Training and Verification Requirements for Interpretation of Cardiac CT and MRI: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review.

The use of cardiac CT and MRI is rapidly expanding based on strong evidence from large international trials. The number of physicians competent to interpret cardiac CT and MRI may be unable to keep pace with the increasing demand. Societies and organizations have prescribed training requirements for interpreting cardiac CT and MRI, with recent updates focusing on the increased breadth of competency that is now required due to ongoing imaging advances. In this AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review, we discuss several aspects of cardiac CT and MRI training, focusing on topics that are uncertain or not addressed in existing society statements and guidelines, including determination of competency in different practice types in real-world settings and the impact of artificial intelligence on training and education. The article is intended to guide updates in professional society training requirements and also inform institutional verification processes.

Selective Use of CT Fractional Flow at a Large Academic Medical Center: Insights from Clinical Implementation after 1 Year of Practice.

Purpose This special report outlines a retrospective observational study of CT fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) analysis using dual-source coronary CT angiography (CTA) scans performed without heart rate control and its impact on clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods All patients who underwent clinically indicated coronary CTA between August 2020 and August 2021 were included in this retrospective observational study. Scans were performed in the late systolic to early diastolic period without heart rate control and analyzed at the interpreting physician's discretion. Demographics, coronary CTA features, and rates of invasive coronary angiography (ICA), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), myocardial infarction, and all-cause death at 3 months were assessed by chart review. Results During the study period, 3098 patients underwent coronary CTA, of whom 113 with coronary bypass grafting were excluded. Of the remaining 2985 patients, 292 (9.7%) were referred for CT-FFR analysis. Two studies (0.7%) were rejected from CT-FFR analysis, and six (2.1%) analyses did not evaluate the lesion of concern. A total of 160 patients (56.3%) had CT-FFR greater than 0.80. Among patients with significant stenosis at coronary CTA, patients who underwent CT-FFR analysis presented with lower rates of ICA (74.5% vs 25.5%, P = .04) and PCI (78.9% vs 21.1%, P = .05). Conclusion CT-FFR was implemented in patients not requiring heart rate control by using dual-source coronary CTA acquisition and showed the potential to decrease rates of ICA and PCI without compromising safety in patients with significant stenosis and an average heart rate of 65 beats per minute. Keywords: Angiography, CT, CT-Angiography, Fractional Flow Reserve, Cardiac, Heart, Arteriosclerosis Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2024.

Utility of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment of Infiltrative Cardiomyopathies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diagnosis of infiltrative cardiomyopathies can be challenging despite differences in clinical manifestations due to overlapping cardiac manifestations. We review the salient findings by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that aids in diagnosis, as well the potential implications for prognosis and treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging has added substantially to our understanding of various infiltrative cardiomyopathies, and the addition of late gadolinium enhancement imaging and parametric mapping has yielded additional insights regarding potential diagnoses, prognosis, and therapy. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging should be employed in the setting of suspected hypertrophic or infiltrative cardiomyopathies to aid in diagnosis. In the setting of cardiac amyloidosis and Fabry disease, there is data to suggest that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is useful for risk stratification as well as for monitoring response to therapy.

Pre- and Postprocedural CT of Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Closure Devices.

Transcatheter left atrial appendage (LAA) closure is an alternative to long-term anticoagulation therapy in selected patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who have an increased risk for stroke. LAA closure devices can be implanted by means of either an endocardial or a combined endocardial and epicardial approach. Preprocedural imaging is key to identifying contraindications, accurately sizing the device, and minimizing complications. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been the reference standard imaging modality to assess the anatomy for LAA closure and to provide intraprocedural guidance. However, CT has emerged as a less-invasive alternative to TEE for pre- and postprocedural imaging. CT is comparable to TEE for exclusion of thrombus but is superior to TEE for the delineation of complex LAA anatomy, measurement for device sizing, and evaluation of pulmonary venous and extracardiac structures. CT provides accurate measurements of the LAA ostial diameter, landing zone diameter, and LAA length, which are vital for accurate sizing of the device. CT allows evaluation of the relationship with the pulmonary veins and other adjacent structures that can be injured during the procedure. CT also simulates procedural fluoroscopic angles and provides evaluation of the interatrial septum, which is punctured during LAA closure. CT also provides a more convenient method for the evaluation of postprocedural complications such as incomplete closure, peridevice leaking, device-related thrombus, and device dislodgement. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2021.

High-efficiency vertical fibre-to-polymer waveguide coupling scheme for scalable polymer photonic circuits.

Polymer photonic circuits offer a versatile platform for various applications, including communication, sensing and optical signal processing. Though polymers offer broadband, linear and nonlinear optical properties, the coupling between an optical fibre and a polymer waveguide has been a challenge. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a wafer-scale vertical coupling scheme for polymer waveguides. The scheme uses a silicon nitride grating coupler with an inverse taper to couple between an optical fibre and a SU8 polymer waveguide. We demonstrate a maximum coupling efficiency of -3.55 dB in the C-band and -2.92 dB in the L-band with a 3-dB bandwidth of 74 and 80 nm, respectively. A detailed design and simulation, fabrication, and characterisation results are presented. The scheme demonstrates a scalable and efficient surface grating approach for polymer photonic integrated circuits.

Effect of Sirolimus levels between days 11 and 20 after allogeneic stem cell transplantation on the risk of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome.

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Sirolimus plus tacrolimus is an accepted regimen for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, with both agents implicated as risk factors for SOS. We analyzed 260 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT following myeloablative conditioning using total body irradiation (TBI)-based (n = 151) or chemotherapy only (n = 109) regimens, with sirolimus plus tacrolimus for GVHD prophylaxis. SOS occurred in 28 patients at a median of 22 (range, 12-58) days. Mean sirolimus trough levels were higher between days 11 and 20 following transplant in patients who developed SOS (10.3 vs. 8.5 ng/ml, P = 0.008), with no significant difference in mean trough levels between days 0 and 10 (P = 0.67) and days 21-30 (P = 0.37). No differences in mean tacrolimus trough levels during the same time intervals were observed between those developing SOS and others. On multivariable analysis, a mean sirolimus trough level ≥ 9 ng/ml between days 11 and 20 increased the risk of SOS (hazard ratio 3.68, 95% CI: 1.57-8.67, P = 0.003), together with a longer time from diagnosis to transplant (P = 0.004) and use of TBI (P = 0.006). Our results suggest that mean trough sirolimus levels ≥ 9 ng/mL between days 11 and 20 post transplant may increase the risk of SOS and should be avoided.

CT for Pre- and Postprocedural Evaluation of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement.

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is a catheter-based interventional technique for treating mitral valve disease in patients who are at high risk for open mitral valve surgery and with unfavorable anatomy for minimally invasive edge-to-edge transcatheter mitral valve repair. There are several TMVR devices with different anchoring mechanisms, delivered by either transapical or transseptal approaches. Transthoracic echocardiography is the first-line imaging modality used for characterization and quantification of mitral valve disorders. CT is complementary to echocardiography and has several advantages, including high isotropic spatial resolution, good temporal resolution, large field of view, multiplanar reconstruction capabilities, and rapid turnaround time. CT is essential for multiple aspects of preprocedural planning. Accurate and reproducible techniques to prescribe the mitral annulus at CT have been described from which important measurements such as the area, perimeter, trigone-trigone distance, intercommissural distance, and septolateral distance are obtained. The neo-left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) can be simulated by placing a virtual prosthesis in the CT data to predict the risk of TMVR-induced LVOT obstruction. The anatomy of the landing zone and subvalvular apparatus as well as the relationship of the virtual device to adjacent structures such as the coronary sinus and left circumflex coronary artery can be evaluated. CT also stimulates procedural fluoroscopic angles. CT can be used to evaluate the chest wall for transapical access and the atrial septum for transseptal access. Follow-up CT is useful in identifying complications such as LVOT obstruction, paravalvular leak, pseudoaneurysm, and valve embolization. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2020.

CAD-RADS: Pushing the Limits.

Coronary CT angiography is now established as the first-line diagnostic imaging test to exclude coronary artery disease (CAD) in the population at low to intermediate risk. Wide variability exists in both the reporting of coronary CT angiography and the interpretation of these reports by referring physicians. The CAD Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) is sponsored by multiple societies and is a collaborative effort to provide standard classification of CAD, which is then integrated into patient clinical care. The main goals of the CAD-RADS are to decrease variability among readers; enhance communication between interpreting and referring clinicians, allowing collaborative determination of the best course of patient care; and generate consistent data for auditing, data mining, quality improvement, research, and education. There are several scenarios in which the CAD-RADS guidelines are ambiguous or do not provide definite recommendations for further management of CAD. The authors discuss the CAD-RADS categories and modifiers, highlight a variety of complex or ambiguous scenarios, and provide recommendations for managing these scenarios. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2020 See discussion on this article by Aviram and Wolak.

High efficiency DBR assisted grating chirp generators for silicon nitride fiber-chip coupling.

Silicon Nitride (SiN) is emerging as a promising material for a variety of integrated photonic applications. Given its low index contrast however, a key challenge remains to design efficient couplers for the numerous platforms in SiN photonics portfolio. Using a combination of bottom reflector and a chirp generating algorithm, we propose and demonstrate high efficiency, grating couplers on two distinct SiN platforms. For a partially etched grating on 500 nm thick SiN, a calculated peak efficiency of -0.5 dB/coupler is predicted, while for a fully etched grating on 400 nm thick SiN, an efficiency of -0.4 dB/coupler is predicted. Experimentally measured coupling efficiencies are observed to be -1.17 and -1.24 dB/coupler for the partial and fully etched grating couplers respectively in the C-L band region. Furthermore, through numerical simulations, it is shown that the chirping algorithm can be implemented in eight additional combinations comprising SiN film thickness between 300-700 nm as well as alternate claddings, to achieve a per coupler loss between -0.33 to -0.65 dB.

Multimodality Imaging of Complications of Cardiac Valve Surgeries.

Replacement with a prosthetic heart valve (PHV) remains the definitive surgical procedure for management of severe cardiac valve disease. PHV dysfunction is uncommon but can be a life-threatening condition. The broad hemodynamic and pathophysiologic manifestations of PHV dysfunction are stenosis, regurgitation, and a stuck leaflet. Specific structural abnormalities that cause PHV dysfunction include prosthetic valve-patient mismatch, structural failure, valve calcification, dehiscence, paravalvular leak, infective endocarditis, abscess, pseudoaneurysm, abnormal connections, thrombus, hypoattenuating leaflet thickening, and pannus. Multiple imaging modalities are available for evaluating a PHV and its dysfunction. Transthoracic echocardiography is often the first-line imaging modality, with additional modalities such as transesophageal echocardiography, CT, MRI, cine fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine used for further characterization and establishing a specific cause. The authors review PHVs and the role of imaging modalities in evaluation of PHV dysfunction and illustrate the imaging appearances of different complications. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2019.

Computed Tomography in Adult Congenital Heart Disease.

The prevalence of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is increasing due to advances in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and perioperative care. Imaging plays an important role, not only in the surveillance of ACHD, but also in the initial evaluation of cases that have escaped detection early in life and present with symptoms later in adulthood. In this article, we review the role of computed tomography in the comprehensive evaluation of ACHD.

Practical advantages of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in abdominopelvic radiology.

Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are two of the workhorse modalities of abdominopelvic radiology. However, these modalities are not without patient- and technique-specific limitations that may prevent a timely and accurate diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an effective, rapid, and cost-effective imaging modality with expanding clinical utility in the United States. In this pictorial essay, we provide a case-based discussion demonstrating the practical advantages of CEUS in evaluating a variety of pathologies in which CT or MRI was precluded or insufficient. Through these advantages, CEUS can serve a complementary role with CT and MRI in comprehensive abdominopelvic radiology.

Management of Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients on Multiday Cisplatin Based Combination Chemotherapy.

Introduction of cisplatin based chemotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of germ cell tumors. A common side effect of multiday cisplatin chemotherapy is severe nausea and vomiting. Considerable progress has been made in the control of these side effects since the introduction of cisplatin based chemotherapy in the 1970s. Germ cell tumor which is a model for a curable neoplasm has also turned into an excellent testing ground to develop effective strategies to prevent chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in multiday cisplatin based regimens. The use of combination of a 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT)3 receptor antagonist, a neurokinin-1 (NK1) antagonist, and dexamethasone has greatly improved our ability to prevent and control acute and delayed CINV. Mechanism and pattern of CINV with multiday chemotherapy may differ from those in single day chemotherapy and therefore efficacy of antiemetic drugs as observed in single day chemotherapy may not be applicable. There are only few randomized clinical trials with special emphasis on multiday chemotherapy. Further studies are essential to determine the efficacy, optimal dose, and duration of the newer agents and combinations in multiday cisplatin based chemotherapy.

Generalized lymphadenopathy and 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography: targeting diagnostic intervention, characterizing disease extent, and assessing treatment efficacy in syphilis.

18-Fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been shown to have use in the diagnosis of inflammatory and infectious diseases in addition to its primary use in cancer. We describe a case of early neurosyphilis that initially presented as symmetric, generalized lymphadenopathy on PET/CT. We conclude that PET/CT may play a role in evaluating targeted diagnostic interventions, disease extent, and treatment efficacy for disseminated syphilis.

Endovascular treatment of arterio-ureteral fistulae with covered stents: Case series and review of the literature.

Arterio-ureteral fistulae are abnormal connections between an artery and the ureter and carry a high mortality. We present two cases of arterio-ureteral fistulae that presented with life-threatening hematuria. Both patients were treated with endovascular covered stent placement.

Comparisons of directly coded SEER Summary Stage 2000 and Collaborative Staging Derived SEER Summary Stage 2000.

This study assessed comparability of the directly coded Summary Stage 2000 and the Collaborative Stage (CS) Derived Summary Stage 2000 (SS2000) using 2001-2004 data from 40 population-based cancer registries in the United States that met the high quality criteria. The likelihood ratio test was employed to determine whether stage differences between 2003 (pre-CS) and 2004 (CS) were attributable to 2001-2004 linear trends, decreases in percentage of unknown stage cases, or both. Statistically significant differences in stage distribution between 2003 and 2004 were observed for 30 out of the 34 cancer sites. For 4 cancer sites, the differences were attributable to 2001-2004 linear trends of stage distribution. For 8 cancer sites, the differences were attributable to decreases in percentage of unknown stage cases alone or in combination with the temporal trends of stage distribution. For the remaining 18 cancer sites, either (1) no linear trends of stage distribution were identified or (2) the combination of the decline in cases with unknown stage plus linear trends did not explain the stage differences between 2003 and 2004. By comparing the SS2000 and CS manuals, we found differences in coding definitions for direct extension and/or lymph node involvement for all cancer sites except cancers of the breast, cervix, and cranial nervous and other nervous system. Evidence showed that the stage differences between 2003 and 2004 may be attributable in part to the implementation of the CS System for some cancer sites.