Radiologists' recommendations for additional imaging (RAI) in the inpatient setting.

Objective: The aim of our study was to measure the rate of radiologists' additional recommended imaging examinations (RAI) at a hospital-based inpatient setting and to estimate the influence on RAI of clinical variables.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board. Inpatients CT and US examinations interpreted by fifteen radiologists between October and December 2016 were studied.

Expression of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with acute Charcot neuroarthropathy.

The receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB (RANK), ligand (RANK-L) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are implicated in the pathogenesis of acute Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN). This study aimed to investigate the expression of RANK-L and OPG in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with acute CN. We found that the expression of RANK-L was lower in patients with acute CN as compared with diabetic control subjects and healthy control participants; whereas OPG expression was not detected in patients and in both control groups.

Inappropriateness of diagnostic imaging examinations in the inpatient setting: a case study research.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to audit the clinical appropriateness of the prescriptions of whole body CT (WB-CT), PET-CT and chest X-rays (CXRs) performed at Tor Vergata University Hospital in the inpatient setting.

Materials And Methods: WB-CT, PET-CT and CXRs examinations were retrospectively analysed in the period between January and December 2014. CXR examinations were divided into bedside CXRs and traditional CXRs.

Synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis modulates monocyte cell-surface phenotype.

Objectives: To investigate the ability of synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) to modulate cell-surface phenotype, function and viability of monocytes.

Methods: Monocytes from healthy donors were incubated with synovial fluid from patients with RA or OA. These were then cultured with autologous healthy CD4+ T-cells.

Real-time ultrasound elastography for assessment of response to brentuximab vedotin treatment in relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

Objective: To evaluate the application of ultrasound elastography (ES) in monitoring treatment response to brentuximab vedotin (Seattle Genetics, Seattle, WA, USA).

Patients And Methods: Patients were selected when suffering from relapsed and refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). Our research investigated if the interim of ultrasound ES is a predictive value for treatment outcome in patients treated with brentuximab vedotin.

Pre-treatment staging of multiple myeloma patients: comparison of whole-body diffusion weighted imaging with whole-body T1-weighted contrast-enhanced imaging.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells. Accurate staging is of pivotal importance in the management of MM. Advanced imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are increasingly used for the initial diagnosis and staging of MM.

Comparative evaluation of percutaneous laser and radiofrequency ablation in patients with HCC smaller than 4 cm.

Objective: This study was done to compare percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) and radiofrequency thermoablation (RFA) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤ 4 cm, in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients with single HCC ≤ 4 cm in diameter were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 15 patients were treated with PLA, using a multifibre system connected to a neodymium yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser source; 15 patients were treated with RFA, using an expandable needle electrode. Patients were followed up for up to 12 months.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the evaluation of patients with acute Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy.

Objective: To evaluate whether bone marrow proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) might provide a quantitative parameter able to assess disease activity in acute Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy (CN).

Methods: Ten diabetic patients with stage 0 CN were prospectively evaluated at clinical onset and during treatment follow-up. The MRS lipid spectrum was analysed and a lipid polyunsaturation index (PUI) was calculated.

3-T Diffusion tensor imaging of the optic nerve in subjects with glaucoma: correlation with GDx-VCC, HRT-III and Stratus optical coherence tomography findings.

Objectives: To correlate diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) of the optic nerve with morphological indices obtained by scanning laser polarimetry (GDx-VCC); confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg III retinal tomograph; HRT-III) and optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT).

Methods: Thirty-six subjects (12 with no eye disease and 24 with perimetrically diagnosed glaucoma) were examined. One eye for each participant was studied with 3-Tesla DTI (with automatic generation of mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values); GDx-VCC, HRT-III and OCT.

Differences between proximal versus distal intraorbital optic nerve diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging properties in glaucoma patients.

Purpose: To analyze in vivo the diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) properties of the intraorbital optic nerve at two different levels: Proximal to the optic nerve head (ONH) and distal to the ONH at the level of the orbital apex in glaucoma patients.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were examined. The categorization into early and severe glaucoma was performed by Hodapp's classification.

The role of second-look ultrasound of BIRADS-3 mammary lesions detected by breast MR imaging.

Objective: To asses the value of second-look ultrasound (US) for identifying BIRADS 3 (Breast Imaging Reporting Data System) mammary lesions detected by breast Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: From April 2008 to May 2009 330 breast MRI were performed of which 60 patients are classified as BIRADS 3. 84 lesions underwent second-look US and percutaneous vacuum biopsy Vacora system US-guided.

Liver elasticity in NASH patients evaluated with real-time elastography (RTE).

Liver elasticity as assessed by real-time elastography (RTE) has been shown to be correlated to liver fibrosis in various chronic liver diseases. The aim of our study was to assess the RTE performance in the evaluation of liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as well as the histopathologic variables determining the eventual discordance between the RTE-predicted and the biopsy-proven fibrosis. Fifty-two consecutive biopsy proven NASH patients and 20 controls were studied.

Role of [18F]-FDG-PET/MDCT in evaluating early response in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Purpose: The authors evaluated the prognostic role of 18-fluoro-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/multidetector computed tomography ([(18)F]-FDG PET/MDCT) in treating patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 132 patients with HL studied with PET/MDCT before the start of chemotherapy (CTX) for staging purposes and again after two CTX cycles with [doxorubicin (Adriblastin), bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD_] (interim PET/MDCT), at least 30 days after the end of the last CTX cycle and/or 3 months after the end of radiotherapy, if delivered (final PET-MDCT).

Results: Interim PET-MDCT was negative in 104/132 patients (79%), and their final PET-MDCT showed complete remission in 102/104 (98%) of cases, with disease recurrence/persistence in two (2%).

Liver contrast enhanced ultrasound perfusion imaging in the evaluation of chronic hepatitis C fibrosis: preliminary results.

We wanted to determine whether liver contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-derived peak signal intensity (PSI) and peak signal intensity/time (PIT) predict liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Forty-nine patients with CHC (METAVIR classification) and 10 control subjects were included in the study. After a bolus of 2.

Portal vein thrombosis after radiofrequency ablation of HCC.

The authors describe an unusual complication after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An 84-year old man, already operated of right hepatectomy for HCC, underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of a new focal hepatic lesion in IV segment, under ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) guidance. The procedure was carried out without any special difficulties or complications.

Accuracy of early and delayed FDG PET-CT and of contrast-enhanced CT in the evaluation of lung nodules: a preliminary study on 30 patients.

Purpose: The aim of our prospective study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of early, delayed and dual-time-point positron emission tomography (PET) acquisition with contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) within a PET-CT examination in the evaluation of pulmonary solitary nodules (SPNs).

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients were enrolled in the study. All the patients underwent a dual-time-point PET-CT examination.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of two vacuum-assisted breast biopsy systems: Mammotome and Vacora.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to compare the cost effectiveness of two vacuum-assisted breast biopsy devices, the Mammotome and Vacora systems.

Materials And Methods: Between January and June 2006, 238 vacuum-assisted breast biopsies were performed at our radiology department. Five out of 238 lesions were excluded because of inadequate sampling.

Optic nerve and optic radiation neurodegeneration in patients with glaucoma: in vivo analysis with 3-T diffusion-tensor MR imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate, with high-field-strength diffusion-tensor (DT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the axonal architecture of the optic nerves and optic radiations in patients with glaucoma and determine whether DT MR imaging-derived parameters correlate with disease severity.

Materials And Methods: The study was approved by the institutional review board. All participants provided written informed consent.

Small breast cancers: in vivo percutaneous US-guided radiofrequency ablation with dedicated cool-tip radiofrequency system.

Purpose: To evaluate in vivo the efficacy of a newly developed breast radiofrequency (RF) ablation system in human small invasive breast carcinomas in terms of induction of complete tumor necrosis, reproducibility of ablation lesion size and shape, and cosmetic outcome.

Materials And Methods: This study had institutional review board approval, and written informed consent was obtained. Thirty-four postmenopausal women (mean age, 53 years +/- 5 [standard deviation]; range, 49-62 years) with small (< or = 2 cm) biopsy-proved invasive ductal breast carcinomas were enrolled.

MR imaging-guided 10-gauge vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: histological characterisation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate a handheld vacuum-assisted device for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided breast biopsy.

Materials And Methods: In 47 patients, a total of 47 suspicious breast lesions (mean maximum diameter 9 mm) seen with MRI (no suspicious changes on breast ultrasound or mammography) were sampled using a 10-gauge vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VAB) device under MRI guidance. Histology of biopsy specimens was compared with final histology after surgery or with follow-up in benign lesions.

MR breast imaging: a comparative analysis of conventional and parallel imaging acquisition.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare conventional breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with breast MRI acquired with the sensitivity-encoding (SENSE) technique on a 1.5-T MRI scanner in the same patient, on the basis of image quality and kinetics analysis.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-one patients with suspicious mammography and US findings were included in the study.

Evaluation of the severity of chronic hepatitis C with 3-T1H-MR spectroscopy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the spectral characteristics of lipids, choline-containing compounds, and glutamine-glutamate complex assessed with (1)H-MR spectroscopy with the histologic findings in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Subjects And Methods: Nine healthy controls and 30 patients with biopsy-proven hepatitis C virus-related liver disease participated in this prospective study. Degree of fibrosis and histologic activity were scored according to the METAVIR classification.