[Heart and lung in X-ray images : Lost art (?)]. / Herz und Lunge im Röntgenbild : Lost Art (?).

BACKGROUND: Echocardiography is the standard for the diagnosis of heart diseases. Nevertheless, thoracic X­ray is a frequently used examination method, also for questions regarding the cardiac situation of patients. QUESTION: How relevant is the conventional radiological assessment of heart disease? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Long-known knowledge about pathophysiology of heart disease and its radiological correlation are discussed. RESULTS: Knowledge of the normal anatomy of the heart is a basic prerequisite for the assessment of pathologies. For the question of heart disease, it is essential to also assess the pulmonary vascularization. The size of the entire heart and the individual cardiac cavities is assessed by direct and indirect signs, such as heart-lung ratio, cava triangle, vascular pedicle or the size of the aorta and of the main pulmonary artery. The most common cause of heart enlargement is valve disease, which shows various conventional radiological images. CONCLUSION: Conventional thoracic radiography still plays a central role in the diagnosis of cardiopulmonary diseases and is an important diagnostic tool for quickly obtaining an overview of the patient's cardiopulmonary situation. The interplay between physiology and X­ray symptoms is complex, so close attention should be paid not only to the heart anatomy and configuration, but also primarily to the pulmonary blood flow.

A preclinical Talbot-Lau prototype for x-ray dark-field imaging of human-sized objects.

PURPOSE: Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometry provides information about the scattering and refractive properties of an object - in addition to the object's attenuation features. Until recently, this method was ineligible for imaging human-sized objects as it is challenging to adapt Talbot-Lau interferometers (TLIs) to the relevant x-ray energy ranges. In this work, we present a preclinical Talbot-Lau prototype capable of imaging human-sized objects with proper image quality at clinically acceptable dose levels. METHODS: The TLI is designed to match a setup of clinical relevance as closely as possible. The system provides a scan range of 120 × 30 cm2 by using a scanning beam geometry. Its ultimate load is 100 kg. High aspect ratios and fine grid periods of the gratings ensure a reasonable setup length and clinically relevant image quality. The system is installed in a university hospital and is, therefore, exposed to the external influences of a clinical environment. To demonstrate the system's capabilities, a full-body scan of a euthanized pig was performed. In addition, freshly excised porcine lungs with an extrinsically provoked pneumothorax were mounted into a human thorax phantom and examined with the prototype. RESULTS: Both examination sequences resulted in clinically relevant image quality - even in the case of a skin entrance air kerma of only 0.3 mGy which is in the range of human thoracic imaging. The presented case of a pneumothorax and a reader study showed that the prototype's dark-field images provide added value for pulmonary diagnosis. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that a dedicated design of a Talbot-Lau interferometer can be applied to medical imaging by constructing a preclinical Talbot-Lau prototype. We experienced that the system is feasible for imaging human-sized objects and the phase-stepping approach is suitable for clinical practice. Hence, we conclude that Talbot-Lau x-ray imaging has potential for clinical use and enhances the diagnostic power of medical x-ray imaging.

Pilot-scale study of powdered activated carbon recirculation for micropollutant removal.

Adsorption onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) is a promising technique for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) from treated wastewater. To enhance the adsorption efficiency, PAC is recycled back into the adsorption stage. This technique was examined in pilot scale in comparison to a reference without recirculation. Coagulation with Fe(3+) was carried out simultaneously to adsorption. Extensive OMP measurements showed that recirculation significantly increased OMP eliminations. Thus, significant PAC savings were feasible. The PAC concentration in the contact reactor proved to be an important operating parameter that can be surrogated by the easily measurable total suspended solids (TSS) concentration. OMP eliminations increased with increasing TSS concentrations. At 20 mg PAC L(-1) and 2.8 g TSS L(-1) in the contact reactor, well-adsorbable carbamazepine was eliminated by 97%, moderately adsorbable diclofenac was eliminated by 92% and poorly-adsorbable acesulfame was eliminated by 54% in comparison to 49%, 35% and 18%, respectively, without recirculation. The recirculation system represents an efficient technique, as the PAC's adsorption capacity is practically completely used. Small PAC dosages yield high OMP eliminations. Poorly-adsorbable gabapentin was eliminated to an unexpectedly high degree. A laboratory-scale biomass inhibition study showed that aerobic biodegradation removed gabapentin in addition to adsorption.

Prediction of Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy Outcomes by Dynamic Multidetector CT Angiography in Patients with Acute Carotid T or MCA Occlusions.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The selection of patients for endovascular therapy is an important issue in stroke imaging. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of 3 different dynamic CT angiography parameters, occlusion length, collateralization extent, and time delay to maximum enhancement, for latest generation of stent retriever thrombectomy recanalization outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, subjects were selected from an initial cohort of 2059 consecutive patients who had undergone multiparametric CT, including whole-brain CT perfusion. We included all patients with a complete occlusion of the M1 segment of the MCA or the carotid T and subsequent intra-arterial stent retriever thrombectomy. Dynamic CT angiography was reconstructed from whole-brain CT perfusion raw datasets. Angiographic outcome was scored by using the modified TICI scale; and clinical outcome, by using the modified Rankin Scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of a favorable angiographic (mTICI = 3) and clinical outcome (mRS ≤2). RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (mean age, 68 ± 14 years; 46% men) were included for statistical analysis. In the regression analysis, a short occlusion length was an independent predictor of favorable angiographic outcome (OR, 0.41; P < .05). Both collateralization grade (OR, 1.00; P > .05) and time delay to peak enhancement (OR, 0.90; P > .05) failed to predict a favorable angiographic outcome. None of the dynamic CT angiography predictors were significantly associated with clinical outcome on discharge (OR, 0.664-1.011; P = .330-.953) or at 90 days (OR, 0.779-1.016; P = .130-.845). CONCLUSIONS: A short occlusion length as determined by dynamic CT angiography is an independent predictor of a favorable angiographic outcome of stent retriever thrombectomy in patients with ischemic stroke.

The benefits of powdered activated carbon recirculation for micropollutant removal in advanced wastewater treatment.

PAC adsorption is a widespread option for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMP) from secondary effluent. For an optimal exploitation of the adsorption capacity, PAC recirculation is nowadays a common practice, although the mechanistic interrelations of the complex recirculation process are not fully resolved. In this work, extensive multi-stage batch adsorption testing with repeated PAC and coagulant dosage was performed to evaluate the continuous-flow recirculation system. Partly loaded PAC showed a distinct amount of remaining capacity, as OMP and DOC removals considerably increased with each additional adsorption stage. At a low PAC dose of 10 mg PAC L(-1), removals of benzotriazole and carbamazepine were shown to rise from <40% in the first stage up to >80% in the 11th stage at 30 min adsorption time per stage. At a high PAC dose of 30 mg PAC L(-1), OMP and DOC removals were significantly higher and reached 98% (for benzotriazole and carbamazepine) after 11 stages. Coagulant dosage showed no influence on OMP removal, whereas a major part of DOC removal can be attributed to coagulation. Multi-stage adsorption is particularly beneficial for small PAC doses and significant PAC savings are feasible. A new model approach for predicting multi-stage OMP adsorption on the basis of a single-stage adsorption experiment was developed. It proved to predict OMP removals and PAC loadings accurately and thus contributes towards understanding the PAC recirculation process.

Grating-based X-ray Dark-field Computed Tomography of Living Mice.

Changes in x-ray attenuating tissue caused by lung disorders like emphysema or fibrosis are subtle and thus only resolved by high-resolution computed tomography (CT). The structural reorganization, however, is of strong influence for lung function. Dark-field CT (DFCT), based on small-angle scattering of x-rays, reveals such structural changes even at resolutions coarser than the pulmonary network and thus provides access to their anatomical distribution. In this proof-of-concept study we present x-ray in vivo DFCTs of lungs of a healthy, an emphysematous and a fibrotic mouse. The tomographies show excellent depiction of the distribution of structural - and thus indirectly functional - changes in lung parenchyma, on single-modality slices in dark field as well as on multimodal fusion images. Therefore, we anticipate numerous applications of DFCT in diagnostic lung imaging. We introduce a scatter-based Hounsfield Unit (sHU) scale to facilitate comparability of scans. In this newly defined sHU scale, the pathophysiological changes by emphysema and fibrosis cause a shift towards lower numbers, compared to healthy lung tissue.

Strategies of collateral blood flow assessment in ischemic stroke: prediction of the follow-up infarct volume in conventional and dynamic CTA.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Collateral blood flow is an important prognostic marker in the acute stroke situation but approaches for assessment vary widely. Our aim was to compare strategies of collateral blood flow assessment in dynamic and conventional CTA in their ability to predict the follow-up infarction volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively included all patients with an M1 occlusion from an existing cohort of 1912 consecutive patients who underwent initial multimodal stroke CT and follow-up MR imaging or nonenhanced CT. Collateralization was assessed in both conventional CT angiography and dynamic CT angiography by using 3 different collateral grading scores and segmentation of the volume of hypoattenuation. Arterial, arteriovenous, and venous phases were reconstructed for dynamic CT angiography, and all collateral scores and the volume of hypoattenuation were individually assessed for all phases. Different grading systems were compared by using the Bayesian information criterion calculated for multivariate regression analyses (Bayesian information criterion difference = 2-6, "positive"; Bayesian information criterion difference = 6-10, "strong"; Bayesian information criterion difference = >10, "very strong"). RESULTS: One hundred thirty-six patients (mean age, 70.4 years; male sex, 41.2%) were included. In the multivariate analysis, models containing the volume of hypoattenuation showed a significantly better model fit than models containing any of the 3 collateral grading scores in conventional CT angiography (Bayesian information criterion difference = >10) and dynamic CT angiography (Bayesian information criterion difference = >10). All grading systems showed the best model fit in the arteriovenous phase. For the volume of hypoattenuation, model fit was significantly higher for models containing the volume of hypoattenuation as assessed in the arteriovenous phase of dynamic CT angiography compared with the venous phase (Bayesian information criterion difference = 6.2) and the arterial phase of dynamic CT angiography (Bayesian information criterion difference = >10) and in comparison with conventional CT angiography (Bayesian information criterion difference = >10). CONCLUSIONS: The use of dynamic CT angiography within the arteriovenous phase by using quantification of the volume of hypoattenuation is the superior technique for assessment of collateralization among the tested approaches.

Rapid small-scale column testing of granular activated carbon for organic micro-pollutant removal in treated domestic wastewater.

This study investigates the applicability of the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) concept for testing of granular activated carbon (GAC) for organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) removal from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The chosen experimental setup was checked using pure water, WWTP effluent, different GAC products, and variable hydrodynamic conditions with different flow velocities and differently sized GAC, as well as different empty bed contact times (EBCTs). The setup results in satisfying reproducibility and robustness. RSSCTs in combination with WWTP effluent are effective when comparing the OMP removal potentials of different GAC products and are a useful tool for the estimation of larger filters. Due to the potentially high competition between OMPs and bulk organics, breakthrough curves are likely to have unfavorable shapes when treating WWTP effluent. This effect can be counteracted by extending the EBCT. With respect to the strong competition observed in GAC treatment of WWTP effluent, the small organic acid and neutral substances are retained longer in the RSSCT filters and are likely to cause the majority of the observed adsorption competition with OMPs.

Cardiac CT for myocardial ischaemia detection and characterization--comparative analysis.

The assessment of patients presenting with symptoms of myocardial ischaemia remains one of the most common and challenging clinical scenarios faced by physicians. Current imaging modalities are capable of three-dimensional, functional and anatomical views of the heart and as such offer a unique contribution to understanding and managing the pathology involved. Evidence has accumulated that visual anatomical coronary evaluation does not adequately predict haemodynamic relevance and should be complemented by physiological evaluation, highlighting the importance of functional assessment. Technical advances in CT technology over the past decade have progressively moved cardiac CT imaging into the clinical workflow. In addition to anatomical evaluation, cardiac CT is capable of providing myocardial perfusion parameters. A variety of CT techniques can be used to assess the myocardial perfusion. The single energy first-pass CT and dual energy first-pass CT allow static assessment of myocardial blood pool. Dynamic cardiac CT imaging allows quantification of myocardial perfusion through time-resolved attenuation data. CT-based myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is showing promising diagnostic accuracy compared with the current reference modalities. The aim of this review is to present currently available myocardial perfusion techniques with a focus on CT imaging in light of recent clinical investigations. This article provides a comprehensive overview of currently available CT approaches of static and dynamic MPI and presents the results of corresponding clinical trials.

Can single-phase dual-energy CT reliably identify adrenal adenomas?

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether single-phase dual-energy-CT-based attenuation measurements can reliably differentiate lipid-rich adrenal adenomas from malignant adrenal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified 51 patients with adrenal masses who had undergone contrast-enhanced dual-energy-CT (140/100 or 140/80 kVp). Virtual non-contrast and colour-coded iodine images were generated, allowing for measurement of pre- and post-contrast density on a single-phase acquisition. Adrenal adenoma was diagnosed if density on virtual non-contrast images was ≤10 HU. Clinical follow-up, true non-contrast CT, PET/CT, in- and opposed-phase MRI, and histopathology served as the standard of reference. RESULTS: Based on the standard of reference, 46/57 (80.7%) adrenal masses were characterised as adenomas or other benign lesions; 9 malignant lesions were detected. Based on a cutoff value of 10 HU, virtual non-contrast images allowed for correct identification of adrenal adenomas in 33 of 46 (71%), whereas 13/46 (28%) adrenal adenomas were lipid poor with a density ≥10 HU. Based on the threshold of 10 HU on the virtual non-contrast images, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detection of benign adrenal lesions was 73%, 100%, and 81% respectively. CONCLUSION: Virtual non-contrast images derived from dual-energy-CT allow for accurate characterisation of lipid-rich adrenal adenomas and can help to avoid additional follow-up imaging. KEY POINTS: • Adrenal adenomas are a common lesion of the adrenal glands. • Differentiation of benign adrenal adenomas from malignant adrenal lesions is important. • Dual-energy based virtual non-contrast images help to evaluate patients with adrenal adenomas.

Dual-energy CT pulmonary angiography in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism: value for the detection and quantification of pulmonary venous congestion.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if vascular and pulmonary parenchymal enhancement values in dual-energy (DE) CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) can suggest the diagnosis of pulmonary congestion. METHODS: DE-CTPA images of 90 out of 1321 patients negative for pulmonary embolism showed signs of congestive heart failure. We measured DE-derived pulmonary parenchymal [perfused blood volume (PBV)], pulmonary artery (PA) and left atrium (LA) enhancement values in these patients and in 142 control patients. Enhancement values were compared between the populations and correlated with serum values of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and proBNP, where available. RESULTS: No significant difference of PBV but significant differences of mean PA and LA enhancement and individual enhancement differences (PA - LA) were found between the populations. PA - LA was higher in patients with elevated BNP and proBNP and was positively correlated with these values. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a moderate discriminatory power of the PA - LA difference for the presence of cardiac biomarker elevations. CONCLUSION: PBV in DE-CTPA is not altered in patients with signs of congestive heart failure. However, differences in enhancement values in the pre- and post-pulmonary vessels were found in comparison with the control population. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Altered pulmonary vascular haemodynamics in pulmonary venous congestion are not reflected in dual-energy-derived PBV maps. In the diagnosis of left heart failure in patients with chest pain and dyspnoea, density measurements in the pulmonary artery and in the left atrium in CTPA images may be a helpful diagnostic tool.

Automated quantification of pulmonary perfused blood volume by dual-energy CTPA in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine whether automated quantification of pulmonary perfused blood volume (PBV) in dual-energy computed tomography pulmonary angiography (DE-CTPA) can be used to assess the severity of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). METHODS: Automated quantification of PBV was performed in 25 consecutive CTEPH patients undergoing DE-CTPA. PBV values were correlated with cardiac index and pulmonary vascular resistance quantified by right heart catheterization and walking distance in the 6-minute walk test using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression analysis to control for age and gender. RESULTS: DE-CTPA derived PBV values inversely correlated with systolic (r = -0.64, p = 0.001) and mean (r = -0.57, p = 0.004) pulmonary arterial pressure. There was a trend for PBV values to inversely correlate with pulmonary vascular resistance (r = -0.20, p = 0.35). No significant correlation was found between PBV values and cardiac index or 6-minute walking distance. These correlations were confirmed to be independent of age and gender on multivariate linear regression analysis. CONCLUSION: DE-CTPA can be used for an automated quantification of pulmonary PBV in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. PBV values correlate inversely with systolic and mean pulmonary arterial pressure and can thus be used to estimate the severity of pulmonary hypertension in these patients. Citation Format: • Meinel FG, Graef A, Thierfelder KM et al. Automated Quantification of Pulmonary Perfused Blood Volume by Dual-Energy CTPA in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2014; 186: 151 - 156.

Quantification of pulmonary perfusion with free-breathing dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI--a pilot study in healthy volunteers.

PURPOSE: The assessment of pulmonary perfusion using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is still limited in the clinical routine due to the necessity of breath holding. An acquisition technique for the quantitative assessment of pulmonary perfusion in free breathing was investigated in our study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10 healthy male volunteers underwent pulmonary DCE-MRI on a 1.5 T scanner. Each volunteer was examined twice: (a) in breath-hold half expiration and (b) during shallow free breathing. The pulmonary parenchyma was segmented automatically. The pulmonary plasma flow (PPF) and pulmonary plasma volume (PPV) were determined pixel-wise using a one-compartment model. RESULTS: All examinations were of diagnostic image quality. The measured mean values of the PPV were significantly lower in the breath-hold technique than during free breathing ((10.2 ±â€Š2.8) ml/100 ml vs. (12.7 ±â€Š3.9) ml/100 ml); p < 0.05). A significant difference was also observed between both PPF measurements (mean PPF (206.2 ±â€Š104.0) ml/100 ml/min in breath-hold technique vs. (240.6 ±â€Š114.0) ml/100 ml/min during free breathing; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Free-breathing DCE-MRI appears to be suitable for the quantitative assessment of the pulmonary perfusion in healthy volunteers. The proposed segmentation and quantification approach does not suffer from the increased motion, as compared to the breath-holding measurement. The increased PPV and PPF during free breathing are in accordance with the results of previous studies concerning breathing influence on perfusion parameters. Overall, free-breathing DCE-MRI may be a promising technique for the assessment of pulmonary perfusion in various pathologies.

Detection of underlying malignancy in patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes: comparison of 18F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT.

PURPOSE: To determine the value of combined (18)F-FDG PET/CT with diagnostic contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) in detecting primary malignancies and metastases in patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) and to compare this with CECT alone. METHODS: PET/CT scans from 66 patients with PNS were retrospectively evaluated. Two blinded readers initially reviewed the CECT portion of each PET/CT scan. In a second session 3 months later, the readers analysed the combined PET/CT scans. Findings on each study were assessed using a four-point-scale (1 normal/benign; 2 inconclusive, further diagnostic work-up may be necessary; 3 malignant; 4 inflammatory). Sensitivity and specificity for malignant findings were calculated for PET/CT and CECT. Interreader agreement was determined by calculating Cohen's kappa. Pooled data from clinical follow-up (including histopathology and follow-up imaging, median follow-up 20.0 months) served as the reference gold standard. RESULTS: Both readers classified 12 findings in ten patients (15%) as malignant on the PET/CT scans (two patients had two primary tumours). One such imaging finding (suspected thymic cancer) was false-positive (i.e. benign histology). The most common tumours were bronchial carcinoma (n = 3), lymph node metastases of gynaecological tumours (n = 3) and tonsillar carcinoma (n = 2). Three of 12 findings (25%) were not detected by CECT alone (cervical carcinoma, lymph node metastasis and tonsillar carcinoma). In a per-patient analysis, sensitivity and specificity for malignant findings were 100% and 90% for PET/CT and 78% and 88% for CECT. In 24% (reader 1) and 21% (reader 2) of the patients, the PET/CT findings were inconclusive. Of these findings, 57% (reader 1) and 56% (reader 2) were only diagnosed with PET (e.g. focal FDG uptake of the thyroid, gastrointestinal tract and ovaries). On follow-up, none of these findings corresponded to malignancy. Overall agreement between the two readers was excellent with a Cohen's kappa of 0.95 ± 0.04 (p < 0.001) for PET/CT and 0.97 ± 0.03 (p < 0.001) for CECT alone. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of patients with PNS, PET/CT exhibited improved detection of underlying malignancy versus CECT alone. While hybrid imaging produces a greater number of inconclusive findings, sensitivity is increased for the detection of head and neck and gynaecological malignancies as well as metastatic lymph node involvement.

Ultrasound image fusion - clinical implementation and potential benefits for monitoring of renal transplants.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of US image fusion in the clinical routine and to discuss potential benefits for follow-up after renal transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 patients with a renal transplant were prospectively included in the study. For all of them, a previously performed CT- or MRI-scan covering the renal transplant was available. Each patient was investigated using ultrasound image fusion. Time needed for sucessful implementation of image fusion was registered. Subsequently, quality of image fusion was assessed by two experienced radiologists (10 and 5 years of experience) in consensus using a subjective 5 point rank scale (1 = best). RESULTS: Image fusion was successfully performed in all patients. Time needed for setup of image fusion varied from 45-120 sec (85 ± 5 sec). The score for quality of US image fusion was 1.9 ± 0.7. CONCLUSION: Assessment of renal transplants using US image fusion is feasible and provides several potential benefits for the follow-up of renal transplants.

[Importance of PET/CT for imaging of colorectal cancer]. / Stellenwert der PET/CT zur Bildgebung des kolorektalen Karzinoms.

CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE: Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) has emerged as a very useful imaging modality in the management of colorectal carcinoma. Data from the literature regarding the role of PET/CT in the initial diagnosis, staging, radiotherapy planning, response monitoring and surveillance of colorectal carcinoma is presented. Future directions and economic aspects are discussed. STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS: Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FDG-PET for colorectal cancer and endorectal ultrasound for rectal cancer. METHODICAL INNOVATIONS: Combined FDG-PET/CT. PERFORMANCE: While other imaging modalities allow superior visualization of the extent and invasion depth of the primary tumor, PET/CT is most sensitive for the detection of distant metastases of colorectal cancer. ACHIEVEMENTS: We recommend a targeted use of PET/CT in cases of unclear M staging, prior to metastasectomy and in suspected cases of residual or recurrent colorectal carcinoma with equivocal conventional imaging. The role of PET/CT in radiotherapy planning and response monitoring needs to be determined. Currently there is no evidence to support the routine use of PET/CT for colorectal screening, staging or surveillance. PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS: To optimally exploit the synergy between morphologic and functional information, FDG-PET should generally be performed as an integrated FDG-PET/CT with a contrast-enhanced CT component in colorectal carcinoma.