A comic that explains palliative care: how patients experience comic-based educational material.

Objective: The aim of this study was to create a patient-centered comic on palliative care with and for patients admitted to a palliative care unit and to examine their experiences of graphic educational material.

Methods: This study employed a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with advanced cancer patients admitted to the palliative care unit of the Medical University of Vienna. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the assistance of the MAXQDA software.

Arterial inflammation on [F]FDG PET/CT in melanoma patients treated with and without immune checkpoint inhibitors: CHECK-FLAME I.

Background And Aims: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) revolutionized cancer treatment. However, ICIs may increase the immune response to non-tumor cells, possibly resulting in increased arterial inflammation, raising the risk of atherosclerotic events. Nevertheless, malignancies may induce a pro-inflammatory state and the association between ICIs and arterial inflammation remains to be clarified.

Use of Magnetic Resonance Direct Thrombus Imaging for the Diagnostic Management of Suspected Thrombosis in Routine Clinical Practice.

 The noninvasive magnetic resonance direct thrombus imaging (MRDTI) technique can be used to diagnose acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT), without the use of intravenous contrast. MRDTI holds the potential to differentiate between acute and chronic DVT and could be helpful when diagnosing thrombosis is challenging.  Our objective was to evaluate the application of MRDTI in clinical practice, including the frequency and indications of MRDTI scans performed in practice-based conditions, results, impact on treatment decisions, and associated patient outcomes.

Computed tomography diagnosis of pulmonary infarction in acute pulmonary embolism.

Introduction: Pulmonary infarction is a common sequela of pulmonary embolism (PE) but lacks a diagnostic reference standard. CTPA in the setting of acute PE does not reliably differentiate infarction from other consolidations, such as reversible alveolar hemorrhage or atelectasis. We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy for recognizing pulmonary infarction on CT in the acute phase of PE, with follow-up CT as reference.