Publications by authors named "Al-Hawary M"

Purpose: Qualitative findings in Crohn's disease (CD) can be challenging to reliably report and quantify. We evaluated machine learning methodologies to both standardize the detection of common qualitative findings of ileal CD and determine finding spatial localization on CT enterography (CTE).

Materials And Methods: Subjects with ileal CD and a CTE from a single center retrospective study between 2016 and 2021 were included.

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Over the past several years, there has been a trend of decreasing screening or diagnostic fluoroscopic examinations ordered by clinical teams, particularly double contrast gastrointestinal studies. The underlying reason is due to increasing number of endoscopic procedures performed by Gastroenterology and Urology and usage of other imaging modalities, which are either more sensitive and/or offer the ability to obtain tissue for confirmation. Many fluoroscopic studies are now tailored toward patients who have undergone gastrointestinal or genitourinary oncologic surgeries, providing both functional and anatomic information, which are important tools for patient management.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study presents a machine learning and computer vision method for automatically scoring the severity of Crohn's disease in the small intestine, aiming to improve upon current manual assessment techniques in CT imaging.
  • Two radiologists helped develop a severity score and used a hybrid model combining deep learning and Random Forest algorithms to analyze CT scans, achieving notable precision and accuracy in classifying disease severity.
  • The proposed model showed promising results, with performance metrics comparable to those of experienced radiologists, providing a standardized way to assess Crohn's disease severity in a localized and repeatable manner.
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Introduction: Assessing the cumulative degree of bowel injury in ileal Crohn's disease (CD) is difficult. We aimed to develop machine learning (ML) methodologies for automated estimation of cumulative ileal injury on computed tomography-enterography (CTE) to help predict future bowel surgery.

Methods: Adults with ileal CD using biologic therapy at a tertiary care center underwent ML analysis of CTE scans.

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  • The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines outline the management of squamous cell anal carcinoma, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach involving various medical specialties.
  • Primary treatment for anal and perianal cancers typically involves chemoradiation, and regular follow-ups are crucial for detecting any recurrence.
  • Recent updates to the guidelines have refined staging classifications and systemic therapy recommendations based on new research, improving treatment strategies for metastatic anal carcinoma.
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Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are a common incidental finding on cross-sectional imaging. Given the high signal to noise and contrast resolution, multi-parametric capability and lack of ionizing radiation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the non-invasive method of choice to predict cyst type, risk stratify the presence of neoplasia, and monitor changes during surveillance. In many patients with PCLs, the combination of MRI and the patient's history and demographics will suffice to stratify lesions and guide treatment decisions.

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  • The NCCN Guidelines for Rectal Cancer have been updated to improve the management of malignant polyps and nonmetastatic rectal cancer, emphasizing new approaches.
  • Key updates include revised algorithms for stage II and III rectal cancer that highlight the role of total neoadjuvant therapy and expanded short-course radiation recommendations.
  • The guidelines also introduce a "watch-and-wait" strategy for patients who respond fully to neoadjuvant therapy, while the complete guidelines address risk assessment, management of metastatic disease, and posttreatment care.
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Despite important innovations in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), PDAC remains a disease with poor prognosis and high mortality. A key area for potential improvement in the management of PDAC, aside from earlier detection in patients with treatable disease, is the improved ability of imaging techniques to differentiate treatment response after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) from worsening disease. It is well established that current imaging techniques cannot reliably make this distinction.

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Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the United States. A major challenge in treatment remains patients' advanced disease at diagnosis. The NCCN Guidelines for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma provides recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up for patients with pancreatic cancer.

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This selection from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Colon Cancer focuses on systemic therapy options for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), because important updates have recently been made to this section. These updates include recommendations for first-line use of checkpoint inhibitors for mCRC, that is deficient mismatch repair/microsatellite instability-high, recommendations related to the use of biosimilars, and expanded recommendations for biomarker testing. The systemic therapy recommendations now include targeted therapy options for patients with mCRC that is HER2-amplified, or BRAF V600E mutation-positive.

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as the imaging method of choice for evaluation of perianal fistulizing disease. As treatment of Crohn disease and associated perianal fistulas has evolved to include a combination of systemic treatments and surgical interventions, perianal MRI provides critical information to guide treatment selection and timing. Radiologists need to be familiar with the normal regional anatomy to accurately describe perianal fistulas and any associated complications which can then be used to classify fistulas based on several available classification systems.

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The NCCN Guidelines for Rectal Cancer provide recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of patients with rectal cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel discussion behind recent important updates to the guidelines. These updates include clarifying the definition of rectum and differentiating the rectum from the sigmoid colon; the total neoadjuvant therapy approach for localized rectal cancer; and biomarker-targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, with a focus on new treatment options for patients with BRAF V600E- or HER2 amplification-positive disease.

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Background And Aims: It is unclear whether the common practice of postoperative day (POD) 1 esophagram impacts clinical care or reliably identifies significant adverse events (AEs) related to peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). Therefore, we aimed to correlate the most clinically relevant esophagram findings with postoperative outcomes after POEM.

Methods: Patients were retrospectively reviewed and included if they underwent POEM at 1 of the 3 study institutions between 2014 and 2018.

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Purpose: To survey Society of Abdominal Radiology Crohn's Disease (CD) Disease-Focused Panel (DFP) members to understand state-of-the-art CT/MR enterography (CTE/MRE) protocols and variability between institutions.

Methods: This study was determined by an institutional review board to be "exempt" research. The survey consisted of 70 questions about CTE/MRE patient preparation, administration of contrast materials, imaging techniques, and other protocol details.

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Representatives from the Society of Abdominal Radiology Crohn's Disease-Focused Panel, the Society for Pediatric Radiology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and other international experts recently reported consensus recommendations for standardized nomenclature for the interpretation and reporting of CT enterography and MR enterography findings of small bowel Crohn disease. The consensus recommendations included CT enterography and MR enterography bowel wall findings that are associated with Crohn disease, findings that occur with penetrating Crohn disease, and changes that occur in the mesentery related to Crohn disease. Also included were recommended radiology report impression statements that summarize the findings of small bowel Crohn disease at CT enterography and MR enterography.

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Background: Objective radiographic assessment is crucial for accurately evaluating therapeutic efficacy and patient outcomes in oncology clinical trials. Imaging assessment workflow can be complex; can vary with institution; may burden medical oncologists, who are often inadequately trained in radiology and response criteria; and can lead to high interobserver variability and investigator bias. This article reviews the development of a tumor response assessment core (TRAC) at a comprehensive cancer center with the goal of providing standardized, objective, unbiased tumor imaging assessments, and highlights the web-based platform and overall workflow.

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Background: Evaluating structural damage using imaging is essential for the evaluation of small intestinal Crohn's disease (CD), but it is limited by potential interobserver variation. We compared the agreement of enterography-based bowel damage measurements collected by experienced radiologists and a semi-automated image analysis system.

Methods: Patients with small bowel CD undergoing a CT-enterography (CTE) between 2011 and 2017 in a tertiary care setting were retrospectively reviewed.

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Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract that has increased in incidence across recent years. Often diagnosed at an advanced stage, outcomes for SBA are worse on average than for other related malignancies, including colorectal cancer. Due to the rarity of this disease, few studies have been done to direct optimal treatment, although recent data have shown that SBA responds to treatment differently than colorectal cancer, necessitating a separate approach to treatment.

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Purpose: To formulate consensus recommendations for CT angiography technical parameters used to evaluate overt gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.

Methods: An electronic questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was sent to a panel of 16 radiologists with expertise on the imaging of GI bleeding from the Society of Abdominal Radiology GI Bleeding disease-focused panel to obtain consensus agreement on issues related to CTA technical parameters for imaging overt GI bleeding. A multi-round Delphi method of voting was performed to obtain consensus which was defined as ≥ 80% agreement.

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The NCCN Guidelines for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma discuss the diagnosis and management of adenocarcinomas of the exocrine pancreas and are intended to assist with clinical decision-making. These NCCN Guidelines Insights discuss important updates to the 2019 version of the guidelines, focusing on postoperative adjuvant treatment of patients with pancreatic cancers.

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Computed tomography enterography and magnetic resonance enterography are essential in the evaluation and treatment of patients with Crohn's disease. As such, examination reporting must use standardized nomenclature for effective communication. This report documents an interdisciplinary consensus of the Society of Abdominal Radiology, the Society of Pediatric Radiology, and the American Gastroenterology Association on the computed tomography enterography/magnetic resonance enterography imaging findings and imaging-based morphologic phenotypes.

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Objective: Topical tissue sealants and hemostatic agents, seen on postoperative imaging in a variety of intraabdominal and pelvic locations, have the potential to be mistaken for abdominal abnormalities, especially if the radiologist is not aware of the patient's surgical history. The normal appearance of these agents may mimic abscesses, tumors, enlarged lymph nodes, or retained foreign bodies. Therefore, it is important to be familiar with their typical imaging appearances and to review the surgical records when needed to avoid misdiagnoses.

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