Current and Advanced Applications of Gadoxetic Acid-enhanced MRI in Hepatobiliary Disorders.

Gadoxetic acid is an MRI contrast agent that has specific applications in the study of hepatobiliary disease. After being distributed in the vascular and extravascular spaces during the dynamic phase, gadoxetic acid is progressively taken up by hepatocytes and excreted to the bile ducts during the hepatobiliary phase. The information derived from the enhancement characteristics during dynamic and hepatobiliary phases is particularly relevant in the detection and characterization of focal liver lesions and in the evaluation of the structure and function of the liver and biliary system.

Plasma FABP4 levels are associated with left atrial fat volume in persistent atrial fibrillation and predict recurrence after catheter ablation.

Background: Imaging techniques have shown the association between left atrial adipose tissue (LAAT) volume and atrial fibrillation (AF) risk.

Purpose: To analyze 1) adipokines in peripheral and atrial plasma from patients undergoing AF ablation; 2) its association with LAAT volume measured by multislice CT and 3) its predictive value for AF recurrence.

Methods: Seventy consecutive patients undergoing AF catheter ablation were screened.

Unusual Case of Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Caused by Intravascular Thyroid Metastasis.

Superior cava venous obstruction use to show a typical clinical presentation and a CT scan or even an ultrasonography can be sufficient to achieve an accurate diagnosis, but in this case, to obtain the final diagnosis, a multimodal assessment is needed. This case report shows a multidisciplinary approach which helped diagnose a complicated case, where conventional diagnostic methods were not enough.

IgG4-related Disease from Head to Toe.

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a relatively recently proposed clinical-pathologic entity that is characterized by fibro-inflammatory lesions rich in IgG4-positive plasma cells and, often but not always, elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. IgG4-related disease was recognized as a systemic disease in 2003, when extrapancreatic manifestations were identified in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis. Since then, the disease has been reported as affecting virtually every organ system and has been identified in the biliary tree, salivary and lacrimal glands, periorbital tissues, lungs, lymph nodes, thyroid gland, kidneys, prostate gland, testicles, breasts, and pituitary gland.

Unusual Forms of Adrenal and Extra-Adrenal Myelolipomas.

Myelolipomas are rare benign tumors of poorly understood tumorigenesis composed of mature hematopoietic tissue and fat. They mostly occur in the adrenal glands, but extra-adrenal myelolipomas have been reported in other locations such as the presacral region or retroperitoneum. It is not unusual that they are incidental findings revealed in the study of different diseases.

Novel oncologic drugs: what they do and how they affect images.

Targeted therapies are designed to interfere with specific aberrant biologic pathways involved in tumor development. The main classes of novel oncologic drugs include antiangiogenic drugs, antivascular agents, drugs interfering with EGFR-HER2 or KIT receptors, inhibitors of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, and hormonal therapies. Cancer cells usurp normal signal transduction pathways used by growth factors to stimulate proliferation and sustain viability.

The role of functional imaging in colorectal cancer.

Objective: This article reviews the current and future contributions of functional imaging techniques to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of colorectal cancer. In addition, evolving roles and challenges for their implementation will be covered.

Conclusion: Functional imaging now has a growing role in colorectal cancer.