Volumetric Analysis: Effect on Diagnosis and Management of Indeterminate Solid Pulmonary Nodules in Routine Clinical Practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of volumetric analysis on the diagnosis and management of indeterminate solid pulmonary nodules in routine clinical practice. METHODS: This was a retrospective study with 107 computed tomography (CT) cases of solid pulmonary nodules (range, 6-15 mm), 57 pathology-proven malignancies (lung cancer, n = 34; metastasis, n = 23), and 50 benign nodules. Nodules were evaluated on a total of 309 CT scans (average number of CTs/nodule, 2.9 [range, 2-7]). CT scans were from multiple institutions with variable technique. Nine radiologists (attendings, n = 3; fellows, n = 3; residents, n = 3) were asked their level of suspicion for malignancy (low/moderate or high) and management recommendation (no follow-up, CT follow-up, or care escalation) for baseline and follow-up studies first without and then with volumetric analysis data. Effect of volumetry on diagnosis and management was assessed by generalized linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Volumetric analysis improved sensitivity (P = 0.009) and allowed earlier recognition (P < 0.05) of malignant nodules. Attending radiologists showed higher sensitivity in recognition of malignant nodules (P = 0.03) and recommendation of care escalation (P < 0.001) compared with trainees. Volumetric analysis altered management of high suspicion nodules only in the fellow group (P = 0.008). κ Statistics for suspicion for malignancy and recommended management were fair to substantial (0.38-0.66) and fair to moderate (0.33-0.50). Volumetric analysis improved interobserver variability for identification of nodule malignancy from 0.52 to 0.66 (P = 0.004) only on the second follow-up study. CONCLUSIONS: Volumetric analysis of indeterminate solid pulmonary nodules in routine clinical practice can result in improved sensitivity and earlier identification of malignant nodules. The effect of volumetric analysis on management recommendations is variable and influenced by reader experience.

A case report of successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention to an occluded anomalous left main coronary artery arising from the right coronary sinus.

Background: Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus is a rare congenital abnormality that may be encountered during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Case summary: A 65-year-old man presented with chest pain and signs of heart failure. Electrocardiogram demonstrated atrial fibrillation with ST elevation in the high lateral leads, and he was taken emergently to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for primary PCI. Coronary angiography identified the culprit to be an occluded anomalous left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising from the right coronary cusp, and primary PCI was successfully performed in the LMCA and the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Computed tomography angiography confirmed a benign retroaortic course of the anomalous LMCA with no additional high-risk features, as well as a new left atrial appendage thrombus. He subsequently developed deep venous thrombosis, acute pulmonary embolism, and acute kidney injury secondary to renal artery embolism with associated infarction. Workup for patent foramen ovale and thrombophilia were negative, and he was discharged in a stable condition. At 2-month follow-up, he was asymptomatic with no evidence of myocardial ischaemia on stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Discussion: We present the first reported case of an occluded anomalous LMCA arising from the right coronary sinus in a patient presenting with STEMI. Rapid recognition of this congenital anomaly and selection of an appropriate guide catheter were keys to achieving timely reperfusion and a good outcome in this case.

Percutaneous Treatment of an Aorto-Right Ventricular Fistula Following Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

We present the case of a 71-year-old man who experienced congestive cardiac failure after transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve. Echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography demonstrated an aorto-right ventricular fistula, and successful percutaneous closure was performed with a vascular plug. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Immediate and Follow-up Imaging Findings after Cone-Beam CT-guided Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy.

Purpose: To evaluate findings after transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) using intraprocedural cone-beam CT (CBCT) and follow-up chest CT examinations. Materials and Methods: A single-center, prospective cohort study was performed with 14 participants (mean age, 65 years ± 13 [SD]; eight male participants) undergoing CBCT-guided TBLC between August 2020 and February 2021 who underwent follow-up chest CT imaging. Intraprocedural CBCT and follow-up chest CT images were interpreted for changes compared with baseline CT images. Statistical analyses were performed using independent samples t test and analysis of variance. Results: A total of 62 biopsies were performed, with 48 in the field of view of CBCT immediately after biopsy. All 48 biopsy sites had evidence of postprocedural hemorrhage, and 17 (35%) had pneumatoceles at the biopsy site. Follow-up CT images showed resolution of these findings. Solid nodules developed at 18 of the 62 (29%) biopsy sites. Conclusion: Postbiopsy hemorrhage and pneumatoceles on intraprocedural CBCT images (which were clinically occult and resolved spontaneously) and new solid nodules on follow-up chest CT images were commonly observed after TBLC. These findings may help alleviate unnecessary follow-up imaging and tissue sampling.Keywords: Biopsy/Needle Aspiration, CT, Lungs, Lung Biopsy, Interventional Bronchoscopy© RSNA, 2023.

The RSNA International COVID-19 Open Radiology Database (RICORD).

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health care emergency. Although reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction testing is the reference standard method to identify patients with COVID-19 infection, chest radiography and CT play a vital role in the detection and management of these patients. Prediction models for COVID-19 imaging are rapidly being developed to support medical decision making. However, inadequate availability of a diverse annotated data set has limited the performance and generalizability of existing models. To address this unmet need, the RSNA and Society of Thoracic Radiology collaborated to develop the RSNA International COVID-19 Open Radiology Database (RICORD). This database is the first multi-institutional, multinational, expert-annotated COVID-19 imaging data set. It is made freely available to the machine learning community as a research and educational resource for COVID-19 chest imaging. Pixel-level volumetric segmentation with clinical annotations was performed by thoracic radiology subspecialists for all COVID-19-positive thoracic CT scans. The labeling schema was coordinated with other international consensus panels and COVID-19 data annotation efforts, the European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics, the American College of Radiology, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Study-level COVID-19 classification labels for chest radiographs were annotated by three radiologists, with majority vote adjudication by board-certified radiologists. RICORD consists of 240 thoracic CT scans and 1000 chest radiographs contributed from four international sites. It is anticipated that RICORD will ideally lead to prediction models that can demonstrate sustained performance across populations and health care systems.