Evolution of two unusual radiological findings in a patient with mesenteric ischemia.

Portal pneumatosis has been considered an ominous sign associated with intestinal ischemia, with a mortality rate of up to 90% as long as it is associated with sepsis. However, the prognosis of mesenteric ischemia depends on the etiology rather than the presence of portal pneumatosis. We present a patient with portal pneumatosis that disappeared 24 hours after the first surgery, but irreversible ischemic lesions were established in the terminal ileum.

The value of metabolic imaging to predict tumour response after chemoradiation in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: We aim to investigate the possibility of using 18F-positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET-CT) to predict the histopathologic response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) treated with preoperative chemoradiation (CRT).

Methods: The study included 50 patients with LARC treated with preoperative CRT. All patients were evaluated by PET-CT before and after CRT, and results were compared to histopathologic response quantified by tumour regression grade (patients with TRG 1-2 being defined as responders and patients with grade 3-5 as non-responders).