Image Quality Assessment of 2D 3D T2WI and Evaluation of Ultra-high b-Value (b=2,000 mm/s) DWI for Response Assessment in Rectal Cancer.

Aim: The purpose of this IRB-approved, retrospective study was to compare image quality between 2D and high-resolution 3D, T2-weighted (T2WI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences and to investigate the additional value of ultra-high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI; b=2,000 mm/s) for both rectal cancer staging and evaluating treatment response.

Materials And Methods: From 12 February to 24 August 2016, 26 consecutive patients (22 males, four females; mean age: 61.9±14.

Performance of a Robotic Assistance Device in Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures.

Purpose: To evaluate a commercially available robotic assistance device for computed tomography-guided diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, compared to regular, manually performed CT scan-guided interventions in terms of precision, exposure to radiation to the patient and intervention time.

Materials And Methods: Over a period of 6 months, 55 consecutive patients were recruited and treated using robotic assistance and compared to a control group of 101 patients previously treated with a regular CT scan-guided, manual approach. Evaluated parameters were precision (deviation from planned target and number of needle replacements), radiation exposure to the patient and intervention time.

Parenchymal Liver Blood Volume and Dynamic Volume Perfusion CT Measurements of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization.

Aim: Prospective comparison of cone beam C-Arm CT based parenchymal liver blood volume (PLBV) and dynamic volume perfusion CT (dVPCT) measurements in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB).

Patients And Methods: In 16 patients, changes of PLBV and dVPCT measurements [arterial liver parenchyma (ALP); temporal maximum intensity projection (MIP); hepatic perfusion index (HPI); portal venous parenchyma] were correlated to one another and to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST).

Results: After TACE, the following parameters showed a statistically significant change (p<0.

Incremental benefit of late gadolinium cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for risk stratification in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has a low risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). The ESC clinical risk prediction model estimates the risk of SCD using clinical and echocardiographical parameters without taking into account cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters. Therefore, we compared the CMR characteristics of 149 patients with low, intermediate and high ESC risk scores.

Irreversible Electroporation for Surgical Renal Masses in Solitary Kidneys: Short-Term Interventional and Functional Outcome.

Purpose: To examine short-term outcomes and complications in patients with a solitary kidney treated with irreversible electroporation (IRE) for a potentially malignant renal mass.

Materials And Methods: Five patients (2 female, 3 male; mean age, 66 y) with 7 lesions who underwent IRE for renal tumors in a solitary kidney between August 2014 and August 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Changes in signal intensity (SI) of the treated lesion were evaluated on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.