Cardiac Masses and Pseudomasses: An Overview about Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Background.

A cardiac lesion detected at ultrasonography might turn out to be a normal structure, a benign tumor or rarely a malignancy, and lesion characterization is very important to appropriately manage the lesion itself. The exact relationship of the mass with coronary arteries and the knowledge of possible concomitant coronary artery disease are necessary preoperative information. Moreover, the increasingly performed coronary CT angiography to evaluate non-invasively coronary artery disease leads to a rising number of incidental findings.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on symptoms in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders: Relationship with anxiety and perceived stress.

Background: Psychological stress and anxiety, such those generated by forced quarantine, affect gastrointestinal symptoms course in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, our aim was to assess, in a cohort of patients regularly followed up in a devoted outpatient clinic of Southern Italy, the association between their gastrointestinal symptoms changes, stress, and anxiety reported during the Italian lockdown.

Methods: We recruited patients from the outpatient clinic of the University of Salerno, devoted to functional gastrointestinal disorders, selecting only patients for whom an evaluation was available in the last 6 months before the lockdown.

US-Guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A 5-Year High-Volume Center Experience.

Purpose:  The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) of the pancreatic body by assessing the overall survival of patients and evaluating the effects of the procedure in the clinical and radiological follow-up.

Materials And Methods:  Patients with unresectable LAPC after failed chemoradiotherapy for at least six months were retrospectively included. Percutaneous RFA was performed after a preliminary ultrasound (US) feasibility evaluation.

Liver Tumor Burden in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: CT Features and Texture Analysis in the Prediction of Tumor Grade and F-FDG Uptake.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs) are a rare group of neoplasms that often present with liver metastases. Histological characteristics, metabolic behavior, and liver tumor burden (LTB) are important prognostic factors. In this study, the usefulness of texture analysis of liver metastases in evaluating the biological aggressiveness of p-NETs was assessed.

Usefulness of High Resolution T2-Weighted Images in the Evaluation and Surveillance of Vestibular Schwannomas? Is Gadolinium Needed?

Objectives: First aim of study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of high resolution T2-WI (HRT2-WI) and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted image (Gd T1-WI) sequences in quantitative evaluation of vestibular schwannomas (VS). The second one was to determine through qualitative evaluation when Gd-injection should be recommended.

Methods: Two observers in consensus retrospectively reviewed 137 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of patients with histological diagnosis of VS (33 women, 26 men), 116 with both HRT2-WI and Gd T1-WI.

Clinical use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound beyond the liver: a focus on renal, splenic, and pancreatic applications.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a relatively novel, but increasingly used, diagnostic imaging modality. In recent years, due to its safety, quickness, and repeatability, several studies have demonstrated the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of CEUS. The European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology has recently updated the previous guidelines from 2012 for the use of CEUS in non-hepatic applications.