[Practice Barriers for Nurse Practitioners in Rural Hospitals].

BACKGROUND: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are regarded as part of the primary healthcare professional team in rural hospitals, which often faced difficulties in hiring doctors. Only a few studies have been conducted that assess the barriers to practice for NPs in rural hospitals in Taiwan. PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the barriers of practice for NPs working in rural hospitals. METHODS: A qualitative research approach was used in this study, and participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Data on barriers to clinical practice were collected using face-to-face, in-depth interviews. RESULTS: A total of 10 NPs participated in this study. The three barriers identified were patient safety concerns, the impact of limited medical resources and the demands and heavy workload on NPs, and the difficulties of balancing the interests of profit-oriented hospitals and patients' personal medical insurance rights. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: To reduce barriers to practice, NPs require additional training from the government to strengthen their clinical knowledge and skills. In addition, when facing insufficient support from the Department of Health, these NPs may leverage online hospital marketing and crowdfunding platforms to obtain necessary software/hardware resources for their rural hospitals. If universal health insurance and personal medical insurance are misused within a hospital, NPs should have the moral courage to speak up and should be provided with adequate protection under rules and regulations that allow them to report cheating, illegal behaviors, and other activities that waste / misdirect healthcare resources.

Comparing Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) and the MAGiC Sequence for Simultaneous T1 and T2 Quantitative Measurements in the Female Pelvis: A Prospective Study.

The aim of this study was to explore the potential of magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF), an emerging quantitative MRI technique, in measuring relaxation values of female pelvic tissues compared to the conventional magnetic resonance image compilation (MAGiC) sequence. The study included 32 female patients who underwent routine pelvic MRI exams using anterior and posterior array coils on a 3T clinical scanner. Our findings demonstrated significant correlations between MRF and MAGiC measured T1 and T2 values (p < 0.0001) for various pelvic tissues, including ilium, femoral head, gluteus, obturator, iliopsoas, erector spinae, uterus, cervix, and cutaneous fat. The tissue contrasts generated from conventional MRI and synthetic MRF also showed agreement in bone, muscle, and uterus for both T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. This study highlights the strengths of MRF in providing simultaneous T1 and T2 mapping. MRF offers distinct tissue contrast and has the potential for accurate diagnosis of female pelvic diseases, including tumors, fibroids, endometriosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Additionally, MRF shows promise in monitoring disease progression or treatment response. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of MRF in the field of female pelvic organ imaging and suggests that it could be a valuable addition to the clinical practice of pelvic MRI exams. Further research is needed to establish the clinical utility of MRF and to develop standardized protocols for its implementation in clinical practice.

Generalizable transfer learning of automated tumor segmentation from cervical cancers toward a universal model for uterine malignancies in diffusion-weighted MRI.

PURPOSE: To investigate the generalizability of transfer learning (TL) of automated tumor segmentation from cervical cancers toward a universal model for cervical and uterine malignancies in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI). METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study, we analyzed pelvic DWI data from 169 and 320 patients with cervical and uterine malignancies and divided them into the training (144 and 256) and testing (25 and 64) datasets, respectively. A pretrained model was established using DeepLab V3 + from the cervical cancer dataset, followed by TL experiments adjusting the training data sizes and fine-tuning layers. The model performance was evaluated using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC). RESULTS: In predicting tumor segmentation for all cervical and uterine malignancies, TL models improved the DSCs from the pretrained cervical model (DSC 0.43) when adding 5, 13, 26, and 51 uterine cases for training (DSC improved from 0.57, 0.62, 0.68, 0.70, p < 0.001). Following the crossover at adding 128 cases (DSC 0.71), the model trained by combining data from adding all the 256 patients exhibited the highest DSCs for the combined cervical and uterine datasets (DSC 0.81) and cervical only dataset (DSC 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: TL may improve the generalizability of automated tumor segmentation of DWI from a specific cancer type toward multiple types of uterine malignancies especially in limited case numbers.

Magnetic Resonance-Based Synthetic Computed Tomography Using Generative Adversarial Networks for Intracranial Tumor Radiotherapy Treatment Planning.

The purpose of this work is to develop a reliable deep-learning-based method that is capable of synthesizing needed CT from MRI for radiotherapy treatment planning. Simultaneously, we try to enhance the resolution of synthetic CT. We adopted pix2pix with a 3D framework, which is a conditional generative adversarial network, to map the MRI data domain into the CT data domain of our dataset. The original dataset contains paired MRI and CT images of 31 subjects; 26 pairs were used for model training and 5 were used for model validation. To identify the correctness of the synthetic CT of models, all of the synthetic CTs were calculated by the quantized image similarity formulas: cosine angle distance, Euclidean distance, mean square error, peak signal-to-noise ratio, and mean structural similarity. Two radiologists independently evaluated the satisfaction score, including spatial, detail, contrast, noise, and artifacts, for each imaging attribute. The mean (±standard deviation) of the structural similarity indices (CAD, L2 norm, MSE, PSNR, and MSSIM) between five real CT scans and the synthetic CT scans were 0.96 ± 0.015, 76.83 ± 12.06, 0.00118 ± 0.00037, 29.47 ± 1.35, and 0.84 ± 0.036, respectively. For synthetic CT, radiologists rated the results as evincing excellent satisfaction in spatial geometry and noise level, good satisfaction in contrast and artifacts, and fair imaging details. The similarity index and clinical evaluation results between synthetic CT and original CT guarantee the usability of the proposed method.

Uterine fibroid-like tumors: spectrum of MR imaging findings and their differential diagnosis.

Uterine leiomyoma, also known as uterine fibroid, is the most common gynecological tumor, affecting almost 80% of women at some point during their lives. In the same time, other fibroid-like tumors have similar clinical presentations and about 0.5% of resected tumors of which were presumed benign fibroids in the preoperative diagnosis revealed as malignant sarcomas in the final histopathological examination. Amid the emergence of nonsurgical or minimally invasive procedures for symptomatic benign uterine fibroids, such as uterine artery embolization, high-intensity-focused ultrasound, or laparoscopic myomectomy, the preoperative diagnosis of uterine tumors through imaging becomes all the more relevant. Preoperative tissue sampling is challenging because of the variable location of the myometrial mass; thus, the preoperative evaluation of size and location is increasingly performed through magnetic resonance imaging. Features in images might also be useful for examining the full spectrum of such growths, from benign fibroids to neoplasms of uncertain behavior and malignant sarcomas. Benign fibroids include usual-type leiomyomas, myomas with degeneration, and mitotically active leiomyomas. Neoplasms of uncertain behavior include smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential, leiomyomas with bizarre nuclei, and cellular leiomyomas. Malignant sarcomas comprise leiomyosarcomas, endometrial stromal sarcomas, adenosarcomas, and carcinosarcomas. The purpose of this article is to review the spectrum of MRI findings of uterine fibroid-like tumors, from benign variants, uncertain behavior to malignant sarcomas, and update the advanced imaging modalities, including diffusion-weighted imaging, positron emission tomography/computed tomography, combining texture analysis and radiomics, to tackle this important issue.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Risk Stratification of Sonographically Indeterminate Ovarian Neoplasms: Preliminary Study.

We aim to assess the additional value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for the risk stratification of sonographically indeterminate ovarian neoplasms. A total of 21 patients with diagnosed adnexal masses between 2014 and 2017 were divided into malignant (four serous cystadenocarcinomas, four endometrioid carcinomas, three clear cell carcinomas, and one carcinosarcoma) and benign (four cystadenomas, two teratomas, one fibroma, one endometrioma, and one corpus luteal cyst) groups. An apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of 1.27 × 10-3 mm2/s was considered as the optimal threshold in distinguishing malignant from benign ovarian tumors (sensitivity and specificity: 100% and 77.8%, respectively). Choline peaks were detected in six of seven O-RADS (Ovarian-Adnexal Imaging-Reporting Data System) 4 lesions and corrected all of the DWI false-negative clear cell carcinoma. Based on the presence of the choline peaks, the diagnostic performance of MRS showed a sensitivity of 77.8%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 85.7%, respectively. In conclusion, MRS could potentially play a complementary role for DWI in tumor characterization, particularly for O-RADS 4 tumors or clear cell carcinomas.

Computer-Aided Segmentation and Machine Learning of Integrated Clinical and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Parameters for Predicting Lymph Node Metastasis in Endometrial Cancer.

Precise risk stratification in lymphadenectomy is important for patients with endometrial cancer (EC), to balance the therapeutic benefit against the operation-related morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate added values of computer-aided segmentation and machine learning based on clinical parameters and diffusion-weighted imaging radiomics for predicting lymph node (LN) metastasis in EC. This prospective observational study included 236 women with EC (mean age ± standard deviation, 51.2 ± 11.6 years) who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging before surgery during July 2010-July 2018, randomly split into training (n = 165) and test sets (n = 71). A decision-tree model was constructed based on mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of the tumor (cutoff, 1.1 × 10-3 mm2/s), skewness of the relative ADC value (cutoff, 1.2), short-axis diameter of LN (cutoff, 1.7 mm) and skewness ADC value of the LN (cutoff, 7.2 × 10-2), as well as tumor grade (1 vs. 2 and 3), and clinical tumor size (cutoff, 20 mm). The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 94% and 80% for the training set and 86%, 78% for the independent testing set, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUCs) of the decision-tree was 0.85-significantly higher than the mean ADC model (AUC = 0.54) and LN short-axis diameter criteria (AUC = 0.62) (both p < 0.0001). We concluded that a combination of clinical and MR radiomics generates a prediction model for LN metastasis in EC, with diagnostic performance surpassing the conventional ADC and size criteria.

A Case of Paratubal Serous Borderline Tumor Driven by a Somatic BRAF Mutation in an Adolescent Patient.

BACKGROUND: We describe a rare paratubal serous borderline tumor occurring in an adolescent and provide insight into its molecular underpinnings. CASE: A 14-year-old girl presented with irregular menstrual cycles and a large right pelvic mass. Computed tomography imaging revealed a cystic neoplasm arising from the right ovary with peripheral calcification. During laparotomy, a cystic tumor located at the right parametrium independent of the fallopian tube was identified. The ovary was intact and the tumor was successfully removed. Intraoperative diagnosis using the frozen section technique and subsequent pathology revealed a paratubal serous borderline tumor. Molecular analyses revealed a chromosomally stable tumor genome and a pathogenic somatic mutation (c.1799 T > A, p.Val600Glu) in the B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) gene. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: This case shows that the BRAF p.Val600Glu mutation likely acts as an oncogenic driver in this rare neoplasm.

Volumetric Differences in the Suprafascial and Subfascial Compartments of Patients with Secondary Unilateral Lower Limb Lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: The subfascial compartment (deep to the deep fascia) in extremity lymphedema has not been evaluated. This study investigated the volumetric differences between the suprafascial and subfascial compartments of patients with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema. METHODS: Thirty-two female patients with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema were enrolled, with eight patients in each of Cheng lymphedema grades I to IV. The volumes of the suprafascial and subfascial compartments were calculated after manually drawing the region of interest on computed tomographic images. The volumetric differences and their ratios in the suprafascial and subfascial compartments between each patient's bilateral limbs were compared. RESULTS: The volume of the lymphedematous limbs (9647 ml) was significantly greater than the volume of unaffected limbs (6906 ml), with a median volumetric difference of 2097 ml (30.6 percent) (p < 0.01). The median suprafascial compartment volumetric difference was 1887 ml (56.6 percent) and the subfascial compartment volumetric difference was 208 ml (4.7 percent) (p < 0.01). The median volumetric difference ratio of the thigh and lower leg was 24.6 percent and 40.6 percent, respectively. The median volumetric differences in Cheng lymphedema grades I to IV were 1012, 1787, 2434, and 4107 ml, respectively, which were statistically significant among the four Cheng lymphedema grades using the Kruskal-Wallis test (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The volumetric differences in the lymphedematous limb were statistically significantly greater than in the unaffected limb, including both suprafascial and subfascial compartments. The volumetric differences are consistent with the Cheng lymphedema grading system as a reliable indicator of unilateral extremity lymphedema. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic, IV.

Characterization of limb lymphedema using the statistical analysis of ultrasound backscattering.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a disease in which tissue swelling is caused by interstitial fluid retention in subcutaneous tissue. It is caused by a compromised lymphatic system. Lymphoscintigraphy is the current and primary modality used to assess lymphatic system dysfunction. Ultrasound elastography is a complementary tool used for evaluating the tissue stiffness of the lymphedematous limb. Tissue stiffness implies the existence of changes in tissue microstructures. However, ultrasound features related to tissue microstructures are neglected in clinical assessments of lymphedematous limbs. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the lymphedematous diagnostic values of ultrasound Nakagami and entropy imaging, which are, respectively, model- and nonmodel-based backscattered statistical analysis methods for scatterer characterization. METHODS: A total of 60 patients were recruited, and lymphoscintigraphy was used to score the patient's clinical severity of each of their limb lymphedema (0: normal; 1: partial lymphatic obstruction; and 2: total lymphatic obstruction). We performed ultrasound examinations to acquire ultrasound backscattered signals for B-mode, Nakagami, and entropy imaging. The envelope amplitude, Nakagami, and entropy values, as a function of the patients' lymphatic obstruction grades, were expressed in terms of their median and interquartile range (IQR). The values were then used in both an independent t test and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: For each increase in a patient's score from 0 to 2, the envelope amplitude values were 405.44 (IQR: 238.72-488.17), 411.52 (IQR: 298.53-644.25), and 476.37 (IQR: 348.86-648.16), respectively. The Nakagami parameters were 0.16 (IQR: 0.14-0.22), 0.26 (IQR: 0.23-0.34), and 0.24 (IQR: 0.16-0.36), respectively, and the entropy values were 4.55 (IQR: 4.41-4.66), 4.86 (IQR: 4.78-4.99), and 4.87 (IQR: 4.81-4.97), respectively. The P values between the normal control and lymphedema groups obtained from B-mode and Nakagami analysis were larger than 0.05; whereas that of entropy imaging was smaller than 0.05. The areas under the ROC curve for B-mode, Nakagami, and entropy imaging were 0.64 (sensitivity: 70%; specificity: 47.5%), 0.75 (sensitivity: 70%; specificity: 75%), and 0.94 (sensitivity: 95%; specificity: 87.5%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings demonstrated the diagnostic values of ultrasound Nakagami and entropy imaging techniques. In particular, the use of non-model-based entropy imaging enables for improved performance when characterizing limb lymphedema.

Resilience among older cardiovascular disease patients with probable sarcopenia.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with resilience among probable sarcopenia older adults with cardiovascular disease. INTRODUCTION: Resilience has been reported to be positively correlated with the mental health and physical functioning of older adults. Previous research has found that the development of resilience constitutes a form of compensation for loss of physical health. It is important for older adults, especially those with other underlying conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and sarcopenia, to have the ability to overcome adversity during the aging process. Thus, resilience becomes a critical characteristic in achieving a better life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. A demographic questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Resilience Scale (CRS) were used to collect data. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the predictors of low resilience. RESULTS: A total of 267 participants were recruited, including 126 females and 141 males. Of the participants, 56% of their scores indicated low resilience. Income, education level, exercise time, primary caregiver, and having hypertension were the predictors of resilience. CONCLUSION: The population with sarcopenia is increasing worldwide. Understanding resilience levels among older adults with probable sarcopenia is essential for promoting their mental health. Clinicians can use the results of this study to identify populations at high risk for low resilience and design specific interventions to promote better health outcomes.

Comparisons of Manual Tape Measurement and Morphomics Measurement of Patients with Upper Extremity Lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a debilitating condition characterized by swelling from lymph fluid exceeding transport capacity. A gold standard for arm measurement is not established, and measurement methods vary. This study evaluates the comparability of the tape measure and Analytic Morphomics in deriving limb circumference measurements in patients with upper extremity lymphedema. METHODS: Fifteen participants with diagnosed upper limb lymphedema were included between July 2013 and June 2017 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Affected and unaffected arm circumferences were measured using a flexible tape or morphomic measurement at 10 cm above and below the elbow. Computed tomography scans were standardized, processed, smoothed with a piecewise polynomial algorithm for Analytic Morphomics of arm circumference. Comparative plots, mean percent difference, and adjusted coefficient of determination (R 2) were utilized to compare the consistency of both measurement procedures. RESULTS: The tape measure and Analytic Morphomics demonstrated consistent measures of arm circumference. On the affected arm, the mean (95% CI) difference in arm circumference between methods was 1.60 cm (0.99-2.20) above, and 0.57 cm (0.23-0.91) below the elbow. Mean percent differences in circumference was 6.65% (SD 3.52%) above and 1.38% (SD 2.11%) below the elbow. The adjusted R 2 for both methods was 94% above and 96% below the elbow. CONCLUSIONS: Analytic Morphomics showed strong consistency with the manual tape measure of arm circumference measurement in those with upper extremity lymphedema. Analytic Morphomics present an opportunity for a precise, granular measurement of limb composition for assessment of disease state and patient planning.

Utility of diffusion-weighted and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing and differentiating between high- and low-grade uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare uterine malignancy that features different prognoses for its high- and low-grade subtypes. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in diagnosing and differentiating between high- and low-grade ESS. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the preoperative pelvic MR images of consecutive patients who received histologically confirmed diagnoses of high-grade ESS (n = 11) and low-grade ESS (n = 9) and T2-hyperintense leiomyoma (n = 16). Two radiologists independently evaluated imaging features in T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted and contrast-enhanced MR images. Statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney tests and Fisher's exact test, with sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of imaging features. RESULTS: High-grade ESS was associated with significantly more extensive necrosis and hemorrhage and distinct feather-like enhancement compared with low-grade ESS (P < .05 for all). The feather-like enhancement pattern yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 95%, sensitivity of 91%, and specificity of 100% in differentiating high-grade from low-grade ESS. This imaging characteristic was significantly superior to the necrosis (80%, P = .033) or hemorrhage (75%, P = .007). Both high- and low-grade ESS demonstrated T2 hypointense bands, marginal nodules, intratumoral nodules, and worm-like intra-myometrial nodules, and their tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were significantly lower than those of T2-hyperintense leiomyomas (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Diffusion-weighted MR imaging is useful in diagnosing ESS against T2-hyperintense leiomyomas, and contrast enhancement aids in further differentiating between high- and low-grade ESS.

Effectiveness of Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer for Extremity Lymphedema Using Volumetric and Circumferential Differences.

BACKGROUND: Circumferential difference of lymphedematous limbs at designated anatomic distances has been the primary mode for measuring lymphedematous extremities. Computed tomography (CT) imaging produces accurate, consistent, hygienic volume measurements and a direct limb representation. This study compares these 2 main modalities and assesses their correlation. METHODS: CT and circumferential difference measurements, costs, and correlation of patient limbs that received vascularized lymph node transfer were compared. RESULTS: Mean circumferential difference by tape measurement pre- and postoperatively was 31.4% ± 19.1% and 17.4% ± 8.8% for upper limbs and 43.2% ± 16.1% and 22.4% ± 12% for the lower limbs, respectively. Mean CT volumetric difference pre- and postoperatively were 36.1 ± 4.1% and 27.2 ± 2.8% for the upper limb and 46.2 ± 3.2% and 33.2 ± 2.1% for the lower limbs, respectively. CT volume measurements significantly correlated with their respective circumferential difference with Pearson correlation coefficient of r = +0.7, which was statistically significant (P = 0.03), indicating a strong positive correlation between circumferential difference and actual limb volume changes as determined by CT imaging. Circumferential differences are more cost effective than CT volume assessments in the domains of measurement frequency (P = 0.03), fee (P < 0.01), time (P = 0.03), total cost per year (P < 0.01), and cost/minute (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized circumferential differences that are currently used are comparable to unbiased CT volumetric measurements and can be used as a reliable, reproducible, minimally invasive, low cost, and accurate method of measuring the lymphedematous limbs.

Current Status of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Malignant Uterine Neoplasms: A Review.

In this study, we summarize the clinical role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of patients with malignant uterine neoplasms, including leiomyosarcoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, adenosarcoma, uterine carcinosarcoma, and endometrial cancer, with emphasis on the challenges and disadvantages. MRI plays an essential role in patients with uterine malignancy, for the purpose of tumor detection, primary staging, and treatment planning. MRI has advanced in scope beyond the visualization of the many aspects of anatomical structures, including diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast enhancement-MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Emerging technologies coupled with the use of artificial intelligence in MRI are expected to lead to progressive improvement in case management of malignant uterine neoplasms.

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography: Tissue Stiffness Measurement in Limb Lymphedema.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of cutaneous and subcutaneous limb tissue elasticity measurement in participants with limb lymphedema by using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography. Materials and Methods From July 2015 to June 2017, ARFI elastography was performed in 64 participants with lymphedema (seven men and 57 women; age range, 23-85 years) by using a US system. Tissue stiffness quantification with shear-wave velocity (SWV) was obtained in the cutaneous and subcutaneous limb tissues. Lymphoscintigraphy was the reference standard. Results SWV was significantly higher in limbs with lymphatic obstruction than in unaffected limbs (cutaneous tissue: 2.75 m/sec vs 1.74 m/sec, respectively; subcutaneous tissue: 1.90 m/sec vs 1.35 m/sec, respectively; P < .001). SWV was significantly different among limbs without lymphatic drainage obstruction, with partial obstruction, and with total obstruction (cutaneous tissue: 1.74 m/sec vs 2.75 m/sec vs 2.77 m/sec; subcutaneous tissue: 1.35 m/sec vs 1.90 m/sec vs 1.90 m/sec, respectively; P < .001). By using a cut-off value of 2.10 m/sec and 1.43 m/sec for cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, respectively, sensitivity was 83.1% (59 of 71) and 80.3% (57 of 71), and specificity was 86.0% (49 of 57) and 70.2% (40 of 57) for manifestation of lymphatic obstruction. The corresponding areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.91 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusion Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography showed that cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues are stiffer in lymphedematous limbs than in unaffected limbs. Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography is a feasible imaging modality for noninvasive tissue stiffness quantification in limb lymphedema. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Accurate Prediction of Submental Lymph Nodes Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Lymphedema Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Submental lymph node transfer has proved to be an effective approach for the treatment of lymphedema. This study was to investigate the anatomy and distribution of vascularized submental lymph node (VSLN) flap using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their clinical outcome. METHODS: Fifteen patients who underwent 19 VSLN flap transfers for upper or lower limb lymphedema were retrospectively analyzed. The number of submental lymph nodes was compared among preoperative MRI, preoperative sonography, intraoperative finding, postoperative sonography, and postoperative computed tomography angiography. The outcome was compared between preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: All 19 VSLN flaps survived. Two hundred fifteen lymph nodes were identified in 30 submandibular regions by MRI. The mean number of submental lymph nodes on preoperative MRI was 7.2 ± 2.4, on preoperative sonography was 3.2 ± 1.1, on intraoperative finding was 3.1 ± 0.6, postoperative sonography was 4.6 ± 1.8, and postoperative CTA was 5.2 ± 1.9. Sixty-one percent of the lymph nodes were located in the central two-quarters of the line drawn from the mental protuberance to the mandibular angle. The actual harvest rate of submental lymph nodes was 72.2%. At a 12-month follow-up, mean episodes of cellulitis were improved from 2.7 ± 0.6 to 0.8 ± 0.2 (P < 0.01); mean of circumferential difference was improved 3.2 ± 0.4 cm (P < 0.03). The overall lymphedema quality-of-life was improved 4.9 ± 0.3 (P < 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative MRI is a useful tool for the detection of mean 7.2 submental lymph nodes. Mean 72.2% of submental lymph nodes can be successfully transferred for extremity lymphedema with optimal functional recovery.

Different utilization of intensive care services (ICSs) for patients dying of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, a hospital-based survey.

The intensive care service (ICS) saves lives and rescues the neurological function of stroke patients. We wondered the different utilization of ICS for patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, especially those who died within 30 days after stroke.Sixty-seven patients died during 2011 to 2015 due to acute stroke (42 due to intracranial hemorrhage [ICH]; 25 due to cerebral infarct [CI]). The durations of hospital stay (hospital staying days [HSDs]) and ICS staying days (ISDs) and codes of the do-not-resuscitate (DNR) were surveyed among these medical records. Statistics included chi-square and descriptive analyses.In this study, CI patients had a longer HSD (mean 14.3 days), as compared with ICH patients (mean 8.3 days); however, the ICH patients had a higher percentage of early entry within the first 24 hours of admission into ICS than CI group (95.1% vs 60.0%, P = .003). A higher rate of CI patients died in holidays or weekends than those with ICH (44.0% vs 21.4%, P = .051). DNR, requested mainly from direct descendants (children or grandchildren), was coded in all 25 CI patients (100.0%) and 38 ICH patients (90.5%). More cases with early DNR coded within 24 hours after admission occurred in ICH group (47%, 12% in CI patients, P = .003). None of the stroke patient had living wills. Withhold of endotracheal intubation (ETI) occurred among CI patients, more than for ICH patients (76.0% vs 18.4%, P < .005).In conclusion, CI patients longer HSD, ISD, higher mortality within holidays or weekends, and higher ETI withhold; but less percentage of ICS utilization expressed by a lower ISD/HSD ratio. This ICS utilization is a key issue of medical quality for stroke care.

Developing and validating a multivariable prediction model to improve the diagnostic accuracy in determination of cervical versus endometrial origin of uterine adenocarcinomas: A prospective MR study combining diffusion-weighted imaging and spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: A triage test to assist clinical decision-making on choosing primary chemoradiation for cervical carcinomas or primary surgery for endometrial carcinomas is important. PURPOSE OR HYPOTHESIS: To develop and validate a multiparametric prediction model based on MR imaging and spectroscopy in distinguishing adenocarcinomas of uterine cervical or endometrial origin. STUDY TYPE: Prospective diagnostic accuracy study. POPULATION: Eighty-seven women: 25 cervical and 62 endometrial adenocarcinomas divided into training (n = 43; cervical/endometrial adenocarcinomas = 11/32) and validation (n = 44; 14/30) datasets. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: The 3T diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging and MR spectroscopy. ASSESSMENT: Morphology, volumetric DW MR imaging and spectroscopy (MDS) scoring system with total points 0-5, based on presence of the following MR features assessed independently by two radiologists: (a) epicenter at the cervix, (b) rim enhancement, (c) disrupted cervical stromal integrity, (d) mean volumetric apparent diffusion coefficient values (ADCmean) higher than 0.98 × 10-3 mm2 /s, (e) fatty acyl δ 1.3 ppm more than 161.92 mM. Histopathology as gold standard. STATISTICAL TESTS: Logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. RESULTS: For both the training and validation datasets, the MDS score achieved an accuracy of 93.0% and 84.1%, significantly higher than that of morphology (88.4% and 79.5%), ADC value (74.4% and 68.2%), and spectroscopy (81.4% and 68.2%; P < 0.05 for all). The performances of the scoring were superior to the morphology in the training dataset (areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUC] = 0.95 vs. 0.89; P = 0.046), but not in the validation dataset (AUC = 0.90 vs. 0.85; P = 0.289). DATA CONCLUSION: MDS score has potentials to improve distinguishing adenocarcinomas of cervical or endometrial origin, and warrants large-scale studies for further validation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1654-1666.

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging of normal spinal cord: evaluating cord visualization and conus medullaris position by T2-weighted sequences.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging demonstration of the normal spinal cord and the conus medullaris location has not been well studied. We compared balanced fast field echo (bFFE) with single-shot turbo spin-echo (SSh-TSE) MR sequences for visualizing the normal spinal cord and position of conus medullaris in fetuses. METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chang Gung Medical Foundation. We reviewed the MR images of 141 fetuses aged between 16 and 39 gestational weeks, to determine the position of the conus and visualize the spinal cord by using a signal intensity ratio of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to the spinal cord. RESULTS: Of the 75 subjects having normal spinal cord and being examined by both bFFE and SSh-TSE studies, the signal intensity ratio of CSF/cord was greater on bFFE images (2.18 ± 0.53) than that on SSh-TSE images (1.21 ± 0.13) (p < 0.05). The conus level identified in the 50 subjects, in whom the lumbosacral spine was appropriately imaged, was located from L1 to L5 levels. The ascendance of the conus correlated moderately with gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: With greater signal contrast ratio of CSF to spinal cord, bFFE sequence, when compared with SSh-TSE sequence, provides better visualization of normal spinal cord. The fetal conus medullaris ascends from L5 to L1 levels as the gestational age increases.