Accuracy of contrast-enhanced CT in liver neoplasms in children under 2 years age.

BACKGROUND: Multiple differentials exist for pediatric liver tumors under 2 years. Accurate imaging diagnosis may obviate the need for tissue sampling in most cases. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the imaging features and diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in liver tumors in children under 2 years. METHODS: Eighty-eight children under 2 years with treatment naive liver neoplasms and baseline contrast-enhanced CT were included in this institutional review board approved retrospective study. Two blinded onco-radiologists assessed these tumors in consensus. Findings assessed included enhancement pattern, lobulated appearance, cystic change, calcifications, central scar-like appearance, and metastases. The radiologists classified the lesion as hepatoblastoma, infantile hemangioma, mesenchymal hamartoma, rhabdoid tumor, or indeterminate, first based purely on imaging and then after alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) correlation. Multivariate analysis and methods of comparing means and frequencies were used for statistical analysis wherever applicable. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and positive predictive values were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 11.4 months (95% CI, 10.9-11.8) with 50/88 (57%) boys. The study included 72 hepatoblastomas, 6 hemangiomas, 4 mesenchymal hamartomas, and 6 rhabdoid tumors. Presence of calcifications, multilobular pattern of arterial enhancement, lobulated morphology, and central scar-like appearance was significantly associated with hepatoblastomas (P-value < 0.05). Fourteen out of eighty-eight lesions were called indeterminate based on imaging alone; six lesions remained indeterminate after AFP correlation. Pure radiology-based diagnostic accuracy was 81.8% (95% CI, 72.2-89.2%), which increased to 92.1% (95% CI, 84.3-96.7%) (P-value > 0.05) after AFP correlation, with one hepatoblastoma misdiagnosed as a rhabdoid tumor. If indeterminate lesions were excluded for biopsy, the accuracy would be 98.8% (95% CI, 93.4-99.9%). CONCLUSION: CT had high accuracy for diagnosing liver neoplasms in the under 2-year age population after AFP correlation. Certain imaging features were significantly associated with the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma. A policy of biopsying only indeterminate lesions after CT and AFP correlation would avoid sampling in the majority of patients.

Evaluation of Metronomic Therapy as a Low-Cost, Sustainable, Standard-of-Care Option in Desmoid Fibromatosis: Real-World Data From a Tertiary Care Center in India.

PURPOSE: Desmoid fibromatosis (DF) is a locally aggressive tumor with low mortality but significant morbidity. There is a lack of standard of care, and existing therapies are associated with significant barriers including access, cost, and toxicities. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of the metronomic therapy (MT) in DF in a large, homogenous cohort from India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study involved histologically confirmed DF cases treated with MT comprising vinblastine (6 mg) and methotrexate (15 mg) both once a week, and tamoxifen (40 mg/m2) in two divided doses once daily between 2002 and 2018. RESULTS: There were 315 patients with a median age of 27 years; the commonest site was extremity (142 of 315; 45.0%). There were 159 (50.1%) male patients. Of the 123 (39.0%) prior treated patients, 119 had surgery. Of 315 patients, 263 (83.5%) received treatment at our institute (MT-151, 77-local treatment, 9-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and 26 were observed). Among the MT cohort (n = 163, 61.2%), at a median follow-up of 36 (0.5-186) months, the 3-year progression-free and overall survival were 81.1% (95% CI, 74.3 to 88.4) and 99.2% (95% CI, 97.6 to 100), respectively. There were 35% partial responses. Ninety-two patients (56.4%) completed 1-year therapy, which was an independent prognosticator (P < .0001; hazard ratio, 0.177 [95% CI, 0.083 to 0.377]). MT was well tolerated. Predominant grade ≥3 toxicities were febrile neutropenia, 12 (7.4%) without any chemotoxicity-related death. The annual cost of MT was $130 US dollars. CONCLUSION: The novel, low-cost MT qualifies as one of the effective, less toxic, sustainable, standard-of-care options for the treatment of DF with global reach and merits wide recognition.

PRRT with Lu-177 DOTATATE in Treatment-Refractory Progressive Meningioma: Initial Experience from a Tertiary-Care Neuro-Oncology Center.

PURPOSE: Refractory and/or recurrent meningiomas have poor outcomes, and the treatment options are limited. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been used in this setting with promising results. We have documented our experience of using intravenous (IV) and intra-arterial (IA) approaches of Lu-177 DOTATATE PRRT. METHODS: Eight patients with relapsed/refractory high-grade meningioma received PRRT with Lu-177 DOTATATE by IV and an IA route. At least 2 cycles were administered. Time to progression was calculated from the first PRRT session to progression. The response was assessed on MRI using RANO criteria, and visual analysis of uptake was done on Ga-68 DOTANOC PET/CT. Post-therapy dosimetry calculations for estimating the absorbed dose were performed. RESULTS: Median time to progression was 8.9 months. One patient showed disease progression, whereas seven patients showed stable disease at 4 weeks following 2 cycles of PRRT. Dosimetric analysis showed higher dose and retention time by IA approach. No significant peri-procedural or PRRT associated toxicity was seen. CONCLUSION: PRRT is a safe and effective therapeutic option for relapsed/refractory meningioma. The IA approach yields better dose delivery and should be routinely practised.

Predictive Value of Preoperative ICG-R15 Testing in Post-hepatectomy Liver Failure Following Major Liver Resection: Indian Experience.

Surgical resection stands as the preeminent therapeutic approach for both primary hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic liver malignancies. Its efficacy is contingent upon the attainment of a comprehensive excision while ensuring a sufficient future liver remnant (FLR). However, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains a significant challenge, particularly in patients with preexisting liver disease. The present study aims to investigate the predictive value of the preoperative indocyanine green retention test at 15 min (ICG-R15) in identifying patients at risk of PHLF following major liver resection. This retrospective review focused on patients who underwent the ICG-R15 test before major liver resection between August 2021 and January 2023. All patients underwent standard preoperative evaluation and staging. Patients with primary or metastatic liver cancer planned for major resection and undergoing ICG-R15 were included in the study. Patients with elevated serum bilirubin (> 3 mg/dl) and those not undergoing liver resection or minor liver resection (< 3 segments) were excluded from the study. PHLF was defined by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery (ISGLS) criteria. Follow-up was performed to identify 90-day morbidity. Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, we confirmed independent risk parameters that predicted postoperative major complications and severe PHLF. The study included 72 patients who underwent preoperative ICG-R15 testing prior to major liver resection. PHLF occurred in 28 patients (38.9%), with 24 patients (33.3%) classified as severity score B and 3 patients (4.16%) had severity score C. Univariate analysis revealed future liver remnant (FLR), ICG-R15, and blood transfusion as predictors of PHLF. Multivariate analysis confirmed FLR (p = 0.019) and ICG-R15 (p = 0.032) as significant predictors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.642 for ICG-R15 in predicting PHLF. An optimal cut-point of 7.5 was determined. Our study highlights the importance of preoperative risk assessment of liver function evaluation using the ICG-R15 test, to predict the risk of PHLF following liver resection. Implementing appropriate interventions, especially in patients with borderline FLR, can improve surgical outcomes and enhance patient safety. Further research and prospective studies are essential to refine risk prediction models and improve rates of PHLF after liver resections.

Feasibility of Hepatic Artery Infusion Chemotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastasis in an Indian Setting.

Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) is a popular treatment modality for the treatment of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of HAIC for high-risk resected CRLM delivered using repeated femoral puncture and delivering 5-fluorouracil infusional chemotherapy along with systemic adjuvant chemotherapy. The present study is a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database. All patients who underwent HAIC for colorectal liver metastases between July 2022 and July 2023 were included. A total of 12 patients were included in the study of which 11 completed four sessions as planned. The median age was 47 (29-73) years with nine male (81%) and two female (18%) patients. Rectum (n = 7, 63%) was the most common primary location. All patients received systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil-based regimens prior to HAIC (median 12 cycles). The median number of metastasis was 2 (1-8). Eight patients had metastasis in unilobar distribution (73%). On completion of HAIC treatment, nine patients (64%) were completely disease free with a median follow-up of 8 months. None of the patients experienced any immediate adverse events during or after completion of the procedure. Conventional HAIC comes with various challenges such as unavailability of the agent floxuridine and the specialized HAIC pump. Percutaneous HAIC has a lower chance of infection. The delivery of HAIC using repeated femoral punctures and 5FU chemotherapy was successful in over 90% of the patients making it a feasible option in the treatment of CRLM.

Bedside Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Cholecystostomy in Critically Ill Patients-Outcomes in 51 Patients.

Purpose The aim of this study was to report technical and clinical success of bedside ultrasound-guided percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) tube placement in intensive care unit (ICU). Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study of 51 patients (36 males:15 females, mean age: 67 years) who underwent ultrasound-guided PC from May 2015 to January 2020. The indication for cholecystostomy tube placement, comorbidities, imaging finding, technical success, clinical success, timing of surgery post-cholecystostomy tube placement, indwelling catheter time, complications, and follow-up were recorded. Results Indications for cholecystostomy tube placement were acute calculous cholecystitis ( n = 43; 84.3%), perforated cholecystitis ( n = 5; 9.8%), and emphysematous cholecystitis ( n = 3; 5.9%). Most of the patients had multiple comorbidities; these were diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic renal disease, underlying malignancy, and multisystem disease with sepsis. All patients had undergone PC through transhepatic approach under ultrasound guidance in ICU. Technical success rate of the procedure was 100%. Clinical success rate was 92.1% (47/51) and among these 44/51 (86.2%) patients underwent definitive elective cholecystectomy, 3/51 (5.9%) patients had elective tube removal. Three of fifty-one (5.9%) patients did not improve; among these two underwent emergency surgery, while there was 1/51 (1.9%) mortality due to ongoing sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction. There were no procedure-related mortalities or procedure-related major complications. One patient had bile leak due to multiple attempts for cholecystostomy placement. Mean tube indwelling time was 13 days (range: 3-45 days). Conclusion Ultrasound-guided PC can be safely performed in ICU in critically ill patients unfit for surgery with high technical and clinical success rates. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be preferred after stabilization of clinical condition following cholecystostomy.

Evaluation of an Objective MRI-Based Tumor Regression Grade (mrTRG) Score and a Subjective Likert Score for Assessing Treatment Response in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancers-A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the help of MRI-based tumor regression grade (mrTRG) score has been used as a tool to predict pathological tumor regression grade (pTRG) in patients of rectal cancer post-neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Our study aims to evaluate the ability of MRI in assessing treatment response comparing an objective mrTRG score and a subjective Likert score, with a focus on the ability to predict pathologic complete response (pCR). Methods: Post-treatment MRI studies were retrospectively reviewed for 170 consecutive cases of histopathologically proven rectal cancer after receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation and prior to surgery by two oncoradiologists blinded to the eventual postoperative histopathology findings. An objective (mrTRG) and a subjective Likert score were assigned to all the cases. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to determine the ability of Likert scale and mrTRG to predict pCR, with postoperative histopathology being the gold standard. The optimal cutoff points on the scale of 1 to 5 were obtained for mrTRG and Likert scale with the greatest sum of sensitivity and specificity using the Youden Index. Results: The most accurate cutoff point for the mrTRG to predict complete response was 2.5 (using Youden index), with a sensitivity of 69.2%, specificity of 69.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 85.6%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 46.4%, and accuracy of 69.3%. The most accurate cutoff for the Likert scale to predict complete response was 3.5, with a sensitivity of 47.5%, specificity of 89.1%, PPV of 91.9%, NPV of 39.4%, and accuracy of 59%. mrTRG had a lower cutoff and was more accurate in predicting pCR compared to Likert score. Conclusion: An objective mrTRG was more accurate than a subjective Likert scale to predict complete response in our study.

Imaging of central nervous system emergencies in oncology.

Central nervous system (CNS) may be predisposed to devastating complications in cancer patients which may add to morbidity and mortality in this group. Majority of the complications are vascular in nature due to the altered coagulation profile and pro-inflammatory state in these patients. However, there are a host of other conditions which may affect the clinical course of these patients including metabolic and toxic encephalopathies, infections, and paraneoplastic syndromes. Moreover, multimodality management of these patients, which is often used in majority of the cancers, exposes them to treatment related complications. This pictorial review aims to enlighten the reader regarding the various complications affecting the CNS as seen at our tertiary cancer care institute. We aim to highlight the emergent nature of these complications and the need to identify them quickly and accurately on imaging which helps to institute early appropriate management and prevents further morbidity and mortality.

Multimodality liver directed treatment for colorectal liver metastasis: Array of complementary options can improve outcomes - A single centre experience from India.

AIM: Complimentary use of Liver directed therapies (LDTs) with systemic chemotherapy has improved oncologic outcomes in colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). We analysed institutional results of multimodality management. Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained database of CRLM patients managed with LDT including surgical resection, Ablation, Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) between November 2011 to March 2020. Management plan was decided in multidisciplinary meeting. Resectable tumours underwent surgical resection or ablation or both in some cases. Borderline resectable or unresectable disease was treated with down staging chemotherapy or TACE/TARE followed by resection or ablation. All patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Factors influencing survival were analysed. Results: Out of total 375 patients, surgery alone was done in 191 (50.93%) patients while surgery with other LDT in 26 patients (6.93%). Ablation alone was done in 100 (26.66%) whereas TACE/TARE were done as standalone treatment in 21 (5.6%) and 7 (1.86%) patients respectively. TACE + ablation was done in 28 (7.46%) and TARE + ablation was done in 2(0.53%) patients.5-year Overall Survival(OS) was 49.8% while Event free survival(EFS) was 21.4%. The median OS and EFS for surgical group was significantly better than non-surgical group (78 V/s 39 months; p<0.05 and 20 V/s 15 months p <0.005). The resectable (78 months) group had better median OS as compared to borderline resectable and Unresectable group (39 months and 29 months). Male gender, resectable disease and surgical intervention were associated with improved OS. Conclusion: Although surgery remains the mainstay of treatment, complementary use of non-surgical LDT with systemic therapy offers possibility of good outcomes in advanced liver limited disease. Our experience highlights the impact of multidisciplinary care in optimizing CRLM treatment.

Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in children with hepatoblastoma using a risk-stratified approach.

BACKGROUND: Not all the significant progress made in the management of children with hepatoblastoma (HB) has translated into improved outcomes in limited-resource settings. There are limited data on outcomes in children with HB from India. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with HB between July 2013 and December 2020 were risk-stratified and treated as per International Liver Tumor Strategy Group (SIOPEL). Patients with standard-risk HB received cisplatin monotherapy and those with high-risk HB received alternating cycles of cisplatin and the combination of carboplatin plus doxorubicin. Data regarding demographic details, chemotherapy, surgery, liver transplantation, outcomes, prognostic factors, and toxicity were collected. RESULTS: Of 157 patients with HB, 117 (74%) were high risk, 31 (20%) were standard risk, and nine (6%) unknown. Patients with standard-risk disease had excellent outcomes, with 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of 96% and 100%, respectively. Among high-risk HB, six underwent orthotopic liver transplantation of which four were alive at last follow-up. The 3-year EFS and OS of patients with high-risk disease was 56% and 66%, respectively. Outcomes of patients with PRETEXT IV (3-year EFS: 42%, 3-year OS: 50%) and metastatic disease (3-year EFS: 30%, 3-year OS: 50%) were dismal. Patients with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) reduction greater than 90% following two courses of chemotherapy had favorable outcomes; 3-year EFS: 80% versus 58% (p = .013) and 3-year OS: 95% vs. 68% (p < .01). Only two (6%) of 31 patients with relapse/refractory HB were alive at a median follow-up of 36 months, and both had received salvage chemotherapy and surgery. CONCLUSIONS: While children with standard-risk HB had excellent outcomes, those with high-risk disease continue to do poorly. Serial monitoring of serum AFP values is a cost-effective and reliable predictor of outcomes. Orthotopic liver transplantation remains a viable option for inoperable disease in resource-limited settings as well.

A dosimetric comparison of systemic peptide receptor radionuclide therapy and intra-arterial peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in patients with liver dominant gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.

OBJECTIVES: Intra-arterial radionuclide therapy (IART) treatment allows direct delivery of 177 Lu-DOTATATE to the overexpressed somatostatin-positive neuroendocrine liver metastases, which led to higher tumour concentration compared with systemic radionuclide therapy (SRT). The aim was to evaluate and compare the absorbed doses of both IART and SRT to organs and hepatic metastatic sites. METHODS: A total of 48 patients received SRT and IART. In SRT, activity was administered intravenously, whereas in IART, activity was administered directly into hepatic arteries. The sequential whole-body images were acquired at 2, 4, 24, 72 and 160 h. The reconstructed whole-body planar and single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography images were processed using the Dosimetry Toolkit for the estimation of normalized cumulated activity in the organs and tumour lesions. The absorbed dose was computed using OLINDA EXM 2.0 software. RESULTS: The median absorbed dose (mGy/MBq) of kidneys and spleen in IART was compared with SRT and found to be decreased by 30.7% ( P  = 0.03) and 37.5% ( P  = 0.08), whereas it was found to be increased by 40% ( P  = 0.26) and 8.1% ( P  = 0.28) in the liver and lungs. The median dose (mGy/MBq) of tumours determined in IART was found to be increased by 62.2% ( P  = 0.04). CONCLUSION: IART with 177 Lu-DOTATATE significantly increases tumour dose while reducing overall systemic toxicity in comparison to SRT treatment. After considering the maximum tolerance limit of kidneys in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, the number of treatment cycles and injected activity can be optimized further with IART for better response and survival.

Leiomyosarcoma of inferior vena cava (IVC): do we really need to reconstruct IVC post resection? Single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Inferior vena cava (IVC) leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are a rare group of retroperitoneal tumors. R0 surgical resection is the only curative modality of treatment. IVC resection for retroperitoneal sarcoma is a complex surgery with no definitive guidelines for reconstruction. METHODS: Retrospective review of all patients who underwent surgical resection of primary leiomyosarcoma of the IVC requiring resection from 2010 to 2020 at our tertiary care center was performed. RESULTS: Among 24 patients who required IVC resection for LMS, only 7 (29%) required reconstruction of IVC. According to Clavien-Dindo classification, there was one grade 3 or more morbidity and 1 post-operative mortality. Seventeen patients underwent R0 resection whereas 7 patients had R1 resection on final histopathology. At a median follow-up of 25 months (range 8-91 months), the median OS was 40 months with median DFS of 28 months. Two patients presented with local recurrence while 13 patients developed systemic recurrence on follow-up. CONCLUSION: Careful preoperative multidisciplinary planning can make IVC resection without reconstruction feasible with acceptable perioperative morbidity, mortality, and oncological outcomes for IVC LMS.

Fat necrosis: A consultant's conundrum.

Fat necrosis of the breast is a benign non-suppurative inflammation of the adipose tissue and often mimics breast cancers, posing a diagnostic challenge for the clinician and radiologist. It has a myriad of appearances on different imaging techniques, ranging from the pathognomic oil cyst and benign dystrophic calcifications to indeterminate focal asymmetries, architectural distortions, and masses. A combination of different modalities can assist a radiologist in reaching a logical conclusion to avoid unnecessary interventions. The aim of this review article was to provide a comprehensive literature on the various imaging appearances of fat necrosis in the breast. Although a purely benign entity, the imaging appearances on mammography, contrast-enhanced mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging can be quite misleading, especially in post-therapy breasts. The purpose is to provide a comprehensive and all-inclusive review on fat necrosis with a proposed algorithm allowing a systematic approach to diagnosis.

Prognostic value of lung shunt fraction in hepatocellular carcinoma and unresectable liver dominant metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing transarterial radioembolisation.

AIM: To assess the overall survival and determine whether pre-TARE shunt fraction, tumor volume and tumor marker impact the outcome. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 75 patients who were referred for 90Y-glass microsphere radioembolisation by a joint clinic decision between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. All patients underwent pre-TARE CECT and 99mTc-MAA lung shunt fraction (LSF) imaging. RESULTS: Overall survival was 19 months for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 24 months for metastatic colorectal carcinoma. For hepatocellular carcinoma-LSF higher than 6.51 % was predictive of significantly decreased survival (P value 0.00). A progressive disease in survival was observed as LSF increased from less than 6.51 % to more than 20%. Tumor volume and tumor marker did show correlation with patient outcomes. For metastatic colorectal carcinoma-LSF and tumor marker did not show significant correlation with survival and tumor volume showed significant correlation with survival with P value of 0.049.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Uterine Cervix: A Pictorial Essay.

Uterine cervix is the lower constricted part of uterus which is best evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) due to its higher soft tissue and contrast resolution. The cervical cancer is a common gynecological cancer causing much morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Cervical carcinomas mainly occurs in reproductive age group with prognosis mainly depending on the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis, hence it is important to identify these cancerous lesions early and stage them accurately for optimal treatment. In this article, we will review the following: (1) the normal MRI anatomy of uterine cervix; (2) MRI protocol and techniques in evaluation of cervical lesions; (3) imaging of spectrum of various congenital abnormalities and pathologies affecting uterine cervix which ranges from congenital abnormalities to various benign lesions of cervix like nabothian cysts, tunnel cysts, cervicitis, cervical fibroid, and, lastly, endometriosis which usually coexists with adenomyosis; the malignant lesions include carcinoma cervix, adenoma malignum or direct extension from carcinoma endometrium or from carcinoma of vagina; (4) Accurately stage carcinoma of cervix using FIGO classification (2018); and (5) posttreatment evaluation of cervical cancers. MRI is the most reliable imaging modality in evaluation of various cervical lesions, identification of cervical tumors, staging of the cervical malignancy, and stratifying patients for surgery and radiation therapy. It also plays an important role in detection of local disease recurrence.

Aortic Fistulas: Pathophysiologic Features, Imaging Findings, and Diagnostic Pitfalls.

Fistulas between the aorta and surrounding organs are extremely rare but can be fatal if they are not identified and treated promptly. Most of these fistulas are associated with a history of trauma or vascular intervention. However, spontaneous aortic fistulas (AoFs) can develop in patients with weakened vasculature, which can be due to advanced atherosclerotic disease, collagen-vascular disease, vasculitides, and/or hematogenous infections. The clinical features of AoFs are often nonspecific, with patients presenting with bleeding manifestations, back or abdominal pain, fever, and shock. Confirmation with invasive endoscopy is often impractical in the acute setting. Imaging plays an important role in the management of AoFs, and multiphasic multidetector CT angiography is the initial imaging examination of choice. Obvious signs of AoF include intravenous contrast material extravasation into the fistulizing hollow organ, tract visualization, and aortic graft migration into the adjacent structure. However, nonspecific indirect signs such as loss of fat planes and ectopic foci of gas are seen more commonly. These indirect signs can be confused with other entities such as infection and postoperative changes. Management may involve complex and staged surgical procedures, depending on the patient's clinical status, site of the fistula, presence of infection, and anticipated tissue friability. As endovascular interventions become more common, radiologists will need to have a high index of suspicion for this entity in patients who have a history of aneurysms, vascular repair, or trauma and present with bleeding. Online supplemental material and the slide presentation from the RSNA Annual Meeting are available for this article. ©RSNA, 2021.

Ultrasound-guided assessment of gastric residual volume in patients receiving three types of clear fluids: A randomised blinded study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ultrasonography (USG) is used to evaluate gastric residual volume (GRV); however, this technique may have inter-assessor variability. This study aimed to measure GRV in three groups of fasted patients 2 h after they received 200 mL of water, clear apple juice or apple-flavoured oral rehydration solution (ORS) and to determine inter-assessor reliability of USG-guided GRV measurement. METHODS: We randomised 90 adult patients planned for elective cancer surgery, with no risk factors for delayed gastric emptying, to receive 200 mL of water, clear apple juice or apple-flavoured ORS after overnight fasting. Two hours later, two blinded assessors (a trained anaesthesiologist and a radiologist) independently determined USG-guided GRV. The primary outcome was GRV measured by the radiologist. The secondary outcome was inter-assessor correlation and agreement in GRV measurements. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in median GRV between groups (apple-flavoured ORS 74.8 mL, apple juice 63.7 mL, and water 62.1 mL, P = 0.11). We found poor correlation between measurements of radiologist and anaesthesiologist (Intra-class correlation coefficient 0.3, 95% confidence intervals 0.09 to 0.48, P value 0.002). The average (mean) bias was 5.4 mL (standard deviation 42.3 mL) and the 95% limits of agreement were -79.2 ml to +90 ml. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving 200 mL of water, clear apple juice or apple-flavoured ORS had comparable GRV after 2 h. There was poor correlation and agreement between GRV measurements of different assessors, indicating that more training may be required for anaesthesiologists to attain proficiency in the quantitative assessment of GRV.

Are radiological diagnostic centres ready to tackle COVID-19 pandemic? An Indian perspective.

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been declared as pandemic. Its transmission is mainly by droplets and touching infected surfaces. Health care workers including personnel working at diagnostic centers are more prone to contact the disease through infected patients and hence various precautionary measures have to be implemented which has been discussed in this article. This manuscript shall brief about the preparedness by the diagnostic center in terms of the modification in the work flow, the precautions and protections to be taken by the personnel and patients, disinfection of the equipment and surfaces, and new norms of social distancing. This article will be addressing mainly to the diagnostic centers and the changes to be made as per their convenience.

Interventional radiology preparedness during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sector of healthcare. Interventional Radiology in many instances continues to provide frontline care during this pandemic. The purpose of this article is to assist Interventional Radiologists in their preparation to face the challenges, by summarizing global experiences and guidelines. We provide a basic framework that can be used to prepare institue specific guidelines in coordination with multidisciplinary teams and hospital administration.