A publicly available deep learning model and dataset for segmentation of breast, fibroglandular tissue, and vessels in breast MRI.

Breast density, or the amount of fibroglandular tissue (FGT) relative to the overall breast volume, increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Although previous studies have utilized deep learning to assess breast density, the limited public availability of data and quantitative tools hinders the development of better assessment tools. Our objective was to (1) create and share a large dataset of pixel-wise annotations according to well-defined criteria, and (2) develop, evaluate, and share an automated segmentation method for breast, FGT, and blood vessels using convolutional neural networks. We used the Duke Breast Cancer MRI dataset to randomly select 100 MRI studies and manually annotated the breast, FGT, and blood vessels for each study. Model performance was evaluated using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). The model achieved DSC values of 0.92 for breast, 0.86 for FGT, and 0.65 for blood vessels on the test set. The correlation between our model's predicted breast density and the manually generated masks was 0.95. The correlation between the predicted breast density and qualitative radiologist assessment was 0.75. Our automated models can accurately segment breast, FGT, and blood vessels using pre-contrast breast MRI data. The data and the models were made publicly available.

Ethanol Sclerotherapy for Postoperative Seroma of the Breast and Axilla.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol sclerotherapy in postoperative breast and axillary seromas. METHODS: This was an IRB-approved retrospective review of consecutive patients from 2017 to 2021. The procedure involves aspiration of seroma fluid, injection of ethanol for 15 to 30 minutes, and then aspiration of the injected ethanol. Following review of the medical record, patient and procedure data were recorded. Success was defined as no recurrence of seroma. Statistical analysis was performed using a chi-square or t-test, as appropriate. RESULTS: Twenty seromas were treated in 19 patients (mean age, 63 years; range, 49-79) following mastectomy (9/20, 45%), lumpectomy (25%, 5/20), axillary nodal dissection (5/20, 25%), or chest wall surgery (1/20, 5%). The mean seroma volume was 146 ±â€…165 mL. There was a mean of 1.4 prior aspiration attempts (range, 0-3). Mean injected ethanol volume was 39 mL (range, 8-60 mL) for a mean of 26 ±â€…5 minutes. Seromas recurred in 85% (17/20) of cases, and repeat aspiration was performed in 35% (6/17). The mean recurrence time was 34 ±â€…29 days. The recurrent seromas were 31% smaller (mean, 80 ±â€…48 mL). Only a smaller pre-ablation seroma was associated with successful ablation (P < 0.01), as the mean pre-ablation volume was 36 ± 24 mL for successful ablations and 119 ±â€…56 mL for unsuccessful ablations. There were no post-procedural complications. CONCLUSION: Single-treatment ethanol sclerotherapy is typically unsuccessful in ablating breast and axillary seromas. Only a smaller pre-ablation seroma size was associated with successful ablation.

Myeloid Sarcoma of the Breast: A Diagnostic Dilemma With Pathologic Correlation.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare extramedullary solid tumor arising most often in patients with current or subsequent acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients of all ages may present with involvement of the skin, lymph nodes, intestinal tract, bone, and/or central nervous system. Isolated involvement of the breast is rare, and only a small number of cases have been described in the literature. Breast MS may present as a palpable mass on clinical evaluation. In this broad literature review from 2010 to 2022, the most common findings on mammography are either solitary or multiple masses, followed by architectural distortion and, less commonly, no discrete findings. Sonography may demonstrate hypoechoic or mixed echogenicity mass(es) with circumscribed or indistinct, not discrete margins. Myeloid sarcoma may present as an enhancing mass or nonmass enhancement on breast MRI and is typically moderately radiotracer avid on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET. At histopathology, MS is characterized by myeloid blasts in varying stages of granulocytic or neutrophilic maturation; diagnosis typically requires immunophenotyping. There is no consensus for treatment of MS, although systemic chemotherapy for AML is often used as MS is considered the tissue equivalent of AML. This article will discuss and illustrate imaging and pathology findings when the breast is involved by MS.

Managing Challenging Patient Interactions in Breast Imaging.

Managing challenging patient interactions can be a daily stressor for breast imaging radiologists, leading to burnout. This article offers communication and behavioral practices for radiologists that help reduce radiologists' stress during these encounters. Patient scenarios viewed as difficult can vary among radiologists. Radiologists' awareness of their own physical, mental, and emotional states, along with skillful communications, can be cultivated to navigate these interactions and enhance resiliency. Understanding underlying causes of patients' emotional reactions, denial, and anger helps foster empathy and compassion during discussions. When exposed to extremely disruptive, angry, or racially abusive patients, having pre-existing institutional policies to address these behaviors helps direct appropriate responses and guide subsequent actions. These extreme behaviors may catch breast imaging radiologists off guard yet have potentially significant consequences. Rehearsing scripted responses before encounters can help breast imaging radiologists maintain composure in the moment, responding in a calm, nonjudgmental manner, and most effectively contributing to service recovery. However, when challenging patient encounters do trigger difficult emotions in breast imaging radiologists, debriefing with colleagues afterwards and naming the emotion can help the radiologists process their feelings to regain focus for performing clinical duties.

Bridging the Gap: Identifying Global Trends in Gender Disparity Among the Radiology Physician Workforce.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Women make up half of American medical school graduates, but remain underrepresented among radiologists. This study sought to determine whether workforce gender disparities exist in other countries, and to identify any country-specific indices associated with increased female representation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 95 professional radiology organizations in 75 countries were contacted via email to provide membership statistics, including proportion of female members, female members aged 35 or under, and women in society leadership positions. Country-specific metrics collected included gross domestic product, Gini index, percent female medical school enrollment, and Gender Development Index for the purposes of univariate multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-nine organizations provided data on 184,888 radiologists, representing 26 countries from Europe (n = 12), North America (n = 2), Central/South America (n = 6), Oceania (n = 2), Asia (n = 3), and Africa (n = 1) for a response rate of 34.7% (26/75). Globally, 33.5% of radiologists are female. Women constitute a higher proportion of younger radiologists, with 48.5% of radiologists aged 35 or under being female. Female representation in radiology is lowest in the United States (27.2%), highest in Thailand (85.0%), and most variable in Europe (mean 40.1%, range 28.8%-68.9%). The proportion of female radiologists was positively associated with a country's Gender Development Index (P = .006), percent female medical student enrollment (P = .001), and Gini index (P = .002), and negatively associated with gross domestic product (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Women are underrepresented in radiology globally, most notably in the United States. Countries with greater representation of women had higher gender equality and percent female medical school enrollment, suggesting these factors may play a role in the gender gap.

Differential Motivations for Pursuing Diagnostic Radiology by Gender: Implications for Residency Recruitment.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine how the motivations to pursue a career in radiology differ by gender. In addition, the influence of medical school radiology education will be assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiology applicants to our institution from the 2015-2016 interview season were offered an online survey in February 2016. Respondents scored the influence of 24 aspects of radiology on their decision to pursue radiology. Comparisons were made between male and female respondents. Respondents were also asked the type of medical school radiology education they received and to score the influence this experience had on their decision to pursue radiology. RESULTS: There were 202 total respondents (202/657) including 47 women and 155 men. Compared to men, the following factors had a more negative impact on women: flexible work hours (P = 0.04), work environment (P = 0.04), lifestyle (P = 0.04), impact on patient care (P = 0.05), high current debt load (P = 0.02), gender distribution of the field (P = 0.04), and use of emerging/advanced technology (P = 0.02). In contrast, women felt more favorably about the opportunities for leadership (P = 0.04) and research (P < 0.01). Dedicated radiology exposure was as follows: 20% (n = 20) none, 48% (n = 96) preclinical exposure, 55% (n = 111) elective rotation, and 18% (n = 37) core rotation. More intensive radiology exposure via a core rotation had a significantly positive impact on the decision to pursue radiology (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Male and female radiology applicants are motivated by different aspects of radiology, which may influence residency recruitment practices. In addition, more intensive radiology exposure has a net positive impact on the decision to pursue radiology.

Gamma knife radiosurgery in the treatment of tumor-related facial pain.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial neoplasms can cause pain similar to trigeminal neuralgia. Literature regarding radiosurgery for this is limited. We present a retrospective review of patients with tumor-related facial pain from benign lesions treated with gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) at Wake Forest University. OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives were to determine long-term pain relief and predictive factors for pain alleviation. METHODS: We reviewed 515 patients treated with GKRS for benign meningioma, vestibular schwannoma or trigeminal schwannoma between August 1999 and August 2010. Twenty-one eligible patients had tumor-related facial pain prior to GKRS. The median marginal tumor dose was 12 Gy. Long-term pain relief data were obtained by chart review and telephone interview. RESULTS: The median follow-up for symptom evaluation was 3.8 years. Seventeen of 21 patients (81%) experienced a Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) score of I-III at 6 months following GKRS. Kaplan-Meier estimates of freedom from BNI IV-V relapse were 66% at 1 year and 53% at 2 years. No pain relapses occurred after 2 years. CONCLUSION: GKRS of benign lesions is a noninvasive option for patients with tumor-related facial pain. Pain relief is modest, with the majority of pain relapses occurring within 2 years and approximately one half of patients maintaining relief beyond 2 years.

Morphology and ultrastructure of differentiating three-dimensional mammalian skeletal muscle in a collagen gel.

Because previous studies of three-dimensional skeletal muscle cultures have shown limited differentiation, the goal of this study was to establish conditions that would produce mature sarcomeres in a mammalian-derived skeletal muscle construct. We evaluated the differentiation of bioartificial muscles generated from C(2)C(12) myoblasts in a collagen gel cultured under steady, passive tension for up to 36 days. Staining for alpha-actinin, myosin, and F-actin indicated the presence of striated fibers as early as 6 days post-differentiation. Electron microscopy at 16 days post-differentiation revealed multinucleated myotubes with ordered, striated myofibers. At 33 days, the cultures contained collagen fibers and showed localization of paxillin at the fiber termini, suggesting that myotendinous junctions were forming. The present study demonstrates mature muscle synthesis in a three-dimensional system using a pure mammalian myoblast cell line. Our results suggest that this culture model can be used to evaluate the effects of various mechanical and biochemical cues on muscle development under normal and pathological conditions.