Collinearity and Dimensionality Reduction in Radiomics: Effect of Preprocessing Parameters in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Magnetic Resonance T1 and T2 Mapping.

Radiomics and artificial intelligence have the potential to become a valuable tool in clinical applications. Frequently, radiomic analyses through machine learning methods present issues caused by high dimensionality and multicollinearity, and redundant radiomic features are usually removed based on correlation analysis. We assessed the effect of preprocessing-in terms of voxel size resampling, discretization, and filtering-on correlation-based dimensionality reduction in radiomic features from cardiac T1 and T2 maps of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For different combinations of preprocessing parameters, we performed a dimensionality reduction of radiomic features based on either Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficient, followed by the computation of the stability index. With varying resampling voxel size and discretization bin width, for both T1 and T2 maps, Pearson's and Spearman's dimensionality reduction produced a slightly different percentage of remaining radiomic features, with a relatively high stability index. For different filters, the remaining features' stability was instead relatively low. Overall, the percentage of eliminated radiomic features through correlation-based dimensionality reduction was more dependent on resampling voxel size and discretization bin width for textural features than for shape or first-order features. Notably, correlation-based dimensionality reduction was less sensitive to preprocessing when considering radiomic features from T2 compared with T1 maps.

Peripancreatic paraganglioma: Lesson from a round table.

We described the case of a peripancreatic paraganglioma (PGL) misdiagnosed as pancreatic lesion. Surgical exploration revealed an unremarkable pancreas and a large well-defined cystic mass originating at the mesocolon root. Radical enucleation of the mass was performed, preserving the pancreatic tail. Histologically, a diagnosis of PGL was rendered. Interestingly, two previously unreported mutations, one affecting the KDR gene in exon 7 and another on the JAK3 gene in exon 4 were detected. Both mutations are known to be pathogenetic. Imaging and cytologic findings were blindly reviewed by an expert panel of clinicians, radiologists, and pathologists to identify possible causes of the misdiagnosis. The major issue was lack of evidence of a cleavage plane from the pancreas at imaging, which prompted radiologists to establish an intra-parenchymal origin. The blinded revision shifted the diagnosis towards an extra-pancreatic lesion, as the pancreatic parenchyma showed no structural alterations and no dislocation of the Wirsung duct. Ex post, the identified biases were the emergency setting of the radiologic examination and the very thin mesocolon sheet, which hindered clear definition of the lesion borders. Original endoscopic ultrasonography diagnosis was confirmed, emphasizing the intrinsic limit of this technique in detecting large masses. Finally, pathologic review favored a diagnosis of PGL due to the morphological features and immonohistochemical profile. Eighteen months after tumor excision, the patient is asymptomatic with no disease relapse evident by either radiology or laboratory tests. Our report strongly highlights the difficulties in rendering an accurate pre-operative diagnosis of PGL.

Image resampling and discretization effect on the estimate of myocardial radiomic features from T1 and T2 mapping in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Radiomics is emerging as a promising and useful tool in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging applications. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effect of image resampling/discretization and filtering on radiomic features estimation from quantitative CMR T1 and T2 mapping. Specifically, T1 and T2 maps of 26 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) were used to estimate 98 radiomic features for 7 different resampling voxel sizes (at fixed bin width), 9 different bin widths (at fixed resampling voxel size), and 7 different spatial filters (at fixed resampling voxel size/bin width). While we found a remarkable dependence of myocardial radiomic features from T1 and T2 mapping on image filters, many radiomic features showed a limited sensitivity to resampling voxel size/bin width, in terms of intraclass correlation coefficient (> 0.75) and coefficient of variation (< 30%). The estimate of most textural radiomic features showed a linear significant (p < 0.05) correlation with resampling voxel size/bin width. Overall, radiomic features from T2 maps have proven to be less sensitive to image preprocessing than those from T1 maps, especially when varying bin width. Our results might corroborate the potential of radiomics from T1/T2 mapping in HCM and hopefully in other myocardial diseases.

Unbalanced Occlusion Modifies the Pattern of Brain Activity During Execution of a Finger to Thumb Motor Task.

In order to assess possible influences of occlusion on motor performance, we studied by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the changes in the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal induced at brain level by a finger to thumb motor task in a population of subjects characterized by an asymmetric activation of jaw muscles during clenching (malocclusion). In these subjects, appropriate occlusal correction by an oral orthotic (bite) reduced the masticatory asymmetry. The finger to thumb task was performed while the subject's dental arches were touching, in two conditions: (a) with the teeth in direct contact (Bite OFF) and (b) with the bite interposed between the arches (Bite ON). Both conditions required only a very slight activation of masticatory muscles. Maps of the BOLD signal recorded during the movement were contrasted with the resting condition (activation maps). Between conditions comparison of the activation maps (Bite OFF/Bite ON) showed that, in Bite OFF, the BOLD signal was significantly higher in the trigeminal sensorimotor region, the premotor cortex, the cerebellum, the inferior temporal and occipital cortex, the calcarine cortex, the precuneus on both sides, as well as in the right posterior cingulate cortex. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that malocclusion makes movement performance more difficult, leading to a stronger activation of (a) sensorimotor areas not dealing with the control of the involved body part, (b) regions planning the motor sequence, and (c) the cerebellum, which is essential in motor coordination. Moreover, the findings of a higher activation of temporo-occipital cortex and precuneus/cingulus, respectively, suggest that, during malocclusion, the movement occurs with an increased visual imagery activity, and requires a stronger attentive effort.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Before Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

The use of cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) to assess remodeling and tissue characterization in primitive and secondary cardiomyopathies has progressively increased, and it carries important prognostic informations. The aim of this study was to assess the overall clinical value of cMR before implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). All patients referred to our center for an ICD implantation and submitted to cMR (n = 134) were analyzed. All the cMR diagnostic findings and following clinical events were reviewed to assess clinical relevance in patients care. The use of cMR before ICD implantation has progressively increased during the decade studied (13% to 53%, p <0.001). Subjects who underwent cMR were younger, more often female, with lower NYHA class and higher ejection fraction (p <0.05 for all). Unexpected diagnostic findings were observed in 34 patients (25%), resulting in an immediate therapeutic strategy modification in 13%. A pattern of fibrosis leading to a change in the disease's etiology and thrombus detection were the most frequent cMR findings, followed by anatomical incidental findings. Any grade of fibrosis carried a higher annual incidence of combined death or ventricular arrhythmias (9.92% vs 1.83%, p = 0.02). Annual event rate was related to the extent of scarring. In conclusion, we observed a progressively increase of cMR utilization before ICD implantation during the last decade. This practice has yielded a significant increase of new diagnostic findings, carrying unique prognostic information linked to tissue characterization.

T1 and T2 mapping in the identification of acute myocardial injury in patients with NSTEMI.

AIMS: To test T1 and T2 mapping in the assessment of acute myocardial injury in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), evaluated before revascularization. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with acute NSTEMI underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) at 1.5 T, including T1 and T2 mapping. RESULTS: Coronary angiography (CA) evidenced an obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in 36 patients (80%) and a non-obstructive CAD in 11 patients (20%). Edema was detected in 51.1/65.9% of patients in T1/T2 maps, respectively. This difference was due to artifacts in T1 maps. T1/T2 values were significantly higher in the infarcted myocardium (IM) compared with the remote myocardium (RM) (in T1: 1151.6 ± 53.5 ms vs. 958.2 ± 38.6 ms, respectively; in T2: 69 ± 6 ms vs. 51.9 ± 2.9 ms, respectively; p < 0.0001 for both). We found both an obstructive CAD at CA and myocardial edema at CMR in 53.2% of patients, while 8.5% of patients had a non-obstructive CAD and no edema. However, 25.5% of patients had an obstructive CAD without edema, while 12.8% of patients showed edema despite a non-obstructive CAD. Furthermore, in 6 of the edema-positive patients with multi-vessels obstructive CAD, CMR identified myocardial edema in a vascular territory different from that of the lesion supposed to be the culprit at CA. CONCLUSIONS: In a non-negligible percentage of NSTEMI patients, T1 and T2 mapping detect myocardial edema without significant stenosis at CA and vice versa. Therefore, CA and CMR edema imaging might provide complementary information in the evaluation of NSTEMI.

[Teamwork for cardiac imaging: coronary computed tomography angiography and low-dose radiation exposure: a cardiology center experience]. / Teamwork per l'imaging cardiaco: tomografia computerizzata coronarica e bassa dose di esposizione radiologica, esperienza di un centro cardiologico.

BACKGROUND: Multidetector coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is increasingly used for noninvasive imaging of the coronary arteries. Radiation exposure, however, is a potential limitation to a more extensive use of this imaging modality. We aimed to demonstrate that a professional teamwork approach, including a cardiologist and a radiologist in performing CCTA, may allow to obtain best quality exams with very low radiation doses. METHODS: A total of 998 consecutive patients underwent CCTA in accordance with the most recent guidelines. The following procedures were undertaken to reduce the radiation dose: (a) preliminary cardiological evaluation to check for CCTA eligibility; (b) optimized heart rate control with beta-blockers and/or ivabradine; and (c) the use of nonstandardized computed tomography protocols and algorithms for dose reduction. RESULTS: All the patients underwent a preliminary cardiological evaluation; 89% of them were pretreated with oral or intravenous beta-blockers and/or ivabradine; 806 patients (81%) were scanned by means of prospective gating, which allowed a radiation dose exposure of 161 ± 68.64 mGy; 192 patients (19%) underwent a retrospective gating protocol, with a radiation dose exposure of 1135.15 ± 485.87 mGy. In 13 patients (1%) CCTA was uninterpretable because of artifacts. Exam quality was not affected by the use of low-dose computed tomography scanning. Coronary calcium score and/or left ventricular functional analysis were never performed. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary selection and preparation of patients and optimized scanner utilization allow a substantial reduction in radiation dose for most of the patients submitted to CCTA without affecting image quality. In our experience, a team approach was necessary to allow a "low-dose learning curve" and a progressive reduction in radiation doses administered to patients by means of the prospective gating protocol.

Simultaneous strain-volume analysis by three-dimensional echocardiography: validation in normal subjects with tagging cardiac magnetic resonance.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare three-dimensional echocardiography strain-volume analysis with tagging cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) measurements. BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Strain-volume analysis represents a noninvasive method to assess myocardial function and volumes simultaneously. It can be derived from echocardiography and speckle-tracking; however, it shows some variability that can limit clinical utilization. A three-dimensional approach partially overcomes these limitations since full-volume acquisition avoids images being foreshortened and geometrical reconstruction. In the study presented here, 23 healthy subjects were studied by three-dimensional echocardiography and cMR during the same session. Images were stored and the better cardiac cycle was chosen for simultaneous analysis of volumes and longitudinal (Long) and circumferential (Circ) strain. By means of full-volume acquisition all parameters can be calculated for each frame of the cardiac cycle using the speckle-tracking method. With cMR, left ventricle volumes were calculated as recommended; myocardial strains were computed in short-axis and long-axis views using the tagging technique. For each patient, volumes and strain values were plotted in a Cartesian system for strain-volume analysis. Data were compared between the two methods using Bland-Altman analysis based on mean difference and 95% limits of agreement (LoA). RESULTS: The volume as measured by three-dimensional echocardiography and cMR was comparable with the slightly higher end-diastolic volumes measured by cMR (mean difference 15.24 ml; LoA -53.6 to 26.5 ml, end-systolic volume 0.3 ml; LoA -19.9 to 20.5 ml). Long shortening was very similar in the two methods (1.5%; LoA -3.9 to 7%), whereas Circ strain was systematically lower with cMR (-8.5%; LoA -15.5 to -1.5%). Very similar values between three-dimensional echo and cMR both for Slope of strain-volume curves (-0.015; LoA -0.08 to 0.05) and ratio (-0.001; LoA -0.04 to 0.04) were observed in the longitudinal plane. Analysis of strain-volume per patient showed a significant correlation coefficient between techniques for both Long Slope (r = 0.65; P = 0.001) and Long Ratio (r = 0.70; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Longitudinal strain-volume analysis performed with three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography is closely comparable with cMR, which is usually considered the gold standard for volume and function assessment.

[Prevalence of cardiac and extracardiac incidental findings in the evaluation of coronary artery disease by multidetector computed tomography]. / Prevalenza di reperti occasionali cardiaci ed extracardiaci nella valutazione delle coronarie con tomografia computerizzata multidetettore.

BACKGROUND: With the widespread use of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography, cardiac and extracardiac incidental findings in cardiac imaging might be detected. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cardiac and extracardiac incidental findings in a population of consecutive patients undergoing coronary MDCT. METHODS: A total of 840 consecutive patients with known or suspected heart disease underwent cardiac MDCT. All patients were assessed with 64-slice MDCT; the examination was performed by limiting the anatomical region examined between the bifurcation of the trachea and the cardiac apex with the aim of obtaining excellent image quality and low cardiac radiological exposure. RESULTS: Overall, 81 incidental findings in 72 patients (9%) were identified, of which 18 were cardiac (2%) and 63 extracardiac (7%). Extracardiac incidental findings were mainly represented by pulmonary nodules (19%). CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of cardiac and extracardiac incidental findings were observed at cardiac MDCT, with the prevalence depending on technical aspects of image acquisition and patient characteristics. Incidental findings should be carefully searched for and reported because they may have an impact on clinical follow-up indications that is not without cost and risk.

Myocardial T1 and T2 mapping in diastolic and systolic phase.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the regional (i.e. myocardial segments) variability as well as the overall image quality of cardiac T1 and T2 maps obtained in diastole and in systole. In 22 healthy subjects (group-1), diastolic T1 and T2 maps were obtained at 1.5 T in short-axis view at basal, mid-ventricular and apical level, as well as in 4-chamber (4 ch) and in 2-chamber (2 ch) views. In another group of 25 patients (group-2), the maps were obtained in both diastole and systole. In the group-1, 15.4% of myocardial segments in T1 maps and 0.8% of myocardial segments in T2 maps, mainly located at apical level, showed relevant artifacts and/or partial-volume effect and had to be discarded. We found no significant difference in T1 values among basal, mid-ventricular and apical segments. T2 values at apical level were significantly higher than at basal and mid-ventricular level (short-axis, p < 0.0001; 4 ch, p < 0.009; 2 ch, p = 0.0002 at ANOVA tests). In the group-2, 21.1%/5.3% and 4.0%/0.8% of segments showed relevant artifacts in diastolic/systolic T1 and T2 maps, respectively. Apical T2 values were significantly lower in systole than in diastole. In systole, there were no significant differences in T1/T2 among basal, mid-ventricular and apical segments. The overall quality of T1 and T2 maps drops in apical segments. This could be problematic when evaluating focal myocardial changes. The acquisition in systole increases the number of evaluable segments.

Progression of brain atrophy in the early stages of Parkinson's disease: a longitudinal tensor-based morphometry study in de novo patients without cognitive impairment.

The presence of brain atrophy and its progression in early Parkinson's disease (PD) are still a matter of debate, particularly in patients without cognitive impairment. The aim of this longitudinal study was to assess whether PD patients who remain cognitively intact develop progressive atrophic changes in the early stages of the disease. For this purpose, we employed high-resolution T1-weighted MR imaging to compare 22 drug-naïve de novo PD patients without cognitive impairment to 17 age-matched control subjects, both at baseline and at three-year follow-up. We used tensor-based morphometry to explore the presence of atrophic changes at baseline and to compute yearly atrophy rates, after which we performed voxel-wise group comparisons using threshold-free cluster enhancement. At baseline, we did not observe significant differences in regional atrophy in PD patients with respect to control subjects. In contrast, PD patients showed significantly higher yearly atrophy rates in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulum, caudate nucleus, and thalamus when compared to control subjects. Our results indicate that even cognitively preserved PD patients show progressive cortical and subcortical atrophic changes in regions related to cognitive functions and that these changes are already detectable in the early stages of the disease.

Evaluation of Brugada syndrome by cardiac magnetic resonance.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) has been originally considered to occur in structural normal hearts. However recent pathological and imaging data suggest that structural and functional changes may be present in this syndrome. This study was designed to elucidate whether any macroscopic heart abnormality is detectable in patients with BrS. For this purpose we used cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Twenty-nine patients displaying the BrS type-1 ECG pattern and 29 healthy controls underwent CMR (1.5 Tesla). Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) dimensions, function and regional contractility were evaluated. Late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) imaging was obtained in 24 patients. We found no difference between BrS patients and controls regarding LV and RV dimensions and ejection fraction. RV wall motion abnormalities (WMA) were detected in 19 patients (65.5%) and in 22 control subjects (75.9%). The majority of these WMA were attributable to areas of hypokinesia and found in the RV inferior wall. None of the patients showed LGE. No differences were detected between controls and the different subgroups of BrS patients according to symptoms, family history and spontaneous type-1 ECG pattern. BrS patients do not differ from normal subjects with regard to dimensions and global function of both LV and RV. BrS patients may show RV-WMA, however similar changes are also present in healthy subjects and may therefore represent a physiological behaviour of RV. The lack of LGE further confirms the absence of myocardial structural damage. Our results indicate that BrS seems to occur in individuals with structurally and functionally normal heart.

Hypoactivation of the primary sensorimotor cortex in de novo Parkinson's disease : a motor fMRI study under controlled conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Nuclear medicine studies in Parkinson's disease (PD) indicate that nigrostriatal damage causes a widespread cortical hypoactivity assumed to be due to reduced excitatory thalamic outflow. However, so far, functional MRI (fMRI) studies have provided controversial data about this "functional deafferentation" phenomenon. To further clarify this issue, we assessed, with fMRI, de novo drug-naive PD patients using a relatively complex motor task under strictly controlled conditions. METHODS: Nineteen de novo PD patients with right-predominant or bilateral symptoms and 13 age-matched healthy volunteers performed continuous writing of "8" figures with the right-dominant hand using a MR-compatible device that enables identification of incorrectly performed tasks and measures the size and the frequency of the "8"s. The data were analyzed with FSL software and correlated with the clinical severity rated according to the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) staging system. RESULTS: Fifteen (89%) of 19 PD patients and 12 (92%) of 13 controls correctly executed the task. PD patients showed significant hypoactivation of the left primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) and cerebellum and no hyperactive areas as compared to controls. However, activation in SM1 and supplementary motor area bilaterally, in left supramarginal, parietal inferior, parietal superior and frontal superior gyri as well as in right parietal superior and angular gyri paralleled increasing disease severity as assessed with the HY stage. CONCLUSIONS: In line with the "deafferentation hypothesis", fMRI demonstrates hypoactivation of the SM1 in the early clinical stage of PD.

Decreased and increased cortical activation coexist in de novo Parkinson's disease.

Previous fMRI studies using motor tasks yielded conflicting results concerning the activation pattern in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Possible explanations of these discrepancies include differences in the clinical features of the examined patients and in the executed tasks and incomplete task monitoring. We evaluated with fMRI 20 patients with untreated de-novo PD and 11 healthy controls with a simple motor task consisting of self-paced continuous right hand-tapping. The task was monitored on-line with a dedicated device which measures the strength and frequency of the tapping. Fifteen patients performed the task correctly. The frequency was not significantly different, whereas force was slightly different between patients (26.4+/-3.0 N) and controls (28.5+/-2.4 N) (p=0.046, Mann-Whitney U-test). After insertion of the subject's frequency and force as covariate variables in the model, PD patients compared to controls showed areas of significantly [Z statistic image>5.1 and p< or =0.05 (corrected) cluster significance] lower activation in the left primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex and cerebellum and higher activation in the left temporal-parietal cortex adjacent to the SM1 and in right SM1. Furthermore in PD patients the disease severity evaluated with the Hoehn and Yahr staging system correlated significantly [Z statistic image>2.3 and p< or =0.05 (corrected) cluster significance] with activation of left SM1 and supplementary motor area and cingulum, bilaterally. The mixed pattern of decreased and increased cortical activation in de novo PD patients possibly reflects the coexistence of cortical deafferentation, and compensatory phenomena by cortico-cortical circuits.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: CT for tumor response after transarterial chemoembolization in patients exceeding Milan criteria--selection parameter for liver transplantation.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who exceeded the Milan criteria, who underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), to determine the value of computed tomography (CT)-based tumor response to TACE as a preoperative selection criterion for OLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 33 patients with HCC who exceeded the Milan criteria and underwent OLT after TACE. Informed written consent was obtained before TACE and OLT. Institutional review board approval was not required. Tumor response to TACE was evaluated at 1 month with CT according to amended Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) guidelines. In the explanted liver, degree of tumor necrosis (> or = 90%, 50%-89%, or < 50%), residual tumor stage and grade, and presence of microvascular invasion were assessed. Follow-up after OLT ranged from 1 to 143 months. RESULTS: After TACE, CT showed complete tumor response (CR) in 18 (55%) patients. On the explanted liver, tumor necrosis was rated 90% or greater in 20 (61%) patients, with a good correlation with CT. Microvascular invasion was observed in nine (27%) of 33 patients; none of them were reported to have a CR at CT. The 5-year cumulative survival rate after OLT was 72.5%; it was significantly (P = .003) higher in patients with a CR (94.4%) compared with patients with a partial response (PR) (45.4%) and stable disease (50%). The 5-year cumulative recurrence-free rate after OLT was 74.4%; it was not affected by the tumor nodule size and number, whereas it was significantly (P = .008) higher in patients with a CR (94.4%) compared with patients with a PR (46.7%) and stable disease (50%). CONCLUSION: In patients with HCC who exceeded the Milan criteria, a CR after TACE, on the basis of amended RECIST guidelines, is associated with excellent posttransplantation outcomes. Therefore, 1-month response to TACE assessed at CT may represent a valid selection criterion for OLT.

Clinical impact of selective transarterial chemoembolization on hepatocellular carcinoma: a cohort study.

AIM: To prospectively evaluate the short and long term clinical impact of selective transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To assess side effects in relation to treatments. To analyze the overall survival and HCC progression free survival probability. METHODS: One hundred and seventeen cirrhotic patients with HCC were enrolled. Baseline liver function included Child-Pugh score and serum levels of alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), prothrombin time (PT) and bilirubin. According to Cancer Liver Italian Program (CLIP) and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging systems, 71 patients were eligible for TACE; 32 had previously received treatment for HCC. No significant differences in liver function were observed between previously treated and not treated patients. TACE was performed by selective catheterization of the arteries nourishing the lesions. While hospitalized, patients underwent clinical, hematologic and ultrasonographic assessments. One month after TACE a CT scan was performed to assess tumor response. A second TACE was performed "on demand". Liver function tests were checked in all patients every four months. RESULTS: After first TACE, the mean Child-Pugh score increased from a mean baseline 5.62 +/- 1.12 to 6.11 +/- 1.57 at discharge time (P < 0.0001), decreasing after four months to 5.81 +/- 0.73 (not significant). ALT, PT and bilirubin significantly (P < 0.0001) increased 24 h after TACE and progressively decreased until discharge. After the second TACE, variations in Child-Pugh score, ALT, PT and bilirubin were comparable to that described after the first TACE. No major complications were observed. The mean follow-up was 14.7 +/- 6.3 mo (median: 16 mo). Only one patient died. No other patient experienced important long term worsening of clinical status. The overall survival probability at twenty-four months was 98.18% with a correspondent HCC progression free survival probability of 69%. CONCLUSION: Selective TACE may produce significant, but transitory increases in ALT values, with no major impact on liver function and Child-Pugh score. Preservation of liver function is achievable also in patients previously treated with other therapeutic modalities and in patients undergoing multiple TACE cycles. Liver function can remain stable in the long-term, with optimal medium term survival. This result can be achieved through rigorous patient selection on the basis of tumour characteristics and clinical conditions.

Ultrasonographic surveillance with selective CTA after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the agreement between color-coded duplex ultrasound (US) and computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in monitoring aneurysm diameter and detecting endoleaks after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHODS: From November 1998 to January 2007, 196 patients (191 men; mean age 72.4 years, range 52-88) underwent EVAR and were followed by CTA and US over a mean 3.9+/-2.4 years (range 0-8.9, median 3.4). Annual paired CTA and US examinations were reviewed to assess agreement in measuring maximum aneurysm transverse diameter and to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting endoleak. RESULTS: The 5-year cumulative endoleak incidence was 43.8% (72 patients). At first diagnosis, US detected 55/72 (76.4%) endoleaks; of the remaining 17, only 3 (4.3%) were clinically significant in terms of aneurysm enlargement. Pairing 709 annual CTA and US examinations from 184 patients showed a high agreement (k = 0.96) between examinations in measuring maximum transverse diameter, with a mean difference between US and CTA of -2.5 mm. CONCLUSION: After the first year of follow-up, EVAR surveillance costs can be reduced by performing annual US examinations only. Keeping in mind that US underestimates diameter measurements, CTA can be reserved for patients with increasing or persistently stable aneurysm diameters.

Transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with drug-eluting microspheres: preliminary results from an Italian multicentre study.

The purpose of this article is to present the early results of a multicentre trial using HepaSphere microspheres loaded with chemotherapeutic agents for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. From December 2005 to March 2007, 50 patients (36 male and 14 female, mean age 68.4 years) were treated by selective TACE using HepaSphere microspheres loaded with doxorubicin or epirubicin. The diameter of the treated lesions ranged from 20 to 100 mm (mean 42.5; maximum of 4 tumor nodules). Tumor response was evaluated by computed axial tomography according to the World Health Organization criteria as modified by the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. All of the procedures were technically successful, and there were no major complications. At 1-month follow-up, complete tumor response was observed in 24 of 50 (48%), partial response in 18 of 50 (36%), and stable disease in 8 of 50 (16%) patients, and there were no cases of disease progression. At 6-month follow-up (31 of 50 patients), complete tumor response was obtained in 16 of 31 (51.6%), partial response in 8 of 31 (25.8%), and progressive disease in 7 of 31 (22.6%) patients. Within the initial 9-month follow-up, TACE with HepaSphere was successfully repeated twice in 3 patients, whereas 3 patients underwent the procedure 3 times. Our initial multicentre experience demonstrates that TACE using HepaSphere is feasible, is well tolerated, has a low complication rate, and is associated with promising tumor response. When complete tumor response in not achieved, additional treatments can be performed without difficulties. Longer follow-up on larger series is mandatory to confirm these preliminary results.