Long-term results of percutaneous coronary intervention in no-touch vein grafts are significantly better than in conventional vein grafts.

INTRODUCTION: Conventional vein grafts have a high risk of thrombosis and early atherosclerosis. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in conventional vein grafts is associated with a higher incidence of late adverse cardiac events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term results after PCI in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) harvested with the no-touch technique compared to the conventional technique. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective, cohort study, based on data from the Swedeheart register. The inclusion criterion was individuals who underwent CABG using different vein graft techniques between January 1992 and July 2020, and who required a PCI in SVGs between January 2006 and July 2020. The primary end point was long-term in-stent restenosis. The secondary endpoints were long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and 1-year re-hospitalization rates. The associations between the graft types and the endpoints were evaluated using the Fine and Gray competing-risk regression analysis. RESULTS: The study included 346 individuals (67 no-touch, 279 conventional). The mean clinical follow-up time was 6.4 years with a standard deviation of 3.7 years. The long-term in-stent restenosis rate for the no-touch grafts was 3.2% compared to 18.7% for the conventional grafts (p < .01), with a subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) of 0.16 (p = .010). The long-term MACE rate was 27.0% in the no-touch group and 48.3% in the conventional group (p < .01) with a SHR of 0.53 (p = .017). The short-term results were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous coronary intervention in a no-touch vein graft was associated with statistically significantly fewer in-stent restenoses and MACE at long-term follow-up compared to a conventional SVG.

Sentinel Node Identification with Hybrid Tracer-guided and Conventional Dynamic Sentinel Node Biopsy in Penile Cancer: A Prospective Study in 130 Patients from the Two National Referral Centres in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that a hybrid indocyanine green (ICG)-99mTc-nanocolloid tracer improves sentinel node (SN) identification compared to conventional dynamic sentinel node biopsy (DSNB). OBJECTIVE: To investigate hybrid tracer-guided SN identification in a multicentre setting and determine false-negative (FN) and complication rates. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 130 patients with penile cancer scheduled for DSNB were prospectively included between February 2016 and December 2017 at two national Swedish referral centres. ICG-99mTc-nanocolloid hybrid tracer was used in the standard DSNB protocol. INTERVENTION: SNs were identified intraoperatively using radioguidance, fluorescence imaging, and blue dye. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The number of SNs identified by each tracer and the rates of complications and nodal recurrence during median follow-up of 34 mo were recorded. Differences in proportions between groups were compared using χ2 and McNemar's tests. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall, 453 SNs were identified preoperatively via single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography. Among the 425 SNs excised, radioguidance, fluorescence, and blue dye identified 414 (97%), 363 (85%), and 349 (82%), respectively. Fluorescence imaging helped to detect six SNs that were negative using the other tracers, two of which were from the same patient and contained metastases. Histopathological examination detected 33 metastatic SNs in 20/130 patients (15%). The FN rate was 12% per groin (95% confidence interval 8-16%). CONCLUSIONS: Identification of SNs in patients with penile cancer relies mainly on radioguidance, while fluorescence (ICG) and blue dye methods for optical SN identification are comparable. However, the value of fluorescence imaging should be further evaluated in studies with long-term follow-up. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this study, we investigated addition of a dye called indocyanine green (ICG) for assessment of lymph nodes in patients with cancer of the penis. ICG did not improve the rate of detection of nodes most likely to harbour cancer because of their location in the drainage pathway for lymphatic fluid, but did help in identifying additional metastases.

Quality of Life After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in No-Touch Saphenous Vein Grafts is Significantly Better Than in Conventional Vein Grafts.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients primarily treated with a no-touch saphenous vein graft with that of patients who received a conventional graft. METHODS: The study included all individuals treated with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on a saphenous vein graft (SVG) between January 2006 and June 2020. The RAND-36 health survey was used to assess HRQoL. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test differences in HRQoL between the two groups. Effect size was estimated via Cohen's d. The average treatment effect between the groups was tested by propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Of the 346 patients treated with a PCI in a stenosed or occluded SVG, 165 responded to RAND-36 (no-touch: n=48; conventional: n=117). Patients with a no-touch graft reported better mean values on seven of the eight health survey domains. Statistically significant differences were observed for four of the domains, all in favour of the no-touch group. The effect size estimates indicated a small difference for five domains, with the highest values (>0.40) seen for the general health and energy/fatigue domains. PSM confirmed a statistically significant difference for the physical functioning and general health domains. CONCLUSION: At a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, patients who received a PCI in no-touch vein grafts showed significantly better HRQoL than those who received a PCI in conventional vein grafts.

Quality of Life After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in No-Touch Saphenous Vein Grafts is Significantly Better Than in Conventional Vein Grafts

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients primarily treated with a no-touch saphenous vein graft with that of patients who received a conventional graft. Methods: The study included all individuals treated with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on a saphenous vein graft (SVG) between January 2006 and June 2020. The RAND-36 health survey was used to assess HRQoL. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test differences in HRQoL between the two groups. Effect size was estimated via Cohen's d. The average treatment effect between the groups was tested by propensity score matching (PSM). Results: Of the 346 patients treated with a PCI in a stenosed or occluded SVG, 165 responded to RAND-36 (no-touch: n=48; conventional: n=117). Patients with a no-touch graft reported better mean values on seven of the eight health survey domains. Statistically significant differences were observed for four of the domains, all in favour of the no-touch group. The effect size estimates indicated a small difference for five domains, with the highest values (>0.40) seen for the general health and energy/fatigue domains. PSM confirmed a statistically significant difference for the physical functioning and general health domains. Conclusion: At a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, patients who received a PCI in no-touch vein grafts showed significantly better HRQoL than those who received a PCI in conventional vein grafts.

A Case of Using No-Touch Saphenous Vein Graft in Redo CABG after Multiple Failed Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.

The modality of repeat revascularization due to late graft failure is a debated topic. The latest available European guidelines recommend redo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for cases of extensively diseased and/or occluded grafts and those with diffuse native vessel disease. We present the case of a patient being relieved of recurrent unstable angina pectoris with redo CABG using no-touch saphenous vein grafts after repeated and unsuccessful attempts with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This could be an alternative to PCI in patients with a complex medical history. Teamwork between cardiologists and surgeons is pivotal in deciding the best treatment modality.

A Case of Using No-Touch Saphenous Vein Graft in Redo CABG after Multiple Failed Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

Abstract The modality of repeat revascularization due to late graft failure is a debated topic. The latest available European guidelines recommend redo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for cases of extensively diseased and/or occluded grafts and those with diffuse native vessel disease. We present the case of a patient being relieved of recurrent unstable angina pectoris with redo CABG using no-touch saphenous vein grafts after repeated and unsuccessful attempts with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This could be an alternative to PCI in patients with a complex medical history. Teamwork between cardiologists and surgeons is pivotal in deciding the best treatment modality.

Five-year patency for the no-touch saphenous vein and the left internal thoracic artery in on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials show high long-term patency for no-touch saphenous vein grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting. The patency rate in off-pump coronary bypass surgery for these grafts has not been investigated. Our center participated in the CORONARY randomized trial, NCT00463294. This is a study aimed to assess the patency of no-touch saphenous veins in on- versus off-pump coronary bypass surgery at five-year follow-up. METHODS: Fifty-six patients were included. Forty of 49 patients, alive at 5 years, participated in this follow-up. There were 21 and 19 patients in the on- and off-pump groups respectively. No-touch saphenous veins were used to bypass all targets and in some cases the left anterior descending artery. Graft patency according to distal anastomosis was evaluated with computed tomography angiography. RESULTS: The five-year patency rate was 123/139 (88.5%). The patency for the no-touch vein grafts was 57/64 (89.1%) in the on-pump versus 37/45 (82.2%) in the off-pump group. All left internal thoracic arteries except for one, 29/30 (96.6%), were patent. All vein grafts used to bypass the left anterior descending and the diagonal arteries were patent 32/32. The lowest patency rate for the saphenous veins was to the right coronary territory, particularly in off-pump surgery (80.0% vs. 62.5% for the on- respective off-pump groups). CONCLUSIONS: Comparable 5-year patency for the no-touch saphenous veins and the left internal thoracic arteries to the left anterior descending territory in both on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Graft patency in off-pump CABG is lower to the right coronary artery.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in saphenous vein grafts after coronary artery bypass grafting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To investigate the results of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in saphenous vein grafts after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Design. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane library were searched for relevant articles published between 1 January 2000 and 29 February 2020. The PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) model was applied in constructing the clinical question. Two independent researchers performed the literature search. Thirty-six articles were identified and subjected to a quality assessment. The primary outcomes of the meta-analysis were long-term in-stent restenosis and long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Results. In-stent restenosis was 9.4% (95% CI: 4.2-14.7%) and MACE was 35.3% (95% CI: 27-43.7%) at mean time 2.7 ± 1.0 years. The secondary outcomes were the unsuccessful PCI rate (7.7%; 95% CI: 2.9-12.5%), 30-day MACE (4.3%; 95% CI: 2.5-6.1%), and 1-year MACE (15.5%; 95% CI: 11.7-19.3%). The use of drug-eluting stents resulted in better outcomes at least in term of in-stent restenosis, while the benefit of using embolic protection devices was questionable. Conclusions. PCI of a stenosed or occluded saphenous vein graft is a challenge for interventional cardiologists, and is still associated with relatively high rates of restenosis, MACE, and procedural failure. All efforts to enhance the results are warranted, including improved quality of the venous grafts used during CABG.

Pedicled versus skeletonized internal thoracic artery grafts: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: Concerns have been raised regarding whether skeletonization of the internal thoracic artery could damage the graft and thereby reduces its patency. The objective of this study was to compare patency rates at mid- and long-term follow-up between pedicled and skeletonized left internal thoracic artery grafts. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 109 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. The patients were assigned to receive either one pedicled or one skeletonized left internal thoracic artery graft to the left anterior descending artery. Follow-up was performed at 3 years with conventional angiography, and at 8 years with computed tomography angiography. Differences between patency rates were analyzed with Fisher's exact test and a generalized linear model. RESULTS: The patency rates for pedicled and skeletonized left internal thoracic artery grafts were 46/48 (95.8%) versus 47/52 (90.4%), p = 0.44 at 3 years, and 40/43 (93.0%) versus 37/41 (90.2%), p = 0.71 at 8 years, respectively. The difference in patency rates for pedicled and skeletonized grafts was 5.4% (95% confidence interval: -4.2-14.5) at 3 years and 2.8% (95% confidence interval: -9.9-14.1) at 8 years. All failed grafts, except for one with a localized stenosis, were anastomosed to native coronary arteries with a stenosis less than 70%. Three patients suffered sternal wound infections (two in the pedicled group, one in the skeletonized group). CONCLUSIONS: The skeletonization technique can be used without jeopardizing the patency of the left internal thoracic artery. The most important factor in graft failure was target artery stenosis below 70%.

The no-touch saphenous vein is an excellent alternative conduit to the radial artery 8 years after coronary artery bypass grafting: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: In 2004, a prospective randomized trial demonstrated that after 3 years, saphenous veins (SVs) harvested with a no touch (NT) technique had a greater patency than radial grafts for coronary bypass surgery. Here we report the 8-year follow-up data of this trial. METHODS: The trial included 108 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Each patient was assigned to receive 1 NT SV and 1 radial artery (RA) graft to either the left or right coronary territory to complement the left internal thoracic artery (LITA). Sequential grafting was common, so overall graft patency as well as the patency of each anastomosis were assessed. RESULTS: Angiography was performed in 84 patients (78%) at mean of 97 months postoperatively. Graft patency were high and similar for both NT and RA: 86% for NT versus 79% for RA (P = .22). The patency of coronary anastomoses was significantly higher with the NT SV grafts (91% vs 81%; P = .046). The NT grafts also had excellent patency in coronary arteries with <90% stenosis (93% patency) and in coronary arteries of small diameter (87% patency) or with mild calcification (88% patency). Patency for the LITA was 92%. CONCLUSIONS: NT SV grafts have excellent patency similar to that of RA grafts after 8 years. In addition, NT SV grafts can be used in situations that are not ideal for RA grafts.

Renography with a semiautomated algorithm for diuretic decision 7 min postradiopharmaceutical administration: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: The F+10 method for diuretic renography (diuretics given 10 min after the radiopharmaceutical) could be a time-conserving method. This method involves a 30-min dynamic acquisition where diuretics are administered only when necessary by the Nuclear Medicine technologist performing the examination. The purpose of this study was to assess the method's performance and to discover the optimal threshold of residual activity for a diuretic administration 7 min into the F+10 renography by reprocessing raw data from prior performed examinations with 20-min acquisitions without diuretics. METHODS: Retrospectively, raw data from 320 original examinations of adult patients performed from 2013 to 2015 were reprocessed into 7-min series and categorized as requiring diuretic or not. The diuretic decisions made by an expert panel were used as a reference. A receiver-operating characteristic curve was drawn to assess the optimal cutoff value for the residual renal activity. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, as well as the Youden J index were calculated. RESULT: The experts classified 50% (160 examinations) as in need of diuretics. The receiver-operating characteristic curve demonstrated the theoretical optimal cutoff value at 7 min to be 94% of maximum activity (sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.81, Youden J index 0.73). A clinically acceptable threshold is suggested to be 85% (sensitivity 0.99, specificity 0.59, Youden J index 0.58). CONCLUSION: Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renography with the F+10 method and the threshold 85% for diuretic decision 7 min into the renography is a feasible and acceptable method in clinical practice.

The statistical importance of P-POSSUM scores for predicting mortality after emergency laparotomy in geriatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients frequently undergo emergency general surgery and accrue a greater risk of postoperative complications and fatal outcomes than the general population. It is highly relevant to develop the most appropriate care measures and to guide patient-centered decision-making around end-of-life care. Portsmouth - Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM) has been used to predict mortality in patients undergoing different types of surgery. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relative importance of the P-POSSUM score for predicting 90-day mortality in the elderly subjected to emergency laparotomy from statistical aspects. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-seven geriatric patients aged ≥65 years undergoing emergency laparotomy between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2016 were included in the study. Mortality and 27 other patient characteristics were retrieved from the computerized records of Örebro University Hospital in Örebro, Sweden. Two supervised classification machine methods (logistic regression and random forest) were used to predict the 90-day mortality risk. Three scalers (Standard scaler, Robust scaler and Min-Max scaler) were used for variable engineering. The performance of the models was evaluated using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Importance of the predictors were evaluated using permutation variable importance and Gini importance. RESULTS: The mean age of the included patients was 75.4 years (standard deviation =7.3 years) and the 90-day mortality rate was 29.3%. The most common indication for surgery was bowel obstruction occurring in 92 (58.6%) patients. Types of post-operative complications ranged between 7.0-36.9% with infection being the most common type. Both the logistic regression and random forest models showed satisfactory performance for predicting 90-day mortality risk in geriatric patients after emergency laparotomy, with AUCs of 0.88 and 0.93, respectively. Both models had an accuracy > 0.8 and a specificity ≥0.9. P-POSSUM had the greatest relative importance for predicting 90-day mortality in the logistic regression model and was the fifth important predictor in the random forest model. No notable change was found in sensitivity analysis using different variable engineering methods with P-POSSUM being among the five most accurate variables for mortality prediction. CONCLUSION: P-POSSUM is important for predicting 90-day mortality after emergency laparotomy in geriatric patients. The logistic regression model and random forest model may have an accuracy of > 0.8 and an AUC around 0.9 for predicting 90-day mortality. Further validation of the variables' importance and the models' robustness is needed by use of larger dataset.

Patients' and radiographers' experiences of dose reducing abdominal compression in radiographic examinations-A qualitative study.

Aim: To describe patients' and radiographers' experiences of abdominal compression using conventional and patient-controlled compression methods. Design: Qualitative descriptive design. Methods: Forty-five patients who had used both a conventional and a patient-controlled compression device answered questionnaires. Five radiographers were interviewed. The data-collection took place between September 2015 and February 2017. Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Results: Patient-controlled compression was preferred by slightly more patients because of fear of pain due to excessively hard pressure, maintaining control over the pressure and shorter duration. It was more comfortable, and patients felt they could participate in the examinations. Conventional compression was preferred by some because of more stable pressure and uncertainty of own capacity to provide the optimal compression. Discomfort was more often mentioned concerning the conventional compression method. The radiographers experienced the patient-controlled method as less time-consuming and more comfortable, but uncertainty about correct compression technique and its effect on radiation dose and image quality was reported.

Prognostic Value of P-POSSUM and Osteopenia for Predicting Mortality After Emergency Laparotomy in Geriatric Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Portsmouth-Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM) in comparison with other risk factors for mortality including osteopenia as an indicator for frailty in geriatric patients subjected to emergency laparotomy. METHODS: All geriatric patients (≥65 years) undergoing emergency laparotomy at a single university hospital between 1/2015 and 12/2016 were included in this cohort study. Demographics and outcomes were retrospectively collected from medical records. Association between prognostic markers and 30-day mortality was assessed using Poisson and backward stepwise regression models. Prognostic value was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: 209 patients were included with a mean age of 76 ± 7.3 years. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, age, indication and type of surgery, hypotension, transfusion requirement and current malignancy proved to be statistically significant predictors of 30-day mortality. P-POSSUM mortality was statistically significant in the backward stepwise regression (incidence rate ratio=1.58, 95% CI: 1.16-2.15, p=0.004) while osteopenia was not. P-POSSUM had poor prognostic value for 30-day mortality with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.59. The prognostic value of P-POSSUM improved significantly when adjusting for patient covariates (AUC=0.83). CONCLUSION: P-POSSUM and osteopenia alone hardly predict 30-day mortality in geriatric patients following emergency laparotomy. P-POSSUM adjusted for other patient covariates improves the prediction.

99mTc-MIBI Embolus in the Late Phase of a Parathyroid Scan.

We report a case of a transient focal MIBI uptake in the late, 90 minutes postinjection phase of a parathyroid scintigraphy in which SPECT/CT imaging proved valuable in delineating the nature of this incidental finding.

[Disinfection of injection ports - a systematic overview of optimal scrub-time]. / Desinfektion av injektionsportar ­ 15 sekunders skrubbning rimligt - En systematisk översikt kring optimal tidsåtgång.

Central venous catheter bloodstream infections are an important cause of hospital-acquired infection with increased morbidity, mortality and cost. The incidence varies between countries and even hospitals. Needleless connector hubs are used on virtually all intravascular devices and colonization of these is considered the cause of much of the postinsertion catheter-related infections through breaks in aseptic technique and failure to disinfect properly. This systematic review evaluated 165 search hits on hub disinfection practices with particular emphasis on the time of scrubbing the connector for 15 sec but also the impact of measures of education and compliance. We found no randomized controlled trials (RCT) that addressed the question of scrubbing time but four in vitro studies and two clinical studies (one Swedish and one American) supported the instruction to scrub the hub for 15 sec.  Where studied, compliance with disinfection protocols was found to be surprisingly low. Though the optimal technique or disinfection time has not formally been identified through RCTs, nevertheless scrubbing with chlorhexidine-alcohol for 15 sec is seen as a reasonable recommendation and consistent with conclusions of three big reviews during the past three years (two from the UK, and one from Australia/USA).

New patient-controlled abdominal compression method in radiography: radiation dose and image quality.

BACKGROUND: The radiation dose for patients can be reduced with many methods and one way is to use abdominal compression. In this study, the radiation dose and image quality for a new patient-controlled compression device were compared with conventional compression and compression in the prone position. PURPOSE: To compare radiation dose and image quality of patient-controlled compression compared with conventional and prone compression in general radiography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental design with quantitative approach. After obtaining the approval of the ethics committee, a consecutive sample of 48 patients was examined with the standard clinical urography protocol. The radiation doses were measured as dose-area product and analyzed with a paired t-test. The image quality was evaluated by visual grading analysis. Four radiologists evaluated each image individually by scoring nine criteria modified from the European quality criteria for diagnostic radiographic images. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in radiation dose or image quality between conventional and patient-controlled compression. Prone position resulted in both higher dose and inferior image quality. CONCLUSION: Patient-controlled compression gave similar dose levels as conventional compression and lower than prone compression. Image quality was similar with both patient-controlled and conventional compression and was judged to be better than in the prone position.

Added value of double reading in diagnostic radiology,a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Double reading in diagnostic radiology can find discrepancies in the original report, but a systematic program of double reading is resource consuming. There are conflicting opinions on the value of double reading. The purpose of the current study was to perform a systematic review on the value of double reading. METHODS: A systematic review was performed to find studies calculating the rate of misses and overcalls with the aim of establishing the added value of double reading by human observers. RESULTS: The literature search resulted in 1610 hits. After abstract and full-text reading, 46 articles were selected for analysis. The rate of discrepancy varied from 0.4 to 22% depending on study setting. Double reading by a sub-specialist, in general, led to high rates of changed reports. CONCLUSIONS: The systematic review found rather low discrepancy rates. The benefit of double reading must be balanced by the considerable number of working hours a systematic double-reading scheme requires. A more profitable scheme might be to use systematic double reading for selected, high-risk examination types. A second conclusion is that there seems to be a value of sub-specialisation for increased report quality. A consequent implementation of this would have far-reaching organisational effects. KEY POINTS: • In double reading, two or more radiologists read the same images. • A systematic literature review was performed. • The discrepancy rates varied from 0.4 to 22% in various studies. • Double reading by sub-specialists found high discrepancy rates.

Prediction of spontaneous ureteral stone passage: Automated 3D-measurements perform equal to radiologists, and linear measurements equal to volumetric.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the ability of different size estimates to predict spontaneous passage of ureteral stones using a 3D-segmentation and to investigate the impact of manual measurement variability on the prediction of stone passage. METHODS: We retrospectively included 391 consecutive patients with ureteral stones on non-contrast-enhanced CT (NECT). Three-dimensional segmentation size estimates were compared to the mean of three radiologists' measurements. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for the prediction of spontaneous passage for each estimate. The difference in predicted passage probability between the manual estimates in upper and lower stones was compared. RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the measurements ranged from 0.88 to 0.90. Between the automated 3D algorithm and the manual measurements the 95% limits of agreement were 0.2 ± 1.4 mm for the width. The manual bone window measurements resulted in a > 20 percentage point (ppt) difference between the readers in the predicted passage probability in 44% of the upper and 6% of the lower ureteral stones. CONCLUSIONS: All automated 3D algorithm size estimates independently predicted the spontaneous stone passage with similar high accuracy as the mean of three readers' manual linear measurements. Manual size estimation of upper stones showed large inter-reader variations for spontaneous passage prediction. KEY POINTS: • An automated 3D technique predicts spontaneous stone passage with high accuracy. • Linear, areal and volumetric measurements performed similarly in predicting stone passage. • Reader variability has a large impact on the predicted prognosis for stone passage.

Size matters: The width and location of a ureteral stone accurately predict the chance of spontaneous passage.

OBJECTIVES: To determine how to most accurately predict the chance of spontaneous passage of a ureteral stone using information in the diagnostic non-enhanced computed tomography (NECT) and to create predictive models with smaller stone size intervals than previously possible. METHODS: Retrospectively 392 consecutive patients with ureteric stone on NECT were included. Three radiologists independently measured the stone size. Stone location, side, hydronephrosis, CRP, medical expulsion therapy (MET) and all follow-up radiology until stone expulsion or 26 weeks were recorded. Logistic regressions were performed with spontaneous stone passage in 4 weeks and 20 weeks as the dependent variable. RESULTS: The spontaneous passage rate in 20 weeks was 312 out of 392 stones, 98% in 0-2 mm, 98% in 3 mm, 81% in 4 mm, 65% in 5 mm, 33% in 6 mm and 9% in ≥6.5 mm wide stones. The stone size and location predicted spontaneous ureteric stone passage. The side and the grade of hydronephrosis only predicted stone passage in specific subgroups. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous passage of a ureteral stone can be predicted with high accuracy with the information available in the NECT. We present a prediction method based on stone size and location. KEY POINTS: • Non-enhanced computed tomography can predict the outcome of ureteral stones. • Stone size and location are the most important predictors of spontaneous passage. • Prediction models based on stone width or length and stone location are introduced. • The observed passage rates for stone size in mm-intervals are reported. • Clinicians can make better decisions about treatment.