Differential Diagnoses of Diseases Involving the Extrinsic Ocular Musculature ­ A Pictorial Essay

Introduction There are some inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic diseases affecting the extrinsic orbital musculature (EOM) that present with pain, decreased visual acuity, and proptosis. Imaging is fundamental to the differential diagnoses of these diseases with similar clinical presentations. The present case series report has as main objective to illustrate and discuss the main pathologies that affect the orbit. Material and Methods The present series of cases discusses the main pathologies that can affect the extraocular musculature that can be characterized by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using cases from our institution. Results and Discussion The present study compiled several cases of ophthalmopathy from our institution to illustrate and address some of these pathologies, such as orbital lymphoma, Grave disease, metastases, periorbital cellulitis, and idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome. The diseases are discussed according to the presentation of clinical cases with emphasis on the main imaging findings of each pathology. Conclusion Computed tomography and MRI can help in the diagnosis and follow-up of the diseases that affect the EOM. We must be conversant with the main characteristics of the pathologies presented in the present case series report, since such findings together with clinical data can confirm the diagnosis of these diseases or at least help to narrow the differential diagnoses.

Differences of Energy Spectrum CT Findings between Small Cell Lung Cancer with Mediastinal Lymph Node Metastasis and Mediastinal Sarcoidosis / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To compare the differences of energy spectrum CT between small cell lung cancer(SCLC)with mediastinal lymph node metastasis and mediastinal sarcoidosis.Methods Twenty-five SCLC patients with mediastinal lymph node metastasis(SCLC group)and 26 patients with mediastinal sarcoidosis(sarcoidosis group)confirmed by bronchoscopy and biopsy in Tangshan People's Hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were selected as the research objects.The CT value,iodine concentration,water concentration and energy spectrum curve slope under different single energy levels were compared between SCLC group and sarcoidosis group.Results The single-energy CT values of 40-80 keV segments in the arterial phase of the SCLC group were significantly higher than those in the sarcoidosis group(all P 0.05).The single-energy CT values of 40-90 keV segments in venous phase of the SCLC group were significantly higher than those of the sarcoidosis group(all P 0.05).The concentrations of iodine in the arterial phase and venous phase of the SCLC group were(11.56±4.06)μg/cm

MRI-based differentiation between lymphoma and sarcoidosis in mediastinal lymph nodes / Diferenciação entre linfoma e sarcoidose em linfonodos mediastinais por RMN

ABSTRACT Objective: Evaluation of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes is crucial for patient management. Malignant lymphoma and sarcoidosis are often difficult to differentiate. Our objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for differentiating between sarcoidosis and malignant lymphoma. Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 47 patients who underwent chest MRI and were diagnosed with one of the diseases between 2017 and 2019. T1, T2, and diffusion-weighted signal intensity were measured. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) and T2 ratios were calculated. The diagnostic performance of MRI was determined by ROC analysis. Results: Mean T2 ratio was significantly lower in the sarcoidosis group than in the lymphoma group (p = 0.009). The T2-ratio cutoff value that best differentiated between lymphoma-related and sarcoidosis-related enlarged lymph nodes was 7.1, with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 58.3%, 95.6%, 76.5%, 93.3%, and 68.7%, respectively. The mean ADC was significantly lower in the lymphoma group than in the sarcoidosis group (p = 0.002). The ADC cutoff value that best differentiated between lymphoma-related and sarcoidosis-related enlarged lymph nodes was 1.205, with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 87.5%, 82.6%, 85.1%, 84.0% and 86.3%, respectively. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding T1 signal intensity, T2 signal intensity, and lymph node diameter. Conclusions: MRI parameters such as ADC, diffusion, and T2 ratio can be useful in the differentiation between sarcoidosis and lymphoma in the evaluation of enlarged lymph nodes.

RESUMO Objetivo: A avaliação de linfonodomegalias mediastinais é crucial para o manejo dos pacientes. O linfoma maligno e a sarcoidose costumam ser difíceis de diferenciar. Nosso objetivo foi determinar a precisão diagnóstica da RMN para diferenciar sarcoidose de linfoma maligno. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo com 47 pacientes submetidos a RMN de tórax e diagnosticados com uma das doenças entre 2017 e 2019. Foi medida a intensidade do sinal em T1, T2 e difusão. Foram calculados o coeficiente de difusão aparente (ADC, do inglês apparent diffusion coefficient) e a razão T2. O desempenho diagnóstico da RMN foi determinado pela análise da curva ROC. Resultados: A média da razão T2 foi significativamente menor no grupo sarcoidose que no grupo linfoma (p = 0,009). A razão T2 = 7,1 foi o melhor valor de corte para diferenciar linfonodomegalias relacionadas com linfoma daquelas relacionadas com sarcoidose, com sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo, valor preditivo negativo e precisão de 58,3%, 95,6%, 76,5%, 93,3% e 68,7%, respectivamente. A média do ADC foi significativamente menor no grupo linfoma que no grupo sarcoidose (p = 0,002). O ADC = 1,205 foi o melhor valor de corte para diferenciar linfonodomegalias relacionadas com linfoma daquelas relacionadas com sarcoidose, com sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo, valor preditivo negativo e precisão de 87,5%, 82,6%, 85,1%, 84,0% e 86,3%, respectivamente. Não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos quanto à intensidade do sinal em T1, intensidade do sinal em T2 e diâmetro dos linfonodos. Conclusões: Parâmetros de RMN como ADC, difusão e razão T2 podem ser úteis na diferenciação entre sarcoidose e linfoma na avaliação de linfonodomegalias.

Sarcoidose como diagnóstico diferencial de mieloma múltiplo / Sarcoidosis as a differential diagnosis of multiple myeloma

A sarcoidose caracteriza-se como doença granulomatosa que acomete diferentes órgãos humanos, especialmente os pulmões, sendo sua patogênese pouco conhecida. No caso em questão, a paciente iniciou com sintomas inespecíficos, como fraqueza, perda ponderal e tosse seca esporádica, sendo internada para extensão da propedêutica. Sugeriu-se como hipótese diagnóstica inicial possível quadro de mieloma múltiplo, tendo em vista a anemia, a disfunção renal, a hipercalcemia e, sobretudo, as lesões osteolíticas apresentadas pela paciente. Todavia, o diagnóstico de sarcoidose foi selado a partir das biópsias de medula óssea e de linfonodo inguinal, que evidenciaram mielite e linfadenite granulomatosas, respectivamente. A terapêutica instituída baseou-se na administração de corticosteroides e em medidas de redução da calcemia. A paciente recebeu alta, com melhora do quadro clínico, para acompanhamento ambulatorial da doença. Conclui-se que a sarcoidose não possui tratamento curativo, mas a terapêutica imunossupressora é eficaz no controle da progressão da enfermidade, fazendo com que o paciente tenha um prognóstico favorável.

Sarcoidosis is characterized as a granulomatous disease that affects different human organs, especially the lungs, and its pathogenesis is little known. In this case, the patient started with nonspecific symptoms, such as weakness, weight loss, and sporadic dry cough, being hospitalized for extension of the propaedeutics. The initial diagnostic hypothesis suggested was a possible case of multiple myeloma, based on the anemia, renal dysfunction, hypercalcemia and, above all, the osteolytic lesions presented by the patient. However, the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made after bone marrow and inguinal lymph node biopsies that showed granulomatous myelitis and lymphadenitis, respectively. The therapy instituted was based on the administration of corticosteroids and on measures to reduce the level of calcium. The patient was discharged, with clinical improvement, for outpatient follow-up of the disease. It is concluded that sarcoidosis has no curative treatment, but immunosuppressive therapy is effective in controlling the progression of the disease, giving the patient a favorable prognosis.

¿Cuándo solicitar PET/CT en la evaluación de sarcoidosis? / When should a PET/CT be requested in sarcoidosis?

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease of variable course that mainly affects thoracic lymph nodes and lung parenchyma. However, any organ can be involved. There is no single test for the definitive diagnosis or a precise method to evaluate the course of the disease. PET/CT is not included in the standard workup for sarcoidosis, but it may assess the inflammatory activity, detect extrapulmonary disease such as cardiac involvement and evaluate the response to treatment. It is important to be aware of the optimal timing to request a PET/CT in sarcoidosis and which patients would benefit with this procedure.

Sarcoidosis al descubierto: Lo que deberíamos informar en las imágenes torácicas / Sarcoidosis Uncovered: What we should Report in Thoracic Image

La sarcoidosis es una enfermedad granulomatosa no caseificante, multisistémica, de causa desconocida, que compromete al pulmón y a los ganglios linfáticos mediastinales entre el 90 y el 95% de los casos. También puede afectar otros órganos, como las glándulas salivales, piel, ojos, hígado, bazo, corazón, huesos y sistema nervioso central. La sarcoidosis tiene una baja prevalencia en Latinoamérica y es subdiagnosticada debido a la alta frecuencia de otros trastornos similares, como tuberculosis, lepra y micosis profundas. El diagnóstico presuntivo se establece con hallazgos imagenológicos característicos dentro de un contexto clínico apropiado y se confirma con la evidencia histológica de granulomas no caseificantes de células epiteliales, en ausencia de otras etiologías. Los hallazgos torácicos incluyen la afectación pulmonar, ganglionar y bronquial, los cuales son detectados a través de la radiografía (Rx) y tomografía computada (TC) de tórax, siendo esa última más sensible y específica. En este artículo, resaltamos la importancia de reconocer los patrones de presentación típicos y atípicos de la sarcoidosis en Rx y TC, así como la relevancia de las imágenes torácicas como elemento clave en el algoritmo diagnóstico de esa patología. También describimos la utilidad de la resonancia magnética (RM), como método adicional para el diagnóstico en casos de afectación cardíaca y el papel de la tomografía por emisión de positrones (PET-CT) en el seguimiento terapéutico.

Sarcoidosis is a non-caseating granulomatous, multisystemic disease of unknown cause that involves the lung and mediastinal lymph nodes in 90-95% of cases. It can also affect other organs such as the salivary glands, skin, eyes, liver, spleen, heart, bones and the central nervous system. Sarcoidosis has a low prevalence in Latin America and it is underdiagnosed due to the high frequency of other similar disorders such as tuberculosis, leprosy and deep mycosis. The presumptive diagnosis is established based on characteristic imaging findings within an appropriate clinical setting and is confirmed by histological evidence of non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas, in the absence of other etiologies. Thoracic imaging findings include pulmonary, nodal and bronchial involvement, which are detected on chest radiography (CXR) and computed tomography (CT), this last one having a higher sensitivity and specificity. In this article, we highlight the importance of recognizing the typical and atypical presentation patterns of sarcoidosis on CXR and CT, as well as the relevance of thoracic images as key elements in the diagnostic algorithm of this pathology. We also describe the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as an additional method for diagnosis in cases of cardiac involvement and the role of positron emission tomography (PET-CT) in therapeutic follow-up.

In-vivo assessment of a case of cutaneous sarcoidosis using reflectance confocal microscopy

Abstract: Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive imaging technique that allows visualization of the epidermis and papillary dermis with cellular-level resolution. Granulomatous reactions such as sarcoidosis could be assessed using RCM. The identification of bright beaded-like structures that could correspond to reticulin fibers overlying granulomas, in association with dermoscopy, may be a very useful approach in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and for the differentiation of this granulomatous entity with superficial cutaneous metastasis.

PET/TC en sarcoidosis asociada a enfermedad oncológica / PET/TC en sarcoidosis asociada a enfermedad oncológica

Objetivos: Considerar el diagnóstico de sarcoidosis y reacción sarcoid-like en pacientes oncológicos controlados por tomografía computada por emisión de positrones (PET/TC), que presentan adenopatías hiliomediastinales hipercaptantes, para evitar errores diagnósticos. Materiales y métodos: Se analizaron retrospectivamente 18 estudios PET/TC realizados durante 3 anos a pacientes con tumores sólidos y linfoma, que presentaron adenopatías hiliomediastinales hipermetabólicas. El patrón morfológico, la distribución y, en algunos casos, la asociación con nódulos pulmonares permitieron plantear como diagnóstico diferencial la sarcoidosis. Resultados: Las enfermedades oncológicas correspondieron a mama (n = 4), próstata (n = 3), ovario (n = 2) y otros (n = 9). En 9 pacientes se obtuvo la confirmación histopatológica. En 7 de los 18 pacientes, las adenopatías fueron catalogadas como benignas por confirmación histológica de sarcoidosis, antracosis o reacción sarcoid-like. En 5 el comportamiento evolutivo fue compatible con benignidad, en 2 la biopsia mostró secundarismo y en los 4 restantes la evolución demostró malignidad. El total de lesiones benignas fue de 12 (66%). Discusión: El hallazgo de adenopatías hiliomediastinales hipermetabólicas con patrón morfológico y de distribución que orientan a sarcoidosis lleva a plantear esta entidad. En pacientes oncológicos, se requiere biopsia para descartar recaída. El uso de nuevos marcadores PET/TC para un diagnóstico diferencial representa un desafío. Los trazadores de síntesis de aminoácidos, como la 18F-fluorotimidina (FLT) y 18F-fluorometiltirosina (FMT), han demostrado ser útiles en la diferenciación entre malignidad y enfermedades granulomatosas. Conclusión: En estudios PET/TC de pacientes oncológicos, la presencia de adenopatías hiliomediastinales bilaterales y simétricas debe plantear sarcoidosis como diagnóstico diferencial.

Purposes: To describe the radiological findings of sarcoidosis or sarcoid-like reactions in cancer patients being monitored by positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT). Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 18 PET/CT studies performed over 3 years in patients with lymphomas and solid tumours who presented with hypermetabolic hiliar-mediastinal adenopathies. The morphological pattern of these adenopathies, the distribution, and in some cases the association with pulmonary nodules, might suggest sarcoidosis as a differential diagnosis. Results: Oncological diseases corresponded to breast (4), prostate (3), ovary (2), and others (9). The adenopathies were classified in 7 of the 18 patients as benign after histological confirmation of sarcoidosis, anthracosis or sarcoid-like reaction. The evolutionary behaviour in 5 patients was compatible with benign lesions. The biopsy of 2 patients indicated secondary lesions and malignancy was confirmed by the evolution of the 4 remaining cases. There was a total of 12 (66%) benign lesions. Discussion: Sarcoidosis must be suspected in the presence of hypermetabolic hiliar-mediastinal adenopathies with a characteristic morphological pattern and pulmonary changes. However, biopsy is required to rule out oncological recurrence. The use of new PET/CT markers for differential diagnosis represents a challenge. Aminoacid synthesis tracers such as 18F-fluorothymidine (FLT) and 18F-fluoromethyltyrosine (FMT) are useful in the differentiation between malignancy and granulomatous diseases in oncologic patients. Conclusion: The differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis should be considered in the presence of bilateral symmetric mediastinal hilum lymphadenopathies.

Ptosis palpebral y diplopia como forma de presentación clínica de sarcoidosis, reporte de un caso / Right ptosis and diplopia as the primary presentation of sarcoidosis: a case report

Introducción: La sarcoidosis es una enfermedad granulomatosa sistémica de causa desconocida que compromete primariamente al pulmón. Si afecta al sistema nervioso, se denomina neurosarcoidosis. El objetivo del presente artículo es dar a conocer dicha patología y entregar elementos clínicos que permitan diagnosticarla tempranamente. Presentación del caso: Se presenta el caso de un paciente de género masculino de 24 años de edad, previamente sano, que consulta por ptosis palpebral derecha y diplopía intermitente de 3 meses de evolución, con estudio posterior mediante resonancia nuclear magnética de cerebro que corrobora la afección del sistema nervioso central y una biopsia estereotáxica cerebral que confirma la presencia de tejido cerebral con lesiones granulomatosas no caseificantes compatible con el diagnóstico de neurosarcoidosis. Discusión: La sarcoidosis se presentará en un 95% de los casos con síntomas y signos derivados de la afección pulmonar, afectándose el sistema nervioso sólo en un 5 a un 10% de los casos. El diagnóstico se basa en la existencia de manifestaciones clínico-radiológicas compatibles, la confirmación histológica de granulomas no caseificantes y la exclusión de otras enfermedades granulomatosas.Si bien el manejo de la sarcoidosis es sintomático, en el caso de la neurosarcoidosis existe consenso en que los pacientes deben ser tratados con corticoterapia

[99m]Tc-MIBI washout rate to evaluate the effects of steroid therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis

We sought to determine the usefulness of the [99m]Tc-MIBI [MIBI] washout rate for the evaluation of steroid therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis [CS]. Eleven CS patients underwent MIBI myocardial SPECT both before and 6 months after initiating steroid therapy. The washout rate [WOR] of MIBI was calculated using early and delayed polar map images. The washout score [WOS] of MIBI was derived from the difference between the early and delayed total defect scores [TDS]. Serum ACE and BNP exhibited significant improvement after the therapy [p = 0.004, p = 0.045]. In the LV function, EDV and E/A ratio exhibited significant improvement after the therapy [p = 0.041, p = 0.007], while there were no significant differences between before and after therapy in EF or ESV. Early and delayed TDS showed no significant differences between before and after the therapy. In contrast, WOR differed significantly [p < .0001], while WOS did not differ significantly between before and after the therapy. The washout rate of MIBI is suitable for assessment of cardiac function in CS with steroid therapy, being especially better than the washout score of MIBI for assessment of disease activity of mild myocardial damage in CS with steroid therapy

Intense unilateral GA-67 uptake by parotid gland in a patient with sarcoidosis

Unilateral radionuclide accumulation in salivary glands is an uncommon finding on gallium scintigraphy and has been reported to occur in patients with malignant tumors and non-sarcoidosis inflammatory processes of these organs. The case presented here illustrates this phenomenon in a patient with proven sarcoidosis