Extra credit for disruption: trend of disruption in radiology academic journals.

AIM: To identify the most disruptive publications, which are those that are cited more frequently than their own references, in academic radiology journals and their characteristics, such as the number of authors and relative time to publication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was undertaken to identify the 100 most disruptive publications in the field of radiology. Subsequently, statistical analysis was applied to establish the distribution of disruptive scores of the isolated publications using a non-parametric probability density function. The relation between disruptive scores and citation counts was then determined, with the aid of a correlation coefficient. Finally, data regarding any significant connection between disruption scores and time of publication, number of authors, and study design were examined. RESULTS: Analysing the top 100 papers in increments of 10-year periods showed no significant difference in the distribution of disruption scores over time. No correlation between an article's citation count and disruption score was established. Additionally, no significant relation between the number of authors/study design and disruption scores was identified. CONCLUSION: The disruption score highlights significant impact elements not entirely accounted for by citation count. Its potential benefit in assessing scientific impact should be contemplated.

Bibliometric analysis of manuscript characteristics that influence citations: A comparison of ten major dermatology journals.

BACKGROUND: The number of citations an article receives is a reassuring marker for its influence in the academic world. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to discover characteristics of dermatology articles that may impact their citation. METHODS: This cross-sectional study collected and analyzed articles published between January and June 2013 from ten highest impact dermatology journals. The study included manuscript characteristics i.e. the length of an article, the presence of visual aids, accessibility, originality, and clarity. Citation analysis statistics required multiple tools such as linear regression, point-biserial correlation, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and Kruskal-Wallis to determine the association between these study variables and the number of citations of articles. RESULTS: Of 748 articles included in our study, the number of citations ranged from 0 to 814 (median: 18), with weak positive correlations to the length of manuscript (word count: rs 0.3, p<0.001; pages: rs 0.3, p<0.001). Having a structured abstract (rpb -0.15, p<0.001) and increasing number of references (rs -0.26, p<0.001) showed a negative correlation. Studies originating in North America were associated with higher citations, followed by Europe and Asia (p<0.001). Review articles had a higher number of citations (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the number of words and the number of pages within a dermatology manuscript had the strongest positive correlation for a higher citation count. The results of this study can benefit authors who may improve the citation of their articles by utilizing this bibliometric study when assembling their manuscript.

Influences for Gender Disparity in Academic Neuroradiology.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There has been extensive interest in promoting gender equality within radiology, a predominately male field. In this study, our aim was to quantify gender representation in neuroradiology faculty rankings and determine any related factors that may contribute to any such disparity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the academic and administrative faculty members of neuroradiology divisions for all on-line listed programs in the US and Canada. After excluding programs that did not fulfill our selection criteria, we generated a short list of 85 US and 8 Canadian programs. We found 465 faculty members who met the inclusion criteria for our study. We used Elsevier's SCOPUS for gathering the data pertaining to the publications, H-index, citations, and tenure of the productivity of each faculty member. RESULTS: Gender disparity was insignificant when analyzing academic ranks. There are more men working in neuroimaging relative to women (χ2 = 0.46; P = .79). However, gender disparity was highly significant for leadership positions in neuroradiology (χ2 = 6.76; P = .009). The median H-index was higher among male faculty members (17.5) versus female faculty members (9). Female faculty members have odds of 0.84 compared with male faculty members of having a higher H-index, adjusting for publications, citations, academic ranks, leadership ranks, and interaction between gender and publications and gender and citations (9). CONCLUSIONS: Neuroradiology faculty members follow the same male predominance seen in many other specialties of medicine. In this study, issues such as mentoring, role models, opportunities to engage in leadership/research activities, funding opportunities, and mindfulness regarding research productivity are explored.

Top 50 Landmarks in Sentinel Lymph Node Imaging: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Bibliometric analysis can be utilized to identify the most influential literature and track the trajectory of the research development in a given area. The purpose of this study is to summarize the top 50 most-cited landmarks and to examine the recent advances in the field of sentinel lymph node imaging. Web of Science was searched to create a database of all English language scientific journals. This search was then cross referenced with a similar search term query of Scopus to identify articles that may have been missed on the initial search. Articles were ranked by citation counts and screened by two independent reviewers. Citations for the top 50 papers ranged from 2725 to 163 with a median of 240. 10 papers were cited more than 500 times. The articles were published between 1993 - 2009 across 23 journals. Our study identifies intellectual milestones in Sentinel Lymph Node Imaging research, reflecting on the characteristics and quality of the most highly cited literature, and provides a list of the most influential references related to SLNI.

Utility of CT head in the acute setting: value of contrast and non-contrast studies.

INTRODUCTION: To examine the added diagnostic value of emergent contrast enhanced CT head (CECTH) in patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with acute non-traumatic symptoms referable to the brain, and to assess the financial implications of CECTH in the emergent setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We queried healthcare data for head CTs ordered by our ED between January 2008 and December 2010. Those who presented to the ED with non-traumatic neurologic disturbances were included. All traumatic head injury cases were excluded. Two board certified radiologists with fellowship training who were blinded to patient history and physical findings, independently reviewed all non-contrast computed tomography of the head (NCTH) and CECTH images. CECTH's were read following abnormal NCTH's, and findings were recorded as normal or abnormal. RESULTS: In our investigation, 379 patients-210 (55 %) females and 169 (45 %) males-met the inclusion criteria. Common indications for head CT included: headache 183 (48 %); dizziness 73 (19 %); altered mental status 49 (13 %); and seizure 38 (10 %). The mean age of study subjects was 47 (±29) years. Two hundred sixty-one (69 %) of all patients scanned showed no abnormality. One hundred eighteen (31 %) of 379 patients had abnormal scans. We encountered 1 abnormal CECTH on which NCTH was normal. Cost of CECTH was $465 and NCTH was $385. CONCLUSION: Head CT in ED non-traumatic neurological presentations with CECTH is not generally indicated and represents a calculable cost savings in the management of these patients.

MR imaging of the brachial plexus.

The characterization of brachial plexus (BP) pathology can be perplexing for the radiologist, especially due to varying combination of sensory and motor symptoms depending on the extent of disease and the level of disease process. Localization can be difficult due to inherently complex anatomy of the BP complicated by a variety of benign and malignant disease processes. Infrequently requested imaging of the BP, can be a challenge to both the novice and experienced reader. Invasive methods of diagnosis, such as biopsy, yield variable results and carry the risk of causing permanent sensory and/or motor deficit and may also cause long-term neuralgic pain. The purpose of this article is to provide a straightforward review of BP pathology as seen by conventional magnetic resonance imaging and to illustrate the value of this noninvasive technique in guiding management.

Accuracy of dual-source CT in the characterisation of non-calcified plaque: use of a colour-coded analysis compared with virtual histology intravascular ultrasound.

Non-invasive assessment of plaque volume and composition is important for risk stratification and long-term studies of plaque stabilisation. Our aim was to evaluate dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) and colour-coded analysis in the quantification and classification of coronary atheroma. DSCT and virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (IVUS-VH) were prospectively performed in 14 patients. 22 lesions were compared in terms of plaque volume, maximal per cent vessel stenosis and percentages of fatty, fibrous or calcified components. Plaque characterisation was performed with software that automatically segments luminal or outer vessel boundaries and uses CT attenuation for a colour-coded plaque analysis. Good correlation was found for per cent vessel stenosis in DSCT (53+/-13%) and IVUS (51+/-14%; r(2) = 0.70). Mean volumes for entire plaque and non-calcified atheroma were 68.5+/-33 mm(3) and 56.7+/-30 mm(3), respectively, in DSCT and 60.8+/-29 mm(3) and 55.8+/-26 mm(3), respectively, in IVUS. Mean percentages of fatty, fibrous or calcified components were 28.2+/-6%, 53.2+/-9% and 18.7+/-13%, respectively, in DSCT and 29.9+/-5%, 55.3+/-12% and 14.4+/-9%, respectively, in IVUS-VH. Significant overestimation was present for the entire plaque and the volume of calcified plaque (p = 0.03; p = 0.0004). Although good correlation with IVUS was obtained for the entire plaque (r(2) = 0.76) and non-calcified plaque volume (r(2) = 0.84), correlation proved very poor and insignificant for percentage plaque composition. Interclass correlation coefficients for non-calcified plaque volume and percentages of fatty, fibrous or calcified components were 0.99, 0.99, 0.95 and 0.98, respectively, and intraclass coefficients were 0.98, 0.93, 0.98 and 0.99, respectively. We found that using Hounsfield unit-based analysis, DSCT allows for accurate quantification of non-calcified plaque. Although percentage plaque composition proves highly reproducible, it is not correlated with IVUS-VH.

Transvenous liver biopsy via the femoral vein.

AIM: To study the safety, effectiveness and diagnostic value of transvenous forceps biopsy of the liver in 54 patients with coagulopathy, gross ascites or morbid obesity and suspected liver disease in whom percutaneous liver biopsy was contraindicated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forceps biopsy of the liver via the femoral vein was attempted in 54 adult patients with advanced liver disease of unknown aetiology who had coagulation disorders (41 cases), gross ascites (11 cases) or morbid obesity (two cases). In each patient two to six biopsies (average four) were taken using a radial jaw forceps inserted via the right or left femoral vein. RESULTS: The procedure was successful in 53 cases. Hepatic vein catheterization failed in one patient. Adequate liver tissue for diagnosis was obtained in 84% of cases. One patient developed delayed haemorrhage at 12 h from a capsular leak that was undetected during the biopsy procedure. This patient required blood transfusions and laparotomy to control bleeding. There were no deaths in the 53 patients studied. Transient minor chest and shoulder pain was encountered during sheath insertion into a hepatic vein in 23 patients. Three patients developed a femoral vein haematoma, which resolved with conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: Transvenous liver biopsy via the femoral vein is another safe, effective, simple alternative technique of biopsy when the percutaneous route is contraindicated.

Surgical and radiological significance of variants of Bühler's anastomotic artery: a report of three cases.

Arterial anastomoses between the celiac trunk (CT) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) include three variants. 1) The main anastomosis is the gastroduodenal artery (GDA), which is an important branch of the common hepatic artery and anastomoses with branches of the inferior pancreatic duodenal artery, a branch of the SMA. 2) The dorsal pancreatic artery (DPA) is usually a branch of the splenic artery, which anastomoses with the anterior and posterior pancreaticoduodenal arcades via a right transverse branch of the DPA (Kirk's arcade). 3) A less well known and rarely reported arterial anastomosis between the CT and SMA described by Buhler (1904). Three patients in whom variants of this anastomosis were present on retrospective analysis of three hundred consecutive combined CT and SMA arteriograms are reported. The embryological basis of its development, the surgical and radiological significance of the anastomotic artery are discussed.