined by the absence of osteoid osteoma-related pain, and technical success was defined by the presence of necrosis of the nidus on the one-month post-MWA MRI. RESULTS: Long term success rate was 93% (26/28) after a follow-up of 55.5 months (IQR: 25.75, 74.5) and technical success rate was 96 % (25/26). One late failure was observed after a patient had been declared cured at one month but the formal proof of a late recurrence of osteoid osteoma could not be brought. Three minor complications were reported including mild reversible superficial radial nerve injury with a skin burn (grade 2) in one patient and moderate skin burn only in two patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that CT-guided MWA is an effective option for a minimally-invasive treatment of osteoid osteoma with a low rate of complication and no late recurrence.

Subchondral bone attenuation coefficient utility of the sacroiliac margins to differentiate spondyloarthritis and osteitis condensans ilii.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from osteitis condensans ilii (OCI) remains challenging for clinicians. The aim of this study was to determine whether Subchondral Bone Attenuation Coefficient of the SacroIliac margins (SBAC-SI) is different in AS, OCI and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). METHODS: A monocentric retrospective observational study was performed at the University Hospital of Besançon. Patients included were followed for AS, DISH or OCI and underwent CT scan including sacroiliac joint. Patients with tumour lesion of bone or a history of pelvic radiotherapy were excluded. AS and OCI patients were matched with a control of the same age and sex. SBAC-SI was evaluated by the sum of 24 identical circular regions of interest, 8 per slice (anterior, middle and posterior). RESULTS: Thirty AS and AS controls, 31 DISH, 29 OCI and OCI controls were included. SBAC-SI score was 9727 (±2430) in the OCI group (p<0.001), 3563 (±1860) in the AS group, 3899 (±1937) in the DISH group, 4224 (±1693) in the AS control group and 5445 (±1205) in the OCI control group. A threshold of 7500 HU had the best discriminative value between OCI and AS (youden index: 0.89). In AS, disease duration is negatively associated with SBAC-SI (r: -0.623; p<0.01) and HLA B27 is associated with lower SBAC-SI (6523 (5198; 7137) vs 2809 (1568; 3371); p<0.001). CONCLUSION: SBAC-SI is significatively different between AS and OCI and could help to distinguish these two diseases.

Early Prediction of Acute Biliary Pancreatitis Using Clinical and Abdominal CT Features.

Background Assessment of the biliary origin of acute pancreatitis (AP) is crucial because it affects patient treatment to avoid recurrence. Although CT is systematically performed to determine severity in AP, its usefulness in assessing AP biliary origin has not been evaluated. Purpose To assess abdominal CT features associated with acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) and to evaluate the predictive value of a combination of CT and clinical data for determining a biliary origin in a first episode of AP. Materials and Methods From December 2014 to May 2019, all consecutive patients who presented with a first episode of AP and with at least 6 months of follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. Evidence of gallstones was mandatory for a clinical diagnosis of ABP. Abdominal CT images were reviewed by two abdominal radiologists. Univariable and multivariable statistical analyses were performed, and a nomogram was constructed on the basis of the combination of clinical and CT features. This nomogram was validated in a further independent internal cohort of patients. Results A total of 271 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 56 years ± 20; 160 men) were evaluated. Of these, 170 (63%) had ABP. At multivariable analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.09; P < .001), alanine aminotransferase level (OR, 1.00; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01; P = .009), gallbladder gallstone (OR, 15.59; 95% CI: 4.61, 68.62; P < .001), choledochal ring sign (OR, 5.73; 95% CI: 2.11, 17.05; P < .001), liver spontaneous attenuation (OR, 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.11; P < .001), and duodenal thickening (OR, 0.17; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.61; P = .01) were independently associated with ABP. The matching nomogram combining both clinical and CT features displayed an area under the curve of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.97) in the study sample (n = 271) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.99) in the validation cohort (n = 51). Conclusion Abdominal CT provided useful features for diagnosis of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP). Combining CT and clinical features in a nomogram showed good diagnostic performance for early diagnosis of ABP. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Chang in this issue.

Interest of Follow-Up Radiological Imaging in Patients with Pyogenic Vertebral Osteomyelitis.

No recommendations are established for monitoring pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO). Thus, the realization of systematic follow-up radiological imaging is controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interest in follow-up radiological imaging in patients with PVO. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with PVO who had both baseline and follow-up radiological imaging. We classified the follow-up images into two groups, improvement/stability, and deterioration, compared with the baseline data. For each patient, we compared their radiological imaging follow-up to their clinical-biological condition assessed at the same time. Eighty-six patients were included. The mean age was 68 years (±13). A total of 99 radiological imaging examinations at diagnosis and at follow-up were analyzed, 69 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and 30 Computerized Tomography (CT scans). The mean delay between the follow-up radiological imaging and clinical evaluation was 2.8 +/- 2.1 months. Of the 36 patients with clinical and biological recovery, 24 patients (67%) had improved radiological imaging and 12 patients (34%) had radiological worsening (new abscesses (n = 4), extension of soft tissue infiltration (n = 2) and/or epiduritis (n = 2) or appearance of new locations (n = 1)). Among the 50 patients considered as unhealed, on the contrary, radiological imaging showed an improvement in imaging in 39 patients (78%) and a worsening in 11 patients (22%). Our study showed that there was no correlation between the clinical condition of patients and their follow-up radiological imaging in the context of PVO.

Tumors and pseudotumors of the soft tissues: Imaging semiology and strategy.

The aims of this educational review are to learn the semiological basis of soft-tissue lesions and, with the help of diagnostic algorithms, to apply the current recommendations for the management of soft-tissue tumors. Pseudotumors must first be identified and excluded. Among primary tumors, the search for macroscopic fat content on MRI is decisive; since it restricts the diagnostic range to adipocytic tumors. Key imaging features of non-adipocytic tumors are highlighted. When a deep soft-tissue mass is found, therapeutic abstention or simple monitoring is only appropriate when there is diagnostic certainty: This is only the case for typical pseudotumors, typical benign tumors, and fat tumors without atypical criteria. In all other cases, histological evidence is required. If there is any suspicion of soft-tissue sarcoma or any undetermined lesion, the patient should be referred to a sarcoma referral center before biopsy.

Anatomo-sonographic identification of the longissimus capitis and splenius cervicis muscles: principles for possible application to ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin injections in cervical dystonia.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to define and verify anatomo-sonographic landmarks for ultrasound-guided injection of botulinum toxin into the longissimus capitis (LC) and splenius cervicis (SC) muscles. METHODS AND RESULTS: After a preliminary work of anatomical description of the LC and SC muscles, we identified these muscles on two cadavers and then on a healthy volunteer using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to establish a radio-anatomical correlation. We defined an anatomo-sonographic landmark for the injection of each of these muscles. The correct positioning of vascular glue into the LC muscle and a metal clip into the SC muscle of a fresh cadaver as verified by dissection confirmed the utility of the selected landmarks. DISCUSSION: For the LC muscle, the intramuscular tendon of the cranial part of the muscle appears to be a reliable anatomical landmark. The ultrasound-guided injection can be performed within the cranial portion of the muscle, between the intra-muscular tendon and insertion into the mastoid process at dens of the axis level. For the SC muscle, the surface topographic landmarks of the spinous processes of the C4-C5 vertebrae and the muscle body of the levator scapulae muscle seem to be reliable landmarks. From these, the ultrasound-guided injection can be carried out laterally by transfixing the body of the levator scapulae. CONCLUSION: The study defined two cervical anatomo-sonographic landmarks for injecting the LC and SC muscles.

COVID-19 pneumonia: microvascular disease revealed on pulmonary dual-energy computed tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND: Increased prevalence of acute pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 has been reported in few recent studies. Some works have highlighted pathological changes on lung microvasculature with local pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy that may explain pulmonary artery thrombosis found on pulmonary computed tomography (CT) angiography. The objective of our study was to describe lung perfusion disorders assessed by pulmonary dual-energy CT (DECT) angiography in severe COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This single center retrospective study included 85 consecutive patients with a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 who underwent a pulmonary DECT angiography between March 16th 2020 and April 22th 2020. Pulmonary DECT angiography was performed when the patient had severe clinical symptoms or suffered from active neoplasia or immunosuppression. Two chest radiologists performed pulmonary angiography analysis in search of pulmonary artery thrombosis and a blinded semi quantitative analysis of iodine color maps focusing on the presence of parenchymal ischemia. The lung parenchyma was divided into volumes based on HU values. DECT analysis included lung segmentation, total lungs volume and distribution of lung perfusion assessment. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (34%) were diagnosed with pulmonary artery thrombosis, mainly segmental (83%). Semi-quantitative analysis revealed parenchymal ischemia in 68% patients of the overall population, with no significant difference regarding absence or presence of pulmonary artery thrombosis (23 vs. 35, P=0.144). Inter-reader agreement of parenchymal ischemia between reader 1 and 2 was substantial [0.74; interquartile range (IQR): 0.59-0.89]. Volume of ischemia was significantly higher in patients with pulmonary artery thrombosis [29 (IQR, 8-100) vs. 8 (IQR, 0-45) cm3, P=0.041]. Lung parenchyma was divided between normal parenchyma (59%, of which 34% was hypoperfused), ground glass opacities (10%, of which 20% was hypoperfused) and consolidation (31%, of which 10% was hypoperfused). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary perfusion evaluated by iodine concentration maps shows extreme heterogeneity in COVID-19 patients and lower iodine levels in normal parenchyma. Pulmonary ischemic areas were more frequent and larger in patients with pulmonary artery thrombosis. Pulmonary DECT angiography revealed a significant number of pulmonary ischemic areas even in the absence of visible pulmonary arterial thrombosis. This may reflect microthrombosis associated with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Correction to: National dose reference levels in computed tomography-guided interventional procedures-a proposal.

The original version of this article, published on 02 May 2020, unfortunately contained a mistake.

National dose reference levels in computed tomography-guided interventional procedures-a proposal.

OBJECTIVES: To establish national reference levels (RLs) in interventional procedures under CT guidance as required by the 2013/59/Euratom European Directive. METHODS: Seventeen categories of interventional procedures in thoracic, abdominopelvic, and osteoarticular specialties (percutaneous infiltration, vertebroplasty, biopsy, drainage, tumor destruction) were analyzed. Total dose length product (DLP), number of helical acquisitions (NH), and total DLP for helical, sequential, or fluoroscopic acquisitions were recorded for 10 to 20 patients per procedure at each center. RLs were calculated as the 3rd quartiles of the distributions and target values for optimization process (TVOs) as the median. RLs and TVOs were compared with previously published studies. RESULTS: Results on 5001 procedures from 49 centers confirmed the great variability in patient dose for the same category of procedures. RLs were proposed for the DLPs and NHs in the seventeen categories. RLs in terms of DLP and NH were 375 mGy.cm and 2 NH for spinal or peri-spinal infiltration, 1630 mGy.cm and 3 NH for vertebroplasty, 845 mGy.cm and 4 NH for biopsy, 1950 mGy.cm and 8 NH for destruction of tumors, and 1090 mGy.cm and 5 NH for drainage. DLP and NH increased with the complexity of procedures. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first nationwide multicentric survey to propose RLs for interventional procedures under CT guidance. Heterogeneity of practice in centers were found with different levels of patient doses for the same procedure. The proposed RLs will allow imaging departments to benchmark their practice with others and optimize their protocols. KEY POINTS: • National reference levels are proposed for 17 categories of interventional procedures under CT guidance. • Reference levels are useful for benchmarking practices and optimizing protocols. • Reference levels are proposed for dose length product and the number of helical acquisitions.

Acute Pulmonary Embolism Associated with COVID-19 Pneumonia Detected with Pulmonary CT Angiography.

Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Artifacts and Technical Restrictions in 2D Shear Wave Elastography.

2 D shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) is the latest evolution of elastography techniques and allows real-time quantitative assessment of the medium stiffness. The aim of this review is to identify, describe, explain and illustrate some technical restrictions and artifacts in 2D-SWE. Encountered artifacts and technical restrictions may be categorized according to acquisition technique, medium, or operator: · Acquisition technique: B-mode & SWE entanglement, transducer frequency, posterior elastographic shadowing artifact, mirrored elastogram artifact, "vertical striped" artifact, resolution limits in SWE, non-equivalence of elastographic devices. · Medium: SWE in liquid medium, "black hole phenomenon", pseudo-liquid lesions, musculotendinous anisotropy, intrinsic stiffness variations of tendons and muscles, depth of analysis, movement artifacts. · Operator: Region of interest compression, acquisition and measurement parameters (ROI size, ROI location, elastogram acquisition time). Clear knowledge of the underlying physical basis is necessary in 2D-SWE because radiologists have to deal with technical restrictions and a wide range of artifacts. Proper use of 2D-SWE ensures the reliability and reproducibility of the technique.

Scapholunate kinematics after flexible anchor repair.

The scapholunate joint is one of the keystones of the wrist kinematics, and its study is difficult due to the carpal bones size and the richness of surrounding ligaments. We propose a new method of quantitative assessment of scapholunate kinematics through bone motion tracking in order to investigate scapholunate ligament lesion as well as repair techniques. On 6 intact wrists, steel beads were inserted into the bones of interest to track their motions. Experimental set up allowed wrist flexion extension and radio-ulnar deviation motions. Low-dose bi-planar radiographs were performed each 10° of movement for different configurations: 1) intact wrist, 2) scapholunate ligament division, 3) repair by soft anchors at the posterior then 4) anterior part. Beads' 3D coordinates were computed at each position from biplanar X-Rays, allowing accurate registration of each wrist bone. The Monte Carlo sensitivity study showed accuracy between 0.2° and 1.6 ° for the scaphoid and the lunate in motions studied. The maximum flexion-extension range of motion of the scaphoid significantly decreased after anterior repair from 73° in injured wrist to 62.7°. The proposed protocol appears robust, and the tracking allowed to quantify the anchor's influence on the wrist kinematics.

Body interventional procedures: which is the best method for CT guidance?

OBJECTIVES: To compare sequential fluoroscopy guidance with spiral guidance in terms of safety, effectiveness, speed and radiation in interventional whole body procedures. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of data from the prospective, randomised controlled, multicentre CTNAV2 study. The present analysis included 385 patients: 247 in the sequential group (SEQ) and 138 in the spiral group (SPI). Safety was assessed by the number of major complications. Effectiveness was measured according to the number of targets reached. Data on procedural time and radiation delivered to patients were also collected. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups (SEQ vs SPI) regarding the success rate (99.6% vs 99.3%, p = 0.680), procedural time (7 min 40 s ± 5 min 48 s vs 7 min 13 s ± 7 min 33 s, p = 0.507), or major complications (2.43% vs 5.8%, p = 0.101). Radiation dose to patients was 84% lower in the sequential group (54.8 ± 51.8 mGy cm vs 352.6 ± 404 mGy cm, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Sequential CT fluoroscopy-guided whole-body interventional procedures seems to be as safe, effective and fast as spiral guidance, while also yielding a significant decrease in the radiation dose to patients. KEY POINTS: • Sequential CT fluoroscopy and spiral acquisition are comparable in terms of safety, effectiveness and speed. • Procedural times are comparable despite an increased number of acquisitions in sequential fluoroscopy. • Radiation dose to patients is 84% lower in sequential fluoroscopy compared with spiral CT.