Two-dimensional shear wave elastography utilized in patients with ascites: a more reliable method than transient elastography for noninvasively detecting the liver stiffness-an original study with 170 patients.

Background: Two dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) is an ultrasound elastography technique based on shear waves implemented on a diagnostic ultrasound system. Transient elastography (TE) uses an ultrasound displacement M-mode and A-mode image produced by the system. So, TE mechanically induced impulse at tissue surface and difficultly across water. This paper compared the reliability and reproducibility of 2D-SWE with that of TE in patients with chronic hepatic disease. Comparisons were made in terms of the success rate, reliability, reproducibility, operation time, and influence of operator experience. Methods: A total of 170 patients were included in this study. Participants underwent 2D-SWE and TE performed by 2 different operators (a novice and veteran) on the same day. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare the technical success rate and reliable measurement rate, and inter-operator reproducibility was evaluated using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: The 2D-SWE technique showed a higher technical success rate than TE. Either 2D-SWE or TE can be utilized in patients with ascites lamella of less than 10 mm or ascites lamella plus skin-capsular distance of less than 25 mm. However, although the reliability rate of liver stiffness measurement with 2D-SWE did not significantly differ between the novice and veteran operators, for TE, there was a significant difference when body mass index (BMI) ≤25 kg/m2. When performed by the novice and veteran operators, 2D-SWE and TE both showed excellent inter-operator agreement, with ICCs of 0.968 and 0.973, respectively. Both 2D-SWE and TE displayed reliable measurement and excellent reproducibility in patients with chronic liver disease, were minimally influenced by operator experience. Conclusions: 2D-SWE may be a more reliable method for clinical application in noninvasive detecting the liver stiffness.

FI-CEUS: a solution to improve the diagnostic accuracy in MRI LI-RADS-indeterminate (LR-3/4) FLLs at risk for HCC.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fusion imaging contrast-enhanced ultrasound (FI-CEUS) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) LI-RADS-indeterminate (LR-3/4) and conventional ultrasound undetected focal liver lesions (FLLs) in patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Between February 2020 and July 2021, 71 FLLs in 63 patients were registered for diagnostic performance evaluation respectively for ultrasound-guided thermal ablation evaluation in this retrospective study. Diagnostic performance regarding FLLs was compared between FI-CEUS and contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI). Results: For diagnostic performance evaluation, among 71 lesions in 63 patients, the diagnostic efficacy of FI-CEUS with LI-RADS was significantly higher than that of CE-MRI (P < 0.05) in both overall and hierarchical comparison (except for the group with lesion diameter ≥2 cm). For malignant lesions, the proportion of arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) and washout on FI-CEUS was higher than that on CE-MRI (P < 0.05). Conclusion: FI-CEUS has a high value in the precise qualitative diagnosis of small FLLs (<2 cm) of MRI LI-RADS-indeterminate diagnosis (LR-3/4) that are undetected by conventional ultrasound in patients at risk for HCC and can be a good supplementary CE-MRI diagnostic method for thermal ablation evaluation.

Application of multimodal imaging in the diagnosis of intrahepatic splenosis: Two case reports and a literature review.

Intrahepatic splenosis is quite rare and is often misdiagnosed as other lesions. We present two cases of intrahepatic splenosis examined with hepatobiliary contrast agents, intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance elastography. We discuss various imaging modalities and the roles of various magnetic resonance imaging methods in diagnosis. We also discuss the differentiating features that allow the correct diagnosis to be made and provide a brief review of the literature.

Complete Response With Cetuximab-Based Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancers: Two Case Reports and Literature Review.

Metastases typically develop before diagnosis and during the treatment of colorectal cancers, while patients with metastatic colorectal cancers (mCRCs) currently have a poor prognosis. In terms of surgical approaches, adjuvant therapies, and targeted therapies, the treatment of mCRCs has had numerous recent advances. As a targeted agent widely used in mCRCs, cetuximab-based treatment is still under dispute due to its side effects and unstable effect. We present two mCRC cases treated with cetuximab-based therapy, of which two patients achieved complete response and without recurrence for over 22 and 84 months, respectively. To better understand the drug usage, we also reviewed the recent achievements and usage precautions of cetuximab in mCRCs. Present and many previous observations support that cetuximab might be a referred drug in the first-line chemotherapy of mCRCs with wild-type RAS and BRAF and proficient mismatch repair.

Imaging features of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging for evaluation of tumor-infiltrating CD8 cells and PD-L1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating CD8 cells and expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are immune checkpoint markers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to determine the ability of preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings to predict CD8 cell density and PD-L1 expression in HCC. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with HCC who underwent 3.0-T gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI before curative resection from January 2016 to June 2020 were enrolled and divided into a training set (n = 84) and a testing set (n = 36). Thirty-four patients with advanced stage HCC who received anti-PD-1 inhibitor between January 2017 and April 2020 and underwent pretreated gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI scans were enrolled in an independent validation set. PD-L1 expression and CD8 cell infiltration were assessed with immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Two radiologists blinded to pathology results evaluated the pretreated MR features in consensus. Logistic regression and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were used to determine the value of image features to predict high CD8 cell density, PD-L1 positivity and the combination of high CD8 cell density and PD-L1 positivity in HCC in the training set and validated the findings in the testing set. The associations of MRI predictors with the objective response to immunotherapy were assessed in the independent validation. RESULTS: In the training set, the independent MRI predictors were irregular tumor margin (ITM, P = 0.008) and peritumoral low signal intensity (PLSI) on hepatobiliary phase (HBP) images (P < 0.001) for PD-L1 positivity, absence of an enhancing capsule (AEC, P = 0.001) and PLSI on HBP images (P = 0.025) for high CD8 cell density, and PLSI on HBP images (P = 0.001) and ITM (P = 0.023) for the both. The area under the curves (AUCs) of the predictive models for evaluating PD-L1 positivity, high CD8 cell density and the combination of high CD8 cell density and PD-L1 positivity were 0.810 and 0.809, 0.740 and 0.728, and 0.809 and 0.874 in the training and testing set, respectively. The objective response was demonstrated to be associated with the combination of PLSI on HBP images and ITM (PHI, P = 0.004), and the combination of PLSI on HBP images and AEC (PHA, P = 0.012) in the independent validation set. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreated MRI features have the potential to identify patients with HCC in an immune-activated state and predict outcomes of immunotherapy. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered on March 5, 2020 with registration no. [2020] 02-012-01.

Can modified LI-RADS increase the sensitivity of LI-RADS v2018 for the diagnosis of 10-19 mm hepatocellular carcinoma on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI?

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) v2018 LR-5 criteria can be modified to increase sensitivity without reducing specificity for diagnosing 10-19 mm hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: A total of 133 high-risk consecutive patients with 174 small observations (10-19 mm) detected on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI were retrospectively studied. LI-RADS MRI major features (MFs) and ancillary features (AFs) were reviewed by two independent radiologists in consensus. Observations were categorized using LI-RADS v2018 MFs. Independently significant AFs were identified through logistic regression analysis. Upgraded LR-5 criteria were developed by combining independently significant AFs with MFs of LR-3 or LR-4 v2018. The sensitivity and specificity of the new diagnostic criteria were compared with those of LR-5 v2018 using McNemar's test. RESULTS: Three of the AFs favoring malignancy [mild-moderate T2 hyperintensity, transitional phase (TP) hypointensity and fat in mass] were independently significant features for diagnosing 10-19 mm HCC. The upgraded LR-5 criteria (mLI-RADS VII: LR-4 + mild-moderate T2 hyperintensity/TP hypointensity or LR-3 + fat in mass) yielded a significantly greater sensitivity than that of the LR-5 v2018 criteria (70.4% vs 55.1%; p < 0.001), whereas the specificity was not significantly different (94.7% vs 98.7%, p = 0.250). CONCLUSIONS: Independently significant AFs may be used to upgrade an observation from LR-3/LR-4 to LR-5, which can improve the sensitivity without impairing the specificity for diagnosing 10-19 mm HCC on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI.

Comparison of Gadobenate-Enhanced MRI and Gadoxetate-Enhanced MRI for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Detection Using LI-RADS Version 2018: A Prospective Intraindividual Randomized Study.

BACKGROUND. Gadobenate and gadoxetate show different degrees of intracellular accumulation within hepatocytes, potentially impacting these agents' relative performance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article was to perform an intraindividual comparison of gadobenate-enhanced MRI and gadoxetate-enhanced MRI for detection of HCC and to assess the impact of inclusion of hepatobiliary phase images on HCC detection for both agents. METHODS. This prospective study enrolled 126 patients (112 men, 14 women; mean age, 52.3 years) at high risk for HCC who consented to undergo two 3-T liver MRI examinations (one using gadobenate [0.05 mmol/kg], one using gadoxetate [0.025 mmol/kg]) separated by 7-14 days. The order of the two contrast agents was randomized. All examinations included postcontrast dynamic and hepatobiliary phase images (120 minutes for gadobenate, 20 minutes for gadoxetate). Three radiologists independently reviewed the gadobenate and gadoxetate examinations in separate sessions and recorded the location of detected observations. Observations were classified using LI-RADS version 2018 and using a LI-RADS modification whereby hepatobiliary phase hypointensity may upgrade observations from category LR-4 to LR-5. Observations classified as LR-5 were considered positive interpretations for HCC. Diagnostic performance for histologically confirmed HCC (n = 96) was assessed. RESULTS. Across readers, sensitivity for HCC for gadobenate versus gadoxetate was 74.0-80.2% versus 54.2-67.7% using dynamic images alone and 82.1-87.4% versus 66.3-81.1% using dynamic and hepatobiliary phase images. For HCCs measuring 1.0-2.0 cm, sensitivity for gadobenate versus gadoxetate was 61.9% (all readers) versus 38.1-57.1% using dynamic images alone and 76.2-85.7% versus 52.4-61.9% using dynamic and hepatobiliary phase images. PPV for HCC ranged from 88.6% to 97.4% across readers, agents, and image sets. CONCLUSION. Sensitivity for HCC was higher for gadobenate than for gadoxetate, whether using dynamic images alone or dynamic and hepatobiliary phase images; the improved sensitivity using gadobenate was more pronounced for small HCCs. Whereas hepatobiliary phase images improved sensitivity for both agents, sensitivity of gadobenate using dynamic images alone compared favorably with that of gadoxetate using dynamic and hepatobiliary phase images. CLINICAL IMPACT. The findings support gadobenate as a preferred agent over gadoxetate when performing liver MRI in patients at high risk for HCC.

Preoperative prediction of pathologic grade of HCC on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic MRI.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the value of gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in predicting the pathologic grade of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with pathologically proven HCC who underwent preoperative gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic MRI were included. Two radiologists blinded to pathology results evaluated images in consensus. Lesions were evaluated quantitatively in terms of ratio of enhancement (RE), and qualitatively based on image features related to tumor aggressiveness. Logistic regression and ROC analyses were used to determine the value of these parameters to predict pathologic grade. RESULTS: In total, 221 patients (194 males, 27 females, aged 52.9 ± 11.7 years) with 49 poorly differentiated HCCs and 172 well/moderately differentiated HCCs were evaluated. Features significantly related to poorer pathologic grade at univariate analysis included lower RE in the early arterial phase (EAP) (p = 0.001), nonsmooth margins (p = 0.001), absence of capsule (p < 0.001), arterial peritumoral hyperenhancement (p < 0.001), higher AFP (p = 0.004), multiple tumors (p = 0.026), and larger tumor size (p = 0.028). At multivariate analysis, lower RE (EAP) (OR = 0.144, p = 0.002), absence of capsule (OR = 0.281, p = 0.004), and arterial peritumoral hyperenhancement (OR = 4.117, p < 0.001) were independent predictive factors for poorer pathologic grade. ROC analysis showed lower RE (EAP) was predictive of poorer pathologic grade (AUC = 0.667). AUC increased to 0.797 when combined with absence of capsule and presence of peritumoral hyperenhancement. CONCLUSIONS: Lower RE (EAP), absence of capsule, and arterial peritumoral hyperenhancement were predictive biomarkers for poorer pathologic grade of HCC on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic MRI. KEY POINTS: • Gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic MRI was a useful quantitative biomarker for preoperative prediction of pathologic grade in patients with HCC. • Lower RE in the early arterial phase, absence of capsule, and arterial peritumoral hyperenhancement were potential imaging indicators for preoperative prediction of poorer pathologic grade of HCC on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. • A lower RE in the early arterial phase was effective at predicting poorer pathologic grade of HCCs but prediction is improved when combined with absence of capsule and presence of peritumoral hyperenhancement.

Case Report: Cetuximab in Combination With Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Multifocal Hepatic Metastases From Colorectal Cancer Guided by Genetic Tests.

Hepatic metastases were reported in up to 70% of colorectal cancer patients, among which multifocal hepatic metastasis represents one of the complications that lead to poor prognosis. The majority of the patients carrying multifocal hepatic metastases required pharmaceutical treatments to reduce the tumor size prior to surgical resection. However, the clinical responses to pharmaceutical agents were difficult to predict due to the heterogeneous nature of the multifocal tumors. Here, we report a case with multifocal hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer that was resistant to the primary chemotherapy and Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, but responded to the combined therapy of Cetuximab and FOLFOX. Genetic tests had revealed that the tumor was highly metastatic due to the mutations of the WNT signaling pathway, and the metastatic tumors might be sensitive to Cetuximab. Consistent with the molecular characterizations, the metastatic tumors continue to emerge after chemotherapy, and rapidly relapsed in great numbers after liver resection. However, the combined therapy of Cetuximab and FOLFOX guided by the genetic tests significantly reduced the size and number of metastatic tumors. To conclude, deciphering the mutation profiles of multifocal metastatic tumors may guide the determination of treatment tactics, which may benefit the patients with non-resectable advanced carcinoma.

The role of lesion hypointensity on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced hepatobiliary phase MRI as an additional major imaging feature for HCC classification using LI-RADS v2018 criteria.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the value of lesion hypointensity in the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI as an additional major imaging feature for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using LI-RADS v2018 criteria. METHODS: Between March 2016 and August 2018, 235 patients with 250 hepatic nodules at high risk of HCC underwent gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. Two radiologists independently evaluated the imaging features and classified the nodules based on LI-RADS v2018 criteria, and their consensus data were used to calculate the diagnostic performance of LI-RADS categories. Two modified LI-RADS definitions were as follows: (1) LI-RADS-m1: HBP hypointensity as an additional major feature; (2) LI-RADS-m2: HBP hypointensity as an alternative to "enhancing capsule" as an additional major feature. The diagnostic performance of LR-5 categories was compared using McNemar's test. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity for LR-5 classification using original LI-RADS v2018 criteria were 78.1% and 96.3%, respectively. Significantly improved sensitivity (82.7%; p = 0.004) with unchanged specificity (96.3%; p = 1.00) was seen for LR-5 classification using LI-RADS-m1. Similar sensitivity and specificity (82.7% and 96.3%, respectively) were also seen using LI-RADS-m2. Significantly improved sensitivity (79.5% vs. 64.0%; p = 0.031) with unchanged specificity (96.2% vs. 96.2%, p = 1.00) was seen using both LI-RADS-m1 and LI-RADS-m2 compared to the original LI-RADS v2018 for 39 HCC nodules measuring 10-19 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Lesion hypointensity on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced HBP MRI may improve sensitivity for LR-5 classification beyond that achievable using conventional LI-RADS v2018 criteria. Lesion hypointensity may prove a suitable alternative imaging feature to enhancing capsule for accurate LR-5 classification. KEY POINTS: • Including lesion hypointensity in the HBP as an additional major feature improved sensitivity for LR-5 classification on gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI. • Lesion hypointensity in the HBP can replace "enhancing capsule" as an additional major feature for LR-5 classification without impairing specificity.

The Impact of Planting Industry Structural Changes on Carbon Emissions in the Three Northeast Provinces of China.

This paper focuses on the impact of changes in planting industry structure on carbon emissions. Based on the statistical data of the planting industry in three provinces in Northeast China from 1999 to 2018, the study calculated the carbon emissions, carbon absorptions and net carbon sinks of the planting industry by using crop parameter estimation and carbon emissions inventory estimation methods. In addition, the multiple linear regression model and panel data model were used to analyze and test the carbon emissions and net carbon sinks of the planting industry. The results show that: (1). The increase of the planting area of rice, corn, and peanuts in the three northeastern provinces of China will promote carbon emissions, while the increase of the planting area of wheat, sorghum, soybeans, and vegetables will reduce carbon emissions; (2). Fertilizer application, technological progress, and planting structure factors have a significant positive effect on net carbon sinks, among which the changes in the planting industry structure have the greatest impact on net carbon sinks. Based on the comprehensive analysis, it is suggested that, under the guidance of the government, resource endowment and location advantages should be given full play to, and the internal planting structure of crops should be reasonably adjusted so as to promote the development of low-carbon agriculture and accelerate the development process of agricultural modernization.

Increasing the sensitivity of LI-RADS v2018 for diagnosis of small (10-19 mm) HCC on extracellular contrast-enhanced MRI.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the LI-RADS v2018 LR-5 criteria can be modified to increase sensitivity without reducing specificity for diagnosing small (10-19 mm) HCC. METHODS: 167 consecutive high-risk patients with 174 small observations reported clinically on extracellular contrast-enhanced MRI from 2014 to 2018 were retrospectively studied. The best available reference standard was applied for each observation. Blinded to the reference standard, two radiologists scored LI-RADS imaging features retrospectively and assigned each observation a LI-RADS category using LI-RADS v2018 and each of four modified LI-RADS versions (mLI-RADS I to IV) with successively more expansive LR-5 criteria. Per-observation sensitivity and specificity of LR-5 for small HCC using each version were assessed. Each modified version was compared to v2018 (McNemar test). RESULTS: The 174 observations included 135 HCC, 8 non-HCC malignancies, and 31 benign entities. Using LI-RADS v2018, LR-5 provided 70% (both readers) sensitivity and 95% (both readers) specificity for small HCC. Expanding the LR-5 criteria to include nonrim APHE plus at least one additional major feature (mLI-RADS I) or no APHE plus at least two additional major features (mLI-RADS II) significantly increased sensitivity (reader 1/reader 2: 75%/75% vs. 70%, p = 0.016/0.031; 78%/79% vs. 70%, p = 0.001/0.001) without significantly reducing specificity (reader 1/reader 2: 90%/92% vs. 95%, p = 0.500/1.000 for both). mLI-RADS III and IV further increased sensitivity (reader 1/reader 2: 80%/81% vs. 70%, p < 0.001/< 0.001; 94%/92% vs. 70, p < 0.001/< 0.001) but with trend-level (reader 1/reader 2: 85%/80% vs. 95%, p = 0.125/0.063) or significant (reader 1/reader 2: 64%/62% vs. 95%, p < 0.001/< 0.001) specificity reductions. CONCLUSIONS: Expanding the v2018 LR-5 criteria to include nonrim APHE plus at least one additional major feature or no APHE plus at least two additional major features significantly increases sensitivity without significantly reducing specificity for small HCC. Confirmation is warranted in multi-center prospective studies.

Multiphase convolutional dense network for the classification of focal liver lesions on dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The accurate classification of focal liver lesions (FLLs) is essential to properly guide treatment options and predict prognosis. Dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) is still the cornerstone in the exact classification of FLLs due to its noninvasive nature, high scanning speed, and high-density resolution. Since their recent development, convolutional neural network-based deep learning techniques has been recognized to have high potential for image recognition tasks. AIM: To develop and evaluate an automated multiphase convolutional dense network (MP-CDN) to classify FLLs on multiphase CT. METHODS: A total of 517 FLLs scanned on a 320-detector CT scanner using a four-phase DCE-CT imaging protocol (including precontrast phase, arterial phase, portal venous phase, and delayed phase) from 2012 to 2017 were retrospectively enrolled. FLLs were classified into four categories: Category A, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); category B, liver metastases; category C, benign non-inflammatory FLLs including hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasias and adenomas; and category D, hepatic abscesses. Each category was split into a training set and test set in an approximate 8:2 ratio. An MP-CDN classifier with a sequential input of the four-phase CT images was developed to automatically classify FLLs. The classification performance of the model was evaluated on the test set; the accuracy and specificity were calculated from the confusion matrix, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated from the SoftMax probability outputted from the last layer of the MP-CDN. RESULTS: A total of 410 FLLs were used for training and 107 FLLs were used for testing. The mean classification accuracy of the test set was 81.3% (87/107). The accuracy/specificity of distinguishing each category from the others were 0.916/0.964, 0.925/0.905, 0.860/0.918, and 0.925/0.963 for HCC, metastases, benign non-inflammatory FLLs, and abscesses on the test set, respectively. The AUC (95% confidence interval) for differentiating each category from the others was 0.92 (0.837-0.992), 0.99 (0.967-1.00), 0.88 (0.795-0.955) and 0.96 (0.914-0.996) for HCC, metastases, benign non-inflammatory FLLs, and abscesses on the test set, respectively. CONCLUSION: MP-CDN accurately classified FLLs detected on four-phase CT as HCC, metastases, benign non-inflammatory FLLs and hepatic abscesses and may assist radiologists in identifying the different types of FLLs.

Chest CT-based differential diagnosis of 28 patients with suspected corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

OBJECTIVES: The chest CT findings that can distinguish patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from those with clinically suspected COVID-19 but subsequently found to be COVID-19 negative have not previously been described in detail. The purpose of this study was to determine the distinctions among patients with COVID-19 by comparing the imaging findings of patients with suspected confirmed COVID-19 and those of patients initially suspected to have COVID-19 who were ultimately negative for the disease. METHODS: 28 isolated suspected in-patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in this retrospective study from January 22, 2020 to February 6, 2020. 12 patients were confirmed to have positive severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA results, and 16 patients had negative results. The thin-section CT imaging findings and clinical and laboratory data of all the patients were evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the 12 confirmed COVID-19 (SARS-Cov-2-positive) patients and 16 SARS-CoV-2-negative patients in epidemiology and most of the clinical features or laboratory data. The CT images showed that the incidence of pure/mixed ground-glass opacities (GGOs) was not different between COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2-negative patients [9/12 (75.0%) vs 10/16 (62.5%), p = 0.687], but pure/mixed GGOs in the peripheral were more common in patients with COVID-19 [11/12 (91.7%) vs 6/16 (37.5%), p = 0.006]. There were no significant differences in the number of lesions, bilateral lung involvement, large irregular/patchy opacities, rounded opacities, linear opacities, crazy-paving patterns, halo signs, interlobular septal thickening or air bronchograms. CONCLUSIONS: Although peripheral pure/mixed GGOs on CT may help distinguish patients with COVID-19 from clinically suspected but negative patients, CT cannot replace RT-PCR testing. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Peripheral pure/mixed GGOs on-chest CT findings can be helpful in distinguishing patients with COVID-19 from those with clinically suspected COVID-19 but subsequently found to be COVID-19 negative.

Deep learning assisted differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma from focal liver lesions: choice of four-phase and three-phase CT imaging protocol.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether a three-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced CT protocol, when combined with a deep learning model, has similar accuracy in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other focal liver lesions (FLLs) compared with a four-phase protocol. METHODS: Three hundred and forty-two patients (mean age 49.1 ± 10.5 years, range 19-86 years, 65.8% male) scanned with a four-phase CT protocol (precontrast, arterial, portal-venous and delayed phases) were retrospectively enrolled. A total of 449 FLLs were categorized into HCC and non-HCC groups based on the best available reference standard. Three convolutional dense networks (CDNs) with the input of four-phase CT images (model A), three-phase images without portal-venous phase (model B) and three-phase images without precontrast phase (model C) were trained on 80% of lesions and evaluated in the other 20% by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and confusion matrix analysis. The DeLong test was performed to compare the areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of A with B, B with C, and A with C. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy in differentiating HCC from other FLLs on test sets was 83.3% for model A, 81.1% for model B and 85.6% for model C, and the AUCs were 0.925, 0.862 and 0.920, respectively. The AUCs of models A and C did not differ significantly (p = 0.765), but the AUCs of models A and B (p = 0.038) and of models B and C (p = 0.028) did. CONCLUSIONS: When combined with a CDN, a three-phase CT protocol without precontrast showed similar diagnostic accuracy as a four-phase protocol in differentiating HCC from other FLLs, suggesting that the multiphase CT protocol for HCC diagnosis might be optimized by removing the precontrast phase to reduce radiation dose.

Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System Category 5: MRI Predictors of Microvascular Invasion and Recurrence After Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE. We investigated in Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System category 5 (LR-5) observations whether imaging features, including LI-RADS imaging features, could predict microvascular invasion (MVI) and posthepatectomy recurrence in high-risk adult patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. We retrospectively identified 149 high-risk patients who underwent 3-T MRI within 1 month before hepatectomy for HCC; 81 of 149 patients with no HCC recurrence were followed for more than 1 year. Tumors with clear surgical margins were confirmed in each hepatectomy specimen. MVI was evaluated histologically by a histopathologist. Tumor recurrence was determined by clinical and imaging follow-up. Two independent radiologists reviewed the prehepatectomy MR images and assessed LI-RADS v2018 imaging features as well as some non-LI-RADS features in all LR-5 observations in consensus. Alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor number, and imaging features were analyzed as potential predictors for MVI and posthepatectomy recurrence using multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS. One hundred forty-nine patients with pathologically confirmed HCC were included; 64 of 149 (43.0%) patients had MVI, whereas 48 of 129 (37.2%) patients had tumor recurrence within 3 years after hepatectomy. Mosaic architecture (odds ratio, 3.420; p < 0.001) and nonsmooth tumor margin (odds ratio, 2.554; p = 0.011) were independent predictors of MVI. Multifocal tumors (hazard ratio, 2.101; p = 0.034), absence of fat in mass (hazard ratio, 2.109; p = 0.015), and nonsmooth tumor margin (hazard ratio, 2.415; p = 0.005) were independent predictors of posthepatectomy recurrence. CONCLUSION. In high-risk patients with LR-5 HCC, mosaic architecture and non-smooth tumor margin independently predicted MVI. Multifocal tumors, absence of fat in mass, and nonsmooth tumor margin independently predicted recurrence.

Quantitative study of liver hemodynamic changes in rats with small-for-size syndrome by the 4D-CT perfusion technique.

OBJECTIVE: The microcirculatory hemodynamic changes of small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) are still unclear. In this study, they were investigated by four-dimensional CT perfusion (4D-CTP) technique. METHODS: The sham group, 50, 60, 70 and 80 % partial hepatectomy (PH) rat groups were established. At 1 hour (1 h), 1 day (1 d), 3 days (3 d) and 7 days (7 d) post-operation, serological examination, 4D-CTP scan and histopathological examination were performed. One-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for the comparison. RESULTS: Based on the diagnostic criteria of SFSS, the 80 % group was considered to be a successful model. In all the PH groups, portal vein perfusion and total liver perfusion peaked at 1 h and declined at 1d and 3d. Both portal vein perfusion and total liver perfusion were significantly higher in the 80 % group than the sham group, 50 and 60% groups at 1 h (p < 0.05), and 80 % group at 3d and 7d (p < 0.05). In the 50 and 60 % groups, hepatic artery perfusion decreased at 1 h and maintained at a lower level until at 7 d; whereas, in the 70 and 80% groups, it increased at 1 h, then decreased and reached the lowest level at 7 d. No significant difference appeared in hepatic artery perfusion between any two groups at any time points. At all time points, hepatic perfusion index was lower in all the PH groups than the sham group. Significant differences in hepatic perfusion index appeared between the 80% group and the sham group at 1 h and 1 d (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The CTP parameters quantitatively revealed the microcirculatory hemodynamic changes in SFSS, which were further confirmed to be associated with histopathological injury. It is suggested that the hemodynamic changes in SFSS remnant liver can provide useful information for further revealing the mechanism of SFSS and may help for guiding the treatments. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: By using the 4D-CTP technique, the hepatic microcirculatory hemodynamic changes could be quantitatively measured in vivo for small animal research.

Bioluminescence Imaging of Transplanted Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Overexpression of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor4α: Tracking Biodistribution and Survival.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to construct immortalized human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (UE7T-13) with overexpression of the hepatocyte nuclear factor4α (hHNF4α) and luciferase2-mKate2 dual-fusion reporter gene, further investigate their impact on treating acute liver injury (ALI) in rats, and track their biodistribution and survival by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). PROCEDURES: The hHNF4α and luciferase2-mKate2 genes were transduced by a lentiviral vector into UE7T-13 cells (named E7-hHNF4α-R cells), and expression was verified by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and flow cytometry. E7-hGFP-R cells expressing the luciferase2-mKate2/hGFP gene served as a negative group. A correlation between the bioluminescence signal and cell number was detected by BLI. The ALI rats were established and divided into three groups: PBS, E7-hGFP-R, and E7-hHNF4α-R. After transplantation of 2.0 × 106 cells, BLI was used to dynamically track their biodistribution and survival. The restoration of biological functions was assessed by serum biochemical and histological analyses. RESULTS: Stable high-level expression of hHNF4α and mKate2 protein was established in the E7-hHNF4α-R cells in vitro. The E7-hHNF4α-R cells strongly expressed hGFP, hHNF4α, and mKate2 proteins, and the hHNF4α gene. hGFP-mKate2 dual-positive cell expression reached approximately 93 %. BLI verified that a linear relationship existed between the cell number and bioluminescence signal (R2 = 0.9991). The cells improved liver function in vivo after transplantation into the ALI rat liver, as evidenced by the fact that AST and ALT temporarily returned to normal levels in the recipient ALI rats. The presence of the transplanted E7-hGFP-R and E7-hHNF4α-R cells in recipient rat livers was confirmed by BLI and immunohistochemistry. However, the cells were cleared by the immune system a short time after transplantation into ALI rats with a normal immune system. CONCLUSION: Our data revealed that the E7-hHNF4α-R cells can transiently improve damaged liver function and were rapidly cleared by the immune system. In addition, BLI is a useful tool to track transplanted cell biodistribution and survival.

The Predictive Value of Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio for Overall Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Trans-Catheter Arterial Chemoembolization Therapy.

Background: We have previously reported the prognostic value of the albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who are not receiving any standard anticancer therapy. However, the prognostic value of the AAPR for HCC patients treated with trans-catheter arterial chemoembolization therapy (TACE) was not investigated. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 372 HCC patients treated with TACE (the training cohort) and applied receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves) to identify the best cut-off value for the AAPR in this cohort. Then, univariate analyses by the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis by a Cox proportional hazards regression model were conducted. Both comparisons of the ROC curves and the likelihood ratio test (LRT) were employed to evaluate the abilities of different factors in predicting the survival of patients in this cohort. Finally, the prognostic value of the AAPR was validated in two cohorts: one included 202 HCC patients treated with supportive care (validation cohort I), and the other included 82 HCC patients treated with TACE (validation cohort II). Results: We identified 0.439 as the best cut-off value of the AAPR by ROC curve analysis. An AAPR > 0.439 was significantly correlated with a lower frequency of Child-Pugh grade B, portal vein tumour thrombus (PVTT), T3-4 and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). The median overall survival (OS) of the patients with an AAPR > 0.439 was significantly longer than that of those with an AAPR ≤ 0.439 (58.4 m vs 17.8 m, respectively, P < 0.001). The AAPR was identified as an independent prognostic factor after univariate and multivariate analyses (HR = 0.636, P = 0.003). The independent prognostic value of the AAPR was also confirmed in validation cohorts I and II. Additionally, we substituted the AAPR for the Child-Pugh grade in the CLIP system and integrated the AAPR into the TNM system. We found that the area under the curve (AUC) of the AAPR-CLIP system was significantly larger than that of the CLIP and the TNM when predicting 3-month, 6-month, 1-year and 2-year survival (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the AUCs for the AAPR-CLIP and the AAPR-TNM. The LRT suggested that both AAPR-CLIP and AAPR-TNM had significantly larger χ2 values and smaller AIC values than that of their corresponding primary system (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The AAPR was an independent prognostic index for the HCC patients treated with TACE. Both AAPR-CLIP and AAPR-TNM outperformed their corresponding primary system in predicting OS in the current study.