Pulmonary transit time as a marker of diastolic dysfunction in Takotsubo syndrome.

AIM: To evaluate the pulmonary transit time (PTT) and its derived parameters using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) as markers of diastolic dysfunction in Takotsubo syndrome (TS) and its relationship with transthoracic echocardiography and CMRI parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with TS, who exhibited diastolic dysfunction as assessed by transthoracic echocardiography, were enrolled retrospectively and the PTT, pulmonary transit time index (PTTI), and pulmonary blood volume index (PBVI) were evaluated using first-pass CMRI. PTT was calculated as the number of cardiac cycles required for a bolus of contrast agent to move from the right ventricle (RV) to the left ventricle (LV), whereas PTTI represents the PTT interval corrected for the heart rate. Finally, PBVI was calculated as the product of PTTI, and RV stroke volume indexed for body surface area. Normal references of PTT, PTTI, and PBVI were evaluated in a cohort of 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Compared with healthy subjects, TS patients showed significantly higher PTT, PTTI, and PBVI (p=0.0001, p=0.0001, and p=0.002, respectively). Using multivariable logistic regression, PBVI provided the best differentiation between TS and controls (AUC 0.84). PBVI was significantly associated with the index of diastolic dysfunction and left atrial strain parameters. In addition, PBVI demonstrated a significant correlation with global T2 mapping (r=0,520, p=0,019). CONCLUSION: PTT and the derived parameters, as assessed using first-pass CMRI, are potential tools for assessing LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with TS.

Qualitative and quantitative DECT pulmonary angiography in COVID-19 pneumonia and pulmonary embolism.

AIM: To assess differences in qualitative and quantitative parameters of pulmonary perfusion from dual-energy computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography (DECT-PA) in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia with and without pulmonary embolism (PE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective institutional review board-approved study included 74 patients (mean age 61±18 years, male:female 34:40) with COVID-19 pneumonia in two countries (one with 68 patients, and the other with six patients) who underwent DECT-PA on either dual-source (DS) or single-source (SS) multidetector CT machines. Images from DS-DECT-PA were processed to obtain virtual mono-energetic 40 keV (Mono40), material decomposition iodine (MDI) images and quantitative perfusion statistics (QPS). Two thoracic radiologists determined CT severity scores based on type and extent of pulmonary opacities, assessed presence of PE, and pulmonary parenchymal perfusion on MDI images. The QPS were calculated from the CT Lung Isolation prototype (Siemens). The correlated clinical outcomes included duration of hospital stay, intubation, SpO2 and death. The significance of association was determined by receiver operating characteristics and analysis of variance. RESULTS: One-fifth (20.2%, 15/74 patients) had pulmonary arterial filling defects; most filling defects were occlusive (28/44) located in the segmental and sub-segmental arteries. The parenchymal opacities were more extensive and denser (CT severity score 24±4) in patients with arterial filling defects than without filling defects (20±8; p=0.028). Ground-glass opacities demonstrated increased iodine distribution; mixed and consolidative opacities had reduced iodine on DS-DECT-PA but increased or heterogeneous iodine content on SS-DECT-PA. QPS were significantly lower in patients with low SpO2 (p=0.003), intubation (p=0.006), and pulmonary arterial filling defects (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: DECT-PA QPS correlated with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Ultrasonographic soft markers for detection of rectosigmoid deep endometriosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ultrasound (US) soft markers as a first-line imaging tool to raise suspicion of rectosigmoid (RS) involvement in women suspected of having deep endometriosis. METHODS: We included in this prospective observational study all patients with clinical suspicion of deep endometriosis who underwent diagnostic transvaginal US evaluation at our unit from January 2016 to February 2017. Several US soft markers were evaluated for prediction of RS involvement (presence of US signs of uterine adenomyosis, presence of an endometrioma, adhesion of the ovary to the uterus (reduced ovarian mobility), presence of 'kissing ovaries' (KO) and absence of the 'sliding sign'), using as the gold standard expert US examination for the presence of RS endometriosis. RESULTS: Included were 333 patients with clinical suspicion of deep endometriosis. Of these, 106 had an US diagnosis of RS endometriosis by an expert. The only significant variables found in the prediction model were absence of the sliding sign (odds ratio (OR), 13.95; 95% CI, 7.7-25.3), presence of KO (OR, 22.5; 95% CI, 4.1-124.0) and the interaction between these two variables (OR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.004-0.28). Regarding their interaction, RS endometriosis was present when KO was absent and the sliding sign was present in 10% (19/190) of cases, when both KO and the sliding sign were present in 71.4% (5/7) of cases, when both KO and the sliding sign were absent in 60.8% (76/125) of cases and when KO was present and the sliding sign was absent in 54.5% (6/11) of cases. Thus, when the sliding sign was absent and/or KO was present, transvaginal US showed a specificity of 75% (95% CI, 69-80%) and a sensitivity of 82% (95% CI, 73-88%). CONCLUSIONS: US findings of absence of the sliding sign and/or presence of KO in patients with clinical suspicion of endometriosis should raise suspicion of RS involvement and indicate referral for expert US examination, with a low rate of false-negative diagnosis. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pancreas fat quantification with quantitative CT: an MRI correlation analysis.

AIM: To assess the fat content of the pancreas using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and to correlate the results with chemical-shift-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (CSE-MRI) measurements of proton density fat fraction (PDFF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval for this research was obtained and 52 participants (25 men, 27 women; mean age 35.1 years; age range 22-50 years), who were enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study, underwent QCT and CSE-MRI for quantification of fat content in the pancreas. Two observers placed regions of interest (area of 100-130 mm2) in the head, body, and tail of the pancreas as closely matched as possible on the two scans. Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation between the QCT and CSE-MRI measurements and the systematic difference between the two techniques. RESULTS: The QCT and CSE-MRI measurements of pancreatic fat content were well correlated (r=0.805, p<0.0001), although Bland-Altman analysis showed that the QCT measurements were systematically lower by 6.3% compared to CSE-MRI PDFF. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results of this study suggest good correlation between QCT and CSE-MRI measurements of pancreatic fat content. Further studies are required to improve the numerical agreement of QCT measurements with PDFF.

Learning curve for ultrasonographic diagnosis of deep infiltrating endometriosis using structured offline training program.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the learning curves of trainees during a structured offline/hands-on training program for the ultrasonographic diagnosis of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). METHODS: Four trainees (all Ob/Gyn postgraduates with at least 5 years' experience in ultrasonography in obstetrics and gynecology, but with no experience of sonographic examination of DIE) participated in the study. They underwent a 2-week training program with a single trainer. Day 1 was devoted to theoretical issues and guided offline analysis of 10 three-dimensional ultrasound volumes. During the following days, four sessions of real-time sonographic examinations were performed in a DIE referral center ultrasound unit. In between these sessions, the trainees analyzed four datasets offline, each containing 25 volumes. At the end of each set, misinterpreted volumes were reassessed with the trainer. Presence or absence of DIE at surgery was considered the gold standard. The trainees' learning process was evaluated by learning-curve cumulative summation (LC-CUSUM) and the deviations of the trainees' level of performance at the control stage was assessed by CUSUM (standard CUSUM), for different locations of DIE. RESULTS: The trainees reached competence after an average of 17 (range, 14-21) evaluations for bladder, 40 (range, 30-60) for rectosigmoid, 25 (range, 14-34) for forniceal, 44 (range, 25-66) for uterosacral ligament (USL) and 21 (range, 14-43) for rectovaginal septum (RVS) locations of DIE, and then kept the process under control, with error levels of less than 4.5% until the end of the test. The overall accuracy for each trainee in diagnosis of DIE at the different locations ranged from 0.91 to 0.98 for bladder DIE, from 0.80 to 0.94 for rectosigmoid DIE, from 0.90 to 0.94 for forniceal DIE, from 0.79 to 0.82 for USL DIE and from 0.89 to 0.98 for RVS DIE. CONCLUSIONS: The suggested 2-week training program, based on a mixture of offline and live scanning sessions, is feasible and apparently provides effective training for the ultrasonographic diagnosis of DIE. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Transvaginal ultrasound vs magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing deep infiltrating endometriosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of studies comparing the accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) including only studies in which patients underwent both techniques. METHODS: An extensive search was carried out in PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science for papers from January 1989 to October 2016 comparing TVS and MRI in DIE. Studies were considered eligible for inclusion if they reported on the use of TVS and MRI in the same set of patients for the preoperative detection of endometriosis in pelvic locations in women with clinical suspicion of DIE and using surgical data as a reference standard. Quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. A random-effects model was used to determine pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). RESULTS: Of 375 citations identified, six studies (n = 424) were considered eligible. For MRI in the detection of DIE in the rectosigmoid, pooled sensitivity was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.90), specificity was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.83-0.99), LR+ was 18.4 (95% CI, 4.7-72.4), LR- was 0.16 (95% CI, 0.11-0.24) and DOR was 116 (95% CI, 23-585). For TVS in the detection of DIE in the rectosigmoid, pooled sensitivity was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.68-0.94), specificity was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.85-0.99), LR+ was 20.4 (95% CI, 4.7-88.5), LR- was 0.16 (95% CI, 0.07-0.38) and DOR was 127 (95% CI, 14-1126). For MRI in the detection of DIE in the rectovaginal septum, pooled sensitivity was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.51-0.79), specificity was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.89-0.99), LR+ was 22.5 (95% CI, 6.7-76.2), LR- was 0.38 (95% CI, 0.23-0.52) and DOR was 65 (95% CI, 21-204). For TVS in the detection of DIE in the rectovaginal septum, pooled sensitivity was 0.59 (95% CI, 0.26-0.86), specificity was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94-0.99), LR+ was 23.5 (95% CI, 9.1-60.5), LR- was 0.42 (95% CI, 0.18-0.97) and DOR was 56 (95% CI, 11-275). For MRI in the detection of DIE in the uterosacral ligaments, pooled sensitivity was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.55-0.82), specificity was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.87-0.97), LR+ was 10.4 (95% CI, 5.1-21.2), LR- was 0.32 (95% CI, 0.20-0.51) and DOR was 32 (95% CI, 12-85). For TVS in the detection of DIE in the uterosacral ligaments, pooled sensitivity was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.55-0.77), specificity was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.73-0.93), LR+ was 4.8 (95% CI, 2.6-9.0), LR- was 0.38 (95% CI, 0.29-0.50) and DOR was 12 (95% CI, 7-24). Confidence intervals of pooled sensitivities, specificities and DOR were wide for both techniques in all the locations considered. Heterogeneity was moderate or high for sensitivity and specificity for both TVS and MRI in most locations assessed. According to QUADAS-2, the quality of the included studies was considered good for most domains. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic performance of TVS and MRI is similar for detecting DIE involving rectosigmoid, uterosacral ligaments and rectovaginal septum. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Altered Functionality, Morphology, and Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Expression of Cortical Motor Neurons from a Presymptomatic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal disorder characterized by the gradual degeneration of motor neurons in the cerebrospinal axis. Whether upper motor neuron hyperexcitability, which is a feature of ALS, provokes dysfunction of glutamate metabolism and degeneration of lower motor neurons via an anterograde process is undetermined. To examine whether early changes in upper motor neuron activity occur in association with glutamatergic alterations, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to analyze excitatory properties of Layer V cortical motor neurons and excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in presymptomatic G93A mice modeling familial ALS (fALS). We found that G93A Layer V pyramidal neurons exhibited altered EPSC frequency and rheobase values indicative of their hyperexcitability status. Biocytin loading of these hyperexcitable neurons revealed an expansion of their basal dendrite arborization. Moreover, we detected increased expression levels of the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 in cortical Layer V of G93A mice. Altogether our data show that functional and structural neuronal alterations associate with abnormal glutamatergic activity in motor cortex of presymptomatic G93A mice. These abnormalities, expected to enhance glutamate release and to favor its accumulation in the motor cortex, provide strong support for the view that upper motor neurons are involved early on in the pathogenesis of ALS.

Analysis of CT features and quantitative texture analysis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma: a correlation with EGFR mutations and survival rates.

AIM: To investigate the correlation between conventional computed tomography (CT) features, quantitative texture analysis (QTA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and survival rates in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients were evaluated for conventional CT features and QTA in this retrospective study. A multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis versus death and EGFR status was performed for CT features and QTA in order to assess correlation between CT features, QTA, EGFR mutations, and survival rates. A p-value <0.05 was regarded to indicate a statistically significant association. RESULTS: An EGFR mutation was identified in 26/68 tumours (38.2%). A negative association was found between EGFR mutation and emphysema (p < 0.0001) whereas a positive correlation was found with necrosis (p=0.017), air bronchogram (p=0.0304), and locoregional infiltration (p=0.0018). Mean, standard deviation, and skewness were found to have significant correlation with EGFR mutation (p=0.0001; p=0.0001; p=0.0459; Fig 3). The only parameter correlated with the event death was entropy (r=0.2708; p=0.0329). CONCLUSION: Both qualitative and quantitative analysis disclosed potential associations between CT features and QTA parameters, EGFR mutations and prognosis; these correlations need to be confirmed in larger studies to be used as imaging biomarkers in the management of patients affected by lung adenocarcinoma.

Evaluation of image quality, radiation dose and diagnostic performance of dual-energy CT datasets in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate image quality and diagnostic accuracy of different dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) datasets for identification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), assess the reliability of virtual unenhanced (VU) images in replacing standard unenhanced (SU) images, and quantify effective dose (ED) at different tube voltages. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty cirrhotic patients underwent liver contrast-enhanced DECT. Two blinded observers retrospectively evaluated conventional unenhanced and VU images, 140 kVp/80 kVp/mixed tube potential arterial datasets and conventional portal-venous/late phases in consensus. Final diagnosis was based on pathological proof or imaging criteria. Image quality, ED, sensitivity, and specificity of arterial datasets were calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-eight HCC and 18 benign lesions were detected at 80 kVp, 33 HCC and 22 benign lesions were detected at 140 kVp, and 36 HCC and 20 benign lesions were detected at mixed tube potentials. Final diagnosis confirmed 37 HCC and 20 benign lesions. There was no significant difference in diagnostic confidence between 80 kVp, 140 kVp, and mixed tube potential arterial datasets (p>0.05). Image quality was adequate for all datasets, with increased quality at higher tube potential (80 versus 140 kVp, p=0.001; mixed versus 140 kVp, p=0.001; 80 kVp versus mixed, p=0.0024). Significant ED reduction was observed between 140 and 80 kVp datasets (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The 140 kVp dataset provided higher image quality. The 80 kVp images were more sensitive in detecting HCC. VU images are adequate in replacing SU images. The ED of the 80 kVp dataset was significantly lower.

Evolutionary algorithm-based classifier parameter tuning for automatic ovarian cancer tissue characterization and classification.

PURPOSE: Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological cancers in women. It is difficult to accurately and objectively diagnose benign and malignant ovarian tumors using ultrasound and other tests. Hence, there is an imperative need to develop a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) system for ovarian tumor classification in order to reduce patient anxiety and the cost of unnecessary biopsies. In this paper, we present an automatic CAD system for the detection of benign and malignant ovarian tumors using advanced image processing and data mining techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the proposed system, Hu's invariant moments, Gabor transform parameters and entropies are first extracted from the acquired ultrasound images. Significant features are then used to train a probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier for classifying the images into benign and malignant categories. The model parameter (σ) for which the PNN classifier performs the best is identified using a genetic algorithm (GA). RESULTS: The proposed system was validated using 1300 benign images and 1300 malignant images, obtained from 10 patients with a benign disease and 10 with a malignant disease. We used 23 statistically significant (p < 0.0001) features. By evaluating the classifier using a ten-fold cross-validation technique, we were able to achieve an average classification accuracy of 99.8 %, sensitivity of 99.2 % and specificity of 99.6 % with a σ of 0.264. CONCLUSION: The proposed system is automated and hence is more objective, can be easily deployed in any computer, is fast and accurate and can act as an adjunct tool in helping physicians make a confident call about the nature of the ovarian tumor under evaluation.

Standards for conducting and reporting consensus and recommendation documents: European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology policy from the Guidelines Committee.

Cardiovascular imaging is exponentially increasing in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic management of patients with cardiovascular disease. The European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR) is a non-profit scientific medical society dedicated to promoting and coordinating activities in cardiovascular imaging. The purpose of this paper, written by ESCR committees and Executive board members and approved by the ESCR Executive Board and Guidelines committee, is to codify a standardized approach to creating ESCR scientific documents. Indeed, consensus development methods must be adopted to ensure transparent decision-making that optimizes national and global health and reaches a certain scientific credibility. ESCR consensus documents developed based on a rigorous methodology will improve their scientific impact on the management of patients with cardiac involvement. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This document aims to codify the methodology for producing consensus documents of the ESCR. These ESCR indications will broaden the scientific quality and credibility of further publications and, consequently, the impact on the diagnostic management of patients with cardiac involvement. KEY POINTS: Cardiovascular imaging is exponentially increasing for diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic management. The ESCR is committed to promoting cardiovascular imaging. A rigorous methodology for ESCR consensus documents will improve their scientific impact.

Longitudinal analysis of heart and liver iron in thalassemia major patients according to chelation treatment.

Iron chelators and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for assessing iron loading in liver and heart have greatly improved survival of thalassemic patients suffering iron overload-associated cardiomyopathy. However, the correlation between liver iron concentration and myocardial siderosis is ambiguous. Using an objective metric of time delay, scientists have demonstrated a lag in the loading and unloading of cardiac iron with respect to that of the liver. In the present study, we further tested this hypothesis with different chelation treatments. We analyzed the effect of three chelating treatment approaches on liver and cardiac iron content in 24 highly compliant patients who underwent 3 or more MRIs under each chelation treatment. Of the 84 MRIs considered, 32 were performed on deferoxamine (DFO - 8 patients), 24 on deferiprone (DFP - 7 patients), and 28 on combined therapy (DFO+DFP - 9 patients). In patients treated with DFO, changes in cardiac iron significantly lagged changes in liver iron but the opposite pattern was observed in patients treated with DFP (p=0.005), while combined therapy showed a pattern in-between DFO and DFP. We conclude that the temporality of changes of cardiac and liver iron is chelator-dependent, so that chelation therapy can be tailored to balance iron elimination from the liver and the heart.

Status of the circle of Willis and intolerance to carotid cross-clamping during carotid endarterectomy.

PURPOSE: During carotid endarterectomy (CEA), an intolerance to the cross-clamping (CC) can occur. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether preoperative magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can predict CC intolerance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients (57 males, 14 females, mean age 71.8 years, age range 46-86 years) underwent 71 CEA procedures under local anaesthesia. Before CEA, patients underwent an MRA of the Circle of Willis (CoW) and were then classified into three groups: group A consisted of patients with a complete CoW, group B included patients with one agenesia/obstruction in the CoW and group C comprised patients with two or more agenesiae/obstructions in the CoW. The association between the number of anatomical variants in the CoW, corrected for the status of the contralateral carotid artery, and the onset of CC intolerance was evaluated. RESULTS: The prevalence of intolerance to CC was 15.5% (11/71). The Fisher test and logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between the intolerance to CC and two or more agenesiae/obstructions in the CoW (p value < 0.00001 and p < 0.001, respectively). No neurological complications were observed. CONCLUSION: The results of our study showed that two or more agenesiae/obstructions of the CoW identified by MRA were associated with a high risk of intolerance to CC during CEA.

Tissue characterization using mean gray value analysis in deep infiltrating endometriosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in tissue characterization using three-dimensional sonographic mean gray value (MGV) between retrocervical and rectosigmoid deeply infiltrating endometriosis, and to assess intra- and interobserver concordance in MGV quantification. METHODS: In this retrospective study, stored ultrasound volumes from 50 premenopausal women (mean age, 32 years) with 57 histologically confirmed nodules of deep endometriosis were retrieved from our database for analysis. A single experienced operator had acquired all volumes. For each nodule, the MGV was evaluated using virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) software with semiautomated sphere-sampling (1 cm3) from the central part of the nodule. In these patients the MGV was also quantified from the myometrium of the fundal part of the uterus. In addition, two observers calculated the MGV in a subset of 24 volumes in order to quantify inter- and intraobserver agreement using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: Mean MGV was significantly higher in rectosigmoid nodules (n = 34) than in nodules with a retrocervical location (n = 23) (23.863 vs. 17.705; P < 0.001). MGV of the myometrium was significantly higher in comparison with that of nodules in both locations (P < 0.001 for both). Intra- and interobserver measurement reproducibility was excellent (ICC > 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: Retrocervical and rectosigmoid endometriotic nodules display significantly different MGVs. Measurement of MGV is highly reproducible and its clinical value in the diagnosis and assessment of distribution of deep endometriosis should be assessed in future studies.

IOTA simple rules for discriminating between benign and malignant adnexal masses: prospective external validation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic performance of International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) 'simple' rules for discriminating between benign and malignant adnexal masses. METHODS: A prospective study was performed between January 2011 and June 2012. Eligible patients were women diagnosed with a persistent adnexal mass who presented to the participating centers. Four trainees evaluated the adnexal mass by transvaginal ultrasound under the supervision of an expert examiner. The trainee analyzed the mass according to IOTA simple rules and provided a diagnosis of benign, malignant or inconclusive. All women included in the study underwent surgery and tumor removal in the center of recruitment. Diagnostic performance was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity and positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios. RESULTS: A total of 340 women were included (mean patient age, 42.1 (range, 13-79) years). Of the tumors, 55 (16.2%) were malignant and 285 (83.8%) were benign. The IOTA simple rules could be applied in 270 (79.4%) cases. In these cases, sensitivity was 87.9% (95% CI, 72.4-95.2), specificity 97.5% (95% CI, 94.6-98.8), LR+ 34.7 (95% CI, 15.6-77.3) and LR- 0.12 (95% CI, 0.05-0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Application of the IOTA simple rules yielded acceptable results in terms of specificity in the hands of non-expert examiners. However, with non-expert examiners there was a 12% false-negative rate, which is relatively high.

7T mMR in the assessment of acute arterial mesenteric ischemia in a rat model.

To validate a rat model of acute arterial mesenteric ischemia correlating MRI patterns with macro and microscopic changes in the small bowel. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to two experimental groups (Group I and Group II) of fifteen rats each. Group I underwent surgical procedure of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) ligation, followed by macroscopic observation. In Group II, a loop was tied loosely around the SMA without occluding the vessel. Three days after surgery, the loop was tied by external tips to completely occlude the artery. 7T microMR (7Tesla microMR) was performed before and 8 hours after SMA occlusion. At predetermined time-points the histopathological examinations were performed in both of groups. Macroscopic monitoring revealed thinning of mesenteric vessels, hypotonic reflex ileus and chromatic change of some loops. 7T microMR sequences evidenced loop dilation with gas-fluid mixed stasis, intraperitoneal free fluid and bowel wall hyperintensity. There were no significant differences in the histological analysis between the two groups. The gap of three days from surgery, adopted in the Group 2, allowed to avoid signs of peritoneal and mesenteric irritation which could bias imaging patterns. MR succeeded to identify the signs of arterial mesenteric ischemia.

Role of imaging in the management of endometriosis.

The imaging techniques have a fundamental role in the diagnosis of endometriosis. Ovarian endometriosis (endometrioma) and deep endometriosis can be recognized using transvaginal ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although transvaginal ultrasound is the first choice of imaging modality when investigating women with pelvic pain, MRI have a role for the wider field of visions. The reproducibility of both techniques has been investigated. The three-dimensional ultrasonography has been proposed. Also studies regarding unusual localizations are reported in the literature. New insights are present about the role of imaging in the detection of the malignant transformations. This review summarizes the current evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of these two techniques in the pre-surgical assessment of endometriosis.

MR Imaging of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis: Updated Evidence on High-Risk Plaque Features and Emerging Trends.

MR imaging is well-established as the criterion standard for carotid artery atherosclerosis imaging. The capability of MR imaging to differentiate numerous plaque components has been demonstrated, including those features that are associated with a high risk of sudden changes, thrombosis, or embolization. The field of carotid plaque MR imaging is constantly evolving, with continued insight into the imaging appearance and implications of various vulnerable plaque characteristics. This article will review the most up-to-date knowledge of these high-risk plaque features on MR imaging and will delve into 2 major emerging topics: the role of vulnerable plaques in cryptogenic strokes and the potential use of MR imaging to modify carotid endarterectomy treatment guidelines.

Symptoms, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Video Game Addiction.

Video game addiction is defined as the steady and repetitive use of the Internet to play games frequently with different gamers, potentially leading to negative consequences in many aspects of life. As recent technological development has given easy access to gaming on many devices, video game addiction has become a serious public health issue with increased prevalence. Many studies have shown that video game addiction leads to changes in the brain that are similar to those that occur in substance addiction and gambling. Evidence has also shown that there is an association between video game addiction and depression, as well as other psychological and social problems. In light of these issues, our review article aims to increase awareness of video game addiction in society. The main objectives of this review are as follows: to describe the mechanism of addiction, to consider whether video game addiction is a real addiction, and to highlight the signs and symptoms of addiction. In addition, we identify the consequences of video game addiction and possible treatments for addicts. The information was extracted from high-quality research papers and reliable websites like PubMed and ScienceDirect.