Evidence-based anatomical review areas derived from systematic analysis of cases from a radiological departmental discrepancy meeting.

AIM: To produce short checklists of specific anatomical review sites for different regions of the body based on the frequency of radiological errors reviewed at radiology discrepancy meetings, thereby creating "evidence-based" review areas for radiology reporting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single centre discrepancy database was retrospectively reviewed from a 5-year period. All errors were classified by type, modality, body system, and specific anatomical location. Errors were assigned to one of four body regions: chest, abdominopelvic, central nervous system (CNS), and musculoskeletal (MSK). Frequencies of errors in anatomical locations were then analysed. RESULTS: There were 561 errors in 477 examinations; 290 (46%) errors occurred in the abdomen/pelvis, 99 (15.7%) in the chest, 117 (18.5%) in the CNS, and 125 (19.9%) in the MSK system. In each body system, the five most common location were chest: lung bases on computed tomography (CT), apices on radiography, pulmonary vasculature, bones, and mediastinum; abdominopelvic: vasculature, colon, kidneys, liver, and pancreas; CNS: intracranial vasculature, peripheral cerebral grey matter, bone, parafalcine, and the frontotemporal lobes surrounding the Sylvian fissure; and MSK: calvarium, sacrum, pelvis, chest, and spine. CONCLUSION: The five listed locations accounted for >50% of all perceptual errors suggesting an avenue for focused review at the end of reporting.

Acute pancreatitis: a comparison of intervention rates precipitated by early vs guideline CT scan timing.

AIM: To assess whether computed tomography (CT) examination earlier in acute pancreatitis (AP) precipitates any surgical or radiological intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-centre retrospective cohort study comparing intervention rates in AP precipitated by early (<6 day of admission, n=100) and UK guideline (≥6 day of admission, n=103) CT examinations. RESULTS: No intervention was precipitated by performing CT before the sixth day of admission in AP. A statistically significant larger number of interventions were precipitated when CT was performed on the sixth day or later (p<0.05). Of note, this study was conducted using day of admission, rather than day of symptom onset. Six patients underwent repeat CT examination in the same admission after an early CT examination. CONCLUSION: Performing CT before the sixth day of admission does not lead to earlier intervention. Such early examinations waste resources and may offer false reassurance to clinicians.

Provision of out-of-hours interventional radiology services in Scotland.

AIM: To evaluate the availability of out-of-hours (OOH) interventional radiology (IR) services in Scotland and discuss implications for service redesign. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered via a survey conducted by telephone/e-mail interview. The setting was hospitals in Scotland with acute medical and/or surgical beds. The interviewees were consultant interventional radiologists representing each of the 14 geographical Health Boards in Scotland. RESULTS: Three of the 14 geographical Health Boards provided a formal, prospectively planned OOH IR service in at least one hospital. Fourteen of the 34 acute hospitals provided an in-hours IR service, which includes endovascular haemorrhage control. Eight of the 34 acute hospitals had formal, prospectively planned on-call IR arrangements, 12 had an ad-hoc service, and 20 transferred patients to other facilities. Thirty-eight of the 223 consultant radiologists in Scotland were able to perform endovascular haemorrhage control procedures: only 18 of these 38 (47%) were included in on-call rotas. A further 42 radiologists were able to perform nephrostomy and a further 61 were able to perform abscess drainage. Eighty-two radiologists did not perform any interventional procedures. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of OOH IR services in Scotland is limited and available resources, both skills and equipment, are being underutilized. These data will be used to inform a process of OOH IR service redesign in Scotland.

MR-Eye: High-Resolution Microscopy Coil MRI for the Assessment of the Orbit and Periorbital Structures, Part 2: Clinical Applications.

In the first part of this 2-part series, we described how to implement microscopy coil MR imaging of the orbits. Beyond being a useful anatomic educational tool, microscopy coil MR imaging has valuable applications in clinical practice. By depicting deep tissue tumor extension, which cannot be evaluated clinically, ophthalmic surgeons can minimize the surgical field, preserve normal anatomy when possible, and maximize the accuracy of resection margins. Here we demonstrate common and uncommon pathologies that may be encountered in orbital microscopy coil MR imaging practice and discuss the imaging appearance, the underlying pathologic processes, and the clinical relevance of the microscopy coil MR imaging findings.

MR-Eye: High-Resolution Microscopy Coil MRI for the Assessment of the Orbit and Periorbital Structures, Part 1: Technique and Anatomy.

Microscopy coil MR imaging of the orbits has been described previously as a technique for anatomic depiction. In the first part of this 2-part series, the improvement in spatial resolution that the technique offers compared with conventional MR imaging of the orbits is demonstrated. We provide a guide to implementing the technique, sharing pearls and pitfalls gleaned from our own practice to make implementation of microscopy coil MR imaging at your own center easy. As a quick reference guide to the small-scale structures encountered when reading the studies, a short anatomy section is included, which doubles as a showcase for the high-quality imaging that can be obtained. In the second part, our experience of microscopy coil MR imaging in day-to-day clinical practice takes it far beyond being a useful anatomic educational tool. Through a series of interesting cases, we highlight the added benefit of microscopy coil MR imaging compared with standard orbital MR imaging.

MRI of small bowel Crohn's disease: determining the reproducibility of bowel wall gadolinium enhancement measurements.

This study aims to determine inter- and intra-observer variation in MRI measurements of relative bowel wall signal intensity (SI) in Crohn's disease. Twenty-one small bowel MRI examinations (11 male, mean age 40), including T1-weighted acquisitions acquired 30 to 120s post-gadolinium, were analysed. Maximal bowel wall SI (most avid, conspicuous contrast enhancement) in designated diseased segments was measured by two radiologists and two trainees using self-positioned "free" regions of interest (ROIs) followed by "fixed" ROIs chosen by one radiologist, and this procedure was repeated 1 month later. Relative enhancement (post-contrast SI minus pre-contrast SI/pre-contrast SI) was calculated. Data were analysed using Bland-Altman limits of agreement and intra-class correlation. Inter-observer agreement for relative enhancement was poor (spanning over 120%) using a free ROI-95% limits of agreement -0.69, 0.70 and -0.47, 0.74 for radiologists and trainees, respectively, only marginally improved by use of a fixed ROI -0.60, 0.67 and -0.59, 0.49. Intra-class correlation ranged from 0.46 to 0.72. Intra-observer agreement was slightly better and optimised using a fixed ROI-95% limits of agreement -0.52, 0.50 and -0.34, 0.28 for radiologists and trainees, respectively. Intra-class correlation ranged from 0.49 to 0.86. Relative bowel wall signal intensity measurements demonstrate wide limits of observer agreement, unrelated to reader experience but improved using fixed ROIs.

The ophthalmo-meningeal foramen masquerading as an intraocular foreign body.

Although the diagnosis of intraocular foreign body is primarily a clinical one, radiographic imaging is often used to clarify the diagnosis and to localise the foreign body. For this case the radiographic findings served to confuse the diagnosis.

MRI screening for acoustic neuroma: a comparison of fast spin echo and contrast enhanced imaging in 1233 patients.

Gadolinium enhanced MRI is the gold standard investigation for the detection of acoustic neuroma. Non-contrast MRI sequences have been suggested as an alternative for screening examinations. In order to determine the utility of fast spin echo imaging, both gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted images and fast spin echo T2 weighted images were acquired in 1233 consecutive patients referred for exclusion of acoustic neuroma. Two radiologists independently recorded their findings. Fast spin echo T2 weighted images were evaluated with respect to the visibility of nerves within the internal auditory canals and allocated a confidence score for the presence or absence of acoustic neuroma. 33 acoustic neuromas were identified. Only 56% were confidently identified on fast spin echo T2 weighted images alone; gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted images were required to confirm the diagnosis in 44% of the cases, including 9 of the 10 intracanalicular tumours. However, when identification of two normal intracanalicular nerves is employed as the criterion of normality, the single fast spin echo T2 weighted sequence excluded acoustic neuroma in 59% of this screened population. It is concluded that an imaging strategy intended to identify small intracanalicular acoustic neuromas cannot rely on fast spin echo T2 weighted imaging alone. Gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted imaging could be restricted to patients where fast spin echo images do not exclude acoustic neuroma but this strategy requires continuous supervision by an experienced radiologist. In most practices the screening examination should continue to include a gadolinium enhanced sequence in order to optimize the detection of small acoustic neuromas.

Magnetic resonance follow-through imaging for evaluation of disease activity in ileal Crohn's disease: an observational, retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance follow-through (MRFT) is a new cross-sectional imaging modality with the potential to accurately stage ileal Crohn's disease (CD), while avoiding ionizing radiation and the discomfort associated with enteroclysis. We aimed to assess the reliability of this technique in assessing the extent and activity of ileal CD, and to assess its influence on subsequent management. METHODS: Out of a total of 342 patients undergoing MRFT between 2004 and 2008, 221 were performed in 191 patients with confirmed CD. Case notes were reviewed in detail with documentation of all investigations pre- and post-MRFT. Agreement between inflammatory markers, histopathology, and MRFT findings was determined. RESULTS: Overall, 116/221 (52.5%) of MRFTs showed active ileal CD, and 76/221 (34.4%) quiescent CD, while 29/221 (13.1%) were suboptimal. Overall, 66 strictures and 18 fistulae were identified. There was substantial agreement between active ileal CD on MRFT and histopathology (n = 59; kappa = 0.66; P = 0.0006; sensitivity 85.1%, specificity 85.7%) and fecal calprotectin (n = 14; kappa = 0.72; P = 0.047), while C-reactive protein (CRP) showed moderate agreement (n = 107; kappa = 0.402; P = 0.00028). Management was influenced by MRFT reports following active (52/84, 62% treated medically) or quiescent (48/62, 77.4% managed conservatively) disease. Fibrotic strictures were predominantly treated surgically (7/14, 50%). In all, 13/32 (40.6%) patients with inflammatory ileal strictures required surgery, mostly due to steroid-resistant disease. Overall, 75 MR findings were documented in 221 MRFTs, including 1 renal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: MRFT provides accurate information on ileal CD activity, with close agreement to inflammatory markers and histopathology. It represents a substantial advance in the staging of CD, while avoiding painful enteroclysis and radiation exposure in young patients.

Selection of patients for resection of hepatic metastases: improved detection of extrahepatic disease with FDG pet.

A rapidly emerging clinical application of positron emission tomography (PET) is the detection of tumor tissue at whole-body studies performed with the glucose analogue 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG). High rates of recurrence after partial hepatic resection in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases indicate that current presurgical imaging strategies are failing to show extrahepatic tumor deposits. Although FDG PET cannot match the anatomic resolution of conventional imaging techniques in the liver and the lungs, it is particularly useful for identification and characterization of extrahepatic disease. FDG PET can show foci of metastatic disease that may not be apparent at conventional anatomic imaging and can aid in the characterization of indeterminate soft-tissue masses. Several sources of benign and physiologic increased activity at FDG PET emphasize the need for careful correlation with findings of other imaging studies and clinical findings. FDG PET can improve the selection of patients for partial hepatic resection and thereby reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with inappropriate surgery.