To repeat or not to repeat: Radiologists demonstrated more decisiveness than their fellow radiographers in reducing the repeat rate during mobile chest radiography.

INTRODUCTION: Radiologists and radiographers play a complementary role in providing an optimal image quality with decrease radiation dose and proper diagnosis during chest radiographs. We aim Investigate years of experience among radiologists and radiographers on perception of image quality and its impact on repeat rate when evaluating portable pediatric chest radiographs. METHODS: IRB approved retrospective study consisted of randomly selected images (n = 131) of pediatric portable chest radiographs. Images were blindly assessed by four radiologists and four radiographers. Readers were asked to assess qualitative and quantitative image quality by rating: image quality, decision to repeat and image technique. All data was compared employing Pearson's Correlation, Visual grading characteristic (VGC) and Cohens' kappa analyses. RESULTS: Image quality: Radiologists (88.4%) rated images as excellent significantly more than radiographers (11.6%), and radiographers (90.1%) as poor significantly more than radiologists (9.9%) (p < 0.05). Repeat: Radiologists (57%) decided not to repeat images significantly more than radiographers (43%) (p < 0.05). Image technique: Radiologists rated images as acceptable (65%) and excellent (97.7%) significantly more than radiographers (35% and 2.3% respectively) (p < 0.05), whereas radiographers (84%) assessed image technique as poor significantly more than radiologists (16%) (p < 0.05). VGC: radiographers had slightly better qualitative evaluation of image quality than radiologists. An association between image quality (p < 0.002) and repeat decision (p < 0.044) with years of experience was established when comparing years of experience with image assessment rubric, while no association was noted with image technique (p < 0.9). CONCLUSION: Radiologists demonstrated more decisiveness than their fellow radiographers in reducing the repeat rate of portable pediatric chest radiographs. Interestingly, years of experience only seem to affect image technique and image quality assessment among radiologists. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Continuous education of radiographers and close collaboration with radiologists is crucial to achieve optimal image quality and low radiation doses.

Gadolinium and Multiple Sclerosis: Vessels, Barriers of the Brain, and Glymphatics.

The pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis is characterized by a cascade of pathobiologic events, ranging from focal lymphocytic infiltration and microglia activation to demyelination and axonal degeneration. MS has several of the hallmarks of an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, including breakdown of the BBB. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is currently the reference standard to detect active inflammatory lesions in MS. Knowledge of the patterns and mechanisms of contrast enhancement is vital to limit the radiologic differential diagnosis in the staging and evaluation of MS lesion activity. The aim of this review was the following: 1) to outline the pathophysiology of the effect of lymphocyte-driven inflammation in MS, 2) to describe the effects of gadolinium on the BBB and glymphatic system, and 3) to describe gadolinium enhancement patterns and artifacts that can mimic lesions in MS.

Increased image quality and reduced radiation dose and contrast media volume: a holistic approach to intracranial CTA.

AIM: To investigate the dose-length product (DLP) during intracranial computed tomography angiography (CTA) using a patient-specific contrast formula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intracranial CTA was performed on 120 patients using 64-channel CT. Patients were subjected in equal numbers to one of two acquisitions/contrast medium protocols. Protocol A, consisted of 80 ml contrast medium and protocol B, involved a novel contrast medium formula. In each protocol, contrast medium and saline were injected at a flow rate of 4.5 ml/s. The DLP and contrast volume (CV) were measured between each protocol and the data obtained were compared using two-tailed independent t-test. RESULTS: Mean arterial vessel attenuation was up to 56% (p<0.01) higher using protocol B compared with A. In the venous system, the mean vessel attenuation was significantly lower in protocol B than A with a maximum reduction of 93% (p<0.001). The mean CV was significantly lower in protocol B (53±10 ml) compared to A (80±1 ml, p<0.001). The scan time was equal in each protocol (B, 4.22±1.2 seconds; A, 4.01±1.3 seconds). A significant reduction in mean DLP was demonstrated in protocol B (3.99±0.22 mSv) compared to A (4.74±0.22 mSv; p=0.02). CONCLUSION: A significant reduction in CV and DLP during intracranial CTA can be achieved when employing a patient-specific contrast medium formula.

The diagnostic yield of ultrasound of the head in healthy infants presenting with the clinical diagnosis of benign macrocrania.

AIM: To investigate the frequency of sonographic findings that required neurosurgical consultation for all referred outpatients suspected to have benign macrocrania (BMC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed from September 2011 until June 2015 for all outpatients referred to the ultrasound (US) department for BMC. Electronic medical records, US images, and reports were reviewed in conjunction with follow-up imaging. Each review consisted of gender, specialty of referring physician, first head circumference, head circumference at or closest to the time of the head US, the last head circumference, and any neurological issue prior to the US, at the time of US, or following the US, and clinical outcomes. Statistical analysis employed the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test and Fischer's exact test (chi square test of independence) that compared normal/BMC patients from the patients requiring a neurosurgical consultation. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty (40.9%) had a normal head US, 181 patients (56.9%) had sonographic findings of BMC, and seven (2.2%) patients had an abnormal head US that required a neurosurgical consultation. Of the 181 patients with BMC, 23 underwent follow-up imaging with 22 patients having unchanged BMC or a normal head US and one patient developing mild ventriculomegaly that was stable on follow-up imaging. Three of the seven patients (1%) aged 1.8, 2.3, and 13.1 months with abnormal head US requiring neurosurgical consultation, had mild ventriculomegaly that was stable on follow-up imaging. Four of the seven patients (1.2%) that required neurosurgical consultation needed a neurosurgical procedure. Between the two US subgroups (normal and BMC), no statistical significance was noted regarding age of patient at US, head circumference at clinical and radiological presentation (p>0.05) except for the first head circumference clinically documented which demonstrated statistical significance (p<0.03). CONCLUSION: Short interval surveillance including head circumference and assessment for the development of bulging anterior fontanelle and neurological abnormalities may be more cost effective than US in the initial evaluation of patients clinically suspected to have BMC.