Caustic ingestion: CT findings of esophageal injuries and thoracic complications

Ingestion of caustic substances, whether accidental or for the purpose of suicide, can cause severe lesions of the lips, oral cavity, pharynx, upper gastrointestinal system, and upper airways. In particular, caustic agents could be responsible for severe esophageal injuries resulting in short- and long-term complications. Because of these important clinical implications, timely diagnosis and appropriate management are crucial. In the evaluation of esophageal injuries, thoraco-abdominal computed tomography (CT) is preferable to endoscopy as it avoids the risk of esophageal perforation and allows the evaluation of esophageal injuries as well as of the surrounding tissue. In this review, we re…

A Predictive System to Classify Preoperative Grading of Rectal Cancer Using Radiomics Features

Although preoperative biopsy of rectal cancer (RC) is an essential step for confirmation of diagnosis, it currently fails to provide prognostic information to the clinician beyond a rough estimation of tumour grade. In this study we used a risk classification to stratified patient in low-risk and high-risk patients in relation to the disease free survival and the overall survival using histopathological post-operative features. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if low-risk and high-risk RC can be distinguished using a CT-based radiomics model. We retrospectively reviewed the preoperative abdominal contrast-enhanced CT of 40 patients with RC. CT portal-venous phase was used for manua…

Aortic valve and vascular calcium score in pre-TAVI CT: correlation with early post-procedural complications

Abstract Purpose The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of early complications after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and their correlation with the Calcium Score (CS) of the aortic valve, aorta and ilio-femoral arteries derived from pre-procedural computed tomography (CT). Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed 226 patients (100 males, mean age 79.4 ± 6.7 years) undergoing 64-slice CT for pre-TAVI evaluation from January 2018 to April 2021. The population was divided into CS quartiles. Results Overall, 173 patients underwent TAVI procedure, of whom 61% presented paravalvular leak after the procedure, 28% presented bleeding or vascular complications, 25…

Radiomics Analyses of Schwannomas in the Head and Neck: A Preliminary Analysis

The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the differences in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based radiomics analysis between cerebellopontine angle neurinomas and schwannomas originating from other locations in the neck spaces. Twenty-six patients with available MRI exams and head and neck schwannomas were included. Lesions were manually segmented on the precontrast and postcontrast T1 sequences. The radiomics features were extracted by using PyRadiomics software, and a total of 120 radiomics features were obtained from each segmented tumor volume. An operator-independent hybrid descriptive‐inferential method was adopted for the selection and reduction of the features, while d…

Fitz-hugh-curtis syndrome secondary to postpartum endometritis: Case Report and literature review

We report a case of Fitz‑Hugh‑Curtis syndrome (FHCS) 1 week after an urgent cesarean section. Although its onset in the postpartum period is poorly reported in the literature, we suggest that FHCS can complicate puerperal endometritis; therefore, it should be consider in differential diagnosis in puerpera with right upper quadrant pain. Again, it can be useful to perform a contrast computed tomography that allows early diagnosis and conservative treatment

PERFORMANCE OF DIFFUSION KURTOSIS IMAGING FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF PROSTATE LESIONS USING 1.5T MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANNER

The aim of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and apparent kurtosis coefficient (Kapp) for the characterization of prostate lesions on 1.5T MRI. This retrospective study included 34 patients with at least one lesion with PI-RADS score≥ 3. Performances of ADC and Kapp were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC). Lesions with Gleason score≥6 had significantly lower Kapp compared to benign lesions (p=0.025). The ADC-ratio was the only significantly different parameter between GS≥7 and GS=6 lesions (p=0.039). Kapp showed the largest AUROC for the diagnosis of GS≥6 prostate cancers (AUR…

Deep Learning Networks for Automatic Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Segmentation in Computerized Tomography

The volume estimation of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is often difficult due to its huge dimensions and irregular shape; thus, it often requires manual segmentation, which is time-consuming and operator-dependent. This study aimed to evaluate two fully automated deep learning networks (ENet and ERFNet) for RPS segmentation. This retrospective study included 20 patients with RPS who received an abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination. Forty-nine CT examinations, with a total of 72 lesions, were included. Manual segmentation was performed by two radiologists in consensus, and automatic segmentation was performed using ENet and ERFNet. Significant differences between manual and automat…

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation in adult: report of two rare cases and literature review

Congenital pulmonary airway malformations (CPAMs) are a heterogeneous group of congenital, non-hereditary lesions of the lung, cystic and non-cystic type with clear developmental anomalies and evident malformative changes, which derive from the excessive proliferation of the tubular bronchial structures. We described two rare cases of type IV CPAM detected in adult patients with different clinical presentation: one of these cases was symptomatic, complaining of cough and hemoptysis. Conversely, the other case was reported as incidental findings in patient with abdominal pain without respiratory symptoms. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan was performed showing voluminous cystic formations …

The role of PET radiomic features in prostate cancer: a systematic review

Aim: This systematic review aims to present the available evidence on the use of radiomic features (RFs) extracted from PET imaging in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). Materials and methods: A comprehensive literature search of studies on the utility of PET-derived RFs in patients with PCa was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE database through February 24th, 2021 using the following search string: [“positron-emission tomography” (MeSh terms) OR “positron emission tomography computed tomography” (MeSh terms) OR “positron-emission tomography” (all fields) OR “positron emission tomography computed tomography” (all fields) OR “PET” (all fields)] AND [“radiomics” (all fields) OR “radiomic” (al…

Radiomics and Prostate MRI: Current Role and Future Applications

Multiparametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is widely used as a triage test for men at a risk of prostate cancer. However, the traditional role of mpMRI was confined to prostate cancer staging. Radiomics is the quantitative extraction and analysis of minable data from medical images; it is emerging as a promising tool to detect and categorize prostate lesions. In this paper we review the role of radiomics applied to prostate mpMRI in detection and localization of prostate cancer, prediction of Gleason score and PI-RADS classification, prediction of extracapsular extension and of biochemical recurrence. We also provide a future perspective of artificial intelligence (machine …

Chest CT in COVID-19 Pneumonia: Potentials and Limitations of Radiomics and Artificial Intelligence

SARS-CoV-2 epidemics has resulted in an unprecedented global health crisis causing a high number of deaths with pneumonia being the most common manifestation. Chest CT is the best imaging modality to identify pulmonary involvement, but unfortunately there are no pathognomonic features for COVID-19 pneumonia, since many other infectious and non-infectious diseases may cause similar alterations. The adoption of artificial intelligence in biomedical imaging has the potential to revolutionize the identification, management, and the patient’s outcome. If adequately validated, it could be used as a support with predictive and prognostic purposes in symptomatic patients but also as a screening tes…

Prevalence and clinical significance of incidental findings on multiparametric prostate MRI.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and clinical significance of incidental findings (IFs) detected at multiparametric prostate MRI examination. Materials and methods: Multiparametric prostate MRIs of 647 consecutive patients (mean age 67.1 ± 8.0 years) were retrospectively evaluated by two radiologists recording the presence of all extra-prostatic IFs. Findings were classified as related to or not related to genitourinary system and divided into three classes, according to their clinical significance, as follows: group 1, not significant or scarcely significant; group 2, moderately or potentially significant; and group 3, significant. Differences in distribution of IFs between patients ≤ 65 …

Computer tomography features of pulmonary vascular involvement in Behçet's disease

Behçet’s disease is a chronic and multisystemic inflammatory vascular disease of unknown etiology, affecting vessels of all kinds and sizes. The involvement of the vascular system is observed in approximately 5-30% of patients. The most frequent vascular manifestations are venous thrombosis followed by arterial aneurysms and arterial thrombosis. The identification of vascular involvement is very important for prognosis, indeed the rupture of an arterial aneurysm represents the leading cause of sudden death in patients with Behçet’s disease. Computed tomography (CT) plays a crucial role in the identification and in the follow-up of vascular involvement. In this paper, we report the case of a…

Role of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in local complications of acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) represents a pancreas inflammation of sudden onset that can present different degrees of severity. AP is a frequent cause of acute abdomen and its complications are still a cause of death. Biliary calculosis and alcohol abuse are the most frequent cause of AP. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not necessary for the diagnosis of AP but they are fundamental tools for the identification of the cause, degree severity and AP complications. AP severity assessment is in fact one of the most important issue in disease management. Contrast-enhanced CT is preferred in the emergency setting and is considered the gold standard in patients with AP.…

Congenital Cystic Lesions of the Bile Ducts: Imaging-Based Diagnosis

Congenital cystic lesions of the bile ducts represent a spectrum of liver and biliary system lesions, resulting from abnormal embryologic development of the ductal plate. These disorders include Caroli disease, choledochal cysts, autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease, congenital hepatic fibrosis, and biliary hamartomas. Each disorder carries a peculiar clinical presentation, prognosis, and risk of complications. Knowledge of radiological findings of fibropolycystic liver diseases is crucial for their appropriate detection and for differential diagnosis with other similar hepatic cystic lesions, in order to avoid relevant misdiagnosis. The aim of this review is to provide an illustrati…

Deep Learning Network for Segmentation of the Prostate Gland With Median Lobe Enlargement in T2-weighted MR Images: Comparison With Manual Segmentation Method

Purpose: Aim of this study was to evaluate a fully automated deep learning network named Efficient Neural Network (ENet) for segmentation of prostate gland with median lobe enlargement compared to manual segmentation. Materials and Methods: One-hundred-three patients with median lobe enlargement on prostate MRI were retrospectively included. Ellipsoid formula, manual segmentation and automatic segmentation were used for prostate volume estimation using T2 weighted MRI images. ENet was used for automatic segmentation; it is a deep learning network developed for fast inference and high accuracy in augmented reality and automotive scenarios. Student t-test was performed to compare prostate vol…

CISTOSONOGRAFIA MINZIONALE (VUS) CON MDC ECOGRAFICO DI SECONDA GENERAZIONE VS CISTOURETROGRAFIA NELL'IDENTIFICAZIONE E CLASSIFICAZIONE DEL VUR: NOSTRO STUDIO RETROSPETTIVO

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF IXIP INDEX AND PROSTATE MRI IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PROSTATE CANCER: PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON A COMBINED APPROACH

The purpose of this study was to assess whether Immune CompleX Predictive Index (iXip) improves diagnostic accuracy of multiparametric prostate MRI (mpMRI) for clinically significant prostate cancer. This study included 72 patients (mean age: 68±8 years) with suspicion of prostate cancer and available iXip score. mpMRI images were evaluated by two radiologists according to the PI-RADS v2.1. Reference standard was based on fusion biopsy and standard transperineal 12-point biopsy. Diagnostic accuracy of iXip, mpMRI and their combination were calculated. Optimal cutoff of iXip with sensitivity and specificity was identified using the Youden index. Patients with clinically significant prostate …