Thyroid Nodules in Children With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis.

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasound screening for thyroid cancer is recommended in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). This study investigated the prevalence of thyroid neoplasia in children with FAP. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of children with FAP at an academic hospital. Clinical and ultrasound data were analyzed for the prevalence of thyroid nodules and cancer. RESULTS: Of 37 children with FAP, 8 (22%) had thyroid nodules and 2 (5%) had thyroid cancer. Nodules (30%) and cancer (9%) were more common among female subjects and rare among male subjects. DISCUSSION: Thyroid ultrasound screening in adolescence may benefit female subjects with FAP but has limited utility in male subjects.

Identifying Medication-Related Intents From a Bidirectional Text Messaging Platform for Hypertension Management Using an Unsupervised Learning Approach: Retrospective Observational Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Free-text communication between patients and providers plays an increasing role in chronic disease management, through platforms varying from traditional health care portals to novel mobile messaging apps. These text data are rich resources for clinical purposes, but their sheer volume render them difficult to manage. Even automated approaches, such as natural language processing, require labor-intensive manual classification for developing training data sets. Automated approaches to organizing free-text data are necessary to facilitate use of free-text communication for clinical care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to apply unsupervised learning approaches to (1) understand the types of topics discussed and (2) learn medication-related intents from messages sent between patients and providers through a bidirectional text messaging system for managing participant blood pressure (BP). METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of deidentified messages from a remote, mobile, text-based employee hypertension management program at an academic institution. We trained a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model for each message type (ie, inbound patient messages and outbound provider messages) and identified the distribution of major topics and significant topics (probability >.20) across message types. Next, we annotated all medication-related messages with a single medication intent. Then, we trained a second medication-specific LDA (medLDA) model to assess how well the unsupervised method could identify more fine-grained medication intents. We encoded each medication message with n-grams (n=1-3 words) using spaCy, clinical named entities using Stanza, and medication categories using MedEx; we then applied chi-square feature selection to learn the most informative features associated with each medication intent. RESULTS: In total, 253 participants and 5 providers engaged in the program, generating 12,131 total messages: 46.90% (n=5689) patient messages and 53.10% (n=6442) provider messages. Most patient messages corresponded to BP reporting, BP encouragement, and appointment scheduling; most provider messages corresponded to BP reporting, medication adherence, and confirmatory statements. Most patient and provider messages contained 1 topic and few contained more than 3 topics identified using LDA. In total, 534 medication messages were annotated with a single medication intent. Of these, 282 (52.8%) were patient medication messages: most referred to the medication request intent (n=134, 47.5%). Most of the 252 (47.2%) provider medication messages referred to the medication question intent (n=173, 68.7%). Although the medLDA model could identify a majority intent within each topic, it could not distinguish medication intents with low prevalence within patient or provider messages. Richer feature engineering identified informative lexical-semantic patterns associated with each medication intent class. CONCLUSIONS: LDA can be an effective method for generating subgroups of messages with similar term usage and facilitating the review of topics to inform annotations. However, few training cases and shared vocabulary between intents precludes the use of LDA for fully automated, deep, medication intent classification. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1101/2021.12.23.21268061.

Sonographic characteristics and follow-up of pancreatic cysts.

OBJECTIVES: To assess sonographic characteristics and outcome of patients with pancreatic cystic lesions seen by ultrasound. METHODS: From our ultrasound electronic reporting database we identified all patients in which "pancreatic cyst" or "pancreatic cysts" were reported from 1995 to 2018. In patients with more than one sonogram, the first was used for our study. For each case, we recorded sonographic characteristics, maximal diameter, cyst location, and results of follow-up ultrasound, CT or magnetic resonance imaging, as well as patient sex, age, relative clinical history, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or surgical findings when available. RESULTS: Our study included 177 patients of whom 121 were female (68.4%). Mean age at diagnosis was 65 (±16, SD, range 22-99). Ultrasound was the initial diagnostic test in 122 (68.9%). Mean diameter of the index cyst was 13.7 mm (±11.5 mm, SD, range 2-91 mm). Among 177 index cysts, 155 were simple and 22 complex. Three complex cysts were surgically resected, yielding a primary pancreatic malignancy, a metastasis, and an epithelial-lined cyst. One simple cyst was resected, yielding a benign intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Seventeen patients underwent EUS showing six mucinous cysts and 11 nonmucinous cysts. One hundred-eighteen patients had follow-up imaging for a mean time of 5.6 years (±3.8, range 0.25-21 years). One patient was presumed to have primary pancreatic cancer. The overall rate for primary pancreatic malignancy was 1.7% (2/118). CONCLUSIONS: Cystic pancreatic lesions seen on ultrasound are most often benign, with a low risk of pancreatic malignancy. Ultrasound is an excellent method to follow-up these cysts.

Assessment of American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) for Pediatric Thyroid Nodules.

Background The American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) is a recognized tool for management of thyroid nodules in adults but has not been validated in pediatric patients. Purpose To assess the performance of the ACR TI-RADS criteria for guiding decisions on whether to biopsy thyroid nodules in pediatric patients in a single referral center. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, a database of thyroid nodules in patients younger than 19 years who underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy between January 2004 and July 2017 was analyzed. ACR TI-RADS criteria were applied to each nodule, and an ACR TI-RADS score was created to determine how the nodule would be managed. The number of nodules that would be biopsied with FNA on the basis of ACR TI-RADS was compared with the total number of nodules biopsied with FNA in this clinic to determine if the use of ACR TI-RADS would have changed the rate of FNA (eg, decreased the number of procedures) and whether that change would have affected the timely diagnosis of cancer. Results A total of 314 patients (mean age, 14.9 years; age range, 2-18 years; 28 prepubertal patients; 286 postpubertal patients; 260 female patients) were evaluated. In these 314 patients, 404 thyroid nodules were scored, of which 19.1% (77 of 404) were malignant. Most cancers were papillary carcinoma (68 [88.3%] of 77). The use of ACR TI-RADS criteria for management of nodules in this pediatric study sample would have resulted in 17 (22.1%) of 77 cancers being missed at the patient's initial visit. Conclusion Use of the current American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System criteria for management of pediatric thyroid nodules is inadequate because a high percentage of cancers would be missed at the initial encounter. © RSNA, 2019.

Interobserver Reliability of the Antenatal Consensus Classification System for Urinary Tract Dilatation.

OBJECTIVES: The consensus classification system for urinary tract dilatation (UTD) was designed to be more objective and reproducible than previously used systems. We sought to evaluate interobserver reliability of UTD components and overall scores in a prenatal population undergoing third-trimester ultrasound examinations. METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients who underwent antenatal ultrasound examinations for UTD between 28 and 40 weeks' gestation. All images from individual studies of 300 fetuses were reviewed independently by 5 experienced sonologists (1 maternal-fetal medicine specialist and 4 radiologists). Urinary tract dilatation scores (normal, A1, or A2/3) and Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) scores were assigned. Interobserver agreement between raters was evaluated with the Fleiss κ statistic. RESULTS: Overall interobserver agreement for the antenatal UTD risk score showed substantial agreement among all 5 readers (κ = 0.657 [95% confidence interval, 0.632, 0.683]; P < .001). All 5 readers applied the same UTD risk score in 53.7% of cases. Some variability in the antenatal UTD score and individual elements was observed. At least 2 UTD risk scores were assigned to a specific individual patient in 46.3% of cases (139 of 300), and all 3 UTD risk scores were assigned to a specific individual patient in 1.7% of cases (5 of 300). In 18.0% of cases (54 of 300), at least 2 readers assigned a UTD score different from that assigned by the other readers. Agreement was lowest for parenchymal appearance (κ = 0.225). Agreement for the SFU system was fair (κ = 0.368; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Interobserver agreement for the antenatal UTD grading system was substantial. Compared to the SFU system, the antenatal UTD system showed better agreement among readers.

Patient Interaction Phenotypes With an Automated Remote Hypertension Monitoring Program and Their Association With Blood Pressure Control: Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Automated texting platforms have emerged as a tool to facilitate communication between patients and health care providers with variable effects on achieving target blood pressure (BP). Understanding differences in the way patients interact with these communication platforms can inform their use and design for hypertension management. OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim was to explore the unique phenotypes of patient interactions with an automated text messaging platform for BP monitoring. Our secondary aim was to estimate associations between interaction phenotypes and BP control. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial for adults with poorly controlled hypertension. A total of 201 patients with established primary care were assigned to the automated texting platform; messages exchanged throughout the 4-month program were analyzed. We used the k-means clustering algorithm to characterize two different interaction phenotypes: program conformity and engagement style. First, we identified unique clusters signifying differences in program conformity based on the frequency over time of error alerts, which were generated to patients when they deviated from the requested text message format (eg, ###/## for BP). Second, we explored overall engagement styles, defined by error alerts and responsiveness to text prompts, unprompted messages, and word count averages. Finally, we applied the chi-square test to identify associations between each interaction phenotype and achieving the target BP. RESULTS: We observed 3 categories of program conformity based on their frequency of error alerts: those who immediately and consistently submitted texts without system errors (perfect users, 51/201), those who did so after an initial learning period (adaptive users, 66/201), and those who consistently submitted messages generating errors to the platform (nonadaptive users, 38/201). Next, we observed 3 categories of engagement style: the enthusiast, who tended to submit unprompted messages with high word counts (17/155); the student, who inconsistently engaged (35/155); and the minimalist, who engaged only when prompted (103/155). Of all 6 phenotypes, we observed a statistically significant association between patients demonstrating the minimalist communication style (high adherence, few unprompted messages, limited information sharing) and achieving target BP (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: We identified unique interaction phenotypes among patients engaging with an automated text message platform for remote BP monitoring. Only the minimalist communication style was associated with achieving target BP. Identifying and understanding interaction phenotypes may be useful for tailoring future automated texting interactions and designing future interventions to achieve better BP control.

Thyroid Nodules in Pediatric Patients: Sonographic Characteristics and Likelihood of Cancer.

Purpose To determine the relationship between demographic and sonographic characteristics of thyroid nodules and malignancy in a pediatric population. Materials and Methods All thyroid nodules in patients younger than 19 years that underwent ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy between January 2004 and July 2017 were retrospectively identified. Age, sex, and background appearance of the thyroid gland were recorded for each patient, and sonographic characteristics and pathologic diagnosis were recorded for each nodule. Demographic and sonographic characteristics were assessed to determine which were associated with malignancy. Categorical and continuous variables and interobserver variability were assessed. Results A total of 404 nodules in 314 patients (82.8% female) (age range, 2-18 years; mean age, 14.9 years) were analyzed. A total of 77 nodules (19.1%) were malignant, the majority of which were papillary thyroid carcinoma (n = 68 [88.3%]). The likelihood of malignancy did not differ between boys and girls (27.8% vs 22.7%, P = .64), nor did it differ between prepubertal and pubertal patients (18.8% vs 19.1%, P > .99). The cancer rate in patients with a solitary nodule was higher than that in patients with multiple nodules (29.4% vs 14.2%, P = .003). Sonographic characteristics associated with malignant nodules included larger size, solid parenchyma, taller-than-wide shape, presence of speckled calcifications, lack of a smooth margin, and presence of abnormal lymph nodes. Interobserver variability for assessment of sonographic characteristics ranged from moderate to very strong. Conclusion In children with thyroid nodules, solitary nodules, larger nodule size, solid parenchyma, taller-than-wide shape, speckled calcifications, irregular margins, and abnormal lymph nodes raise concern for malignancy.

Subchorionic Hematoma: Correlation of Grading Techniques With First-Trimester Pregnancy Outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and compare grading systems of subchorionic hematoma (SCH) on first-trimester ultrasound examinations with live embryos to assess which best correlates with early pregnancy outcome and to assess the effect of gestational age at the time of diagnosis on outcome. METHODS: First-trimester live singleton pregnancies between 6 and 11 weeks' gestational age with SCH were identified by an institutional database search. First-trimester outcome was categorized as "live" or "demise" based on ultrasound or medical record documentation. Hematomas were categorized in 4 ways: (1) subjective (small, moderate, or large); (2) subjective size based on fraction comparison with gestational sac size; (3) subjective grading based on the estimated percentage of the gestational sac surrounded by hematoma; and (4) 3 orthogonal measurements of the hematoma. RESULTS: A total of 434 sonograms met study inclusion criteria. The overall rate of first-trimester pregnancy failure was 12.0%. The rate of demise was significantly higher for hematomas diagnosed at or before 7 weeks (19.6%) than for those after 8 weeks (3.6%; P < .001). The size of the hematoma estimated as a fraction of gestational sac size significantly correlated with first-trimester pregnancy loss (P < .001). There was no statistical significance between first-trimester outcome and the other 2 subjective grading methods. Volume-based measurements provided spurious results because of the irregular shape of most hematomas. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective hematoma size based on the fraction of gestational sac size correlates best with first-trimester pregnancy outcome. The earlier in pregnancy an SCH is detected, the higher the rate of subsequent pregnancy failure.

Use of pelvic computed tomography and sonography in women of reproductive age in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to review use of pelvic computed tomography (CT) and sonography in the emergency department for women of reproductive age and to identify cases in which sonography might have been adequate. METHODS: Computed tomographic and sonographic examinations of the pelvis performed on women up to 55 years of age in our emergency department during a 6-month period were reviewed. Repeated CT and CT with indications for which sonography would not be the first-line imaging modality (eg, diverticulitis and trauma) were excluded. For the sonographic-only assessment, repeated sonography and sonography with indications for which CT would not be the first-line imaging modality (eg, vaginal bleeding) were excluded. Patient referral indications, imaging diagnoses, and discharge diagnoses were compared for the groups with CT only, CT first, sonography first, and sonography only. RESULTS: Of 509 women who underwent CT, 407 (80%) underwent CT only; 54 (11%) underwent CT first; and 48 (9%) underwent pelvic sonography first. The percentages with negative CT findings were 42%,17%, and 50%, respectively. Overall, 63 (CT only), 38 (CT first), and 12 (sonography first) patients had CT diagnoses of pelvic conditions only (113 of 509 women [22%]). Of the patients with CT and discharge diagnoses of pelvic conditions, 36 of 44 (82%) had CT only or CT first; 58 of 110 (53%) of cases with sonography only showed acute pelvic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-two percent of pelvic CT examinations performed in women of reproductive age in our emergency department showed only pelvic conditions, suggesting that sonography would have been a reasonable primary imaging test for these patients.

An innovation tournament to improve medical residency.

Two large national studies of resident duty hours incidentally revealed surgical and medical resident dissatisfaction with residency training. Aiming for an inclusive and democratic approach to improve graduate medical education, we conducted a national innovation tournament--reaching out to the program directors of all 474 US internal medicine residency programs to invite them and their residents and associate program directors to participate. Participants could submit multiple ideas as individuals or teams in four domains: [1] resident well-being and personal and professional development; [2] resident education and clinical preparedness; [3] resident sleep and alertness; and [4] patient safety. Residents and program directors were reinvited to rate ideas, whether they had submitted ideas themselves or not. We used a schedule of lottery-based prizes to stimulate the submission and rating of ideas and encourage engagement. 164 residents and program directors from 51 different programs submitted 328 ideas. 153 residents and program directors from 48 different programs submitted 15,345 ratings of ideas. Winning ideas aimed to reduce residents' work burden or improve their mental health, sleep, eating, or relaxation or reflected technical fixes to the operations of residency, such as changing vacation schedules and the timing of pay. The results of this tournament provided actionable suggestions to improve residency training now being tested in our own residency programs. Innovation tournaments drive engagement and generate value by their opportunities for inclusion and by shifting problem solving to the end user.

Thyroid Nodule Shape Independently Predicts Risk of Malignancy.

CONTEXT: Predictive models of thyroid nodule cancer risk are presently based upon nodule composition, echogenicity, margins, and the presence of microcalcifications. Nodule shape has shown promise to be an additive factor helping determine the need for nodule biopsy. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if calculation of a nodule's spherical shape independently associates with cancer risk. METHODS: This prospective cohort study, conducted at a single large academic healthcare system in the United States, included patients with 1 or 2 clinically relevant thyroid nodules (predominantly solid and over 1 cm) presenting for diagnostic evaluation. Thyroid ultrasound, cytological evaluation with fine-needle biopsy, and/or histopathological examination on occasion of thyroid surgery were performed. We calculated the nodule's long to short ratio (spherical shape), and its association with tissue proven benign or malignant endpoints. RESULTS: The long to short nodule ratio was significantly lower in malignant compared to benign nodules indicating greater risk of malignancy in more spherical nodules (1.63 ±â€…0.38 for malignant nodules vs 1.74 ±â€…0.47 for benign, P < 0.0001). The risk of malignancy continually increased as the long to short ratio approached a purely spherical ratio of 1.0 (ratio > 2.00, 14.6% cancer; ratio 1.51-2.00, 19.7%; ratio 1.00-1.50, 25.5%, P < 0.0001). In multiple regression analysis, younger age, male sex, and nodule's spherical shape were each independently associated with cancer risk. CONCLUSION: The more a thyroid nodule is spherically shaped, as indicated by a long to short ratio approaching 1.0, the greater its risk of malignancy. This was independent of age, sex, and nodule size. Incorporating a nodule's sphericity in the risk stratification systems may improve individualized clinical decision making.

Natural History of Thyroid Disease in Children with PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome.

CONTEXT: Thyroid ultrasound screening is recommended in children with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) due to increased risk of thyroid neoplasia, but the natural history of thyroid disease in children with PHTS is unclear. OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence and natural history of thyroid disease in children with PHTS. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study (1998-2019) in an academic pediatric hospital of individuals with genetically confirmed PHTS diagnosed before age 19 years. Clinical, thyroid ultrasound, and laboratory characteristics are described. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of thyroid nodules ≥10 mm diameter and time course and risk factors for nodule development assessed by Cox regression analysis. Secondary outcomes included thyroid nodule requiring biopsy, other ultrasound findings, and prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease. RESULTS: Among 64 subjects with PHTS, 50 underwent thyroid ultrasound. A thyroid nodule ≥10 mm was diagnosed in 22/50 (44%) subjects at median (range) age 13.3 (7.0-22.9) years. Nodules were diagnosed earlier in females than in males (10.8 [7.0-17.9] vs 14.2 [9.9-22.9] years, P = .009). In multivariate analysis, risk of thyroid nodules was significantly associated with female sex (hazard ratio 2.90, 95% CI 1.16-7.27, P = .02) and inversely associated with the presence of neurologic findings of PHTS (HR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.69, P = .007). Abnormal-appearing lymph nodes with echogenic foci were observed by ultrasound in 20% of subjects, but these were not associated with malignancy. Autoimmune thyroid disease was present in 10/33 (30.3%) of subjects in whom it was assessed. CONCLUSION: Thyroid disease is common in children with PHTS. This study supports current consensus recommendations for ultrasound screening.

Association of Rideshare-Based Transportation Services and Missed Primary Care Appointments: A Clinical Trial.

Importance: Transportation barriers contribute to missed primary care appointments for patients with Medicaid. Rideshare services have been proposed as alternatives to nonemergency medical transportation programs because of convenience and lower costs. Objective: To evaluate the association between rideshare-based medical transportation and missed primary care appointments among Medicaid patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: In a prospective clinical trial, 786 Medicaid beneficiaries who resided in West Philadelphia and were established primary care patients at 1 of 2 academic internal medicine practices located within the same building were included. Participants were allocated to being offered complimentary ride-sharing services (intervention arm) or usual care (control arm) based on the prescheduled day of their primary care appointment reminder. Those scheduled on even-numbered weekdays were in the intervention arm and on odd-numbered weekdays, the control arm. The primary study outcome was the rate of missed appointments, estimated using an intent-to-treat approach. All individuals receiving a phone call reminder were included in the study sample, regardless of whether they answered their phone. The study was conducted between October 24, 2016, and April 20, 2017. Interventions: A model of providing rideshare-based transportation was designed. As part of usual care, patients assigned to both arms received automated appointment phone call reminders. As part of the study protocol, patients assigned to both arms received up to 3 additional appointment reminder phone calls from research staff 2 days before their scheduled appointment. During these calls, patients in the intervention arm were offered a complimentary ridesharing service. Research staff prescheduled rides for those interested in the service. After their appointment, patients phoned research staff to initiate a return trip home. Main Outcomes and Measures: Missed appointment rate (no shows and same-day cancellations) in the intervention compared with control arm. Results: Of the 786 patients allocated to the intervention or control arm, 566 (72.0%) were women; mean (SD) age was 46.0. (12.5) years. Within the intervention arm, 85 among 288 (26.0%) participants who answered the phone call used ridesharing. The missed appointment rate was 36.5% (144 of 394) for the intervention arm and 36.7% (144 of 392) for the control arm (P = .96). Conclusions and Relevance: The uptake of ridesharing was low and did not decrease missed primary care appointments. Future studies trying to reduce missed appointments should explore alternative delivery models or targeting populations with stronger transportation needs. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02955433.

Genomic analysis of mouse retinal development.

The vertebrate retina is comprised of seven major cell types that are generated in overlapping but well-defined intervals. To identify genes that might regulate retinal development, gene expression in the developing retina was profiled at multiple time points using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). The expression patterns of 1,051 genes that showed developmentally dynamic expression by SAGE were investigated using in situ hybridization. A molecular atlas of gene expression in the developing and mature retina was thereby constructed, along with a taxonomic classification of developmental gene expression patterns. Genes were identified that label both temporal and spatial subsets of mitotic progenitor cells. For each developing and mature major retinal cell type, genes selectively expressed in that cell type were identified. The gene expression profiles of retinal Müller glia and mitotic progenitor cells were found to be highly similar, suggesting that Müller glia might serve to produce multiple retinal cell types under the right conditions. In addition, multiple transcripts that were evolutionarily conserved that did not appear to encode open reading frames of more than 100 amino acids in length ("noncoding RNAs") were found to be dynamically and specifically expressed in developing and mature retinal cell types. Finally, many photoreceptor-enriched genes that mapped to chromosomal intervals containing retinal disease genes were identified. These data serve as a starting point for functional investigations of the roles of these genes in retinal development and physiology.

Magnetic resonance imaging performance for diagnosis of ovarian torsion in pregnant women with stimulated ovaries.

BACKGROUND: To determine if asymmetric ovarian edema on non-contrast MRI can be used to distinguish torsed from non-torsed stimulated ovaries in pregnant women. METHODS: In this retrospective study, our radiology database was searched for women who were pregnant and who had undergone ovarian stimulation and underwent MRI abdomen/pelvis from 1/2000-12/2012. At our institution, ultrasound is typically performed as a first line study for pregnant women with pelvic pain, with MR for those patients with indeterminate findings. 64 pregnant women (gestational age range 3-37 weeks) were included. MRI indication, prospective interpretation, operative diagnosis, and follow-up were recorded. Two blinded radiologists (with a third radiologist tie-breaker) independently measured and described the ovaries, including the likelihood of torsion. If one or both ovaries/adnexa had an underlying lesion such as a dermoid, cystadenoma, or abscess, the patient was excluded from size and signal intensity comparison (N = 14). For the remaining 50 women, comparison was made of the ovaries in women with normal ovaries (N = 27), stimulated ovaries without torsion (N = 11), non-stimulated ovaries with torsion (N = 3), and stimulated ovaries with torsion (N = 3). Patients with asymmetric ovarian edema without stimulation or torsion (N = 3) and with polycystic ovary syndrome (N = 3) were analyzed separately. RESULTS: Average normal ovarian length was 3.2 cm, compared to 4.5 cm for asymmetric edema and 5.6-8.8 cm for the other four groups. Average difference in greatest right and left ovarian diameter was 19% for normal ovaries compared to 24-37% for the other 5 groups. Asymmetric signal on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) was seen in 12% (3/27) of normal ovaries compared to 9% (1/11) of stimulated patients without torsion, 33% (1/3) of patients with PCOS and 67% (2/3) of patients with torsion both without and with stimulation. The correct diagnosis of torsion was made prospectively in 5/6 cases but retrospectively in only 3/6 cases. In patients with stimulation, correct diagnosis of torsion was made in 2/3 cases prospectively (both with asymmetric T2 signal) and retrospectively in only 1/3 cases. In 13/64 patients, other acute gynecologic and non-gynecologic findings were diagnosed on MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Enlarged edematous ovary can be seen with ovarian stimulation, ovarian torsion, or both. Although asymmetric ovarian edema occurred more frequently in patients with torsion than without, in pregnant patients with stimulated ovaries referred for MRI (typically after non-diagnostic ultrasound), ovarian torsion could not be confidently diagnosed or excluded retrospectively with non-contrast MRI.

Patterns of misinterpretation of adnexal masses on CT and MR in an academic radiology department.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess potential quality assurance (QA) issues in the diagnosis and characterization of adnexal masses on pelvic computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Images from 128 women who had oophorectomies during a 16-month period with CT and/or MR studies within 5 years of surgery (145 CT scans from 103 women and 49 MR studies from 42 women, with 17 having both MR and CT studies) were reviewed by three radiologists who assigned QA scores of 0 (no QA issue), 1 (minor issue with minimal impact on clinical care), or 2 (major issue with potential impact on clinical care). The difficulty of diagnosis was assigned a score of 0 (very difficult diagnosis to make), 1 (difficult but possible to make the diagnosis), or 2 (diagnosis should be made). The incidence of adnexal QA issues was calculated using total CT and MR pelvic examinations performed on women during the interval. RESULTS: Twenty-nine QA issues were identified in 28 women in 17 of 145 CT studies (11.7%) and 12 of 49 MR examinations (24.5%) in women having adnexal surgery (17 of 11,194 [0.15%] of female pelvic CT studies and 12 of 603 [2.0%] of female pelvic MR studies performed in the time interval). Issues included missed lesions, lesions misidentified as leiomyomas, fat described in the lesion but not seen histologically, postmenopausal status of patient not considered, ultrasound correlation not recommended, and confusion of right and left sides. CONCLUSION: Errors in CT and MR studies regarding the diagnosis and characterization of adnexal masses in a highly enriched population of women undergoing adnexal surgery are common. Knowledge of the types of QA issues found in CT and MR studies of adnexal masses should aid in decreasing future errors.

Histologic, surgical, and imaging correlations of adnexal masses.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to quantify, categorize, and illustrate discrepancies between preoperative radiologic, surgical, and pathologic diagnoses and to assess the potential impact of discrepancies on clinical care. METHODS: Adnexal masses reported by pathology during a 16-month period were included if prior imaging at our institution had been performed. Up to 3 sonographic, computed tomographic, and magnetic resonance imaging examinations were reviewed by a gynecologic sonographer and compared with the reported pathologic findings. Cases in which ambiguities were not resolved by consulting the surgical notes were reviewed by a gynecologic pathologist, who confirmed or modified the diagnosis and assigned a score to the pathology quality assurance issue: 0, no pathology quality assurance error; 1, differences in terminology; 2, discrepancy of diagnostic interpretation, benign findings; or 3, discrepancy of diagnostic interpretation, malignant findings. RESULTS: Of 418 total masses, there was a discrepancy between imaging and pathology in 73 (17%) masses and 68 (21%) pathology reports. Twenty-five (6%) had pathology discrepancies resolved by correlation with the surgical notes alone (eg, torsion seen during surgery but not evident on pathologic examination). Histologic review was performed for 48 (11%) of 418 masses, with pathology errors identified in 34 (71%) of 48. Quality assurance scores were 0 (n = 14), 1 (n = 14), and 2 (n = 20), with no cases receiving a score of 3. Examples of pathology errors included gross (complex versus simple) and microscopic (neoplastic versus functional versus mesothelial) characterization of cysts, sizes of lesions not being described, characterization of fibrous lesions (cystadenofibroma versus cystadenoma), and lack of correlation with imaging (lesions not described). CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates the importance of imaging, surgical, and histologic correlation in assessing the diagnostic accuracy of sonography of adnexal masses.

Assessment of factors that affect the quality of performance and interpretation of sonography of adnexal masses.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess factors that affect the quality of performance and interpretation of sonography of adnexal masses. METHODS: Two gynecologic sonographers performed blinded reviews of up to 3 sonograms within 5 years before surgery in 325 consecutive women who underwent oophorectomy (610 sonograms). Three 5-point quality scores were assigned (with 5 being the best score) on the basis of the technical quality of the images, accurate description of findings, and summary impression in the report. The location of the examination (on-site, remote, or emergency department), type of fellowship, practice experience (<5, 5-10, or >10 years), and specialty (women's imaging, abdominal imaging, or other) of the radiologists were recorded. Analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of these multiple factors on quality. RESULTS: No significant differences were found among 31 radiologists on the basis of the type of training, years in practice, or number of examinations read. Average scores among radiologists for technical quality, findings, and impressions were 4.96, 4.88, and 4.83, respectively. Radiologists who specialized in women's imaging performed best in the quality of their impressions (4.86 versus 4.79; P = .029). There were no significant differences in scores with respect to the examination location. CONCLUSIONS: Within this sample of radiologists, the technical quality of the examinations was not affected by the type of training or subspecialty practice. Reports of adnexal mass findings were accurately described by all radiologists, although specialization in women's imaging improved the ability to provide an accurate impression.