The adoption of LI-RADS: a survey of non-academic radiologists.

Purpose: To understand the practice and determinants of non-academic radiologists regarding LI-RADS and the four current LI-RADS algorithms: CT/MRI, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), ultrasound (US), and CT/MRI Treatment Response.

Materials And Methods: Seven themes were covered in this international survey, as follows: (1) demographics of participants and sub-specialty, (2) HCC practice and interpretation, (3) reporting practice, (4) screening and surveillance, (5) HCC imaging diagnosis, (6) treatment response, and (7) CT and MRI technique.

Results: Of the 232 participants, 69.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the Evaluation of Hemoperitoneum in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Hemoperitoneum in cirrhosis is a life-threatening condition that requires emergent evaluation. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) permits multiple dynamic characterizations of abdominal structures through all vascular phases, and contrast extravasation or the presence of microbubbles in the ascites could be a sensitive tool. We reviewed 13 patients with cirrhosis that underwent CEUS due to high suspicion for intra-abdominal bleeding.

Dots, lines, contours, and ends: An image-based review of esophageal pathology.

Esophageal pathologies encountered on fluoroscopic examination may pose a diagnostic challenge to the interpreting Radiologist. Understanding the varied imaging appearances of esophageal pathology requires a thorough understanding of barium esophagography. This article reviews the various fluoroscopic imaging findings of different esophageal pathologies by describing an approach to image interpretation centered on dots, lines, contours, and ends.

Risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is low in patients with chronic liver disease exposed to gadolinium-based contrast agents.

Purpose: To determine the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in a cohort of patients with chronic liver disease.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective, Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant study was performed at a single tertiary liver center. The study cohort comprised 1167 patients with chronic liver disease followed in a liver clinic and exposed to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) between February 2004 and October 2007.

Evaluation of MRI fat fraction in the liver and spine pre and post SPIO infusion.

This study evaluates the robustness of a magnetic resonance (MR) fat quantification method to changes in R2* caused by an intravenous infusion of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast agent. The R2* and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) were measured in liver and spine in 14 subjects using an investigational sequence (IDEAL IQ) provided by the MR scanner vendor. Measurements were made before and after SPIO infusion.

Effect of flip angle on the accuracy and repeatability of hepatic proton density fat fraction estimation by complex data-based, T1-independent, T2*-corrected, spectrum-modeled MRI.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of flip angle (FA) on accuracy and within-examination repeatability of hepatic proton-density fat fraction (PDFF) estimation with complex data-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: PDFF was estimated at 3T in 30 subjects using two sets of five MRI sequences with FA from 1° to 5° in each set. One set used 7 msec repetition time and acquired 6 echoes (TR7/E6); the other used 14 msec and acquired 12 echoes (TR14/E12).

Reproducibility of MRI-determined proton density fat fraction across two different MR scanner platforms.

Purpose: To evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined proton density fat fraction (PDFF) reproducibility across two MR scanner platforms and, using MR spectroscopy (MRS)-determined PDFF as reference standard, to confirm MRI-determined PDFF estimation accuracy.

Materials And Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional, crossover, observational pilot study was approved by an Institutional Review Board. Twenty-one subjects gave written informed consent and underwent liver MRI and MRS at both 1.

Estimation of hepatic proton-density fat fraction by using MR imaging at 3.0 T.

Purpose: To compare the accuracy of several magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-based methods for hepatic proton-density fat fraction (FF) estimation at 3.0 T, with spectroscopy as the reference technique.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was institutional review board approved and HIPAA compliant.

Indeterminate orbital masses: restricted diffusion at MR imaging with echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging predicts malignancy.

Purpose: To determine whether magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging can help discriminate between radiologically indeterminate benign and malignant orbital masses and to identify optimal apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) thresholds for such discrimination.

Materials And Methods: Informed consent was waived for this HIPAA-compliant institutional review board-approved retrospective study. Forty-seven orbital masses imaged with echo-planar DW imaging were identified in 47 patients (25 female patients, 22 male patients; average age, 35 years).

Apparent diffusion coefficient of fibrosis and regenerative nodules in the cirrhotic liver at MRI.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of fibrosis and regenerative nodules in the cirrhotic liver at MRI, both in vivo and ex vivo.

Subjects And Methods: A prospective ex vivo and in vivo study was performed at a tertiary liver center. To characterize the diffusion properties of cirrhotic liver, 63 human liver specimens obtained anonymously from 23 freshly explanted cirrhotic livers underwent T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted MRI ex vivo.

Assessment of liver fat quantification in the presence of iron.

This study assesses the stability of magnetic resonance liver fat measurements against changes in T2* due to the presence of iron, which is a confound for accurate quantification. The liver T2* was experimentally shortened by intravenous infusion of a super paramagnetic iron oxide contrast agent. Low flip angle multiecho gradient echo sequences were performed before, during and after infusion.

MR imaging of liver fibrosis: current state of the art.

Chronic liver disease is a major public health problem worldwide. Liver fibrosis, a common feature of almost all causes of chronic liver disease, involves the accumulation of collagen, proteoglycans, and other macromolecules within the extracellular matrix. Fibrosis tends to progress, leading to hepatic dysfunction, portal hypertension, and ultimately cirrhosis.

Proximal tibial osteophytes and their relationship with the height of the tibial spines of the intercondylar eminence: paleopathological study.

Objective: Tibial spiking (i.e., spurring of tibial spines), eburnation, and osteophytes are considered features of osteoarthritis.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in liver disease: a systematic review.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) may develop in patients with liver disease, a fact highlighted by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcements cautioning against the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in select liver disease patients. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to characterize the risk of NSF in patients with liver disease. All published articles on NSF from September 2000 through August 2008, were identified via PubMed searches and examination of articles' reference lists.

Effect of shot number on the calculated apparent diffusion coefficient in phantoms and in human liver in diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging.

Purpose: To show the signal intensity varies with shot number in diffusion-weighted (DW) echo-planar imaging (EPI) and affects apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) calculation.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was performed on 35 adult patients and 20 volunteers. Measurements were made on a 3T scanner using a breathhold DW spin-echo EPI (SE EPI) sequence.

Heritability of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States. The etiology is believed to be multifactorial with a substantial genetic component; however, the heritability of NAFLD is undetermined. Therefore, a familial aggregation study was performed to test the hypothesis that NAFLD is highly heritable.

Noninvasive assessment of hepatic steatosis.

Hepatic steatosis, the accumulation of lipids within hepatocytes, is a common condition. The prevalence of its most frequent manifestation, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has been estimated to be as high as 35% in some populations. Currently, liver biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and assessment of severity of hepatic steatosis, staging of fibrosis, and is the only modality able to differentiate bland steatosis from steatohepatitis.

Enuresis persisting into adulthood.

Introduction: Nocturnal enuresis is a very common finding in children to the extent that many families and caregivers, alike, may dismiss it as a developmental stage rather than a disease. Persistence of nocturnal enuresis into adulthood, however, has received little discussion and is surrounded by fallacies.

Materials And Methods: All existing literature cited in PubMed between 1970 and 2005 were reviewed using the search entries "nocturnal enuresis AND adult*".

H pylori seroprevalence in patients with lung cancer.

Aim: To assess H pylori seroprevalence in lung cancer and determine whether there is a potential association between lung cancer and H pylori infection.

Methods: The study was conducted on forty consecutive patients with lung cancer, confirmed by pathology (32 men, 8 women; mean age 55.50+/-11.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the role of formoterol in the management of acute asthma.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of formoterol delivered by Aerolizer in the emergency department.

Methods: A single-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel group study was conducted in patients seeking emergent care for an acute exacerbation of asthma. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (salbutamol), receiving a total dose of 600 microg salbutamol (200+200+200) delivered by a meter-dose inhaler into a spacer device as two puffs at 20 min intervals; and group 2 (formoterol), receiving formoterol 24 microg (12+12) as two dry powder capsules each containing 12 microg of formoterol via Aerolizer at 20 min intervals.