Reduced dose helical CT scout imaging on next generation wide volume CT system decreases scan length and overall radiation exposure.

Purpose: Traditional CT acquisition planning is based on scout projection images from planar anterior-posterior and lateral projections where the radiographer estimates organ locations. Alternatively, a new scout method utilizing ultra-low dose helical CT (3D Landmark Scan) offers cross-sectional imaging to identify anatomic structures in conjunction with artificial intelligence based Anatomic Landmark Detection (ALD) for automatic CT acquisition planning. The purpose of this study is to quantify changes in scan length and radiation dose of CT examinations planned using 3D Landmark Scan and ALD and performed on next generation wide volume CT versus examinations planned using traditional scout methods. We additionally aim to quantify changes in radiation dose reduction of scans planned with 3D Landmark Scan and performed on next generation wide volume CT. Methods: Single-center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with prior CT scan of the same organ who underwent clinical CT using 3D Landmark Scan and automatic scan planning. Acquisition length and dose-length-product (DLP) were collected. Data was analyzed by paired t-tests. Results: 104 total CT examinations (48.1 % chest, 15.4 % abdomen, 36.5 % chest/abdomen/pelvis) on 61 individual consecutive patients at a single center were retrospectively analyzed. 79.8 % of scans using 3D Landmark Scan had reduction in acquisition length compared to the respective prior acquisition. Median acquisition length using 3D Landmark Scan was 26.7 mm shorter than that using traditional scout methods (p < 0.001) with a 23.3 % median total radiation dose reduction (245.6 (IQR 150.0-400.8) mGy cm vs 320.3 (IQR 184.1-547.9) mGy cm). CT dose index similarly was overall decreased for scans planned with 3D Landmark and ALD and performed on next generation CT versus traditional methods (4.85 (IQR 3.8-7) mGy vs. 6.70 (IQR 4.43-9.18) mGy, respectively, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Scout imaging using reduced dose 3D Landmark Scan images and Anatomic Landmark Detection reduces acquisition range in chest, abdomen, and chest/abdomen/pelvis CT scans. This technology, in combination with next generation wide volume CT reduces total radiation dose.

Towards clinical implementation of an AI-algorithm for detection of cervical spine fractures on computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) applications can facilitate detection of cervical spine fractures on CT and reduce time to diagnosis by prioritizing suspected cases. PURPOSE: To assess the effect on time to diagnose cervical spine fractures on CT and diagnostic accuracy of a commercially available AI application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study (June 2020 - March 2022) with historic controls and prospective evaluation, we evaluated regulatory-cleared AI-software to prioritize cervical spine fractures on CT. All patients underwent non-contrast CT of the cervical spine. The time between CT acquisition and the moment the scan was first opened (DNT) was compared between the retrospective and prospective cohorts. The reference standard for determining diagnostic accuracy was the radiology report created in routine clinical workflow and adjusted by a senior radiologist. Discrepant cases were reviewed and clinical relevance of missed fractures was determined. RESULTS: 2973 (mean age, 55.4 ± 19.7 [standard deviation]; 1857 men) patients were analyzed by AI, including 2036 retrospective and 938 prospective cases. Overall prevalence of cervical spine fractures was 7.6 %. The DNT was 18 % (5 min) shorter in the prospective cohort. In scans positive for cervical spine fracture according to the reference standard, DNT was 46 % (16 min) shorter in the prospective cohort. Overall sensitivity of the AI application was 89.8 % (95 % CI: 84.2-94.0 %), specificity was 95.3 % (95 % CI: 94.2-96.2 %), and diagnostic accuracy was 94.8 % (95 % CI: 93.8-95.8 %). Negative predictive value was 99.1 % (95 % CI: 98.5-99.4 %) and positive predictive value was 63.0 % (95 % CI: 58.0-67.8 %). 22 fractures were missed by AI of which 5 required stabilizing therapy. CONCLUSION: A time gain of 16 min to diagnosis for fractured cases was observed after introducing AI. Although AI-assisted workflow prioritization of cervical spine fractures on CT shows high diagnostic accuracy, clinically relevant cases were missed.

The value of CT three-dimensional reconstruction combined with serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen detection in the diagnosis and resectability evaluation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the value of three-dimensional reconstruction combined with serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection in the diagnosis and resectability evaluation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) before resectable lymph node metastasis.Methods:A total of 65 patients with suspected HCCA who were treated at Yiwu Central Hospital from June 2019 to June 2022 were included in the observation group. Thirty healthy people who concurrently underwent physical examinations in the same hospital were included in the control group. All participants underwent a CT three-dimensional reconstruction examination. Simultaneously, the automatic electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer was used to measure serum levels of CA19-9 and CEA. The outcomes of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography were used as the "gold standard". The consistency between CT three-dimensional reconstruction, CA19-9 detection, and CEA detection, either individually or combined, and the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of HCCA was evaluated.Results:Serum levels of CA19-9 and CEA in the observation group were (62.71 ± 10.63) U/mL and (62.71 ± 10.63) ng/mL, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group [(12.37 ± 7.39) U/mL, (1.31 ± 0.97) ng/mL, t = 23.43, 11.59, both P < 0.05). The levels of CA19-9 [(71.69 ± 12.37) U/mL] and CEA [(8.89 ± 3.51) ng/mL] in patients with HCCA who had lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those in patients with HCCA who had no lymph node metastasis [CA19-9 (56.78 ± 10.16) U/mL, CEA (6.45 ± 2.11) ng/mL, t = 4.14, 2.76, both P < 0.05].Compared with histopathological examination, the accuracy of CT three-dimensional reconstruction in typing was 85.00%. According to the "gold standard" diagnosis, CT three-dimensional reconstruction, CA19-9 detection, and CEA detection, alone and their combination, successfully detected HCCA in 22 cases (55.00%), 26 cases (65.00%), 31 cases (77.50%), and 38 cases (95.00%), respectively. The detection rate of HCCA was the highest when CT three-dimensional reconstruction, CA19-9 detection, and CEA detection were combined, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 18.15, P < 0.05). Compared with CT three-dimensional reconstruction (AUC: 0.808), CA19-9 detection (AUC: 0.721), and CEA detection (AUC: 0.703) individually, their combination (AUC: 0.913) had the highest value in the diagnosis of HCCA (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:CT three-dimensional reconstruction, CA19-9 detection, and CEA detection have a certain diagnostic value for HCCA, but the combination of CT three-dimensional reconstruction with the detection of serum levels of CA19-9 and CEA has a higher diagnostic value for HCCA, providing an effective reference for the preoperative evaluation of the resectability of HCCA in the clinic.

Effect of ultrasound and CT three-dimensional reconstruction in open reduction and internal fixation of fractured ribs / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of ultrasound and CT three-dimensional reconstruction in open reduction and internal fixation of fractured ribs.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 112 patients with chest trauma and rib fractures admitted to Yan′an People′s Hospital from January 2021 to September 2023. According to the different preoperative positioning methods used, the reconstruction group was divided into a reconstruction group ( n=61) and a combined group ( n=51). The reconstruction group positioned the surgical incision position based on conventional CT three-dimensional reconstruction, while the combined group positioned the rib fracture end based on CT three-dimensional reconstruction combined with ultrasound. Record clinical data of two groups of patients and compare their preoperative positioning accuracy, average incision length, exposure time of fracture ends, fracture healing time, incision infection rate, surgical related indicators, visual analogue pain score (VAS) at one month after surgery, and surgical incision healing levels. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s), and t-test was used for inter group comparison; Comparison of count data between groups using chi-square test; The comparison of grade data were conducted using Mann-Whitney U test. Results:The preoperative localization accuracy, postoperative VAS at one month, and surgical incision healing grade A of the combined group patients were 94.4%, (2.26±0.48) points, 96.1%, respectively, the reconstruction group were 84.1%, (4.52±1.34) points, 72.1%, the combined group was better than the reconstructed group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05); The average incision length, fracture exposure time, fracture healing time, surgical time, and thoracic tube retention time of the combined group were (7.32±2.44) cm, (18.06±4.78) min, (48.16±4.58) d, (55.46±7.48) min, and (3.57±1.28) min, respectively. The reconstruction group were (10.16±2.86) cm, (29.45±5.65) min, (55.36±4.45) d, (64.36±7.52) min, and (7.49±1.52) min, respectively, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Application of ultrasound combined with CT three-dimensional reconstruction in open reduction and internal fixation of fractured ribs can increase the preoperative positioning accuracy, which can guide the surgical incision, thus alleviating postoperative pain, facilitating postoperative healing, minimizing surgical trauma, and improving the patient′s prognosis.

Abdominal no Contrast and Contrast-Enhanced Multi-Slice CT After Orally Diluted Iodide in Diagnosis of Time Segment for Gastrointestinal Fistula Secondary to Acute Pancreatitis / 中国医学影像学杂志

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of abdominal plain scan and contrast-enhanced multi-slice CT after orally diluted iodide in time segment(Post-ODI ANCCE-MSCT)for gastrointestinal fistula(GIF)secondary to acute pancreatitis(AP).Materials and Methods A total of 108 patients with late AP in the prospective and continuously collected database of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively extracted.Their demographic information and clinical features were recorded and GIF were screened by Post-ODI ANCCE-MSCT.The comprehensive clinical diagnosis results within 5 days thereafter were used as reference standards.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy of Post-ODI ANCCE-MSCT for diagnosing GIF secondary to AP were calculated using a four-cell table,and the consistency of the two methods was evaluated by Kappa test and McNemar's test.Results Sensitivity was 91.5%(95%CI 78.7%-97.2%),specificity was 98.4%(95%CI 90.0%-99.9%),positive predictive value was 97.7%(95%CI 86.5%-99.9%),negative predictive value was 93.8%(95%CI 84.0%-98.0%),and the accuracy was 95.4%(95%CI 91.4%-99.3%),respectively.The Kappa value was 0.905,and P value was 0.375 via McNemar's test.Conclusion Post-ODI ANCCE-MSCT can diagnose GIF secondary to AP in a simple,non-invasive,rapid and accurate way,and provide earlier,more accurate and reliable image basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnostic Performance of Rectal CT for Staging Rectal Cancer: Comparison with Rectal MRI and Histopathology.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of rectal CT with that of high-resolution rectal MRI and histopathology in assessing rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients with rectal cancer who underwent rectal CT with rectal distension using sonographic gel and high-resolution MRI were enrolled in this study. The distance from the anal verge/anorectal junction, distance to the mesorectal fascia (MRF), extramural depth (EMD), extramesorectal lymph node (LN) involvement, extramural venous invasion (EMVI), and T/N stages in rectal CT/MRI were analyzed by two gastrointestinal radiologists. The CT findings of 20 patients who underwent radical surgery without concurrent chemoradiotherapy were compared using histopathology. Interclass correlations and kappa statistics were used. Results: The distance from the anal verge/anorectal junction showed an excellent intraclass correlation between CT and MRI for both reviewers. For EMD, the distance to the MRF, presence of LNs, extramesorectal LN metastasis, EMVI, T stage, and intermodality kappa or weighted kappa values between CT and MRI showed excellent agreement. Among the 20 patients who underwent radical surgery, T staging, circumferential resection margin involvement, EMVI, and LN metastasis on rectal CT showed acceptable concordance rates with histopathology. Conclusion: Dedicated rectal CT may be on par with rectal MRI in providing critical information to patients with rectal cancer.

Post-mortem CT radiomics for the prediction of time since death.

OBJECTIVES: Post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation has long been relying on sequential post-mortem changes on the body as a function of extrinsic, intrinsic, and environmental factors. Such factors are difficult to account for in complicated death scenes; thus, PMI estimation can be compromised. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the use of post-mortem CT (PMCT) radiomics for the differentiation between early and late PMI. METHODS: Consecutive whole-body PMCT examinations performed between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively included (n = 120), excluding corpses without an accurately reported PMI (n = 23). Radiomics data were extracted from liver and pancreas tissue and randomly split into training and validation sets (70:30%). Following data preprocessing, significant features were selected (Boruta selection) and three XGBoost classifiers were built (liver, pancreas, combined) to differentiate between early (< 12 h) and late (> 12 h) PMI. Classifier performance was assessed with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and areas under the curves (AUC), which were compared by bootstrapping. RESULTS: A total of 97 PMCTs were included, representing individuals (23 females and 74 males) with a mean age of 47.1 ± 23.38 years. The combined model achieved the highest AUC reaching 75% (95%CI 58.4-91.6%) (p = 0.03 compared to liver and p = 0.18 compared to pancreas). The liver-based and pancreas-based XGBoost models achieved AUCs of 53.6% (95%CI 34.8-72.3%) and 64.3% (95%CI 46.7-81.9%) respectively (p > 0.05 for the comparison between liver- and pancreas-based models). CONCLUSION: The use of radiomics analysis on PMCT examinations differentiated early from late PMI, unveiling a novel image-based method with important repercussions in forensic casework. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This paper introduces the employment of radiomics in forensic diagnosis by presenting an effective automated alternative method of estimating post-mortem interval from targeted tissues, thus paving the way for improvement in speed and quality of forensic investigations. KEY POINTS: • A combined liver-pancreas radiomics model differentiated early from late post-mortem intervals (using a 12-h threshold) with an area under the curve of 75% (95%CI 58.4-91.6%). • XGBoost models based on liver-only or pancreas-only radiomics demonstrated inferior performance to the combined model in predicting the post-mortem interval.

Difference of anterior and posterior orbital development in patients with congenital microphthalmia: a retrospective cohort study from China.

AIM: To evaluate volume differences between anterior and posterior orbit and demographic characteristics of Chinese patients with congenital microphthalmia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study, involving 169 unilateral congenital microphthalmia patients aged between 1 and 57 years old was conducted. Three-dimensional images of the orbit were generated from past CT scans, and digital orbital volume comprehensive measurement was done. The measured data included orbital volume (OBV), posterior orbital volume (POV), orbital width (OBW), orbital height (OBH), orbital depth (OBD), and posterior orbital area ratio. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed among OBV, POV, OBW, OBH, and OBD of the affected and unaffected eyes in different age-based groups (all P<0.001). Among them, OBH had the greatest different. The mean microphthalmic to contralateral ratio (MCR) of OBV, POV, OBW, and OBH continuously increased from 1 to 3 years old, whereas the MCR of POV decreased from 3 to 17 years old. The MCR of OBD was not found to be correlated to age. There was no significant difference between OBV, POV, OBW, and OBH in ages from 13 years old to adulthood (all P>0.05). The difference in posterior orbital area ratio between the affected and unaffected groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: OBH is maximally affected, whereas OBD is minimally affected by microphthalmia. Posterior orbital retardation began 2y prior to orbital retardation and occurred at 3 years old in the affected eye, suggesting that intervention therapy should be done before the age of 4.

[Clinical characteristics and CT findings of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in 46 cases with hematological diseases].

Objective: To summarize the original CT features of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in patients with hematological diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out in 46 patients with proven pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) in the Hospital of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2014 and December 2021. All patients had multiple chests CT and related laboratory examinations, imaging typing were conducted based on the initial CT presentation, and the distinct imaging types were analyzed against the clinical data. Results: In the analysis, there were 46 patients with proven pathogenesis, 33 males, and 13 females, with a median age of 37.5 (2-65) years. The diagnosis was validated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) hexamine silver staining in 11 patients and clinically diagnosed in 35 cases. Of the 35 clinically diagnosed patients, 16 were diagnosed by alveolar lavage fluid macrogenomic sequencing (BALF-mNGS) and 19 by peripheral blood macrogenomic sequencing (PB-mNGS) . The initial chest CT presentation was categorized into 4 types, including ground glass (GGO) type in 25 cases (56.5%) , nodular type in 10 cases (21.7%) , fibrosis type in 4 cases (8.7%) , and mixed type in 5 cases (13.0%) . There was no substantial discrepancy in CT types among confirmed patients, BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients (χ(2)=11.039, P=0.087) . The CT manifestations of confirmed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients were primarily GGO type (67.6%, 73.7%) , while that of BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients were nodular type (37.5%) . Of the 46 patients, 63.0% (29/46) had lymphocytopenia in the peripheral blood, 25.6% (10/39) with positive serum G test, and 77.1% (27/35) with elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) . There were no great discrepancies in the rates of lymphopenia in peripheral blood, positive G-test, and increased LDH among different CT types (all P>0.05) . Conclusion: The initial chest CT findings of PJP in patients with hematological diseases were relatively prevalent with multiple GGO in both lungs. Nodular and fibrosis types were also the initial imaging findings for PJP.

Detection and size measurements of kidney stones on virtual non-contrast reconstructions derived from dual-layer computed tomography in an ex vivo phantom setup.

OBJECTIVES: To systematically investigate the usability of virtual non-contrast reconstructions (VNC) derived from dual-layer CT (DLCT) for detection and size measurements of kidney stones with regards to different degrees of surrounding iodine-induced attenuation and radiation dose. METHODS: Ninety-two kidney stones of varying size (3-14 mm) and composition were placed in a phantom filled with different contrast media/water mixtures exhibiting specific iodine-induced attenuation (0-1500 HU). DLCT-scans were acquired using CTDIvol of 2 mGy and 10 mGy. Conventional images (CI) and VNC0H-1500HU were reconstructed. Reference stone size was determined using a digital caliper (Man-M). Visibility and stone size were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using the McNemar test, Wilcoxon test, and the coefficient of determination. RESULTS: All stones were visible on CI0HU and VNC200HU. Starting at VNC400 HU, the detection rate decreased with increasing HU and was significantly lower as compared to CI0HU on VNC≥ 600HU (100.0 vs. 94.0%, p < 0.05). The overall detection rate was higher using 10 mGy as compared to 2 mGy protocol (87.9 vs. 81.8%; p < 0.001). Stone size was significantly overestimated on all VNC compared to Man-M (7.0 ± 3.5 vs. 6.6 ± 2.8 mm, p < 0.001). Again, the 10 mGy protocol tended to show a better correlation with Man-M as compared to 2 mGy protocol (R2 = 0.39-0.68 vs. R2 = 0.31-0.57). CONCLUSIONS: Detection and size measurements of kidney stones surrounded by contrast media on VNC are feasible. The detection rate of kidney stones decreases with increasing iodine-induced attenuation and with decreasing radiation dose as well as stone size, while remaining comparable to CI0HU on VNC ≤ 400 HU. KEY POINTS: • The detection rate of kidney stones on VNC depends on the surrounding iodine-induced attenuation, the used radiation dose, and the stone size. • The detection rate of kidney stones on VNC decreases with greater iodine-induced attenuation and with lower radiation dose, particularly in small stones. • The visibility of kidney stones on VNC ≤ 400 HU remains comparable to true-non-contrast scans even when using a low-dose technique.

Optimal radiological gallbladder lesion characterization by combining visual assessment with CT-based radiomics.

OBJECTIVES: Differentiating benign gallbladder diseases from gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains a radiological challenge because they can appear very similar on imaging. This study aimed at investigating whether CT-based radiomic features of suspicious gallbladder lesions analyzed by machine learning algorithms could adequately discriminate benign gallbladder disease from GBC. In addition, the added value of machine learning models to radiological visual CT-scan interpretation was assessed. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively selected based on confirmed histopathological diagnosis and available contrast-enhanced portal venous phase CT-scan. The radiomic features were extracted from the entire gallbladder, then further analyzed by machine learning classifiers based on Lasso regression, Ridge regression, and XG Boosting. The results of the best-performing classifier were combined with radiological visual CT diagnosis and then compared with radiological visual CT assessment alone. RESULTS: In total, 127 patients were included: 83 patients with benign gallbladder lesions and 44 patients with GBC. Among all machine learning classifiers, XG boosting achieved the best AUC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.72-0.91) and the highest accuracy rate of 73% (95% CI 65-80%). When combining radiological visual interpretation and predictions of the XG boosting classifier, the highest diagnostic performance was achieved with an AUC of 0.98 (95% CI 0.96-1.00), a sensitivity of 91% (95% CI 86-100%), a specificity of 93% (95% CI 90-100%), and an accuracy of 92% (95% CI 90-100%). CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning analysis of CT-based radiomic features shows promising results in discriminating benign from malignant gallbladder disease. Combining CT-based radiomic analysis and radiological visual interpretation provided the most optimal strategy for GBC and benign gallbladder disease differentiation. KEY POINTS: Radiomic-based machine learning algorithms are able to differentiate benign gallbladder disease from gallbladder cancer. Combining machine learning algorithms with a radiological visual interpretation of gallbladder lesions at CT increases the specificity, compared to visual interpretation alone, from 73 to 93% and the accuracy from 85 to 92%. Combined use of machine learning algorithms and radiological visual assessment seems the most optimal strategy for GBC and benign gallbladder disease differentiation.

Evaluación multimodal del hematoma subdural crónico

Introducción: El hematoma subdural crónico es la complicación tardía más frecuente del trauma craneoencefálico. Su diagnóstico precoz y el tratamiento oportuno permiten la evolución favorable y curación de los pacientes. Objetivo: Sistematizar los diferentes ejes de clasificación del hematoma subdural crónico, que permitan la evaluación multimodal con una orientación más precisa de la técnica quirúrgica. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica en las principales bases de datos disponibles, centrada en las diferentes clasificaciones clínicas y radiológicas del hematoma subdural crónico y se seleccionaron 26 artículos. Se escogieron las principales clasificaciones y escalas y se aplicaron en 22 pacientes, obteniéndose resultados preliminares. Resultados: Las escalas de evaluación clínica de Bender, Marckwalder y la clasificación de Gordon Firing son las más conocidas, sin embargo, existen clasificaciones tomográficas que tienen en cuenta la densidad, la homogeneidad del hematoma que son de gran importancia en la selección de la técnica quirúrgica. La presencia de membranas y tabiques aparecen solo incluidas dentro de la valoración de la densidad del hematoma. Existen otras con valor predictivo que identifican aquellos factores relacionados con las recurrencias, desde antes de la cirugía, las mismas se consideran un factor de mal pronóstico para la evolución final de los pacientes con este tipo de hematomas. Conclusiones: La evaluación preoperatoria exige de la aplicación de múltiples escalas, la identificación y caracterización de las membranas es importante para personalizar la técnica quirúrgica, en busca de disminuir la morbilidad y mortalidad posoperatoria.

Introduction: Chronic subdural hematoma is the most frequent late complication of cranioencephalic trauma. The early diagnosis and correct treatment allow the recovery of patients. Objective: To systematize the different criteria of classification of chronic subdural hematoma that leads the multimodal evaluation for more effective selection of surgical technique. Methods: A review of literature about chronic subdural hematoma was done in the main database focused on different clinical and radiological classifications and 26 articles were selected. The main classifications and scales were chosen and applied to 22 patients, obtaining preliminary results. Results : Benders, Marckwalder and Gordon Firing scales are the most common, nevertheless there are tomographic classifications that include density, homogeneity of hematoma that are of great importance in the selection of the surgical technique. The presence of membranes and septum are only included in the evaluation of hematoma density. There are some others with predictive value that identify those factors related to recurrences before surgery that are considered a bad prognosis to the final evolution of these patients with this type of hematoma. Conclusions: The previous evaluation to surgery requires the use of different scales, the identification and characterization of membranes are important to select the optimum surgical technique to decrease morbidity and mortality after surgery.

Clinical characteristics and CT findings of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in 46 cases with hematological diseases / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To summarize the original CT features of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in patients with hematological diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out in 46 patients with proven pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) in the Hospital of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2014 and December 2021. All patients had multiple chests CT and related laboratory examinations, imaging typing were conducted based on the initial CT presentation, and the distinct imaging types were analyzed against the clinical data. Results: In the analysis, there were 46 patients with proven pathogenesis, 33 males, and 13 females, with a median age of 37.5 (2-65) years. The diagnosis was validated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) hexamine silver staining in 11 patients and clinically diagnosed in 35 cases. Of the 35 clinically diagnosed patients, 16 were diagnosed by alveolar lavage fluid macrogenomic sequencing (BALF-mNGS) and 19 by peripheral blood macrogenomic sequencing (PB-mNGS) . The initial chest CT presentation was categorized into 4 types, including ground glass (GGO) type in 25 cases (56.5%) , nodular type in 10 cases (21.7%) , fibrosis type in 4 cases (8.7%) , and mixed type in 5 cases (13.0%) . There was no substantial discrepancy in CT types among confirmed patients, BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients (χ(2)=11.039, P=0.087) . The CT manifestations of confirmed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients were primarily GGO type (67.6%, 73.7%) , while that of BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients were nodular type (37.5%) . Of the 46 patients, 63.0% (29/46) had lymphocytopenia in the peripheral blood, 25.6% (10/39) with positive serum G test, and 77.1% (27/35) with elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) . There were no great discrepancies in the rates of lymphopenia in peripheral blood, positive G-test, and increased LDH among different CT types (all P>0.05) . Conclusion: The initial chest CT findings of PJP in patients with hematological diseases were relatively prevalent with multiple GGO in both lungs. Nodular and fibrosis types were also the initial imaging findings for PJP.

Construction of containing CT imaging features Nomograms model of postoperative intraluminal thromus formation in patients with aortic dissective aneurysm / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the construction of containing CT imaging features Nomograms model of postoperative intraluminal thromus (ILT) formation in patients with aortic dissective aneurysm (ADA).Methods:One hundred and twenty patients with Stanford type B ADA treated with overlapping stent endoluminal repair and multilayer spiral CT (MSCT) examination in Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from May 2020 to February 2022 were selected. The patients were divided into the modeling population (84 patients) and the validation population (36 patients) according to a 7∶3 ratio. The factors influencing postoperative ILT formation in ADA patients were analyzed by univariate and Logistic multifactor regression models, and the prediction model of postoperative ILT formation was constructed based on the influencing factors.Results:In the modeled population, the rate of ILT formation within 1 month after luminal repair with overlapping stents was 27.38%(23/84), including 5 cases in the aortic arch and 18 cases in the abdominal aorta. In the modeled population, the results of univariate analysis showed that the sex, age, body mass index(BMI), smoking, drinking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, rupture diameter, rupture distance from left subclavicular artery, involvement of important branches, uneven thickening of aneurysm wall, low density on plain scan and operation timing between the ILT formation group and non-ILT formation group had no statistically significant ( P>0.05). The diabetes mellitus, irregular inner wall, calcified plaque, postoperative anticoagulant therapy, B-type brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), fibrinogen (Fib), D-dimer (D-D) and C-reactive protein (CRP) between the two groups had statistical differences: 43.48%(10/23) vs. 11.48%(7/61), 86.96%(20/23) vs. 57.38%(35/61), 91.30%(21/23) vs. 62.30%(38/61), 21.74%(5/23) vs. 57.38%(35/61), (523.60 ± 128.74) ng/L vs.(271.83 ± 109.65) ng/L, (3.82 ± 0.96) g/L vs. (2.85 ± 0.83) g/L, (601.37 ± 75.62) μg/L vs. (389.20 ± 68.79)μg/L, (0.63 ± 0.19) mg/L vs. (0.48 ± 0.15) mg/L, P<0.05. The results of Logistic multifactor regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus, irregular inner wall, calcified plaque, postoperative anticoagulant therapy and BNP, Fib, D-D CRP levels were influential factors for postoperative ILT formation in Stanford type B ADA patients ( P<0.05). The C-index of the model was 0.903 and 0.894 for the modeled and validated populations, respectively, which had good discrimination and was good at predicting ILT formation after operation in Stanford type B ADA patients. The model had good clinical utility in predicting postoperative ILT formation in Stanford B ADA patients. Conclusions:The Nomograms model can help to screen and identify patients with high risk of ILT formation at an early clinical stage.

Application of multi-slice spiral CT combined with three myocardial markers in the diagnosis of acute chest pain causes / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) combined with three myocardial markers in the diagnosis of acute chest pain etiology.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 120 patients with acute chest pain admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from January 2020 to December 2020. All patients underwent MSCT imaging examination upon admission, and serum creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), troponin I (cTnI), and myoglobin (MYO) levels were also tested. The final clinical diagnosis was used as the judgment standard to draw a 2×2 four-square table, and calculate the value of MSCT, CK-MB, cTnI, and MYO in the diagnosis of acute chest pain etiology.Resultsl:Among the 120 acute chest pain patients included, 75 were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (62.50%), 16 with aortic dissection (13.33%), and 29 with pulmonary embolism (24.17%). The coincidence rate of MSCT diagnosis of coronary heart disease was 86.67%(65/75), the diagnosis of aortic dissection coincidence rate was 12/16, and the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism coincidence rate was 75.86%(22/29). The serum CK-MB, cTnI, and MYO levels in the coronary heart disease group were significantly higher than those in the aortic dissection group and pulmonary embolism group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in serum CK-MB, cTnI, and MYO levels between the aortic dissection group and pulmonary embolism group (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of CK-MB, cTnI, and MYO in the differential diagnosis of acute chest pain patients with coronary heart disease and non-coronary heart disease were 93.33%, 85.33%, and 89.33%, respectively, and the specificity were 73.33%, 80.00%, and 77.78%, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were 0.833, 0.826, and 0.836, respectively. Conclusions:MSCT can better identify coronary heart disease, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism in patients with acute chest pain, while the three myocardial markers can better distinguish patients with coronary heart disease and non-coronary heart disease. Therefore, MSCT combined with myocardial markers should be used for the diagnosis of acute chest pain patients in clinical practice to facilitate early clinical diagnosis.

CT study on safety target area of femoral neck model screw channel and establishment of a stable spatial coordinate system / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To study the image features in direction and quantity on CT scans of the axial safety target area of Sawbone femoral neck screw tunnels and possibility of establishing a stable spatial cartesian coordinate system.Methods:After three-dimensional reconstruction of CT data of 40 Sawbone femoral necks, the real axial CT images (perpendicular to the surgical central axis) of each femoral neck were superimposed respectively to get the intersection, called axial safe target area(ASTA). With the anterior cortex of femoral neck basilar seen as a landmark, the spatial rectangular coordinate system ( x, y, z) was established to measure superior-inferior diameters (D-SI), anterior-posterior diameters (D-AP) and the oblique angles. Each intersection was overlapped to the original axial CT images to find coronal position of ASTA boundaries. In addition, coronal CT union (equivalent to anteroposterior X-ray) and sagittal CT union (equivalent to lateral X-ray) were obtained by images in situ superposition method, from which the coronal positions of the isthmus of the perspective boundary (D-SI and D-AP) were determined. The coincidence of the boundary positions of ASTA and those of the perspective isthmus was compared. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for the left and right sides respectively to analyze the correlation between D-SI and D-AP. Results:Every ASTA presented an oblique rounded quadrilateral, whose front base was flat and coincided with anterior cortex of femoral neck basilar (FNB). In this coordinate system, D-SI were 35.13±0.51 mm on the left and 30.98±0.82 mm on the right, while D-AP were 26.66±0.39 mm on the left and 27.53±0.72 mm on the right. There was no significant correlation between D-SI and D-AP (left: R=0.43, P=0.060, right: R=0.32, P=0.176, respectively). All the isthmus of X-ray boundary fell at the corresponding ASTA boundary. The oblique angles ranged from 8° to 29°, and all parameters were within the range of normal femoral neck (the anterior cortex of the femoral neck basilar is flat, with a D-SI range of 26-38 mm, a D-AP range of 17-29 mm, and an oblique angle range of 5°-53°). Conclusion:The intersection method can be used to conveniently acquire directional-quantitative-stable individualized ASTA of Sawbone femoral neck. Thus, a stable spatial cartesian coordinate system can be established based on the anterior cortex of femoral neck basilar.

Correlation analysis between muscle CT measurement parameters, energy expenditure and risk of acute exacerbation in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To explore the correlation between muscle CT measurement parameters, energy expenditure and acute exacerbation in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:The clinical data of 146 patients with stable COPD from March 2020 to November 2021 in Lu′an Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University (Lu′an People′s Hospital) were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical data were recorded; the lung function was measured by bronchodilator test. The cross-sectional area and CT value of the pectoral muscle were measured by reconstructed CT images of the mediastinum; the total energy consumption was calculated by Weir formula. Acute exacerbations within 3 and 12 months were recorded. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the efficacy of total energy expenditure, pectoral muscle cross-sectional area and pectoral muscle CT value for predicting acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD.Results:Among 146 patients with stable COPD, 38 cases (26.03%) developed acute exacerbation within 3 months (acute exacerbation group), and 108 cases (73.97%) did not develop acute exacerbation (non-acute exacerbation group). The proportion of age<60 years old, rate of acute exacerbation within 12 months and rate of pulmonary function grading Ⅲ to Ⅳ in acute exacerbation group were significantly higher than those in non-acute exacerbation group: 71.05% (27/38) vs. 47.22% (51/108), 52.63% (20/38) vs. 30.56% (33/108) and 63.16% (24/38) vs. 37.96% (41/108), the total energy consumption, pectoral muscle cross-sectional area and pectoral muscle CT value were significantly lower than those in non-acute exacerbation group: (2 036.28 ± 163.13) J/d vs. (2 389.59 ± 204.71) J/d, (28.79 ± 3.45) cm 2 vs. (31.61 ± 4.56) cm 2 and (29.79 ± 3.06) HU vs. (34.52 ± 4.38) HU, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05 or <0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis result showed that age ≥60 years old, lower total energy expenditure, smaller pectoral muscle cross-sectional area and lower pectoral muscle CT value were independent risk factors for acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD ( OR = 26.493, 1.015, 1.245 and 1.437; 95% CI 3.745 to 187.405, 1.008 to 1.022, 1.002 to 1.546 and 1.109 to 1.861; P<0.01 or <0.05). The ROC curve analysis result showed that combined prediction of the total energy consumption, pectoral muscle cross-sectional area and pectoral muscle CT value for acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD had the largest area under the curve (0.962), with a sensitivity of 86.1%, a specificity of 80.8%, and the optimal cutoff values of 2 206.12 J/d, 32.39 cm 2 and 31.63 HU, respectively. Conclusions:The elderly age, smaller pectoral muscle cross-sectional area, lower pectoral muscle CT value and lower total energy expenditure are independent risk factors for acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD. The combination of pectoral muscle cross-sectional area, pectoral muscle CT value and total energy expenditure has a good predictive effect on the risk of acute exacerbation in patients with stable COPD, and relevant indexes can be paid attention to in clinical treatment.

Multi-slice spiral CT manifestations of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate CT manifestations of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors.Methods:The multi-slice spiral CT manifestations in 11 patients with perivascular epithelioid cell tumors which were pathologically confirmed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College between October 2012 and August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors were located in the kidney of eight patients, in the right lobe of the liver of two patients, and in the descending colon of one patient. The largest tumor, approximately 20.0 cm × 26.0 cm × 11.0 cm, was located in the kidney. The smallest tumor, 2.4 cm × 2.6 cm × 3.4 cm, was located in the colon. CT plain scans showed uniform density without bleeding, calcification, or fat in two patients, and non-uniform density with fatty change in two patients. Contrast-enhanced CT images showed non-uniform enhancement in the arterial phase in 10 patients and uniform enhancement in one patient. Contrast-enhanced CT images showed decreased degrees of enhancement of the lesions in 11 patients from the portal venous phase to the delayed phase and dilated and tortuous vascular shadows in 11 patients.Conclusion:The multi-slice spiral CT manifestations of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors are characteristic and the multi-slice spiral CT is of value for the diagnosis of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors.

Diagnostic value of thin-layer three-dimensional reconstruction technology combined with personalized scanning for benign and malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of thin-layer three-dimensional reconstruction technology combined with personalized scanning for benign and malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules.Methods:The clinical data of 140 patients with solid solitary pulmonary nodules admitted to Jiangshan People's Hospital form January 2020 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients consisted of 40 patients with benign solid solitary pulmonary nodules (benign group) and 100 patients with malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules (malignant group). All patients underwent thin-layer three-dimensional reconstruction combined with personalized scanning. The pulmonary nodule signs achieved by thin-layer three-dimensional reconstruction combined with personalized scanning and the diagnostic performance of the combined technology were compared between benign and malignant groups.Results:The proportions of patients with lung cavity sign, lobular sign, vascular convergence sign, vacuole sign, emphysema distribution sign, split pleura sign, and distal perforating vascular sign in the malignant group were 11.0%, 81.0%, 77.0%, 49.0%, 6.0%, 10.0% and 31.0%, respectively, and they were 42.5%, 62.5%, 55.0%, 27.5%, 20.0%, 32.5%, and 5.0%, respectively in the benign group ( χ2 = 15.80, 5.00, 5.66, 4.55, 4.76, 8.96, 9.33, all P < 0.05). The most sensitive sign was lobular sign, which had the highest efficiency, up to 82.0%, in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Conclusion:Lung cavity sign, lobular sign, vascular convergence sign, vacuole sign, emphysema distribution sign, split pleura sign, and distal perforating vascular sign differ greatly between patients with benign and malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules. Lobular sign has the highest sensitivity in differentiating benign and malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules. Thin-layer three-dimensional reconstruction combined with personalized scanning has a diagnostic value for benign and malignant solid solitary pulmonary nodules.

A new classification of atlas fracture based on CT reconstruction and its clinical significance / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of a new classification system for atlas fractures based on pre- and post-treatment CT features, with a focus on diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 cases of cervical vertebra fractures treated at the Sixth Hospital of Ningbo City between January 2015 and December 2020. The study included 44 males and 31 females, with an average age of 53.3±13.0 years (range: 27-81 years). The fractures were classified according to the Landells classification, resulting in 12 cases of type I, 13 cases of type II, 33 cases of type III, 9 cases that were difficult to classify due to fracture lines located at anatomical junctions, and 8 cases that could not be classified using the Landells classification due to diverse injury mechanisms. To establish a new preliminary classification for cervical vertebra fractures, the researchers considered whether the fracture line in the CT images involved the facet joint surface of the atlas, the impact on bilateral half-rings, and the displacement distance of the fracture ends. Five spinal surgeons were randomly selected to classify the CT images of the 75 patients using the new classification method. After one month, the imaging data of the 75 cases of cervical vertebra fractures were randomized and reclassified to assess the reliability and repeatability of the classification.Results:The new cervical vertebra fracture classification method comprised three types based on whether the fracture line involved the facet joint surface of the atlas: type A (no involvement of the facet joint surface of the atlas), type B (involvement of one side of the facet joint surface with intact contralateral half-ring), and type C (involvement of one side of the facet joint surface with fractured contralateral half-ring). Additionally, based on the maximum displacement distance between the fracture ends (>4 mm), six subtypes were identified: subtype 1 (≤4 mm displacement) and subtype 2 (>4 mm displacement). Consequently, the subtypes were classified as A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. According to the new classification method, the 75 patients included 17 cases of A1, 12 cases of A2, 7 cases of B1, 13 cases of B2, 12 cases of C1, and 14 cases of C2. The classification demonstrated excellent consistency, as assessed by the five doctors, with Kappa values of 0.85 and 0.91 for reliability and repeatability, respectively. At the final follow-up, all conservatively treated patients achieved bone healing, while four surgically treated patients experienced non-union of the fracture ends but exhibited good fusion between the atlas and axis. The remaining surgically treated patients achieved bony union without complications such as loosening or fracture of internal fixation.Conclusion:The new cervical vertebra fracture classification method, based on CT imaging features, comprehensively covers common clinical cases of cervical vertebra fractures and demonstrates excellent consistency. It provides valuable clinical guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical vertebra fractures.