Percutaneous Image-Guided Cryoablation of Musculoskeletal Metastases: Pain Palliation and Local Tumor Control.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cryoablation of musculoskeletal metastases in terms of achieving pain palliation and local tumor control.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 92 musculoskeletal metastases in 56 patients treated with percutaneous image-guided cryoablation. Mean age of the cohort was 53.

Detection of Cardiac Incidental Findings on Routine Chest CT: The Impact of Dedicated Training in Cardiac Imaging.

Purpose: Routine chest CT and cardiac CT angiography (CTA) both image the heart, albeit with different precision and intent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of radiologists with different levels of cardiac training to identify cardiac findings on chest CT without electrocardiographic gating compared with a reference standard of electrocardiographically gated cardiac CTA.

Methods: Electrocardiographically gated cardiac CT angiographic studies performed between January 2005 to January 2010 in patients with routine chest CT within six months were retrospectively identified.

Imaging genomics in cancer research: limitations and promises.

Recently, radiogenomics or imaging genomics has emerged as a novel high-throughput method of associating imaging features with genomic data. Radiogenomics has the potential to provide comprehensive intratumour, intertumour and peritumour information non-invasively. This review article summarizes the current state of radiogenomic research in tumour characterization, discusses some of its limitations and promises and projects its future directions.

Safety and diagnostic value of brain biopsy in HIV patients: a case series and meta-analysis of 1209 patients.

Early brain biopsy may be indicated in HIV patients with focal brain lesion. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the safety and diagnostic value of brain biopsy in HIV patients in the pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) versus post-HAART era via meta-analysis. Appropriate studies were identified per search criteria.

Focusing on rare diseases in China: are we there yet?

The Chinese researchers have made significant progress in studying rare diseases in the recent years. From 2000 to 2014, 269 out of 1892 clinically relevant original research papers published on high impact journals by Chinese institutions, and 2678 out of 6040 clinical trials conducted by Chinese institutions and registered at ClinicalTrial.gov are focused on rare diseases.

Diagnostic Value and Safety of Brain Biopsy in Patients With Cryptogenic Neurological Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 831 Cases.

Background: The role of brain biopsy in patients with cryptogenic neurological disease is uncertain.

Objective: To determine the risks and benefits of diagnostic brain biopsy for nonneoplastic indications in immunocompetent patients.

Methods: Appropriate studies were identified by searching electronic databases.

Early resting myocardial computed tomography perfusion for the detection of acute coronary syndrome in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Acute rest single-photon emission computed tomography-myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT-MPI) has high predictive value for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in emergency department patients. Prior studies have shown excellent agreement between rest/stress computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and SPECT-MPI, but the value of resting CTP (rCTP) in acute chest pain triage remains unclear. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of early rCTP, incremental value beyond obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD; ≥50% stenosis), and compared early rCTP to late stress SPECT-MPI in patients with CAD presenting with suspicion of ACS to the emergency department.

A review of adherence to the guidelines for coronary CT angiography quantitative stenosis grading thresholds in published research.

Background: The degree of coronary stenosis of potential hemodynamic significance is central to the interpretation of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), but has been variably defined in the literature. Societal guidelines have attempted to address this issue via recommended thresholds.

Objectives: We surveyed the various thresholds for defining significant coronary stenosis reported in research published since the introduction of the Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography guidelines regarding the interpretation and reporting of CCTA.

Effect of the 2010 task force criteria on reclassification of cardiovascular magnetic resonance criteria for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Background: We sought to evaluate the effect of application of the revised 2010 Task Force Criteria (TFC) on the prevalence of major and minor Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) criteria for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) versus application of the original 1994 TFC. We also assessed the utility of MRI to identify alternative diagnoses for patients referred for ARVC evaluation.

Methods: 968 consecutive patients referred to our institution for CMR with clinical suspicion of ARVC from 1995 to 2010, were evaluated for the presence of major and minor CMR criteria per the 1994 and 2010 ARVC TFC.

Automatic extraction of comprehensive cardiac CT angiography parameters: a novel program with high accuracy and efficiency.

We tested the accuracy and efficiency of a novel automated program capable of extracting 15 cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) parameters from clinical CTA reports. Five hundred cardiac CTA reports were retrospectively collected and processed. All reports were pre-populated with a structured template per guideline.

Coronary computed tomography angiography at 140 kV versus 120 kV: assessment of image quality and radiation exposure in overweight and moderately obese patients.

Background: Although a tube potential of 140 kV is available on most computed tomography (CT) scanners, its incremental diagnostic value versus 120 kV has been controversial.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the image quality and radiation exposure of cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) performed at 140 kV in comparison to CCTA at 120 kV in overweight and moderately obese patients.

Material And Methods: Eighty-eight patients who were referred for CCTA between January 2010 and May 2012 were included.

Radiation dose reduction in pediatric cardiac computed tomography: experience from a tertiary medical center.

Cardiac CT angiography (cCTA) has become an established method for the assessment of congenital heart disease. However, the potential harmful effects of ionizing radiation must be considered, particularly in younger, more radiosensitive patients. In this study, we sought to assess the temporal change in radiation doses from pediatric cCTA during an 8-year period at a tertiary medical center.

Weekly dose reports: the effects of a continuous quality improvement initiative on coronary computed tomography angiography radiation doses at a tertiary medical center.

Rationale And Objectives: Numerous protocols have been developed to reduce cardiac computed tomography angiography (cCTA) radiation dose while maintaining image quality. However, cCTA practice is highly dependent on physician and technologist experience and education. In this study, we sought to evaluate the incremental value of real-time feedback via weekly dose reports on a busy cCTA service.