Prognostic Role of Multiparametric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Neo Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia.

Background: We prospectively evaluated the predictive value of multiparametric cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for cardiovascular complications in non-transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (β-NTDT) patients who started regular transfusions in late childhood/adulthood (neo β-TDT).

Methods: We considered 180 patients (38.25 ± 11.

Prevention of post-contrast kidney injury in patients with cancer.

Post-contrast acute kidney injury is defined as a nephropathy with an increase in serum creatinine of >0.3 mg/dL (or >26.5 μmol/L) or >1.

Self-Expandable Prosthesis Valve Adaptation: Non-Uniform Expansion and Stent Frame Decoupling.

The incidence of non-uniform expansion in the context of the self-expandable transcatheter heart valve (THV) is little investigated, along with stent-frame decoupling, which is a form of stent adaptation, in which the lower part of the THV stent conforms to both the ellipticity of the left ventricle outflow tract and the native annulus while maintaining the higher part of the valve more circular. We analyzed post-implant multi-detector computed tomography scans in 50 patients. Prosthesis non-uniform expansion was assessed by computing the prosthesis eccentricity on 6 prespecified levels: (1) frame inflow, (2) native annulus, (3) leaflet inflow, (4) prosthesis waist, (5) leaflet outflow, and (6) frame outflow.

Epicardial and thoracic subcutaneous fat texture analysis in patients undergoing cardiac CT.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of texture analysis of epicardial fat (EF) and thoracic subcutaneous fat (TSF) in patients undergoing cardiac CT (CCT).

Materials And Methods: We compared a consecutive population of 30 patients with BMI ≤25 kg/m (Group A, 60.6 ± 13.

Pancreatic fatty replacement as risk marker for altered glucose metabolism and cardiac iron and complications in thalassemia major.

Objectives: This multicenter study assessed the extent of pancreatic fatty replacement and its correlation with demographics, iron overload, glucose metabolism, and cardiac complications in a cohort of well-treated patients with thalassemia major (TM).

Methods: We considered 308 TM patients (median age: 39.79 years; 182 females) consecutively enrolled in the Extension-Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia Network.

A multicenter evaluation of a deep learning software (LungQuant) for lung parenchyma characterization in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: The role of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and characterization of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has been widely recognized. We evaluated the performance of a software for quantitative analysis of chest CT, the LungQuant system, by comparing its results with independent visual evaluations by a group of 14 clinical experts. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ability of the automated tool to extract quantitative information from lung CT, relevant for the design of a diagnosis support model.

Acute appendicitis and situs viscerum inversus: radiological and surgical approach-a systematic review.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is one of the most frequent intra-abdominal diseases requiring emergency surgical consult and treatment. The diagnosis of this condition is based on clinical features and radiologic findings. One-third of patients with acute appendicitis present unusual symptoms.

Aortic valve and vascular calcium score in pre-TAVI CT: correlation with early post-procedural complications.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of early complications after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and their correlation with the Calcium Score (CS) of the aortic valve, aorta and ilio-femoral arteries derived from pre-procedural computed tomography (CT).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 226 patients (100 males, mean age 79.4 ± 6.

Left ventricular global function index is associated with myocardial iron overload and heart failure in thalassemia major patients.

Purpose: The left ventricular global function index (LVGFI) is a comprehensive marker of cardiac performance, integrating LV morphology with global function. We explored the cross-sectional association of LVGFI with myocardial iron overload (MIO), LV ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial fibrosis, and heart failure (HF) in β-thalassemia major (TM) patients.

Methods: We considered 1352 adult TM patients (708 females, 32.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance with Delayed Enhancement of the Right Ventricle in patients with Left Ventricle primary involvement: diagnosis and evaluation of functional parameters.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) allows an accurate Right Ventricle (RV) assessment that could be of great relevance in diseases causing inflammation or fibrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concomitant involvement of the RV in patients with delayed enhancement (DE) of the Left Ventricle (LV-DE) using CMR. We retrospectively enrolled 95 (male n.

SIRM-SIN-AIOM: appropriateness criteria for evaluation and prevention of renal damage in the patient undergoing contrast medium examinations-consensus statements from Italian College of Radiology (SIRM), Italian College of Nephrology (SIN) and Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM).

The increasing number of examinations and interventional radiological procedures that require the administration of contrast medium (CM) in patients at risk for advanced age and/or comorbidities highlights the problem of CM-induced renal toxicity. A multidisciplinary group consisting of specialists of different disciplines-radiologists, nephrologists and oncologists, members of the respective Italian Scientific Societies-agreed to draw up this position paper, to assist clinicians increasingly facing the challenges posed by CM-related renal dysfunction in their daily clinical practice.The major risk factor for acute renal failure following CM administration (post-CM AKI) is the preexistence of renal failure, particularly when associated with diabetes, heart failure or cancer.

Focal hepatic intrinsically hyperattenuating lesions at unenhanced CT: Not always calcifications.

Due to the growing use of CT, there has been an increase in the frequency of detecting focal liver lesions. Intrinsically hyperattenuating hepatic lesions or pseudolesions are not uncommon at unenhanced CT. Hyperattenuating hepatic lesions can be divided into non-calcified and calcified.

Post-operative computed tomography imaging evaluation of ascending aorta surgery.

Ascending thoracic aorta disease is often a life-threatening condition. Aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection are the most frequent ascending aorta diseases requiring surgical intervention. Surgical repair techniques of the ascending aorta are various; they include reconstruction of the ascending aorta by using a graft with or without a prosthetic valve, reconstruction with a composite artificial graft or using a biological graft, and reconstruction of the ascending aorta with a composite graft preserving the native valve and arch repair.

Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Current Role in Patients with Lymphoma.

Imaging of lymphoma is based on the use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG-PET/CT) and/or contrast-enhanced CT, but concerns have been raised regarding radiation exposure related to imaging scans in patients with cancer, and its association with increased risk of secondary tumors in patients with lymphoma has been established. To date, lymphoproliferative disorders are among the most common indications to perform whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Whole-body MRI is superior to contrast-enhanced CT for staging the disease, also being less dependent on histology if compared to F-FDG-PET/CT.

Imaging the COVID-19: a practical guide.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents the first medical catastrophe of the new millennium. Although imaging is not a screening test for COVID-19, it plays a crucial role in evaluation and follow-up of COVID-19 patients. In this paper, we will review typical and atypical imaging findings of COVID-19.

Updated diagnostic & prognostic paradigm for CAD: a narrative review.

Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death globally; early detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) is a challenge for clinicians and radiologists. Over the past 2 decades there have been several improvements in the methods for the assessment of diagnosis and prognosis in patients with suspected CAD; most of these methods are imaging methods and they operate with high-end technologies. Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) as we know it today was introduced in 1998 and has ever progressed with constant pace.

TAVI imaging: over the echocardiography.

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a common valvular heart disease. Recently, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has changed the treatment of severe AS in elderly patients with contraindications to traditional surgical replacement. Echocardiography is conventionally used as the first imaging modality to assess the presence and severity of AS and to provide anatomical and functional information.

SIRM-SIAAIC consensus, an Italian document on management of patients at risk of hypersensitivity reactions to contrast media.

Hypersensitivity reactions (HRs) to contrast media (CM) can be distinguished in immune-mediated (including allergic reactions) and non-immune-mediated reactions, even if clinical manifestations could be similar. Such manifestations range from mild skin eruptions to severe anaphylaxis, making it important for radiologists to know how to identify and manage them. A panel of experts from the Società Italiana di Radiologia Medica e Interventistica (SIRM) and the Società Italiana di Allergologia, Asma e Immunologia Clinica (SIAAIC) provided a consensus document on the management of patients who must undergo radiological investigations with CM.

Assessment of Lung Cancer Development in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Using Quantitative High-Resolution Computed Tomography: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate histogram-based quantitative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) indexes in the assessment of lung cancer (LC) development in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.

Materials And Methods: From IPF databases of 2 national respiratory centers, we retrospectively studied patients with and without LC development-respectively, divided into Group A (n=16) and Group B (n=33). The extent of fibrotic disease was quantified on baseline and follow-up HRCT examinations using kurtosis, skewness, percentage of high attenuation area (HAA%), and percentage of fibrotic area (FA%).

Clinical and Prognostic Value of F-FDG-PET/CT in the Restaging Process of Recurrent Cutaneous Melanoma.

Background: Several studies on 18F-FDG-PET/CT have investigated the prognostic role of this imaging modality in different tumors after treatment. Nevertheless, its role in restaging patients with recurrent CM still needs to be defined.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to evaluate the clinical and prognostic impact of 18F-FDG-PET/CT on the restaging process of cutaneous melanoma (CM) after surgery in patients with suspected distant recurrent disease or suspected metastatic progression disease.

Isolated, Subtle Neurological Abnormalities in Mild Cognitive Impairment Types.

Background: Isolated, subtle neurological abnormalities (ISNA) are commonly seen in aging and have been related to cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) and subcortical atrophy in neurologically and cognitively healthy aging subjects.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of ISNA in different mild cognitive impairment (MCI) types and to evaluate for each MCI type, the cross-sectional relation between ISNA and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, caudate atrophy, and ventricular enlargement.

Methods: One thousand two hundred fifty subjects with different MCI types were included in the analysis and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging.