Giant endometrioma in an asymptomatic patient.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynecologic disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue, including endometrial glands and stroma, outside of the uterine cavity. It is a prevalent condition worldwide, affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-age women and up to 50% of infertile women. Endometriosis manifests in three ways: superficial peritoneal endometriosis, deep infiltrative endometriosis, and ovarian endometriomas, with the possibility of coexistence among them. The disease presents with a range of symptoms, including chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility. Additionally, patients may experience nongynecological symptoms such as dyschezia, dysuria, hematuria, flank pain, and fatigue, among others. The ovaries are the most affected site in endometriosis, typically with cysts measuring less than 6 cm in diameter. Therefore, even in the presence of a large ovarian cyst or in asymptomatic patients, the consideration of an endometrial cyst should not be overlooked.

Quality assessment of prostate MRI by PI-QUAL score: Inter-reader agreement and impact on prostate cancer local staging at 3 Tesla.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the Prostate Imaging Quality (PI-QUAL) score impacts prostate cancer (PCa) staging on MRI. The secondary goal was to test inter-reader agreement among radiologists experienced in prostate imaging. METHOD: A retrospective, single-center study with patients who underwent 3 Tesla prostate MRI scans and were submitted to radical prostatectomy (RP) between January 2018 and November 2021 and were eligible for our study. Extraprostatic extension (EPE) data were collected from original MR reports (EPEm) and pathological reports of RP specimens (EPEp). Three expert prostate radiologists (ESUR/ESUI criteria R1, R2, R3) independently evaluated all MRI exams according to PI-QUAL score for image quality (1 to 5; 1: poor, 5: excellent), blinded to original imaging reports and clinical data. We studied the diagnostic performance of MRI using pooled data from PI-QUAL scores (≤3 vs. ≥4). We also performed univariate and multivariate analyses to assess the PI-QUAL score impact on local PCa staging. Cohen's K and Tau-b Kendall tests were used to assess the inter-reader agreement for PI-QUAL score, T2WI, DWI, and DCE. RESULTS: Our final cohort included 146 patients, of which 27.4% presented EPE on pathology. We observed no impact of imaging quality on accuracy for EPE prediction: AUC of 0.750 (95% CI 0.26-1) for PI-QUAL ≤ 3 and 0.705 (95% CI 0.618-0.793) for PI-QUAL ≥ 4. The multivariate analysis demonstrated a correlation of EPEm (OR 3.25, p 0.001) and ISUP grade group (OR 1.89, p 0.012) to predict EPEp. The inter-reader agreement was moderate to substantial (0.539 for R1-R2, 0.522 for R2-R3, and 0.694 for R1-R3). CONCLUSION: Our clinical impact evaluation showed no direct correlation between MRI quality by PI-QUAL score and accuracy in detecting EPE in patients undergoing RP. Additionally, we had moderate to a substantial inter-reader agreement for the PI-QUAL score.

Prostate imaging features on magnetic resonance imaging of young patients.

OBJECTIVE: To identify magnetic resonance imaging findings of the prostate in young adults, including symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main aspects of prostate imaging in young patients. METHODS: A total of 102 patients under 40 years of age, who underwent prostate magnetic resonance imaging between January 2016 and January 2019, were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: symptomatic for prostatitis (Group 1) and asymptomatic (Group 2). Magnetic resonance imaging scans were anonymized and interpreted by a radiologist blinded for clinical information. The study evaluated peripheral zone signal in T2-weighted sequences, diffusion and apparent diffusion coefficient map; peripheral zone enhancement pattern; seminal vesicles and periprostatic fat. RESULTS: All evaluated criteria did not present statistically significant differences between the two groups. The most common pattern was heterogeneous hyposignal on T2 (57.9% in Group 1 and 57.8% in Group 2; p=0.506), mild diffuse / wedge-shaped areas of hypointensity on apparent diffusion coefficient map (61.4% in Group 1 and 64.4% in Group 2; p=0.931) and early post-contrast enhancement (73.7% in Group 1 and 68.9% in Group 2, p=0719). CONCLUSION: The magnetic resonance imaging aspect of young patients showed no differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

Primary adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal infarction in COVID-19: a case report.

CONTEXT: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a proinflammatory and prothrombotic condition, but its impact on adrenal function has not been adequately evaluated. CASE REPORT: A 46-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, hypotension, skin hyperpigmentation after COVID-19 infection. The patient had hyponatremia, serum cortisol <1.0 ug/dL, ACTH of 807 pg/mL and aldosterone <3 ng/dL. Computed tomography (CT) findings of adrenal enlargement with no parenchymal and minimal peripheral capsular enhancement after contrast were consistent with bilateral adrenal infarction. The patient had autoimmune hepatitis and positive antiphospholipid antibodies, but no previous thrombotic events. The patient was treated with intravenous hydrocortisone, followed by oral hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone. DISCUSSION: Among 115 articles, we identified nine articles, including case reports, of new-onset adrenal insufficiency and/or adrenal hemorrhage/infarction on CT in COVID-19. Adrenal insufficiency was hormonally diagnosed in five cases, but ACTH levels were measured in only three cases (high in one case and normal/low in other two cases). Bilateral adrenal non- or hemorrhagic infarction was identified in five reports (two had adrenal insufficiency, two had normal cortisol levels and one case had no data). Interestingly, the only case with well-characterized new-onset acute primary adrenal insufficiency after COVID-19 had a previous diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome. In our case, antiphospholipid syndrome diagnosis was established only after the adrenal infarction triggered by COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the association between bilateral adrenal infarction and antiphospholipid syndrome triggered by COVID-19. Therefore, patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies should be closely monitored for symptoms or signs of acute adrenal insufficiency during COVID-19.

Prostate imaging features on magnetic resonance imaging of young patients

ABSTRACT Objective To identify magnetic resonance imaging findings of the prostate in young adults, including symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main aspects of prostate imaging in young patients. Methods A total of 102 patients under 40 years of age, who underwent prostate magnetic resonance imaging between January 2016 and January 2019, were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: symptomatic for prostatitis (Group 1) and asymptomatic (Group 2). Magnetic resonance imaging scans were anonymized and interpreted by a radiologist blinded for clinical information. The study evaluated peripheral zone signal in T2-weighted sequences, diffusion and apparent diffusion coefficient map; peripheral zone enhancement pattern; seminal vesicles and periprostatic fat. Results All evaluated criteria did not present statistically significant differences between the two groups. The most common pattern was heterogeneous hyposignal on T2 (57.9% in Group 1 and 57.8% in Group 2; p=0.506), mild diffuse / wedge-shaped areas of hypointensity on apparent diffusion coefficient map (61.4% in Group 1 and 64.4% in Group 2; p=0.931) and early post-contrast enhancement (73.7% in Group 1 and 68.9% in Group 2, p=0719). Conclusion The magnetic resonance imaging aspect of young patients showed no differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

The effect of sirolimus on angiomyolipoma is determined by decrease of fat-poor compartments and includes striking reduction of vascular structures.

Renal angiomyolipomas hemorrhage is associated with their size and vascular constitution. The effects of sirolimus on different components of angiomyolipomas was analyzed in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex, sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis and multiple sporadic angiomyolipomas. Thirty angiomyolipomas from 14 patients treated with sirolimus were retrospectively evaluated. A Hounsfield-unit threshold was used to classify angiomyolipomas in fat-rich, fat-poor and intermediate-fat tumors, and to categorize tumor compartments in fat rich, fat poor, intermediate fat and highly vascularized. Diameter variations were measured to assess the effects on aneurysmatic/ectatic vascular formations. Volume reduction following treatment with sirolimus was higher in fat-poor than fat-rich angiomyolipomas. Tumor reduction was mainly determined by decrease of the fat-poor and highly-vascularized compartments while the volume of the fat-rich compartment increased. Broad liposubstitution was observed in some tumors. A median reduction of 100% (75 to 100) in the diameter of aneurysmatic/ectatic vascular structures was observed. Our study showed that sirolimus reduces the size of angiomyolipomas by decreasing primarily their highly-vascularized and fat-poor compartments. This effect is associated with a remarkable reduction of tumoral aneurysms/ectatic vessels, revealing the likely mechanism responsible for the risk-decreasing effect of mTOR inhibitors on angiomyolipoma bleeding. These findings support the role of mTOR in the development of angiomyolipoma blood vessels.

Uncommon Prostate Malignant Neoplasms.

Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most common prostate cancer; however, there are several other malignant neoplasms that radiologists should be familiar with. The histological classification of malignant prostate neoplasms includes epithelial tumors, mesenchymal tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, hematolymphoid tumors, and stromal tumors. Knowledge of the main clinical and prostate magnetic resonance imaging features of uncommon tumors beyond adenocarcinoma is important for radiologists to enlarge their diagnostic ability and guide referring physician regarding the appropriate patient workup.The aim of this review article is to (1) review the main anatomical and histological concepts of the prostate gland and (2) provide an overview of uncommon prostate malignant neoplasms, emphasizing the key clinical, pathological, and imaging findings that may help radiologists in their daily interpretation of prostate magnetic resonance imaging.