Reliability, reproducibility, and potential pitfalls of the O-RADS scoring with non-dynamic MRI.

BACKGROUND: The O-RADS scoring has been proposed to standardize the reporting of adnexal lesions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PURPOSE: To assess intra- and inter-observer agreement of the O-RADS scoring using non-dynamic MRI and its agreement with pathologic diagnosis, and to provide the pitfalls in the scoring based on discordant ratings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adnexal lesions that were diagnosed using non-dynamic MRI at two centers were scored using O-RADS. Intra- and inter-observer agreements were assessed using kappa statistics. Cross-tabulations were made for intra- and inter-observer ratings and for O-RADS scores and pathological findings. RESULTS: Intra- and inter-observer agreements were assessed for 404 lesions in 339 patients who were admitted to center 1. Intra-observer agreement was almost perfect (97.8%, kappa = 0.963) and inter-observer agreement was substantial (83.2%, kappa = 0.730). The combined data from center 1 and center 2 included 496 patients; of them, 295 (59.5%) were operated. There was no borderline or malignant pathology for the lesions with O-RADS 1 or 2. Of those with an O-RADS score of 3, 3 (4.1%) lesions were borderline and none were malignant. The O-RADS scoring in discriminating borderline/malignant lesions from benign lesions was outstanding (area under the ROC curve 0.950, 95% CI = 0.923-0.971). Sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of O-RADS 4/5 lesions for borderline/malignant lesions were 96.2%, 87.1%, 72.8%, and 98.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The O-RADS scoring using non-dynamic MRI is a reproducible method and has good discrimination for borderline/malignant lesions. Potential factors that may lead to discordant ratings are provided here.

Time difference for the presence of coronary calcium in those with and without coronary risk factors and statin use.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. We aimed to assess to what extent risk factors and statin use modify the time to occurrence of CAC. METHODS: The study population included 3484 patients who underwent CAC score measurements and CT angiography between January 2021 and March 2022. To assess to what extent risk factors and statin use modify the time to occurrence of CAC, a time difference for a 50% probability of having a non-zero CAC score between those with and without these factors was calculated. RESULTS: The mean age was 52.1 ± 10.9 years, and 43.1% of the population were women. Age was the most important factor for having non-zero CAC (z value 21.84, p-value <0.001). This is followed by male gender (Odds ratio [OR] and 95% CI 3.53 [2.96-4.21]; p < 0.001), and statin use (OR 3.09 [2.41-3.97], p < 0.001). A non-zero CAC develops on average 10.3 years earlier in men compared with women, and 9.1 years earlier in statin users compared with non-users. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and smoking were also associated with earlier occurrence of CAC score, but to a lower extent. CONCLUSION: Apart from age, male gender and statin use are the major factors for the occurrence of CAC and are associated with CAC occurrence 9-10 years earlier.

Diagnostic performance of the O-RADS MRI system for magnetic resonance imaging in discriminating benign and malignant adnexal lesions: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.

PURPOSE: After the introduction of the Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), several studies with diverse characteristics have been published to assess its diagnostic performance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of O-RADS MRI scoring for adnexal masses, accounting for the risk of selection bias. METHODS: The PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for eligible studies. Borderline or malignant lesions were considered malignant. All O-RADS MRI scores ≥4 were considered positive. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio (LR) values were calculated, considering the risk of selection bias. RESULTS: Fifteen eligible studies were found, and five of them had a high risk of selection bias. Between-study heterogeneity was low-to-moderate for sensitivity but substantial for specificity (I2 values were 35.5% and 64.7%, respectively). The pooled sensitivity was significantly lower in the studies with a low risk of bias compared with those with a high risk of bias (93.0% and 97.5%, respectively; P = 0.043), whereas the pooled specificity was not different (90.4% for the overall population). The negative and positive LRs were 0.08 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05­0.11] and 10.0 (95% CI 7.7­12.9), respectively, for the studies with low risk of bias and 0.03 (95% CI 0.01­0.10) and 10.3 (95% CI 3.8­28.3), respectively, for those with high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: The overall diagnostic performance of the O-RADS system is very high, particularly for ruling out borderline/malignant lesions, but with a moderate ruling-in potential. Studies with a high risk of selection bias lead to an overestimation of sensitivity. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The O-RADS system demonstrates considerable diagnostic performance, particularly in ruling out borderline or malignant lesions, and should routinely be used in practice. The high between-study heterogeneity observed for specificity suggests the need for improvement in the consistent characterization of the benign lesions to reduce false positive rates.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness on non-gated chest CT as an alternative to EAT volume on cardiac CT.

BACKGROUND: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume is usually measured with ECG-gated computed tomography (CT). Measurement of EAT thickness is a more convenient method; however, it is not clear whether EAT thickness measured with non-gated CT is reliable and at which localization it agrees best with the EAT volume. PURPOSE: To examine the agreement between ECG-gated EAT volume and non-gated EAT thickness measured from various localizations and to assess the predictive role of EAT thickness for high EAT volume. MATERIAL AND METHODS: EAT thickness was measured at six locations using non-contrast thorax CT and EAT volume was measured using ECG-gated cardiac CT (n = 68). The correlation and agreement (Bland-Altman plots) between the thicknesses and EAT volume were assessed. RESULTS: EAT thicknesses were significantly correlated with EAT volume (P < 0.001). The highest correlation (r = 0.860) and agreement were observed for the thickness adjacent to the right ventricular free wall. Also, EAT thickness at this location has a strong potential for discriminating high (>125 cm3) EAT volume (area under the ROC curve=0.889, 95% CI=0.801-0.977; P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of EAT thickness for high EAT volume were 76.5%, 88.2%, 68.4%, and 91.8%, respectively, for the cutoff value of 5.75 cm; and 47.1%, 100%, 100%, and 85%, respectively, for the cutoff value of 8.10 cm. CONCLUSION: EAT thickness measured on non-gated chest CT adjacent to the right ventricular free wall is a reliable and easy-to-use alternative to the volumetric quantification and has a strong potential to predict high EAT volume.

Coronary artery calcium score percentiles: data from a single center in Turkey.

PURPOSE: The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is used in decision-making for preventive medications in patients with borderline clinical risk scores. Both absolute and percentile CAC scores can be used; however, a percentile CAC score is especially useful in young patients and women. The aim of this study is to present CAC score percentiles across age categories in women and men using a large database. METHODS: Bilkent City Hospital database was screened for patients who underwent CAC score measurements between January 2021 and March 2022. Of the 4,487 patients, 546 were excluded due to 1) a history of coronary stent implantation or bypass surgery or 2) missing information regarding a history of revascularization or calcium scores. Therefore, the final study population included 3,941 participants. The percentiles for age categories within each sex were tabulated, and percentile plots were created for each sex using locally weighted scatterplot smoothing regression. RESULTS: The proportion of men included in the study was higher compared with that of women (57.09% vs. 42.91%). The mean age was 52.20 ± 11.11 years, and it was higher in women than in men (54.07 ± 10.47 vs. 50.80 ± 11.37, respectively; P < 0.001). A zero CAC score was observed in 2,381 (60.42%) patients; the percentage was higher in women than in men (68.60% vs. 54.27%; P < 0.001). When the cut-off value for the high-risk category was taken as the 75th percentile, a non-zero CAC score directly assigned a patient into the high-risk category in women aged <55 years and men aged <45 years. Percentile plots were also provided for each sex. CONCLUSION: In this large-scale study, including patients referred for CAC scoring and/or coronary computed tomography angiography, CAC score percentiles were provided for women and men across the selected age categories which may be in therapeutic decision-making. As an approximate rule of thumb, a non-zero CAC score corresponds to the high-risk category in women aged <55 years and in men aged <45 years.

A Fistulized Giant Duodenal Stromal Tumor in a Young Patient: A Case Report With Literature Review for Tomographic Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of periampullary region pathologies. CASE REPORT: A 24-year-old male patient applied to the general surgery department with the complaint of long-standing abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting after meals, and 8-10 kg weight loss in 1 month. Three-phase dynamic abdominopelvic CT showed that the 1st and the 2nd segments of the duodenum were dilated. At this level, a peripherally intensely contrasted heterogeneous mass lesion, 91x70x46 mm in size, was observed. There was oral contrast and air values in the center of the mass. A fistulized mass connected with the duodenal wall was considered in the differential diagnosis. In the surgical exploration, a soft, vascularized mass fistulized to the 2nd segment of the duodenum was observed. Pathological diagnosis was reported as GIST. CONCLUSION: GISTs arise from the precursors of Cajal Interstitial cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Contrast-enhanced CT is the preferred diagnostic method for staging, risk stratification, and follow-up. We presented a young case with a giant duodenal GIST and discussed differential diagnosis and some diagnostic properties.

Intra- and interobserver agreement of rectal cancer staging with MRI.

BACKGROUND: Reliable preoperative staging of rectal cancers is crucial for treatment decision making. PURPOSE: To assess the intra- and inter-observer agreement of rectal cancer staging, including the sub-categories, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study includes 85 patients (35.3% women; mean age = 62.2 ± 11.2 years) who underwent MRI for rectal cancer staging between August 2020 and April 2021. All the stored images were evaluated independently by two radiologists with 10-15 years of experience. For intra-observer agreement, the evaluations were done two months apart. Analyses were made using kappa, prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), where appropriate. RESULTS: There was a substantial inter-observer agreement for tumor localization (kappa = 0.665, PABAK = 0.682), mesorectal fascia invasion (kappa = 0.663, PABAK = 0.822), internal and external sphincter involvement (kappa 0.804 and 0.751, PABAK 0.859 and 0.929, respectively), and moderate to substantial agreement for M-staging (kappa = 0.451, PABAK = 0.742) and extramural vascular invasion (kappa = 0.569, PABAK = 0.741). There was also a good inter-observer agreement for T staging and N staging (ICC = 0.862, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.788-0.911; and ICC = 0.841, 95% CI = 0.595-0.922, respectively). As expected, intra-observer agreement was better than inter-observer agreement. CONCLUSION: Intra- and inter-observer agreement for MRI staging of rectal cancers using the structured reporting template is good.

Carotid stenosis evaluation by 64-slice CTA: comparison of NASCET, ECST and CC grading methods.

Purpose is to evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver variability of the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET), European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) and Common Carotid (CC) methods, which are used to measure the degree of ICA stenosis, using 64-slice CT angiography and to compare the measurements made by these three methods. 88 cases (111 carotid arteries) were included in the study. Carotid CTA was performed by a 64 slice scanner (Toshiba, Aqullion 64).Two radiologists measured the degree of carotid stenosis by using NASCET, ECST and CC methods. Intraobserver and interobserver variability of each method was determined by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plots and kappa and linear weighted kappa statistics. The relation between the measurements was assessed by correlation coefficient (with linear and quadratic methods). Correlation coefficients showed that there is linear correlation between the measurements made by the three methods. The degree of stenosis measured with the NASCET method had the lowest value, while the corresponding values measured with the ECST and CC methods were close to each other. ICC and Bland-Altman plots showed high intra and inter observer agreement for NASCET, ECST and CC methods whereas kappa statistics showed moderate to substantial agreement. CC method had slightly higher agreement when compared with the other two methods. Intra and interobserver agreement is high for NASCET, ECST and CC methods however CC method has a slightly higher reproducibility. There is linear correlation between the measurements made by the three methods.