Advanced Faster RCNN: a non-contrast CT-based algorithm for detecting pancreatic lesions in multiple disease stages / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To propose a non-contrast CT-based algorithm for automated and accurate detection of pancreatic lesions at a low cost.@*METHODS@#With Faster RCNN as the benchmark model, an advanced Faster RCNN (aFaster RCNN) model for pancreatic lesions detection based on plain CT was constructed. The model uses the residual connection network Resnet50 as the feature extraction module to extract the deep image features of pancreatic lesions. According to the morphology of pancreatic lesions, 9 anchor frame sizes were redesigned to construct the RPN module. A new Bounding Box regression loss function was proposed to constrain the training process of RPN module regression subnetwork by comprehensively considering the constraints of the lesion shape and anatomical structure. Finally, a detection frame was generated using the detector in the second stage. The data from a total of 728 cases of pancreatic diseases from 4 clinical centers in China were used for training (518 cases, 71.15%) and testing (210 cases, 28.85%) of the model. The performance of aFaster RCNN was verified through ablation experiments and comparison experiments with 3 classical target detection models SSD, YOLO and CenterNet.@*RESULTS@#The aFaster RCNN model for pancreatic lesion detection achieved recall rates of 73.64% at the image level and 92.38% at the patient level, with an average precision of 45.29% and 53.80% at the image and patient levels, respectively, which were higher than those of the 3 models for comparison.@*CONCLUSION@#The proposed method can effectively extract the imaging features of pancreatic lesions from non-contrast CT images to detect the pancreatic lesions.

Agenesia del páncreas dorsal: reporte de caso y revisión del tema / Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas: case report and topic review

Complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas (ADP) is an exceedingly rare congenital anomaly, compatible with life. It may be asymptomatic and usually incidentally diagnosed. In symptomatic cases, the clinical manifestations vary from abdominal pain, pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus to exocrine insufficiency with steatorrhea. We present a case report of a 28 year old female with ADP, diagnosed incidentally during radiological evaluation for hyperglycemias in SARS COV2 concomitant affection. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed the absence of, neck, body and tail of the pancreas. Knowing the pancreatic embryogenesis, the clinical presentation of their malformations and the main radiological characteristics is important for the proper diagnosis of these anomalies.

Fatty Pancreas: Disease or Finding?

Despite a growing number of investigative studies on pancreatic fat deposition, there remains no clear indication regarding the clinical relevance of fat infiltration in the pancreas, also called fatty pancreas (FP). An individual's body weight is correlated with their pancreatic weight. Moreover, lipid infiltration causes disorders that compromise not only morphology but also metabolic functions. Fat infiltration leads to insulin resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, and pancreatic cancer; however, knowledge about pancreatic fat content and aspects related to the clinical profile remains unclear in the literature. The present review describes the current knowledge of FP, including its pathophysiology and clinical implications, as well as lifestyle changes in FP.

Averaging Strategy to Form the Imaging for Routine Reading of Insulinoma from Pancreatic Perfusion Dataset / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To determine the appropriate averaging strategy for pancreatic perfusion datasets to create images for routine reading of insulinoma.Methods Thirty-nine patients undergoing pancreatic perfusion CT in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and diagnosed as insulinoma by pathology were enrolled in this retrospective study.The time-density curve of abdominal aorta calculated by software dynamic angio was used to decide the timings for averaging.Five strategies,by averaging 3,5,7,9 and 11 dynamic scans in perfusion,all including peak enhancement of the abdominal aorta,were investigated in the study.The image noise,pancreas signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),lesion contrast and lesion contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were recorded and compared.Besides,overall image quality and insulinoma depiction were also compared.ANOVA and Friedman's test were performed.Results The image noise decreased and the SNR of pancreas increased with the increase in averaging time points(all P0.99)and were higher than that of the first group(all P<0.05).There was no significant difference in overall image quality among the 5 groups(P=0.977).Conclusions Image averaged from 5 scans showed moderate image noise,pancreas SNR and relatively high lesion contrast and lesion CNR.Therefore,it is advised to be used in image averaging to detect insulinoma.

Utilidad del contraste endovenoso en ecoendoscopía pancreática. Reporte de casos / Usefulness of intravenous contrast in pancreatic echoendoscopy. A case series

RESUMEN El empleo del contraste endovenoso permite aumentar la capacidad diagnostica de la ecoendoscopía en muchas condiciones patológicas de forma no invasiva, mediante la evaluación de patrones de realce en tiempo real (hipo, iso e hipercaptación), permitiendo a su vez definir diagnósticos diferenciales o predecir diagnósticos histológicos con alta precisión por medio de la caracterización de la vascularidad o microvasculatura de un órgano o lesión. Sin embargo, su empleo en nuestro medio está limitado por no contar con estos medios de contraste. Reportamos tres casos de ecoendoscopía contrastada realizada en patología pancreática realizada en nuestro hospital, en el que se describe la utilidad en el diagnóstico y manejo de lesiones sólidas y quísticas del páncreas.

ABSTRACT The intravenous contrast (IV) allows for improving the diagnostic accuracy of echoendoscopy for many pathologic conditions. IV contrast provides a non-invasive method that through the use of real-time enhancement patterns (hypo, iso, and hypercaptation), a highly accurate histological diagnosis can be made by characterizing the microvasculature of an organ or a lesion. However, the lack of availability of IV contrast limited its use in our setting. We reported three cases of endoscopic ultrasound with IV contrast performed in the pancreatic department of National Hospital Eduardo Rebagliati Martins in Lima, Peru. We described the effectiveness of IV contrast in the diagnosis and the management of solid and cystic lesions in the pancreas.

Is the new procore 20g double forward-bevel needle capable to obtain better histological samples by endoscopic ultrasound for diagnosing solid pancreatic lesions? / A nova agulha procore 20g com bisel frontal duplo é capaz de obter melhores amostras histológicas por ecoendoscopia no diagnóstico de lesões sólidas pancreáticas?

ABSTRACT Background: It is important to obtain representative histological samples of solid biliopancreatic lesions without a clear indication for resection. The role of new needles in such task is yet to be determined. Aim: To compare performance assessment between 20G double fine needle biopsy (FNB) and conventional 22G fine needle aspiration (FNA) needles for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biopsy. Methods: This prospective study examined 20 patients who underwent the random puncture of solid pancreatic lesions with both needles and the analysis of tissue samples by a single pathologist. Results: The ProCore 20G FNB needle provided more adequate tissue samples (16 vs. 9, p=0.039) with better cellularity quantitative scores (11 vs. 5, p=0.002) and larger diameter of the histological sample (1.51±1.3 mm vs. 0.94±0.55 mm, p=0.032) than the 22G needle. The technical success, puncture difficulty, and sample bleeding were similar between groups. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 88.9%, 100%, and 90% and 77.8%, 100%, and 78.9% for the 20G and 22G needles, respectively. Conclusions: The samples obtained with the ProCore 20G FNB showed better histological parameters; although there was no difference in the diagnostic performance between the two needles, these findings may improve pathologist performance.

RESUMO Racional: As lesões sólidas pancreáticas não ressecáveis cirurgicamente demandam boa amostragem tecidual para definição histológica e condução oncológica . O papel das novas agulhas de ecopunção no aprimoramento diagnóstico ainda necessita elucidação. Objetivo: Comparar as biópsias guiadas por ecoendoscoopia com a nova agulha 20G de bisel frontal duplo (FNB) com a agulha de aspiração fina 22G convencional. Métodos: Este estudo prospectivo avaliou 20 pacientes submetidos à punção de lesões pancreáticas sólidas com ambas agulhas e envolveu análise de amostras teciduais por um único patologista. Resultados: A agulha FNB 20G forneceu amostras de tecido mais adequadas (16 vs. 9, p=0,039) com melhores escores quantitativos de celularidade (11 vs. 5, p=0,002) e maior diâmetro máximo da amostra histológica (1,51±1,3 mm vs. 0,94±0,55 mm, p=0,032) que a agulha 22G. O sucesso técnico, dificuldade de punção e sangramento da amostra foram semelhantes entre os grupos. A sensibilidade, especificidade e acurácia diagnóstica foram 88,9%, 100% e 90% e 77,8%, 100% e 78,9% para as agulhas 20G e 22G, respectivamente. Conclusão: As amostras obtidas com a FNB 20G apresentaram melhores parâmetros histológicos, embora não tenha havido diferença no desempenho diagnóstico entre as duas agulhas.

Páncreas ectópico, diagnóstico diferencial de lesión gástrica subepitelial: reporte de caso y enfrentamiento inicial / Ectopic pancreas, differential diagnosis of subepithelial gastric lesion: case report and initial confrontation

Subepithelial lesions are generally an incidental diagnosis with an prevalence of 0.4%. These tumors represent a great diagnostic challenge, mainly when ruling out potentially malignant lesions, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), lymphomas and carcinomas. Among the many differential diagnosis, the ectopic pancreas arises with an prevalence of 1-2% in general population. The first diagnostic approach is performed using upper digestive endoscopy, computed tomography and endosonography. This last one has a diagnostic performance of less than 50%, which increases to 90% when it is associated with a histopathological examination. There is no current consensus regarding the management and monitoring of these lesions. Based on the imaging and histological characteristics, the possibilities range from observation to endoscopic or surgical resection. In this context, we will present a clinical case of ectopic pancreas as an incidental finding, and afterwards the diagnostic and therapeutic breakdown of subepithelial lesions.

Las lesiones subepiteliales son pesquisadas generalmente de manera incidental, con una prevalencia de 0,4%. Estos tumores suponen un gran desafío diagnóstico, principalmente al momento de descartar lesiones potencialmente malignas, como el tumor estromal gastrointestinal (GIST), linfomas y carcinomas. Dentro de los posibles diagnósticos, surge el páncreas ectópico, con una prevalencia de hasta 1-2% en la población general. La primera aproximación diagnóstica se realiza mediante endoscopia digestiva alta, tomografía computarizada y la endosonografía, ésta última con un rendimiento diagnóstico menor del 50%, que aumenta hasta el 90% al asociar el examen histopatológico. No existe consenso actual respecto al manejo y seguimiento de estas lesiones, que según sus características imagenológicas e histológicas, va desde la observación hasta la resección endoscópica o quirúrgica. En este contexto, se presenta un caso clínico de páncreas ectópico como hallazgo incidental y el desglose diagnóstico y terapéutico de las lesiones subepiteliales.

Intra-Individual, Inter-Vendor Comparison of Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging of Upper Abdominal Organs at 3.0 Tesla with an Emphasis on the Value of Normalization with the Spleen

OBJECTIVE: To compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of upper abdominal organs with 2 different 3.0 tesla MR systems and to investigate the usefulness of normalization using the spleen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients were enrolled in this prospective study, of which, 35 patients (M:F, 27:8; mean age ± standard deviation, 62.3 ± 12.3 years) were finally analyzed. In addition to the routine liver MR protocol, single-shot spin-echo echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging using b values of 0, 50, 400, and 800 s/mm2 in 2 different MR systems was performed. ADC values of the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney and liver lesion (if present) were measured and analyzed. ADC values of the spleen were used for normalization. The Pearson correlation, Spearman correlation, paired sample t test, Wilcoxon signed rank test and Bland-Altman method were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: For all anatomical regions and liver lesions, both non-normalized and normalized ADC values from 2 different MR systems showed significant correlations (r = 0.5196-0.8488). Non-normalized ADC values of both MR systems differed significantly in all anatomical regions and liver lesions (p < 0.001). However, the normalized ADC of all anatomical regions and liver lesions did not differ significantly (p = 0.065-0.661), with significantly lower coefficient of variance than that of non-normalized ADC (p < 0.009). CONCLUSION: Normalization of the abdominal ADC values using the spleen as a reference organ reduces differences between different MR systems, and could facilitate consistent use of ADC as an imaging biomarker for multi-center or longitudinal studies.

Reduced Field-of-View Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Pancreas: Comparison with Conventional Single-Shot Echo-Planar Imaging

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the image quality (IQ) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of reduced field-of-view (FOV) di-ffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of pancreas in comparison with full FOV DWI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 2 readers independently performed qualitative analysis of full FOV DWI (FOV, 38 × 38 cm; b-value, 0 and 500 s/mm²) and reduced FOV DWI (FOV, 28 × 8.5 cm; b-value, 0 and 400 s/mm²). Both procedures were conducted with a two-dimensional spatially selective radiofrequency excitation pulse, in 102 patients with benign or malignant pancreatic diseases (mean size, 27.5 ± 14.4 mm). The study parameters included 1) anatomic structure visualization, 2) lesion conspicuity, 3) artifacts, 4) IQ score, and 5) subjective clinical utility for confirming or excluding initially considered differential diagnosis on conventional imaging. Another reader performed quantitative ADC measurements of focal pancreatic lesions and parenchyma. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare qualitative scores and ADCs between DWI sequences. Mann Whitney U-test was used to compare ADCs between the lesions and parenchyma. RESULTS: On qualitative analysis, reduced FOV DWI showed better anatomic structure visualization (2.76 ± 0.79 at b = 0 s/mm² and 2.81 ± 0.64 at b = 400 s/mm²), lesion conspicuity (3.11 ± 0.99 at b = 0 s/mm² and 3.15 ± 0.79 at b = 400 s/mm²), IQ score (8.51 ± 2.05 at b = 0 s/mm² and 8.79 ± 1.60 at b = 400 s/mm²), and higher clinical utility (3.41 ± 0.64), as compared to full FOV DWI (anatomic structure, 2.18 ± 0.59 at b = 0 s/mm² and 2.56 ± 0.47 at b = 500 s/mm²; lesion conspicuity, 2.55 ± 1.07 at b = 0 s/mm² and 2.89 ± 0.86 at b = 500 s/mm²; IQ score, 7.13 ± 1.83 at b = 0 s/mm² and 8.17 ± 1.31 at b = 500 s/mm²; clinical utility, 3.14 ± 0.70) (p 0.05). ADCs of adenocarcinomas (1.061 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.133 at reduced FOV and 1.079 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.135 at full FOV) and neuroendocrine tumors (0.983 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.152 at reduced FOV and 1.004 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.153 at full FOV) were significantly lower than those of parenchyma (1.191 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.125 at reduced FOV and 1.218 × 10⁻³ mm²/s ± 0.103 at full FOV) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Reduced FOV DWI of the pancreas provides better overall IQ including better anatomic detail, lesion conspicuity and subjective clinical utility.

A Case of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 with Urolithiasis as the Initial Presentation / 대한소화기학회지

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) is characterized by gastrinoma and resultant hypergastrinemia, which leads to recurrent peptic ulcers. Because gastrinoma is the most common pancreatic endocrine tumor seen in multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN 1), the possibility of gastrinoma should be investigated carefully when patients exhibit symptoms associated with hormonal changes. Ureteral stones associated with hyperparathyroidism in the early course of MEN 1 are known to be its most common clinical manifestation; appropriate evaluation and close follow-up of patients with hypercalcemic urolithiasis can lead to an early diagnosis of gastrinoma. We report a patient with ZES associated with MEN 1, and urolithiasis as the presenting entity. A 51-year-old man visited the emergency department with recurrent epigastric pain. He had a history of calcium urinary stone 3 years ago, and 2 years later he had 2 operations for multiple jejunal ulcer perforations; these surgeries were 9 months apart. He was taking intermittent courses of antiulcer medication. Multiple peripancreatic nodular masses, a hepatic metastasis, parathyroid hyperplasia, and a pituitary microadenoma were confirmed by multimodal imaging studies. We diagnosed ZES with MEN 1 and performed sequential surgical excision of the gastrinomas and the parathyroid adenoma. The patient received octreotide injection therapy and close follow-up.

Actinomycosis in Pancreas and Psoas Muscle / 대한소화기학회지

No abstract available.

EUS Elastography: Advances in Diagnostic EUS of the Pancreas

Elastography is an imaging modality for the evaluation of tissue stiffness, which has been used for the analysis of superficial organs, such as those of the breast and prostate. The measurement of tissue elasticity has been reported to be useful for the diagnosis and differentiation of tumors, which are stiffer than normal tissues. Endoscopic ultrasonography elastography (EUS-EG) is a promising imaging technique with a high degree of accuracy for the differential diagnosis of solid pancreatic tumors. Recent introduction of second generation EUS-EG allows for the quantitative analysis of tissue stiffness. Here, we review our knowledge and preliminary experience with the use of EUS-elastography for the diagnosis of pancreatic disease.

Ultrasonographic alterations of pancreas in diabetic patients

Pancreas as the insulin-producing gland is subjected to destruction and change in the diabetes-producing process. Realtime sonography can assess the gland in 95% of cases and its accuracy in diagnosis of pancreatic disease matches that of CT-scan. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pancreatic diameter and echogenicity by sonography and to examine the correlation of these two factors with duration of disease in diabetes types I and II in comparison with controls. In two groups of 60 diabetic patients and healthy controls, diameter and echogenicity of pancreas was determined. Diameter of pancreas was significantly different in diabetic patients and correlated with duration of disease. In type I diabetes, decrease in the size of pancreas was more prevalent than in type II diabetes and these changes become more prominent over time

Multidetector-row CT of Malignant Biliary Obstruction / 대한소화기학회지

Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is useful for the evaluation of malignant biliary obstruction because it allows faster scanning, which decreases motion and breathing artifacts, as well as thinner collimation. In addition, MDCT leads to improved 3-dimensional assessment of vascular structures and biliary tree. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to introduce scanning techniques and image acquisition methods for the evaluation of malignant biliary obstruction and to highlight the unique display of diagnostic information by multiplanar reformations of the biliary tract with MDCT.

Techniques, Clinical Applications and Limitations of 3D Reconstruction in CT of the Abdomen

Enhanced z-axis coverage with thin overlapping slices in breath-hold acquisitions with multidetector CT (MDCT) has considerably enhanced the quality of multiplanar 3D reconstruction. This pictorial essay describes the improvements in 3D reconstruction and technical aspects of 3D reconstruction and rendering techniques available for abdominal imaging. Clinical applications of 3D imaging in abdomen including liver, pancreaticobiliary system, urinary and gastrointestinal tracts and imaging before and after transplantation are discussed. In addition, this article briefly discusses the disadvantages of thin-slice acquisitions including increasing numbers of transverse images, which must be reviewed by the radiologist.

Ultrasonographic measurements of the normal, kidneys, liver, spleen, gallbladder and head of pancreas among radiology department attenders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultrasonographic measurements for certain normal abdominal organs. Length and width of gallbladder and length of liver, spleen, kidneys and thickness of the kidneys were measured in a age. And gender-stratified non-consecutive sample of 496 [54.2%] men and 419 [45.8%] women at different ages referred to out ultrasonography unit during one year of daily hospital practice in Kerman, Iran. Findings on ultrasonograms of the kidneys, liver, spleen, gallbladder and head of pancreas were normal in all cases. Patients were scanned by a real time scanner equipped with a 3.5 MHZ medium internal focus transducer. The mean [standard deviation [SDI] liver lengths were 125.6 [8.8] and 119 [7.7] mm, mean [SD] gallbladder length was 49.9 [3.6] and 49.3 [3.5] mm, mean [SD] gallbladder widths were 18.0 [2.3] and 18.2 [1.8] mm and mean [SD] size of pancreatic head was 15.9 [1.6] and 13.8 [1.4] mm in males and females respectively. The mean [SD] renal lengths were 101.5 [5.0] and 98.9 [5.0] mm on the right side and 110.0 [6.3] and 108.0 [6.0] mm on the left side and mean [SD] size of spleen was 93.8 [4.1] and 92.3 [3.2] mm in males and females respectively. The values obtained in this study were slightly lower than those observed in western population

Comparative study of bentiromide test and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography in patients with chronic pancreatitis

We performed a bentiromide test in 25 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 7 normal controls to evaluate pancreatic exocrine function, and compared the test results of patients with their endoscopic retrograde pancreatography(ERP) findings. The cumulative 6-hour recovery rate of para-aminobenzoic acid(PABA) in the urine was significantly lower in patients with chronic pancreatitis(55.8 +/- 24.2%) than in controls(82.0 +/- 10.0%). Among 25 patients with chronic pancreatitis, however, 7 patients showed normal recovery rates of PABA. Pancreatograms of the patients represented 4 mild changes, 5 moderate changes, and 16 marked changes. The average 6-hour recovery rates of PABA of the groups were 56.9 +/- 21.6%, 78.4 +/- 10.5%, and 47.2 +/- 23.7%, respectively. Urinary PABA recovery rates were found subnormal as follows: 3(75%) in the mild changes group; 1(20%) in the moderate changes group; and 14(87.5%) in the marked changes group. We found hardly any correlation between the degree of functional impairment and the changes noted by ERP. These findings suggest that both the pancreatic function test and morphologic study are required to evaluate the degree of functional impairment in patients with chronic pancreatitis.