The burden of abdominal pain after bariatric surgery in terms of diagnostic testing: the OPERATE study.

Background: Abdominal pain after bariatric surgery (BS) is frequently observed. Despite numerous diagnostic tests, the cause of abdominal pain is not always found.

Objectives: To quantify type and number of diagnostic tests performed in patients with abdominal pain after BS and evaluate the burden and their yield in the diagnostic process.

A Prospective Study on the Diagnoses for Abdominal Pain After Bariatric Surgery: The OPERATE Study.

Purpose: Long-term follow-up after bariatric surgery (BS) reveals high numbers of patients with abdominal pain that often remains unexplained. The aim of this prospective study was to give an overview of diagnoses for abdominal pain, percentage of unexplained complaints, number and yield of follow-up visits, and time to establish a diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: Patients who visited the Spaarne Gasthuis Hospital, The Netherlands, between December 2020 and December 2021 for abdominal pain after BS, were eligible and followed throughout the entire episode of abdominal pain.

An Magnetic Resonance Imaging-directed Targeted-plus-perilesional Biopsy Approach for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: "Less Is More".

Background: Considering that most men benefit diagnostically from increased sampling of index lesions, limiting systematic biopsy (SBx) to the region around the index lesion could potentially minimize overdetection while maintaining the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a hypothetical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-directed targeted-plus-perilesional biopsy approach.

Design Setting And Participants: This single-center, retrospective analysis of prospectively generated data included all biopsy-naïve men with unilateral MRI-positive lesions (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System category ≥3), undergoing both MRI-directed targeted biopsies and SBx.

Fibrosis and MAGNIFI-CD Activity Index at Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Predict Treatment Outcome in Perianal Fistulizing Crohn's Disease Patients.

Background And Aims: Characteristic magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] features associated with long-term perianal fistula closure are still being discussed. This study evaluated the predictive value of degree of fibrosis and disease activity (MAGNIFI-CD index) at MRI for long-term clinical closure of Crohn's perianal fistulas.

Methods: Crohn's disease [CD] patients treated with surgical closure following anti-tumour necrosis factor [anti-TNF] induction or anti-TNF alone for high perianal fistulas as part of a patient preference randomized controlled trial [PISA-II] between 2013 and 2020 with a post-treatment MRI and long-term clinical follow-up data were retrospectively included.

Fasted and fed small bowel motility patterns at cine-MRI in chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Background: Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a severe intestinal motility disorder of which the pathophysiology is largely unknown. This study aimed at gaining insight in fasted and fed small bowel motility in CIPO patients using cine-MRI with caloric stimulation.

Methods: Eight adult patients with manometrically confirmed CIPO were prospectively included.

Evaluation of the modified Van Assche index for assessing response to anti-TNF therapy with MRI in perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease.

Background: Structured evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important to guide clinical decisions of perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease (CD) patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the recently developed modified Van Assche index to assess clinical responses to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in patients with perianal fistulizing CD.

Methods: A search of medical records identified patients with fistulizing perianal CD who underwent baseline and follow-up MRI while receiving anti-TNF treatment.

Staging of Anal Cancer: Role of MR Imaging.

Anal cancer is a relatively rare malignancy. Treatment consists of chemoradiation and most patients achieve a complete response. Local evaluation of the T and N stage is performed by MR imaging.

Comparison of MRI Activity Scoring Systems and Features for the Terminal Ileum in Patients With Crohn Disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate four previously validated MRI activity scoring systems for diagnosis and grading of Crohn disease (CD) in the terminal ileum against an endoscopic and histopathologic reference standard.

Subjects And Methods: Ethics approval and written informed consent were obtained. Subjects with known or suspected CD were prospectively recruited between December 2011 and August 2014.

Comparison of contrast-enhanced and diffusion-weighted MRI in assessment of the terminal ileum in Crohn's disease patients.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare the performance of contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DW)-MRI in grading Crohn's disease activity of the terminal ileum.

Methods: Three readers evaluated CE-MRI, DW-MRI, and their combinations (CE/DW-MRI and DW/CE-MRI, depending on which protocol was used at the start of evaluation). Disease severity grading scores were correlated to the Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS).

Semiautomatic Assessment of the Terminal Ileum and Colon in Patients with Crohn Disease Using MRI (the VIGOR++ Project).

Rationale And Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a predictive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity score for ileocolonic Crohn disease activity based on both subjective and semiautomatic MRI features.

Materials And Methods: An MRI activity score (the "virtual gastrointestinal tract [VIGOR]" score) was developed from 27 validated magnetic resonance enterography datasets, including subjective radiologist observation of mural T2 signal and semiautomatic measurements of bowel wall thickness, excess volume, and dynamic contrast enhancement (initial slope of increase). A second subjective score was developed based on only radiologist observations.

Semi-automatic bowel wall thickness measurements on MR enterography in patients with Crohn's disease.

Objective: To evaluate a semi-automatic method for delineation of the bowel wall and measurement of the wall thickness in patients with Crohn's disease.

Methods: 53 patients with suspected or proven Crohn's disease were selected. Two radiologists independently supervised the delineation of regions with active Crohn's disease on MRI, yielding manual annotations (Ano1, Ano2).

Long-Term Performance of Readers Trained in Grading Crohn Disease Activity Using MRI.

Rationale And Objectives: We aim to evaluate the long-term performance of readers who had participated in previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reader training in grading Crohn disease activity.

Materials And Methods: Fourteen readers (8 women; 12 radiologists, 2 residents; mean age 40; range 31-59), who had participated in a previous MRI reader training, participated in a follow-up evaluation after a mean interval of 29 months (range 25-34 months). Follow-up evaluation comprised 25 MRI cases of suspected or known Crohn disease patients with direct feedback; cases were identical to the evaluation set used in the initial reader training (of which readers were unaware).

Image Registration Based on Autocorrelation of Local Structure.

Registration of images in the presence of intra-image signal fluctuations is a challenging task. The definition of an appropriate objective function measuring the similarity between the images is crucial for accurate registration. This paper introduces an objective function that embeds local phase features derived from the monogenic signal in the modality independent neighborhood descriptor (MIND).

Expiration-phase template-based motion correction of free-breathing abdominal dynamic contrast enhanced MRI.

This paper studies a novel method to compensate for respiratory and peristaltic motions in abdominal dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The method consists of two steps: 1) expiration-phase "template" construction and retrospective gating of the data to the template; and 2) nonrigid registration of the gated volumes. Landmarks annotated by three experts were used to directly assess the registration performance.

Semi-supervised and active learning for automatic segmentation of Crohn's disease.

Our proposed method combines semi supervised learning (SSL) and active learning (AL) for automatic detection and segmentation of Crohn's disease (CD) from abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) images. Random forest (RF) classifiers are used due to fast SSL classification and capacity to interpret learned knowledge. Query samples for AL are selected by a novel information density weighted approach using context information, semantic knowledge and labeling uncertainty.

Training readers to improve their accuracy in grading Crohn's disease activity on MRI.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate if training with direct feedback improves grading accuracy of inexperienced readers for Crohn's disease activity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Thirty-one inexperienced readers assessed 25 cases as a baseline set. Subsequently, all readers received training and assessed 100 cases with direct feedback per case, randomly assigned to four sets of 25 cases.

Grading Crohn disease activity with MRI: interobserver variability of MRI features, MRI scoring of severity, and correlation with Crohn disease endoscopic index of severity.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to assess the interobserver variability for scoring MRI features of Crohn disease activity and to correlate two MRI scoring systems to the Crohn disease endoscopic index of severity (CDEIS).

Materials And Methods: Thirty-three consecutive patients with Crohn disease undergoing 3-T MRI examinations (T1-weighted with IV contrast medium administration and T2-weighted sequences) and ileocolonoscopy within 1 month were independently evaluated by four readers. Seventeen MRI features were recorded in 143 bowel segments and were used to calculate the MR index of activity and the Crohn disease MRI index (CDMI) score.

Automatic Detection and Segmentation of Crohn's Disease Tissues From Abdominal MRI.

We propose an information processing pipeline for segmenting parts of the bowel in abdominal magnetic resonance images that are affected with Crohn's disease. Given a magnetic resonance imaging test volume, it is first oversegmented into supervoxels and each supervoxel is analyzed to detect presence of Crohn's disease using random forest (RF) classifiers. The supervoxels identified as containing diseased tissues define the volume of interest (VOI).

Evaluation of conventional, dynamic contrast enhanced and diffusion weighted MRI for quantitative Crohn's disease assessment with histopathology of surgical specimens.

Objectives: To prospectively compare conventional MRI sequences, dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) with histopathology of surgical specimens in Crohn's disease.

Methods: 3-T MR enterography was performed in consecutive Crohn's disease patients scheduled for surgery within 4 weeks. One to four sections of interest per patient were chosen for analysis.

Serial magnetic resonance imaging for monitoring medical therapy effects in Crohn's disease.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists can induce mucosal healing in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), but the effects on transmural inflammation and stenotic lesions are largely unknown.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study in 50 patients (54% female, median age 37 yr) with CD who had undergone serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations while receiving infliximab or adalimumab. Patients were grouped as clinical responders or nonresponders based on physician's assessment, laboratory, and endoscopic appearance.

A multi-centre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the value of a single bolus intravenous alfentanil in CT colonography.

Background: Pain is common during colonic insufflation required for CT colonography. We therefore evaluate whether a single intravenous alfentanil bolus has a clinically relevant analgesic effect compared with placebo in patients undergoing CT colonography.

Methods: A prospective multi-centre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed in patients scheduled for elective CT colonography.

A supervised learning approach for Crohn's disease detection using higher-order image statistics and a novel shape asymmetry measure.

Increasing incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) in the Western world has made its accurate diagnosis an important medical challenge. The current reference standard for diagnosis, colonoscopy, is time-consuming and invasive while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as the preferred noninvasive procedure over colonoscopy. Current MRI approaches assess rate of contrast enhancement and bowel wall thickness, and rely on extensive manual segmentation for accurate analysis.

Computational modeling for assessment of IBD: to be or not to be?

The grading of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) severity is important to determine the proper treatment strategy and to quantify the response to treatment. Traditionally, ileocolonoscopy is considered the reference standard for assessment of IBD. However, the procedure is invasive and requires extensive bowel preparation.