ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Urinary Tract Infection-Child: 2023 Update.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a frequent infection in childhood. The diagnosis is usually made by history and physical examination and confirmed by urine analysis. Cystitis is infection or inflammation confined to the bladder, whereas pyelonephritis is infection or inflammation of kidneys. Pyelonephritis can cause renal scarring, which is the most severe long-term sequela of UTI and can lead to accelerated nephrosclerosis, leading to hypertension and chronic renal failure. The role of imaging is to guide treatment by identifying patients who are at high risk to develop recurrent UTIs or renal scarring. This document provides initial imaging guidelines for children presenting with first febrile UTI with appropriate response to medical management, atypical or recurrent febrile UTI, and follow-up imaging for children with established vesicoureteral reflux. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where peer reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Imaging of pediatric pancreas tumors: A COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Paper.

Primary pancreatic tumors in children are rare with an overall age-adjusted incidence of 0.018 new cases per 100,000 pediatric patients. The most prevalent histologic type is the solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, followed by pancreatoblastoma. This paper describes relevant imaging modalities and presents consensus-based recommendations for imaging at diagnosis and follow-up.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Osteomyelitis or Septic Arthritis-Child (Excluding Axial Skeleton).

Imaging plays an integral role in the evaluation of suspected musculoskeletal infections in children, not only in the accurate identification of infection such as osteomyelitis or septic arthritis, but also in guiding management. Various diagnostic modalities serve different purposes in the assessment of suspected pediatric musculoskeletal infections. The purpose of this document is to provide imaging guidance in the most frequently encountered clinical scenarios in which osteomyelitis and/or septic arthritis are suspected, outside of the axial skeleton. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Crohn Disease-Child.

Crohn disease is an inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with episodes of exacerbation and remission occurring in children, adolescents, and adults. Crohn disease diagnosis and treatment depend upon a combination of clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, histological, and imaging findings. Appropriate use of imaging provides critical information in the settings of diagnosis, assessment of acute symptoms, disease surveillance, and therapy monitoring. Four variants are discussed. The first variant discusses the initial imaging for suspected Crohn disease before established diagnosis. The second variant pertains to appropriateness of imaging modalities during suspected acute exacerbation. The third variant is a substantial discussion of recommendations related to disease surveillance and monitoring of Crohn disease. Finally, panel recommendations and discussion of perianal fistulizing disease imaging completes the document. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Antenatal Hydronephrosis-Infant.

Antenatal hydronephrosis is the most frequent urinary tract anomaly detected on prenatal ultrasonography. It occurs approximately twice as often in males as in females. Most antenatal hydronephrosis is transient with little long-term significance, and few children with antenatal hydronephrosis will have significant obstruction, develop symptoms or complications, and require surgery. Some children will be diagnosed with more serious conditions, such as posterior urethral valves. Early detection of obstructive uropathy is necessary to mitigate the potential morbidity from loss of renal function. Imaging is an integral part of screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of children with antenatal hydronephrosis. Optimal timing and appropriate use of imaging can reduce the incidence of late diagnoses and prevent renal scarring and other complications. In general, follow-up neonatal ultrasound is recommended for all cases of antenatal hydronephrosis, while further imaging, including voiding cystourethrography and nuclear scintigraphy, is recommended for moderate or severe cases, or when renal parenchymal or bladder wall abnormalities are suspected. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Vomiting in Infants.

Vomiting in infants under the age of 3 months is one of the most common reasons for parents to seek care from their doctor or present to an emergency room. The imaging workup that ensues is dependent on several factors: age at onset, days versus weeks after birth, quality of emesis, bilious or nonbilious vomiting, and the initial findings on plain radiograph, suspected proximal versus distal bowel obstruction. The purpose of these guidelines is to inform the clinician, based on current evidence, what is the next highest yield and most appropriate imaging study to pursue a diagnosis. The goal is rapid and accurate arrival at a plan for treatment, whether surgical or nonsurgical. The following modalities are discussed for each variant of the symptom: plain radiography, fluoroscopic upper gastrointestinal series, fluoroscopic contrast enema, ultrasound of the abdomen, nuclear medicine gastroesophageal reflux scan. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Pneumonia in the Immunocompetent Child.

Pneumonia is one of the most common acute infections and the single greatest infectious cause of death in children worldwide. In uncomplicated, community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent patients, the diagnosis is clinical and imaging has no role. The first role of imaging is to identify complications associated with pneumonia such as pleural effusion, pulmonary abscess, and bronchopleural fistula. Radiographs are recommended for screening for these complications and ultrasound and CT are recommended for confirmation. The second role of imaging is to identify underlying anatomic conditions that may predispose patients to recurrent pneumonia. CT with intravenously administered contrast is recommended for this evaluation. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Advances in Diagnostic Imaging in Pediatric Gastroenterology.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose is to provide a review of cross-sectional imaging updates in the assessment of gastrointestinal diseases, relevant to clinical practice and research. RECENT FINDINGS: New magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents (Eovist) are taken up by hepatocytes and excreted via the biliary tree. As such, a lesion will retain contrast only if hepatocytes are present, which aids in refining the differential diagnosis. Magnetic resonance enterography is a method for non-invasively diagnosing and following various GI conditions, predominantly inflammatory bowel disease. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound uses gas-filled microbubbles providing superb temporal resolution most notably in the arterial phase, which aids in differentiating lesions. Elastography is a new technique which assesses stiffness of liver for evaluating fibrosis. These new techniques provide more accurate diagnoses and information, often limiting ionizing radiation exposure from other modalities. While ultrasound will still remain the initial imaging modality, familiarity with these other options is valuable for appropriate pathology workup.

Use of Eovist in Pediatric Patients: Pearls and Pitfalls.

Magnetic resonance imaging is excellent at characterizing pediatric hepatobiliary pathology. Noncontrast MRI is helpful due to T2 hyperintensity associated with bile, but contrast enhancement offers additional means of lesional characterization. In particular, hepatocyte-specific contrast agents such as gadoxetate disodium (Eovist) exhibit partial hepatobiliary excretion which may be leveraged in these contexts. In this review, we will discuss gadoxetate disodium usage, including a sample-imaging protocol, and demonstrate applications and limitations in the pediatric population.

Spaced radiology: encouraging durable memory using spaced testing in pediatric radiology.

Applied memory research in the field of cognitive and educational psychology has generated a large body of data to support the use of spacing and testing to promote long-term or durable memory. Despite the consensus of this scientific community, most learners, including radiology residents, do not utilize these tools for learning new information. We present a discussion of these parallel and synergistic learning techniques and their incorporation into a software platform, called Spaced Radiology, which we created for teaching radiology residents. Specifically, this software uses these evidence-based strategies to teach pediatric radiology through a flashcard deck system.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip-Child.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the most common hip pathology in infants. Although its exact pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, its long-term prognosis depends not only on the severity of the dysphasia, but also on the timely implementation of appropriate treatment. Unrecognized and untreated hip subluxations and dislocations inevitably lead to early joint degeneration while overtreatment can produce iatrogenic complications, including avascular necrosis of the femoral head. In the past two decades, imaging has become an integral part of the clinical screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of children with DDH. Optimal timing for imaging and appropriate use of imaging can reduce the incidence of late diagnoses and prevent iatrogenic complications. In general, ultrasound of the hips is recommended in infants under the age of 4 months while pelvic radiography is recommended in older infants due to the fact that the femoral head ossific nucleus typically is not formed until 4 to 6 months of age. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Cerebral autoregulation in premature infants during the first 96 hours of life and relationship to adverse outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that impaired cerebral autoregulation (ICA) increases the susceptibility of premature infants to adverse outcomes, we determined the relationship of ICA and cerebral reactivity (CR) measured in the first 96 hours of life to the outcome of grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and/or death within 1 month. SETTING: Single-centre level IV neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Neonates 24-29 weeks' gestation less than 12 hours old with invasive blood pressure monitoring. DESIGN: Cerebral saturations and mean arterial blood pressure were recorded every 30 s for 96 hours. For each 10 min epoch, the correlation coefficient (r) was calculated for mean arterial blood pressure versus cerebral saturations. The epoch was considered to have ICA if r>0.5 and CR if r<0. RESULTS: Sixty-one subjects were included. During the first 96 hours, ICA occurred 17.6% and CR occurred 41% of recorded time. In those without adverse outcomes, ICA decreased and CR increased by postnatal day (p<0.05). Adjusted for birth weight and gestational age, those with IVH and those who died spent more time with ICA and less time with CR (p<0.05) over the entire recording period. Those with IVH had 1.5-fold increase in time with ICA on day 2 (p=0.021), and decrease in time with CR on day 3 (p=0.036). Compared with survivors, non-survivors spent more time with ICA on days 3 and 4 (p<0.005), and less with CR on day 3 (p=0.032). CONCLUSION: ICA and CR vary by postnatal day and these patterns are associated with adverse outcomes.

Is the Scout Out? The Utility of Scout Radiographs in the Pediatric Upper Gastrointestinal Examination.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to demonstrate the scout radiograph does not change patient management, alter planning, or contribute to interpretation of the outpatient pediatric upper gastrointestinal fluoroscopic examination (UGI). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 197 outpatient pediatric UGIs performed over a 2-year period. We performed a chart review on all patients to evaluate for potentially clinically significant findings on the scout radiograph. Scout findings were categorized into 4 groups: no new clinically significant findings (group 1), potentially clinically significant findings that were not directly addressed in the electronic medical record (group 2), incidental non-gastrointestinal (GI) findings that necessitated further workup, however, were later deemed insignificant (group 3), and clinically significant findings that changed patient GI management, altered the planning of the procedure, or contributed to the interpretation of the fluoroscopic study (group 4). RESULTS: A total of 197 UGIs were analyzed. A significant majority of cases (97.0%) were classified into group 1. Three cases (1.5%) were classified into group 2 with findings not addressed in the medical record. Two cases (1.0%) were classified into group 3, which, after further workup, were deemed not clinically significant. One case (0.5%) was classified into group 4, which resulted in a change in patient GI management. CONCLUSIONS: In our review, there was only 1 case in which the scout radiograph changed patient GI management, with moderate stool burden leading to a miralax cleanout, although there were no cases, which altered the planning of the procedure or contributed to the interpretation of the study. The scout radiograph can be omitted and/or substituted with the last image hold function to decrease radiation exposure.

Pediatric Osteochondral Lesions.

Osteochondral lesions are common in children and may arise from a variety of etiologies. Although they most frequently occur in the knee, other joints may be involved including the ankle and elbow. We describe the typical imaging appearance of osteochondral lesions with a focus on radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging. Assessment of the stability of these lesions is of paramount importance in directing management. As such, we describe staging schemes as well as imaging features differentiating stable from unstable lesions. Finally, we briefly discuss management strategies as they correlate to imaging findings.

Postnatal MRI for CDH: A pictorial review of late-presenting and recurrent diaphragmatic defects.

Late-presenting or recurrent diaphragmatic defects can pose a diagnostic challenge due to varying clinical presentations. Current diagnostic approaches include plain film radiograph for initial assessment, with other imaging modalities such as fluoroscopy, ultrasound, CT and MRI mainly utilized for troubleshooting. As a radiation-free modality, MRI can provide a more definitive diagnosis in particular cases due to its ability to visualize discontinuity of the diaphragm, distinguishing it from eventration. MRI can also accurately characterize hernia contents, defect location and size. We present our MRI technique and review cases of different hernia types with relevant discussion of the imaging findings and correlation with intraoperative findings. MRI can be a useful diagnostic tool in the assessment of late presenting or recurrent diaphragmatic hernias.

Enhancing the Imaging Experience for Pediatric Patients.

The University of Maryland Medical Center's goal was to improve the safety and comfort of pediatric imaging by enhancing the experience for children. Two pediatric radiologists and two child life specialists worked together to create a training program to help guide radiology technologists on how to approach and interact with children undergoing medical imaging. The results of surveys administered to technologists and parents or caregivers helped refine the strategy for both creating training sessions for technologists and reading materials for children and their parents to optimally prepare for the procedures. Training sessions included information on language choices, developmental considerations, comfort techniques, patient- and family-centered care practices, procedural support techniques, and coping styles. Through the implementation of learning sessions and distraction resources for technologists, and the development of preparation books, the imaging experience for pediatric patients at UMMC has improved.

Imaging of pediatric pancreatic neoplasms with radiologic-histopathologic correlation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe the imaging features of pediatric pancreatic tumors with pathologic correlation. Epithelial and nonepithelial lesions are described. Pancreatic imaging protocols, clinical presentation, and management are also detailed. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic neoplasms are rare in children and vary widely between benign and malignant causes and between cystic and solid lesions. Epithelial tumors are most common and include solid pseudopapillary tumor, pancreatoblastoma, islet cell neoplasms, and cystic lesions.

Implementation of 24/7 radiology services in an academic medical centre level 1 trauma centre: impact on trauma resuscitation unit length of stay and economic benefit analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of 24/7 radiology services on trauma resuscitation unit (TRU) length of stay (LOS) for patients with minor trauma and to analyse the economic benefits of such an impact from trauma centre perspective. METHODS: The study was HIPAA compliant and had IRB approval. Data were extracted from hospital and radiology information systems. Inclusion criteria specified patients: (a) with minor trauma (i.e., Injury Severity Score<16 and Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale<4); (b) cross-sectional imaging performed between 12 and 7AM; and (c) admission during 2006 (before 24/7 coverage; comparison group 1) or 2007 (24/7 coverage). Mean, median, standard deviation, and variance for the groups were determined. The theoretical economic benefit achieved with 24/7 radiology coverage was estimated from decreases in TRU LOS for each patient. RESULTS: Totals of 1087 and 1323 patients for 2006 and 2007, respectively, met our selection criteria. Mean TRU LOS decreased from 11.19 to 8.25 h (26%; P<0.001). The median decreased from 10.8 to 7.2 h (33%; P<0.001). The (Q3-Q1) indicator, used as a proxy for variance and spread, decreased from 7.36 to 5.76 h. Theoretical economic benefits from 24/7 radiology coverage were achieved by the product of TRU bed fixed costs with mean decrease in TRU LOS for the calendar year 2007, which equaled $340,069. CONCLUSION: The economic benefits of 24/7 radiology services are related to LOS, which can be shortened by limiting patient discharge delays resulting from report unavailability. This can be a cost-saving replacement for conventional radiology practice when the trauma centre makes appropriate use of vacant TRU beds to realise its opportunity cost.