Contrast-enhanced mammography versus conventional imaging in women recalled from breast cancer screening (RACER trial): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled clinical trial.

Background: Women recalled from breast cancer screening receive post-screening work-up in the hospital with conventional breast imaging. The RACER trial aimed to study whether contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) as primary imaging instead of conventional imaging resulted in more accurate and efficient diagnostic work-up in recalled women.

Methods: In this randomised, controlled trial (registered under NL6413/NTR6589) participants were allocated using deterministic minimisation to CEM or conventional imaging as a primary work-up tool in two general and two academic hospitals.

How subjective CT image quality assessment becomes surprisingly reliable: pairwise comparisons instead of Likert scale.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to improve the reliability of subjective IQ assessment using a pairwise comparison (PC) method instead of a Likert scale method in abdominal CT scans.

Methods: Abdominal CT scans (single-center) were retrospectively selected between September 2019 and February 2020 in a prior study. Sample variance in IQ was obtained by adding artificial noise using dedicated reconstruction software, including reconstructions with filtered backprojection and varying iterative reconstruction strengths.

Optical coherence tomography for diagnosing recurrent or residual basal cell carcinoma after topical treatment: A diagnostic cohort study.

Background: Recurrent/residual basal cell carcinoma (BCC) after topical treatment may not be visible during clinical and dermatoscopic examination (CDE). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) may detect these subclinical recurrences or residues.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of CDE with that of CDE combined with OCT (CDE-OCT) for detecting recurrent/residual BCC after topical treatment of superficial BCC.

The performance of contrast-enhanced mammography and breast MRI in local preoperative staging of invasive lobular breast cancer.

Purpose: Breast MRI is considered the best modality for preoperative staging of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). However, contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) shows comparable diagnostic performance to MRI, but evidence of CEM's accuracy in women diagnosed with ILC is scant. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate CEM and MRI accuracy in preoperative staging of ILC.

BMI is not independently associated with coronary artery calcification in a large single-center CT cohort.

Objective: Obesity is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD mortality. However, previous reports showed a paradoxical protective effect in patients with known CVD referred as "obesity paradox". Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with coronary artery calcification (CAC) in a large outpatient cardiac CT cohort.

Treatment of Actinic Keratosis: Does Effectiveness Depend on the Location?

This is a comment on a network meta-analysis that evaluated the ranking of treatments for actinic keratosis outside the head and neck. The results of a limited number of heterogeneous studies contrast with the results of studies in the head and neck area. The extent to which these results can be generalized to larger treatment fields or areas with extensive field cancerization is uncertain.

Assessment and determinants of whole blood and plasma fibrinolysis in patients with mild bleeding symptoms.

Enhanced clot lysis is associated with bleeding, but assessment of lysis capacity remains difficult. The plasma turbidity lysis and whole blood tissue Plasminogen Activator-Rotational Thromboelastometry (tPA-ROTEM) assays estimate fibrinolysis under more physiological conditions than clinically used assays. We hypothesized that these assays could find signs of enhanced lysis capacity in patients who report bleeding symptoms, but are not diagnosed with bleeding disorders.

Preoperative screening for bleeding disorders: A comprehensive laboratory assessment of clinical practice.

Background: Patients with mild bleeding disorders are at risk of perioperative bleeding, but screening for these disorders remains challenging.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the prevalence of hemostatic abnormalities in patients with and without reported bleeding symptoms on a preoperative questionnaire, consisting of guideline-proposed questions, and appraised the diagnostic value of several screening modalities for the identification of patients with hemostatic abnormalities.

Methods: In this observational study, 240 patients with and 95 patients without bleeding symptoms on the preoperative questionnaire were included.

The Effect of Stenting on Venous Hypertension: Results Using a Treadmill Stress Test with Invasive Pressure Measurements in Patients with Iliofemoral Venous Obstruction.

Objectives: The primary aim was to investigate whether stenting of post-thrombotic iliofemoral obstruction reduces venous hypertension. The secondary aim was to establish whether improvement in haemodynamic parameters impacts on quality of life.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 12 participants with unilateral post-thrombotic obstruction of the iliac and/or common femoral veins (CFVs) underwent a treadmill stress test with invasive pressure measurements in the CFVs and dorsal foot veins of both affected and non-affected limbs.

Screening for platelet function disorders with Multiplate and platelet function analyzer.

Light transmission aggregation (LTA) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of platelet function disorders (PFDs), but it is time-consuming and limited to specialized laboratories. Whole-blood impedance aggregometry (Multiplate) and platelet function analyzer (PFA) may be used as rapid screening tools to exclude PFDs. The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic performance of Multiplate and PFA for PFDs, as detected by LTA.

Prognostic significance of early aortic remodeling in acute uncomplicated type B aortic dissection and intramural hematoma.

Background: Patients with Stanford type B aortic dissections (ADs) are at risk of long-term disease progression and late complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the natural course and evolution of acute type B AD and intramural hematomas (IMHs) in patients who presented without complications during their initial hospital admission and who were treated with optimal medical management (MM).

Methods: Databases from 2 aortic centers in Europe and the United States were used to identify 136 patients with acute type B AD (n = 92) and acute type B IMH (n = 44) who presented without complications during their index admission and were treated with MM.

Computed Tomography Imaging Features in Acute Uncomplicated Stanford Type-B Aortic Dissection Predict Late Adverse Events.

Background: Medical treatment of initially uncomplicated acute Stanford type-B aortic dissection is associated with a high rate of late adverse events. Identification of individuals who potentially benefit from preventive endografting is highly desirable.

Methods And Results: The association of computed tomography imaging features with late adverse events was retrospectively assessed in 83 patients with acute uncomplicated Stanford type-B aortic dissection, followed over a median of 850 (interquartile range 247-1824) days.

Comparison of the prognostic value of negative non-invasive cardiac investigations in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease-a meta-analysis.

Aims: To compare the prognostic value of negative non-invasive cardiac investigations (coronary computed tomographic angiography [CCTA], cardiovascular magnetic resonance [CMR], exercise electrocardiographic testing [EET], positron emission tomography [PET], stress-echocardiography [SE], and single-photon emission tomography [SPECT]) in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) and to explore the effect of adjustment for population event risk and presence of CAD.

Methods And Results: MEDLINE/PubMed database, EMBASE and Cochrane Library were searched from January-1990 to April-2015 for studies reporting annual event rates (AER) of myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiac death. Pooled estimates of AERs were calculated using a DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model.

4D-CTA improves diagnostic certainty and accuracy in the detection of proximal intracranial anterior circulation occlusion in acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction: In acute ischemic stroke, imaging of the cranio-cervical vessels is essential for intra-arterial treatment selection. Fast, reliable and easy accessible imaging is necessary 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Radiologists in training and non-expert readers often perform initial reviewing.

The Diagnostic Value of MR Imaging in Determining the Lymph Node Status of Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose To summarize existing evidence of thoracic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in determining the nodal status of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the aim of elucidating its diagnostic value on a per-patient basis (eg, in treatment decision making) and a per-node basis (eg, in target volume delineation for radiation therapy), with results of cytologic and/or histologic examination as the reference standard. Materials and Methods A systematic literature search for original diagnostic studies was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and MEDLINE. The methodologic quality of each study was evaluated by using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2, or QUADAS-2, tool.

Unstable coronary plaque characteristics are associated with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide.

Background: Unstable plaque characteristics on coronary CT angiography (CTA), serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations are associated with cardiovascular events.

Objective: To investigate the association between coronary CTA defined quantifiable plaque characteristics, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP.

Methods: 81 consecutive stable chest pain patients with an intermediate-to-high risk were analyzed.

Endovascular treatment of complex aortic aneurysms: prevalence of acute kidney injury and effect on long-term renal function.

Objectives: To analyse predictors for short- and long-term renal function changes after fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair (EVAR).

Methods: A total of 157 patients underwent fenestrated and branched EVAR. Procedural intra-arterial iodinated contrast volume was documented.

Quantification of Respiratory Movement of the Aorta and Side Branches.

Purpose: To assess and quantify the magnitude and direction of respiratory movement of the aorta and origins of its side branches.

Methods: A quantitative 3-dimensional (3D) subtraction analysis of computed tomography (CT) scans during inspiration and expiration was performed to determine the respiratory geometric movements of the aorta and side branches in 60 patients. During breath-hold expiration and inspiration, 1-mm-thick CT slices of the aorta were acquired in unenhanced and contrast-enhanced scans.

Diagnostic Performance of Dedicated Axillary T2- and Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging for Nodal Staging in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of unenhanced axillary T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for axillary nodal staging in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, with node-by-node and patient-by-patient validation.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. Fifty women (mean age, 60 years; range, 22-80 years) underwent high-spatial-resolution axillary 3.

Fusion guidance in endovascular peripheral artery interventions: a feasibility study.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of endovascular guidance by means of live fluoroscopy fusion with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Methods: Fusion guidance was evaluated in 20 endovascular peripheral artery interventions in 17 patients. Fifteen patients had received preinterventional diagnostic MRA and two patients had undergone CTA.

Automated quantification of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) in coronary CT angiography; comparison with manual assessment and correlation with coronary artery disease.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is emerging as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD).

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the applicability and efficiency of automated EAT quantification.

Methods: EAT volume was assessed both manually and automatically in 157 patients undergoing coronary CT angiography.

Diagnosing intracranial aneurysms with MR angiography: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MR angiography (MRA) in the diagnosis of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

Methods: A systematic search was performed on 4 electronic databases on relevant articles that were published from January 1998 to October 2013. Inclusion criteria were met by 12 studies that compared MRA with digital subtraction angiography as reference standard.