Medication-induced Pulmonary Injury: A Scenario- and Pattern-based Approach to a Perplexing Problem.

Medication-induced pulmonary injury (MIPI) is a complex medical condition that has become increasingly common yet remains stubbornly difficult to diagnose. Diagnosis can be aided by combining knowledge of the most common imaging patterns caused by MIPI with awareness of which medications a patient may be exposed to in specific clinical settings. The authors describe six imaging patterns commonly associated with MIPI: sarcoidosis-like, diffuse ground-glass opacities, organizing pneumonia, centrilobular ground-glass nodules, linear-septal, and fibrotic.

Mind-body (hypnotherapy) treatment of women with urgency urinary incontinence: changes in brain attentional networks.

Background: Prior study of patients with urgency urinary incontinence by functional magnetic resonance imaging showed altered function in areas of the brain associated with interoception and salience and with attention. Our randomized controlled trial of hypnotherapy for urgency urinary incontinence demonstrated marked improvement in urgency urinary incontinence symptoms at 2 months. A subsample of these women with urgency urinary incontinence underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after treatment.

Hypnotherapy or medications: a randomized noninferiority trial in urgency urinary incontinent women.

Background: Urgency urinary incontinence afflicts many adults, and most commonly affects women. Medications, a standard treatment, may be poorly tolerated, with poor adherence. This warrants investigation of alternative interventions.

Methodology for a trial of brain-centered versus anticholinergic therapy in women with urgency urinary incontinence.

Introduction And Hypothesis: We describe the rationale and methodology for a study comparing mind-body treatment and pharmacotherapy in women with urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). To explore brain associations in UUI, a subset of patients will also undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We hypothesize that hypnotherapy, a mind-body intervention, will be at least as effective as pharmacotherapy in treating UUI.

Prevalence of left atrial abnormalities in atrial fibrillation versus normal sinus patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may be the cause or sequela of left atrial abnormalities and variants.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of left atrial (LA) abnormalities in AF patients compared to normal sinus rhythm (NSR) patients.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 281 cardiac CT examinations from 2010 to 2012, excluding patients with prior pulmonary vein ablation, known coronary artery disease, prior coronary stent placement, or coronary artery bypass grafts.

Urgency urinary incontinence and the interoceptive network: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Treatment of urgency urinary incontinence has focused on pharmacologically treating detrusor overactivity. Recent recognition that altered perception of internal stimuli (interoception) plays a role in urgency urinary incontinence suggests that exploration of abnormalities of brain function in this disorder could lead to better understanding of urgency incontinence and its treatment.

Objective: We sought to: (1) evaluate the relationship between bladder filling, perceived urgency, and activation at brain sites within the interoceptive network in urgency urinary incontinence; (2) identify coactivation of other brain networks that could affect interoception during bladder filling in urgency incontinence; and (3) demonstrate interaction between these sites prior to bladder filling by evaluating their resting-state connectivity.

CT measurement of central pulmonary arteries to diagnose pulmonary hypertension (PHTN): more reliable than valid?

Unlabelled: The association between main pulmonary artery (MPA) size and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAHTN) is well established; however, the clinical utility of routine measurement of MPA is uncertain due to considerable overlap between normal patients and those with pulmonary hypertension. The lack of diagnostic accuracy could be further degraded by variability among the radiologists. It is unknown whether the addition of right and left pulmonary artery measurements would improve accuracy or further impair it.

Epidemiology of mixed, stress, and urgency urinary incontinence in middle-aged/older women: the importance of incontinence history.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Urinary incontinence (UI) is common and the relationship among its subtypes complex. Our objective was to describe the natural history and predictors of the incontinence subtypes stress, urgency, and mixed, in middle-aged and older US women. We tested our hypothesis that UI subtype history predicted future occurrence, evaluating subtype incidence/remission over multiple time points in a stable cohort of women.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Portable chest radiography is a fundamental and frequently utilized examination in the critically ill patient population. The chest radiograph often represents a timely investigation of new or rapidly evolving clinical findings and an evaluation of proper positioning of support tubes and catheters. Thoughtful consideration of the use of this simple yet valuable resource is crucial as medical cost containment becomes even more mandatory.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria Imaging in the Diagnosis of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a clinical entity characterized by compression of the neurovascular bundle, and may be associated with additional findings such as venous thrombosis, arterial stenosis, or neurologic symptoms. The goal of imaging is to localize the site of compression, the compressing structure, and the compressed organ or vessel, while excluding common mimics. A literature review is provided of current indications for diagnostic imaging, with discussion of potential limitations and benefits of the respective modalities.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® rib fractures.

Rib fracture is the most common thoracic injury, present in 10% of all traumatic injuries and almost 40% of patients who sustain severe nonpenetrating trauma. Although rib fractures can produce significant morbidity, the diagnosis of associated complications (such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, pulmonary contusion, atelectasis, flail chest, cardiovascular injury, and injuries to solid and hollow abdominal organs) may have a more significant clinical impact. When isolated, rib fractures have a relatively low morbidity and mortality, and failure to detect isolated rib fractures does not necessarily alter patient management or outcome in uncomplicated cases.

Can non-contrast-enhanced CT (NECT) triage patients suspected of having non-traumatic acute aortic syndromes (AAS)?

This work was conducted to determine whether non-contrast-enhanced CT (NECT) of patients with suspected acute aortic syndrome (AAS) can identify patients with a very low likelihood of a positive diagnosis. In the derivation phase, patients who received both NECT and contrast-enhanced CT angiography (CTA) for suspected AAS were identified. Two readers blinded to CTA results analyzed NECTs from AAS positive and negative cases, recording maximal aortic diameters and qualitative findings of aortic disease.

ACR appropriateness criteria® hemoptysis.

Although hemoptysis is often self-limited and benign in origin, it can be an indicator of serious disease including bronchiectasis, granulomatous infection, and malignancy. Hemoptysis severity can be graded on the basis of the quantity of expectorated blood: <30 mL of hemoptysis as minor, 30 to 300 mL as moderate to severe (major), and >300 to 400 mL in 24 hours as massive. Among patients with hemoptysis, chest radiographs are often abnormal and can guide evaluation.

ACR appropriateness criteria blunt chest trauma.

Imaging is paramount in the setting of blunt trauma and is now the standard of care at any trauma center. Although anteroposterior radiography has inherent limitations, the ability to acquire a radiograph in the trauma bay with little interruption in clinical survey, monitoring, and treatment, as well as radiography's accepted role in screening for traumatic aortic injury, supports the routine use of chest radiography. Chest CT or CT angiography is the gold-standard routine imaging modality for detecting thoracic injuries caused by blunt trauma.

ACR appropriateness Criteria® chronic dyspnea: suspected pulmonary origin.

Dyspnea, described as breathlessness or shortness of breath, is usually caused by cardiopulmonary disease. The role of imaging in chronic dyspnea (>1 mo in duration) with suspected pulmonary origin is reviewed as suggested by the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Expert Panel on Thoracic Imaging. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may be idiopathic or related to a variety of diseases. The diagnosis, accurate assessment of etiology and severity, prognosis, treatment response, and follow-up of PH can be achieved using a diverse set of diagnostic examinations. In this review, the role of imaging in the evaluation of PH as suggested by the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Expert Panel on Thoracic Imaging has been discussed.

ACR appropriateness Criteria® radiographically detected solitary pulmonary nodule.

The solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is a common medical problem for which management can be quite complex. Imaging remains at the center of management of SPNs, and computed tomography is the primary modality by which SPNs are characterized and followed up for stability. This manuscript summarizes the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria for radiographically detected solitary pulmonary nodules and briefly reviews the various imaging techniques available.

Hypnotherapy for treatment of overactive bladder: a randomized controlled trial pilot study.

Objectives: : The objective of the study was to obtain pilot data comparing hypnotherapy and behavioral therapy (hypnotherapy) to behavioral therapy alone (behavioral therapy) in overactive bladder (OAB) treatment.

Methods: : Women with OAB were randomized to hypnotherapy or behavioral therapy treatments. Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I), the OAB-q Short Form (OAB-q SF) questionnaire, and voiding diaries were recorded, and within- and between-group differences were compared.

ACR appropriateness criteria(®)acute respiratory illness in immunocompromised patients.

The respiratory system is often affected by complications of immunodeficiency, typically manifesting clinically as acute respiratory illness. Ongoing literature reviews regarding the appropriateness of imaging in these patients are critical, as advanced medical therapies such as stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy, and immunosuppressive therapies for autoimmune disease continue to keep high the population of immunosuppressed patients in our health care system today. This ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) topic describes clinical scenarios of acute respiratory illness in immunocompromised patients with cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and fever; in those with negative, equivocal, or nonspecific findings on chest radiography; in those with diffuse or confluent opacities on chest radiography; and in those in whom noninfectious disease is suspected.

Functional MRI of the Brain in Women with Overactive Bladder: Brain Activation During Urinary Urgency.

OBJECTIVES: To identify abnormal function of the limbic cortex (LC) in response to urinary urgency among patients with Overactive Bladder (OAB) using brain functional MRI (fMRI) METHODS: 5 OAB subjects and 5 Controls underwent bladder filling and rated urgency sensations while fMRI measured activation in discrete volumes (voxels) within the brain. Changes in brain activation were related to bladder distension and individual subject's rating of urgency via multiple regression analysis. Beta weights from regression equations were converted into percent signal change (PSC) for each voxel and PSC compared to the null hypothesis using T-tests.

Urgency urinary incontinence in women 50 years or older: incidence, remission, and predictors of change.

Objectives: : To estimate 2-year incidence, remission, and predictors of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) in a community-based population of women 50 years or older.

Methods: : We analyzed the 2004 to 2006 data in the Health and Retirement Study. Subjects were women 50 years or older with baseline and follow-up UUI information.

Restoration of continence by pessaries: magnetic resonance imaging assessment of mechanism of action.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine incontinence pessaries' mechanism of action by measuring changes on urodynamic studies (UDS) and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without pessaries in place.

Study Design: Women with stress incontinence had UDS and MRI performed with and without incontinence dish pessaries.

Results: Fifteen women were evaluated.