Sphenoid mucopyocele causing bilateral sixth nerve palsy.

Sphenoid mucoceles, although rare, should be considered in patients with headache, visual disorders and eye paralysis. Due to close relationships with the orbit and neuromeningeal structures, early recognition is vital. We report the case of a patient who presented with bilateral abducens nerve palsies. At surgery, she was found to have a mucopyocele; this was drained and she required prolonged intravenous antibiotic therapy due to ongoing symptoms and persistent dural enhancement on imaging. A lesion of sufficient size in the clival area has the potential to cause bilateral abducens nerve palsies, though we believe this is the first time it has been described in relation to a sphenoid mucocele. Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosis, and prompt surgical intervention is essential to avoid serious and permanent complications. The multi-disciplinary team approach is vital-these cases requiring input from ophthalmology, ear nose and throat, microbiology, radiology, neurology and neurosurgery.

Comparison of MRI and CT in the Evaluation of Unilateral Maxillary Sinus Opacification.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRI compared with CT in differentiating neoplastic from infectious/inflammatory causes of complete unilateral maxillary sinus opacification (UMSO). Although MRI is increasingly used, no studies validate its utility compared to CT or nasal endoscopy in this context. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 49 patients presenting with complete UMSO to a tertiary referral centre was performed, investigated with both CT and MRI. Two head and neck radiologists independently reviewed each imaging modality and recorded both a final diagnosis and Likert-scale diagnostic certainty score. A consensus radiological diagnosis was determined, stratified into potentially neoplastic or infectious/inflammatory aetiology, and compared with nasal endoscopy and final diagnosis. Diagnostic performance and interoperator agreement for predicting neoplasia were calculated. RESULTS: Both CT and MRI demonstrated high sensitivity and negative predictive value for neoplasm, although MRI was more specific (79%; 95% CI: 60-92%) than CT (14%; 95% CI: 4-32%), with a higher positive predictive value. MRI was more accurate (88%; 95% CI: 75-95%) than CT (49%; 95% CI: 34-64%) in diagnosing neoplasia. MRI had significantly higher diagnostic certainty Likert scores than CT (p < 0.0001 for both observers). Interobserver agreement was fair for CT (kappa coefficient = 0.327) and excellent for MRI (kappa coefficient = 0.918). CONCLUSIONS: MRI is more specific than CT in characterising UMSO, with greater diagnostic certainty and reproducibility. The additive diagnostic value of MRI complements CT, potentially reducing diagnostic delays in some cases and the need for diagnostic endoscopic sinus surgery in others. We recommend MRI incorporation into the diagnostic pathway for patients with UMSO.

Imaging of IgG4-related disease in the extracranial head and neck.

PURPOSE: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly defined fibro-inflammatory multisystemic condition defined by a triad of diagnostic criteria based on clinical presentation, biochemical and histopathological findings. Whereas some subsites of this disease have been well described in the literature so far (e.g. pancreas, kidneys, retroperitoneum, salivary glands), more recently identified anatomical sites of involvement in the head and neck are less well understood (e.g. nose, paranasal sinuses). METHOD: This pictorial review details the imaging appearances of extracranial IgG4-RD in the Head & Neck. Multimodality imaging appearance and features are presented, with reference to the published literature to date. RESULTS: Following a subsite-based approach, we present both the most common and the more rarely encountered imaging patterns of IgG4-RD in the extracranial head and neck, along with the relevant differential diagnoses to consider. Our institutional experience not only cements what is already known in the existing literature on this topic, but also reveals new imaging features of IgG4-RD, notably in the sinonasal tract. CONCLUSIONS: This pictorial review of extracranial head & neck IgG4-RD will enable radiologists to recognise the features of this condition and propose it as a differential diagnosis to include alongside other probable entities. It establishes the place of the radiologist in the diagnosis and management of IgG4-RD.

British Thyroid Association 2014 classification ultrasound scoring of thyroid nodules in predicting malignancy: Diagnostic performance and inter-observer agreement.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the inter-observer agreement amongst five observers of differing levels of expertise in applying the British Thyroid Association (2014) guidelines for ultrasound scoring of thyroid nodules (BTA-U score) in the management of thyroid cancer, and to assess the U-score diagnostic performance in predicting malignancy. METHOD: A total of 73 consecutive patients were included over a two-year period (July 2012 to July 2014), after referral to a tertiary head and neck oncology centre for ultrasound plus fine needle aspiration and cytology. Our five observers retrospectively and independently reviewed static ultrasound images on PACS and scored the thyroid nodules according to BTA-U classification. The observers were blinded to each other's scoring, cytology and histology results. Either the Kappa-statistic or intra-class correlation was used to assess the level of inter-observer agreement, plus agreement between the radiological and cytological diagnoses. The diagnostic performance of U-scoring for predicting final histological diagnosis was assessed with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. RESULTS: A Kappa-value of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.68-0.77) confirmed substantial inter-observer agreement amongst the five observers. All 17 histology confirmed malignant nodules were correctly classified as potentially malignant by all observers. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of BTA-U score in detecting and predicting malignancy were 100%, whereas the specificity and positive predictive values were 34% and 32%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is good inter-observer agreement in using the BTA-U score amongst different observers at differing levels of expertise. Adhering to BTA-U scoring can potentially achieve 100% sensitivity in selecting malignant nodules for sampling.

Two Cases of Primary Testicular Lymphoma Presenting with Direct Spread along the Spermatic Cord and Gonadal Vessels.

Primary testicular lymphoma is a rare testicular neoplasm that mainly affects elderly patients, with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) being a known risk factor in the younger population. Approximately 20% of patients will have disseminated disease with extra-nodal involvement at clinical presentation. Rarely, direct spread along the spermatic cord and gonadal vessels can occur and has been described in the literature. We present two cases of this phenomenon where the primary testicular tumour has spread along the gonadal vein to its origin at the inferior vena cava.

Evaluation of diffusion-weighted MRI and (18F) fluorothymidine-PET biomarkers for early response assessment in patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI and standardised uptake value (SUV) from fluorothymidine (18FLT)-PET/CT with histopathological estimates of response in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and track longitudinal changes in these biomarkers in a multicentre, multivendor setting. METHODS: 14 patients with operable NSCLC recruited to a prospective, multicentre imaging trial (EORTC-1217) were treated with platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. 13 patients had DW-MRI and FLT-PET/CT at baseline (10 had both), 12 were re-imaged at Day 14 (eight dual-modality) and nine after completing chemotherapy, immediately before surgery (six dual-modality). Surgical specimens (haematoxylin-eosin and Ki67 stained) estimated the percentage of residual viable tumour/necrosis and proliferation index. RESULTS: Despite the small numbers,significant findings were possible. ADCmedian increased (p < 0.001) and SUVmean decreased (p < 0.001) significantly between baseline and Day 14; changes between Day 14 and surgery were less marked. All responding tumours (>30% reduction in unidimensional measurement pre-surgery), showed an increase at Day 14 in ADC75th centile and reduction in total lesion proliferation (SUVmean x proliferative volume) greater than established measurement variability. Change in imaging biomarkers did not correlate with histological response (residual viable tumour, necrosis). CONCLUSION: Changes in ADC and FLT-SUV following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC were measurable by Day 14 and preceded changes in unidimensional size but did not correlate with histopathological response. However, the magnitude of the changes and their utility in predicting (non-) response (tumour size/clinical outcome) remains to be established. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: During treatment, ADC increase precedes size reductions, but does not reflect histopathological necrosis.