Whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of bone metastases and their prognostic impact in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with angiogenesis inhibitors.

Background: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients with bone metastases (BM) are at high risk for skeletal related events and have a poorer outcome when treated with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs). Computed tomography (CT) lacks sensitivity to detect BM in mRCC. We aimed to determine the added value of whole body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (WB-DWI/MRI) to CT for the detection of BM in mRCC and to estimate the prognostic impact of the number of BM in mRCC patients treated with VEGFR-TKIs.Material and methods: We conducted a prospective study including consecutive mRCC patients treated with a first-line VEGFR-TKI in the metastatic setting. All patients underwent a pretreatment thoracic-abdominal-pelvic CT and WB-DWI/MRI. CT and WB-DWI/MRI were compared for the detection of BM. The number of detected BM was correlated with response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after start of the VEGFR-TKI.Results: Ninety-two patients were included. BM were found in 55% of the patients by WB-DWI/MRI and in 43% of the patients by CT (p = .003). Mean number of BM discovered per patient was 6.8 by WB-DWI/MRI versus 1.9 by CT (p = .006). The cutoff of ≤5 versus >5 BM on WB-DWI/MRI had the highest discriminative power for all outcome measures. Patients with >5 BM had a lower RR (10% versus 42%), more frequently early progressive disease (43% versus 13%, p = .003), shorter PFS (4 versus 10 months, p = .006) and shorter OS (10 versus 35 months, p < .0001) compared to patients with ≤5 BM.Conclusion: WB-DWI/MRI detects significantly more BM in mRCC patients than CT, allowing better estimation of the prognostic impact of BM in mRCC patients treated with VEGFR-TKIs. The prognostic impact should now be validated in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Correlation of FFR-derived from CT and stress perfusion CMR with invasive FFR in intermediate-grade coronary artery stenosis.

Only one-third of intermediate-grade coronary artery stenosis (i.e. 40-70% diameter narrowing) causes myocardial ischemia, requiring most often additional invasive work-up with invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR). To evaluate the correlations between FFR estimates derived from computed tomography (FFRCT) and adenosine perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with invasive FFR in intermediate-grade stenosis. Thirty-seven patients (mean age 61 ± 9 years; 25 men) who underwent adenosine perfusion CMR, quantitative coronary angiography and FFR in the work-up for intermediate-grade stenoses (n = 39) diagnosed at coronary CT angiography were retrospectively evaluated. Blinded FFRCT analysis was computed on each intermediate-grade lesion and correlated to the FFR values. On adenosine CMR, subendocardial time-enhancement maximal upslopes, normalized by respective left ventricle cavity upslopes, were obtained distal to a coronary stenosis (RISK area) and in remote myocardium (REMOTE area). The perfusion was subsequently assessed without (uncorrected RISK) and after correction for remote perfusion (relative myocardial perfusion index = REMOTE/RISK ratio), and then correlated to the FFR values. Differences in correlations were tested with z statistics and considered statistically significant different at a p < 0.05 level. The average FFR value was 0.85 ± 0.10 (0.60-0.98 range), 28% (n = 11) was ≤ 0.80. FFR value correlated poorly with uncorrected RISK upslopes (r = 0.151; p = 0.36), but equally strongly with FFRCT (r = 0.675; p < 0.001) and the relative myocardial perfusion index (r = - 0.63) (p < 0.001; z = 6.72) for assessment of lesion-specific ischemia. Both FFRCT and adenosine perfusion CMR strongly correlate with invasive FFR measurements for intermediate-grade stenosis. These preliminary findings pave the way for further studies evaluating non-invasively intermediate coronary stenosis in clinical practice.

Imaging in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 - Case Reports.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common of the muscular dystrophies. It is an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder with multisystem involvement, including the central nervous system. Two DNA-proven cases are presented. Patients reported are siblings showing features of DM1 on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These features include T2 and FLAIR hyperintensities in the periventricular, deep, and subcortical white matter, with frequent involvement of the anterior temporal lobe. Other features include general brain atrophy and enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces. Subcortical white matter lesions anterior in the temporal lobe are the most specific imaging finding, and a short differential diagnosis is discussed.

Embolization of post-biliary sphincterotomy bleeding refractory to medical and endoscopic therapy: technical results, clinical efficacy and predictors of outcome.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively analyse the technical and clinical outcomes of embolotherapy for post-biliary sphincterotomy bleeding refractory to medical and endoscopic therapy, and in addition, to analyse factors potentially influencing 30-day mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 1998 to November 2012, 34 patients underwent percutaneous embolotherapy for post-biliary sphincterotomy bleeding refractory to medical and endoscopic treatment. Demographic, laboratory, angiographic, and clinical follow-up data were collected. RESULTS: Indication for initial endoscopic sphincterotomy was benign (n = 28) or malignant (n = 6) disease. A precut sphincterotomy followed by sphincterotomy was performed in 13 patients (38 %), whereas the remaining 21 patients (62 %), underwent only sphincterotomy. Seven patients (20.6 %) were still on antithrombotic medication at the time of sphincterotomy. Angiographic evaluation revealed contrast extravasation (n = 31), pseudoaneurysm (n = 2), or a combination of both (n = 1). Embolization was successful in 33 of 34 patients (97 %). Recurrent bleeding occurred in three patients (9 %), and 30-day mortality was 20.6 % (n = 7). Factors significantly influencing 30-day mortality were INR (P = 0.008) and aPTT (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Angiographic embolization is very effective in stopping post-biliary sphincterotomy bleeding refractory to medical and endoscopic therapy. The rate of rebleeding is acceptably low, but 30-day mortality remains significant. Haemostatic disorders appear to significantly influence 30-day survival. KEY POINTS: • Transcatheter embolization is very effective in stopping major post-biliary sphincterotomy bleeding • The rate of rebleeding is acceptably low • Haemostatic disorders appear to significantly influence 30-day survival.