Improved Survival after Transarterial Radioembolisation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Gives the Procedure Added Value.

Background: Transarterial Radioembolisation (TARE) requires multidisciplinary experience and skill to be effective. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), focusing on learning curves, technical advancements, patient selection and subsequent therapies.

Methods: From 2005 to 2020, 253 patients were treated.

[68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC Uptake at Pancreatic Head/Uncinate Process: Is It a Persistent Diagnostic Pitfall Over Time?

Purpose: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-peptide uptake in the pancreatic head/uncinate process (UP) is a frequent PET/CT finding. Although mostly physiologic, it can represent a pitfall in PET/CT reading, especially when focal. An increased frequency of UP uptake has been reported in patients (pts) affected by diabetes mellitus (DM).

A novel tool for motion-related dose inaccuracies reduction in Tc-MAA SPECT/CT images for SIRT planning.

Introduction: In Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), Y is administered to primary/secondary hepatic lesions. An accurate pre-treatment planning using Tc-MAA SPECT/CT allows the assessment of its feasibility and of the activity to be injected. Unfortunately, SPECT/CT suffers from patient-specific respiratory motion which causes artifacts and absorbed dose inaccuracies.

Impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT on Clinical Management of Suspected Radio-Iodine Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer (RAI-R-DTC).

Background: As reported in the literature, [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]-FDG PET/CT) provides useful qualitative and semi-quantitative data for the prognosis of advanced differentiated thyroid cancer. Instead, there is a lack of data about the real clinical impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT on the choice of the more effective therapeutic approach for advanced differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) that starts to lose iodine avidity. The primary aim of this retrospective study was to assess how 18F-FDG PET/CT can guide the choice of the best therapeutic approach to RAI-refractory DTC (RAI-R-DTC) in patients with a doubtful iodine uptake/negative 18F-FDG PET/CT I whole-body scan after several radioactive iodine therapies (RAIT).

Usefulness of PET/CT with F-FDG in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma after Radioiodine Therapy: An Italian Multicenter Study.

Background: our aim was to assess the diagnostic performance and clinical impact of F-FDG PET/CT in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), previously treated with surgery and radioiodine therapy (RAI).

Methods: patients subjected to F-FDG PET/CT for suspected DTC recurrence in three Italian nuclear medicine units were evaluated. Two different clinical settings were identified: clinical setting 1 included patients (n = 40) that were enrolled according to the American Thyroid Association guidelines (i.

Methodological framework for radiomics applications in Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background: According to published data, radiomics features differ between lesions of refractory/relapsing HL patients from those of long-term responders. However, several methodological aspects have not been elucidated yet.

Purpose: The study aimed at setting up a methodological framework in radiomics applications in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), especially at (a) developing a novel feature selection approach, (b) evaluating radiomic intra-patient lesions' similarity, and (c) classifying relapsing refractory (R/R) vs non-(R/R) patients.

Practice and prospects for PET/CT guided interventions.

During the past 10 years, performing real-time molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) in combination with computed tomography (CT) during interventional procedures has undergone rapid development. Keeping in mind the interest of the nuclear medicine readers, an update is provided of the current workflows using real-time PET/CT in percutaneous biopsies and tumor ablations. The clinical utility of PET/CT guided biopsies in cancer patients with lung, liver, lymphoma, and bone tumors are reviewed.

The role of hepatobiliary scintigraphy combined with spect/ct in predicting severity of liver failure before major hepatectomy: a single-center pilot study.

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) has been demonstrated to predict post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). However, existing cutoff values for future liver remnant function (FLR-F) were previously set according to the "50-50 criteria" PHLF definition. Methods of calculation and fields of application in liver surgery have changed in the meantime.

Diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography-driven biopsy for the diagnosis of lymphoma.

Introduction: Biopsy of affected tissue is required for lymphoma diagnosis and to plan treatment. Open incisional biopsy is traditionally the method of choice. Nevertheless, it requires hospitalization, availability of an operating room, and sometimes general anesthesia, and it is associated with several drawbacks.

68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT Detects Multifocal Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT confirmed somatostatin receptor (SR) expression in hypervascularized liver lesions suggestive of neuroendocrine tumor that was later diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Being highly vascularized on CT, HCC lesions may mimic neuroendocrine tumors. Although HCC is not included among current indications for SR-PET/CT imaging, it may represent a pitfall in image interpretation when studying neuroendocrine tumor patients.

MORPHOFUNCTIONAL EVALUATION IN DOME-SHAPED MACULA: A MICROPERIMETRY AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY STUDY.

Purpose: To investigate retinal sensitivity (Se) in dome-shaped macula (DSM) using microperimetry and to correlate functional findings to specific spectral domain optical coherence tomography features.

Methods: Patients affected by DSM in at least 1 eye were consecutively enrolled in a prospective, cross-sectional study. All studied eyes performed best-corrected visual acuity measurement, microperimetry to assess Se and optical coherence tomography to investigate DSM pattern and to measure bulge height and retinal and choroidal thicknesses.

Comparison of CT and PET/CT for biopsy guidance in oncological patients.

Purpose: To compare FDG PET/CT and CT for the guidance of percutaneous biopsies with histological confirmation of lesions.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 323 patients of whom 181 underwent FDG PET/CT-guided biopsy (total 188 biopsies) and 142 underwent CT-guided biopsy (total 146 biopsies). Biopsies were performed using the same PET/CT scanner with a fluoroscopic imaging system.

Multimodal Imaging of Vitreoretinal Lymphoma.

Purpose: To assess the characteristics and prevalence of fundus abnormalities in vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) using multimodal imaging.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed chart and imaging studies of patients diagnosed with VRL.

Results: All 10 VRL patients (14 eyes) included in the study showed vitreitis, hyperreflective lesions on near-infrared reflectance imaging, and hypoautofluorescent lesions on fundus autofluorescence.

The Possible Role of PET Imaging Toward Individualized Management of Bone and Soft Tissue Malignancies.

This article presents fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography for the evaluation of soft tissue sarcomas. Its clinical impact is discussed analyzing all the clinical information provided when applied in different phases of the disease. A special paragraph is dedicated to the use of functional imaging for driving the biopsy.

Does the etiology of cardiac amyloidosis determine the myocardial uptake of [18F]-NaF PET/CT?

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) leads to variable degrees of myocardial infiltration with a final echocardiographic phenotype of "hypertrophy." Although many non-invasive imaging techniques (MRI, CT, scintigraphy, PET) are useful, the definitive diagnosis is still based on myocardial histology. We explored the possible role of [18F]-NaF PET/CT in the diagnosis of this disease in two cases with wild-type (ATTRwt) or mutant (ATTRm) Ile68Leu transthyretin (TTR)-related CA.

Successful treatment with personalized dosage of imatinib in elderly patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Imatinib is the standard first-line therapy for metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors. It has markedly improved the prognosis and outcome of patients affected by gastrointestinal stromal tumors, especially in the case of exon 11 KIT mutations. Imatinib-associated adverse events are generally mild to moderate; however, in clinical practice, intolerance caused by chronic toxicities frequently leads to breaks in treatment.

Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/Computed Tomography-Guided Biopsy.

PET/computed tomography (CT) combines the anatomic information from CT with PET metabolic characterization. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET is helpful to differentiate malignant lesions from benign ones, that usually show lower or no uptake. However, active inflammation or infectious disease might also present FDG uptake.

Choroidal volume variations during childhood.

Purpose: We analyzed choroidal volume (CV) variations during childhood using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography, and evaluated its association with age, axial length (AXL), sex, weight, and height.

Methods: Imaging studies of the right eyes of 52 healthy children were reviewed and included in this study. Subjects underwent a complete ocular examination and AXL measurement, as well as a raster macular scan using the Heidelberg Spectralis device.