Associations between 24/7 workforce coverage, organizational challenges, and well-being of emergency radiologists: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: The last decade has seen a surge in the demand for imaging exams in emergency radiology (ER), necessitating an evolution in organizational systems for departments offering round-the-clock care, while safeguarding patient care quality and physician well-being to prevent burnout. PURPOSE: To develop a nationwide overview of ER organizations in France and identify structures that promote job satisfaction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two surveys were sent to 709 radiological centers across France from March to June 2022, inquiring about organizational aspects and quality of life (QOL), incorporating four validated QOL questionnaires. The organization of each center was mapped, and correlations between respondent characteristics and mental health were analyzed using Pearson's and Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: A total of 284 centers answered the organizational survey, with a response rate of about 41.6%. Among them, there were 32 university hospitals, 208 general hospitals, 2 teaching army hospitals, and 42 private facilities. Of these, night-time operations showed 14% on-site coverage, 12% on-call from home, 69% utilized external teleradiology, and 4% used in-house teleradiology. These trends persisted over weekends and holidays. Regarding the quality of working life, academic, general, and private radiologists are more satisfied with their practice compared to trainees. Depersonalization, part of the three dimensions of burnout, was high in every class, at 60% (n = 210/350). CONCLUSION: Outside of university hospitals, most radiology centers in France no longer have on-site radiologists during off hours. Residents are prone to lower job satisfaction and quality of life than more experienced radiologists. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The survey illustrates how French ER is structured, pointing out the escalating significance of teleradiology and noting that radiologists generally experience high job satisfaction while also confronting typical organizational challenges. KEY POINTS: The need for continuous radiology coverage comes with unique logistical challenges, especially in ER. Night shifts show a significant reliance on teleradiology services, especially by external companies. Pay, shift patterns, and seniority affect the well-being of emergency radiologists, particularly the residents.

Irreversible electroporation to bring initially unresectable locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma to surgery: the IRECAP phase II study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the IRECAP study was to evaluate the rate of locally advanced pancreas cancer patients (LAPC) who could undergo R0 or R1 surgery after irreversible electroporation (IRE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: IRECAP study is a phase II, single-center, open-label, prospective, non-randomized trial registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03105921). Patients with LAPC were first treated by 3-month neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in order to avoid inclusion of either patients with LAPC having become resectable after chemotherapy or patients with rapid disease progression. In cases of stable disease, IRE was performed percutaneously under CT guidance. Surgery was planned between 28 and 90 days after IRE. Tumor specimens were studied to evaluate the resection margins (R0/R1/R2). RESULTS: Six men and 11 women were included (median age 61 years, range 37-77 years). No IRE-related death was observed. Ten patients (58%, 10/17) experienced 25 serious adverse events related to IRE. Four patients progressed between IRE and surgery and were excluded from surgery. Thirteen patients were finally operated, six withheld for pancreas resection, three for diffuse peritoneal carcinosis, two for massive vascular entrapment, and one for hepato-cellular carcinoma not diagnosed before surgery. Rate of R1-R0 was 35% (n = 6/17). Median overall survival was 31 months (95% CI; 4-undefined) for the six patients with R0/R1 resection and 21 months (95% CI; 4-25) for the 11 patients without resection or R2 resection (logrank p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, IRE could provide R0 or R1 resection in 35% of LAPC, which seems to be associated with higher OS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: After induction chemotherapy, stable locally advanced pancreatic cancers can be treated by irreversible electroporation, which could lead to a secondary 35% rate of R0 or R1 surgical resection which may be associated with a significantly higher overall survival. KEY POINTS: • In cases of unresectable LAPC (locally advanced pancreatic cancer), percutaneous irreversible electroporation (pIRE) is feasible (100% success rate of the procedure), but is associated with a 58% rate of grade 3-4 adverse events. • In patients with unresectable LAPC, pIRE could lead 35% of patients to R0-R1 surgical resection. • From IRE, median overall survival was 31 months (95% CI; 4-undefined) for the patients with R0/R1 resection and 21 months (95% CI; 4-25) for the patients without resection or R2 resection (logrank p = 0.044).

Imaging of sudden unexpected death in infancy: a comprehensive nationwide French survey.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Introduction of post-mortem imaging has helped improve sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) management in Europe. French guidelines were issued in 2007 to homogenise SUDI investigations including imaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate current imaging management of SUDI in France. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2022 and July 2022, all 35 SUDI French referral centres were invited to answer an e-mailed online survey including 29 questions divided into four different sections covering imaging practices for SUDI including radiology department organisation, imaging modalities performed, methods of reading, and current training resources. Partial responses were secondarily completed by a personal call to the SUDI imaging consultant. The current implementation of the 2007 recommendations was compared with a previous evaluation from 2015 and with current North American practices. RESULTS: The participation rate of centres performing SUDI imaging was 100% (35/35). Imaging was systematically performed in 94.3% (33/35) of the centres: 74.3% (26/35) using radiography; 5.7% (2/35) using ultrasound; 94.3% (33/35) using computed tomography (CT), including 89% (31/35) whole-body CT and 5.7% (2/35) brain CT; and 20% (7/35) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two centres (5.7%, 2/35) did not systematically perform brain imaging. One (2.9%, 1/35) used ultrasound-guided biopsy. In comparison with 2015, rates of brain imaging increased by 25.4% (P=0.008). There was no significant difference in the number of forensic MRIs performed between France and North America (P=0.663). CONCLUSION: Despite improvements since 2015, full compliance with French guidelines for SUDI investigations remains incomplete. The use of imaging, particularly CT and brain imaging, has increased. Further efforts are needed to standardise imaging practices for optimal SUDI investigations.

Validation of a screening algorithm for hepatic fibrosis by Doppler ultrasound and elastography in a general population.

BACKGROUND: Early detection can prevent the initial stages of fibrosis from progressing to cirrhosis. PURPOSE: To evaluate an algorithm combining three echographic indicators and elastographic measurements to screen for hepatic fibrosis in an unselected population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May 2017 to June 2018, all patients with no history and no known chronic liver disease who were referred for an ultrasound (US) were prospectively included in eight hospitals. The indicators being sought were liver surface irregularity, demodulation of hepatic veins, and spleen length >110 mm. Patients presenting at least one of these underwent elastography measurements with virtual touch quantification (VTQ) or supersonic shear imaging (SSI). If elastography was positive, patients were referred to hepatologist for fibrosis evaluation. Reference standard was obtained by FibroMeterVCTE or biopsy. A FibroMeterVCTE result >0.384 indicated a "necessary referral" to a hepatologist. RESULTS: Of the 1501 patients included, 504 (33.6%) were positive for at least one US indicator. All of them underwent US elastography, with 85 being positive. Of the patients, 58 (3.6%) had a consultation with a liver specialist: 21 had positive FibroMeterVCTE and nine had an indication of biopsy for suspicion of fibrosis. This screening algorithm made it possible to diagnose 1.6% of patients in our population with unknown fibrosis. Of the patients, 50% referred to the liver specialist were "necessary referrals." CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that three simple US indicators with no systematic elastographic measurement could be applied in day-to-day practice to look for hepatic fibrosis in an unsuspected population allowing relevant referrals to a hepatologist.

Assessment of Compliance and Impact of the COVID-19 RSNA Recommendations on Radiology Departments: A French Survey.

Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Tuite in this issue.

Efficacy of Chest CT for COVID-19 Pneumonia Diagnosis in France.

Background The role and performance of chest CT in the diagnosis of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains under active investigation. Purpose To evaluate the French national experience using chest CT for COVID-19, results of chest CT and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were compared together and with the final discharge diagnosis used as the reference standard. Materials and Methods A structured CT scan survey (NCT04339686) was sent to 26 hospital radiology departments in France between March 2, 2020, and April 24, 2020. These dates correspond to the peak of the national COVID-19 epidemic. Radiology departments were selected to reflect the estimated geographic prevalence heterogeneities of the epidemic. All symptomatic patients suspected of having COVID-19 pneumonia who underwent both initial chest CT and at least one RT-PCR test within 48 hours were included. The final discharge diagnosis, based on multiparametric items, was recorded. Data for each center were prospectively collected and gathered each week. Test efficacy was determined by using the Mann-Whitney test, Student t test, χ2 test, and Pearson correlation coefficient. P < .05 indicated a significant difference. Results Twenty-six of 26 hospital radiology departments responded to the survey, with 7500 patients entered; 2652 did not have RT-PCR test results or had unknown or excess delay between the RT-PCR test and CT. After exclusions, 4824 patients (mean age, 64 years ± 19 [standard deviation], 2669 male) were included. With final diagnosis as the reference, 2564 of the 4824 patients had COVID-19 (53%). Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of chest CT in the diagnosis of COVID-19 were 2319 of 2564 (90%; 95% CI: 89, 91), 2056 of 2260 (91%; 95% CI: 91, 92), 2056 of 2300 (89%; 95% CI: 87, 90), and 2319 of 2524 (92%; 95% CI: 91, 93), respectively. There was no significant difference for chest CT efficacy among the 26 geographically separate sites, each with varying amounts of disease prevalence. Conclusion Use of chest CT for the initial diagnosis and triage of patients suspected of having coronavirus disease 2019 was successful. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Efficacy of chest CT scan for COVID-19 diagnosis in a low prevalence and incidence region.

OBJECTIVES: Value of chest CT was mainly studied in area of high COVID-19 incidence. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate chest CT performances to diagnose COVID-19 pneumonia with regard to RT-PCR as reference standard in a low incidence area. METHODS: A survey was sent to radiology department in 4 hospitals in an administrative French region of weak disease prevalence (3.4%). Study design was approved by the local institutional review board and recorded on the clinicaltrial.gov website (NCT04339686). Written informed consent was waived due to retrospective anonymized data collection. Patients who underwent a RT-PCR and a chest CT scan within 48 h for COVID-19 pneumonia suspicion were consecutively included. Diagnostic accuracy including the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of chest CT regarding RT-PCR as reference standard were calculated. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine patients had abnormal chest CT findings compatible with a COVID-19 pneumonia (26%, 129/487). Among the 358 negative chest CT findings, 3% (10/358) were RT-PCR positive. Chest CT sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value were respectively 87% (IC95: 85, 89; 69/79), 85% (IC95: 83, 87; 348/408), 53% (IC95: 50, 56; 69/129), and 97% (IC95: 95, 99; 348/358). CONCLUSIONS: In a low prevalence area, chest CT scan is a good diagnostic tool to rule out COVID-19 infection among symptomatic suspected patients. KEY POINTS: • In a low prevalence area (3.4% in the administrative area and 5.8% at mean in the study) chest CT sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia were 87% and 85% respectively. • In patients with negative chest CT for COVID-19 pneumonia, the negative predictive value of COVID-19 infection was 97% (348/358 subjects). • Performance of CT was equivalent between the 4 centers participating to this study.

COVID-19 impact assessment on the French radiological centers: a nationwide survey.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 on the CT activities in French radiological centers during the epidemic peak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional prospective CT scan survey was conducted between March 16 and April 12, 2020, in accordance with the local IRB. Seven hundred nine radiology centers were invited to participate in a weekly online survey. Numbers of CT examinations related to COVID-19 including at least chest (CTcovid) and whole chest CT scan activities (CTchest) were recorded each week. A sub-analysis on French departments was performed during the 4 weeks of the study. The impact of the number of RT-PCRs (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions) on the CT workflow was tested using two-sample t test and Pearson's test. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-seven structures finally registered (78%) with mean response numbers of 336 ± 18.9 (323; 351). Mean CTchest activity per radiologic structure ranged from 75.8 ± 133 (0-1444) on week 12 to 99.3 ± 138.6 (0-1147) on week 13. Mean ratio of CTcovid on CTchest varied from 0.36 to 0.59 on week 12 and week 14 respectively. There was a significant relationship between the number of RT-PCR performed and the number of CTcovid (r = 0.73, p = 3.10-16) but no link with the number of positive RT-PCR results. CONCLUSION: In case of local high density COVID-19, CT workflow is strongly modified and redirected to the management of these specific patients. KEY POINTS: • Over the 4-week survey period, 117,686 chest CT (CTtotal) were performed among the responding centers, including 61,784 (52%) CT performed for COVID-19 (CTcovid). • Across the country, the ratio CTcovid/CTtotal varied from 0.36 to 0.59 and depended significantly on the local epidemic density (p = 0.003). • In clinical practice, in a context of growing epidemic, in France, chest CT was used as a surrogate to RT-PCR for patient triage.

Portal phase alone is equivalent to multiphasic phase for CT diagnosis of acute non-traumatic pains in an emergency context.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate radiological diagnosis concordance between a simplified and a multiphasic computed tomography (MCT) protocol for patients presenting acute non-traumatic abdominal pains (ANTAE). METHODS: During five consecutive months, all patients admitted in an emergency department for ANTAE were retrospectively included if they underwent MCT, including at least pre-contrast phase, late arterial phase (LAP), and portal venous phase (PVP). Clinical cases of suspected hemorrhagic conditions were secondarily excluded. For the study, two image sets, pre-contrast phase + LAP + PVP ± late phase called S1 and PVP alone called S2, were reviewed independently to give the most appropriate diagnosis with 5-point confidence scale. Diagnosis concordance and radiation dose were compared for each set of protocol by chi-square test. Linear mixed model was used to assess changes of diagnostic confidence and radiation dose. RESULTS: All in all, 196 patients were included. The kappa coefficient between S1 and S2 was excellent (98.5%, CI95% 95.6-99.7). Three errors due to an inappropriate protocol were observed (1.5%; CI95% = - 0.2 to 3.2%), 2 related to biliary tract obstruction causes and one due to gastric bleeding not suspected on clinical data. S2 was associated with a 61% decrease of the radiation dose (p = 0.01) with a mild decrease of the confidence scale (4.54 ± 0.05 versus 4.74 ± 0.03, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Using PVP-CT alone or MCT is equivalent for the diagnosis of ANTAE if suspected acute hemorrhages are excluded. A simplified CT protocol is associated with a dose decrease of 61%.

The Left Atrio-Vertebral Ratio: a new simple means for assessing left atrial enlargement on Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe a new method to quickly estimate left atrial enlargement (LAE) on Computed Tomography. METHODS: Left atrial (LA) volume was assessed with a 3D-threshold Hounsfield unit detection technique, including left atrial appendage and excluding pulmonary venous confluence, in 201 patients with ECG-gated 128-slice dual-source CT and indexed to body surface area. LA and vertebral axial diameter and area were measured at the bottom level of the right inferior pulmonary vein ostium. Ratio of LA diameter and surface on vertebra (LAVD and LAVA) were compared to LA volume. In accordance with the literature, a cutoff value of 78 ml/m2 was chosen for maximal normal LA volume. RESULTS: 18% of LA was enlarged. The best cutoff values for LAE assessment were 2.5 for LAVD (AUC: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.58-0.73; sensitivity: 57%; specificity: 71%), and 3 for LAVA (AUC: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.72-0.84; sensitivity: 67%; specificity: 79%), with higher accuracy for LAVA (P=0.015). Inter-observer and intra-observer variability were either good or excellent for LAVD and LAVA (respective intraclass coefficients: 0.792 and 0.910; 0.912 and 0.937). CONCLUSION: A left atrium area superior to three times the vertebral area indicates LAE with high specificity. KEY POINTS: • Left atrial enlargement is a frequent condition associated with poor cardiac outcome. • Left atrial enlargement is highly time-consuming to diagnose on CT. • The left atrio-vertebral ratio quickly assesses left atrial enlargement. • A left atrial area > three times vertebral area is highly specific.

Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Quantification Criteria for Identifying Patients not Responding to Bevacizumab-Based Therapy for Colorectal Liver Metastases.

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in tumor vascularization parameters based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) quantification criteria of at least one visible liver metastasis as an early predictor of non-response to chemotherapy, including bevacizumab for colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter prospective study included patients who received first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. Tumor enhancement measured using CEUS within one liver metastasis and in relation to the surrounding healthy liver was quantified within 8 days before the first infusion of bevacizumab (E0), 24 hours after the end of the first infusion of bevacizumab (E1), in the 24 hours before the 2nd and 3 rd infusion of bevacizumab on day 15 (E2) and day 30 (E3), respectively, and after 2 months of treatment (E4). Endpoints were tumor response using RECIST criteria at 2 months, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Among the 137 patients included in this study, 109 were analyzed. Only CEUS parameters calculated in relation to healthy liver were significant. High wash-in and wash-out rates at baseline were significantly associated with a better tumor response. Increases over time E2-E0 and E3-E0 for peak enhancement were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival. Increases over time E2-E0 and E3-E0 for peak enhancement and wash-in area under the curve were significantly associated with a shorter overall survival. CONCLUSION: This large study demonstrated that early dynamic changes in the vascularity of liver metastases evaluated by quantified CEUS are associated with outcome in patients receiving first-line bevacizumab-based treatment for metastatic CRC.

Efficacy and safety of selective internal radiotherapy with yttrium-90 resin microspheres compared with sorafenib in locally advanced and inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (SARAH): an open-label randomised controlled phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Sorafenib is the recommended treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of sorafenib to that of selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) with yttrium-90 (90Y) resin microspheres in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: SARAH was a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, investigator-initiated, phase 3 trial done at 25 centres specialising in liver diseases in France. Patients were eligible if they were aged at least 18 years with a life expectancy greater than 3 months, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1, Child-Pugh liver function class A or B score of 7 or lower, and locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer [BCLC] stage C), or new hepatocellular carcinoma not eligible for surgical resection, liver transplantation, or thermal ablation after a previously cured hepatocellular carcinoma (cured by surgery or thermoablative therapy), or hepatocellular carcinoma with two unsuccessful rounds of transarterial chemoembolisation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by a permutated block method with block sizes two and four to receive continuous oral sorafenib (400 mg twice daily) or SIRT with 90Y-loaded resin microspheres 2-5 weeks after randomisation. Patients were stratified according to randomising centre, ECOG performance status, previous transarterial chemoembolisation, and presence of macroscopic vascular invasion. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Analyses were done on the intention-to-treat population; safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of sorafenib or underwent at least one of the SIRT work-up exams. This study has been completed and the final results are reported here. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01482442. FINDINGS: Between Dec 5, 2011, and March 12, 2015, 467 patients were randomly assigned; after eight patients withdrew consent, 237 were assigned to SIRT and 222 to sorafenib. In the SIRT group, 53 (22%) of 237 patients did not receive SIRT; 26 (49%) of these 53 patients were treated with sorafenib. Median follow-up was 27·9 months (IQR 21·9-33·6) in the SIRT group and 28·1 months (20·0-35·3) in the sorafenib group. Median overall survival was 8·0 months (95% CI 6·7-9·9) in the SIRT group versus 9·9 months (8·7-11·4) in the sorafenib group (hazard ratio 1·15 [95% CI 0·94-1·41] for SIRT vs sorafenib; p=0·18). In the safety population, at least one serious adverse event was reported in 174 (77%) of 226 patients in the SIRT group and in 176 (82%) of 216 in the sorafenib group. The most frequent grade 3 or worse treatment-related adverse events were fatigue (20 [9%] vs 41 [19%]), liver dysfunction (25 [11%] vs 27 [13%]), increased laboratory liver values (20 [9%] vs 16 [7%]), haematological abnormalities (23 [10%] vs 30 [14%]), diarrhoea (three [1%] vs 30 [14%]), abdominal pain (six [3%] vs 14 [6%]), increased creatinine (four [2%] vs 12 [6%]), and hand-foot skin reaction (one [<1%] vs 12 [6%]). 19 deaths in the SIRT group and 12 in the sorafenib group were deemed to be treatment related. INTERPRETATION: In patients with locally advanced or intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma after unsuccessful transarterial chemoembolisation, overall survival did not significantly differ between the two groups. Quality of life and tolerance might help when choosing between the two treatments. FUNDING: Sirtex Medical Inc.

Assessment of normal left atrial appendage anatomy and function over gender and ages by dynamic cardiac CT.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate variations in anatomy and function according to age and gender using cardiac computed tomography (CT) in a large prospective cohort of healthy patients. BACKGROUND: The left atrial appendage (LAA) is considered the most frequent site of intracardiac thrombus formation. However, variations in normal in vivo anatomy and function according to age and gender remain largely unknown. METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) cardiac reconstructions of the LAA were performed from CT scans of 193 consecutive patients. Parameters measured included LAA number of lobes, anatomical position of the LAA tip, angulation measured between the proximal and distal portions, minimum (iVolmin) and maximum (iVolmax) volumes indexed to body surface area (BSA), and ejection fraction (LAAEF). Relationship with age was assessed for each parameter. RESULTS: We found that men had longer and wider LAAs. The iVolmin and iVolmax increased by 0.23 and 0.19 ml per decade, respectively, while LAAEF decreased by 2% per decade in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Although LAA volumes increase, LAAEF decreases with age in both sexes. KEY POINTS: • Variations in normal left atrial appendage in vivo anatomy and function remain largely unknown. • Cardiac CT is reliable for left atrial appendage volume measurements. • Although LAA volumes increase, LAAEF decreases with age in both sexes.

Predictive factors for complete response of chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To identify clinical and imaging features associated with complete response (CR) to first session of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: In this prospective historical cohort, 172 patients with 315 tumours who received at least one DEB-TACE from 2007 to 2013 were studied. Imaging response was evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (mRECIST). Age, gender, aetiology of cirrhosis, Child and BCLC scores, particles size, location in the liver, size of the tumour, presence of a capsule, hypervascularisation on DSA and CT/MRI scans, and blush extinction were analysed. RESULTS: After one session of treatment, CR was observed in 36 % of the 315 tumours treated. Nodule size, location in the liver, and complete blush extinction on DSA was statistically correlated to complete response, whereas capsule aspect on imaging and demographic criteria were not. In multivariate analysis only, location in the liver and nodule size were significant features. CONCLUSIONS: Tumour location in the segments 1 and 4 is a pejorative factor for CR, whereas tumour size <5 cm is a positive predictive factor. These criteria could, therefore, be taken into consideration to improve the selection of patients for DEB-TACE. KEY POINTS: • Literature on predictive factors of complete response after DEB-TACE is under-studied. • Tumour size <5 cm is associated with complete response. • Location in segments 1 or 4 is a pejorative factor for response. • No demographic parameter influences complete response.

What is the pelvic lymph node normal size? Determination from normal MRI examinations.

PURPOSE: There are few previous reports on maximal pelvic lymph node sizes and no data on normal mesorectal nodes. Therefore, the aim of the study was to estimate the normal size of pelvic lymph nodes and to determine the upper limits of the normal range. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were prospectively carried out using a Intera 1.5 T magnet (Philips, the Netherlands), on 36 healthy volunteers (22 females, 14 males, mean age 25 years). A balanced fast field echo (b-FFE) sequence was used with the following parameters: 3-mm-thick contiguous slice, matrix 512 × 512. Short axis diameters of pelvic and inguinal lymph nodes were measured in each anatomic territory (internal iliac, external iliac, common iliac, mesorectum and inguinal). After normalization of the measurements, the influences of age, gender, laterality and territory were evaluated. Upper limits (95th percentile) were then calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1147 lymph nodes were measured. Age, gender and side (right/left) had no significant influence on size. The upper limits of the normal range were, respectively, 5.3, 4.4, 6.3 and 3.9 mm for the external and common iliac, internal iliac, inguinal and mesorectum nodes. CONCLUSION: This work presents maximal normal values for each pelvic area, and the values for mesorectum nodes are reported for the first time. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The mesorectum nodes should be considered as abnormal when they are over 4 mm in short diameter. For the other node areas, the upper limits of the normal range were, respectively, 6, 6, 5, 7 mm for the external and common iliac, internal, iliac and inguinal nodes for the short axis.

High plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-22 and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-1ra in acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic acinar cells are major targets of IL-22. Our aim is to study early plasma levels of IL-22, of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in acute pancreatitis, and their association with severity or necrosis infection. METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted to the Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology at Poitiers University of Medicine Hospital (France) with a diagnosis of AP were prospectively enrolled. Plasma concentrations of IL-22, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1 α, IL-1ß, TNF- α, IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-10, IL-1ra and IL-4 were assessed by multiple immunoassay at the admission time. A thoracoabdominal contrast-enhanced CT scan was performed at day 2. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were included; 13 patients (21%) had a severe acute pancreatitis, 5 patients (8%) developed necrosis infection and 29 patients (47%) had pleural effusion. Plasma levels of IL-22 were high in AP (135 ± 31 vs 4.2 ± 1.8 pg/ml for controls, p < 0.05), but did not correlate with the severity of the disease, whereas IL-6, IL-10 and IL-1ra where enhanced in patients with severe acute pancreatitis and with pleural effusion. Patients who further developed necrosis infection had higher levels of IL-1ra at admission (p = 0.0004). CONCLUSION: In acute pancreatitis, high plasma levels of IL-22 are observed, regardless the severity of the disease. In contrast, severe forms were associated with increased levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-1ra. The beneficial or deleterious role of IL-22 in AP remains to be further studied.

Improving abdominal image segmentation with overcomplete shape priors.

The extraction of abdominal structures using deep learning has recently experienced a widespread interest in medical image analysis. Automatic abdominal organ and vessel segmentation is highly desirable to guide clinicians in computer-assisted diagnosis, therapy, or surgical planning. Despite a good ability to extract large organs, the capacity of U-Net inspired architectures to automatically delineate smaller structures remains a major issue, especially given the increase in receptive field size as we go deeper into the network. To deal with various abdominal structure sizes while exploiting efficient geometric constraints, we present a novel approach that integrates into deep segmentation shape priors from a semi-overcomplete convolutional auto-encoder (S-OCAE) embedding. Compared to standard convolutional auto-encoders (CAE), it exploits an over-complete branch that projects data onto higher dimensions to better characterize anatomical structures with a small spatial extent. Experiments on abdominal organs and vessel delineation performed on various publicly available datasets highlight the effectiveness of our method compared to state-of-the-art, including U-Net trained without and with shape priors from a traditional CAE. Exploiting a semi-overcomplete convolutional auto-encoder embedding as shape priors improves the ability of deep segmentation models to provide realistic and accurate abdominal structure contours.

Effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence Software for Limb Radiographic Fracture Recognition in an Emergency Department.

Objectives: To assess the impact of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) limb bone fracture diagnosis software (AIS) on emergency department (ED) workflow and diagnostic accuracy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in two phases-without AIS (Period 1: 1 January 2020-30 June 2020) and with AIS (Period 2: 1 January 2021-30 June 2021). Results: Among 3720 patients (1780 in Period 1; 1940 in Period 2), the discrepancy rate decreased by 17% (p = 0.04) after AIS implementation. Clinically relevant discrepancies showed no significant change (-1.8%, p = 0.99). The mean length of stay in the ED was reduced by 9 min (p = 0.03), and expert consultation rates decreased by 1% (p = 0.38). Conclusions: AIS implementation reduced the overall discrepancy rate and slightly decreased ED length of stay, although its impact on clinically relevant discrepancies remains inconclusive. Key Point: After AI software deployment, the rate of radiographic discrepancies decreased by 17% (p = 0.04) but this was not clinically relevant (-2%, p = 0.99). Length of patient stay in the emergency department decreased by 5% with AI (p = 0.03). Bone fracture AI software is effective, but its effectiveness remains to be demonstrated.

Visceral fat and clinical outcome in patients receiving first-line chemotherapy with bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Visceral fat produces angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor that promote tumoral growth. However, its influence on outcome for patients with advanced cancer treated with anti-angiogenic agents is controversial. AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine whether visceral fat volume, visceral fat area and body mass index are associated with outcome in patients receiving first-line bevacizumab-based treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. METHODS: This multicenter prospective study included 103 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. Computed tomography was used to measure visceral fat volume and visceral fat area. Endpoints were tumoral response at 2 months, progression free survival and overall survival. RESULTS: Visceral fat volume and visceral fat area, but not body mass index, were significantly associated with better outcome. Using sex-specific median values progression free survival was significantly longer in patients with high visceral fat volume (13.2 versus 9.4 months; p = 0.0043). In the same way, high visceral fat volume and visceral fat area were associated with a significantly better overall survival: 31.3 versus 20.5 months (p = 0.0072) and 29.3 versus 20.5 months (p = 0.0078), respectively. By multivariate analysis, visceral fat volume was associated with longer progression free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a high visceral fat volume is associated with better outcome in patients receiving first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer.