Complete Breast MRI Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Prediction of Pathologic Complete Response.

Objective: To assess the negative predictive value (NPV) of breast MRI in detecting residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in women with invasive breast cancer, overall and by tumor subtype.

Methods: An institutional review board approved retrospective study from January 2010 through December 2016 identified patients with invasive breast cancer who achieved complete MRI response to NAC, defined as the absence of residual enhancement in the tumor bed above background parenchymal enhancement. During the study period, it was our routine practice to assign a BI-RADS 1 or 2 assessment to these cases.

Improving Performance of Mammographic Breast Positioning in an Academic Radiology Practice.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to achieve sustained improvement in mammographic breast positioning in our department.

Materials And Methods: Between June 2013 and December 2016, we conducted a team-based performance improvement initiative with the goal of improving mammographic positioning. The team of technologists and radiologists established quantitative measures of positioning performance based on American College of Radiology (ACR) criteria, audited at least 35 mammograms per week for positioning quality, displayed performance in dashboards, provided technologists with positioning training, developed a supportive environment fostering technologist and radiologist communication surrounding mammographic positioning, and employed a mammography positioning coach to develop, improve, and maintain technologist positioning performance.

New MR imaging methods for metallic implants in the knee: artifact correction and clinical impact.

Purpose: To evaluate two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) and multiacquisition variable-resonance image combination (MAVRIC), for their ability to correct for artifacts in postoperative knees with metal.

Materials And Methods: A total of 25 knees were imaged in this study. Fourteen total knee replacements (TKRs) in volunteers were scanned with SEMAC, MAVRIC, and 2D fast spin-echo (FSE) to measure artifact extent and implant rotation.

Cartilage morphology at 3.0T: assessment of three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

Purpose: To compare six new three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) methods for evaluating knee cartilage at 3.0T.

Materials And Methods: We compared: fast-spin-echo cube (FSE-Cube), vastly undersampled isotropic projection reconstruction balanced steady-state free precession (VIPR-bSSFP), iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation combined with spoiled gradient echo (IDEAL-SPGR) and gradient echo (IDEAL-GRASS), multiecho in steady-state acquisition (MENSA), and coherent oscillatory state acquisition for manipulation of image contrast (COSMIC).

Recent advances in MRI of articular cartilage.

Objective: MRI is the most accurate noninvasive method available to diagnose disorders of articular cartilage. Conventional 2D and 3D approaches show changes in cartilage morphology. Faster 3D imaging methods with isotropic resolution can be reformatted into arbitrary planes for improved detection and visualization of pathology.

Multiecho IDEAL gradient-echo water-fat separation for rapid assessment of cartilage volume at 1.5 T: initial experience.

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant study. The purpose was to prospectively compare multiecho iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL) gradient-echo (GRE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with three-dimensional fat-suppressed (FS) spoiled GRE (SPGR) MR imaging to evaluate the articular cartilage of the knee. Six healthy volunteer and 10 cadaver knees were imaged at 1.