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OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the diagnostic accuracy of assessing injuries on cervical spine computed tomography (CT) scans by trained emergency physicians and radiologists, both in a non-clinical setting. METHODS: In this comparative diagnostic accuracy study, 411 cervical spine CT scans, of which 120 contained injuries (fractures and/or dislocations), were divided into 8 subsets. Eight emergency physicians received focused training and assessed 1 subset each before and after training. Four radiologists assessed 2 subsets each. Diagnostic accuracy between both groups was compared. The reference standard used was a multiverified data set, assessed by radiologists, neurosurgeons, and emergency physicians. The neurosurgeons also classified whether an "injury in need of stabilizing therapy" (IST) was present. RESULTS: Posttraining, the emergency physicians demonstrated increased sensitivity and specificity for identifying cervical spine injuries compared to pretraining: sensitivity 88% (95% confidence interval [CI] 80% to 93%) versus 80% (95% CI 72% to 87%) and specificity 89% (95% CI 85% to 93%) versus 86% (95% CI 81% to 89%). When comparing the trained emergency physicians to the group of radiologists, no difference in sensitivity was found, 88% (95% CI 80% to 83%); however, the radiologists showed a significantly higher specificity (P < 0.01): 99% (95% CI 96% to 100%). In the 12% (15 scans) with missed injuries, emergency physicians missed more ISTs than radiologists, 6 versus 4 scans; however, this difference was not significant (P = 0.45). CONCLUSION: After focused training and in a non-clinical setting, no significant difference was found between emergency physicians and radiologists in ruling out cervical spine injuries; however, the radiologists achieved a significantly higher specificity.
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PURPOSE: Quantification of the effect of O-MAR on decreasing metal artefacts caused by large head metal on metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA) in a dedicated phantom setup of the hip. BACKGROUND: Pathological reactions of the hip capsule on Computed tomography (CT) can be difficult to diagnose due to different metal artefacts. The O-MAR algorithm deploys an iterative loop where the metal sinogram is identified, extracted, and subsequently serves as a mask to correct the measured sinogram. Main goal of this study is to quantify the ability of the O-MAR technique to correct deviation in medullary bone attenuation caused by streak artefacts from the large-head MoM THA embedded in a phantom. Secondary goal is to evaluate the influence of O-MAR on CNR. METHODS: The phantom was designed as a Perspex box (PMMA) containing water and a supplementary MOM THA surrounded by Perspex columns comprising calibrated calcium pellets. Each column contains 200 mg of hydroxyapatite/calcium carbonate to simulate healthy bone tissue. Scans were obtained with and without a MoM THA at different dose levels. Different reconstructions were made with filter A, iDose(4) level 5 and with and without O-MAR. The scans without the prosthesis were used as the baseline. Information about the attenuation in Hounsfield units, image noise in standard deviation within the ROI's were extracted and the CNR was calculated. RESULTS: Pellet L0 and R0 (proximal of the MoM THA) were defined as reference, lacking any disturbance by metal artefacts; L5, L6 and L8 were respectively visually categorized as 'light' 'medium' and 'heavy disturbance'. Significant improvements in attenuation deviation caused by metal artefact were 43, 68 and 32 %, for respectively pellet L5, L6 and L8 (p < 0.001). Significant CNR improvements were present for L5 and L6 and were respectively 72 and 52 % (p < 0.001). O-MAR showed no improvement on CNR for L8. CONCLUSION: This phantom study significantly increases image quality by the use of O-MAR in the presence of metal artefacts by significantly reducing metal artefacts subsequently and increasing CNR on a 64 slice CT system in light and medium disturbance of the image.
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OBJECTIVE: After implantation of a metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA), a large incidence of pseudotumor formation has been described recently. Several centers have invited patients for follow-up in order to screen for pseudotumor formation. The spectrum of abnormalities found by CT in MoM THA patients can be unfamiliar to radiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Previously, a CT five-point grading scale has been published. In this paper, a simplification into a three-point classification system gives insight in the morphological distinction of abnormalities of the postoperative hip capsule in MoM implants in relation to the decision for revision. The reliability of this simplified classification regarding intra- and interrater reliability and its association with revision rate is investigated and discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent MoM THA in our hospital were invited for screening. Various clinical measures and CT scan were obtained in a cross-sectional fashion. A decision on revision surgery was made shortly after screening. CT scans were read in 582 patients, of which 82 patients were treated bilaterally. CT scans were independently single read by two board-certified radiologists and classified into categories I-V. In a second meeting, consensus was obtained. Categories were subsequently rubricated in class A (categories I and II), B (category III), and C (categories IV and V). Intra- and inter-radiologist agreement on MoM pathology was assessed by means of the weighted Cohen's kappa. Categorical data were presented as n (%), and tested by means of Fisher's exact test. Continuous data were presented as median (min-max) and tested by means of Mann-Whitney U test (two group comparison) or Kruskal-Wallis test (three group comparison). Logistic regression analysis was performed in order to study independence of CT class for association with revision surgery. Univariate statistically significant variables were entered in a multiple model. All statistical analysis was performed two-tailed using alpha 5% as the significance level. RESULTS: In total, 664 scores from 664 MoM hips obtained by two observers were available for analyses. Interobserver reliability for the non-simplified version (I-V) was κw = 0.71 (95% CI: 0.62-0.79), which indicates good agreement between the two musculoskeletal radiologists. Intra- and interobserver reliability for the simplified version (A-C) were respectively κw 0.78 (95% CI: 0.68-0.87), and κw = 0.71 (95% CI: 0.65-0.76). This indicates good agreement within and between the two observers. The simplified A-C version is significantly associated with revision exclusively due to MoM pathology, in both patients with unilateral MoM THA (p < 0.001) and patients with bilateral MoM THA (p < 0.044). The simplified A-C version is associated with several clinical measures. In patients with unilateral MoM THA, with or without contralateral THA, in situ time (p < 0.008), cobalt and chromium (p < 0.001) were statistically significant. In patients with bilateral MoM, cobalt (p < 0.001) and chromium (p < 0.027) were statistically significant. Revision is significantly associated with cup size (p < 0.001), anteversion of the cup (p < 0.004), serum ion levels of cobalt and chromium (p < 0.001) and the adapted classification system (p < 0.001). In univariate logistic regression analysis on revision, cup, anteversion of the cup, cobalt-chromium ion serum levels, and the simplified (A-C) CT category system were statistically significant. The simplified (A-C) CT category system was an independent associate of revision, in several multiple logistic regression models. CONCLUSIONS: The presented simplified CT grading system (A-C) in its first clinical validation on 48- and 64-multislice systems is reliable, showing good intra- and interrater reliability and is independently associated with revision surgery.