In-person radiologist to review the trauma panscan: a high-fidelity simulation training program for radiology trainees at an academic level 1 trauma center.

BACKGROUND: Radiology trainees were uncomfortable going to the CT scanner to review trauma panscans and interacting with trauma surgeons. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine if radiology residents can be trained to accurately identify injuries requiring immediate surgical attention at the CT scanner. METHODS: A high-fidelity simulation model was created to provide an immersive training experience. Between February 2015 and April 2017, 62 class 1 trauma panscans were read at the CT scanner by 11 PGY-3 radiology residents. Findings made at the scanner were compared to resident preliminary and attending radiology reports and correlated with clinical outcomes. Timestamps were recorded and analyzed. Surveys were administered to assess the impact of training on radiology residents' self-confidence and to assess trauma surgeons' preference for radiology at the scanner. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean time to provide results at the CT scanner was 11.1 min. Mean time for the preliminary report for CT head and cervical spine was 24.4 ± 9.8 min, and for the CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis was 16.3 ± 6.9 min. 53 traumatic findings on 62 panscans were identified at the scanner and confirmed at preliminary and final reports, for a concordance rate of 85%, compared to 72% for the control group. Radiology residents agreed or strongly agreed the training prepared them for trauma panscan reporting. Trauma surgeons shifted in favor of radiology presence at the scanner. CONCLUSION: Radiology residents can be trained to accurately and rapidly identify injuries requiring immediate surgical attention at the CT scanner. CLINICAL IMPACT: These findings support the value-added of an in-person radiologist at the CT scanner for whole-body trauma panscans to facilitate timely detection of life-threatening injuries and improve professional relations between radiologists and trauma surgeons.

Pelvic Fractures and Associated Genitourinary and Vascular Injuries: A Multisystem Review of Pelvic Trauma.

OBJECTIVE. Blunt pelvic trauma is associated with injuries to the musculoskeletal, lower genitourinary, and vascular systems, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. This article provides a comprehensive review of these injuries, reviews classification systems that are helpful in predicting prognosis, describes the most appropriate imaging tests for injury detection, and emphasizes the role that interventional radiology plays in the setting of pelvic trauma. CONCLUSION. Blunt pelvic injuries can involve the musculoskeletal, genitourinary, and vascular systems, often concomitantly, making it imperative for radiologists to recognize injury patterns and understand implications for management. Injury classifications can be helpful in determining management and predicting prognosis. Contrast-enhanced CT is the imaging modality test of choice in evaluating pelvic trauma, and protocols should be optimized for best detection of injuries. Transcatheter arterial embolization plays a critical role in stopping acute hemorrhage and improving clinical outcomes.

Recurrence of Colonic Diverticulitis: Identifying Predictive CT Findings-Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose To identify computed tomographic (CT) findings that are predictive of recurrence of colonic diverticulitis. Materials and Methods Institutional review board approval was obtained for this HIPAA-compliant, retrospective cohort study. Six abdominal fellowship-trained radiologists reviewed the CT studies of 440 consecutive subjects diagnosed with acute colonic diverticulitis between January 2004 and May 2008 to determine the involved segments, maximum wall thickness in the inflamed segment, severity of diverticulosis, presence of complications (abscess, fistula, stricture, or perforation), and severity of the inflammation. Electronic medical records were reviewed for a 5-year period after the patients' first CT study to determine clinical outcomes. Predictors of diverticulitis recurrence were assessed with univariate and multiple Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results Colonic diverticulitis most commonly involved the rectosigmoid (70%, 309 of 440) and descending (30%, 133 of 440) colon segments. Complicated diverticulitis was present in 22% (98 of 440) of patients. On the basis of the results of univariate analysis, significant predictors of diverticulitis recurrence were determined to be maximum colonic wall thickness in the inflamed segment (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07 per every millimeter of increase in wall thickness; P < .001), presence of a complication (HR, 1.75; P = .002), and subjective severity of inflammation (HR, 1.36 for every increase in severity category; P value for linear trend = .003). The difference in maximum wall thickness in the inflamed segment (HR, 1.05 per millimeter; P = .016) and subjective inflammation severity (HR, 1.29 per category; P = .018)remained statistically significant in a Cox multiple regression model. Conclusion Maximum colonic wall thickness and subjective severity of acute diverticulitis allow prediction of recurrent diverticulitis and may be useful for stratifying patients according to the need for elective partial colectomy. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

MR Imaging of Pelvic Emergencies in Women.

MR imaging is a useful adjunct imaging modality for evaluating women presenting with acute lower abdominal/pelvic pain who have negative or inconclusive sonographic findings. In pregnant women, although obstetric complications are of prime concern, gastrointestinal pathologies also warrant careful attention, and MR imaging is often useful in refining the diagnosis. In nonpregnant women, gynecologic pathologies and gastrointestinal pathologies are of major concern, and may necessitate evaluation with MR imaging. Knowledge of imaging features in the appropriate clinical setting helps in early and accurate diagnosis, enabling timely management for better clinical outcomes.

Equivocal Pediatric Appendicitis: Unenhanced MR Imaging Protocol for Nonsedated Children-A Clinical Effectiveness Study.

PURPOSE: To determine retrospectively the clinical effectiveness of an unenhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol for evaluation of equivocal appendicitis in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Pediatric patients (≤18 years old) underwent unenhanced MR imaging and contrast material-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the appendix between December 2013 and November 2014 and December 2012 and November 2013, respectively, within 24 hours after an abdominal ultrasonographic examination with results equivocal for appendicitis. Pertinent MR imaging and CT reports were reviewed for visibility of the appendix, presence of appendicitis and appendiceal perforation, and establishment of an alternative diagnosis. Surgical reports, pathologic reports, and 30-day follow-up medical records were used as reference standards. Diagnostic performance with MR imaging and CT was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for diagnosis of appendicitis and appendiceal perforation. The Fisher exact test was used to compare proportions; the Student t test was used to compare means. RESULTS: Diagnostic performance with MR imaging was comparable to that with CT for equivocal pediatric appendicitis. For MR imaging (n = 103), sensitivity was 94.4% (95% CI: 72.7%, 99.9%) and specificity was 100% (95% CI: 95.8%, 100%); for CT [n = 58], sensitivity was 100% (95% CI: 71.5%, 100%), specificity was 97.9% (95% CI: 88.7%, 100%). Diagnostic performance with MR imaging and CT also was comparable for detection of appendiceal perforation, with MR imaging (n = 103) sensitivity of 90.0% (95% CI: 55.5%, 99.8%) and specificity of 85.7% (95% CI: 42.1%, 99.6%) and CT (n = 58) sensitivity of 75.0% (95% CI: 19.4%, 99.4%) and specificity of 85.7% (95% CI: 42.1%, 99.6%). The proportion of examinations with identifiable alternative diagnoses was similar at MR imaging to that at CT (19 of 103 [18.4%] vs eight of 58 [13.8%], respectively; P = .52). The proportion of appendixes seen at MR imaging and at CT also was similar (77 of 103 [74.8%] vs 50 of 58 [86.2%], respectively; P = .11). CONCLUSION: Unenhanced MR imaging is sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of equivocal appendicitis in nonsedated pediatric patients.

Inter-radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric splenic injuries and effect on an established clinical practice guideline.

BACKGROUND: The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) advocates for the use of a clinical practice guideline to direct management of hemodynamically stable pediatric spleen injuries. The clinical practice guideline is based on the CT score of the spleen injury according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) CT scoring system. OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential effect of radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric spleen injuries on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed blunt splenic injuries occurring in children from January 2007 to January 2012 at a single level 1 trauma center (n = 90). Abdominal CT exams performed at clinical presentation were reviewed by four radiologists who documented the following: (1) splenic injury grade (AAST system), (2) arterial extravasation and (3) pseudoaneurysm. Inter-rater agreement for AAST injury grade was assessed using the multi-rater Fleiss kappa and Kendall coefficient of concordance. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted (AAST injury grade) or prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted (binary measures) kappa statistics; 95% confidence intervals were calculated. We evaluated the hypothetical effect of radiologist disagreement on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement was good for absolute AAST injury grade (kappa: 0.64 [0.59­0.69]) and excellent for relative AAST injury grade (Kendall w: 0.90). All radiologists agreed on the AAST grade in 52% of cases. Based on an established clinical practice guideline, radiologist disagreement could have changed the decision for intensive care management in 11% (10/90) of children, changed the length of hospital stay in 44% (40/90), and changed the time to return to normal activity in 44% (40/90). CONCLUSION: Radiologist agreement when assigning splenic AAST injury grades is less than perfect, and disagreements have the potential to change management in a substantial number of pediatric patients.

Emergency radiology elective improves second-year medical students' perceived confidence and knowledge of appropriate imaging utilization.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Given recent advances in and wider availability of complex imaging, physicians are expected to understand imaging appropriateness. We introduced second-year medical students to the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria (ACR-AC) in an interactive case-based elective to demonstrate their use in imaging for common emergency department clinical complaints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective pre- and post-test design assessed second-year medical students' performance on case-based knowledge applications and self-assessed confidence related to ACR-AC guidelines compared to second-year students participating in a different concurrent radiology elective. Students participated in a 3-day elective covering the ACR-AC, comparative effective imaging, and risks associated with imaging radiation exposure, with outcomes of perceived confidence using a 5-point Likert scale and knowledge of ACR-AC using case-based multiple choice questions. Analysis included computing mean scores and assessing effect sizes for changes in knowledge. RESULTS: Before the elective, 24 students scored an average of 3.45 questions correct of 8 (43.1%). On course completion, students scored an average of 5.3 questions correct of the same questions (66.3%) (P < .001; effect size [Cohen's d] = 1.3940. In the comparison group, 12 students scored an average of 3.08 questions (38.5%) correctly pretest and 3.09 questions (38.6%) correctly post-test (P > .85; effect size = 0.008). Students' confidence in ordering appropriate imaging improved nearly 2-fold from a range of 1.9 to 3.2 (on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0) to a range of 3.7 to 4.5. CONCLUSIONS: Following a short radiology elective, second-year medical students improved their knowledge of appropriate image utilization and perceived awareness of the indications, contraindications, and effects of radiation exposure related to medical imaging.

Imaging of pregnant and lactating patients: part 1, evidence-based review and recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this article are to discuss the current evidence-based recommendations regarding radiation dose concerns, the use of iodinated and gadolinium-based contrast agents, and the comparative advantages of multimodality imaging (ultrasound, CT, and MRI) during pregnancy and lactation. We also discuss the use of imaging to evaluate pregnant trauma patients. CONCLUSION: Maternal and fetal radiation exposure and dose are affected by gestational age, anatomic site, modality, and technique. The use of iodinated and gadolinium-based contrast agents during pregnancy and lactation has not been well studied in human subjects. Imaging should be used to evaluate pregnant trauma patients only when the benefits outweigh the risks.

Imaging of pregnant and lactating patients: part 2, evidence-based review and recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this article are to discuss the current evidence-based recommendations regarding the use of diagnostic imaging in the evaluation of pulmonary embolism, appendicitis, urolithiasis, and cholelithiasis during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic imaging should be performed during pregnancy only with an understanding of the maternal and fetal risks and benefits, the comparative advantages of different modalities, and the unique anatomic and physiologic issues associated with pregnancy.

Normal and variant abdominal anatomy on magnetic resonance imaging.

The diagnostic usefulness of abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging lies in the improved contrast resolution and ability to qualify several tissue characteristics of a specific organ or lesion. Our institution uses organ-specific protocols to facilitate technical reproducibility and optimize scan duration. These protocols are discussed individually in this article when applicable, noting that many build on a basic protocol with slight variations. Because most abdominal MR imaging studies are targeted toward an organ or area of interest, this article discusses the protocol strategies and relevant anatomy in a segmented/organ-specific manner.

Normal and variant pelvic anatomy on MRI.

The superior tissue contrast and flexible imaging planes afforded by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) versus competing technologies permit optimal depiction of the pelvic viscera. Targeted protocols developed for specific pelvic visceral organs highlight important anatomic features that may not be imaged by other modalities. Therefore, a solid understanding of normal and variant pelvic anatomy is crucial for appropriate interpretation of pelvic MRI studies. This article discusses the protocol strategies and relevant anatomy with commonly encountered anatomical variants in a segmented/organ-specific manner, using gender as a broad split given the substantial variance in relevant organs.