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BACKGROUND: The prevalence of metastatic melanoma is increasing, necessitating the identification of patients who do not benefit from immunotherapy. This study aimed to develop a radiomic biomarker based on the segmentation of all metastases at baseline and the first follow-up CT for the endpoints best overall response (BOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), encompassing various immunotherapies. Additionally, this study investigated whether reducing the number of segmented metastases per patient affects predictive capacity. METHODS: The total tumour load, excluding cerebral metastases, from 146 baseline and 146 first follow-up CTs of melanoma patients treated with first-line immunotherapy was volumetrically segmented. Twenty-one random forest models were trained and compared for the endpoints BOR; PFS at 6, 9, and 12 months; and OS at 6, 9, and 12 months, using as input either only clinical parameters, whole-tumour-load delta radiomics plus clinical parameters, or delta radiomics from the largest ten metastases plus clinical parameters. RESULTS: The whole-tumour-load delta radiomics model performed best for BOR (AUC 0.81); PFS at 6, 9, and 12 months (AUC 0.82, 0.80, and 0.77); and OS at 6 months (AUC 0.74). The model using delta radiomics from the largest ten metastases performed best for OS at 9 and 12 months (AUC 0.71 and 0.75). Although the radiomic models were numerically superior to the clinical model, statistical significance was not reached. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that delta radiomics may offer additional value for predicting BOR, PFS, and OS in metastatic melanoma patients undergoing first-line immunotherapy. Despite its complexity, volumetric whole-tumour-load segmentation could be advantageous.
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OBJECTIVES: Achieving a consensus on a definition for different aspects of radiomics workflows to support their translation into clinical usage. Furthermore, to assess the perspective of experts on important challenges for a successful clinical workflow implementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The consensus was achieved by a multi-stage process. Stage 1 comprised a definition screening, a retrospective analysis with semantic mapping of terms found in 22 workflow definitions, and the compilation of an initial baseline definition. Stages 2 and 3 consisted of a Delphi process with over 45 experts hailing from sites participating in the German Research Foundation (DFG) Priority Program 2177. Stage 2 aimed to achieve a broad consensus for a definition proposal, while stage 3 identified the importance of translational challenges. RESULTS: Workflow definitions from 22 publications (published 2012-2020) were analyzed. Sixty-nine definition terms were extracted, mapped, and semantic ambiguities (e.g., homonymous and synonymous terms) were identified and resolved. The consensus definition was developed via a Delphi process. The final definition comprising seven phases and 37 aspects reached a high overall consensus (> 89% of experts "agree" or "strongly agree"). Two aspects reached no strong consensus. In addition, the Delphi process identified and characterized from the participating experts' perspective the ten most important challenges in radiomics workflows. CONCLUSION: To overcome semantic inconsistencies between existing definitions and offer a well-defined, broad, referenceable terminology, a consensus workflow definition for radiomics-based setups and a terms mapping to existing literature was compiled. Moreover, the most relevant challenges towards clinical application were characterized. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Lack of standardization represents one major obstacle to successful clinical translation of radiomics. Here, we report a consensus workflow definition on different aspects of radiomics studies and highlight important challenges to advance the clinical adoption of radiomics. KEY POINTS: Published radiomics workflow terminologies are inconsistent, hindering standardization and translation. A consensus radiomics workflow definition proposal with high agreement was developed. Publicly available result resources for further exploitation by the scientific community.
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PURPOSE: AI-assisted techniques for lesion registration and segmentation have the potential to make CT-based tumor follow-up assessment faster and less reader-dependent. However, empirical evidence on the advantages of AI-assisted volumetric segmentation for lymph node and soft tissue metastases in follow-up CT scans is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency, quality, and inter-reader variability of an AI-assisted workflow for volumetric segmentation of lymph node and soft tissue metastases in follow-up CT scans. Three hypotheses were tested: (H1) Assessment time for follow-up lesion segmentation is reduced using an AI-assisted workflow. (H2) The quality of the AI-assisted segmentation is non-inferior to the quality of fully manual segmentation. (H3) The inter-reader variability of the resulting segmentations is reduced with AI assistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed 126 lymph nodes and 135 soft tissue metastases from 55 patients with stage IV melanoma. Three radiologists from two institutions performed both AI-assisted and manual segmentation, and the results were statistically analyzed and compared to a manual segmentation reference standard. RESULTS: AI-assisted segmentation reduced user interaction time significantly by 33% (222 s vs. 336 s), achieved similar Dice scores (0.80-0.84 vs. 0.81-0.82) and decreased inter-reader variability (median Dice 0.85-1.0 vs. 0.80-0.82; ICC 0.84 vs. 0.80), compared to manual segmentation. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support the use of AI-assisted registration and volumetric segmentation for lymph node and soft tissue metastases in follow-up CT scans. The AI-assisted workflow achieved significant time savings, similar segmentation quality, and reduced inter-reader variability compared to manual segmentation.
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Metástasis Linfática , Melanoma , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Flujo de Trabajo , Humanos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Melanoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodos , Masculino , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Metástasis Linfática/diagnóstico por imagen , Anciano , Neoplasias de los Tejidos Blandos/diagnóstico por imagen , Interpretación de Imagen Radiográfica Asistida por Computador/métodos , Inteligencia Artificial , Adulto , Variaciones Dependientes del Observador , Neoplasias Cutáneas/diagnóstico por imagen , Estadificación de NeoplasiasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Checkpoint inhibitors have drastically improved the therapy of patients with advanced melanoma. 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters might act as biomarkers for response and survival and thus can identify patients that do not benefit from immunotherapy. However, little literature exists on the association of baseline 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters with progression free survival (PFS), best overall response (BOR), and overall survival (OS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a whole tumor volume segmentation approach, we investigated in a retrospective registry study (n = 50) whether pre-treatment 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters of three subgroups (tumor burden, tumor glucose uptake and non-tumoral hematopoietic tissue metabolism), can act as biomarkers for the primary endpoints PFS and BOR as well as for the secondary endpoint OS. RESULTS: Compared to the sole use of clinical parameters, baseline 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters did not significantly improve a Cox proportional-hazard model for PFS (C-index/AIC: 0.70/225.17 and 0.68/223.54, respectively; p = 0.14). A binomial logistic regression analysis for BOR was not statistically significant (χ2(15) = 16.44, p = 0.35), with a low amount of explained variance (Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.38). Mean FDG uptake of the spleen contributed significantly to a Cox proportional-hazard model for OS (HR 3.55, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The present study could not confirm the capability of the pre-treatment 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters tumor burden, tumor glucose uptake and non-tumoral hematopoietic tissue metabolism to act as biomarkers for PFS and BOR in metastatic melanoma patients receiving first-line immunotherapy. The documented potential of 18F-FDG uptake by immune-mediating tissues such as the spleen to act as a biomarker for OS has been reproduced.
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Melanoma , Neoplasias Primarias Secundarias , Humanos , Melanoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Melanoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Fluorodesoxiglucosa F18 , Tomografía Computarizada por Tomografía de Emisión de Positrones , Supervivencia sin Progresión , Estudios Retrospectivos , Inmunoterapia , Biomarcadores , GlucosaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combination of radiomics and clinical parameters in a machine-learning model offers additive information compared with the use of only clinical parameters in predicting the best response, progression-free survival after six months, as well as overall survival after six and twelve months in patients with stage IV malignant melanoma undergoing first-line targeted therapy. METHODS: A baseline machine-learning model using clinical variables (demographic parameters and tumor markers) was compared with an extended model using clinical variables and radiomic features of the whole tumor burden, utilizing repeated five-fold cross-validation. Baseline CTs of 91 stage IV malignant melanoma patients, all treated in the same university hospital, were identified in the Central Malignant Melanoma Registry and all metastases were volumetrically segmented (n = 4727). RESULTS: Compared with the baseline model, the extended radiomics model did not add significantly more information to the best-response prediction (AUC [95% CI] 0.548 (0.188, 0.808) vs. 0.487 (0.139, 0.743)), the prediction of PFS after six months (AUC [95% CI] 0.699 (0.436, 0.958) vs. 0.604 (0.373, 0.867)), or the overall survival prediction after six and twelve months (AUC [95% CI] 0.685 (0.188, 0.967) vs. 0.766 (0.433, 1.000) and AUC [95% CI] 0.554 (0.163, 0.781) vs. 0.616 (0.271, 1.000), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed no additional value of baseline whole-body CT radiomics for best-response prediction, progression-free survival prediction for six months, or six-month and twelve-month overall survival prediction for stage IV melanoma patients receiving first-line targeted therapy. These results need to be validated in a larger cohort.
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BACKGROUND: This study investigated whether a machine-learning-based combination of radiomics and clinical parameters was superior to the use of clinical parameters alone in predicting therapy response after three months, and overall survival after six and twelve months, in stage-IV malignant melanoma patients undergoing immunotherapy with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors and CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitors. METHODS: A random forest model using clinical parameters (demographic variables and tumor markers = baseline model) was compared to a random forest model using clinical parameters and radiomics (extended model) via repeated 5-fold cross-validation. For this purpose, the baseline computed tomographies of 262 stage-IV malignant melanoma patients treated at a tertiary referral center were identified in the Central Malignant Melanoma Registry, and all visible metastases were three-dimensionally segmented (n = 6404). RESULTS: The extended model was not significantly superior compared to the baseline model for survival prediction after six and twelve months (AUC (95% CI): 0.664 (0.598, 0.729) vs. 0.620 (0.545, 0.692) and AUC (95% CI): 0.600 (0.526, 0.667) vs. 0.588 (0.481, 0.629), respectively). The extended model was not significantly superior compared to the baseline model for response prediction after three months (AUC (95% CI): 0.641 (0.581, 0.700) vs. 0.656 (0.587, 0.719)). CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated a potential, but non-significant, added value of radiomics for six-month and twelve-month survival prediction of stage-IV melanoma patients undergoing immunotherapy.
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BACKGROUND: This study aims at describing the imaging features of the metastatic presentation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in arterial (AP) and portal venous phase (PVP) of contrast-enhanced-computed-tomography (CECT) during clinical follow-up (FU) and to evaluate the necessity of a dual phase approach for metastasis detection. METHODS: We identified a total of 584 patients that were diagnosed with ccRCC between January 2016 and April 2020. Inclusion criteria were histologically proven ccRCC with metastatic spread, proven by histology or interim follow-up of at least 2 years and follow-up CT examination with AP and PVP CECT including thorax/abdomen and pelvis. Exclusion criteria were defined by missing or incomplete CT-scans or lack of sufficient follow-up. CT studies of 43 patients with histologically proven ccRCCs were analyzed in retrospect. AP and PVP images were analyzed by two radiologists for metastases, two additional independent radiologists analyzed PVP images only. A 5-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the likelihood off the presence of metastasis. Imaging patterns of the metastases were analyzed visually. RESULTS: 43 patients (16 female; mean age: 67±10 years) with recurrent ccRCC and metastatic disease were included. Three imaging patterns were observed (solid, heterogeneous or cystic metastases), which rarely exhibited calcifications (2%). All metastases showed hyperenhancement in AP and PVP. Inter-reader agreement was substantial (Fleiss' κ 0.6-0.8, p<0.001). No significant differences in sensitivity or specificity between readers (AP and PVP images vs. PVP images only) were present (79.4-85.2%, 97.1-99.6%, p ≥ 0.05). The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve was between 0.901and 0.922 for all four radiologists. CONCLUSIONS: Similar rates for detection, sensitivity and specificity of metastasis and local recurrence in ccRCC were observed irrespective of using a dual-phase protocol with AP and PVP or a single PVP protocol only. Thus, a single-phase examination of PVP can be sufficient for experienced radiologists to detect metastatic disease in the follow-up of ccRCC patients.
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Carcinoma de Células Renales , Neoplasias Renales , Anciano , Carcinoma de Células Renales/diagnóstico por imagen , Medios de Contraste , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias Renales/diagnóstico por imagen , Persona de Mediana Edad , Vena Porta , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Early tumor size reduction (TSR) has been explored as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with advanced melanoma in clinical trials. The purpose of this analysis is to validate, in a routine clinical milieu, the predictive capacity of TSR by 10% for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and to compare its predictive performance with the RECIST 1.1 criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the local ethics committee. A total of 152 patients with both CT before immunotherapy initiation and at first response evaluation after immunotherapy initiation were included. Prior to statistical analysis, treatment response was trichotomized as follows: Complete response and/or partial response, stable disease and progressive disease. Furthermore, response was dichotomized regarding TSR (TSR ≥ 10% and TSR < 10%). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, Cox regression and Harrel's concordance index (C-index) were computed for prediction of overall survival and progression-free survival. RESULTS: Tumor size reduction by at least 10% significantly differentiated between patients with increased survival from the ones with decreased survival (median OS: TSR ≥ 10%: 2137 days vs. TSR < 10%: 263 days) (p < 0.001) (median PFS: TSR ≥ 10%: 590 days vs. TSR < 10%: 11 days) (p < 0.001). RECIST 1.1. criteria had a slightly higher C-index for overall survival reflecting a slight superior predictive capacity (RECIST: 0.69 vs TSR: 0.64) but a similar predictive capacity regarding progression-free survival (both: 0. 63). CONCLUSION: Early tumor size reduction serves as a simple-to-use metric which can be implemented on the first follow-up CT. Tumor size reduction by at least 10% can be considered an additional biomarker predictive of overall survival and progression-free survival in routine clinical care and not only in the context of clinical trials in patients with advanced melanoma undergoing immunotherapy. Nevertheless, RECIST-based criteria should remain the main tool of treatment response assessment until results of prospective studies validating the TSR method are available.
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Melanoma , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Inmunoterapia , Melanoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Melanoma/terapia , Estudios Prospectivos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: To assess the additive value of dual-energy CT (DECT) over single-energy CT (SECT) to radiomics-based response prediction in patients with metastatic melanoma preceding immunotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 140 consecutive patients with melanoma (58 female, 63±16 years) for whom baseline DECT tumor load assessment revealed stage IV and who were subsequently treated with immunotherapy were included. Best response was determined using the clinical reports (81 responders: 27 complete response, 45 partial response, 9 stable disease). Individual lesion response was classified manually analogous to RECIST 1.1 through 1291 follow-up examinations on a total of 776 lesions (6.7±7.2 per patient). The patients were sorted chronologically into a study and a validation cohort (each n=70). The baseline DECT was examined using specialized tumor segmentation prototype software, and radiomic features were analyzed for response predictors. Significant features were selected using univariate statistics with Bonferroni correction and multiple logistic regression. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the best subset was computed (AUROC). For each combination (SECT/DECT and patient response/lesion response), an individual random forest classifier with 10-fold internal cross-validation was trained on the study cohort and tested on the validation cohort to confirm the predictive performance. RESULTS: We performed manual RECIST 1.1 response analysis on a total of 6533 lesions. Multivariate statistics selected significant features for patient response in SECT (min. brightness, R²=0.112, padj. ≤0.001) and DECT (textural coarseness, R²=0.121, padj. ≤0.001), as well as lesion response in SECT (mean absolute voxel intensity deviation, R²=0.115, padj. ≤0.001) and DECT (iodine uptake metrics, R²≥0.12, padj. ≤0.001). Applying the machine learning models to the validation cohort confirmed the additive predictive power of DECT (patient response AUROC SECT=0.5, DECT=0.75; lesion response AUROC SECT=0.61, DECT=0.85; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The new method of DECT-specific radiomic analysis provides a significant additive value over SECT radiomics approaches for response prediction in patients with metastatic melanoma preceding immunotherapy, especially on a lesion-based level. As mixed tumor response is not uncommon in metastatic melanoma, this lends a powerful tool for clinical decision-making and may potentially be an essential step toward individualized medicine.
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Aprendizaje Automático/normas , Melanoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Melanoma/radioterapia , Radiometría/métodos , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodos , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Melanoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estadificación de NeoplasiasRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To evaluate if the hepatic arterial perfusion index (HPI) in liver parenchyma of cirrhotic patients can serve as a surrogate parameter for stratifying the degree of esophageal varices and related bleeding risks. METHODS: CT image data of sixty-six patients (59 men; mean age 68 years ± 10 years) with liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A (35/66, 53%), B (25/66, 38%), and C (6/66, 9%) who underwent perfusion CT (PCT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening between April 2010 and January 2019 were retrospectively identified. HPI, a parameter calculated by a commercially available CT liver perfusion analysis software that is based on the double maximum slope model, using time attenuation curve to determine perfusion, was correlated with the degree of esophageal varices diagnosed at endoscopy and the number of bleeding events. RESULTS: Eta correlation coefficient for HPI/presence of esophageal varices was very weak (0.083). Spearman-Rho for HPI/grading of esophageal varices was very weak (0.037 (p = 0.804)). Kendall-Tau-b for HPI/grading of esophageal varices was very weak (0.027 (p = 0.807)). ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc-tests showed no significant difference of HPI between different grades of esophageal varices (F (3, 62) = 1.676, p = 0.186). Eta correlation coefficient for HPI/bleeding event was very weak (0.126). CONCLUSION: The stratification of the degree of esophageal varices and the related bleeding risk by correlation with the HPI as a surrogate parameter for portal venous hypertension was not possible for patients with liver cirrhosis in Child-Pugh class A and B.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Anciano , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/complicaciones , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/diagnóstico por imagen , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas/complicaciones , Várices Esofágicas y Gástricas/diagnóstico por imagen , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/complicaciones , Cirrosis Hepática/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias Hepáticas/complicaciones , Neoplasias Hepáticas/diagnóstico por imagen , Masculino , Índice de Perfusión , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
(1) Background: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a simulated ultra-low-dose (ULD), high-pitch computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) protocol with low tube current (mAs) and reduced scan range for detection of pulmonary embolisms (PE). (2) Methods: We retrospectively included 130 consecutive patients (64 ± 16 years, 69 female) who underwent clinically indicated high-pitch CTPA examination for suspected acute PE on a 3rd generation dual-source CT scanner (SOMATOM FORCE, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany). ULD datasets with a realistic simulation of 25% mAs, reduced scan range (aortic arch-basal pericardium), and Advanced Modeled Iterative Reconstruction (ADMIRE®, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany) strength 5 were created. The effective radiation dose (ED) of both datasets (standard and ULD) was estimated using a dedicated dosimetry software solution. Subjective image quality and diagnostic confidence were evaluated independently by three reviewers using a 5-point Likert scale. Objective image quality was compared using noise measurements. For assessment of diagnostic accuracy, patients and pulmonary vessels were reviewed binarily for affection by PE, using standard CTPA protocol datasets as the reference standard. Percentual affection of pulmonary vessels by PE was computed for disease severity (modified Qanadli score). (3) Results: Mean ED in ULD protocol was 0.7 ± 0.3 mSv (16% of standard protocol: 4.3 ± 1.7 mSv, p < 0.001, r > 0.5). Comparing ULD to standard protocol, subjective image quality and diagnostic confidence were comparably good (p = 0.486, r > 0.5) and image noise was significantly lower in ULD (p < 0.001, r > 0.5). A total of 42 patients (32.2%) were affected by PE. ULD protocol had a segment-based false-negative rate of only 0.1%. Sensitivity for detection of any PE was 98.9% (95% CI, 97.2-99.7%), specificity was 100% (95% CI, 99.8-100%), and overall accuracy was 99.9% (95% CI, 98.6-100%). Diagnoses correlated strongly between ULD and standard protocol (Chi-square (1) = 42, p < 0.001) with a decrease in disease severity of only 0.48% (T = 1.667, p = 0.103). (4) Conclusions: Compared to a standard CTPA protocol, the proposed ULD protocol proved reliable in detecting and ruling out acute PE with good levels of image quality and diagnostic confidence, as well as significantly lower image noise, at 0.7 ± 0.3 mSv (84% dose reduction).
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PURPOSE: The objective of this retrospective single centre study was to evaluate the impact of intraprocedural cone-beam CT with parenchymal blood volume assessment (PBV-CBCT) for guidance of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) in HCC patients on the effectiveness (local tumour response, survival and number of individual TACE sessions) compared to guidance solely by digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHOD: n = 179 HCC patients (mean age, 77.4 y) undergoing DEB-TACE, with (n = 28) and without (n = 151) PBV-CBCT, using 100-300 µm microspheres loaded with epirubicin were retrospectively analysed. Tumour response according to mRECIST, overall survival and number of TACE interventions as well as laboratory parameters for liver function and inflammation were recorded. The analysis of the influence of intraprocedural PBV-CBCT was based on matched pair analysis (CBCT n = 28 vs. DSA n = 28). Gender, tumour number, tumour size and HCC risk factors were equally distributed between both groups. RESULTS: Response rates according to mRECIST:CBCT: PD: 7%, SD: 28 %, PR: 46 %, CR: 18 %; DSA: PD: 7 %, SD: 32 %, PR: 39 %, CR: 21 % (p = 0.174). Median OS: CBCT: 44.1 months; DSA: 28.8 months (p = 0.815). Median TACE number: CBCT: 2.0; DSA: 3.0 (p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: The use of intraprocedural PBV-CBCT for TACE guidance reduced the number of re-interventions, with no negative effects on tumour response and overall survival. The study findings support the use of PBV-CBCT for DEB-TACE guidance as the improved immediate feedback leads to a considerable increase of the treatment efficiency and helps to avoid unnecessary re-interventions.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Quimioembolización Terapéutica , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Anciano , Angiografía de Substracción Digital , Volumen Sanguíneo , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/diagnóstico por imagen , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Tomografía Computarizada de Haz Cónico , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Estudios Retrospectivos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
To evaluate the effect of radiation dose reduction on image quality and diagnostic confidence in contrast-enhanced whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) staging. We randomly selected March 2016 for retrospective inclusion of 18 consecutive patients (14 female, 60 ± 15 years) with clinically indicated WBCT staging on the same 3rd generation dual-source CT. Using low-dose simulations, we created data sets with 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20% of the original radiation dose. Each set was reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) and Advanced Modeled Iterative Reconstruction (ADMIRE®, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany) strength 1-5, resulting in 540 datasets total. ADMIRE 2 was the reference standard for intraindividual comparison. The effective radiation dose was calculated using commercially available software. For comparison of objective image quality, noise assessments of subcutaneous adipose tissue regions were performed automatically using the software. Three radiologists blinded to the study evaluated image quality and diagnostic confidence independently on an equidistant 5-point Likert scale (1 = poor to 5 = excellent). At 100%, the effective radiation dose in our population was 13.3 ± 9.1 mSv. At 20% radiation dose, it was possible to obtain comparably low noise levels when using ADMIRE 5 (p = 1.000, r = 0.29). We identified ADMIRE 3 at 40% radiation dose (5.3 ± 3.6 mSv) as the lowest achievable radiation dose with image quality and diagnostic confidence equal to our reference standard (p = 1.000, r > 0.4). The inter-rater agreement for this result was almost perfect (ICC ≥ 0.958, 95% CI 0.909-0.983). On a 3rd generation scanner, it is feasible to maintain good subjective image quality, diagnostic confidence, and image noise in single-energy WBCT staging at dose levels as low as 40% of the original dose (5.3 ± 3.6 mSv), when using ADMIRE 3.
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RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To assess muscular abnormalities related to systemic sclerosis (SSc) using shear wave elastography and correlate results with those of clinical tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 55 patients (mean age: 50.4 years; range: 18-88; 34 female) with SSc before treatment and choose muscle groups based on cutaneous involvement and functional impairment [forearms (9); thighs (41); thenar/hypothenar (5)]. We performed shear wave elastography in two orientations to access heterogeneity using virtual touch IQ and mean shear wave velocity values (SWV) and measured skin and fascia thickness. We compared SWVs to the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). Twenty-two healthy controls (mean age: 52.0; range: 19-88; 7 female) underwent the same protocol. RESULTS: SWV pattern analysis (homogeneous vs heterogeneous) detected SSc with sensitivity/specificity/negative predictive value/positive predictive value0.79/0.81/0.91/0.62 in transverse and 0.75/0.18/0.91/0.56 in longitudinal orientation. In patients we found poor correlation between SWVs and mRSS but a cutoff of mRSSEâ¯=â¯20 separated them significantly (p < 0.01). Skin and muscle fascia were significantly thicker in patients vs. controls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SSc involves more than increased skin and fascial thickness which is not fully represented by mRSS. Elasticity differs in muscles with and without SSc. The former shows higher SWV and increased heterogeneity in transversal planes of muscular fibers.
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Diagnóstico por Imagen de Elasticidad , Esclerodermia Sistémica , Elasticidad , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esclerodermia Sistémica/diagnóstico por imagen , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Piel/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease with an incidence of 0-1/100â000 inhabitants per year and is associated with chronic inflammatory fibrosis of the retroperitoneum and the abdominal aorta. This article sheds light on the role of radiological imaging in retroperitoneal fibrosis, names various differential diagnoses and provides an overview of drug and surgical treatment options. METHODS: A literature search for the keywords "retroperitoneal fibrosis" and "Ormond's disease" was carried out in the PubMed database between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2019 (nâ=â1806). Mainly original papers were selected, but also reviews, in English and German language, with a focus on publications in the last 10 years, without excluding older publications that the authors believe are relevant to the topic discussed in the review (nâ=â40). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Ormond's disease is a rare but important differential diagnosis for nonspecific back and flank pain. Imaging diagnostics using CT or MRI show a retroperitoneal mass, which must be differentiated from lymphoma, sarcoma, multiple myeloma and Erdheim-Chester disease. Patients have an excellent prognosis under adequate therapy. FDG-PET/CT or FDG-PET/MRT should be considered as potential modalities, as hybrid imaging can evaluate both the morphological changes and the inflammation. KEY POINTS: · Ormond's disease is a differential diagnosis for nonspecific back and flank pain.. · Radiological imaging is essential and the gold standard in the diagnosis and follow-up of RPF.. · Patients have an excellent prognosis under adequate therapy.. CITATION FORMAT: · Peisen F, Thaiss WM, Ekert K etâal. Retroperitoneal Fibrosis and its Differential Diagnoses: The Role of Radiological Imaging. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2020; 192: 929â-â936.
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Fibrosis Retroperitoneal/diagnóstico por imagen , Aorta Abdominal/diagnóstico por imagen , Dolor de Espalda/diagnóstico por imagen , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Dolor en el Flanco/diagnóstico por imagen , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Espacio Retroperitoneal/diagnóstico por imagen , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the predictive performance of the modified hepatoma arterial embolisation prognostic II (mHAP-II) score in a real-life western hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cohort treated with drug-eluting bead-TACE and compare the mHAP-II with other scores in this cohort. METHODS: One hundred seventy-nine HCC patients (mean age 77 (± 9) years, 87% male) with one or more drug-eluting bead (DEB)-TACE sessions using 100-300 µm microspheres were retrospectively analysed. Performance analysis of the mHAP-II score was based on Mann-Whitney U tests, the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests, receiver operating characteristics, Akaike's information criterion and Cox regression models. RESULTS: In this population, HCC risk factors were mainly alcohol abuse (31%) and hepatitis C (28%). The median survival of the entire cohort was 29.4 months. mHAP-II classification of the cohort was mHAP-II B (30%), C (41%) and D (23%) respectively. Survival of all subgroups differed significantly from each other (each p < 0.05). Area under the curve for receiver operating characteristic was 0.60 and Akaike's information criterion was 21.8 (p = 0.03), indicating a superior performance of mHAP-II score compared with HAP score and BCLC. Tumour number ≥ two (HR 1.54), alpha-fetoprotein > 400 µg/l (HR 1.14), serum albumin < 3.6 g/dl (HR 1.63) and total bilirubin > 0.9 mg/dl (HR 1.58) contributed significantly in Cox proportional hazards regression (each p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The mHAP-II score can predict survival outcomes of western HCC patients undergoing DEB-TACE and further subdivide this heterogeneous group; however, certain limitations concerning the predictive power of mHAP-II score must be taken into account. KEY POINTS: ⢠This retrospective study evaluated the predictive performance of the modified hepatoma arterial embolisation prognostic II (mHAP-II) score in a real-life western HCC cohort treated with drug-eluting bead-TACE. ⢠Survival of all mHAP-II subgroups differed significantly, area under the curve for mHAP-II was 0.60 and Akaike's information criterion was 21.8. ⢠The mHAP-II score can predict survival outcomes of western HCC patients undergoing DEB-TACE and further subdivide this heterogeneous group. However, because the study is underpowered, true survival prediction may be more difficult to infer.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamiento farmacológico , Quimioembolización Terapéutica/métodos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Anciano , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/diagnóstico , Estudios de Cohortes , Femenino , Humanos , Inyecciones Intraarteriales/métodos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/diagnóstico , Masculino , Microesferas , Estadificación de Neoplasias/métodos , Pronóstico , Estudios RetrospectivosAsunto(s)
Calcinosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades del Tejido Conjuntivo/diagnóstico por imagen , Cisticercosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Neurocisticercosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades Cutáneas Parasitarias/diagnóstico por imagen , Tejido Subcutáneo/diagnóstico por imagen , Animales , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Humanos , Enfermedades Musculares/diagnóstico por imagen , Taenia saginata , Taenia solium , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
[This corrects the article on p. 44 in vol. 10, PMID: 26909031.].
RESUMEN
Communicating threats and stress via biological signaling is common in animals. In humans, androstadienone (ANDR), a synthetic male steroid, is a socially relevant chemosignal exhibited to increase positive mood and cortisol levels specifically in (periovulatory) females in positively arousing contexts. In a negative context, we expected that such effects of ANDR could amplify social evaluative threat depending on the stress sensitivity, which differs between menstrual cycle phases. Therefore, this fMRI study aimed to examine psychosocial stress reactions on behavioral, hormonal and neural levels in 31 naturally cycling females, between 15 early follicular (EF) and 16 mid-luteal (ML) females tested with ANDR and placebo treatment in a repeated-measures design. Regardless of odor stimulation, psychosocial stress (i.e., mental arithmetic task with social evaluative threat) led to elevated negative mood and anxiety in all females. A negative association of social threat related amygdala activation and competence ratings appeared in ML-females, indicating enhanced threat processing by ANDR, particularly in ML-females who felt less competent early in the stress experience. Further, ML-females showed reduced performance and stronger stress-related hippocampus activation compared to EF-females under ANDR. Hippocampal activation in ML-females also correlated positively with post-stress subjective stress. Contrarily, such patterns were not observed in EF-females or under placebo in either group. Strikingly, unlike passive emotional processing, ANDR in a stressful context decreased cortisol concentration in all females. This points to a more complex interaction of ovarian/gonadal hormones in social threat processing and stress reactivity. Our findings suggest that ANDR enhanced initial evaluation of self-related social threat in ML-females. Female stress reactions are related to stress sensitivity through enhanced awareness and processing of social cues in a stressful context, with menstrual cycle phase being a critical factor.