Contrasting pediatric specialty provider opinion between contextualized and structured radiology reports.

BACKGROUND: Structured reporting (SR) replaced narrative (free text) reporting and utilizes templated headings and subheadings with findings typically based on the anatomy included in the examination. Its use has been widely advocated by radiology and non-radiology organizations as the new reporting standard. There are, however, shortcomings to SR, such as templated text not addressing a specific clinical indication. Contextual reporting (CR) fills this gap. CR is a type of SR which is tailored to a narrow clinical indication by including pertinent positive and negative findings for that specific clinical entity. OBJECTIVE: This study assesses provider preferences for CR as compared to SR in the pediatric practice environment using a survey methodology. METHODS & MATERIALS: Surveys with examples of SR and CR reports were sent electronically to two groups. One group was focused on neurological diseases and included pediatric specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, ENT, ED, and ophthalmology (190 people), referred to as the pediatric neuroimaging group. The pediatric neuroimaging group survey contained examples of CR and SR reports of an orbital CT for orbital cellulitis and a head CT for stroke. The other group was focused on gastrointestinal diseases, and included pediatric specialists in gastroenterology, general surgery, and the ED (159 people), referred to as the pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) imaging group. The pediatric GI imaging group survey contained example reports of an abdominal CT for appendicitis and an MRI enterography for Crohn's disease. Surveys utilizing a 5-point Likert scale were analyzed via Fischer's exact test with a p-value deemed statistically significant at less than 0.05. RESULTS: 349 individuals were contacted to participate in the survey. There were 81 (23 %, 81/349) survey respondents; 41 (22 %, 41/190) from the neuro group, and 40 (25 %, 40/159) from the GI group. 56 % (45/81) of all respondents preferred CR reports over traditional SR reports, while 29 % (23/81) did not. Most respondents (59 %, 48/81) indicated that CR reports are easier to interpret than traditional SR reports. Respondents from the pediatric neuroimaging group favored CR reports to a lesser degree (44 %, 36/81) compared to respondents from the pediatric GI imaging group (68 %, 55/81). CONCLUSIONS: We learned from this survey that it would be beneficial to be very intentional about selecting clinical indications where CR would be most valued rather than trying to develop CR for any specific clinical indication. The study results indicate it is reasonable to continue further efforts at exploring the utility of contextualized reports.

Unusual imaging findings associated with abdominal pediatric germ cell tumors.

Germ cell tumors of childhood are tumors arising from germline cells in gonadal or extragonadal locations. Extragonadal germ cell tumors are characteristically located in the midline, arising intracranially or in the mediastinum, retroperitoneum, or pelvis. These tumors are generally easily diagnosed due to typical sites of origin, characteristic imaging findings, and laboratory markers. However, germ cell tumors can be associated with unusual clinical syndromes or imaging features that can perplex the radiologist. This review will illustrate atypical imaging/clinical manifestations and complications of abdominal germ cell tumors in childhood. These features include unusual primary tumors such as multifocal primaries; local complications such as ovarian torsion or ruptured dermoid; atypical presentations of metastatic disease associated with burned-out primary tumor, growing teratoma syndrome, and gliomatosis peritonei; endocrine manifestations such as precocious puberty and hyperthyroidism; and antibody mediated paraneoplastic syndrome such as anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antibody-mediated encephalitis. This review aims to illustrate unusual imaging features associated with the primary tumor, metastatic disease, or distant complications of abdominal germ cell tumors of childhood.

Evaluation of femoral head viability via bone scintigraphy in the postoperative pediatric patient.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating postoperative patients with hardware is challenging following surgical intervention for hip maladies such as femoral neck fractures and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). These children are at increased risk of developing avascular necrosis, and imaging may be requested to confirm or exclude this diagnosis. Children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease can be monitored for restoration of blood flow to the capital femoral epiphysis to guide management and help with prognosis. Although MRI is sensitive for detecting early avascular necrosis, the presence of hardware degrades image quality. OBJECTIVE: This report examines the utility of bone scans for evaluating femoral head perfusion in children who have undergone surgery for femoral neck fractures, SCFE or Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 20 patients (22 scans) after fixation for femoral neck fracture, SCFE or Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease from 2012 to 2015 was performed. The bone scan findings were correlated with the intraoperative findings or clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-one of the 22 (95%) bone scans in 19 of the 20 (95%) patients demonstrated findings consistent with clinical outcomes and/or the intraoperative appearance of the femoral head. Four of 20 patients (20%) had bone scan features of avascular necrosis, defined as "absent" or "moderately diminished" femoral head activity, which were confirmed intraoperatively and resulted in poor outcomes. CONCLUSION: Radionuclide imaging of hips in the postoperative setting is a valuable modality for assessing the risk of avascular necrosis, a complication of femoral neck fractures and SCFE and for evaluating the restoration of flow to the capital femoral epiphyses of children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.