Rate of head ultrasound abnormalities at one month in very premature and extremely premature infants with normal initial screening ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Premature infants are at risk for multiple types of intracranial injury with potentially significant long-term neurological impact. The number of screening head ultrasounds needed to detect such injuries remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of abnormal findings on routine follow-up head ultrasound (US) performed in infants born at ≤ 32 weeks' gestational age (GA) after initial normal screening US. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on infants born at ≤ 32 weeks' GA with a head US at 3-5 weeks following a normal US at 3-10 days at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from 2014 to 2020. Exclusion criteria included significant congenital anomalies, such as congenital cardiac defects necessitating surgery, congenital diaphragmatic hernia or spinal dysraphism, and clinical indications for US other than routine screening, such as sepsis, other risk factors for intracranial injury besides prematurity, or clinical neurological abnormalities. Ultrasounds were classified as normal or abnormal based on original radiology reports. Images from initial examinations with abnormal follow-up were reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-three (14.2%) of 233 infants had 34 total abnormal findings on follow-up head US after normal initial US. Twenty-seven infants had grade 1 germinal matrix hemorrhage, and four had grade 2 intraventricular hemorrhage. Two had periventricular echogenicity and one had a focus of cerebellar echogenicity that resolved and was determined to be artifactual. CONCLUSION: When initial screening head ultrasounds in premature infants are normal, follow-up screening ultrasounds are typically also normal. Abnormal findings are usually limited to grade 1 germinal matrix hemorrhage.

Müllerian Duct Anomalies: Role in Fertility and Pregnancy.

Müllerian duct anomalies (MDAs) have important implications for the reproductive health of female patients. In patients with both infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, the incidence of MDAs is as high as 25%. Congenital uterine anomalies are often only part of a complex set of congenital anomalies involving the cervix, vagina, and urinary tract. Multiple classification systems for MDAs exist, each with different criteria that vary most for the diagnosis of septate uterus. Recognizing the features that guide clinical management is essential for interpretation. Identification of an MDA should prompt evaluation for associated urinary tract anomalies. In patients with infertility who seek to use assisted reproductive technologies such as intrauterine insemination, recognition of MDAs may have an affect on reproductive success, particularly in patients who have an incomplete and clinically occult septum that divides the cervix. Two-dimensional US is the first-line modality for evaluating the uterus and adnexa. Three-dimensional (3D) US or MRI may help to visualize the external uterine fundal contour and internal indentation of the endometrial cavity, which are two morphologic characteristics that are keys to the diagnosis of congenital uterine anomalies. Hysterosalpingo contrast-enhanced US may be performed in conjunction with 3D US to evaluate uterine morphologic characteristics, the endometrial cavity, and tubal patency in a single examination. MRI helps to characterize rudimentary uteri in patients with müllerian hypoplasia and allows assessment for ectopic ureters, abnormally positioned ovaries, or associated deep infiltrative endometriosis. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2021.

Congenital superior mesenteric artery aneurysm in a 6-week-old infant presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Visceral artery aneurysms are rare in infants and children. The majority of cases are caused by genetic syndromes, trauma, or infection. Although the majority of aneurysms are asymptomatic, visceral artery aneurysms can present with abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, or rupture. Aneurysm rupture can manifest as hemodynamic instability and/or gastrointestinal bleeding. We present the case of a congenital idiopathic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery in a 6-week-old infant who presented with gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a stepwise surgical approach to achieving aneurysm exclusion and thrombosis, and highlight the robust mesenteric collateral circulation that can develop in pediatric patients.

Abdominal Applications of Pediatric Body MR Angiography: Tailored Optimization for Successful Outcome.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to summarize current common techniques and indications for pediatric abdominopelvic MR angiography and strategies for optimizing them to achieve successful outcomes. We also discuss newer MR angiography techniques, including whole-body imaging and blood pool contrast agents, as well as various approaches to reducing the need for anesthesia in pediatric MRI. CONCLUSION. Pediatric body vascular imaging presents a unique set of challenges that require a tailored approach. Emerging pediatric abdominopelvic MR angiography techniques hold promise for continued improvement in pediatric body MR angiography.

Improved diagnostic confidence and accuracy of pediatric elbow fractures with digital tomosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric elbow fractures are common but remain challenging to accurately diagnose. Digital tomosynthesis is a technique that has shown promise in difficult adult fracture patterns but has not been formally studied in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE: To assess the added value of digital tomosynthesis on the detection and diagnostic confidence of pediatric elbow fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed between January 2016 and December 2017 in pediatric patients (≤18 years) to assess the ability of conventional elbow radiographs and digital tomosynthesis to detect elbow fractures. One hundred twenty-one pediatric patients with concern for pediatric elbow trauma (64 males, 57 females; mean age: 8.1 years, range: 1 year to 17 years) were imaged with both conventional elbow radiographs and digital tomosynthesis. Two blinded pediatric radiologists identified fractures and indicated their diagnostic confidence. Observer agreement was assessed with Cohen's Kappa coefficient and a nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the degree of diagnostic confidence between standard radiographs alone and standard radiographs with digital tomosynthesis. McNemar's test was used to assess the difference in the rate of fracture detection between the two methods and sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy and diagnostic odds ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Compared with standard radiographs alone, standard radiographs with digital tomosynthesis improved inter-rater agreement, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and the diagnostic odds ratio for fracture detection and increased diagnostic confidence (Rater 1: P=0.01, Rater 2: P=0.003). CONCLUSION: The addition of digital tomosynthesis with conventional elbow radiographs improves diagnostic confidence and performance for the detection of pediatric elbow fractures.

Implementing Virtual and Augmented Reality Tools for Radiology Education and Training, Communication, and Clinical Care.

Advances in virtual immersive and augmented reality technology, commercially available for the entertainment and gaming industry, hold potential for education and clinical use in medicine and the field of medical imaging. Radiology departments have begun exploring the use of these technologies to help with radiology education and clinical care. The purpose of this review article is to summarize how three institutions have explored using virtual and augmented reality for radiology.

Congenital Oral Masses: An Anatomic Approach to Diagnosis.

Although congenital oral masses are rare, they are readily detectable during fetal US screening. Most congenital oral masses are benign, but some may cause mechanical airway obstruction, resulting in poor outcomes at delivery. The radiologist's ability to describe these abnormalities and their physiologic sequelae accurately can have a substantial effect on perinatal treatment. Furthermore, despite being rare, congenital oral lesions encountered at screening and at follow up fetal MRI provide the opportunity to make a specific diagnosis by following a simple anatomic approach. This article describes an anatomic algorithm as the framework for accurate diagnosis of congenital oral lesions. The imaging appearance of the most common congenital oral cavity neoplasms is outlined, including vascular anomalies, epulides, choristomas, congenital lingual thyroid anomalies, lingual hamartomas, and epignathi, and other conditions that mimic these at US. Also reviewed are perinatal management of masses that affect the fetal airway and the imaging features key to optimizing delivery outcomes. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2019.

Value of dedicated small-field-of-view sacroiliac versus large-field-of-view pelvic magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating pediatric sacroiliitis.

BACKGROUND: Optimized MRI parameters can be leveraged to improve signal intensity, accelerate imaging acquisition and increase resolution. Higher-resolution imaging with a small field of view (FOV) has been proposed as standard practice for investigating sacroiliac (SI) joints, but the improvement in disease detection and characterization over pelvic imaging with large FOV has not been established. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare dedicated MR images of the SI joints with survey imaging (large-FOV pelvic MRI) for detecting sacroiliitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight pediatric patients suspected of having sacroiliitis underwent dedicated sacroiliac joint and survey pelvic imaging at the same imaging session. We independently evaluated the small- and large-FOV image data sets for presence or absence of sacroiliitis, e.g., bone marrow edema, erosions and synovitis. We used nonparametric statistical tests to compare lesion scores for severity of inflammation. We created test characteristics for the survey pelvic images (low-resolution images of the sacroiliac joints) using dedicated sacroiliac images (small-FOV, high-resolution images) as the gold standard. RESULTS: Dedicated sacroiliac small-FOV MRI detected more sacroiliitis compared to survey pelvic imaging with large FOV (χ2=6.125, P=0.013). Readers detected significantly more features of inflammation on small- compared to large-FOV images, e.g., erosions (P=0.039), synovitis (P=0.009), sclerosis (P=0.017) and osteitis (P=0.001). Test characteristics for pelvic large-FOV imaging were sensitivity=0.76, specificity=1.00, positive predictive value = 1.00 and negative predictive value = 0.75. CONCLUSION: This study provides test characteristics for survey pelvic MRI with lower-resolution large-field-of-view images as a screening tool for detecting sacroiliitis. Pelvic screening studies with large FOV have lower sensitivity, and dedicated sacroiliac MRI with small FOV is superior in detecting sacroiliitis when compared to pelvic screening MRI.

Bias in Radiology: The How and Why of Misses and Misinterpretations.

Medical errors are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the medical field and are substantial contributors to medical costs. Radiologists play an integral role in the diagnosis and care of patients and, given that those in this field interpret millions of examinations annually, may therefore contribute to diagnostic errors. Errors can be categorized as a "miss" when a primary or critical finding is not observed or as a "misinterpretation" when errors in interpretation lead to an incorrect diagnosis. In this article, the authors describe the cognitive causes of such errors in diagnostic medicine, specifically in radiology. Recognizing the cognitive processes that radiologists use while interpreting images should improve one's awareness of the inherent biases that can impact decision making. The authors review the common biases that impact clinical decisions, as well as strategies to counteract or minimize the potential for misdiagnosis. System-level processes that can be implemented to minimize cognitive errors are reviewed, as well as ways to implement personal changes to minimize cognitive errors in daily practice. ©RSNA, 2017.

Pilot Study of Renal Diffusion Tensor Imaging as a Correlate to Histopathology in Pediatric Renal Allografts.

OBJECTIVE: Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a measure of molecular motion obtained from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The objective of this study was to assess the use of FA as a noninvasive correlate of renal allograft histopathology. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixteen pediatric renal allograft recipients were imaged using DTI in a prospective study, between October 2014 and January 2016, before a same-day renal allograft biopsy. The Kendall tau correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between cortical and medullary FA values and several clinically important Banff renal allograft histopathology scores. The Mann-Whitney U test was also used to compare cortical and medullary FA values in the region of biopsy in patients whose biopsy results did and in those whose biopsy results did not change clinical management. RESULTS: Medullary FA values had direct inverse correlation with several histopathology scores: tubulitis (designated "t" score in Banff pathologic classification, p < 0.04), interstitial inflammation (i score, p < 0.005), tubular atrophy (ct score, p < 0.002), and interstitial fibrosis (ci score, p < 0.007). Cortical FA values inversely correlated with peritubular capillaritis (ptc score, p < 0.02). Neither medullary nor cortical FA values correlated with glomerulitis (g score). At a b value of 800 s/mm2, medullary FA values of pediatric renal allograft recipients whose renal biopsies prompted a change in clinical management (mean ± SD at a b value of 800 s/mm2 = 0.262 ± 0.07; n = 9) were statistically different compared with the group whose biopsy results did not change clinical management (mean ± SD at a b value of 800 s/mm2 = 0.333 ± 0.06; n = 7) (p < 0.006). CONCLUSION: FA is a noninvasive correlate of several important renal allograft histopathology scores and a potential noninvasive method of assessing renal allograft health in pediatric allograft recipients.