Histological findings in resected leiomyomas following MR-HIFU treatment, single-institution data from seven patients with unfavorable focal therapy.

Purpose: Magnetic resonance - high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is a noninvasive treatment option for symptomatic uterine leiomyomas. Currently, pretreatment MRI is used to assess tissue characteristics and predict the most likely therapeutic response for individual patients. However, these predictions still entail significant uncertainties.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Incidence and Remission and Their Predictors During 7 Years of Follow-up Among Finns.

Context: The incidence and remission of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are sparsely studied outside Asia.

Objective: This prospective study aimed to investigate NAFLD incidence and remission, and their predictors among a general Finnish population.

Methods: The applied cohort included 1260 repeatedly studied middle-aged participants with data on liver ultrasound and no excessive alcohol intake.

Magnetic resonance guided high intensity focused ultrasound for uterine fibroids and adenomyosis has no effect on ovarian reserve.

Introduction: Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors in healthy women. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a modern, noninvasive thermal ablation method for treating uterine fibroids. There is increasing evidence that ultrasound guided HIFU (US-HIFU) has no adverse impact on ovarian reserve but little data exists on magnetic resonance guided HIFU (MR-HIFU).

Feasibility of T2 relaxation time in predicting the technical outcome of MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of uterine fibroids.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of T2 relaxation time in predicting the immediate technical outcome i.e., nonperfused volume ratio (NPVr) of magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids and to compare it with existing T2-weighted imaging methods (Funaki classification and scaled signal intensity, SSI).

Feasibility of apparent diffusion coefficient in predicting the technical outcome of MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of uterine fibroids - a comparison with the Funaki classification.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) classification in predicting the technical outcome of magnetic resonance imaging-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids and to compare it to the Funaki classification.

Materials And Methods: Forty-two patients with forty-eight uterine fibroids underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) before MRgHIFU treatment. The DW images were acquired with five different b-values.

Oxytocin selectively reduces blood flow in uterine fibroids without an effect on myometrial blood flow: a dynamic contrast enhanced MRI evaluation.

Introduction: Uterine fibroids are the most common benign neoplasms in women. The administration of intravenous oxytocin is known to increase the efficacy of a non-invasive thermal ablation method (MR-HIFU) for treating fibroids. However, it is not known whether this phenomenon is caused by the effect of the oxytocin on the myometrium or the fibroid itself.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy in the Uterine Fibroid: A Clinical Case Study of Poor Heating Efficacy.

A clinical case study of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment in the uterine fibroid was conducted. During the therapy, poor heating efficacy was observed which could be attributed to several factors such as the local perfusion rate, patient-specific anatomy or changes in acoustic parameters of the ultrasound field. In order to determine the cause of the diminished heating, perfusion analyses and ultrasound simulations were conducted using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the treatment.

Clinical evaluation of in silico planning and real-time simulation of hepatic radiofrequency ablation (ClinicIMPPACT Trial).

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and clinical integrability of a comprehensive simulation tool to plan and predict radiofrequency ablation (RFA) zones in liver tumors.

Methods: Forty-five patients with 51 malignant hepatic lesions of different origins were included in a prospective multicenter trial. Prior to CT-guided RFA, all patients underwent multiphase CT which included acquisitions for the assessment of liver perfusion.

Comprehensive feature selection for classifying the treatment outcome of high-intensity ultrasound therapy in uterine fibroids.

The study aim was to utilise multiple feature selection methods in order to select the most important parameters from clinical patient data for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment outcome classification in uterine fibroids. The study was retrospective using patient data from 66 HIFU treatments with 89 uterine fibroids. A total of 39 features were extracted from the patient data and 14 different filter-based feature selection methods were used to select the most informative features.

Wedged gel pad for bowel manipulation during MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy to treat uterine fibroids: a case report.

Background: Magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) therapy is not feasible in all patients with uterine fibroids because of limiting anatomical factors such as scar tissue, bowel loops or other obstacles in the sonication path. These may prevent the treatment or limit the treatment window, and therefore, also the volume where HIFU therapy can be delivered. Bowel loops present a particular problem because of bowel gas bubbles and hard particles which may cause reflection or absorption of ultrasound energy, potentially leading to thermal damage and even bowel perforation.

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in tumor therapy.

HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) is a method in which high-frequency ultrasound is focused on a tissue in order to achieve a thermal effect and the subsequent percutaneously ablation, or tissue modulation. HIFU is non-invasive and results in an immediate tissue destruction effect corresponding to surgery, either percutaneously or through body cavities. HIFU can be utilized in the treatment of both benign and malignant tumors.

Prognostic value of tumour blood flow, [¹⁸F]EF5 and [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT imaging in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: In order to improve the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, precise information on the treated tumour's biology is required and the prognostic importance of different biological parameters needs to be determined. The aim of our study was to determine the predictive value of pretreatment PET/CT imaging using [(18)F]FDG, a new hypoxia tracer [(18)F]EF5 and the perfusion tracer [(15)O]H₂O in patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck treated with radiochemotherapy.

Methods: The study group comprised 22 patients with confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who underwent a PET/CT scan using the above tracers before any treatment.

Noninvasive parametric blood flow imaging of head and neck tumours using [15O]H2O and PET/CT.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a simple noninvasive method for measuring blood flow using [15O]H2O PET/CT for the head and neck area applicable in daily clinical practice.

Patients And Methods: Fifteen dynamic [15O]H2O PET emission scans with simultaneous online radioactivity measurements of radial arterial blood [Blood-input functions (IFs)] were performed. Two noninvasively obtained population-based input functions were calculated by averaging all Blood-IF curves corrected for patients' body mass and injected dose [standardized uptake value (SUV)-IF] and for body surface area (BSA-IF) and injected dose.

Tracer level electrophilic synthesis and pharmacokinetics of the hypoxia tracer [(18)F]EF5.

Purpose: 2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)-N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)-acetamide labeled with [(18)F]-fluorine ([(18)F]EF5), a promising tracer for tumor hypoxia, has previously been synthesized in low yields and low specific radioactivity. In pharmacokinetic evaluations, in the presence of non-radioactive EF5, a uniform and low background uptake and high in vivo stability of [(18)F]EF5 have been demonstrated. Our purpose was to increase the specific radioactivity of [(18)F]EF5 to enable to study the pharmacokinetics at trace level.

Decreased blood flow with increased metabolic activity: a novel sign of pancreatic tumor aggressiveness.

Purpose: To study blood flow (BF) and metabolism in normal pancreas and in different pancreatic lesions. We then determined the effect of these biomarkers on outcome in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Experimental Design: Oxygen-15-labeled water and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans were used in 26 patients with a suspicion of pancreatic cancer to measure pancreatic BF and metabolism.

A prospective diagnostic accuracy study of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, multidetector row computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging in primary diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer.

Objective: To prospectively compare the accuracy of combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography using F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET/CT), multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of patients with suspected pancreatic malignancy.

Summary Background Data: FDG-PET/CT imaging is increasingly used for staging of pancreatic cancer. Preliminary data suggest a significant influence of FDG-PET/CT on treatment planning, although its role is still evolving.

Comparison of 2D and 3D performance for FDG PET with different acquisition times in oncological patients.

Objective: Collecting positron emission tomography data in three-dimensional (3D) mode may potentially allow reduction of the tracer dose and/or the acquisition time without compromising image quality thereby making the procedure more patient-friendly and cost effective. The objective of our study was to compare VUE Point iterative reconstruction algorithm in positron emission tomography data obtained in 3D and two-dimensional (2D) mode in routine clinical diagnostic setting in oncological patients.

Methods: Standard whole-body imaging (33 patients) was followed by rescanning of the target region in 2D and 3D mode.

18F-EF5: a new PET tracer for imaging hypoxia in head and neck cancer.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to evaluate 2-(2-nitro-(1)H-imidazol-1-yl)-N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)-acetamide (EF5) labeled with (18)F-fluorine to image hypoxia in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC).

Methods: Fifteen patients with HNSCC were studied. Measurement of tumor blood flow was followed by an (18)F-EF5 PET/CT scan.