CORRIGENDUM: Deterioration of Phosphate Homeostasis Is a Trigger for Cardiac Afterload　- Clinical Importance of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 for Accelerated Aging.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1253/circrep.CR-22-0124.].

Deterioration of Phosphate Homeostasis Is a Trigger for Cardiac Afterload　- Clinical Importance of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 for Accelerated Aging.

Background: After the discovery of the Klotho gene, phosphate came into focus as a pathogenetic aging agent. Phosphate homeostasis is controlled by phosphate-regulating hormones: fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), vitamin D3, and parathyroid hormone. This study investigated the relationship between the deterioration in phosphate homeostasis and arterial stiffness by measuring serum FGF23 concentrations. Methods and Results: The study subjects comprised 82 hospitalized patients (31 males, 51 females; mean [±SD] age 78.6±10.5 years). All patients underwent chest computed tomography, measurement of central blood pressure (BP), and blood chemistry tests. Arterial calcification and/or stiffness was evaluated using the Agatston calcification score (ACS) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). PWV was significantly correlated with age (t=23.47, P<0.0001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; t=-4.40, P<0.0001), and ACS (t=4.36, P<0.0001). Serum FGF23 concentrations were significantly correlated with age (t=2.52, P=0.014), eGFR (t=-3.37, P<0.001), serum inorganic phosphorus concentrations (t=3.49, P<0.001), serum vitamin D3 concentrations (t=-4.57, P<0.001), ACS (t=2.30, P=0.025), augmentation pressure (t=2.48, P=0.015), central systolic BP (t=2.00, P=0.049), plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations (t=3.48, P<0.001), and PWV (t=2.99, P=0.004). PWV was positively related to augmentation pressure (t=4.09, P<0.001), central systolic BP (t=3.13, P=0.002), and plasma BNP concentrations (t=3.54, P<0.001). Conclusions: This study shows that the increase in serum FGF23 concentrations reflects deterioration of phosphate homeostasis and is an important predictor for arterial stiffness, which intensifies cardiac afterload.

A simple method for accurate liver volume estimation by use of curve-fitting: a pilot study.

In this paper, we describe the effectiveness of our curve-fitting method by comparing liver volumes estimated by our new technique to volumes obtained with the standard manual contour-tracing method. Hepatic parenchymal-phase images of 13 patients were obtained with multi-detector CT scanners after intravenous bolus administration of 120-150 mL of contrast material (300 mgI/mL). The liver contours of all sections were traced manually by an abdominal radiologist, and the liver volume was computed by summing of the volumes inside the contours. The section number between the first and last slice was then divided into 100 equal parts, and each volume was re-sampled by use of linear interpolation. We generated 13 model profile curves by averaging 12 cases, leaving out one case, and we estimated the profile curve for each patient by fitting the volume values at 4 points using a scale and translation transform. Finally, we determined the liver volume by integrating the sampling points of the profile curve. We used Bland-Altman analysis to evaluate the agreement between the volumes estimated with our curve-fitting method and the volumes measured by the manual contour-tracing method. The correlation between the volume measured by manual tracing and that estimated with our curve-fitting method was relatively high (r = 0.98; slope 0.97; p < 0.001). The mean difference between the manual tracing and our method was -22.9 cm(3) (SD of the difference, 46.2 cm(3)). Our volume-estimating technique that requires the tracing of only 4 images exhibited a relatively high linear correlation with the manual tracing technique.

Increased urinary aldosterone excretion is associated with subcutaneous not visceral, adipose tissue area in obese individuals: a possible manifestation of dysfunctional subcutaneous adipose tissue.

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone is reported to be associated with obesity and is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic abnormalities are more strongly associated with visceral adipose tissue (VAT) than with subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). OBJECTIVE: We examined whether aldosterone is more closely associated with VAT area than with SAT area in obese individuals. METHODS: We enrolled 81 Japanese patients (46 men, mean age 43 ± 13 years and 35 women, mean age 53 ± 10 years) suspected of metabolic disorders and measured plasma and 24-h urinary aldosterone, as well as SAT and VAT areas. SAT and VAT areas were measured at the umbilical level by computed tomography. RESULTS: Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that urinary aldosterone was significantly and positively correlated with body mass index, waist circumference, SAT area, alanine aminotransferase, C-reactive protein, plasma immune-reactive insulin, plasma renin activity and estimated glomerular filtration rate, and negatively correlated with age and blood glucose. Urinary aldosterone was not correlated with VAT area (r = 0·013, P = 0·906). Multivariate regression analyses revealed that log SAT area, age and diastolic blood pressure were significant (P = 0·001, 0·001 and 0·032, respectively) predictors of log urinary aldosterone excretion rate. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that urinary aldosterone excretion is positively associated with SAT but not with VAT area in the middle-aged obese individuals.Urinary aldosterone is also negatively correlated with age.

Coefficient factor for graft weight estimation from preoperative computed tomography volumetry in living donor liver transplantation.

In the clinical setting of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), it is common to find a discrepancy between the graft volume estimated by preoperative computed tomography volumetry and the actual graft weight (AGW) measured on the back-table. In this study, we attempt to find the coefficient factor that correlates the estimated graft volume to the AGW. Whole livers explanted in 25 LDLT recipients (17 cirrhotic and 8 morphologically normal with familial amyloid polyneuropathy) were evaluated to compare cirrhotic livers and noncirrhotic normal livers. In addition, right lobe grafts (n = 39) and left lobe grafts (n = 35) used in LDLTs were also evaluated to further determine the correlation between estimated graft volume and AGW. The correlation coefficient between estimated liver volume and actual liver weight was 1.01 in whole cirrhotic livers, whereas it was 0.85 in whole livers with familial amyloid polyneuropathy. In the partial liver grafts, it was 0.84 in right lobe grafts and 0.85 in left lobe grafts. In conclusion, we suggest that a correlation coefficient of 0.85 should be applied for the accurate calculation of the graft weight from the volume estimated by preoperative computed tomography in LDLT.

Heat shock treatment with mild electrical stimulation safely reduced inflammatory markers in healthy male subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity induces chronic inflammation, which contributes to the development and progression of insulin resistance, diabetes and atherosclerosis. We have recently shown that induction of heat shock protein 72 by mild electric current and thermo (MET) treatment in mouse model of type 2 diabetes ameliorated glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance accompanied by reduced adiposity. For clinical application of MET, we confirmed its safety in healthy subjects. METHODS: MET was applied for 10 healthy Japanese male (12 V, 55 pulses/s, 30 min at 42 °C) twice a week for 8 weeks. Fat volume was measured by CT scan and several parameters were investigated. RESULTS: MET did not induce any adverse effects nor muscle contraction/pain. There were no significant alterations in glucose homeostasis or insulin resistance. Visceral and subcutaneous fat volume showed a trend of decrease without significant difference (-3.9% and -4.3%, respectively), which were restored 8 weeks after withdrawal of MET. Interestingly, serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α: 0.91 ± 0.05 pg/mL vs. 0.67 ± 0.06 pg/mL; p = 0.006) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP: 521.9 ± 73.9 ng/mL vs. 270.8 ± 43.7 ng/mL; p = 0.023) levels, both of which are associated with chronic inflammation, were significantly decreased. CONCLUSION: MET may be beneficial for the reduction of an inflammatory response observed in diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Preoperative prediction of poorly differentiated components in small-sized hepatocellular carcinoma for safe local ablation therapy.

BACKGROUND: Poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a malignant potential such as frequent microvascular invasion even if the tumor is smaller than 3 cm in diameter. The aim of this study was to clarify the preoperative predictors of poorly differentiated HCC for safe local ablation therapy. METHODS: Sixty-six patients underwent a hepatic resection for solitary small-sized HCC (

Differentiation of common large sellar-suprasellar masses effect of artificial neural network on radiologists' diagnosis performance.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: When pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, and Rathke's cleft cyst grow in the sellar and suprasellar region, it is often difficult to differentiate among these three lesions on magnetic resonance (MR) images. The purpose of this study was to apply an artificial neural network (ANN) for differential diagnosis among these three lesions with MR images and retrospectively evaluate the effect of ANN output on radiologists' performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with sellar-suprasellar masses were studied. The ANN was designed to differentiate among pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, and Rathke's cleft cyst by using patients' ages and nine MR image findings obtained by three neuroradiologists using a subjective rating scale. In the observer performance test, MR images were viewed by nine radiologists, including four neuroradiologists and five general radiologists, first without and then with ANN output. The radiologists' performance was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic analysis with a continuous rating scale. RESULTS: The ANN showed high performance in differentiation among the three lesions (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, 0.990). The average area under the curve for all radiologists for differentiation among the three lesions increased significantly from 0.910 to 0.985 (P = .0024) when they used the computer output. Areas under the curves for the general radiologists and neuroradiologists increased from 0.876 to 0.983 (P = .0083) and from 0.952 to 0.989 (P = .038), respectively. CONCLUSION: In diagnostic performance for differentiation among pituitary macroadenoma, craniopharyngioma, and Rathke's cleft cyst with MR imaging, the ANN resulted in parity between neuroradiologists and general radiologists.

Radiation dose reduction in hepatic multidetector computed tomography with a novel adaptive noise reduction filter.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to optimize a novel adaptive noise reduction filter based on patient body weight and to investigate its utility for improving the image quality of low-dose hepatic computed tomography (CT) scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The tube current-time product was changed from 140 to 180 and from 60 to 100 mAs at standard- and low-dose CT, respectively, based on the body weights of 45 patients. Unenhanced and two-phase contrast-enhanced helical scans were obtained at the standard dose during the hepatic arterial and equilibrium phases. During the equilibrium phase, we obtained low-dose scans of the liver immediately after standard-dose scans. The low-dose CT images were postprocessed with the filter. Two radiologists visually evaluated artifacts in the liver parenchyma and its graininess, the sharpness of the liver contour, tumor conspicuity, homogeneity of the enhancement of the portal vein, and overall image quality. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between standard and filtered low-dose images with respect to artifacts in the liver, the graininess of the liver parenchyma, tumor conspicuity, homogeneity of enhancement of the portal vein, or overall image quality. CONCLUSION: The adaptive noise reduction filter effectively reduced image noise. We confirmed the effectiveness of the filter by examining clinical hepatic images obtained at low-dose CT.

Contrast injection protocols for coronary computed tomography angiography using a 64-detector scanner: comparison between patient weight-adjusted- and fixed iodine-dose protocols.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient-weight-adjusted and fixed iodine-dose protocols at coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) using a 64-detector scanner and computer-assisted bolus tracking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Approval from our institutional review board and patient prior informed consent were obtained before entering 60 patients with suspected coronary disease in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to one of 2 protocols. In the fixed iodine-dose protocol, they received a fixed dose of 80 mL Iopamidol-370; the injection duration was 20 seconds. In the weight-adjusted iodine-dose protocol, the dose was tailored to the patient body weight; this group received 1.0 mL/kg and the injection duration was shorter, ie, 15 seconds. Imaging was on a 64-detector CT scanner using a computer-assisted bolus tracking technique. A radiologist blinded to the protocol used measured the Hounsfield density number of the large vessels and coronary arteries. CT attenuation in the aortic root was compared in patients whose weight was less than 58 kg (group 1) or 58 kg or more (group 2). The standard deviation (SD) of CT attenuation in the aortic root and the myocardium was compared with evaluate image noise. Using a 3-point scale, 2 radiologists independently evaluated beam-hardening artifacts and coronary enhancement. Statistical analysis was with the two-tailed Student t test and the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the protocols with respect to CT attenuation of the ascending aorta and coronary arteries. Under the fixed-iodine-dose protocol, mean CT attenuation in the aortic root was 421.3 +/- 51.5 Hounsfield unit (HU) in the lighter-, and 397.2 +/- 42.3 HU in the heavier weight group, respectively; the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.03). Under the weight-adjusted iodine-dose protocol, these values were 407.6 +/- 85.1 and 409.2 +/- 47.9 HU, respectively and the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.17). The SD of the ascending aorta and myocardium was significantly higher for the fixed- than the weight-adjusted iodine-dose protocol. The mean visual score for beam-hardening artifacts was significantly lower in the weight-adjusted- than the fixed-iodine-dose protocol (P < 0.01), however, there was no significant difference in the enhancement of the coronary arteries (P = 0.82). CONCLUSION: At 64-detector CTA of the heart, the patient weight-tailored dose protocol with the 15-second injection duration yielded significantly better image quality than the fixed-dose, 20-second injection duration protocol.

Detection of early enhancement of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma using single breath-hold 3D pixel shift dynamic subtraction MDCT.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of single breath-hold dynamic subtraction MDCT of the liver on the performance of radiologists in detecting focal enhancement during the hepatic arterial phase. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 40 patients: 22 had hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and 18 were without liver tumors. We obtained four-phase contrast-enhanced scans using a 16-MDCT unit. The section thickness and interval were 2 and 0.5 mm, respectively. Scanning for the first through fourth scans was started 10, 35, 70, and 180 seconds after the inception of contrast injection, respectively. Scanning for the first and second phase was within a single breath-hold. We subtracted the first-phase images from the second-phase images using software developed in-house. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with a continuous rating scale from 1 to 100 to compare observer performance in the detection of focal enhancement on second-phase images. Eight radiologists participated in the observer performance test, and their performances with unenhanced and contrast-enhanced original images were compared with their performances using contrast-enhanced subtracted images. RESULTS: For the eight observers, the mean area under the best-fit ROC curve (A(z)) values without and with the subtracted images were 0.86 +/- 0.05 (SD) and 0.91 +/- 0.03, respectively. The difference was significant (p < 0.01, two-tailed paired Student's t test). CONCLUSION: The display of subtracted images significantly improved the diagnostic performance of radiologists in the detection of focal enhancement during the hepatic arterial phase (p < 0.01).

Pancreas: patient body weight tailored contrast material injection protocol versus fixed dose protocol at dynamic CT.

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare the effect of a protocol with a fixed contrast material injection dose and one with a dose tailored to patient body weight on pancreatic enhancement at dynamic computed tomography (CT) of the pancreas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional review board, and patients gave informed consent. Seventy-eight patients suspected of having pancreatic tumor were randomly assigned to one of two protocols (39 patients in each protocol). In protocol 1, a fixed contrast material dose (120 mL of iohexol 300) was delivered at an injection rate of 4.0 mL/sec; in protocol 2, a dose tailored to the patient's body weight (2.0 mL/kg) was injected over the course of 30 seconds. Scans were started 25, 45 (pancreatic parenchymal phase [PPP]), and 70 (portal venous phase [PVP]) seconds after the initiation of contrast material injection. Pancreatic enhancement during the PPP and hepatic enhancement during the PVP were compared by using the Student t test in patients whose body weight was less than 60 kg (group A) or 60 kg or greater (group B). A radiologist who was blinded to the injection protocol used measured the CT number of each organ. RESULTS: With protocol 1, mean pancreatic enhancement during the PPP was 94.1 HU in group A and 76.1 HU in group B; the difference was statistically significant (P = .02). With protocol 2, mean pancreatic enhancement was 89.5 HU in group A and 84.7 HU in group B; there was no significant difference (P = .45). Mean hepatic enhancement with protocol 1 during the PVP was 59.6 HU in group A and 48.5 HU in group B (P < .01); with protocol 2, it was 55.4 HU in group A and 58.3 HU in group B. The difference was not statistically significant (P = .34). CONCLUSION: The dose protocol tailored to the patient's body weight yielded satisfactory pancreatic and hepatic enhancement irrespective of patient weight.

Positional lumbar imaging using a positional device in a horizontally open-configuration MR unit - initial experience.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether positional MR images of the lumbar spine, obtained with a horizontally open-configuration MR unit, demonstrate positional changes of the dural sac, and to assess whether there are significant differences in positional changes between healthy volunteers and patients with chronic low back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 15 patients with chronic low back pain and 14 healthy volunteers. MR images were obtained using a horizontally open-configuration 0.4-T MR unit. After conventional lumbar MR examinations, images were obtained in the flexion, neutral, and extension positions, using a positioning device. The anteroposterior diameter of the dural sac at the level of each lumbar disk was measured in the three positions and quantitative data were compared. RESULTS: Our MR protocol was tolerated by all patients. In both patients and volunteers, the mean anteroposterior diameter of the dural sac was smaller in the extension positions than in the flexion positions. In the mean rate of change (RC) in the dural sac diameter at the site of the degenerated disks, the difference between the volunteers and patients was significant (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean RC between patients and volunteers without degenerative disks. CONCLUSION: Using a horizontally open-configuration MR unit, positional MR imaging provided position-dependent change of the dural sac. Positional changes at the site of the degenerated disks may be different in patients with and without chronic low back pain.

Optimal dose and injection duration (injection rate) of contrast material for depiction of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas by multidetector CT.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal dose and injection duration of contrast material (CM) for depicting hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) during the hepatic arterial phase with multidetector row computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 71 patients with hypervascular HCCs. After unenhanced scans, the first (early arterial phase, or EAP), second (late arterial phase, or LAP), and third (equilibrium phase) scanning was started at 30, 43, and 180 s after injection of contrast material (CM). During a 33-s period, patients with a body weight < or =50 kg received 100 ml of non-ionic CM with an iodine concentration of 300 mg I/ml; patients whose body weight was >50 kg received 100 ml of CM with an iodine concentration of 370 mg I/ml. First, we measured enhancement in the abdominal aorta and tumor-to-liver contrast (TLC) during the EAP and LAP. Next, to investigate the relation between aortic enhancement and TLC during the LAP, two radiologists visually assessed the conspicuity of hypervascular HCCs during the LAP using a 3-point scale: grade 1, poor; grade 2, fair; grade 3, excellent. Finally, to examine the effect of the CM dose and injection duration on aortic enhancement during the EAP, we simulated aortic enhancement curves using test bolus data obtained for 10 HCC patients and the method of Fleischmann and Hittmair. RESULTS: A relatively strong correlation was observed between aortic enhancement during the EAP and TLC during the LAP (correlation coefficient r = 0.75, P < 0.001). The 95% confidence intervals for the population mean for aortic enhancement during EAP in patients with tumor conspicuity grades of 1, 2, and 3 were 188.5, 222.4; 228.8, 259.3; and 280.2, 322.5 HU (Hounsfield Unit), respectively. Thus, we considered the lower limit of the aortic enhancement value for excellent depiction of HCCs during EAP to be 280 HU. To achieve an aortic enhancement value of >280 HU for aortic enhancement simulations during EAP, the injection duration should be <25 s for patients receiving a CM dose of 1.7 ml/kg with 300 mg I/ml iodine and <30 s for those receiving 2.0 ml/kg. CONCLUSIONS: For excellent depiction of hypervascular HCCs during the hepatic arterial phase, the injection duration should be <25 s in patients receiving a CM dose of 1.7 ml/kg with 300 mg I/ml iodine and <30 s for patients receiving 2.0 ml/kg.

Multidetector CT findings suggesting a perforation site in the gastrointestinal tract: analysis in surgically confirmed 155 patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate how accurately we could diagnose the level of gastrointestinal (GI) tract perforation using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 155 patients with surgically confirmed GI tract perforation. MDCT scans were obtained with eight-detector CT; 5 mm thick axial images and 2.5 mm thick coronal multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images were generated for all patients. Contrast enhancement was performed in 44 of the 155 patients. Two board-certified radiologists reviewed the images for direct findings (free air, ruptured GI tract wall) and indirect findings (inflammatory changes, fluid collection, focal thickening of the GI tract wall) and attempted to identify the perforation site in each patient. RESULTS: Free air was seen in more than 95% of the patients with perforation at sites other than the appendix; free air was seen in 44% of patients with appendicitis. On contrast-enhanced CT performed in 44 patients, rupture of the wall of the GI tract was directly visualized in 14 (32%) on axial images only and in 23 (52%) on axial or MPR images, respectively. The perforation site was correctly diagnosed in 90% of the patients when the radiologists referred to both direct and indirect findings. CONCLUSION: MDCT was valuable for identifying the presence and level of GI tract perforation.

Hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas: bolus tracking with a 40-detector CT scanner to time arterial phase imaging.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively bolus tracking to time hepatic arterial phase (HAP) imaging of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with a 40-detector computed tomographic (CT) scanner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study received institutional review board approval; informed consent was obtained. The study included 192 patients (123 men, 69 women; mean age, 67.6 years) with known or suspected HCC who underwent dynamic CT, including HAP scanning; CT depicted 111 hypervascular HCCs in 72 patients. Scanning was performed with a 40-detector CT scanner, and bolus tracking was used to time the start of HAP imaging. Patients were randomly assigned to five protocols; HAP scanning was started at a specified interval after trigger threshold was reached: 9 seconds (protocol A), 12 seconds (protocol B), 15 seconds (protocol C), 18 seconds (protocol D), or 21 seconds (protocol E). Trigger threshold level was set at 100 HU above aortic baseline CT number. Enhancement values in the aorta and the tumor-liver contrast (TLC) were measured. Dunnett multiple comparisons were performed to compare enhancement values among the five protocols. RESULTS: Mean scanning time for the whole liver was 2.1 seconds. Mean enhancement value of the aorta in protocols A, B, C, D, and E were 284.3 HU +/- 54.7, 293.8 HU +/- 51.0, 308.7 HU +/- 55.9, 291.5 HU +/- 42.2, and 235.5 HU +/- 51.2, respectively. Aortic enhancement was significantly lower in protocol E than in protocol A (P < .01); there was no significant difference between protocols A and B, A and C, and A and D. Mean TLCs in protocols A, B, C, D, and E were 23.4 HU +/- 7.6, 35.5 HU +/- 14.0, 36.2 HU +/- 6.8, 47.2 HU +/- 19.2, and 35.1 HU +/- 15.8, respectively. A significant difference was found only between protocols A and D (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Peak TLC during the HAP occurred 18 seconds after triggering.

Prediction of aortic peak enhancement in monophasic contrast injection protocols at multidetector CT: phantom and patient studies.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to predict aortic peak enhancement (APE) from the contrast dose and injection rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We first undertook an experimental study using a flow phantom that simulates the human circulation. We delivered 90-150 ml of iomeprol-350 at various injection rates and measured the APE values of the simulated aorta. In our clinical study we randomized 20 patients into four groups. In groups A, B, and C the iodine dose per kilogram of body weight (BW) ranged from 450 to 600 mg, and the injection duration was fixed at 30 s; group D received 450 mg/kg over 25 s. We then measured APE in all patients at the whole aorta, averaged the three highest values, and took the result as APE. RESULTS: In the phantom study, the decision coefficient for the best-fit equation obtained by multiple regression analysis of the relation between the iodine dose and injection rate and the simulated APE was high (0.93). In the patient study, the predicted APE values almost corresponded with the averaged APE values when we applied the fitness equation. CONCLUSION: Using our fitness equation, APE on contrast-enhanced computed tomography can be predicted from the iodine dose and the contrast injection rate per patient weight.

Lower tube voltage reduces contrast material and radiation doses on 16-MDCT aortography.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to compare aortic CT angiography performed at a low tube voltage and reduced dose of contrast material with standard-voltage, standard-contrast-dose CT angiography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 74 patients for aortic disease on MDCT angiography (collimation, 16 x 1.5 mm; beam pitch, 0.9). In 36 patients, we used the standard tube voltage (120 kVp) and a contrast dose of 100 mL (300 mg I/mL) (protocol 1), and in the remaining 38 patients we applied a reduced tube voltage (90 kVp) and a contrast dose of 40 mL (300 mg I/mL) (protocol 2). The patients' weights, CT attenuation of the aorta, visualization of the celiac axis and renal artery, and graininess and streak artifacts on transverse CT scans were evaluated and recorded for each data set. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were also measured. For statistical analysis, we used the two-tailed Student's t test and logistic regression; agreement between measurements recorded independently by two blinded reviewers was assessed using Cohen kappa statistics. RESULTS: In both protocols a negative correlation was seen between patient weight and CT attenuation. In three protocol 1 patients weighing more than 70 kg, CT attenuation was less than 200 H. No difference was seen between the two protocols with respect to mean attenuation of the aorta (p = 0.13) or visualization of the celiac axis and renal artery (p = 0.35 and 0.60, respectively). Although the SNR and CNR were significantly higher in protocol 1 than in protocol 2, qualitative evaluation of graininess and streak artifacts showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.15 and 0.48, respectively). Interobserver agreement for quality assessments was within an acceptable range (kappa = 0.42-0.80). CONCLUSION: Low-contrast and low-voltage scans are appropriate for lighter patients (< 70 kg in body weight) with aortic disease. Moreover, this method is particularly valuable for follow-up studies of heavier patients (> 70 kg) with renal dysfunction.

Mass screening for prostate cancer in patients with end-stage renal disease: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), as although serum PSA is effective in the early detection of this cancer in the general population, there are few reports of its utility in patients with ESRD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples were obtained for PSA screening from April 2002 to September 2003; 1250 men with ESRD aged >50 years were compared with 1007 healthy control men aged >55 years, all in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. All men with a serum PSA level of >4.0 ng/mL were categorized as PSA-positive and were further assessed, including a prostate biopsy. RESULTS: There was a statistically significantly greater increase in PSA level with age in the ESRD group than in the healthy controls. The rate of cancer detection among men with a PSA level of >10 ng/mL was significantly higher in patients with ESRD than in healthy controls. Thirteen patients with ESRD and five healthy control men were finally diagnosed with prostate cancer. CONCLUSION: The serum PSA level was slightly higher and the incidence of prostate cancer at higher PSA levels appeared to be greater in men with ESRD than in healthy controls. The findings of this large study suggest that PSA screening is useful for the diagnosis of prostate cancer in these patients.

Ectopic cervical thymus in an infant.

We report a case of accessory cervical thymus presenting as a unilateral neck mass in a 2-month-old boy. Ultrasonography (US) showed a mass isoechogenic to muscle in the left neck. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a well-defined, mildly enhanced mass located anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, anterolateral to the carotid sheath, and posterior to the submandibular gland. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the mass was isointense to muscle on T1-weighted images and hyperintense to muscle on T2-weighted images. Diffusion-weighted images showed relatively low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, and the mass was slightly enhanced after administration of contrast material. We suspected ectopic thymus, but we could not exclude the possibility of a malignant lesion. Therefore, the tumor was surgically resected. The histological diagnosis was ectopic cervical thymus. Ectopic thymus should be included in the differential diagnosis of a submandibular or cervical mass in infants. US and MRI can provide useful information for the diagnosis of ectopic cervical thymus.