Is CT Radiomics Superior to Morphological Evaluation for pN0 Characterization? A Pilot Study in Colon Cancer.

The aim of this study was to compare CT radiomics and morphological features when assessing benign lymph nodes (LNs) in colon cancer (CC). This retrospective study included 100 CC patients (test cohort) who underwent a preoperative CT examination and were diagnosed as pN0 after surgery. Regional LNs were scored with a morphological Likert scale (NODE-SCORE) and divided into two groups: low likelihood (LLM: 0-2 points) and high likelihood (HLM: 3-7 points) of malignancy.

Building community through higher music education: a training program for facilitating musical engagement among older adults.

Preparing music students to design and carry out community-based initiatives can be an effective way to enhance their employability and their wellbeing. With a large body of evidence now pointing to the benefits of musical engagement for older adults, both for individuals and for society as a whole, there is considerable opportunity and value in training aspiring professional musicians to work with and on behalf of those in their third and fourth age. This article describes a seminar designed by a Swiss conservatoire in collaboration with local nursing homes involving residents and music university students in a 10-week group music making program.

Trans-vaginal repair of recurrent rectovaginal fistula with interposition of BIO-A Tissue Reinforcement.

Rectovaginal fistulas (RVFs) represent the majority of all symptomatic leakages after anterior and low anterior resection in women. Conservative management is useful in paucisymptomatic patients with small fistulas but is usually unsuccessful in all other cases. The surgical strategies are various and heavily dependent on the type and extent of anatomic involvement.

Music in the life of nursing home residents.

Background: Making and listening to music can be beneficial for older adults. However, little is known about how and to what extent those who live in nursing homes have access to music and the functions that music plays in their lives.

Methods: This study involved 20 residents who volunteered from six nursing homes in Switzerland.

Differential diagnoses of COVID-19 pneumonia: the current challenge for the radiologist-a pictorial essay.

Background: COVID-19 pneumonia represents the most severe pandemic of the twenty-first century and has crucial clinical, social and economical implications. The scientific community has focused attention and resources on clinical and radiological features of COVID-19 pneumonia. Few papers analysing the vast spectrum of differential diagnoses have been published.

Art for Ages: The Effects of Group Music Making on the Wellbeing of Nursing Home Residents.

In many countries, life expectancy has increased considerably in past years, and the importance of finding ways to ensure good levels of wellbeing through aging has become more important than ever. Arts based interventions are promising in this respect, and the literature suggests that musical activities can reduce isolation and anxiety and foster feelings of achievement and self-confidence. The present study examined the effects of group music making programs on the health and wellbeing of nursing home residents in Southern Switzerland.

Magnetic Resonance of Rectal Cancer Response to Therapy: An Image Quality Comparison between 3.0 and 1.5 Tesla.

Purpose: To evaluate signal intensity (SI) differences between 3.0 T and 1.5 T on T2-weighted (T2w), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in rectal cancer pre-, during, and postneoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

Groove pancreatitis: a challenging imaging diagnosis.

Groove pancreatitis (GP) is an uncommon form of chronic pancreatitis (CP) involving the space between duodenum, pancreatic head and common bile duct (CBD) known as pancreatic-duodenal groove. Although an association with long-standing ethanol assumption is reported a definite etiology of GP is unknown. Since thickening of the duodenal wall, pancreatic head enlargement, CBD stricture and dilatation of pancreatic duct system are common findings the differential diagnosis with pancreatic head neoplasm by means of imaging can be challenging.

Layered enhancement at magnetic resonance enterography in inflammatory bowel disease: A meta-analysis.

Background: Documentation of disease activity in patients affected by Crohn's disease (CD) is mandatory in order to manage patients properly. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the reference cross-sectional technique for the assessment of CD activity. Among MRI findings, layered pattern (LP) of contrast enhancement seems to be one of the most significant signs of severe disease activity; however, it has also been associated with chronic disease and mural fibrosis.

Minimally invasive management of rare giant Bochdalek hernia in adults.

Bochdaleck hernia (BH) is a congenital diaphragmatic hernia that presents after birth with respiratory symptoms and needs surgical treatment in the neonatal period. However, there are some rare cases of adult presentation, which require surgery to avoid complications. BHs can be treated through several approaches, including laparoscopy.

Multidetector CT in emergency radiology: acute and generalized non-traumatic abdominal pain.

Multidetector CT (MDCT) is an imaging technique that provides otherwise unobtainable information in the diagnostic work-up of patients presenting with acute abdominal pain. A correct working diagnosis depends essentially on understanding the individual patient's clinical data and laboratory findings. In haemodynamically stable patients with acute severe and generalized abdominal pain, MDCT is now the preferred imaging test and gives invaluable diagnostic information, also in unstable patients after stabilization.

MRI of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEH).

Purpose: To investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of hepatic epithelioid hemangionendothelioma (HEH).

Materials And Methods: The study was exempted from formal Ethics Committee approval due to its retrospective and noninvasive nature. Eleven patients with histology-proven HEH were collected from six different institutions in a 5-year time period.

High concentration (400 mgI/mL) versus low concentration (320 mgI/mL) iodinated contrast media in multi detector computed tomography of the liver: a randomized, single centre, non-inferiority study.

Objectives: To compare vascular and parenchymal contrast enhancement in multidetector computed tomography of the liver using two contrast media with different iodine concentration (Iodixanol 320 mgI/mL and Iomeprol 400 mgI/mL) and similar viscosity, using fixed total iodine volume (40 gI) and iodine delivery rate (1.6 gI/s).

Methods: 110 patients were prospectively randomized into two groups.

The optimal contrast media policy in CT of the liver. Part I: Technical notes.

Latest developments of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), which is today considered a real volumetric technique, have revolutionized abdominal imaging. Technological improvements such as higher spatial resolution, larger volume coverage and higher temporal resolution, have reduced scan times allowing CT studies of the abdomen within a single breath-hold. Furthermore, the increased number of slices, the submillimetric collimation, and the use of multiple dynamic post-contrast phases per single examination, may all contribute to increase the radiation exposure of single patients.

The optimal contrast media policy in CT of the liver. Part II: Clinical protocols.

The advent of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) revolutionized abdominal imaging. In particular, the definitive assessment of CT injection protocols, for the evaluation of the liver parenchyma, is still a critical issue for radiologists. Over the last years, this feature encouraged several authors to address their efforts to find the most accurate delay between the contrast medium injection and the effective scan-start, for the identification and characterization of liver lesions.

Sixty-four-multidetector-row computed tomography angiography with bolus tracking to time arterial-phase imaging in healthy liver: is there a correlation between quantitative and qualitative scores?

Purpose: To determine the optimal 64-multidetector-row computed tomography scan delay from bolus-tracking trigger for the arterial phase and the evaluation of vascularization in healthy liver.

Materials And Methods: One hundred twenty patients are randomized into 3 groups according to scan delay (5-, 10-, 15-second arterial phase) and underwent CT of the liver. Images were evaluated on the basis of quantitative and qualitative scores.

Dual energy CT (DECT) of the liver: conventional versus virtual unenhanced images.

Objective: To compare image quality and noise of conventional unenhanced (CU) and virtual unenhanced (VU) images in patients who underwent hepatic dual energy computed tomography (DECT) and to assess potential radiation dose reduction.

Materials And Methods: Forty consecutive patients were studied. Mean CU and VU image quality and noise were analyzed by two blinded radiologists using a five-point grade scale.

Anatomic variations of the hepatic arteries in 250 patients studied with 64-row CT angiography.

The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of different hepatic arterial variants identified on abdominal CT angiography (CTA) with a 64-row CT system and a high resolution protocol. A total of 250 consecutive abdominal CTAs performed on a 64-row CT system were evaluated. Two radiologists in consensus analyzed arterial phase images; the anatomical findings were grouped according to Michels' classification.

Current status of MR imaging in the evaluation of IBD in a pediatric population of patients.

Diagnosis and follow-up of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children represent a challenging issue for pediatricians. Nowadays MR studies of the bowel represent a valid diagnostic tool especially in the diagnosis and follow-up of ileal and perianal Crohn's disease in children as well as in adults. The lack of ionizing radiation of MRI enhances the interest of clinicians with respect to CT studies of the bowel in children.

Anatomical variations of the coeliac trunk and the mesenteric arteries evaluated with 64-row CT angiography.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of 64-row computed tomography angiography (CTA) in the study of vascular anatomy by assessing the incidence of anatomical variations of the origin of the coeliac trunk, mesenteric arteries and collateral branches.

Materials And Methods: Sixty patients were evaluated with 64-row CTA (VCT, General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) with a collimation of 0.625 mm after the injection of iodinated nonionic contrast material (4 ml/s).

Not all symptoms disappear after vascular ring division: a pathophysiological interpretation.

Vascular rings are a group of cardiovascular lesions due to faulty embryological development derived from an abnormality of neural crest cells (cephalic neurocristopathy). In addition to peculiar symptoms due to compression on the trachea and/or the esophagus, patients with vascular rings might present further features of neural crest-related defects. We report on a case of a child with complete vascular ring, affected both by compressive symptoms and by autonomic disturbances and minor facial anomalies.

Spectrum of normal findings, anatomic variants and pathology of ileocecal valve: CT colonography appearances and endoscopic correlation.

Knowledge of the potential variants of ileocecal valve, the most frequent pathologic conditions as well as some pitfalls encountered during the analysis of CT Colonography images are thus indispensable for radiologists who perform and interpret such examinations and for general practitioners who are approaching this technique. Awareness of these different diagnostic possibilities is mandatory for radiologists evaluating CT Colonography datasets. Combined analysis of 2D axial and reformatted slices and 3D endoluminal views provides the highest level of diagnostic accuracy.

MRI and ultrasound for hepatic fat quantification:relationships to clinical and metabolic characteristics of pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate hepatic steatosis severity in a series of obese children through both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, and to correlate imaging findings to clinical and metabolic characteristics of the study population.

Methods: Fifty obese children presenting hepatomegaly and/or elevated aminotransferases were candidates for assessment of hepatic fat fraction (HFF) by MRI. All subjects underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan measurement, and liver ultrasound scanning.