A model for faculty mentoring in academic radiology.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this report is to describe the development and implementation of a faculty mentoring program in radiology designed to promote the career development of junior faculty and enhance communication in the department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mentoring program was implemented in five stages: organizational readiness, participant recruitment, mentor matching and orientation, implementation, and evaluation. Evaluations were based on Likert scale ratings and qualitative feedback. A retrospective analysis was also conducted of the annual performance reviews of junior faculty in the areas of research, teaching, patient care, and overall performance. RESULTS: An average of 83% (19 of 23) of the junior faculty participated in the pilot phase of the mentoring program. During five rounds of testing, the median rating (1 indicates not important; 10, extremely important) from responding junior faculty was 10 for overall value of individual mentoring meetings; the median rating for the mentors responding was 8.75. Research and academic development were identified as the areas of greatest importance to the faculty. Research and patient care were most improved as assessed by faculty peers during performance reviews. The schedule of semiannual formal mentoring meetings was reported to be optimal. CONCLUSION: The program was implemented to the satisfaction of junior faculty and mentors, and longitudinal performance suggests positive effects. Issues to be contended with include confidentiality and the time needed for mentoring beyond already saturated schedules. Overall, the authors propose that mentoring programs can be an asset to academic radiology departments and a key factor in maintaining their vitality.

Lung herniation through a postthoracoscopy chest wall defect: demonstration with spiral CT.

The incidence of complications following thoracoscopy is approximately 10%, the most prevalent being prolonged air leak and chest pain. We report two cases of lung herniation through the chest wall defect created by thoracoscopy. Use of the Valsalva maneuver during CT scanning is recommended as a diagnostic imaging method in cases with suspected lung herniation.

Preoperative staging of non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung: imaging methods.

Preoperative tumor staging in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer is important for selecting those patients with localized disease who are likely to benefit from surgical resection. The TNM staging system of the American Joint Committee on Cancer is the most widely accepted and used classification system for preoperative and postoperative staging [1] (Table 1). Small-cell carcinoma has a very different biologic behavior and is classified and treated differently; it will not be discussed in this imaging review. Chest radiography is the preferred initial imaging technique for patients with known or suspected lung cancer because of its availability, low cost, low radiation dose, and sensitivity [2]. CT and MR imaging of the chest and abdomen are often used to stage a known or suspected lung carcinoma. Various nuclear medicine procedures may be used to aid in the staging process and to assess the patient's medical status for surgery, including cardiac and pulmonary function. This article reviews the major imaging techniques that are currently used to stage primary non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung. Although evaluation of distant metastatic disease is highly important in these patients, discussion of the imaging methods used for this purpose is beyond the scope of this article.

Scintigraphic evaluation of clinically silent adrenal masses.

UNLABELLED: We studied 229 patients with abnormal adrenal anatomy depicted by CT who were without biochemical evidence of endocrine dysfunction using the presence of 131I-6 beta-iodomethyl-nor-cholesterol (NP-59) adrenal gland uptake as an index of differential adrenal function in the evaluation of the clinically "silent" adrenal mass lesion. METHODS: NP-59 (1 mCi) was injected intravenously with posterior and lateral abdominal images obtained 5-7 days postinjection. RESULTS: One-hundred and fifty-nine of 185 patients with unilateral adrenal enlargement on CT had scintigraphic evidence that the mass represented a functioning (NP-59 avid) but not hypersecretory, (biochemically normal) adrenal cortical adenoma (concordant imaging pattern). Forty-one of 44 patients with intra-adrenal neoplasms were depicted on scintigraphy as decreased or absent NP-59 accumulation on the side of the adrenal mass (discordant imaging pattern). In this study, sensitivity was 71% (41 of 58 patients; 95% confidence interval (CI), 58% to 88%); specificity was 100% (171 of 171 patients; 95% CI, 95% to 100%) and accuracy was 93% (212 of 229 patients; 95% CI, 88% to 96%). CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm our earlier observations that the functional information depicted by scintigraphy complements the morphological evaluation by CT and in the absence of hormonal dysfunction, the presence of concordant CT and 131I-NP-59 scans are characteristic of functioning, but not hypersecretory, benign adrenocortical adenomas. Conversely, discordant CT and 131I-NP-59 scans are suggestive of nonfunctioning, space-occupying, adrenal lesions.

Dynamic breath-hold multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled MR imaging with gadolinium enhancement for differentiating hepatic hemangiomas from malignancies at 1.5 T.

PURPOSE: To compare the enhancement patterns of focal liver lesions at dynamic breath-hold gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled (SPGR) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with T2 relaxation times in the differentiation of liver hemangiomas from malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with focal liver lesions underwent MR imaging with spin-echo and gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPGR techniques. T2 relaxation times and enhancement patterns were compared for accuracy in liver lesion characterization. RESULTS: Enhancement patterns allowed better characterization of liver lesions than did T2 relaxation times. Only specific patterns of contrast enhancement indicated a hemangioma. Although 18 of the 33 malignancies and 10 of the 12 hemangiomas showed progressive centripetal hyperintense enhancement, only hemangiomas filled in with hyperintense peripheral nodules. Malignancies often filled in with hyperintense thick rinds. CONCLUSION: Gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPGR imaging allows more accurate characterization of liver lesions than does T2 relaxation time.

Interobserver variability in CT and MR staging of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to assess the interobserver variability in staging non-small cell lung cancer using CT and MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of the Radiologic Diagnostic Oncology Group (RDOG) study of lung cancer staging, the CT and MR examinations of 40 patients suspected of having non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma were blindly interpreted by four expert observers. The primary tumor and lymph node stages in the 40 study subjects were similar to the final proportions reported in the RDOG study. Assessed abnormalities included the presence of a lung nodule, chest wall invasion, mediastinal invasion, bronchial involvement, lymph node metastasis in specific node stations, and T and N classifications. Percent agreement and kappa-values were calculated for each of these determinations. RESULTS: Depending on the finding assessed and the method of analysis, average agreement rates ranged from 58 to 90% for CT and from 61 to 96% for MRI. Average kappa-values were largely between 0.40 and 0.60 when dichotomous analysis was used; weighted kappa-values were similar. With a single exception, no significant differences were found for kappa-values calculated for CT and MRI. CONCLUSION: Although interobserver agreement rates are good for determining T and N classification in patients with lung cancer, variability in image interpretation is frequent, even among experienced observers.

Positive bowel contrast agent for MR imaging of the abdomen: phase II and III clinical trials.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of two dose levels of an orally administered ferric ammonium citrate-based contrast agent for bowel enhancement on T1-weighted spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) images in 222 patients with known or suspected abnormality of the upper abdomen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adverse reactions were graded for intensity, frequency, duration, and relationship to the contrast agent. Twelve unblinded readers compared enhanced with unenhanced images; all MR images were evaluated by two independent offsite radiologists in a blinded review. RESULTS: No statistically significant changes in mean vital signs or laboratory values were seen. Forty-eight of 220 patients (22%) reported minor side effects. The readers found increased intraluminal signal intensity and improved contrast enhancement of the gastrointestinal tract and distention and improved signal homogeneity in 101-107 cases (89%-98%) after ingestion; the blinded reviewers' findings were similar. CONCLUSION: The contrast agent provided new or additional radiologic information in 142 patients (64%), specific additional information in a detected abnormality in 46 of 142 patients (32%), and information that changed diagnosis, management, or surgical approach in 22 of 142 patients (15%).

Fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled imaging of the liver: pulse sequence optimization and comparison with spin-echo MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to optimize a new rapid-acquisition MR pulse sequence, called fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled (FMPSPGR) imaging, for breath-hold imaging of the liver and to compare unenhanced and contrast-enhanced FMPSPGR with standard spin-echo imaging in detecting liver tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pulse sequence was optimized at 1.5 T with a healthy volunteer. Various scanning parameters were evaluated, and liver-spleen signal difference/noise measurements were used to estimate lesion contrast-to-noise ratios. We examined 24 patients with hepatic masses using the optimized sequence with spin-echo T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging as well as unenhanced and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced FMPSPGR imaging. The contrast-to-noise ratio for the hepatic tumors was determined for each sequence. Three radiologists who did not know the biopsy or test results reviewed all images for lesion conspicuity, lesion tissue specificity, and overall image quality. RESULTS: A comparison of unenhanced FMPSPGR images with spin-echo T1-weighted images showed a 40% improvement in mean contrast-to-noise ratio and a 70% improvement in liver signal-to-noise ratio for the FMPSPGR images. A comparison of gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced FMPSPGR images with spin-echo T1- and T2-weighted images showed a superior contrast-to-noise ratio for the enhanced FMPSPGR images in 17 (68%) of 25 hepatic lesions, which included all hepatic cysts (n = 3) and all hepatomas (n = 6), and in six of 12 patients with other liver tumors. The results of contrast-to-noise ratio for four patients with hemangiomas were mixed. For the remaining eight lesions, the contrast-to-noise ratio for spin-echo T1- and T2-weighted images predominated in three and five cases, respectively. Contrast-enhanced FMPSPGR images revealed a 40% and 300% increase in contrast-to-noise ratio compared with T2- and T1-weighted images, respectively. All three radiologists preferred the contrast-enhanced FMPSPGR images for overall image quality. For lesion conspicuity and specificity, however, the three radiologists differed, with a preference for the FMPSPGR images in 52%, 80%, and 40% of cases for lesion conspicuity and in 68%, 40%, and 60% of cases for lesion specificity. CONCLUSION: FMPSPGR is a new, ultrafast MR sequence that provides T1-weighted images of the liver during suspended respiration. Contrast-to-noise ratio and liver signal-to-noise ratio are significantly improved over those on conventional spin-echo T1-weighted images. The combination of breath-hold FMPSPGR with gadopentetate dimeglumine is an excellent technique that can be used to rapidly evaluate the liver with superior overall image quality. Contrast-to-noise ratios are generally superior to T2-weighted spin-echo images, making this technique a useful adjunct to conventional spin-echo MR imaging.

Malignant hepatic tumors: P-31 MR spectroscopy with one-dimensional chemical shift imaging.

To determine the clinical feasibility and applicability of phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy and to assess its potential for characterization of human hepatic tissue, one-dimensional chemical shift imaging (CSI) was performed in 37 patients with various malignant hepatic neoplasms (30 metastases from a variety of primary tumors and seven hepatocellular carcinomas) and seven healthy volunteers. Tumors were grouped according to the percentage of the analyzed section that was occupied by tumor: less than 50% (group A) or more than 50% (group B). In group B, all phosphomonoester/beta-adenosine triphosphate ratios were significantly higher than normal (P less than .001). Hepatocellular carcinomas and metastases from various primary neoplasms could not be differentiated on the basis of spectral characteristics and metabolite ratios. Limitations of one-dimensional surface coil CSI prevented separation of spectra of small tumors and tumors deep within the liver parenchyma from spectra of normal liver parenchyma.

Clinical significance of the large adrenal mass.

Current clinical teaching indicates that large (greater than 5 cm in diameter) adrenal masses are often malignant. In a retrospective analysis of patients studied between 1977 and 1988 with computed tomography (CT), adrenal scintigraphy, and when available, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 45 were found to have adrenal masses greater than 5 cm (range 5-19 cm) in diameter. Thirty were benign (16 phaeochromocytomas, six adrenocortical adenomas, four adrenal cysts, two myelolipomas, an adrenal hematoma and a ganglioneuroma). Of 15 malignant masses, there were seven adrenocortical carcinomas, five adrenal metastases and three adrenal lymphomas. With the exception of the adrenal myelolipomas, cysts, and the ganglioneuroma neither CT nor MRI demonstrated sufficient diagnostic specificity to distinguish benign from malignant lesions. Functional scintigraphy with 131I-6-beta-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol for suspected adrenocortical lesions and 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine for suspected phaeochromocytomas frequently provided useful information.

Carcinoma of the prostate: MR images obtained with body coils do not accurately reflect tumor volume.

MR imaging with a body coil is unreliable in directly demonstrating tumor spread through the prostatic capsule. However, the likelihood of extracapsular spread of prostatic cancer rises with increasing tumor volume. The aim of our study was to assess the accuracy of MR with a body coil in diagnosing capsular penetration indirectly via an estimation of prostatic tumor volumes. Twenty-six patients with proved prostatic cancer that was clinically confined to the gland underwent MR imaging before radical prostatectomy and whole-mount pathologic sectioning of the specimen. Twenty of 31 lesions prospectively outlined on the MR images corresponded to cancers outlined on the pathology slides, and tumor volumes were calculated by using a voxel summation technique. On MR, tumor volume was underestimated in 11 of 20 cases and overestimated in nine of 20 cases. Only two of 20 size estimates based on MR findings were within 10% of actual tumor volume. Overlap in MR tumor volumes was significant between lesions with and without capsular penetration at microscopy. Factors contributing to inaccuracies in measurements of tumor volume on MR images included the variable histologic make-up of the tumors. Our results show that, although knowledge of the size of a prostatic lesion is important in predicting the behavior of the tumor, MR imaging with a body coil is not reliable for accurate estimation of tumor volume.

CT and MR imaging in staging non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma: report of the Radiologic Diagnostic Oncology Group.

The accuracies of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT) in determining tumor classification and assessing mediastinal node metastases were compared in a prospective cooperative study of 170 patients with non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. The sensitivity of CT in distinguishing T3-T4 tumors from T0-T2 tumors was 63%; specificity was 84%. These values for MR imaging were not significantly different (56% and 80%). With receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, no difference existed between the accuracies of CT and MR imaging in diagnosis of bronchial involvement or chest wall invasion, but MR imaging was significantly more accurate than CT (P = .047) in diagnosis of mediastinal invasion. Lymph node sampling was performed in 155 patients (642 node stations). Cancerous nodes were found in 14% of stations in 21% of patients. There was no significant difference between the accuracies of CT and MR imaging in detecting mediastinal node metastases (N2 or N3); the sensitivities were 52% and 48%, respectively, and specificities were 69% and 64%. ROC analysis also showed no difference between CT and MR imaging.

Sarcoidosis: abdominal manifestations at CT.

There are few data in the literature on the abdominal manifestations of sarcoidosis at computed tomography (CT). To determine whether differences in nodal distribution and appearance can be reliably used to distinguish between sarcoidosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the authors retrospectively reviewed the abdominal and pelvic CT scans of 16 patients with biopsy-proved sarcoidosis and 20 patients with biopsy-proved NHL. Eleven of the 16 patients with sarcoidosis had abdominal and/or pelvic lymphadenopathy, which was common at all nodal sites except for the retrocrural and pelvic locations. There was a statistically significant lower frequency of retrocrual adenopathy in sarcoidosis than in NHL. Mean nodal size was significantly greater in NHL. Nodes tended to be confluent in NHL and discrete in sarcoidosis. Hepatomegaly was seen in six of the 16 patients (38%) with sarcoidosis and splenomegaly was present in nine of 15 (60%). CT depicted hepatic lesions in only three of eight patients (38%) with biopsy-proved hepatic involvement. Splenic lesions were seen at CT in five of the 15 patients (33%). The authors believe that the overlap in nodal appearance and distribution poses a limitation for use of these criteria in accurate disease characterization.

Three dimensional CT of central lung tumors.

Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) reconstructions and conventional CT were compared with surgical/pathological findings in seven patients with central lung tumors, in order to assess accuracy in predicting the lobectomy/pneumonectomy decision. Although conventional CT surpassed 3D CT in diagnosing bronchial tumor invasion, 3D CT appeared to be better for central arterial invasion. Despite problems due to motion effects, partial volume averaging and the time consuming nature of the reconstruction process, 3D CT is probably useful in this setting and promises to have similar applications throughout the body.

CT-angiographic correlation of collateral venous pathways in isolated splenic vein occlusion: new observations.

The computed tomographic (CT) findings in 18 patients with angiographically proved, isolated splenic vein occlusion (SVO) were retrospectively analyzed. The distribution of venous collateral vessels and the frequency of their occurrence in these patients were then compared with CT findings in 17 patients with proved portal hypertension and normal CT findings in 20 patients. Short gastric and coronary collateral vessels were seen in 61% and 83%, respectively, of patients with SVO and in 71% each in patients with portal hypertension. However, a large gastroepiploic vein was seen only in patients with SVO (11 of 18 patients [61%]). Recanalization of umbilical/paraumbilical veins was seen only in patients with portal hypertension (seven of 17 patients [41%]). Results suggest that collateral vessels in SVO often have a characteristic and distinctive appearance on abdominal CT scans.

The detection of adrenal tumors and hyperplasia in patients with primary aldosteronism: comparison of scintigraphy, CT, and MR imaging.

We retrospectively reviewed the imaging studies in 17 proved cases of primary aldosteronism to determine the value of the procedures used to detect adrenal tumors or adrenal hyperplasia. The procedures included CT with 3-, 5-, and/or 10-mm-thick sections (17 patients), 131I-6 beta-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol (NP-59) scintigraphy (16 patients), and MR imaging (six patients). Proof of the adrenal abnormality was established in cases of tumor (seven adenomas, one carcinoma) by surgery and in cases of adrenal hyperplasia by surgery (three cases); venous sampling (three cases); or combined clinical, biochemical, and imaging data (three cases). Both CT and scintigraphy detected six of the seven adenomas and the adrenal carcinoma (88%). Regarding hyperplasia, CT was correct in five of six and scintigraphy was correct in two of four cases proved by surgery or venous sampling. CT and NP-59 were concordant and suggested the diagnosis of hyperplasia in the remaining three cases without surgical or venous sampling proof. MR detected both cases of adenoma in which it was performed and showed evidence of hyperplasia in one of the four cases of hyperplasia in which it was performed. Although the number of patients in this series is too small to have much statistical power, these results suggest that CT and NP-59 scintigraphy are equivalent in the detection of adrenal abnormalities in patients with primary aldosteronism. The value of MR in the detection of small adrenal contour abnormalities was limited by slice thickness capabilities.

Calculating radiation absorbed dose for pheochromocytoma tumors in 131-I MIBG therapy.

A protocol for calculating radiation absorbed dose to pheochromocytoma tumors during treatment with 131I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is described. The technique calls for (a) obtaining tumor volumes from Computed Tomography and/or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, (b) computing energy absorbed by assuming complete beta-particle absorption and a standard shape for gamma-ray absorption and (c) scaling from tracer to therapy dose rate by the ratio of administered activities. Also a 131I time-activity curve is obtained from planar, Anger-camera, conjugate-view images of the tumor and a known-strength source, both over a series of days. In addition, to correct for any systematic errors in the calculated uptakes, a larger activity of 123I MIBG is administered separately and quantitative Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is undertaken. A known-strength source also undergoes SPECT to calibrate the tomograms. Correction for Compton scattering is accomplished by the dual-energy-window technique. The subtraction fraction was found to be 0.7 for the 1/2" crystal camera and the mean reduction in tumor counts for seven tumors from Compton correction was 0.76. The normalization factor needed to bring the conjugate-view activities into agreement with the SPECT values ranged from 0.74 to 1.06. A test study on an anthropomorphic phantom indicated that the error in resultant activities might be estimated as +/- 13%. Application of the protocol led to the calculation of real, or potential (when decision was finally made to not administer therapy) radiation absorbed dose to seven tumors in three patients from an administration of about 8 GBq of MIBG. For two metastatic tumors in a 19-year old patient who did not have her primary cancer resected, the calculated radiation absorbed dose was 170 and 180 Gy. For the four metastatic deposits evaluated in two older patients, both of whom had their primary tumor surgically removed, the values ranged from 18 to 31 Gy.

Hyperfunctioning and nonhyperfunctioning benign adrenal cortical lesions: characterization and comparison with MR imaging.

The authors evaluated the potential of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 0.35 T to permit differentiation of nine hyperfunctioning adrenal cortical lesions from 21 nonhyperfunctioning adrenal cortical adenomas. Both qualitative data (visual assessment) and quantitative data (signal intensity ratios, T1, and T2) were used for tissue characterization. With a 2,000/56-100 sequence (repetition time msec/echo time msec), the majority of lesions were visually isointense to liver. Of 34 quantitative measures, only lesion-liver and lesion-kidney intensity ratios at 2,000/150 showed statistically significant differences among nonhyperfunctioning adenomas, aldosterone-producing lesions, and corticosteroid-producing lesions; however, the authors question the significance of these differences because of the abundant noise associated with the 2,000/150 sequence. The results suggest that nonhyperfunctioning adrenal cortical adenomas cannot be distinguished from benign hyperfunctioning cortical lesions with use of MR imaging at 0.35 T.