AI implementation in the UK landscape: Knowledge of AI governance, perceived challenges and opportunities, and ways forward for radiographers.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the rapid increase of AI-enabled applications deployed in clinical practice, many challenges exist around AI implementation, including the clarity of governance frameworks, usability of validation of AI models, and customisation of training for radiographers. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers, with existing theoretical and/or practical knowledge of AI, on issues of relevance to the field, such as AI implementation, including knowledge of AI governance and procurement, perceptions about enablers and challenges and future priorities for AI adoption. METHODS: An online survey was designed and distributed to UK-based qualified radiographers who work in medical imaging and/or radiotherapy and have some previous theoretical and/or practical knowledge of working with AI. Participants were recruited through the researchers' professional networks on social media with support from the AI advisory group of the Society and College of Radiographers. Survey questions related to AI training/education, knowledge of AI governance frameworks, data privacy procedures, AI implementation considerations, and priorities for AI adoption. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data, and chi-square tests were used to explore significant relationships between variables. RESULTS: In total, 88 valid responses were received. Most radiographers (56.6 %) had not received any AI-related training. Also, although approximately 63 % of them used an evaluation framework to assess AI models' performance before implementation, many (36.9 %) were still unsure about suitable evaluation methods. Radiographers requested clearer guidance on AI governance, ample time to implement AI in their practice safely, adequate funding, effective leadership, and targeted support from AI champions. AI training, robust governance frameworks, and patient and public involvement were seen as priorities for the successful implementation of AI by radiographers. CONCLUSION: AI implementation is progressing within radiography, but without customised training, clearer governance, key stakeholder engagement and suitable new roles created, it will be hard to harness its benefits and minimise related risks. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of this study highlight some of the priorities and challenges for radiographers in relation to AI adoption, namely the need for developing robust AI governance frameworks and providing optimal AI training.

Assessing Bladder Radiotherapy Response With Quantitative Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis.

AIMS: Radiotherapy with radiosensitisation offers opportunity for cure with organ preservation in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Treatment response assessment and follow-up are reliant on regular endoscopic evaluation of the retained bladder. In this study we aim to determine the role of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) analysis to assess bladder radiotherapy response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with T2-T4aN0-3M0 MIBC suitable for radical radiotherapy were recruited prospectively to an ethics approved protocol. Following transurethral resection of the bladder tumour and prior to any treatment, magnetic resonance imaging including DWI was performed on a 1.5T system using b values of 0, 100, 150, 250, 500, 750 s/mm2. DWI was repeated 3 months after completing radiotherapy. Cystoscopy and tumour site biopsy were undertaken following this. The response was dichotomised into response (0.9, P < 0.01). ΔADCall mean of 0.16 × 10-3 mm2/s and ΔADCb100 mean 0.12 × 10-3 mm2/s predicted radiotherapy response with sensitivity/specificity/positive predictive value/negative predictive value of 92.9%/100.0%/100.0%/75.0% and 89.3%/100.0%/100.0%/66.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative DWI analysis can successfully provide non-invasive assessment of bladder radiotherapy response. Multicentre validation is required before prospective testing to inform MIBC radiotherapy follow-up schedules and decision making.

Blurring the lines for better visualisation.

On-treatment imaging in radiotherapy has evolved over the last 60 years, bringing with it changes in the roles of radiographers, radiologists and oncologists. The ability to acquire and interpret high quality images (2D kilovoltage and megavoltage imaging and 3D CT and cone-beam CT) for radiotherapy planning and delivery requires therapy radiographers to have skills and knowledge that overlap with those of diagnostic radiographers. With the implementation of MRI-guided radiotherapy, treatment radiographers and clinical oncologists are exploring new territory, requiring truly collaborative working practices with their radiology partners. This short communication introduces the first images acquired using the hybrid MR Linac at our institution.

First MRI application of an active breathing coordinator.

A commercial active breathing coordinator (ABC) device, employed to hold respiration at a specific level for a predefined duration, was successfully adapted for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use for the first time. Potential effects of the necessary modifications were assessed and taken into account. Automatic MR acquisition during ABC breath holding was achieved. The feasibility of MR-ABC thoracic and abdominal examinations together with the advantages of imaging in repeated ABC-controlled breath holds were demonstrated on healthy volunteers. Five lung cancer patients were imaged under MR-ABC, visually confirming the very good intra-session reproducibility of organ position in images acquired with the same patient positioning as used for computed tomography (CT). Using identical ABC settings, good MR-CT inter-modality registration was achieved. This demonstrates the value of ABC, since application of T1, T2 and diffusion weighted MR sequences provides a wider range of contrast mechanisms and additional diagnostic information compared to CT, thus improving radiotherapy treatment planning and assessment.

[Leprosy, a pillar of human genetics of infectious diseases]. / La lèpre, pilier de la génétique des maladies infectieuses.

Despite a natural reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae limited to humans and free availability of an effective antibiotic treatment, more than 200,000 people develop leprosy each year. This disease remains a major cause of disability and social stigma worldwide. The cause of this constant incidence is currently unknown and indicates that important aspects of the complex relationship between the pathogen and its human host remain to be discovered. An important contribution of host genetics to susceptibility to leprosy has long been suggested to account for the considerable variability between individuals sustainably exposed to M. leprae. Given the inability to cultivate M. leprae in vitro and in the absence of relevant animal model, genetic epidemiology is the main strategy used to identify the genes and, consequently, the immunological pathways involved in protective immunity to M. leprae. Recent genome-wide studies have identified new pathophysiological pathways which importance is only beginning to be understood. In addition, the prism of human genetics placed leprosy at the crossroads of other common diseases such as Crohn's disease, asthma or myocardial infarction. Therefore, novel lights on the pathogenesis of many common diseases could eventually emerge from the detailed understanding of a disease of the shadows.

Breast dynamic contrast-enhanced examinations with fat suppression: are contrast-agent uptake curves affected by magnetic field inhomogeneity?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of magnetic field heterogeneity in breast dynamic contrast-enhanced examinations with fat saturation (DCE-FS). METHODS: The magnetic field was mapped over the breasts in ten patients. DCE-FS was undertaken at 1.5 T with fast spoiled gradient echoes and spectrally selective fat saturation. Signal intensity was calculated for T1 values 25-1,200 ms both on and off resonance, and results were verified with a test object. Clinical examinations were evaluated for the predicted effects of field heterogeneity. RESULTS: Magnetic field was found to vary by 3.6 ± 1.2 ppm over the central transaxial slice and 5.1 ± 1.5 over the whole breast volume (mean ± standard deviation). Computer simulations predict a reduction in the dynamic range if field heterogeneity leads to unintended water suppression, and distortion to CA uptake curves due to fat suppression failure (for fat containing pixels). A compromise between dynamic range and fat saturation performance is required. Both water suppression and fat suppression failure are apparent in clinical examinations. CONCLUSION: Magnetic field heterogeneity is likely to reduce the sensitivity of DCE-FS by distorting the CA uptake curves because of fat suppression failure (for fat containing pixels) and by reducing the dynamic range because of unintended water suppression. KEY POINTS: • Magnetic field heterogeneity is significant in breast magnetic resonance. • Contrast-agent uptake curves are distorted by a non-uniform magnetic field. • Radiologist must be aware of possibility of distortion to interpret uptake curves correctly. • Compromise between fat suppression and dynamic range is required.

Appearances of colorectal hepatic metastases at diffusion-weighted MRI compared with histopathology: initial observations.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the appearances of colorectal liver metastases on diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) and to compare these appearances with histopathology. METHODS: 43 patients with colorectal liver metastases were evaluated using breath-hold DW-MRI (b-values 0, 150 and 500 s mm(-2)). The b=500 s mm(-2) DW-MRI were reviewed consensually for lesion size and appearance by two readers. 18/43 patients underwent surgery allowing radiological-pathological comparison. Tissue sections were reviewed by a pathologist, who classified metastases histologically as cellular, fibrotic, necrotic or mixed. The frequency of DW-MRI findings and histological features were compared using the χ(2) test. RESULTS: 84 metastases were found in 43 patients. On b=500 s mm(-2) DW-MRI, metastases showed three high signal intensity patterns: rim (55/84), uniform (23/84) and variegate (6/84). Of the 55 metastases showing rim pattern, 54 were >1 cm in diameter (p<0.01, χ(2) test). 25/84 metastases were surgically resected. Of these, 11/22 metastases >1 cm in diameter showed rim pattern and demonstrated central necrosis at histopathology (p=0.04, χ(2) test). No definite relationship was found between uniform and variegate patterns with histology. CONCLUSION: Rim high signal intensity was the most common appearance of colorectal liver metastases >1 cm diameter on DW-MRI at b-values of 500 s mm(-2), a finding attributable to central necrosis.

Assessment of colorectal hepatic metastases by quantitative T2 relaxation time.

AIM: To determine the T(2) relaxation time of colorectal hepatic metastases and changes in T(2) relaxation times following chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 42 patients with 96 hepatic colorectal metastases underwent baseline MRI. Axial T(1), T(2) and multi-echo GRASE sequences were acquired. ROIs were drawn on T(2) relaxation maps, obtained from GRASE images, encompassing metastasis and normal liver to record T(2) relaxation time values. In 11 patients with 28 metastases, MRI was repeated using same protocol at 6 weeks following chemotherapy. The median pre-treatment T(2) values of metastases and normal liver were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. The pre- and post-treatment median T(2) values of metastases were compared using the Wilcoxon-Rank test for responding (n=16) and non-responding (n=12) lesions defined by RECIST criteria. The change in T(2) values (ΔT(2)) were compared and correlated with percentage change in lesion size. RESULTS: There was no difference in the pre-treatment median T(2) of metastases between responding (67.3±8.6) and non-responding metastases (71.4±16.5). At the end of chemotherapy, there was a decrease in the median T(2) of responding lesions (61.6±12.6) p=0.83, and increase in non-responding lesions (76.2±18.4) p=0.03, but these were not significantly different from the pre-treatment values. There was no significant difference in ΔT(2) of responding and non-responding lesions (p=0.18) and no correlation was seen between size change and ΔT(2) (coefficient=0.3). CONCLUSION: T(2) relaxation time does not appear to predict response of colorectal liver metastasis to chemotherapy.

Detection of colorectal hepatic metastases using MnDPDP MR imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) alone and in combination.

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of MnDPDP MR imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), alone and in combination, for detecting colorectal liver metastases in patients with suspected metastatic disease. Thirty-three consecutive patients with suspected colorectal liver metastases underwent MR imaging. Three image sets (MnDPDP, DWI and combined MnDPDP and DWI) were reviewed independently by two observers. Lesions were scored on a five-point scale for malignancy and the areas (Az) under the receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for each observer and image set. The sensitivity and specificity for lesion detection were calculated for each image set and compared. There were 83 metastases, 49 cysts and 1 haemangioma. Using the combined set resulted in the highest diagnostic accuracy for both observers (Az=0.94 and 0.96), with improved averaged sensitivity of lesion detection compared with the DWI set (p=0.01), and a trend towards improved sensitivity compared with the MnDPDP set (p=0.06). There was no difference in the averaged specificity using any of the three image sets (p>0.5). Combination of MnDPDP MR imaging and DWI resulted in the highest diagnostic accuracy and can increase sensitivity without loss in specificity.

Magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer: the value of apparent diffusion coefficients for identifying malignant nodules.

The aim of this work was to determine the potential of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) for identifying prostate cancer by comparing apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) from malignant peripheral zone (PZ) nodules with values from the non-malignant PZ and the predominantly benign central gland (CG). 33 patients with elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) aged 52-78 years (30 patients with biopsy proven prostate cancer) underwent endorectal MRI with T2 weighted and echo planar diffusion weighting (b = 0 mm2 s(-1), 300 mm2 s(-1), 500 mm2 s(-1) and 800 mm2 s(-1)) sequences. ADCs were measured from 30 malignant PZ nodules (identified on T2 weigting and positive biopsy; median region of interest (ROI) size 41 mm2), 33 CG regions (predominantly benign nodules; median ROI size 218 mm2) and 18 non-malignant PZ regions (ipsilateral biopsies all benign; median ROI size 54.5 mm2). ADCs were (mean+/-standard deviation (SD); mm2 s(-1)): malignant PZ nodules 1.30+/-0.30x10(-3), CG 1.46+/-0.14x10(-3) and non-malignant PZ 1.71+/-0.16x10(-3). Differences between all three groups were statistically significant (p = 0.01 malignant PZ vs CG; p = 0.0001 malignant PZ vs non-malignant PZ and p = 0.0001 CG vs non-malignant PZ). Using receiver operating characteristic curves, cut-off values of 1.39x10(-3) mm2 s(-1) differentiated malignant PZ nodules from predominantly benign CG (sensitivity 60%, specificity 76%) and of 1.6x10(-3) mm2 s(-1) identified malignant from non-malignant PZ (sensitivity 86.7%, specificity 72.2%). These results suggest that DW-MRI has the potential to increase the specificity of prostate cancer detection because ADCs are significantly lower in malignant compared with non-malignant prostate tissue.

The development and optimization of high spatial resolution MRI for imaging the oesophagus using an external surface coil.

This paper describes the development and optimization of an innovative technique using an external surface coil to obtain high resolution, thin section MR images of the oesophagus using volunteers. T2 weighted fast spin echo sequences were performed with and without cardiac gating. The field of view (FOV), matrix size, slice thickness, number of signal averages (NSA), and repetition time (TR)/echo time (TE) were altered to optimize signal to noise ratio (SNR) whilst maintaining spatial resolution. The effect of cardiac gating was also investigated. Workstation images were evaluated on the ability to visualize: individual oesophageal wall layers; perioesophageal fat; the azygos vein and wall of the descending aorta, giving qualitative assessment of image clarity. The optimum sequence enabled the layers of the oesophageal wall and perioesophageal tissues to be demonstrated in an acceptable scan time of 7.07 min. A FOV of less than 250 mm degraded image quality so that individual oesophageal wall layers could not be depicted and noise within the image impaired visualization of posterior mediastinal structures. The results indicate that high resolution imaging of the oesophagus using an external surface coil can depict anatomic structures clearly and that the use of cardiac gating improves image clarity. The technique offers an alternative, non-invasive method of detailed imaging of the oesophagus.

Colorectal hepatic metastases: quantitative measurements using single-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

The purpose of this study was to obtain quantitative measurements of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC1), flow insensitive apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC2) and perfusion fraction (F) of colorectal hepatic metastases using DWI and to compare these measurements with those obtained in liver parenchyma. Forty patients with 66 hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma were prospectively evaluated using DWI with three b values. Quantitative maps of the ADC1 (using b = 0, 150, 500 s/mm2 images), ADC2 (using b = 150, 500 s/mm2 images) and fractional variation (F) between ADC1 and ADC2, which reflects perfusion fraction, were calculated. The ADC1, ADC2 and F derived from metastases and liver parenchyma were compared. The mean ADC1 values of liver parenchyma and metastases were significantly higher than the mean ADC2 values (P < 0.0001, paired t-test). Colorectal metastases were found to have higher mean ADC1 and ADC2 values compared with liver (P < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney test). However, the estimated F was found to be lower in metastases compared to liver (P = 0.03, Mann-Whitney test). Colorectal hepatic metastases were characterised by higher ADC1 and ADC2 values, but lower F values compared to liver.

MnDPDP enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of focal liver lesions.

Mangafodipir trisodium (MnDPDP) is a contrast agent for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver. The agent is taken up by normal hepatocytes resulting in increased signal on T1-weighted imaging, and is excreted in the biliary system. Hepatocyte-containing liver neoplasms such as hepatomas or focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), take up MnDPDP and demonstrate varying degrees of enhancement. Metastatic liver deposits and primary liver tumours of non-hepatocyte origin do not typically enhance with MnDPDP thus increasing their conspicuity compared with pre-contrast T1-weighted images. Metastases may demonstrate rim enhancement particularly on delayed imaging at 24 h, which can increase their conspicuity, thus allowing better visualization of small lesions. Functional biliary obstruction due to liver metastases can also result in wedge shaped areas of parenchymal enhancement. The MRI features of various focal liver after continuance with lesions following MnDPDP are discussed and illustrated including primary lesions such as hepatoma and secondary metastases.

Hepatobiliary and pancreatic manifestations of cystic fibrosis: MR imaging appearances.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR cholangiopancreatography are useful, noninvasive techniques for the assessment of pancreatic and hepatobiliary complications in cystic fibrosis. Abnormalities of the pancreas in cystic fibrosis are typically characterized by fat deposition, which has increased signal intensity on T1-weighted MR images, and pancreatic fibrosis, which has low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images. Pancreatic cysts are a relatively common finding; these cysts are typically quite small but are well demonstrated at MR imaging and MR cholangiopancreatography. Pancreatic duct abnormalities are also occasionally seen. Hepatic manifestations range from hepatomegaly and diffuse fatty infiltration to severe cirrhosis with fibrotic change, regenerative nodules, and portal hypertension. Splenomegaly is often characterized by siderotic nodules that manifest as multiple focal areas of abnormal low signal intensity within the spleen. Biliary manifestations include cholelithiasis, stricturization, and narrowing or dilatation of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. Gallbladder abnormalities including microgallbladder are also readily demonstrated. MR cholangiopancreatography can be used to help determine the presence and severity of biliary complications without resorting to more invasive procedures and, in conjunction with MR imaging, may prove useful in the assessment of patients with cystic fibrosis who present with abdominal symptoms that suggest hepatobiliary involvement.