The Value of Using Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Anatomical Models in Surgical Planning for Patients With Complex Multifibroid Uteri.

OBJECTIVES: To compare surgeon responses regarding their surgical plan before and after receiving a patient-specific three-dimensional (3D)-printed model of a patient's multifibroid uterus created from their magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: 3D-printed models were derived from standard-of-care pelvic magnetic resonance images of patients scheduled for surgical intervention for multifibroid uterus. Relevant anatomical structures were printed using a combination of transparent and opaque resin types. 3D models were used for 7 surgical cases (5 myomectomies, 2 hysterectomies). A staff surgeon and 1 or 2 surgical fellow(s) were present for each case. Surgeons completed a questionnaire before and after receiving the model documenting surgical approach, perceived difficulty, and confidence in surgical plan. A postoperative questionnaire was used to assess surgeon experience using 3D models. RESULTS: Two staff surgeons and 3 clinical fellows participated in this study. A total of 15 surgeon responses were collected across the 7 cases. After viewing the models, an increase in perceived surgical difficulty and confidence in surgical plan was reported in 12/15 and 7/15 responses, respectively. Anticipated surgical time had a mean ± SD absolute change of 44.0 ± 47.9 minutes and anticipated blood loss had an absolute change of 100 ± 103.5 cc. 2 of 15 responses report a change in pre-surgical approach. Intra-operative model reference was reported to change the dissection route in 8/15 surgeon responses. On average, surgeons rated their experience using 3D models 8.6/10 for pre-surgical planning and 8.1/10 for intra-operative reference. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-specific 3D anatomical models may be a useful tool to increase a surgeon's understanding of complex gynaecologic anatomy and to improve their surgical plan. Future work is needed to evaluate the impact of 3D models on surgical outcomes in gynaecology.

Unboxing the dilemma associated with online shopping and purchase behavior for remanufactured products: A smart strategy for waste management.

Despite an unprecedented shift in favor of sustainable consumer purchase patterns globally, the overall adoption of refurbished products is still scarce. Earlier empirical investigations have tested aspects affecting consumer purchase intentions concerning remanufactured products, yet they largely ignored risks hindering consumers from opting for them. In order to fill the given theoretical gap, the study tests both inhibiting and igniting factors affecting consumer's remanufacturing products purchase behavior through the use of Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) theory. SOR assists in better understanding consumers' digital purchase behavior toward remanufactured products. Moreover, the study extends the knowledge by examining the impact of Perceived Environmental Benefits, Seller's Reputation, Price Sensitivity, and Social Influence on Consumer's Purchase behavior for remanufactured products. It also investigates the mediating role of the Perceived Risk of Remanufactured Products, followed by the moderating role of Consumers Trust. A useable sample data of 361 was collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicated the inverse relationship between increased price sensitivity and purchase behavior concerning remanufactured products, and all other stated variables reflected a significant association with consumer purchase behavior. Likewise, both mediating and moderating roles were found to be significant. Along with theoretical contributions, the study contains numerous practical directions for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers to increase consumers' purchase behavior toward remanufactured products.

Limitations of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in Applying Fleischner Society Guidelines to Incidental Lung Nodules.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and a fine-tuned GPT-3.5 model in applying Fleischner Society recommendations to lung nodules. Methods: We generated 10 lung nodule descriptions for each of the 12 nodule categories from the Fleischner Society guidelines, incorporating them into a single fictitious report (n = 120). GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 were prompted to make follow-up recommendations based on the reports. We then incorporated the full guidelines into the prompts and re-submitted them. Finally, we re-submitted the prompts to a fine-tuned GPT-3.5 model. Results were analyzed using binary accuracy analysis in R. Results: GPT-3.5 accuracy in applying Fleischner Society guidelines was 0.058 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.12). GPT-4 accuracy was improved at 0.15 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.23; P = .02 for accuracy comparison). In recommending PET-CT and/or biopsy, both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 had an F-score of 0.00. After explicitly including the Fleischner Society guidelines in the prompt, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 significantly improved their accuracy to 0.42 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.51; P < .001) and to 0.66 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.74; P < .001), respectively. GPT-4 remained significantly better than GPT-3.5 (P < .001). The fine-tuned GPT-3.5 model accuracy was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.55), not different from the GPT-3.5 model with guidelines included (P = .53). Conclusion: GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 performed poorly in applying widely known guidelines and never correctly recommended biopsy. Flawed knowledge and reasoning both contributed to their poor performance. While GPT-4 was more accurate than GPT-3.5, its inaccuracy rate was unacceptable for clinical practice. These results underscore the limitations of large language models for knowledge and reasoning-based tasks.

Canadian Association of Radiologists Musculoskeletal System Diagnostic Imaging Referral Guideline.

The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) Musculoskeletal System Expert Panel consists of musculoskeletal radiologists, a family physician, a sports and exercise medicine physician, emergency medicine physicians, a patient advisor, and an epidemiologist/guideline methodologist. After developing a list of 25 musculoskeletal clinical/diagnostic scenarios, a systematic rapid scoping review was undertaken to identify systematically produced referral guidelines that provide recommendations for 1 or more of these clinical/diagnostic scenarios. Recommendations from 41 guidelines (50 publications) and contextualization criteria in the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) for guidelines framework were used to develop 124 recommendation statements across the 25 scenarios related to the evaluation of the musculoskeletal system. This guideline presents the methods of development and the recommendations for imaging in the context of musculoskeletal pain, infection, tumors, arthropathies, metabolic bone disease, stress injuries, orthopedic hardware, avascular necrosis/bone infarction, and complex regional pain syndrome.

The Role of Dual-Energy CT in Solid Organ Injury.

The liver, spleen, and kidneys are the commonest injured solid organs in blunt and penetrating trauma. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Organ Injury Scale (OIS) is the most widely accepted system for categorizing traumatic injuries. Grading systems allow clear communication of findings between clinical teams and assign a measurable severity of injury, which directly correlates with morbidity and mortality. The 2018 revised AAST OIS emphasizes reliance on CT for accurate grading; in particular regarding vascular injuries. Dual-Energy CT (DECT) has emerged as a promising tool with multiple clinical applications already demonstrated. In this review article, we summarize the basic principles of CT attenuation to refresh the minds of our readers and we scrutinize DECT's technology as opposed to conventional Single-Energy CT (SECT). This is followed by outlining the benefits of various DECT postprocessing techniques, which authors of this article refer to as the 3Ms (Mapping of Iodine, Material decomposition, and Monoenergetic virtual imaging), in aiding radiologists to confidently assign an OIS as well as problem solve complex injury patterns. In addition, a thorough discussion of changes to the revised AAST OIS focusing on definitions of key terms used in reporting injuries is described.

How self leadership enhances normative commitment and work performance by engaging people at work?

Leadership and its connection with social sustainability are frequently prescribed for effective management. Integrating self-leadership among the employees is an emerging area to focus on empowering an organization. The principal objective of this study was to empirically investigate the impact of self-leadership on normative commitment and work performance through the mediating role of work engagement. This phenomenon of self-leadership was explained by using the theoretical lens of the social cognitive theory and intrinsic motivation theory. Data was collected from 318 employees who worked in the telecom sector in Pakistan and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) AMOS. The findings revealed that in the presence of self-leadership, employee's work engagement, commitment to the organization, and overall work performance elevated significantly. Furthermore, the results also illustrated the occurrence of two significant mediating paths. First, the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and normative commitment, and second, the mediation of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and work performance. The findings of the study significantly contribute practically, and theoretically to the existing literature.

A Comprehensive Radiologic Review of Shoulder Girdle Trauma.

Radiologic knowledge of different fracture patterns involving the shoulder girdle is an important tool to generate clinically relevant reports, identify concomitant injuries, guide management decisions, and predict and minimize complications, such as nonunion, osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, and hardware failure. Complex unstable injuries like scapulothoracic dissociation can also occur because of shoulder girdle trauma. Management options may vary from conservative to surgical, depending on the fracture type and patient factors. Injuries around the shoulder girdle can involve the glenohumeral articulation, scapula, superior shoulder suspensory complex, acromioclavicular joints, and scapulothoracic articulation.

Evaluation of a deep learning method for the automated detection of supraspinatus tears on MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if deep learning is a feasible approach for automated detection of supraspinatus tears on MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 200 shoulder MRI studies performed between 2015 and 2019 were retrospectively obtained from our institutional database using a balanced random sampling of studies containing a full-thickness tear, partial-thickness tear, or intact supraspinatus tendon. A 3-stage pipeline was developed comprised of a slice selection network based on a pre-trained residual neural network (ResNet); a segmentation network based on an encoder-decoder network (U-Net); and a custom multi-input convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier. Binary reference labels were created following review of radiologist reports and images by a radiology fellow and consensus validation by two musculoskeletal radiologists. Twenty percent of the data was reserved as a holdout test set with the remaining 80% used for training and optimization under a fivefold cross-validation strategy. Classification and segmentation accuracy were evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and Dice similarity coefficient, respectively. Baseline characteristics in correctly versus incorrectly classified cases were compared using independent sample t-test and chi-squared. RESULTS: Test sensitivity and specificity of the classifier at the optimal Youden's index were 85.0% (95% CI: 62.1-96.8%) and 85.0% (95% CI: 62.1-96.8%), respectively. AUROC was 0.943 (95% CI: 0.820-0.991). Dice segmentation accuracy was 0.814 (95% CI: 0.805-0.826). There was no significant difference in AUROC between 1.5 T and 3.0 T studies. Sub-analysis showed superior sensitivity on full-thickness (100%) versus partial-thickness (72.5%) subgroups. DATA CONCLUSION: Deep learning is a feasible approach to detect supraspinatus tears on MRI.

The Role of a Virtual Noncalcium Dual-Energy CT Application in the Detection of Bone Marrow Edema in Peripheral Osteomyelitis.

Purpose: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of dual-energy CT (DECT) virtual noncalcium images (VNCa) with bone and soft tissue reconstructions in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Materials & Methods: Between December 1, 2014 to December 1, 2020, 91 patients who had 99 DECT performed for a clinical indication of osteomyelitis with corresponding MRI, triphasic bone scan and/or white blood cell scintigraphy with CT/SPECT performed either 2 weeks before or 1 month after the DECT were retrospectively identified. The presence or absence of osteomyelitis was established using a second imaging test, bone biopsy or surgery. Two radiologists interpreted VNCa images alone and with bone and soft tissue reconstructions for osteomyelitis. Fleiss k statistics was used to assess inter-level agreement. Results: Osteomyelitis was present in 26 cases (26.2%), of which 4 cases (4%) had co-existing septic arthritis. DECT was performed at the following sites: ankle/foot (n = 59), calf (n = 12), knee (n = 3), thigh (n = 7), hip (n = 9), pelvis (n = 6), wrist/hand (n = 1), and shoulder (n = 2). Sensitivity with VNCa images alone was 53.8% and 73.1% and specificity was 84.9% and 71.2%. Sensitivity with VNCa images and bone and soft tissue reconstructions was 80.8% and 80.8% and specificity was 80.8% and 72.6%. Interobserver agreement was 76.7% (76 of 99 cases), for VNCa images alone (k = .487), and 66.7% (66 of 99 patients) for bone and soft tissue reconstructions with VNCa images together (k = .390). Conclusion: When VNCa images were combined with bone and soft tissue reconstructions, there is improved sensitivity in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis.

Preventing and Mitigating Radiology System Failures: A Guide to Disaster Planning.

Disaster planning is a core facet of modern health care practice. Owing to complex infrastructure requirements, radiology departments are vulnerable to system failures that may occur in isolation or during a disaster event when the urgency for and volume of imaging examinations increases. Planning for systems failures helps ensure continuity of service provision and patient care during an adverse event. Hazards to which a radiology department is vulnerable can be identified by applying a systematic approach with recognized tools such as the Hazard, Risk, and Vulnerability Analysis. Potential critical weaknesses within the department are highlighted by the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis tool. Recognizing the potential latent conditions and active failures that may impact systems allows implementation of strategies to prevent failure or to build resilience and mitigate the effects if they happen. Inherent system resilience to an adverse event can be estimated, and the ability of a department to operate during a disaster and the subsequent recovery can be predicted. The main systems at risk in a radiology department are staff, structure, stuff (supplies and/or equipment), and software, although individual issues and solutions within these are department specific. When medical imaging or examination interpretation needs cannot be met in the radiology department, the use of portable imaging modalities and teleradiology can augment the disaster response. All phases of disaster response planning should consider both sustaining operations and the transition back to normal function. Online supplemental material and the slide presentation from the RSNA Annual Meeting are available for this article. Work of the U.S. Government published under an exclusive license with the RSNA.

Patient tolerability of suprascapular and median nerve blocks for the management of pain in post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Current management options for pain in stroke patients with the shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) are limited and often ineffective. The use of peripheral nerve blocking in SHS has been limited due to concerns of hyperalgesia and allodynia in these patients. This study assessed the tolerability of suprascapular nerve (SSN) and median nerve blocks for acute control of pain in patients with post-stroke SHS. METHODS: All SHS patients fulfilled diagnosis using the Budapest criteria. Patient tolerability was defined by a composite score that included a change on the visual analog scale (VAS) from baseline for shoulder and hand pain, presence of adverse events, and a self-reported patient satisfaction score. Pain assessment was performed 1 h before (baseline), and 1 h and 2 weeks after the procedure. RESULTS: Five patients (68.5 ± 9.5 years) with post-stroke SHS underwent SSN and median nerve blocks. Participant assessment 1 h after the procedure indicated that the 2 blocking procedures were well tolerated and that VAS scores for shoulder and hand pain decreased by 79% (- 62.6 mm ± 25.6; p = 0.043) and 48% (- 33 mm ± 40.2; p = 0.080), respectively from baseline. After 2 weeks, average VAS scores remained 56% and 37% below baseline, respectively. There were no adverse events and all patients were satisfied after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Suprascapular and median nerve blocks are safe and well-tolerated procedures for acute pain control in post-stroke SHS. Further studies should address the benefit of these procedures on overall pain reduction, functional recovery, and quality of life in SHS patients.

A review of imaging of surface sarcomas of bone.

Surface lesions of bone are uncommon. Although their imaging features generally mirror those of their intramedullary counterparts, surface lesions may demonstrate distinct characteristics which along with their unusual location present a diagnostic challenge. Surface sarcomas are usually of a lower grade compared with intramedullary variants, leading to differences in management. Osteosarcoma arising from the cortical surface of the bone is termed juxtacortical or surface osteosarcoma and includes three distinct entities: parosteal, periosteal, and high-grade surface osteosarcoma. We also review the features intracortical osteosarcoma, which some authors include under the umbrella term surface osteosarcoma. These lesions exhibit biologic features distinct from those of conventional intramedullary osteosarcoma, which underlines the importance of accurate imaging diagnosis. Periosteal chondrosarcoma and periosteal Ewing sarcoma also have distinctive imaging appearances. The purpose of this article is to review surface sarcomas of bone with regard to their clinical and radiological features and to discuss the differential diagnosis for each condition.

Improved Appropriateness of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging After Implementation of Clinical Decision Support Mechanism.

The Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) mandates clinical decision support mechanism (CDSM) consultation for all advanced imaging. There are a growing number of studies examining the association of CDSM use with imaging appropriateness, but a paucity of multicenter data. This observational study evaluates the association between changes in advanced imaging appropriateness scores with increasing provider exposure to CDSM. Each provider's first 200 consecutive anonymized requisitions for advanced imaging (CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine) using a single CDSM (CareSelect, Change Healthcare) between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 were collected from 288 US institutions. Changes in imaging requisition proportions among four appropriateness categories ("usually appropriate" [green], "may be appropriate" [yellow], "usually not appropriate" [red], and unmapped [gray]) were evaluated in relation to the chronological order of the requisition for each provider and total provider exposure to CDSM using logistic regression fits and Wald tests. The number of providers and requisitions included was 244,158 and 7,345,437, respectively. For 10,123 providers with ≥ 200 requisitions (2,024,600 total requisitions), the fraction of green, yellow, and red requisitions among the last 10 requisitions changed by +3.0% (95% confidence interval +2.6% to +3.4%), -0.8% (95% CI -0.5% to -1.1%), and -3.0% (95% CI 3.3% to -2.7%) in comparison with the first 10, respectively. Providers with > 190 requisitions had 8.5% (95% CI 6.3% to 10.7%) more green requisitions, 2.3% (0.7% to 3.9%) fewer yellow requisitions, and 0.5% (95% CI -1.0% to 2.0%) fewer red (not statistically significant) requisitions relative to providers with ≤ 10 requisitions. Increasing provider exposure to CDSM is associated with improved appropriateness scores for advanced imaging requisitions.

A randomized controlled trial comparing subscapularis tenotomy with peel in anatomic shoulder arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding the optimal technique of subscapularis tendon mobilization during anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to compare internal rotation strength in the belly-press position and functional outcomes between the subscapularis tenotomy and subscapularis peel approaches during shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: Patients undergoing anatomic shoulder arthroplasty were randomized to either a tenotomy or peel approach. The primary outcome was internal rotation strength in the belly-press position, measured by an electronic handheld dynamometer at 24 months postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) index score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, range of motion, radiographic lucencies, and adverse events. RESULTS: We randomized 100 patients to subscapularis tenotomy (n = 47) or peel (n = 53). Eighty-one percent of the cohort returned for 24 months' follow-up. Compared with baseline measures, mean internal rotation strength in the belly-press position and WOOS and ASES scores improved in both groups at final follow-up (P < .0001). Intention-to-treat analysis for internal rotation strength at 24 months revealed no significant difference (P = .57) between tenotomy (mean, 4.9 kg; SD, 3.8 kg) and peel (mean, 5.4 kg; SD, 3.9 kg). Comparison of WOOS and ASES scores demonstrated no significant differences between groups at any time point. The healing rates by ultrasound were 72% for tenotomy and 71% for peel (P = .99). DISCUSSION: No statistically significant difference in internal rotation strength was identified between the tenotomy and peel groups. The secondary outcomes were not significantly different between groups.

Multidetector Computed Tomography in Traumatic and Nontraumatic Aortic Emergencies: Emphasis on Acute Aortic Syndromes.

Aortic emergencies comprise of a list of conditions which are uncommon but are potentially fatal. Prognosis is usually determined by emergent diagnosis and treatment and hence radiology plays a key role in patient management. In this article, we aim to review the various causes of aortic emergencies and the relevant imaging findings placing special emphasis on acute aortic syndromes.

Emergency Radiology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Canadian Association of Radiologists Recommendations for Practice.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus officially named the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to emergency radiology practice. The continuity of an effective emergency imaging service for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients is essential, while adhering to best infection control practices. Under the direction of the Board of the Canadian Association of Radiologists, this general guidance document has been synthesized by collaborative consensus of a group of emergency radiologists. These recommendations aim to assist radiologists involved in emergency diagnostic imaging to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and continue to add value to patient care in the emergency setting.

Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis: The Abdominal Cocoon.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare but serious condition that results in (a) encapsulation of bowel within a thickened fibrocollagenous peritoneal membrane and (b) recurrent episodes of bowel obstruction. Although described by various names in the literature, the preferred term is encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis because it best describes the morphologic and histologic changes in this disorder. The etiology of EPS is multifactorial, with a wide variety of implicated predisposing factors that disrupt the normal physiologic function of the peritoneal membrane-prime among these factors being long-term peritoneal dialysis and bacterial peritoneal infections, especially tuberculosis. The clinical features of EPS are usually nonspecific, and knowledge of the radiologic features is necessary to make a specific diagnosis. The findings on radiographs are usually normal. Images from small-bowel follow-through studies show the bowel loops conglomerated in a concertina-like fashion with a serpentine arrangement in a fixed U-shaped configuration. US demonstrates a "cauliflower" appearance of bowel with a narrow base, as well as a "trilaminar" appearance depicted especially with use of high-resolution US probes. CT is the imaging modality of choice and allows identification of the thickened contrast material-enhanced abnormal peritoneal membrane and the encapsulated clumped bowel loops. In addition, CT can potentially help identify the cause of EPS (omental granuloma in tuberculosis), as well as the complications of EPS (bowel obstruction). Conservative medical treatment and surgical therapy early in the course of EPS have been used for management of the condition. The purpose of this article is to review the nomenclature and etiopathogenesis of EPS, describe the multimodality imaging appearances of EPS, including differentiating its features from those of other conditions mimicking EPS, and give an overview of management options. Online DICOM image stacks are available for this article. ©RSNA, 2018.

The Dixon technique for MRI of the bone marrow.

Dixon sequences are established as a reliable MRI technique that can be used for problem-solving in the assessment of bone marrow lesions. Unlike other fat suppression methods, Dixon techniques rely on the difference in resonance frequency between fat and water and in a single acquisition, fat only, water only, in-phase and out-of-phase images are acquired. This gives Dixon techniques the unique ability to quantify the amount of fat within a bone lesion, allowing discrimination between marrow-infiltrating and non-marrow-infiltrating lesions such as focal nodular marrow hyperplasia. Dixon can be used with gradient echo and spin echo techniques, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging. Another advantage is its rapid acquisition time, especially when using traditional two-point Dixon gradient echo sequences. Overall, Dixon is a robust fat suppression method that can also be used with intravenous contrast agents. After reviewing the available literature, we would like to advocate the implementation of additional Dixon sequences as a problem-solving tool during the assessment of bone marrow pathology.

Applying Modern Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies to Medical Images and Models.

Recent technological innovations have created new opportunities for the increased adoption of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications in medicine. While medical applications of VR have historically seen greater adoption from patient-as-user applications, the new era of VR/AR technology has created the conditions for wider adoption of clinician-as-user applications. Historically, adoption to clinical use has been limited in part by the ability of the technology to achieve a sufficient quality of experience. This article reviews the definitions of virtual and augmented reality and briefly covers the history of their development. Currently available options for consumer-level virtual and augmented reality systems are presented, along with a discussion of technical considerations for their adoption in the clinical environment. Finally, a brief review of the literature of medical VR/AR applications is presented prior to introducing a comprehensive conceptual framework for the viewing and manipulation of medical images in virtual and augmented reality. Using this framework, we outline considerations for placing these methods directly into a radiology-based workflow and show how it can be applied to a variety of clinical scenarios.