MRI-Targeted Prostate Fusion Biopsy: What Are We Missing outside the Target? Implications for Treatment Planning.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the added diagnostic value of systematic biopsies (SBx) after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted biopsies (TBx) and the presence of prostate cancer (PCa) outside MRI targets, in a prospective, contemporary, multicentric series of fusion biopsy patients. Methods: We collected data on 962 consecutive patients who underwent fusion biopsy between 2022 and 2024. Prostate cancer was considered clinically significant (csPCa) in the case of grade ≥ 2. Median test and Fisher exact chi-square tests were used. To identify predictors of out-field positivity, univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Prostate cancer and csPCa were detected by TBx only in 56% and 50%, respectively, and by SBx only in 55% and 45%, respectively (p < 0.001). Prostate cancer and csPCa were diagnosed by TBx in 100 (10%) and 82 (8%) SBx-negative cases and by SBx in 86 (9%) and 54 (6%) TBx-negative cases (p < 0.001). Tumors outside MRI targets were found in 213 (33%) cases in the same lobe and 208 (32%) in the contralateral lobe, most of them being csPCa. Predictors of out-field contralateral PCa were positive DRE (HR 1.50, p 0.03), PSA density ≥ 0.15 (HR 2.20, p < 0.001), and PI-RADS score 5 (HR 2.04, p 0.01). Conclusions: Both TBx and SBx identify a non-negligible proportion of csPCa when the other modality is negative. SBx after TBx should always be considered given the risk of missing other csPCa foci within the prostate, especially in patients with positive DRE, PSA density ≥ 0.15, and PIRADS 5 lesions.

Cardiac computed tomography with late contrast enhancement: A review.

Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) has assumed an increasingly significant role in the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) during the past few decades, whereas cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) remains the gold standard for myocardial tissue characterization. The discovery of late myocardial enhancement following intravenous contrast administration dates back to the 1970s with ex-vivo CT animal investigations; nevertheless, the clinical application of this phenomenon for cardiac tissue characterization became prevalent for CMR imaging far earlier than for CCT imaging. Recently the technical advances in CT scanners have made it possible to take advantage of late contrast enhancement (LCE) for tissue characterization in CCT exams. Moreover, the introduction of extracellular volume calculation (ECV) on cardiac CT images combined with the possibility of evaluating cardiac function in the same exam is making CCT imaging a multiparametric technique more and more similar to CMR. The aim of our review is to provide a comprehensive overview on the role of CCT with LCE in the evaluation of a wide range of cardiac conditions.

Role of cardiac magnetic resonance in stratifying arrhythmogenic risk in mitral valve prolapse patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the diagnostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features for arrhythmic risk stratification in mitral valve prolapse (MVP) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, and CENTRAL were searched for studies reporting MVP patients who underwent CMR with assessment of: left ventricular (LV) size and function, mitral regurgitation (MR), prolapse distance, mitral annular disjunction (MAD), curling, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and T1 mapping, and reported the association with arrhythmia. The primary endpoint was complex ventricular arrhythmias (co-VAs) as defined by any non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or aborted sudden cardiac death. Meta-analysis was performed when at least three studies investigated a CMR feature. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023374185. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 11 studies with 1278 patients. MR severity, leaflet length/thickness, curling, MAD distance, and mapping techniques were not meta-analyzed as reported in < 3 studies. LV end-diastolic volume index, LV ejection fraction, and prolapse distance showed small non-significant effect sizes. LGE showed a strong and significant association with co-VA with a LogORs of 2.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): [1.00, 3.23]), for MAD the log odds-ratio was 0.95 (95% CI: [0.30, 1.60]). The predictive accuracy of LGE was substantial, with a hierarchical summary ROC AUC of 0.83 (95% CI: [0.69, 0.91]) and sensitivity and specificity rates of 0.70 (95% CI: [0.41, 0.89]) and 0.80 (95% CI: [0.67, 0.89]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the role of LGE as the key CMR feature for arrhythmia risk stratification in MVP patients. MAD might complement arrhythmic risk stratification. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: LGE is a key factor for arrhythmogenic risk in MVP patients, with additional contribution from MAD. Combining MRI findings with clinical characteristics is critical for evaluating and accurately stratifying arrhythmogenic risk in MVP patients. KEY POINTS: MVP affects 2-3% of the population, with some facing increased risk for arrhythmia. LGE can assess arrhythmia risk, and MAD may further stratify patients. CMR is critical for MVP arrhythmia risk stratification, making it essential in a comprehensive evaluation.

Epicardial Atrial Fat at Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging and AF Recurrence after Transcatheter Ablation.

The relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has gained interest in recent years. The previous literature on the topic presents great heterogeneity, focusing especially on computed tomography imaging. The aim of the present study is to determine whether an increased volume of left atrial (LA) EAT evaluated at routine pre-procedural cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relates to AF recurrences after catheter ablation. A total of 50 patients undergoing AF cryoballoon ablation and pre-procedural cardiac MRI allowing quantification of LA EAT were enrolled. In one patient, the segmentation of LA EAT could not be achieved. After a median follow-up of 16.0 months, AF recurrences occurred in 17 patients (34%). The absolute volume of EAT was not different in patients with and without AF recurrences (10.35 mL vs. 10.29 mL; p-value = 0.963), whereas the volume of EAT indexed on the LA volume (EATi) was lower, albeit non-statistically significant, in patients free from arrhythmias (12.77% vs. 14.06%; p-value = 0.467). The receiver operating characteristic curve testing the ability of LA EATi to predict AF recurrence after catheter ablation showed sub-optimal performance (AUC: 0.588). The finest identified cut-off of LA EATi was 10.65%, achieving a sensitivity of 0.5, a specificity of 0.82, a positive predictive value of 0.59 and a negative predictive value of 0.76. Patients with values of LA EATi lower than 10.65% showed greater survival, free from arrhythmias, than patients with values above this cut-off (84% vs. 48%; p-value = 0.04). In conclusion, EAT volume indexed on the LA volume evaluated at cardiac MRI emerges as a possible independent predictor of arrhythmia recurrence after AF cryoballoon ablation. Nevertheless, prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding and eventually sustain routine EAT evaluation in the management of patients undergoing AF catheter ablation.

How young radiologists use contrast media and manage adverse reactions: an international survey.

OBJECTIVES: To collect real-world data about the knowledge and self-perception of young radiologists concerning the use of contrast media (CM) and the management of adverse drug reactions (ADR). METHODS: A survey (29 questions) was distributed to residents and board-certified radiologists younger than 40 years to investigate the current international situation in young radiology community regarding CM and ADRs. Descriptive statistics analysis was performed. RESULTS: Out of 454 respondents from 48 countries (mean age: 31.7 ± 4 years, range 25-39), 271 (59.7%) were radiology residents and 183 (40.3%) were board-certified radiologists. The majority (349, 76.5%) felt they were adequately informed regarding the use of CM. However, only 141 (31.1%) received specific training on the use of CM and 82 (18.1%) about management ADR during their residency. Although 266 (58.6%) knew safety protocols for handling ADR, 69.6% (316) lacked confidence in their ability to manage CM-induced ADRs and 95.8% (435) expressed a desire to enhance their understanding of CM use and handling of CM-induced ADRs. Nearly 300 respondents (297; 65.4%) were aware of the benefits of contrast-enhanced ultrasound, but 249 (54.8%) of participants did not perform it. The preferred CM injection strategy in CT parenchymal examination and CT angiography examination was based on patient's lean body weight in 318 (70.0%) and 160 (35.2%), a predeterminate fixed amount in 79 (17.4%) and 116 (25.6%), iodine delivery rate in 26 (5.7%) and 122 (26.9%), and scan time in 31 (6.8%) and 56 (12.3%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Training in CM use and management ADR should be implemented in the training of radiology residents. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: We highlight the need for improvement in the education of young radiologists regarding contrast media; more attention from residency programs and scientific societies should be focused on training about contrast media use and the management of adverse drug reactions. KEY POINTS: • This survey investigated training of young radiologists about use of contrast media and management adverse reactions. • Most young radiologists claimed they did not receive dedicated training. • An extreme heterogeneity of responses was observed about contrast media indications/contraindications and injection strategy.

Quality of Life Longitudinal Evaluation in Prostate Cancer Patients from Radiotherapy Start to 5 Years after IMRT-IGRT.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to study the evolution of quality of life (QoL) in the first 5 years following Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer (PCa) and to determine possible associations with clinical/treatment data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were enrolled in a prospective multicentre observational trial in 2010-2014 and treated with conventional (74-80 Gy, 1.8-2 Gy/fr) or moderately hypofractionated IMRT (65-75.2 Gy, 2.2-2.7 Gy/fr). QoL was evaluated by means of EORTC QLQ-C30 at baseline, at radiation therapy (RT) end, and every 6 months up to 5 years after IMRT end. Fourteen QoL dimensions were investigated separately. The longitudinal evaluation of QoL was analysed by means of Analysis of variances (ANOVA) for multiple measures. RESULTS: A total of 391 patients with complete sets of questionnaires across 5 years were available. The longitudinal analysis showed a trend toward the significant worsening of QoL at RT end for global health, physical and role functioning, fatigue, appetite loss, diarrhoea, and pain. QoL worsening was recovered within 6 months from RT end, with the only exception being physical functioning. Based on ANOVA, the most impaired time point was RT end. QoL dimension analysis at this time indicated that acute Grade ≥ 2 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity significantly impacted global health, physical and role functioning, fatigue, appetite loss, diarrhoea, and pain. Acute Grade ≥ 2 genitourinary (GU) toxicity resulted in lower role functioning and higher pain. Prophylactic lymph-nodal irradiation (WPRT) resulted in significantly lower QoL for global health, fatigue, appetite loss, and diarrhoea; lower pain with the use of neoadjuvant/concomitant hormonal therapy; and lower fatigue with the use of an anti-androgen. CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective, longitudinal, observational study, high radiation IMRT doses delivered for PCa led to a temporary worsening of QoL, which tended to be completely resolved at six months. Such transient worsening was mostly associated with acute GI/GU toxicity, WPRT, and higher prescription doses.

Increased prevalence of high-risk coronary plaques in metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease patients: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTCA) can assess both the extent and the features of coronary plaques. We aimed to gather evidence about the prevalence and features of coronary plaques among MASLD patients. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and adjusted observational studies assessing the prevalence and features of coronary plaques by means of CTCA in MASLD patients as compared with a control group. The prevalence of coronary stenosis (defined as >30% and >50% diameter of stenosis), of increasing coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and of high-risk features (namely low-attenuation plaques, napkin ring sign, spotty calcification and positive remodelling) in MASLD patients were the endpoints of interest. RESULTS: Twenty-four observational studies were included. MASLD was associated with an increased prevalence of critical coronary stenosis compared with controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95%CI 1.23-1.93). Increased values of CAC score were observed in MASLD patients (OR 1.35, 95%CI 1.02-1.78 and OR 2.26, 95%CI 1.57-3.23 for CAC score 0-100 and >100, respectively). An increased risk of 'high-risk' coronary plaques was observed in MASLD patients (OR 2.13, 95%CI 1.42-3.19). As high-risk features plaques, a higher prevalence of positive remodelling and spotty calcification characterize MASLD patients (OR 2.92, 95%CI 1.79-4.77 and OR 2.96, 95%CI 1.22-7.20). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MASLD are at increased risk of developing critical coronary stenosis and coronary plaques characterized by high-risk features as detected by CTCA.

Development and Validation of an Explainable Radiomics Model to Predict High-Aggressive Prostate Cancer: A Multicenter Radiomics Study Based on Biparametric MRI.

In the last years, several studies demonstrated that low-aggressive (Grade Group (GG) ≤ 2) and high-aggressive (GG ≥ 3) prostate cancers (PCas) have different prognoses and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and externally validate a radiomic model to noninvasively classify low-aggressive and high-aggressive PCas based on biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI). To this end, 283 patients were retrospectively enrolled from four centers. Features were extracted from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps and T2-weighted (T2w) sequences. A cross-validation (CV) strategy was adopted to assess the robustness of several classifiers using two out of the four centers. Then, the best classifier was externally validated using the other two centers. An explanation for the final radiomics signature was provided through Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values and partial dependence plots (PDP). The best combination was a naïve Bayes classifier trained with ten features that reached promising results, i.e., an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.75 and 0.73 in the construction and external validation set, respectively. The findings of our work suggest that our radiomics model could help distinguish between low- and high-aggressive PCa. This noninvasive approach, if further validated and integrated into a clinical decision support system able to automatically detect PCa, could help clinicians managing men with suspicion of PCa.

Artificial Intelligence in the Differential Diagnosis of Cardiomyopathy Phenotypes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly being applied to the medical field, especially in the cardiovascular domain. AI approaches have demonstrated their applicability in the detection, diagnosis, and management of several cardiovascular diseases, enhancing disease stratification and typing. Cardiomyopathies are a leading cause of heart failure and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Identifying the etiologies is fundamental for the management and diagnostic pathway of these heart muscle diseases, requiring the integration of various data, including personal and family history, clinical examination, electrocardiography, and laboratory investigations, as well as multimodality imaging, making the clinical diagnosis challenging. In this scenario, AI has demonstrated its capability to capture subtle connections from a multitude of multiparametric datasets, enabling the discovery of hidden relationships in data and handling more complex tasks than traditional methods. This review aims to present a comprehensive overview of the main concepts related to AI and its subset. Additionally, we review the existing literature on AI-based models in the differential diagnosis of cardiomyopathy phenotypes, and we finally examine the advantages and limitations of these AI approaches.

Radiomics and liver: Where we are and where we are headed?

Hepatic diffuse conditions and focal liver lesions represent two of the most common scenarios to face in everyday radiological clinical practice. Thanks to the advances in technology, radiology has gained a central role in the management of patients with liver disease, especially due to its high sensitivity and specificity. Since the introduction of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiology has been considered the non-invasive reference modality to assess and characterize liver pathologies. In recent years, clinical practice has moved forward to a quantitative approach to better evaluate and manage each patient with a more fitted approach. In this setting, radiomics has gained an important role in helping radiologists and clinicians characterize hepatic pathological entities, in managing patients, and in determining prognosis. Radiomics can extract a large amount of data from radiological images, which can be associated with different liver scenarios. Thanks to its wide applications in ultrasonography (US), CT, and MRI, different studies were focused on specific aspects related to liver diseases. Even if broadly applied, radiomics has some advantages and different pitfalls. This review aims to summarize the most important and robust studies published in the field of liver radiomics, underlying their main limitations and issues, and what they can add to the current and future clinical practice and literature.

Worsening of 2-year patient-reported intestinal functionality after radiotherapy for prostate cancer including pelvic node irradiation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To quantify patient-reported 2-year intestinal toxicity (IT) from pelvic nodal irradiation (PNI) for prostate cancer. The association between baseline/acute symptoms and 2-year worsening was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient-reported IT was prospectively assessed through the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), filled in at baseline, radiotherapy mid-point and end, at 3 and 6 months and every 6 months until 5 years. Two-year deterioration of IBDQ scores relative to the Bowel Domain was investigated for 400 patients with no severe baseline symptoms and with questionnaires available at baseline, 2 years, RT mid-point and/or end and at least three follow-ups between 3 and 18 months. The significance of the 2-year differences from baseline was tested. The association between baseline values and ΔAcute (the worst decline between baseline and RT mid-point/end) was investigated. RESULTS: In the IBDQ lower scores indicate worse symptoms. A significant (p < 0.0001) 2-year mean worsening, mostly in the range of -0.2/-0.4 points on a 1-7 scale, emerged excepting one question (IBDQ29, "nausea/feeling sick"). This decline was independent of treatment intent while baseline values were associated with 2-year absolute scores. The ΔAcute largely modulated 2-year worsening: patients with ΔAcute greater than the first quartile (Q1) and ΔAcute less or equal than Q1 showed no/minimal and highly significant (p < 0.0001) deterioration, respectively. Rectal incontinence, urgency, frequency and abdominal pain showed the largest mean changes (-0.5/-1): risk of severe worsening (deemed to be of clinical significance if ≤ 2) was 3-5 fold higher in the ΔAcute ≤ Q1 vs ΔAcute > Q1 group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: A modest but significant deterioration of two-year patient-reported intestinal symptoms from PNI compared to baseline was found. Patients experiencing more severe acute symptoms are at higher risk of symptom persistence at 2 years, with a much larger prevalence of clinically significant symptoms.

Development and validation of a clinical decision support system based on PSA, microRNAs, and MRI for the detection of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to develop and validate a clinical decision support system based on demographics, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), microRNA (miRNA), and MRI for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) and clinical significant (cs) PCa, and to assess if this system performs better compared to MRI alone. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter, observational study included 222 patients (mean age 66, range 46-75 years) who underwent prostate MRI, miRNA (let-7a-5p and miR-103a-3p) assessment, and biopsy. Monoparametric and multiparametric models including age, PSA, miRNA, and MRI outcome were trained on 65% of the data and then validated on the remaining 35% to predict both PCa (any Gleason grade [GG]) and csPCa (GG ≥ 2 vs GG = 1/negative). Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated. RESULTS: MRI outcome was the best predictor in the monoparametric model for both detection of PCa, with sensitivity of 90% (95%CI 73-98%) and NPV of 93% (95%CI 82-98%), and for csPCa identification, with sensitivity of 91% (95%CI 72-99%) and NPV of 95% (95%CI 84-99%). Sensitivity and NPV of PSA + miRNA for the detection of csPCa were not statistically different from the other models including MRI alone. CONCLUSION: MRI stand-alone yielded the best prediction models for both PCa and csPCa detection in biopsy-naïve patients. The use of miRNAs let-7a-5p and miR-103a-3p did not improve classification performances compared to MRI stand-alone results. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The use of miRNA (let-7a-5p and miR-103a-3p), PSA, and MRI in a clinical decision support system (CDSS) does not improve MRI stand-alone performance in the detection of PCa and csPCa. KEY POINTS: • Clinical decision support systems including MRI improve the detection of both prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer with respect to PSA test and/or microRNA. • The use of miRNAs let-7a-5p and miR-103a-3p did not significantly improve MRI stand-alone performance. • Results of this study were in line with previous works on MRI and microRNA.

Arrhythmic risk profile in mitral valve prolapse: A systematic review and metanalysis of 1715 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common clinical condition in the general population. A subgroup of patients with MVP may experience ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death ("arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse" [AMVP]) but how to stratify arrhythmic risk is still unclear. Our meta-analysis aims to identify predictive factors for arrhythmic risk in patients with MVP. METHODS: We systematically searched Medline, Cochrane, Journals@Ovid, Scopus electronic databases for studies published up to December 28, 2022 and comparing AMVP and nonarrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (NAMVP) for what concerns history, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance features. The effect size was estimated using a random-effect model as odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD). RESULTS: A total of 10 studies enrolling 1715 patients were included. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (OR: 16.67; p = .005), T-wave inversion (TWI) (OR: 2.63; p < .0001), bileaflet MVP (OR: 1.92; p < .0001) and mitral anulus disjunction (MAD) (OR: 2.60; p < .0001) were more represented among patients with AMVP than in NAMVP. Patients with AMVP were shown to have longer anterior mitral leaflet (AML) (MD: 2.63 mm; p < .0001), posterior mitral leaflet (MD: 2.96 mm; p < .0001), thicker AML (MD: 0.49 mm; p < .0001), longer MAD length (MD: 1.24 mm; p < .0001) and higher amount of LGE (MD: 1.41%; p < .0001) than NAMVP. AMVP showed increased mechanical dispersion (MD: 8.04 ms; 95% confidence interval: 5.13-10.96; p < .0001) compared with NAMVP. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis proved that LGE, TWI, bileaflet MVP, and MAD are predictive factors for arrhythmic risk in MVP patients.

Management of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients: a real-life survey among 25 Italian radiation oncology centers.

AIM: Radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) is the most frequent side effect in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with curative radiotherapy (RT). A standardized strategy for preventing and treating RIOM has not been defined. Aim of this study was to perform a real-life survey on RIOM management among Italian RT centers. METHODS: A 40-question survey was administered to 25 radiation oncologists working in 25 different RT centers across Italy. RESULTS: A total of 1554 HNC patients have been treated in the participating centers in 2021, the majority (median across the centers 91%) with curative intent. Median treatment time was 41 days, with a mean percentage of interruption due to toxicity of 14.5%. Eighty percent of responders provide written oral cavity hygiene recommendations. Regarding RIOM prevention, sodium bicarbonate mouthwashes, oral mucosa barrier agents, and hyaluronic acid-based mouthwashes were the most frequent topic agents used. Regarding RIOM treatment, 14 (56%) centers relied on literature evidence, while internal guidelines were available in 13 centers (44%). Grade (G)1 mucositis is mostly treated with sodium bicarbonate mouthwashes, oral mucosa barrier agents, and steroids, while hyaluronic acid-based agents, local anesthetics, and benzydamine were the most used in mucositis G2/G3. Steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs were the most frequent systemic agents used independently from the RIOM severity. CONCLUSION: Great variety of strategies exist among Italian centers in RIOM management for HNC patients. Whether different strategies could impact patients' compliance and overall treatment time of the radiation course is still unclear and needs further investigation.

Apparent diffusion coefficient and enhancement patterns in MR imaging as markers of severe or moderate ileum inflammation in Crohn's disease

Background and purpose: magnetic resonance enterography has been increasingly used for the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn's disease (CD). The purpose of the study was to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with wall enhancement for the differentiation of severe, moderate or no inflammation activity in the ileum. Methods: a prospective, blinded study was conducted of 46 CD patients with a clinical Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) ≥ 220 and a simple endoscopic score for Crohn's disease (ES-CD) ≥ 7, which yielded 58 inflamed segments with CD. Twenty controls were also included. All segments were characterized by four ADC readings. The two different enhancement patterns observed in inflamed segments, transmural or mucosal, were associated with severely (23) or moderately (35) active CD. Results: the ADC value decreased from 2.79 ± 0.35 x 10-3 mm2/s for normal segments to 1.81 ± 0.39 x 10-3 mm2/s for the moderately inflamed segments and 1.15 ± 0.20 x 10-3 mm2/s for severely inflamed segments (p ≤ 0.0001). ROC curve analysis on the basis of the three ADC distributions showed a very good discrimination capability with an area under the curve of 0.95. Three groups were defined as follows: normal ileum ADC > 2.4 x 10-3 mm2/s, moderate stages of inflammation 1.5 x 10-3 mm2/s < ADC ≤ 2.4 x 10-3 mm2/s and severe stages of ADC ≤ 1.5 x 10-3 mm2/s. Conclusions: the ADC value reliably discriminates between normal and inflamed ileum and also distinguishes between severe and moderate inflammation

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