Lean body weight-based contrast injection protocol in liver CT: optimization of contrast medium dose.

Objectives: To evaluate liver enhancement and image quality of abdominal CECT examinations acquired with multiple LBW-based contrast medium injection protocols.

Material & Methods: One hundred fifty patients who underwent a clinically indicated CECT examination were prospectively and randomly assigned to one of the following contrast medium injection protocol groups: A, 700 mg iodine(I)/kg of LBW; B, 650 mgI/kg of LBW; and C, 600 mgI/kg of LBW. Liver signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and magnitude of contrast enhancement (ΔHU) were calculated.

Radiomics in advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: Identifying responders to somatostatin analogs.

To evaluate a radiomic strategy for predicting progression in advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (GEP-NET) patients treated with somatostatin analogs (SSAs). Fifty-eight patients with GEP-NETs and liver metastases, with baseline computerized tomography (CT) scans from June 2013 to November 2020, were studied retrospectively. Data collected included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), tumor grading, death, and Ki67 index.

Liver Magnetic Resonance Elastography: Focus on Methodology, Technique, and Feasibility.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an imaging technique that combines low-frequency mechanical vibrations with magnetic resonance imaging to create visual maps and quantify liver parenchyma stiffness. As in recent years, diffuse liver diseases have become highly prevalent worldwide and could lead to a chronic condition with different stages of fibrosis. There is a strong necessity for a non-invasive, highly accurate, and standardised quantitative assessment to evaluate and manage patients with different stages of fibrosis from diagnosis to follow-up, as the actual reference standard for the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis is biopsy, an invasive method with possible peri-procedural complications and sampling errors.

Is CT Radiomics Superior to Morphological Evaluation for pN0 Characterization? A Pilot Study in Colon Cancer.

The aim of this study was to compare CT radiomics and morphological features when assessing benign lymph nodes (LNs) in colon cancer (CC). This retrospective study included 100 CC patients (test cohort) who underwent a preoperative CT examination and were diagnosed as pN0 after surgery. Regional LNs were scored with a morphological Likert scale (NODE-SCORE) and divided into two groups: low likelihood (LLM: 0-2 points) and high likelihood (HLM: 3-7 points) of malignancy.

Fast high-quality MRI protocol of the lumbar spine with deep learning-based algorithm: an image quality and scanning time comparison with standard protocol.

Objective: The objective of this study is to prospectively compare quantitative and subjective image quality, scanning time, and diagnostic confidence between a new deep learning-based reconstruction(DLR) algorithm and standard MRI protocol of lumbar spine.

Materials And Methods: Eighty healthy volunteers underwent 1.5T MRI examination of lumbar spine from September 2021 to May 2023.

Updates on Quantitative MRI of Diffuse Liver Disease: A Narrative Review.

Diffuse liver diseases are highly prevalent conditions around the world, including pathological liver changes that occur when hepatocytes are damaged and liver function declines, often leading to a chronic condition. In the last years, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is reaching an important role in the study of diffuse liver diseases moving from qualitative to quantitative assessment of liver parenchyma. In fact, this can allow noninvasive accurate and standardized assessment of diffuse liver diseases and can represent a concrete alternative to biopsy which represents the current reference standard.

Artificial intelligence based image quality enhancement in liver MRI: a quantitative and qualitative evaluation.

Purpose: To compare liver MRI with AIR Recon Deep Learning™(ARDL) algorithm applied and turned-off (NON-DL) with conventional high-resolution acquisition (NAÏVE) sequences, in terms of quantitative and qualitative image analysis and scanning time.

Material And Methods: This prospective study included fifty consecutive volunteers (31 female, mean age 55.5 ± 20 years) from September to November 2021.

Automated Identification of Coronary Arteries in Assisting Inexperienced Readers: Comparison between Two Commercial Vendors.

Background: to assess the performance and speed of two commercially available advanced cardiac software packages in the automated identification of coronary vessels as an aiding tool for inexperienced readers. Methods: Hundred and sixty patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) were prospectively enrolled from February until September 2021 and randomized in two groups, each one composed by 80 patients. Patients in group 1 were scanned on Revolution EVO CT Scanner (GE Healthcare), while patients in group 2 had the CCTA performed on Brilliance iCT (Philips Healthcare); each examination was evaluated on the respective vendor proprietary advanced cardiac software (software 1 and 2, respectively).