Image Quality of Lumbar Spine Imaging at 0.55T Low-Field MRI is Comparable to Conventional 1.5T MRI - Initial Observations in Healthy Volunteers.

Rationale And Objectives: To assess the potential of 0.55T low-field MRI system in lumbar spine imaging with and without the use of additional advanced postprocessing techniques.

Materials And Methods: The lumbar spine of 14 volunteers (32.

Prospective Assessment of Cerebral Microbleeds with Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (0.55 Tesla MRI).

Purpose: Accurate detection of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) on susceptibility-weighted (SWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for the characterization of many neurological diseases. Low-field MRI offers greater access at lower costs and lower infrastructural requirements, but also reduced susceptibility artifacts. We therefore evaluated the diagnostic performance for the detection of CMBs of a whole-body low-field MRI in a prospective cohort of suspected stroke patients compared to an established 1.

Metal implants on abdominal CT: does split-filter dual-energy CT provide additional value over iterative metal artifact reduction?

Purpose: To assess image quality and metal artifact reduction in split-filter dual-energy CT (sfDECT) of the abdomen with hip or spinal implants using virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) and iterative metal artifact reduction algorithm (iMAR).

Methods: 102 portal-venous abdominal sfDECTs of patients with hip (n = 71) or spinal implants (n = 31) were included in this study. Images were reconstructed as 120kVp-equivalent images (Mixed) and VMI (40-190 keV), with and without iMAR.

Potential of Stroke Imaging Using a New Prototype of Low-Field MRI: A Prospective Direct 0.55 T/1.5 T Scanner Comparison.

Objectives: Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of mortality and acquired disability worldwide and thus plays an enormous health-economic role. Imaging of choice is computed-tomographic (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially diffusion-weighted (DW) sequences. However, MR imaging is associated with high costs and therefore has a limited availability leading to low-field-MRI techniques increasingly coming into focus.

Toward a Platform for Structured Data Acquisition in Oncology: A Pilot Study on Prostate Cancer Screening.

Introduction: Physicians spend an ever-rising amount of time to collect relevant information from highly variable medical reports and integrate them into the patient's health condition.

Objectives: We compared synoptic reporting based on data elements to narrative reporting in order to evaluate its capabilities to collect and integrate clinical information.

Methods: We developed a novel system to align medical reporting to data integration requirements and tested it in prostate cancer screening.

Orthopaedic surgeons do not consult radiology reports. Fact or fiction?

Purpose: To find out how orthopaedic surgeons handle radiological reports and to identify ways to improve musculoskeletal radiology service and interdisciplinary communication.

Method: An anonymised 14-question online survey was distributed among 27 orthopaedic departments in German-speaking parts of Europe. It was available to trainees and consultants between 22/10/2020 and 05/06/2021.

Automated Detection of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions on CT Using Deep Learning.

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL) are a frequent and underreported incidental finding on CT scans and can transform into neoplasms with devastating consequences. We developed and evaluated an algorithm based on a two-step nnU-Net architecture for automated detection of PCL on CTs. A total of 543 cysts on 221 abdominal CTs were manually segmented in 3D by a radiology resident in consensus with a board-certified radiologist specialized in abdominal radiology.

Ulnar collateral ligament injuries of the first metacarpophalangeal joint: prevalence of associated injuries on radiographs and MRI.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of associated findings at the first metacarpophalangeal joint on radiographs and MRI following acute ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 25 patients with an injury of the UCL at MRI. Presence of associated injuries to the volar ligaments (checkrein and phalangoglenoid ligaments and volar plate) was assessed on radiographs and MRI independently by two musculoskeletal radiologists.

Whole-Body High-Pitch CT Angiography: Strategies to Reduce Radiation Dose and Contrast Volume.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the noninferiority of dual-source high-pitch CT angiography (CTA) performed with high-concentration (iopamidol 370) low-volume (60 mL) iodinated contrast material at low voltage (100 kVp) in comparison with dual-source high-pitch CTA with standard-of-care low-concentration (iopamidol 300) standard-volume (75 mL) iodinated contrast material at high voltage (120 kVp) to determine whether use of the high-concentration low-volume method would afford a reduction in radiation dose and contrast volume without negatively affecting vascular opacification.

Subjects And Methods: This study had three arms. A phantom was used to assess vascular contrast enhancement at different iodine and saline solution dilutions with iopamidol 300 or 370 to compare lower-iodination (iopamidol 300) high-voltage (120 kVp) high-pitch (120 kVp, 250 mAs) imaging with higher-iodination (iopamidol 370) low-voltage (100 kVp) high-pitch (100 kVp, 100-240 mAs) acquisition.

Persistent blood glucose reduction upon repeated transcranial electric stimulation in men.

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the human brain increases systemic glucose tolerance.

Objective/hypothesis: To investigate whether this effect persists after one week of repeated stimulation. Because systemic glucose uptake relates to brain energy homeostasis, we concomitantly measured cerebral high-energy phosphate metabolites.

Initial Results of a Single-Source Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Technique Using a Split-Filter: Assessment of Image Quality, Radiation Dose, and Accuracy of Dual-Energy Applications in an In Vitro and In Vivo Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the image quality, radiation dose, and accuracy of virtual noncontrast images and iodine quantification of split-filter dual-energy computed tomography (CT) using a single x-ray source in a phantom and patient study.

Materials And Methods: In a phantom study, objective image quality and accuracy of iodine quantification were evaluated for the split-filter dual-energy mode using a tin and gold filter. In a patient study, objective image quality and radiation dose were compared in thoracoabdominal CT of 50 patients between the standard single-energy and split-filter dual-energy mode.