Ultra-high resolution computed tomography with deep-learning-reconstruction: diagnostic ability in the assessment of gastric cancer and the depth of invasion.

Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of ultra-high-resolution CT (U-HRCT) images reconstructed using an improved deep-learning-reconstruction (DLR) method. Additionally, we assessed the utility of U-HRCT in visualizing gastric wall structure, detecting gastric cancer, and determining the depth of invasion.

Methods: Forty-six patients with resected gastric cancer who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced U-HRCT were included.

A quantitative analysis of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease on computed tomography for the assessment of decreased vital capacity.

Background: The results of a quantitative analysis of computed tomography (CT) of interstitial lung disease (ILD) using a computer-aided detection (CAD) technique were correlated with the results of pulmonary function tests.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between a quantitative analysis of CT of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD) including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-IPF, which can manifest progressive pulmonary fibrosis and the vital capacity (VC), and to identify indicators for the assessment of a decreased VC.

Material And Methods: A total of 73 patients (46 patients with IPF and 27 patients with non-IPF) were included in this study.

Breath-hold High-resolution T1-weighted Gradient Echo Liver MR Imaging with Compressed Sensing Obtained during the Gadoxetic Acid-enhanced Hepatobiliary Phase: Image Quality and Lesion Visibility Compared with a Standard T1-weighted Sequence.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of breath-hold (BH) high-resolution (HR) T1-weighted gradient echo hepatobiliary phase (HBP) imaging using compressed sensing (CS) in gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI in comparison with standard HBP imaging using parallel imaging (PI).

Methods: The study included 122 patients with liver tumors with hypointensity in the HBP who underwent both HR HBP imaging with CS and standard HBP imaging with PI. Two radiologists evaluated the liver edge sharpness, hepatic vessel conspicuity, bile duct conspicuity, image noise, and overall image quality, as well as the lesion conspicuity on HR and standard HBP imaging and the contrast-enhanced (CE) MR cholangiography (MRC) image quality reconstructed from HBP images.

The Evaluation of Transmural Healing by Low-dose Computed Tomography Enterography in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Objective Transmural healing (TH) has been attracting attention as a new therapeutic target for Crohn's disease, but there are few clinical data on TH in Japan. We introduced low-dose computed tomography enterography (CTE) as a monitoring method for Crohn's disease and retrospectively investigated the accuracy of evaluating TH by CTE. Methods Among Crohn's disease patients who underwent low-dose CTE at our hospital from January 2009 to March 2021, 122 patients who underwent colonoscopy or balloon endoscopy within 2 weeks were included.

Assessment of gastric wall structure using ultra-high-resolution computed tomography.

Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of ultra-high-resolution CT (U-HRCT) in the comparison among four different reconstruction methods, focusing on the gastric wall structure, and to compare the conspicuity of a three-layered structure of the gastric wall between conventional HRCT (C-HRCT) and U-HRCT.

Method: Our retrospective study included 48 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced U-HRCT. Quantitative analyses were performed to compare image noise of U-HRCT between deep-learning reconstruction (DLR) and other three methods (filtered back projection: FBP, hybrid iterative reconstruction: Hybrid-IR, and Model-based iterative reconstruction: MBIR).

Combined Use of Computed Tomography Enterography/Enteroclysis and Capsule Endoscopy Improves the Accuracy of Diagnosis of Small Bowel Bleeding.

Objective CT enterography/enteroclysis (CTE) is listed in the clinical practice guidelines as a method for diagnosing small bowel bleeding, as is capsule endoscopy (CE), but there are no real-world data yet available on CTE in Japan. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic ability of CTE and long-term prognosis after CTE in Japan. Patients We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients suspected of having small bowel bleeding who underwent both CTE and CE within 30 days between April 2008 and March 2019.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Breath-Hold Zoomed MR Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP): Evaluation of Additive Value to Conventional 3D Navigator Triggering MRCP in Patients With Branch Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms.

Background: To resolve drawbacks of navigator triggering (NT) three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), several approaches were proposed to obtain 3D MRCP within a single breath-hold (BH). However, reduced field-of-view technique in the phase-encoding direction combined with two-dimensional spatially selective radiofrequency excitation pulses has not yet been applied to 3D BH MRCP.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility and the complementary value of 3D BH zoomed MRCP to conventional 3D NT MRCP in patients with branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs) of the pancreas.

Correlation between pleural tags on CT and visceral pleural invasion of peripheral lung cancer that does not appear touching the pleural surface.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between a sign and visceral pleural invasion (VPI) of peripheral non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that does not appear touching the pleural surface.

Methods: A total of 221 consecutive patients with NSCLC that did not appear touching the pleural surface, ≤ 3 cm in solid tumor diameter, and was surgically resected between January 2009 and December 2015 were included. We focused on the flat distortion of the tumor caused by an arch-shaped linear tag between the tumor and the pleura on CT and named it a bridge tag sign.

Hemodynamic changes of abdominal organs after CT colonography with transrectal administration of CO2: evaluation with early-phase contrast-enhanced dynamic CT.

Purpose: To evaluate the hemodynamic changes in the liver, pancreas, gastric mucosa and abdominal vessels in early-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) CT immediately after CT colonography (CTC) with carbon dioxide expansion.

Materials And Methods: This study included 82 patients with DCE-CT after CTC (CTC group) and 77 patients without CTC (control group). Contrast enhancement values of the gastric mucosa, liver, pancreas, portal vein (PV), splenic vein (SpV), superior mesenteric vein (SMV), and inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) in early-phase CT were measured.

Transient respiratory motion artifacts in multiple arterial phases on abdominal dynamic magnetic resonance imaging: a comparison using gadoxetate disodium and gadobutrol.

Purpose: To compare the occurrence of transient respiratory motion artifacts (TRMAs) in multiple arterial phases on abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) images between those obtained using gadobutrol and gadoxetate disodium.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and fourteen abdominal MR examinations (101 with gadoxetate disodium, 113 with gadobutrol) were evaluated. Dynamic three-dimensional contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CAIPIRINHA-Dixon-TWIST-VIBE) including single-breath-hold six arterial phase acquisitions was performed on a 3.

Quantification of pancreas fat on dual-energy computed tomography: comparison with six-point Dixon magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: Although it is important to quantify the degree of fatty degeneration of the pancreas, it is difficult to make such a quantification using conventional computed tomography (CT). The present study evaluated the feasibility of pancreatic fat quantification by dual-energy CT (DECT) compared with T2*-corrected six-point Dixon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: Twenty-eight patients who underwent both DECT (100 and 150 kVp) and Dixon MRI without the use of contrast agents were analyzed.

Image quality in dual-source multiphasic dynamic computed tomography of the abdomen: evaluating the effects of a low tube voltage (70 kVp) in combination with contrast dose reduction.

Purpose: To compare the image quality of multiphasic (arterial, portal, and equilibrium phases) dynamic computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen obtained by a low tube voltage (70kVp) in combination with a half-dose iodine load using low-concentration contrast agent in high tube output dual-source CT with a standard tube voltage (120kVp) and full-dose iodine load using the same group of adult patients.

Methods: Fifty-five patients who underwent both low-tube-voltage (70kVp) abdominal CT with a half-dose iodine load and standard-tube-voltage (120kVp) CT with a full-dose iodine load were analyzed. The mean CT values and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the liver, aorta and portal veins were quantitatively assessed.

Incidentally detected pancreatic adenocarcinomas on computed tomography obtained during the follow-up for other diseases.

Purpose: To determine imaging findings of pancreatic adenocarcinomas incidentally detected on contrast-enhanced multiphasic dynamic computed tomography (CT) obtained during the follow-up for other diseases.

Methods: From January 2007 to December 2018, 14 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas incidentally detected on CT obtained during the follow-up for other diseases (incidental group) and 105 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas symptomatically detected on ultrasound or CT (non-incidental group) were included. Imaging characteristics of the tumor were compared between the two groups.

Medication persistence rates and predictive factors for discontinuation of antifibrotic agents in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a real-world observational study.

Background: In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), continuing treatment with antifibrotic agents is crucial to decrease the reduction of forced vital capacity and mortality rate. However, predictive factors for the discontinuation of antifibrotic agents are unknown. This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and predictive factors for the discontinuation of antifibrotic agents in patients with IPF.

Tumor Spread Through Air Spaces Identifies a Distinct Subgroup With Poor Prognosis in Surgically Resected Lung Pleomorphic Carcinoma.

Background: Tumor spread through air spaces (STAS) has recently been reported as a novel form of lung adenocarcinoma invasion that can negatively affect survival; however, its role in pleomorphic carcinoma remains unclear. The goal of this study was to characterize tumor STAS in pleomorphic carcinoma, including its association with clinicopathologic features and prognosis.

Methods: Tumor specimens obtained from 35 consecutive patients with pleomorphic carcinoma who underwent surgical resection between 2009 and 2015 were reviewed.

Air bronchogram in pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung is associated with favorable prognosis.

Background: Pleomorphic carcinoma (PC) of the lung is a rare histological type of lung carcinoma. The association between computed tomography (CT) findings and histology with outcome remains unclear. We examined the relationships between CT features and histopathologic findings, and evaluated the impact of CT features and other clinicopathologic factors on survival.

The impact of coexisting lung diseases on outcomes in patients with pathological Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Cigarette smoking is a well-known cause of interstitial lung disease (ILD), pulmonary emphysema and lung cancer. Coexisting pulmonary disease can affect prognosis in patients with lung cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of pulmonary disease on outcomes in patients with a smoking history who had undergone surgery for pathological Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Chondrosarcoma of the Rib Mimicking Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

A 62-year-old man with a history of long-term asbestos exposure was found to have a chest wall tumor invading the sixth rib on chest computed tomography. The computed tomography also revealed multiple plaques in the pleura. Malignant pleural mesothelioma was suspected, and thoracoscopic surgery was performed.

Effectiveness of using low-dose computed tomography to assess patency in gastrointestinal tracts with a patency capsule.

Background/aims: A patency capsule (PC) is used to safely perform capsule endoscopy. When the PC is not excreted within the defined time frame, radiography often cannot localize the PC. Computed tomography (CT) localizes a PC more definitively than radiography.

Beneficial effects of combining computed tomography enteroclysis/enterography with capsule endoscopy for screening tumor lesions in the small intestine.

Aim. To compare the efficacy of using computed tomography enteroclysis/enterography (CTE), capsule endoscopy (CE), and CTE with CE for diagnosing tumor lesions in the small intestine. Materials and Methods.

Utility of computed tomographic enteroclysis/enterography for the assessment of mucosal healing in Crohn's disease.

Aim. When determining therapeutic strategy, it is important to diagnose small intestinal lesions in Crohn's disease (CD) precisely and to evaluate mucosal healing as well as clinical remission in CD. The purpose of this study was to compare findings from computed tomographic enteroclysis/enterography (CTE) with those from the mucosal surface and to determine whether the state of mucosal healing can be determined by CTE.

Nondiffuse fatty infiltration of the liver: does the uptake of iron-oxide increase or decrease at SPIO-enhanced MR imaging?

Purpose: To clarify whether the uptake of SPIO increases or decreases in areas of fatty change compared with surrounding areas of nonfatty change at SPIO-enhanced MR imaging.

Materials And Methods: Approval for this retrospective study was obtained from our institutional review board. This study included 14 patients with nondiffuse fatty infiltration of the liver who underwent SPIO-enhanced MR imaging.

Usefulness of computed tomography enteroclysis in the intestinal tract.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate computed tomography enteroclysis (CTE) of the small intestinal tract.

Materials And Methods: A total of 36 patients underwent CTE for further examination of small intestinal disease.

Results: The indications were obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) (n = 16), suspected Crohn's disease (n = 7), suspected and diagnosed by exclusion a small intestinal tumor (n = 5), and others (n = 8).