Pectoral muscle mass is not a robust prognostic factor for survival after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are an established treatment for end-stage left ventricular heart failure. Parameters are needed to identify the most appropriate patients for LVADs. This study aimed to evaluate pectoral muscle mass and density as prognostic parameters.

Impact of psoas muscle evaluation on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device implantation.

Aims: The measurement of muscle mass reflects the physical components of frailty, which might affect postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative skeletal muscle evaluation and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing LVAD implantation.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2017, a total of 63 patients were enrolled in this single-centre study.

Influence of a Deep Learning Noise Reduction on the CT Values, Image Noise and Characterization of Kidney and Ureter Stones.

Deep-learning (DL) noise reduction techniques in computed tomography (CT) are expected to reduce the image noise while maintaining the clinically relevant information in reduced dose acquisitions. This study aimed to assess the size, attenuation, and objective image quality of reno-ureteric stones denoised using DL-software in comparison to traditionally reconstructed low-dose abdominal CT-images and evaluated its clinical impact. In this institutional review-board-approved retrospective study, 45 patients with renal and/or ureteral stones were included.

CT Findings in Patients with COVID-19-Compatible Symptoms but Initially Negative qPCR Test.

Purpose: To assess whether it is possible to reliably detect patients with strong suspicion of COVID-19 despite initially negative quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction (qPCR) tests by means of computed tomography (CT).

Materials And Methods: 437 patients with suspected COVID-19 but initially negative qPCR and subsequent chest CT between March 13 and November 30, 2020 were included in this retrospective study. CT findings were compared to results of successive qPCR tests (minimum of 3 qPCR tests if CT suggested infection) to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CT for diagnosing COVID-19.

Applicability of CO-RADS in an Anonymized Cohort Including Early and Advanced Stages of COVID-19 in Comparison to the Recommendations of the German Radiological Society and Radiological Society of North America.

Purpose: Classifications were created to facilitate radiological evaluation of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on computed tomography (CT) images. The categorical CT assessment scheme (CO-RADS) categorizes lung parenchymal changes according to their likelihood of being caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of diagnosing COVID-19 with CO-RADS compared to the Thoracic Imaging Section of the German Radiological Society (DRG) classification and Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) classification in an anonymized patient cohort.

Effect of preoperative erector spinae muscles mass on postoperative outcomes in patients with left ventricular assist devices.

Background: Frailty influences the postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Recently, erector spinae muscle (ESM) mass has been proposed as a parameter to assess frailty accurately. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether preoperative ESM mass is associated with short- and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with LVAD.

Within- and across-network alterations of the sensorimotor network in Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily defined by motor symptoms and is associated with alterations of sensorimotor areas. Evidence for network changes of the sensorimotor network (SMN) in PD is inconsistent and a systematic evaluation of SMN in PD yet missing. We investigate functional connectivity changes of the SMN in PD, both, within the network, and to other large-scale connectivity networks.

Evaluation of split-filter dual-energy CT for characterization of urinary stones.

Objective: To assess accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) to differentiate uric acid from calcium urinary stones in dual-energy split filter sequential-spiral dual-source acquisition.

Methods: Thirty-four urinary stones (volume 89.0 ± 77.

Impact of increasing levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction on image quality in oil-based postmortem CT angiography in coronary arteries.

Introduction: Postmortem multi-detector computed tomography (PMCT) has become an important part in forensic imaging. Modern reconstruction techniques such as iterative reconstruction (IR) are frequently used in postmortem CT angiography (PMCTA). The image quality of PMCTA depends on the strength of IR.

Is the prediction of one or two ipsilateral positive lymph nodes by computerized tomography and ultrasound reliable enough to restrict therapeutic neck dissection in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients?

Introduction: Proper management of the clinically involved neck in OSCC patients continues to be a matter of debate. Our aim was to analyze the accuracy of computerized tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) in anticipating the exact location of lymph node (LN) metastases of OSCC patients across the AAO-HNS (American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery) levels ipsi- and contralaterally. Furthermore, we wanted to assess the suitability of therapeutic selective neck dissection (SND) in patients with one or two ipsilateral positive nodes upon clinical staging (cN1/cN2a and cN2b(2/x) patients).

PSMA PET/CT vs. CT alone in newly diagnosed biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy: Comparison of detection rates and therapeutic implications.

Objectives: To compare prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) and computed tomography (CT) alone for the detection of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) and effect on treatment.

Methods: This retrospective study included 59 patients with recently recorded biochemical recurrence of PCa (mean PSA 1.96 ± 1.

Influence of a novel deep-learning based reconstruction software on the objective and subjective image quality in low-dose abdominal computed tomography.

Objectives: Modern reconstruction and post-processing software aims at reducing image noise in CT images, potentially allowing for a reduction of the employed radiation exposure. This study aimed at assessing the influence of a novel deep-learning based software on the subjective and objective image quality compared to two traditional methods [filtered back-projection (FBP), iterative reconstruction (IR)].

Methods: In this institutional review board-approved retrospective study, abdominal low-dose CT images of 27 patients (mean age 38 ± 12 years, volumetric CT dose index 2.

Advanced diffusion weighted imaging of the prostate: Comparison of readout-segmented multi-shot, parallel-transmit and single-shot echo-planar imaging.

Purpose: This study evaluates objective and subjective image quality (IQ) of three different diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequences in prostate MRI at 3.0 Tesla within the same patients.

Method: Thirty-six consecutive patients (70 ± 8 years) with multi-parametric prostate MRI (mp-MRI; 3 T) and subsequently verified prostate cancer (PCa) by targeted plus systematic MR/US-fusion biopsy from 03/2016 to 12/2017 were included.

Dose-optimised chest computed tomography for diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Evaluation of image quality and diagnostic impact.

Objectives: The detection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has varying sensitivity. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest can verify infection in patients with clinical symptoms and a negative test result, accelerating treatment and actions to prevent further contagion. However, CT employs ionising radiation.

Diagnostic value and forensic relevance of a novel photorealistic 3D reconstruction technique in post-mortem CT.

Objectives: Evaluation of performance and forensic relevance of a novel, photorealistic, 3D reconstruction method (cinematic rendering, (CR)) in comparison with conventional post-mortem CT (PMCT) and volume rendering (VR) technique for visualization of traumatic injuries.

Methods: 112 pathologies (fractures, soft tissue injuries and foreign bodies) from 33 human cadavers undergoing whole body PMCT after traumatic death were retrospectively analyzed. Pathologies were reconstructed with CR and VR techniques.

Impact of different iterative metal artifact reduction (iMAR) algorithms on PET/CT attenuation correction after port implementation.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of various interactive metal artifact reduction (iMAR) algorithms on attenuation correction in the vicinity of port chambers in PET/CT.

Material And Methods: In this prospective study, 30 oncological patients (12 female, 18 male, mean age 59.6 ± 10.

Impact of different metal artifact reduction techniques on attenuation correction in 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of different metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithms on Hounsfield unit (HU) and standardized uptake values (SUV) in a phantom setting and verify these results in patients with metallic implants undergoing oncological PET/CT examinations.

Methods And Materials: In this prospective study, PET-CT examinations of 28 oncological patients (14 female, 14 male, mean age 69.5 ± 15.

Development of size-specific institutional diagnostic reference levels for computed tomography protocols in neck imaging.

Purpose: To develop size-specific institutional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for computed tomography (CT) protocols used in neck CT imaging (cervical spine CT, cervical CT angiography (CTA) and cervical staging CT) and to compare institutional to national DRLs.

Materials And Methods: Cervical CT examinations (spine, n = 609; CTA, n = 505 and staging CT, n = 184) performed between 01/2016 and 06/2017 were included in this retrospective study. For each region and examination, the volumetric CT dose index (CTDI) and dose-length product (DLP) were determined and binned into size bins according to patient water-equivalent diameter (d).

Performance and clinical impact of machine learning based lung nodule detection using vessel suppression in melanoma patients.

Purpose: To evaluate performance and the clinical impact of a novel machine learning based vessel-suppressing computer-aided detection (CAD) software in chest computed tomography (CT) of patients with malignant melanoma.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively included consecutive malignant melanoma patients with a chest CT between 01/2015 and 01/2016. Machine learning based CAD software was used to reconstruct additional vessel-suppressed axial images.

Age-related apparent diffusion coefficients of lumbar vertebrae in healthy children at 1.5 T.

Background: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) calculation is important for detecting bone marrow pathologies.

Objective: To investigate age-related differences of lumbar vertebral body ADC to establish normal values for healthy children.

Materials And Methods: Forty-nine healthy children without any history of oncological or hematological diseases (10.

Tailoring CT Dose to Patient Size: Implementation of the Updated 2017 ACR Size-specific Diagnostic Reference Levels.

Rationale And Objectives: To use an automatic computed tomography (CT) dose monitoring system to analyze the institutional chest and abdominopelvic CT dose data as regards the updated 2017 American College of Radiology (ACR) diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on water-equivalent diameter (Dw) and size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) to detect patient-size subgroups in which CT dose can be optimized.

Materials And Methods: All chest CT examinations performed between July 2016 and April 2017 with and without contrast material, CT of the pulmonary arteries, and abdominopelvic CT with and without contrast material were included in this retrospective study. Dw and SSDE were automatically calculated for all scans using a previously validated in-house developed Matlab software and stored into our CT dose monitoring system.

Quality assurance in CT: implementation of the updated national diagnostic reference levels using an automated CT dose monitoring system.

Aim: To evaluate the implementation of the updated computed tomography (CT) diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection into clinical routine using an automatic CT dose monitoring system.

Methods And Materials: CT radiation exposure was analysed before and after implementing the updated national DRLs into routine clinical work in 2016. After the implementation process, institutional CT protocols were mapped to the anatomical regions for which DRLs were provided.