CT and MR anatomy of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Imaging of the larynx and hypopharynx is frequently requested to assess the extent of neoplasms beyond the field of view of endoscopic evaluation. The combination of optical and cross-sectional imaging allows tumors to be classified according to AJCC/UICC guidelines. A thorough understanding of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal anatomy is crucial to guide the radiological eye along the possible pathways of the spread of diseases and to guide differential diagnoses. Computed tomography (CT) has been the first cross-sectional imaging technique used to evaluate the larynx and hypopharynx; its spatial resolution combined with volumetric capability and the use of injectable contrast medium made CT the working horse in the assessment of neoplastic and inflammatory diseases. In the last two decades, magnetic resonance (MR) supported CT in the most challenging cases, when the optimal contrast resolution due to the multisequence portfolio is needed to assess the neoplastic involvement of laryngeal cartilages, paraglottic space(s), and extra laryngeal spread. The aim of this paper is to give a comprehensive radiological overview of larynx and hypopharynx complex anatomy, combining in vivo images, anatomical sections, and images of ex vivo specimens.

Computer-aided designed 3D-printed polymeric scaffolds for personalized reconstruction of maxillary and mandibular defects: a proof-of-concept study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the potential reconstruction of complex maxillofacial defects using computer-aided design 3D-printed polymeric scaffolds by defining the production process, simulating the surgical procedure, and explore the feasibility and reproducibility of the whole algorithm. METHODS: This a preclinical study to investigate feasibility, reproducibility and efficacy of the reconstruction algorithm proposed. It encompassed 3 phases: (1) scaffold production (CAD and 3D-printing in polylactic acid); (2) surgical simulation on cadaver heads (navigation-guided osteotomies and scaffold fixation); (3) assessment of reconstruction (bone and occlusal morphological conformance, symmetry, and mechanical stress tests). RESULTS: Six cadaver heads were dissected. Six types of defects (3 mandibular and 3 maxillary) with different degree of complexity were tested. In all case the reconstruction algorithm could be successfully completed. Bone morphological conformance was optimal while the occlusal one was slightly higher. Mechanical stress tests were good (mean value, 318.6 and 286.4 N for maxillary and mandibular defects, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our reconstructive algorithm was feasible and reproducible in a preclinical setting. Functional and aesthetic outcomes were satisfactory independently of the complexity of the defect.

Software-based quantitative CT analysis to predict the growth trend of persistent nonsolid pulmonary nodules: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Persistent nonsolid nodules (NSNs) usually exhibit an indolent course and may remain stable for several years; however, some NSNs grow quickly and require surgical excision. Therefore, identifying quantitative features capable of early discrimination between growing and nongrowing NSNs is becoming a crucial aspect of radiological analysis. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of an open-source software (ImageJ) to predict the future growth of NSNs detected in a Caucasian (Italian) population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively selected 60 NSNs with an axial diameter of 6-30 mm scanned with the same acquisition-reconstruction parameters and the same computed tomography (CT) scanner. Software-based analysis was performed on thin-section CT images using ImageJ. For each NSNs, several quantitative features were extracted from the baseline CT images. The relationships of NSN growth with quantitative CT features and other categorical variables were analyzed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: In multivariable analysis, only the skewness and linear mass density (LMD) were significantly associated with NSN growth, and the skewness was the strongest predictor of growth. In receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, the optimal cutoff values of skewness and LMD were 0.90 and 19.16 mg/mm, respectively. The two predictive models that included the skewness, with or without LMD, exhibited an excellent power for predicting NSN growth. CONCLUSION: According to our results, NSNs with a skewness value > 0.90, specifically those with a LMD > 19.16 mg/mm, should require closer follow-up due to their higher growth potential, and higher risk of becoming an active cancer.

Which role for chest x-ray score in predicting the outcome in COVID-19 pneumonia?

OBJECTIVE: We aim to demonstrate that a chest X-ray (CXR) scoring system for COVID-19 patients correlates with patient outcome and has a prognostic value. METHODS: This retrospective study included CXRs of COVID-19 patients that reported the Brixia score, a semi-quantitative scoring system rating lung involvement from 0 to 18. The highest (H) and lowest (L) values were registered along with scores on admission (A) and end of hospitalization (E). The Brixia score was correlated with the outcome (death or discharge). RESULTS: A total of 953 patients met inclusion criteria. In total, 677/953 were discharged and 276/953 died during hospitalization. A total of 524/953 had one CXR and 429/953 had more than one CXR. H-score was significantly higher in deceased (median, 12; IQR 9-14) compared to that in discharged patients (median, 8; IQR 5-11) (p < 0.0001). In 429/953 patients with multiple CXR, A-score, L-score, and E-score were higher in deceased than in discharged patients (A-score 9 vs 8; p = 0.039; L-score 7 vs 5; p < 0.0003; E-score 12 vs 7; p < 0.0001). In the entire cohort, logistic regression showed a significant predictive value for age (p < 0.0001, OR 1.13), H-score (p < 0.0001, OR 1.25), and gender (p = 0.01, male OR 1.67). AUC was 0.863. In patients with ≥ 2 CXR, A-, L-, and E-scores correlated significantly with the outcome. Cox proportional hazards regression indicated age (p < 0.0001, HR 4.17), H-score (< 9, HR 0.36, p = 0.0012), and worsening of H-score vs A score > 3 (HR 1.57, p = 0.0227) as associated with worse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The Brixia score correlates strongly with disease severity and outcome; it may support the clinical decision-making, particularly in patients with moderate-to-severe signs and symptoms. The Brixia score should be incorporated in a prognostic model, which would be desirable, particularly in resource-constraint scenarios. KEY POINTS: • To demonstrate the importance of the Brixia score in assessing and monitoring COVID-19 lung involvement. • The Brixia score strongly correlates with patient outcome and can be easily implemented in the routine reporting of CXR.

Arterial tortuosity syndrome causing recurrent transient ischemic attacks in young adult: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Arterial Tortuosity Syndrome (ATS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by elongated and tortuous arteries. Although ATS showed a significant clinical and pathophysiological overlap with other syndromes involving connective tissues, only few cases of cerebrovascular events related to this syndrome have been described so far. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 33-years-old male diagnosed with ATS since childhood, that experienced three sudden episodes of expressive aphasia and right hemiparesis with spontaneous resolution. He was treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA) at a dosage of 0.9 mg/kg with a complete recovery. Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed the absence of acute ischemic lesions and the patient was diagnosed with recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIA). Intracranial and supra-aortic trunks Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) and Angio-CT scan of the thoracic and abdominal aorta showed marked vessel tortuosity without stenosis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an ATS patient with TIA in young age that was treated with intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant plasminogen activator. CONCLUSION: Our report strengthens the relationship between ATS and juvenile cerebrovascular events, suggesting that an extensive study of body vessels in order to detect potential stenoses or occlusions in these cases is needed. The greater predisposition to cerebrovascular events in ATS could benefit from a more aggressive primary and secondary prevention therapy.

Prognostic role of pre-treatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomic analysis in effectively cured head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and validate baseline magnetic resonance imaging (b-MRI) radiomic features (RFs) as predictors of disease outcomes in effectively cured head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Training set (TS) and validation set (VS) were retrieved from preexisting datasets (HETeCo and BD2Decide trials, respectively). Only patients with both pre- and post-contrast enhancement T1 and T2-weighted b-MRI and at least 2 years of follow-up (FUP) were selected. The combination of the best extracted RFs was used to classify low risk (LR) vs. high risk (HR) of disease recurrence. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of the radiomic model were computed on both TS and VS. Overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves were compared for LR vs. HR. The radiomic-based risk class was used in a multivariate Cox model, including well-established clinical prognostic factors (TNM, sub-site, human papillomavirus [HPV]). RESULTS: In total, 57 patients of TS and 137 of VS were included. Three RFs were selected for the signature. Sensitivity of recurrence risk classifier was 0.82 and 0.77, specificity 0.78 and 0.81, AUC 0.83 and 0.78 for TS and VS, respectively. VS KM curves for LR vs. HR groups significantly differed both for 5-year DFS (p<.0001) and OS (p=.0004). A combined model of RFs plus TNM improved prognostic performance as compared to TNM alone, both for VS 5-year DFS (C-index: 0.76 vs. 0.60) and OS (C-index: 0.74 vs. 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: Radiomics of b-MRI can help to predict recurrence and survival outcomes in HNSCC.

Skull base osteomyelitis: clinical and radiologic analysis of a rare and multifaceted pathological entity.

Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is a potentially life-threatening inflammation of cranial base bony structures of variable origin. Criteria for diagnosis and treatment are still controversial. Demographics, predisposing factors, symptoms, imaging, and clinical, laboratory, histological, and microbiological data of patients managed for SBO at the University Hospital of Brescia (ASST Spedali Civili) between 2002 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included in different etiological groups. The topographic distribution of magnetic resonance (MR) abnormalities was recorded on a bi-dimensional model of skull base, on which three different patterns of inflammatory changes (edematous, solid, or necrotic) were reported. In patients with a history of radiotherapy, the spatial distribution of SBO was compared with irradiation fields. The association between variables and etiological groups was verified with appropriate statistical tests. A classification tree analysis was performed with the aim of inferring a clinical-radiological diagnostic algorithm for SBO. The study included 47 patients, divided into 5 etiological groups: otogenic (n = 5), radio-induced (n = 16), fungal (n = 14), immune-mediated (n = 6), and idiopathic (n = 6). At MR, five types of topographical distribution were identified (central symmetric, central asymmetric, orbital apex, sinonasal, maxillary). In patients with a history of radiotherapy, the probability to develop SBO was significantly increased in areas receiving the highest radiation dosage. The analysis of patients allowed for design of a classification tree for the diagnosis of SBO. The integration of clinical and radiologic information is an efficient strategy to categorize SBO and potentially guide its complex management.

CT texture analysis for prediction of EGFR mutational status and ALK rearrangement in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To develop a CT texture-based model able to predict epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged lung adenocarcinomas and distinguish them from wild-type tumors on pre-treatment CT scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Texture analysis was performed using proprietary software TexRAD (TexRAD Ltd, Cambridge, UK) on pre-treatment contrast-enhanced CT scans of 84 patients with metastatic primary lung adenocarcinoma. Textural features were quantified using the filtration-histogram approach with different spatial scale filters on a single 5-mm-thick central slice considered representative of the whole tumor. In order to deal with class imbalance regarding mutational status percentages in our population, the dataset was optimized using the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) and correlations with textural features were investigated using a generalized boosted regression model (GBM) with a nested cross-validation approach (performance averaged over 1000 resampling episodes). RESULTS: ALK rearrangements, EGFR mutations and wild-type tumors were observed in 19, 28 and 37 patients, respectively, in the original dataset. The balanced dataset was composed of 171 observations. Among the 29 original texture variables, 17 were employed for model building. Skewness on unfiltered images and on fine texture was the most important features. EGFR-mutated tumors showed the highest skewness while ALK-rearranged tumors had the lowest values with wild-type tumors showing intermediate values. The average accuracy of the model calculated on the independent nested validation set was 81.76% (95% CI 81.45-82.06). CONCLUSION: Texture analysis, in particular skewness values, could be promising for noninvasive characterization of lung adenocarcinoma with respect to EGFR and ALK mutations.

The role of emergency presentation and revascularization in aneurysms of the peripancreatic arteries secondary to celiac trunk or superior mesenteric artery occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to analyze our 10-year experience in the treatment of aneurysms of the collateral circulation secondary to steno-occlusions of the celiac trunk (CT) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA). METHODS: In the last 10 years, 32 celiac-mesenteric aneurysms were detected (25 true aneurysms and seven pseudoaneurysms) in 25 patients with steno-occlusion of the CT or SMA. All cases were diagnosed and treated at our center, with either surgical or endovascular approach. As open surgery, we performed aneurysmectomy and revascularization; as endovascular treatment we performed both the embolization (or graft exclusion) of the aneurysm sac, and embolization of afferent and efferent arteries. RESULTS: Sixteen patients (64%) underwent endovascular treatment, accounting for 66% of aneurysms (21/32). Six patients (24%) and seven associated aneurysms (22%) underwent open surgery. Three asymptomatic patients (12%), representing a total of four aneurysms (12%), were not treated. For endovascular procedures, the technical success rate was 90%, with a 56% clinical success rate. For open surgery, clinical and technical success were achieved in five patients (83%) and six procedures (86%), respectively. Sixty-eight percent of patients (17/25) were treated in an emergency setting, using either endovascular (88%) or open (12%) approaches. Although technical success was achieved in more than 85% of these procedures for both approaches, clinical success was reached less frequently among patients with an acute presentation (P = .041). Regardless of the type of treatment, CT or SMA revascularization during the first procedure did not show an increased rate of clinical success (P = .531). However, we reported four cases of visceral ischemia after an endovascular approach without revascularization, with three open surgical corrections required. The mean follow-up was 41 months (range, 0-136 months). CONCLUSIONS: Neither of the approaches described qualifies as a standard optimal choice. We suggest a tailored therapeutic approach based on the clinical condition at the time of diagnosis and specific vascular anatomy.

Correction to: Magnetic resonance imaging features of the superior cervical ganglion and expected changes after radiation therapy to the head and neck in a long-term follow-up.

In the article "Magnetic resonance imaging features of the superior cervical ganglion and expected changes after radiation therapy to the head and neck in a long-term follow-up", one of the author names, K Chokkappan, was spelled incorrectly.

Magnetic resonance imaging features of the superior cervical ganglion and expected changes after radiation therapy to the head and neck in a long-term follow-up.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the magnetic resonance (MRI) features of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and to track changes to it induced using radiotherapy across a long-term follow-up. METHODS: In total, 75 patients who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck malignancies and who were studied with MRI were recruited from two centers. MRI was performed before and after radiotherapy, with a median long-term follow-up of 4.5 years. Baseline SCG features were assessed. Changes in axial cross-sectional area, T2-normalized signal, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) (the latter available in about half of the patients) were analyzed. Repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni's correction was used to analyze changes in the aforementioned parameters (significance level 0.05). RESULTS: Out of a potential 149 SCGs, 136 were visible at baseline MRI. A variable spatial relationship with the internal carotid artery was found. SCGs showed the "black dot" sign in almost all of the patients. ADC was higher in SCGs than in regional lymph nodes. Cross-sectional area, normalized T2, and ADC increased in the period up to 1 year after radiotherapy and then remained stable in subsequent longer-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: The SCG has unusual features that allow differentiation from the regional lymph nodes. Changes in morphology and signal after radiotherapy must be taken into account by radiologists to avoid misdiagnosis as recurrent nodal disease. Changes induced using radiotherapy are stable in long-term follow-up and are thus likely attributed to other factors (such as Schwann cell hypertrophy/proliferation) rather than edema.

Quantitative anatomical comparison of transnasal and transcranial approaches to the clivus.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The clivus was defined as "no man's land" in the early 1990s, but since then, multiple approaches have been described to access it. This study is aimed at quantitatively comparing endoscopic transnasal and microsurgical transcranial approaches to the clivus in a preclinical setting, using a recently developed research method. METHODS: Multiple approaches were performed in 5 head and neck specimens that underwent high-resolution computed tomography (CT): endoscopic transnasal (transclival, with hypophysiopexy and with far-medial extension), microsurgical anterolateral (supraorbital, mini-pterional, pterional, pterional transzygomatic, fronto-temporal-orbito-zygomatic), lateral (subtemporal and subtemporal transzygomatic), and posterolateral (retrosigmoid, far-lateral, retrolabyrinthine, translabyrinthine, and transcochlear). An optic neuronavigation system and dedicated software were used to quantify the working volume of each approach and calculate the exposure of different clival regions. Mixed linear models with random intersections were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Endoscopic transnasal approaches showed higher working volume and larger exposure compared with microsurgical transcranial approaches. Increased exposure of the upper clivus was achieved by the transnasal endoscopic transclival approach with intradural hypophysiopexy. Anterolateral microsurgical transcranial approaches provided a direct route to the anterior surface of the posterior clinoid process. The transnasal endoscopic approach with far-medial extension ensured a statistically larger exposure of jugular tubercles as compared with other approaches. Presigmoid approaches provided a relatively limited exposure of the ipsilateral clivus, which increased in proportion to their invasiveness. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first anatomical study that quantitatively compares in a holistic way exposure and working volumes offered by the most used modern approaches to the clivus.

Imaging checklist for preoperative evaluation of laryngeal tumors to be treated by transoral microsurgery: guidelines from the European Laryngological Society.

INTRODUCTION: The modern availability in daily practice of different DICOM viewers allows physicians to routinely evaluate computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) scans of patients in the pre-, intra-, and postoperative settings. Their systematic use, together with a close surgeon-radiologist cooperation, may greatly improve outcomes of patients to be treated by transoral microsurgery for laryngeal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We herein propose guidelines for systematic evaluation of CT/MR images taken from patients affected by supraglottic and glottic cancer to be treated by transoral microsurgery. RESULTS: A methodical, step-by-step approach focused on laryngeal anatomy, systematically looking at each true and false vocal folds, anterior commissure, laryngeal ventricle, subglottic area, epiglottis, thyroid, cricoid, and arytenoid cartilages, posterior commissure, crico-arytenoid unit, paraglottic and pre-epiglottic spaces, and possible extra-laryngeal extension is proposed. This checklist may be useful before imaging performance (to focus on specific issues to be detailed by the radiologist), as well before and during surgery for the specific evaluation of details to be cleared during transoral microsurgery. CONCLUSION: Detailed preoperative evaluation of supraglottic and glottic anatomy is essential prior to any transoral approach for neoplastic disease. The proposed imaging checklist described herein represents a step-by-step guide to surgeons performing this kind of interventions and an aid in achieving a meticulous approach from a surgical perspective.

Texture features of colorectal liver metastases on pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT may predict response and prognosis in patients treated with bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy: a pilot study including comparison with standard chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy can improve survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, but no predictive factors of efficacy are available in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to assess the predictive and prognostic value of texture analysis on pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT in patients affected by colorectal liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with colorectal liver metastases were retrospectively included in the study: 23 treated with bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy (group A), and 20 with standard chemotherapy (group B). Target liver lesions were analyzed by texture analysis of pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT. Texture analysis produced the parameter uniformity, describing lesion heterogeneity. Radiological response was classified after 3 months according to RECIST-1.1. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were considered to be outcome indicators. Multivariable logistic regression and survival analysis were performed. RESULTS: Uniformity was lower in responders than in nonresponders (p < 0.001) in group A but not in group B. Lesion CT density was lower in nonresponders in both groups (p = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively). In group A, uniformity was independently correlated with radiological response (odds ratio = 20, p = 0.01), OS and PFS (relative risks 6.94 and 5.05, respectively; p = 0.005 and p = 0.004, respectively). In group B, no variables were correlated with radiological response, OS or PFS. CONCLUSION: Texture analysis on contrast-enhanced CT stratified response probability and prognosis in patients with colorectal liver metastases treated with bevacizumab-containing therapy. This result was specific for the bevacizumab group.

A Benign but Unusual Radiological Sign During EVAS Follow-up.

PURPOSE: To report a heretofore undescribed complication seen on imaging after endovascular aortic sealing (EVAS). CASE REPORT: A 77-year-old woman was treated with the Nellix EVAS device for an infrarenal aortic aneurysm. After a normal computed tomography (CT) scan at 15 days, the 6-month CT showed the onset of perianeurysmal inflammatory tissue. The patient was asymptomatic, and blood tests were normal. Imaging suggested a nonaggressive inflammatory process, so a conservative approach was adopted with close follow-up. The periaortic tissue remitted without any treatment after a further 9 months (16 months after EVAS). CONCLUSION: The cause of this nonacute complication is unclear. Some clues suggest that interaction between the endobags and aneurysm wall could be involved. Imaging and clinical data led to a successful conservative strategy.

Role of imaging in the follow-up of T2-T3 glottic cancer treated by transoral laser microsurgery.

An unblinded retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was carried out on 138 patients affected by glottic pT2 and selected pT3 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) treated by transoral laser microsurgery (TLM). The entire cohort was divided into two groups: Group A included 78 "high-risk" patients (pT2 with impaired vocal cord mobility, pT3 for anterior paraglottic and/or pre-epiglottic space invasion, presence of angioembolization, perineural spread, and positive lymph nodes in the neck) who underwent postoperative surveillance by endoscopy and imaging (CT or MR), while Group B included 60 "low-risk" patients (pT2 with absence of the above-mentioned features) who underwent endoscopic follow-up alone. Aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic gain in performing combined endoscopic and radiologic surveillance in the "high-risk" group compared to endoscopy alone in the "low-risk" one. There was no significant difference in terms of overall and disease-specific survivals between the two follow-up policies in spite of their different risk profiles. The same was true for organ preservation rate, which was 81% in the "high-risk" and 89% in the "low-risk" group. In contrast, the cumulative probability of disease-free survival was 54% for Group A and 65% for Group B (p = 0.0023). Therefore, our combined endoscopy and imaging surveillance protocol allowed increasing the submucosal recurrence detection rate in "high-risk" pT2-pT3 glottic SCC to 43%. An earlier detection of submucosal recurrences made salvage surgery by TLM feasible in at least half of cases, thus closing the gap between oncologic outcomes obtained in "high-"- vs. "low-risk" patients and leading to organ preservation rates that are favorably comparable to those obtained with open-neck partial laryngectomies and non-surgical organ preservation protocols.

The ethmoidal arteries: a cadaveric study based on cone beam computed tomography and endoscopic dissection.

PURPOSE: To describe the anatomical variability of the ethmoidal arteries (EAs). To evaluate the reliability of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in preoperative assessment of EAs. METHODS: Fourteen cadaver heads underwent CBCT and endoscopic dissection. The following anatomical features were evaluated for anterior (AEA), middle (MEA), and posterior (PEA) EAs: presence, cranio-caudal position, antero-posterior position, and dehiscence of the bony canal. Accuracy of radiological assessment was calculated. RESULTS: AEA, MEA, and PEA were identified in 100, 28.6, and 100% of sides. They were caudal to the skull base in 60.7, 25, and 17.9%, respectively. CBCT showed a high accuracy in identifying these features. The antero-posterior position of EAs, which was highly variable, was correctly assessed by CBCT. A dehiscent bony canal of AEA, MEA, and PEA was found in 46.4, 12.5, and 28.6% of sides, respectively. Accuracy of CBCT in picking up this feature was poor but negative predictive value was high. CONCLUSIONS: CBCT was adequate in identifying and localizing EAs. In addition, it can be used to exclude the presence of MEA and dehiscence of ethmoidal canals, whereas the accuracy in detecting these anatomic variants was low.

Acoustic radiation force impulse quantification of spleen elasticity for assessing liver fibrosis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between liver fibrosis and spleen stiffness measured by ARFI in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (B or C) and to explore the possible complementary role of spleen and liver ARFI in grading liver fibrosis. METHODS: 84 subjects (51 patients, 33 healthy volunteers) were enrolled. ARFI of the spleen and the liver was performed. Patients subsequently underwent liver biopsy for grading liver fibrosis according to Knodell scoring system. Multivariate logistic regression and decision tree analysis were adopted to test the relationship between spleen and liver stiffness (independent variables) and liver fibrosis (F1< vs. ≥F3). Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation was used for validating the predictive classification models. Area under the ROC curve (AUROCC) was used as accuracy metric. RESULTS: Spleen ARFI was able to discriminate early (F1) from severe (≥F3) liver fibrosis with an optimal cut-off of 3.05 m/s: AUROCC 0.807, cross-validated AUROCC 0.614. Liver ARFI was superior to spleen ARFI, using a cut-off of 2.11 m/s: AUROCC 0.879, cross-validated AUROCC 0.672. Neither spleen nor liver ARFI was able to differentiate healthy volunteers from F1 patients. Odds ratios derived from logistic regression were 23.1 and 9.9 for liver and spleen ARFI, respectively; resulting AUROCC was 0.905 (cross-validated 0.848). A decision tree considering the sequential use of liver and spleen ARFI with cut-off of 2.14 and 3.39 m/s, respectively, resulted in AUROCC of 0.903 (cross-validated 0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Spleen ARFI has the potential to discriminate early from severe liver fibrosis. Spleen and liver ARFI, when combined, show a better discriminative power than liver ARFI alone.

The added value of radiomics in determining patient responsiveness to laryngeal preservation strategies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Laryngeal cancer (LC) is a highly aggressive malignancy of the head and neck and represents about 1-2% of cancer worldwide.Treatment strategies for LC aim both to complete cancer removal and to preserve laryngeal function or maximize larynx retention.Predicting with high precision response to induction chemotherapy (IC) is one of the main fields of research when considering LC, since this could guide treatment strategies in locally advanced LC. RECENT FINDINGS: Radiomics is a noninvasive method to extract quantitative data from the whole tumor using medical imaging. This signature could represent the underlying tumor heterogeneity and phenotype.During the last five years, some studies have highlighted the potential of radiomics in the pretreatment assessment of LC, in the prediction of response to IC, and in the early assessment of response to radiation therapy. Although these represent promising results, larger multicentric studies are demanded to validate the value of radiomics in this field. SUMMARY: The role of radiomics in laryngeal preservation strategies is still to be defined. There are some early promising studies, but the lack of validation and larger multicentric studies limit the value of the papers published in the literature and its application in clinical practice.