Institutional clinical indication-based typical dose values of multiphasic abdominopelvic computed tomography examinations.

PURPOSE: Our study aimed to obtain clinical indication-based typical dose values and size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs) for multiphasic abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) examinations and to review our data with published diagnostic reference levels (DRLs). METHODS: In this retrospective study, multiphasic liver, kidney, pancreas, and mesenteric ischemia protocol CT scans performed at our center between January 2018 and December 2021 were analyzed. The clinical indications were hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, pancreas adenocarcinoma, and mesenteric ischemia. The computed tomography dose index volume (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP) values were recorded, and the SSDE and effective dose (ED) values were calculated. The water-equivalent diameter (Dw) value required for the SSDE calculation was measured using the automated calculation of the Dw program. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 514, with 86 patients excluded from this study. The dose values were calculated for 426 patients (183 female and 243 male; 111 liver, 120 kidney, 85 pancreas, and 110 mesenteric). The median values for the CTDIvol, DLP, SSDE, and ED were 6.86 mGy, 683.02 mGy. cm, 8.75 mGy, and 10.45 mSv for the liver CT; 8.37 mGy, 908.37 mGy.cm, 10.37 mGy, and 13.89 mSv for the kidney CT; 7.82 mGy, 517.98 mGy.cm, 10.01 mGy, and 7.92 mSv for the pancreas CT; and 9.48 mGy, 983.68 mGy.cm, 12.78 mGy, and 13.86 mSv for the mesenteric CT, respectively. All dose values were lower than the published DRLs. CONCLUSION: The literature reveals large differences in the multiphasic abdominopelvic CT protocols, especially in the number of phases and scan length. This situation makes comparing dose values difficult. Dose studies revealing the protocol parameters in detail are needed so that institutions can compare and optimize their own protocols. Additionally, users should periodically check the dose values in their own institutions.

Acute mesenteric ischemia: The diagnostic value of QT parameters and their relationship with CT findings.

Background One of the greatest challenges in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is the lack of specific laboratory tests that support multidetector computed tomography (CT). Our aim is to investigate the diagnostic value of electrocardiographic QT parameters in AMI and their relationship with CT findings. Materials and methods Patients who were admitted to the emergency department with abdominal pain were recruited retrospectively from the hospital information system . Grouping was carried out on the basis of AMI(n=78) and non-AMI (n=78). In both groups, the corrected QT (QTc) and QT dispersion (QTD) were measured on electrocardiographs, and the qualitative and quantitative CT findings were evaluated on CT examinations. Results The QTc and QTD values were higher in the AMI group. The median QTc values were 456.16 (IQR: 422.88-483.16) for the AMI group and 388.83 (IQR: 359.74-415.83) for the control group (p<0.001), and the median QTD values were 58 (IQR: 50.3-68.25) for the AMI group and 46 (IQR: 42-50) for the control group (p<0.001). In the CT analysis, the QTc values were significantly higher among AMI patients, with images of paper thin bowel walls and the absence of bowel wall enhancement (p=0.042 and p=0.042, respectively). Meanwhile, the QTD values were significantly higher among patients with venous pneumatosis findings on CT (p=0.005). In the regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between the QT parameters and AMI (p<0.001). For QTc, an AUC of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.857-0.950, p<0.001), a sensitivity of 80.8%, and a specificity of 82.3% were found. For QTD, an AUC of 0.821 (95% CI: 0.753-0.889, p<0.001), a sensitivity of 73.1%, and a specificity of 82.3% were found. Conclusion We found the QTc and QTD values to be significantly higher among AMI patients. Furthermore, we found a significant relationship between the CT findings and QTc and QTD as well as a significant relationship between survival and QTc in the AMI group.

Effect of Prone and Supine Positioning on Computed Tomography Urography Examination.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of performing computed tomography (CT) urogram in the prone position in terms of diagnosis. METHODS: CT urograms of 208 patients imaged randomly in the prone and supine positions were included in this study. A total of 199 patients and 370 collecting systems were examined in total. Axial raw data and reconstructed coronal thin and thick MIP images with a slice thickness of 5 mm were evaluated by 2 independent radiologists blinded to the initial diagnosis. Renal collecting system, ureters, and bladder were included in radiological evaluation. Anatomically, the renal collecting system was separated into 7 regions. Filling and dilatation of collecting systems were evaluated via images at urogram phase by scoring. RESULTS: Filling in lower pole infundibulum (p = 0.006), distal ureter (p = 0.006); and highly dilated lower pole calyx (p = 0.020), pelvis (p = 0.006), and bladder (p < 0.001) were determined to be better in images in the prone position compared to the supine position. There were no statistical differences in other regions. CONCLUSION: Better contrast material filling is achieved in dilated or non-dilated lower pole collecting system, dilated renal pelvis, non-dilated distal ureter of kidney, and in the bladder only by imaging the urogram phase in the prone position compared to the supine position. Additionally, presence of dilatation is a factor that could adversely affect filling. Studies in the future may investigate the contribution of prone positioning to CT urogram with larger series comparing it with other methods and modalities.

Radiologic and histopathologic review of rare benign and malignant breast diseases.

High social awareness of breast diseases and the rise in breast imaging facilities have led to an increase in the detection of even rare benign and malignant breast lesions. Breast lesions are associated with a broad spectrum of imaging characteristics, and each radiologic imaging technique reflects different characteristics of them. We aimed to increase familiarity of the radiologist with these uncommon lesions as well as correlate histopathologic findings with the radiologic imaging features of the tumors. Histopathologic examination is necessary in the evaluation of such breast lesions, particularly when radiologic images are not definitive for a specific diagnosis.

An interesting case of childhood brucellosis with unusual features.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection, which is still a major public health concern worldwide. Common clinical findings are usually nonspecific involving fever, arthralgia, myalgia, weakness and malaise. Since none of the symptoms of brucellosis is pathognomonic, it may have a similar course with various multisystemic diseases. In terms of focal involvement, sacroiliitis is the most common musculoskeletal manifestation in adult patients, while it is quite rare in pediatric patients. Blood culture is the gold standard in the diagnosis of brucellosis. In the absence of culture facilities, the diagnosis traditionally relies on serologic testing with a variety of agglutination tests such as the Rose Bengal test and the serum agglutination test. However, these agglutination tests are accompanied by frequent false negative results such as seen in prozone phenomenon, which may lead to diagnostic delays. In this article we present a rarely encountered pediatric brucellosis patient who had sacroiliitis-spondylitis, which are rarely reported in children, and exhibited prozone phenomenon in agglutination tests.

CT and MRI findings of renal infestation by a huge active hydatid cyst.

Hydatid cysts derived from a type of tapeworm called Echinococcus granulosis larvaes which can situate in various organs or tissues in human body. It encounters as an endemic zoonosis in many regions all over the world including eastern part of Turkey. Renal involvement of hydatid cysts is uncommon even in endemic areas. The imaging properties vary according to the phase of the disease. Although it is a benign condition, the diagnosis of a renal hydatid cyst is critical in managing treatment and complications, such as nephrectomy, medical treatment before surgery and the risk of anaphylaxis or dissemination during intervention. Herein authors reported a case of an isolated involvement of the right kidney by a huge active hydatid cyst in a young man who was treated surgically, emphasising its ultrasound, CT, contrast-enhanced MR and diffusion-weighted imaging findings.

Comparison of cerebellar volume between subjects with bilateral congenital blindness and healthy individuals / Comparación del volumen cerebelar entre individuos sanos y con ceguera bilateral congénita

Cerebellum regulates motor control and physical coordination. It is known that when eye and hand need to be worked in combination, cerebellum is active and it provides coordination between eye and hand. Cerebellar cortex atrophy appears with dismetry and saccadic eye movement. If there is no stimulant related to vision, how cerebellum is adopted under this circumstance? In order to explore this, 27 male and 16 female volunteers with bilateral congenital blindness were compared with 35 male and 33 female healthy volunteers in this study. MR images of cross-sectional sequential cerebellum of volunteers with 1.5 mm thickness were realized in coronal plane. The surface area of apparent cerebellum seen in cross-sections was calculated by using Onis (Ver. 2.1) programme. Surface area data obtained by systematic randomized sampling were converted to volume by Cavalieri method. Cerebellar volume of bilateral congenital blind male was 128.15 ± 11.11 cm3, and cerebellar volume of bilateral congenital blind female was 118.60 ±10.73 cm3. Cerebellar volume for healthy men and women were 132.89 ± 12.51 cm3 and 125.97 ± 10.78 cm3, respectively. It was revealed that cerebellar volume for bilateral congenital blind men was smaller than that of healthy men, but this difference was not significant. On the other hand cerebellar volume of bilateral congenital blind women was significantly smaller than that of healthy women (p<0.05). No asymmetry was detected between right and left side of cerebellum in both bilateral congenital blind and healthy subjects.

Cuando el ojo y la mano necesitan trabajar de manera combinada, el cerebelo se activa y proporciona la coordinación entre éstos. La atrofia de la corteza cerebelosa aparece con dismetría y movimientos oculares sacádicos. Si no hay estimulantes de la visión, ¿cómo se adapta el cerebelo en esta circunstancia? Se realizó un estudio con sujetos voluntarios, 27 hombres y 16 mujeres con ceguera congénita bilateral los cuales fueron comparados con 35 hombres y 33 mujeres sanas. Se realizó la toma de imágenes resonancia magnética, obteniendo secciones transversales del cerebelo de manera secuencial con espesor de 1,5 mm en el plano coronal. El área superficial aparente del cerebelo observada en las secciones ransversales se calculó mediante el uso del software Onis (Ver. 2,1). Los datos de superficie obtenidos mediante muestreo aleatorio sistemático fueron utilizados para calcular el volumen utilizando el método de Cavalieri. El volumen cerebelar bilateral de los hombres con cegera congénito fue 128,15±11,11 cm3 y mujeres fue 118,60±10,73 cm3. Los volumenes del cerebelo en hombres y mujeres sanos fueron 132,89±12,51 cm3 y 125,97±10,78 cm3, respectivamente. Se reveló que el volumen del cerebelo de los hombres con cegera bilateral congénita fue menor que el de los hombres sanos, pero esta diferencia no fue significativa. Por otro lado el volumen del cerebelo de las mujeres con cegera bilateral congénita fue significativamente menor que el de mujeres sanas (p <0,05). No se detectó asimetría entre el lado derecho e izquierdo del cerebelo, tanto en sujetos con cegera bilateral congénita como sujetos sanos.

Subtypes of renal cell carcinoma: MRI and pathological features.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignant tumor involving the kidney. Determining the subtypes of renal cell carcinoma is among the major goals of preoperative radiological work-up. Among all modalities, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has several advantages, such as inherent soft tissue contrast, detection of lipid and blood products, and excellent sensitivity to detect small amounts of intravenous contrast, which facilitate the discrimination of subtypes of RCC. In this article, we review MRI and pathological features used for determining the main histologic subtypes of RCC, including clear cell, papillary, collecting duct, chromophobe, multilocular cystic, and unclassified RCC.

Ureteral quadruplication with three blind-ending branches.

A case of left-sided ureteral quadruplication with 3 blind-ending branches detected in a 16-year-old boy was presented by its step by step diagnostic work-up and treatment plan which is the first published case in the literature.

A Fascioliasis Case: a not Rare Cause of Hypereosinophilia in Developing Countries, Present in Developed too.

Fascioliasis is a worlwide parasitic zoonosis, endemic in south-east mediterranean area, but uncommon in other areas. Clinical signs are usually non-specific. A 32 year old male patient was admitted to our hospital with complaints of abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, lost of appetite, itching, cough, night sweats and weight loss. Complete blood count revealed hypereosinophilia. The abdominal ultrasound scan was normal. But computed tomography scan revealed irregular nodular lesions in periportal area of the liver. Based on these clinical and radiological signs and continuous hypereosinophilia, the patient was serologically investigated for Fasciola hepatica infection. F. hepatica indirect hemagglutination test in serum was positive at a titer of 1/1280. Single dose Triclabendasole 10mg/kg was administered and repeated two weeks later. Clinical and laboratory signs were completely resolved after treatment. Serological tests for fascioliasis should be included in all patients with hypereosinophilia and abnormal liver CT.

Mean platelet volume and D-dimer in patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of mean platelet volume (MPV) and D-dimer for acute deep venous thromboembolism (DVT). Two hundred and fifty six patients who presented to the emergency or cardiovascular surgery department with suspected lower limb DVT were retrospectively recruited. Plasma levels of MPV, platelet count, and D-dimer were obtained and duplex sonography examination was performed for all patients. Eighty four patients had acute DVT which was diagnosed by duplex ultrasonography. MPV was significantly higher in patients with DVT than in those without DVT (p < 0.01). The mean MPV was 7.97 ± 17.8 and 7.58 ± 0.87 fL in patients with DVT and without DVT, respectively (p < 0.01). D-dimer was significantly higher in patients with DVT (p < 0.01). For all the patients, a positive MPV when the cut-off value was 7.3 fL, had 69.7 % sensitivity and 43.9 % specificity. D-dimer (with a cut-off value of 0.5 µg/mL) had 82.9 % sensitivity and 32.7 % specificity. In case of combination of MPV and D-dimer, the specificity exceeded (65.9 %) despite the reduction in sensitivity (59.2 %). Elevated MPV was found to be associated with acute DVT and high levels of MPV might increase the specificity of D-dimer for exclusion of DVT.

A Rare Presentation of Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis as Bouveret's Syndrome.

The purpose of this paper is to present sonographic and CT imaging findings of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) presented as Bouveret's syndrome, a very rare cause of gastric obstruction. While the patient's physical examination, upper GI endoscopy, and radiological findings all pointed to Bouveret's syndrome, CT differential diagnosis suggested either XGC or gallbladder carcinoma, and the final diagnosis was done histopathologically. Our paper aims to increase awareness in radiologically diagnosing XGC cases by introducing the possibility of existence of Bouveret's syndrome.

An Unusual Type of Localized Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy With Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome Presenting With Pulmonary Edema.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant heart disease that is the most common genetic cardiac disorder. The disease is characterized by excessive thickening of the left ventricular myocardium. The anterior portion of the interventricular ventricular septum is often involved. Asymmetric hypertrophy of apical site, left ventricular free wall, and right ventricle are less common in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that occur in 1% cases. We report a case of a patient with an unusual type of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Wolf Parkinson White (WPW) presenting with pulmonary edema.

Direct contrast-enhanced MR venography in the diagnosis of May-Thurner syndrome.

Visualization of lower extremity veins with MR venography still needs improvement. The latest advancement is direct contrast-enhanced 3D MR venography which is based on display of venous system during direct injection of paramagnetic extracellular contrast agent into pedal veins. We used automated injection of contrast agent with a power injector makings this application simpler and faster, achieved to show the iliac vein compression syndrome and post-thrombotic changes of the left iliac and femoral veins.

Perineal leiomyoma mimicking complex Bartholin mass.

Leiomyomas of the external genitalia are uncommon soft tissue tumors. We report the case of a 47-year-old woman with perineal leiomyomas mimicking Bartholin's gland mass according to the preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Leiomyomas in the vulvar region should be differentiated from complicated Bartholin's gland cysts and preoperative MRI findings may be misleading. The complete surgical excision should be the choice of treatment.

Does an extra kidney-ureter-bladder radiograph taken in the upright position during routine intravenous urography provide diagnostic benefit?

PURPOSE: The aim of this prospective study was to assess the diagnostic benefit of taking a kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) radiograph in an upright position during routine intravenous urography (IVU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2005 and September 2007, 170 consecutive patients were included in the study. A basal IVU exam consisted of pre-contrast supine KUB, post-contrast supine KUB at the 7th and 15th minutes, and supine pelvic radiographs with full bladder and post-voiding. When needed, additional compression and/or oblique radiographs were taken. In this study, for all patients, a post-contrast 15th minute upright KUB radiograph was added to IVU. Two consecutive radiographs taken at the 15th minute postcontrast in supine and upright positions were evaluated by consensus of 2 radiologists. Primary benefits were improved filling and emptying of the collecting system, and secondary benefits were nephroptosis and ascertaining diagnosis of phlebolith. RESULTS: Of 170 patients, 337 kidneys and collecting systems (n = 168 right; n = 169 left) were examined. Improved filling, emptying of the collecting system, nephroptosis, ascertaining diagnosis of phleboliths were detected with the rates of 12.5%, 44.2%, 8.3%, and 3.2%, respectively. Improved filling was significant in the presence of hydronephrosis (P < 0.05) and ureterolithiasis (P < 0.05) on both sides. There was a positive correlation between both improved filling and presence of hydronephrosis, and improved filling and presence of ureterolithiasis. Emptying was significant in collecting systems that had no visible pathology on IVU (P < 0.05) on either side. CONCLUSION: Upright KUB radiographs provide supplementary data about urine flow in terms of improved filling and emptying of the collecting system.

Does prebiopsy, nonsterile ultrasonography gel affect biopsy-site asepsis?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the use of nonsterile gel, prior to antiseptic procedures in ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous biopsies, results in contamination of the biopsy site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients referred for US-guided percutaneous biopsies were included in this study. Transmission material used for US evaluation before biopsy-site antiseptic procedures were performed was either nonsterile gel or sterile saline. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: nonsterile gel (n = 30) and sterile saline (n = 30). Before the transmission material was used and after antiseptic procedures were performed, microbial swabs of a 10-cm(2)-diameter area were obtained at the biopsy site. Swabs were also obtained from the gel, saline, and povidine-iodine. Inoculated specimen plates were incubated at 37 degrees C under aerobic conditions, and the numbers of colony-forming units recorded. Nominal logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds of postantisepsis bacterial growth (after antiseptic procedures were performed) based on group, gender, coincidental disease (diabetes, chronic renal failure, and malignancy), biopsy-site location (head and neck or breast and abdomen), and local factors (skin fold, skin tag, and hair). RESULTS: The following odds ratios (adjusted for the other variables) and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated: (1) group (2.9 [0.8-11.1]; p = 0.10); (2) gender (1.2 [0.3-5.2]; p = 0.78); (3) coincidental disease (7.6 [0.9-166.7]; p = 0.09); (4) biopsy site location (6.2 [1.4-31.3]; p = 0.02); and (5) local factors (7.0 [1.6-36.0]; p = 0.01). No bacterial growth occurred with swabs obtained from gel, povidine-iodine, or saline. CONCLUSION: We conclude that nonsterile gel used prior to percutaneous biopsy does not affect biopsy-site asepsis.