Significant incidents during X-ray exposures in humans - assessment and findings of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection.

In Germany, significant incidents must be reported to the competent authority since 12/31/2018 (section 108 Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)). After assessment and evaluation of the reports, the competent authority submits the relevant information via a web-based reporting system (BeVoMed) to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), which publishes the results derived therefrom. The present paper evaluates significant incidents related to X-ray exposures on humans.

Preliminary experience in endoscopic section of posterior urethral valves using the Holmium: YAG laser.

Introduction: Refinements in endoscopic instrumentation, the widespread popularization of endourology and the minimal invasiveness of endoscopic approaches have led to evolving interest in expanding applications for their use and now include incision of posterior urethral valves (PUV). We aimed to report our paediatric experience of PUV incision with Holmium:YAG laser updating of the endoscopic technique, how we set parameters for the laser energy and provide some tips and tricks to increase the likelihood of completing treatment.

Methods: A monocentric, prospective, continuous series of boys with PUV were treated endoscopically using a Holmium: YAG laser (1.

Maximum standardized uptake value of primary tumor (SUVmax_PT) and horizontal range between two most distant PET-positive lymph nodes predict patient outcome in inoperable stage III NSCLC patients after chemoradiotherapy.

Background: 18F-FDG-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a standard for initial staging in patients with locally advanced stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated a PET/CT staging score to characterize disease extension and patient outcome in this disease.

Methods: Ninety-nine consecutive patients with NSCLC stage IIIA-B (UICC 7th edition), who underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT before the start of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) were analyzed.

Toxicity of a combined therapy using the mTOR-inhibitor everolimus and PRRT with [Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in Lewis rats.

Purpose: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with [Lu]Lu-DOTA,TYR-octreotate ([Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor everolimus are both approved for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NET). However, tumour progression is still frequent, and treatment strategies need further improvement. One possible approach could be to combine different therapy options.

Quality of life and neuropsychological development at school age in Hirschsprung's disease.

Purpose: To determine the quality of life and neuropsychological development of school-aged children with Hirschsprung's disease.

Methods: In this observational monocentric study, a multidisciplinary team prospectively assessed quality of life, neuropsychometric development and bowel functional outcomes. This study was registered on ClinicalTrial.

Comprehensive Review of 3D Segmentation Software Tools for MRI Usable for Pelvic Surgery Planning.

Patient-specific 3D modeling is the first step towards image-guided surgery, the actual revolution in surgical care. Pediatric and adolescent patients with rare tumors and malformations should highly benefit from these latest technological innovations, allowing personalized tailored surgery. This study focused on the pelvic region, located at the crossroads of the urinary, digestive, and genital channels with important vascular and nervous structures.

Voxel-wise analysis of dynamic F-FET PET: a novel approach for non-invasive glioma characterisation.

Background: Glioma grading with dynamic F-FET PET (0-40 min p.i.) is typically performed by analysing the mean time-activity curve of the entire tumour or a suspicious area within a heterogeneous tumour.

Characteristics and treatment of new-onset arthritis after checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may cause immune-related adverse events (IRAEs). Characterisation and data on treatment of musculoskeletal IRAEs are scarce. In this cohort study, patients receiving ICI therapy who experienced arthralgia were evaluated for the presence of synovitis.

Long-Term Efficacy of Young-Dees Bladder Neck Reconstruction: Role of the Associated Bladder Neck Injection for the Treatment of Children With Urinary Incontinence.

Objective: To compare the long-term efficacy of Young-Dees bladder neck reconstruction (YDBNR) alone versus YDBNR plus bladder neck injection (BNI) in patients with urinary incontinence caused by urethral sphincter insufficiency.

Patients And Methods: Between 1987 and 2006, we assessed the continence rates obtained with YDBNR and BNI as a supplementary treatment for persistent outlet insufficiency in patients with neurogenic bladder (group 1, n = 35) and bladder exstrophy (group 2, n = 20). Median postoperative follow-up was 16 years (range: 5-29).

Identification of brain regions predicting epileptogenesis by serial [F]GE-180 positron emission tomography imaging of neuroinflammation in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Excessive activation of inflammatory signaling pathways seems to be a hallmark of epileptogenesis. Positron emission tomography (PET) allows in vivo detection of brain inflammation with spatial information and opportunities for longitudinal follow-up scanning protocols. Here, we assessed whether molecular imaging of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) can serve as a biomarker for the development of epilepsy.

Evaluation of early-phase [F]-florbetaben PET acquisition in clinical routine cases.

Objectives: In recent years several [F]-labelled amyloid PET tracers have been developed and have obtained clinical approval. There is accumulating evidence that early (post injection) acquisitions with these tracers are equally informative as conventional blood flow and metabolism studies for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, but there have been few side-by-side studies. Therefore, we investigated the performance of early acquisitions of [F]-florbetaben (FBB) PET compared to [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET in a clinical setting.

[Amyloid positron-emission-tomography with [ F]-florbetaben in the diagnostic workup of dementia patients].

Background: To this day the definite diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease still relies on post-mortem histopathological detection of neurofibrillary tangles and beta-amyloid deposits. Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is a new diagnostic tool that enables the in vivo quantification of pathological beta-amyloid deposits. The aim of the current study was to evaluate to what extent F-florbetaben-PET (FBB-PET) influences the diagnosis of patients with dementia.

Cerebral Glucose Metabolism and Dopaminergic Function in Patients with Corticobasal Syndrome.

Background And Purpose: The corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a clinical diagnosis that comprises a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases manifesting in movement disorder and cognitive impairment. While diagnosis is based upon clinical criteria, there have been a number of molecular imaging studies, albeit in rather small cohorts. Therefore, we investigated the pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism, as well as dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in a large and clinically well-defined cohort.

Monitoring of Tumor Growth with [(18)F]-FET PET in a Mouse Model of Glioblastoma: SUV Measurements and Volumetric Approaches.

Noninvasive tumor growth monitoring is of particular interest for the evaluation of experimental glioma therapies. This study investigates the potential of positron emission tomography (PET) using O-(2-(18)F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ([(18)F]-FET) to determine tumor growth in a murine glioblastoma (GBM) model-including estimation of the biological tumor volume (BTV), which has hitherto not been investigated in the pre-clinical context. Fifteen GBM-bearing mice (GL261) and six control mice (shams) were investigated during 5 weeks by PET followed by autoradiographic and histological assessments.

Early static (18)F-FET-PET scans have a higher accuracy for glioma grading than the standard 20-40 min scans.

Purpose: Current guidelines for glioma imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) using the amino acid analogue O-(2-[(18)F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ((18)F-FET) recommend image acquisition from 20-40 min post injection (p.i.).

The association of aphasia and right-sided motor impairment in corticobasal syndrome.

Corticobasal syndrome is defined clinically on the basis of symptoms and findings related to dysfunction of the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia. Usually, marked asymmetry of motor findings is observed. Although aphasia has now been recognized as a frequent feature of corticobasal syndrome, it remains unclear whether it is usually associated with right-sided motor symptoms, pointing to the involvement of the left hemisphere.

Derivation of a respiration trigger signal in small animal list-mode PET based on respiration-induced variations of the ECG signal.

Background: Raw PET list-mode data contains motion artifacts causing image blurring and decreased spatial resolution. Unless corrected, this leads to underestimation of the tracer uptake and overestimation of the lesion size, as well as inaccuracies with regard to left ventricular volume and ejection fraction (LVEF), especially in small animal imaging.

Methods And Results: A respiratory trigger signal from respiration-induced variations in the electro-cardiogram (ECG) was detected.

In vivo mesenchymal stem cell tracking with PET using the dopamine type 2 receptor and 18F-fallypride.

Unlabelled: Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) represent a promising treatment approach for tissue repair and regeneration. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms and the fate of the transplanted cells. The objective of the presented work was to determine the feasibility of PET imaging and in vivo monitoring after transplantation of dopamine type 2 receptor-expressing cells.

Erroneous cardiac ECG-gated PET list-mode trigger events can be retrospectively identified and replaced by an offline reprocessing approach: first results in rodents.

The assessment of left ventricular function, wall motion and myocardial viability using electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated [(18)F]-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) is widely accepted in human and in preclinical small animal studies. The nonterminal and noninvasive approach permits repeated in vivo evaluations of the same animal, facilitating the assessment of temporal changes in disease or therapy response. Although well established, gated small animal PET studies can contain erroneous gating information, which may yield to blurred images and false estimation of functional parameters.

Impact of partial volume effect correction on cerebral β-amyloid imaging in APP-Swe mice using [(18)F]-florbetaben PET.

We previously investigated the progression of β-amyloid deposition in brain of mice over-expressing amyloid-precursor protein (APP-Swe), a model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in a longitudinal PET study with the novel β-amyloid tracer [(18)F]-florbetaben. There were certain discrepancies between PET and autoradiographic findings, which seemed to arise from partial volume effects (PVE). Since this phenomenon can lead to bias, most especially in the quantitation of brain microPET studies of mice, we aimed in the present study to investigate the magnitude of PVE on [(18)F]-florbetaben quantitation in murine brain, and to establish and validate a useful correction method (PVEC).

Longitudinal assessment of cerebral β-amyloid deposition in mice overexpressing Swedish mutant β-amyloid precursor protein using 18F-florbetaben PET.

Unlabelled: The progression of β-amyloid deposition in the brains of mice overexpressing Swedish mutant β-amyloid precursor protein (APP-Swe), a model of Alzheimer disease (AD), was investigated in a longitudinal PET study using the novel β-amyloid tracer (18)F-florbetaben.

Methods: Groups of APP-Swe and age-matched wild-type (WT) mice (age range, 10-20 mo) were investigated. Dynamic emission recordings were acquired with a small-animal PET scanner during 90 min after the administration of (18)F-florbetaben (9 MBq, intravenously).

Compensation for cranial spill-in into the cerebellum improves quantitation of striatal dopamine D₂/₃ receptors in rats with prolonged [¹⁸F]-DMFP infusions.

The condition of steady-state receptor binding in positron emission tomography (PET) studies is best obtained through the use of a bolus plus steady-infusion paradigm. This is a particularly important consideration in the context of in vivo competition studies, where a pharmacological challenge can be administered during the interval of steady-state ligand binding, as in the case of [¹¹C]-raclopride studies with amphetamine challenge. However, the short half-life of ¹¹C imposes limits on the practical duration of constant infusions.

Validation of the octamouse for simultaneous 18F-fallypride small-animal PET recordings from 8 mice.

Unlabelled: Data collection in preclinical small-animal PET studies has been hindered by the small number of recordings typically obtained for a single radiosynthesis. Therefore, we tested procedures for obtaining 8 simultaneous small-animal PET recordings from the brains of 8 mice using an acrylic anesthesia distributor (the Octamouse), with the dopamine D(2/3) ligand (18)F-fallypride serving as a test substance for brain receptor imaging.

Methods: The effect of scatter correction on the small-animal PET recordings was first evaluated in phantom studies in which sources of different radioactivity concentration were placed within the chambers of the Octamouse.