Opting for conservative management over surgery for neonatal ovarian cysts.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the suitability of conservative management for neonatal ovarian cysts in newborns. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, involving infants diagnosed with neonatal abdominal/pelvic cysts at two separate medical institutions from January 2015 through July 2021. Data collection included clinical characteristics, imaging results, pathological findings, and postnatal outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using the Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: In total, 34 cases of neonatal abdominal/pelvic cystic masses were detected, with mean birth weight of 3401 ± 515 g. Of these, 22 patients underwent postnatal cystectomy/oophorectomy. Pathological assessments revealed 16 uncomplicated cysts, 5 complex cysts, and 1 ovarian cyst with torsion complications. Notably, the cysts' dimensions at the time of surgical intervention had significantly decreased from the initial measurements (p = 0.015). The ROC curve analysis presented an area under the curve of 0.642, indicating moderate accuracy in employing cyst size as a discriminative feature to differentiate complex from simple ovarian cysts. Additionally, a short-term follow-up of nonsurgical cases indicated a 100% resolution rate by 24 months of age (n = 9). CONCLUSION: Given their predominantly benign nature, the majority of neonatal ovarian cysts seem to be amenable to conservative management. This approach remains justified for larger cysts with minimal torsion risk, as well as considering the observed reduction in cyst size at birth, which further supports the case against surgical intervention.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Trauma CT Imaging.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures on the volume, rate, and type of trauma presenting to the emergency department (ED) by using trauma-initiated CT studies to capture patient data. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study comparing patients undergoing CT scans for trauma during the 1st and 2nd lockdown periods compared to corresponding prepandemic months. During two lockdown periods, public places such as restaurants, libraries, parks, and shops across the province were shut down. Government-led messaging advised that people should stay at home and practice social distancing. The rate of trauma-initiated CT scans and the proportion of different types of traumas were compared between time periods. Results: There was no significant difference in overall trauma-initiated CT scans between the prepandemic and pandemic levels. Motor vehicle collision (MVC) cases decreased from 18.2% to 15.6% during the first lockdown period (p = 0.049) and also reduced from 29.1% to 25.2% during the second lockdown period (p = 0.013). Trauma from falls increased from 19.1% to 27.5% (p = 0.036) during the first lockdown, despite no significant change during the 2nd lockdown. Furthermore, the percentage of stab injuries increased from 25.0% to 38.9% while blunt trauma decreased from 68.5% to 54.3% during two lockdowns (p = 0.015). Conclusion: The total number of trauma-initiated CT scans did not significantly decrease during the lockdown periods. Stabbings and falls increased during lockdown periods while MVCs and blunt trauma decreased.

Evaluation of a Flexible 12-Channel Screen-printed Pediatric MRI Coil.

Background Screen-printed MRI coil technology may reduce the need for bulky and heavy housing of coil electronics and may provide a better fit to patient anatomy to improve coil performance. Purpose To assess the performance and caregiver and clinician acceptance of a pediatric-sized screen-printed flexible MRI coil array as compared with conventional coil technology. Materials and Methods A pediatric-sized 12-channel coil array was designed by using a screen-printing process. Element coupling and phantom signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were assessed. Subjects were scanned by using the pediatric printed array between September and November 2017; results were compared with three age- and sex-matched historical control subjects by using a commercial 32-channel cardiac array at 3 T. Caregiver acceptance was assessed by asking nurses, technologists, anesthesiologists, and subjects or parents to rate their coil preference. Diagnostic quality of the images was evaluated by using a Likert scale (5 = high image quality, 1 = nondiagnostic). Image SNR was evaluated and compared. Results Twenty study participants were evaluated with the screen-printed coil (age range, 2 days to 12 years; 11 male and nine female subjects). Loaded pediatric phantom testing yielded similar noise covariance matrices and only slightly degraded SNR for the printed coil as compared with the commercial coil. The caregiver acceptance survey yielded a mean score of 4.1 ± 0.6 (scale: 1, preferred the commercial coil; 5, preferred the printed coil). Diagnostic quality score was 4.5 ± 0.6. Mean image SNR was 54 ± 49 (paraspinal muscle), 78 ± 51 (abdominal wall muscle), and 59 ± 35 (psoas) for the printed coil, as compared with 64 ± 55, 65 ± 48, and 57 ± 43, respectively, for the commercial coil; these SNR differences were not statistically significant (P = .26). Conclusion A flexible screen-printed pediatric MRI receive coil yields adequate signal-to-noise ratio in phantoms and pediatric study participants, with similar image quality but higher preference by subjects and their caregivers when compared with a conventional MRI coil. © RSNA, 2019 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Lamb in this issue.

Evaluation of the interpretation of serial ultrasound examinations in the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis in children: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To assess ultrasound intrascan variability and the potential error rate of serial ultrasounds in the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis in children. METHODS: A retrospective cohort review of imaging results of children having at least 3 serial ultrasound examinations of the same region within a 2-month period. The results were interpreted as either (1) inadequately visualized or (2) the absence or presence of deep venous thrombosis, and were categorized by location. Serial imaging findings then were further categorized based on results and clinical information. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients and 157 vessel segments were included in the study. Deep venous thrombosis was documented in 58 patients. Concordant results were observed in 26 patients (40.1%), clot resolution in 17 patients (26.6%), clot formation in 12 patients (18.8%), and discordant results in 9 patients (14%). Twenty-one of 64 patients (32.8%) had at least 1 vessel inadequately imaged. CONCLUSIONS: The inconsistency of serial ultrasound results in up to 25% of patients calls attention to the potential inaccuracy of ultrasound for diagnosis and follow-up of deep venous thrombosis in children. The high proportion of patients with at least 1 inadequately visualized vessel also highlights the limitation of ultrasound in the diagnosis of pediatric deep venous thrombosis.