Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: Short Dual-Pulse Sequence versus Standard Multiparametric MR Imaging-A Multireader Study.

Purpose To compare the diagnostic performance of a short dual-pulse sequence magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol versus a standard six-pulse sequence multiparametric MR imaging protocol for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer. Materials and Methods This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the regional ethics committee. Between July 2013 and March 2015, 63 patients from a prospectively accrued study population who underwent MR imaging of the prostate including transverse T1-weighted; transverse, coronal, and sagittal T2-weighted; diffusion-weighted; and dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging with a 3-T imager at a single institution were included in this retrospective study. The short MR imaging protocol image set consisted of transverse T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted images only. The standard MR imaging protocol image set contained images from all six pulse sequences. Three expert readers from different institutions assessed the likelihood of prostate cancer on a five-point scale. Diagnostic performance on a quadrant basis was assessed by using areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves, and differences were evaluated by using 83.8% confidence intervals. Intra- and interreader agreement was assessed by using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Transperineal template saturation biopsy served as the standard of reference. Results At histopathologic evaluation, 84 of 252 (33%) quadrants were positive for cancer in 38 of 63 (60%) men. There was no significant difference in detection of tumors larger than or equal to 0.5 mL for any of the readers of the short MR imaging protocol, with areas under the curve in the range of 0.74-0.81 (83.8% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64, 0.89), and for readers of the standard MR imaging protocol, areas under the curve were 0.71-0.77 (83.8% CI: 0.62, 0.86). Ranges for sensitivity were 0.76-0.95 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.99) and 0.76-0.86 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.97) and those for specificity were 0.84-0.90 (95% CI: 0.79, 0.94) and 0.82-0.90 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.94) for the short and standard MR protocols, respectively. Ranges for interreader agreement were 0.48-0.60 (83.8% CI: 0.41, 0.66) and 0.49-0.63 (83.8% CI: 0.42, 0.68) for the short and standard MR imaging protocols. Conclusion For the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, no difference was found in the diagnostic performance of the short MR imaging protocol consisting of only transverse T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging pulse sequences compared with that of a standard multiparametric MR imaging protocol. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

FGF-23 transmitted tumor - induced hypophosphatemic osteomalacia: A rare case of a young woman with recurrent fractures and review of the literature.

We present a case of tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) in a young woman of 22 years. The fibroblast growth factor 23 transmitting tumor in her left foot remained undetected for several years. She suffered several fractures including insufficiency fractures of both femoral necks requiring bilateral proximal femoral nailing. After phosphaturia was diagnosed any known genetic etiology was excluded. Even advanced imaging modalities were unable to detect the clinically silent tumor until an 68Ga-DOTA-TOC-PET/CT-scan revealed a mass with paraneoplastic activity in the left foot. Complete resection of the tumor proved to cure her condition after 9 years of uncertainty and suffering. Serum phosphate levels returned to normal within days. After presentation of the case report, the current literature on published cases of TIO between 1956 and 2021 is summarized to emphasize the importance of an accurate and early diagnosis. Our case report aims to illustrate that a long latency period of diagnosis may be avoided utilizing the latest imaging techniques to spare affected patients from long treatment of symptoms instead of finding the underlying cause.

Diagnostic Accuracy of a MR Protocol Acquired with and without Endorectal Coil for Detection of Prostate Cancer: A Multicenter Study.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of a prostate multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) protocol for detection of prostate cancer between images acquired with and without en-dorectal coil (ERC). MATERIALS: This study was approved by the regional ethics committee. Between 2014 and 2015, 33 patients (median age 51.3 years; range 42.1-77.3 years) who underwent prostate-MRI at 3T scanners at 2 different institutions, acquired with (mpMRIERC) and without (mpMRIPPA) ERC and who received radical prostatectomy, were included in this retrospective study. Two expert readers (R1, R2) attributed a PI-RADS version 2 score for the most suspect (i. e. index) lesion for mpMRIPPA and mpMRIERC. Sensitivity and positive predictive value for detection of index lesions were assessed using 2 × 2 contingency tables. Differences between groups were tested using the McNemar test. Whole-mount histopathology served as reference standard. RESULTS: On a quadrant-basis cumulative sensitivity ranged between 0.61-0.67 and 0.76-0.88 for mpMRIPPA and mpMRIERC protocols, respectively (p > 0.05). Cumulative positive predictive value ranged between 0.80-0.81 and 0.89-0.91 for mpMRIPPA and mpMRIERC protocols, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant for R1 (p = 0.267) or R2 (p = 0.508). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that there may be no significant differences for detection of prostate cancer between images acquired with and without an ERC.

Direct comparison of PI-RADS version 2 and version 1 regarding interreader agreement and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: to simultaneously evaluate interreader agreement and diagnostic accuracy in the of PI-RADS v2 and compare it to v1. METHODS: A total of 67 patients (median age 65.3 y, range 51.2-78.2 y; PSA 6.8µg/L, 0.2-33µg/L) undergoing MRI of the prostate and subsequent transperineal template biopsy within ≤6 months from MRI were included. Four readers from two institutions evaluated the likelihood of prostate cancer using PI-RADS v1 and v2 in two separate reading sessions ≥3 months apart. Interreader agreement was assessed for each pulse-sequence and for total PI-RADS scores using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Differences were considered significant for non-overlapping 95%-confidence intervals. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AZ). A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Interreader agreement for DCE-scores was good in v2 (ICC2=0.70; 95% CI: 0.66-0.74) and slightly lower in v1 (ICC1=0.64, 0.59-0.69). Agreement for DWI scores (ICC1=0.77, ICC2=0.76) as well as final PI-RADS scores per quadrant were nearly identical (ICC1=ICC2=0.71). Diagnostic accuracy showed no significant differences (p=0.09-0.93) between v1 and v2 in any of the readers (range: AZ=0.78-0.88). CONCLUSION: PI-RADS scores show similar interreader agreement in v2 and v1 at comparable diagnostic performance. The simplification of the DCE interpretation in v2 might slightly improve agreement while not negatively affecting diagnostic performance.

Comparison of image quality and patient discomfort in prostate MRI: pelvic phased array coil vs. endorectal coil.

PURPOSE: To compare image quality (IQ) and patient discomfort during prostate MRI using a pelvic phased array (PPA) coil and an endorectal (ER) coil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight patients (median age, 65.7; range 42.1-78.1) underwent prostate MRI on a 3T scanner including T2w and DWI acquired with PPA and an ER coil within the same exam. Acquisition time was kept similar for both acquisitions. Two radiologists evaluated aspects of IQ on a 5-point Likert scale and classified image artifacts. All patients completed a questionnaire on discomfort/pain regarding the ER coil using a visual analogue scale from 1 to 10. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in overall IQ for T2w images for both readers (reader 1, 3.27 ± 0.91 and 3.07 ± 0.84, p = 0.057; reader 2, 3.70 ± 0.75 and 3.77 ± 0.81, p = 0.555) for PPA and ER coils, respectively. Overall IQ for DWI acquired with PPA and ER coils was rated similar by reader 1 (3.03 ± 1.10 and 3.08 ± 0.80, respectively, (p = 0.67)), while reader 2 preferred ER coil images (3.27 ± 0.81 and 3.66 ± 0.85 (p < 0.05)). Susceptibility artifacts were more frequent in ER than in PPA coil images (109 vs. 75). Discomfort and pain experienced during insertion of the ER coil was low altogether (VAS score, 3.5 ± 2.1 for "discomfort" and 2.4 ± 2.4 for "pain"). CONCLUSION: T2-weighted images may be acquired with comparable IQ using a PPA coil as compared to an ER coil, while DWI images showed better IQ using the ER coil for one of two readers. The insertion of the ER coil caused low to moderate discomfort and pain in patients.

Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of the Prostate: Image Quality and Geometric Distortion of Readout-Segmented Versus Selective-Excitation Accelerated Acquisitions.

OBJECTIVE: To compare image quality and geometric distortion between readout-segmented diffusion-weighted imaging (rs-DWI) and selective-excitation accelerated reduced-field of view (FOV) DWI (sTX-DWI) of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients underwent 3-T MRI of the prostate including rs-DWI and sTX-DWI (b values, 0, 50, and 1000 seconds/mm²; FOV, 150 × 150 mm² and 77 ×150 mm for rs-DWI and sTX-DWI; slice thickness, 3 mm; acquisition time, 8:18 min and 1:37 min for rs-DWI and sTX-DWI). Two readers evaluated aspects of image quality and geometric distortion on a 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative analysis of geometric distortion was assessed by measurements of anteroposterior and left-right diameters and compared to T2-weighted turbo-spin echo sequence using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in resolution, capsule demarcation, and zonal anatomy (P = 0.111-0.866). Overall image quality was rated "above average" by reader 1 (4.09 ± 0.66 and 4.03 ± 0.79; P = 0.433) and reader 2 (3.86 ± 0.66 and 3.80 ± 0.74; P = 0.465) for rs-DWI and sTX-DWI. Reader 1 (0.74 ± 0.67 and 1.17 ± 0.84; P < 0.001) and reader 2 (0.55 ± 0.64 and 1.09 ± 0.95; P < 0.001) rated the level of geometric distortion significantly lower for rs-DWI than sTX-DWI. Readout-segmented DWI (0.9 ± 2.2 mm) and sTX-DWI (2.1 ± 3.8 mm) overestimated the anteroposterior diameter of the prostate compared to T2-weighted turbo-spin echo sequence (P < 0.001), the difference being more pronounced for sTX-DWI [ICC, 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.93)] compared to rs-DWI [ICC, 0.96 (95% confidence interval, 0.94-0.96)]. CONCLUSION: Selective-excitation accelerated reduced-FOV DW images (sTX-DWI) of the prostate can be acquired more than 5 times faster than rs-DWI with comparable image quality, at the expense of significantly increased geometric distortion.

Effectiveness of agricultural interventions that aim to improve nutritional status of children: systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of agricultural interventions in improving the nutritional status of children in developing countries. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Published and unpublished reports (after 1990) in English identified by searching 10 databases (Agris, Econlit, Eldis, IBSS, IDEAS, IFPRI, Jolis, PubMed, Web of Science, and World Bank), websites, previous systematic reviews, and reference lists and by contacting experts. STUDY SELECTION: Included studies assessed effects of agricultural interventions aiming at improving the nutritional status of children (bio-fortification, home gardens, small scale fisheries and aquaculture, dairy development, and animal husbandry and poultry development). Only studies that used a valid counterfactual analysis were included. Before/after studies and participants/non-participants comparisons affected by selection bias were excluded. Data analysis Results were analysed for four intermediate outcomes (programme participation, income, dietary diversity, and micronutrient intake) and one final outcome (prevalence of under-nutrition). Analysis was by summary tables of mean effects and by meta-analysis (for vitamin A absorption). RESULTS: The review included 23 studies, mostly evaluating home garden interventions. The studies reviewed did not report participation rates or the characteristics of participants in programmes. The interventions had a positive effect on the production of the agricultural goods promoted, but not on households' total income. The interventions were successful in promoting the consumption of food rich in protein and micronutrients, but the effect on the overall diet of poor people remains unclear. No evidence was found of an effect on the absorption of iron, but some evidence exists of a positive effect on absorption of vitamin A. Very little evidence was found of a positive effect on the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight among children aged under 5. CONCLUSIONS: The question posed by the review cannot be answered with any level of confidence. The data available show a poor effect of these interventions on nutritional status, but methodological weaknesses of the studies cast serious doubts on the validity of these results. More rigorous and better designed studies are needed, as well as the establishment of agreed quality standards to guide researchers in this important area.