The existing fellowship imaging informatics curriculum, established in 2004, has not undergone formal revision since its inception and inaccurately reflects present-day radiology infrastructure. It insufficiently equips trainees for today's informatics challenges as current practices require an understanding of advanced informatics processes and more complex system integration. We sought to address this issue by surveying imaging informatics fellowship program directors across the country to determine the components and cutline for essential topics in a standardized imaging informatics curriculum, the consensus on essential versus supplementary knowledge, and the factors individual programs may use to determine if a newly developed topic is an essential topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fastest growing cause of cancer death in the United States with the incidence rate more than doubling in 20 years. HCC is unique since a noninvasive diagnosis can be achieved with imaging alone when specific clinical criteria and imaging characteristics are met, obviating the need for tissue sampling. However, HCC is a highly heterogeneous neoplasm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale And Objectives: Imaging Informatics is an emerging and fast-evolving field that encompasses the management of information during all steps of the imaging value chain. With many information technology tools being essential to the radiologists' day-to-day work, there is an increasing need for qualified professionals with clinical background, technology expertise, and leadership skills. To answer this, we describe our experience in the development and implementation of an Integrated Imaging Informatics Track (I3T) for radiology residents at our institution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalakoplakia is a rare benign lesion, usually associated with deficient intralysosomal degradation of microorganisms, more commonly, . Malakoplakia occurs in various organ systems, the most frequently affected site being the urinary bladder. We report a rare case of isolated extensive malakoplakia involving the prostate, diagnosed on transurethral resection performed for radiologically suspected prostatic abscesses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter experiencing blunt or penetrating trauma, patients in unstable condition who are more likely to die of uncorrected shock than of incomplete injury repairs undergo emergency limited exploratory laparotomy, which is also known as (DCS). This surgery is part of a series of resuscitation steps, with the goal of stabilizing the patient's condition, with rapid surgical control of hemorrhage followed by supportive measures in the intensive care unit before definitive repair of injuries. These patients often are imaged with multidetector CT within 24-48 hours of the initial surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffective and dedicated educators are critical to the preservation and advancement of the practice of radiology. The need for innovative and adaptable educators is increasingly being recognized, with several institutions granting academic promotions through clinician-educator tracks. The implementation of resident "clinician-educator tracks" or "teaching tracks" should better prepare residents aspiring to become academic radiologists focused on teaching.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Hippocratic oath and the Belmont report articulate foundational principles for how physicians interact with patients and research subjects. The increasing use of big data and artificial intelligence techniques demands a re-examination of these principles in light of the potential issues surrounding privacy, confidentiality, data ownership, informed consent, epistemology, and inequities. Patients have strong opinions about these issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary hepatic malignancies are less common than metastatic diseases, but a recognition of these lesions is important for diagnosis and treatment planning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides the most imaging information to diagnose lesions noninvasively and to narrow differential diagnoses. This paper reviews the imaging findings of chronic liver disease and primary hepatic malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, hepatic angiosarcoma, and primary hepatic lymphoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParaduodenal pancreatitis, also known as groove pancreatitis, is a rare form of chronic pancreatitis that masquerades as pancreatic adenocarcinoma affecting the pancreaticoduodenal groove, a potential space between the head of the pancreas, duodenum, and common bile duct. Two forms of groove pancreatitis have been described. The segmental form involves the pancreatic head with development of scar tissue within the groove, whereas the pure form affects the groove only, sparing the pancreatic head.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfertility is defined herein as the inability to achieve pregnancy after frequently engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse for 1 year. Among infertile couples, the cause of infertility involves the male partner in approximately 50% of cases. Male infertility is usually caused by conditions affecting sperm production, sperm function, or both, or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess the value of arterial phase imaging (ART) in the detection of liver metastases on CT compared to portal venous phase imaging (PV) alone in patients with primary sarcomas.
Methods: Multiphasic abdominal computed tomography (CT) images of patients with tissue-proven sarcomas were reviewed by five abdominal radiologists in a staggered fashion. Up to three of the largest or most conspicuous liver lesions were characterized on a four-point confidence level for PV independently, followed by PV + ART.
Hematospermia is a challenging and anxiety-provoking condition that can manifest as a single episode or recur over the course of weeks to months. It is usually a benign self-limiting condition in younger sexually active males without a history of risk factors such as cancer, urogenital malformations, bleeding disorders, and their associated symptoms. However, patients with recurrent, refractory and painful hematospermia with associated symptoms, such as fever, pain, or weight loss, require evaluation through clinical assessment and noninvasive investigations to rule out underlying pathologic conditions such as ejaculatory obstruction, infectious and inflammatory causes, malignancy, vascular malformations, and systemic disorders that increase the risk of bleeding, especially when presenting in older men.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To evaluate the utility of dynamic, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in combination with single-shot T2-weighted (ssT2) sequences in the differentiation of lipid-poor adrenal adenomas from non-adenomas.
Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and is HIPAA compliant. Between January 2007 and December 2010, 46 patients with MRI demonstrating a lipid-poor adrenal lesion who underwent either surgical resection or a minimum of 24 months of imaging follow-up were identified retrospectively.
Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is the second most common tumor in adult transplant recipients. Most cases of PTLD are attributed to Epstein-Barr virus. Decreased levels of immunosurveillance against this tumor virus as a result of immunosuppressive regimens are thought to account for most cases of PTLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The purpose of this study was to determine MDCT dose variability due to technologist variability in performing CT studies.
Materials And Methods: Fifty consecutive adult patients who underwent two portal venous phase CT examinations of the abdomen and pelvis on the same 64-MDCT scanner between January and December 2011 were retrospectively identified. Tube voltage (kVp), tube current (mA), use of automated tube current modulation (ATCM), dose-length product (DLP), volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), table height, whether the localizer image was obtained using the posteroanterior or the anteroposterior technique, arm position, and number of overscanned slices were recorded.