Temporal and masseter muscle evaluation by MRI provides information on muscle mass and quality in acromegaly patients.

Purpose: The impact of GH/IGF-1 levels on skeletal muscle in acromegaly is still controversial. Temporal (TMT) and masseter muscle (MMT) thickness has been recently demonstrated as a reliable measure of muscle mass. We aimed to investigate the relationship between TMT, MMT and clinical/biochemical characteristics in patients with acromegaly.

Skeletal Muscle Evaluation in Patients With Acromegaly.

Context: Patients with acromegaly are characterized by chronic exposure to high growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, known for their anabolic effect on skeletal muscle. Therefore, an increased skeletal muscle mass could be hypothesized in these individuals. Herein, we have performed a systematic revision of published evidence regarding skeletal muscle mass, quality, and performance in patients with acromegaly.

Ultrasound or MRI in the Evaluation of Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) Injuries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Ankle sprains represent the second most common cause of emergency department access for musculoskeletal injury and lateral ankle ligament complex tears account for 850,000 cases annually in the United States with a relapse rate of 70%. Clinical examination is limited due to its subjectivity and the difficulty of identifying a specific involvement of the ligament; therefore, US and MRI are frequently requested. Therefore, the goal of this study is to analyze the available literature on the use of ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose injuries to the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) with a meta-analytic approach.

External validation of unsupervised COVID-19 clinical phenotypes and their prognostic impact.

Background: Hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be classified into different clinical phenotypes based on their demographic, clinical, radiology, and laboratory features. We aimed to validate in an external cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients the prognostic value of a previously described phenotyping system (FEN-COVID-19) and to assess the reproducibility of phenotypes development as a secondary analysis.

Methods: Patients were classified in phenotypes A, B or C according to the severity of oxygenation impairment, inflammatory response, hemodynamic and laboratory tests according to the FEN-COVID-19 method.

Role of Renal Parenchyma Attenuation and Perirenal Fat Stranding in Chest CT of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Background: Chest CT on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been extensively investigated. Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been widely described among COVID patients, but the role of kidney imaging has been poorly explored. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of opportunistic kidney assessment on non-enhanced chest CT.

Myeloma Spine and Bone Damage Score (MSBDS) on Whole-Body Computed Tomography (WBCT): Multiple Reader Agreement in a Multicenter Reliability Study.

To assess the reliability of the myeloma spine and bone damage score (MSBDS) across multiple readers with different levels of expertise and from different institutions. A reliability exercise, including 104 data sets of static images and complete CT examinations of patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM), was performed. A complementary imaging atlas provided detailed examples of the MSBDS scores, including low-risk and high-risk lesions.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Ultrasound in Localized Intermediate- or High-Risk Soft Tissue Tumors of the Extremities (MUSTT): Final Results of a Prospective Comparative Trial.

Objectives: To report final results of the MUSTT trial, which has been designed to independently compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) for local recurrences of non-metastatic patients operated for malignant soft tissue tumors (STT).

Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound in soft tissue tumors (MUSTT) is a prospective monocentric study recruiting asymptomatic, non-metastatic patients operated on for localized soft tissue sarcomas between 2015 and April. Eligible patients had MRI and physician-performed ultrasound (US) with an independent interpretation of imaging.

Blockchain in radiology research and clinical practice: current trends and future directions.

Blockchain usage in healthcare, in radiology, in particular, is at its very early infancy. Only a few research applications have been tested, however, blockchain technology is widely known outside healthcare and widely adopted, especially in Finance, since 2009 at least. Learning by history, radiology is a potential ideal scenario to apply this technology.

Sarcopenia: how to measure, when and why.

Sarcopenia indicates a loss of skeletal muscle mass, a condition that leads to a decline in physical performance. In 2018, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People met to update the original definition of sarcopenia: New scientific and clinical insights were introduced to emphasize the importance of muscle strength loss as a prime indicator of probable sarcopenia. In addition, the skeletal muscle is not only the organ related to mobility, but it is recognized as a secondary secretory organ too, with endocrine functions influencing several systems and preserving health.

CT-derived relationship between low relative muscle mass and bone damage in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing stem cells transplantation.

Objective: Sarcopenia or low muscle mass is related to worse prognosis in cancer patients. We investigated whether muscle mass is related to bone damage on CT in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

Methods: Approval from the institutional review board was obtained.

Radiomics and Artificial Intelligence for Outcome Prediction in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Transplantation: A Feasibility Study with CT Data.

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by focal and non-focal bone lesions. Radiomic techniques extract morphological information from computerized tomography images and exploit them for stratification and risk prediction purposes. However, few papers so far have applied radiomics to multiple myeloma.

Subspecialty Second-Opinion in Multiple Myeloma CT: Emphasis on Clinically Significant Lytic Lesions.

: In order to increase the accuracy of lytic lesion detection in multiple myeloma, a dedicated second-opinion interpretation of medical images performed by subspecialty musculoskeletal radiologists could increase accuracy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the added value (increased accuracy) of subspecialty second-opinion (SSO) consultations for Computed Tomography (CT) examinations in Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients undergoing stem cell transplantation on standard computed tomography with a focus on focal lesion detection. : Approval from the institutional review board was obtained.

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-Part II, elbow and wrist.

Background: Although image-guided interventional procedures of the elbow and wrist are routinely performed, there is poor evidence in the literature concerning such treatments. Our aim was to perform a Delphi-based consensus on published evidence on image-guided interventional procedures around the elbow and wrist and provide clinical indications on this topic.

Methods: A board of 45 experts in image-guided interventional musculoskeletal procedures from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology were involved in this Delphi-based consensus study.

Radiomics of peripheral nerves MRI in mild carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome.

Objective: To assess the discriminative power of radiomics of peripheral nerves at 1.5T MRI, using common entrapment neuropathies of the upper limb as a model system of focal nerve injury.

Materials And Methods: Radiomics was retrospectively done on peripheral nerve fascicles on T1-weighted 1.

Differentiating diffuse from focal pattern on Computed Tomography in multiple myeloma: Added value of a Radiomics approach.

Purpose: Focal pattern in multiple myeloma (MM) seems to be related to poorer survival and differentiation from diffuse to focal pattern on computed tomography (CT) has inter-reader variability. We postulated that a Radiomic approach could help radiologists in differentiating diffuse from focal patterns on CT.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed imaging data of 70 patients with MM with CT, PET-CT or MRI available before bone marrow transplant.

Clinical indications for image guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part III, nerves of the upper limb.

Background: Image-guided interventional procedures of the nerves are commonly performed by physicians from different medical specialties, although there is a lack of clinical indications for these types of procedures. This Delphi-based consensus provided a list of indications on image-guided interventional procedures for nerves of the upper limb based on updated published evidence.

Methods: An expert panel of 45 members of the Ultrasound and Interventional Subcommittees of the ESSR participated in this Delphi-based consensus study.

Local recurrence of soft tissue sarcoma: a radiomic analysis.

Background To perform a radiomics analysis in local recurrence (LR) surveillance of limb soft tissue sarcoma (STS) Patients and methods This is a sub-study of a prospective multicenter study with Institutional Review Board approval supported by ESSR (European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology). radiomics analysis was done on fast spin echo axial T1w, T2w fat saturated and post-contrast T1w (T1wGd) 1.5T MRI images of consecutively recruited patients between March 2016 and September 2018.

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part I, shoulder.

Background: Image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder are commonly performed in clinical practice, although evidence regarding their effectiveness is scarce. We report the results of a Delphi method review of evidence on literature published on image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder with a list of clinical indications.

Methods: Forty-five experts in image-guided musculoskeletal procedures from the ESSR participated in a consensus study using the Delphic method.

Breast cancer Ki-67 expression prediction by digital breast tomosynthesis radiomics features.

Background: To investigate whether quantitative radiomic features extracted from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) are associated with Ki-67 expression of breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: This is a prospective ethically approved study of 70 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2018, including 40 low Ki-67 expression (Ki-67 proliferation index <14%) cases and 30 high Ki-67 expression (Ki-67 proliferation index ≥ 14%) cases. A set of 106 quantitative radiomic features, including morphological, grey/scale statistics, and texture features, were extracted from DBT images.

Evaluation of body Computed Tomography-determined sarcopenia in breast cancer patients and clinical outcomes: A systematic review.

Purpose: Sarcopenia has been considered a poor prognostic factor in various malignant diseases. However, the studies that evaluated the association between CT-determined sarcopenia and outcome in breast cancer patients reported different results. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review of the current literature on the evaluation of body CT-determined sarcopenia in breast cancer patients, focusing on the correlation with outcome values.

Background parenchymal enhancement assessment: Inter- and intra-rater reliability across breast MRI sequences.

Objective: To evaluate inter- and intra-rater reliability of background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) assessment across breast MRI sequences.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained and the requirement for consent was waived. Three radiologists qualitatively categorized BPE on 150 breast MRI using a four-point scale (minimal, mild, moderate or marked) according to BI-RADS category system.

Nerve Tumors: What the MSK Radiologist Should Know.

Nerve tumors are rare and heterogeneous soft tissue tumors arising from a peripheral nerve or showing nerve sheath differentiation. In a radiologic setting it is necessary to recognize soft tissue lesions that are of neural origin, their association with a peripheral nerve, and whether they are a true tumor or a so-called pseudotumor such as a neuroma, fibrolipoma, or peripheral nerve sheath ganglion. Ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging are the best modalities to characterize these lesions.

Clinical indications for musculoskeletal ultrasound updated in 2017 by European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) consensus.

Objectives: To update the 2012 European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) clinical consensus guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound referral in Europe.

Methods: Twenty-one musculoskeletal imaging experts from the ESSR participated in a consensus study based on a Delphic process. Two independent (non-voting) authors facilitated the procedure and resolved doubtful issues.

Clinical Contribution of Wrist and Hand Sonography: Pilot Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical contribution of wrist and hand sonography.

Methods: This study was performed in a tertiary academic medical center. Institutional review board approval was obtained.