Increased muscle fiber fractional anisotropy value using diffusion tensor imaging after compression without fiber injury.

Background: Recent studies have indicated that injuries such as muscle tears modify the microstructural integrity of muscle, leading to substantial alterations in measured diffusion parameters. Therefore, the fractional anisotropy (FA) value decreases. However, we hypothesized that soft tissue, such as muscle tissue, undergoes reversible changes under conditions of compression without fiber injury.

A Preliminary Study to Use SUVmax of FDG PET-CT as an Identifier of Lesion for Artificial Intelligence.

Diagnostic reports contribute not only to the particular patient, but also to constructing massive training dataset in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is often described in daily diagnostic reports of [F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) - computed tomography (CT). If SUVmax can be used as an identifier of lesion, that would greatly help AI interpret diagnostic reports.

Development of Combination Methods for Detecting Malignant Uptakes Based on Physiological Uptake Detection Using Object Detection With PET-CT MIP Images.

Deep learning technology is now used for medical imaging. YOLOv2 is an object detection model using deep learning. Here, we applied YOLOv2 to FDG-PET images to detect the physiological uptake on the images.

A convolutional neural network-based system to classify patients using FDG PET/CT examinations.

Background: As the number of PET/CT scanners increases and FDG PET/CT becomes a common imaging modality for oncology, the demands for automated detection systems on artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent human oversight and misdiagnosis are rapidly growing. We aimed to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based system that can classify whole-body FDG PET as 1) benign, 2) malignant or 3) equivocal.

Methods: This retrospective study investigated 3485 sequential patients with malignant or suspected malignant disease, who underwent whole-body FDG PET/CT at our institute.

F-FMISO PET/CT detects hypoxic lesions of cardiac and extra-cardiac involvement in patients with sarcoidosis.

Background: F-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) is a hypoxia positron emission tomography (PET) tracer. Here, we evaluated cardiac and extra-cardiac sarcoidosis using both FMISO and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in a prospective cohort of patients with sarcoidosis.

Methods: Ten consecutive sarcoidosis patients with suspected cardiac involvement were prospectively enrolled.

Influence of the scan time point when assessing hypoxia in F-fluoromisonidazole PET: 2 vs. 4 h.

Purpose: F-fluoromisonidazole (F-FMISO) is the most widely used positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for imaging tumor hypoxia. Previous reports suggested that the time from injection to the scan may affect the assessment of F-FMISO uptake. Herein, we directly compared the images at 2 h and 4 h after a single injection of F-FMISO.

The rate of myocardial perfusion recovery after steroid therapy and its implication for cardiac events in cardiac sarcoidosis and primarily preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disorder of unknown cause characterized by immune granuloma formation in the involved organs. Few studies have reported on the myocardial perfusion changes by immunosuppression therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Additionally, the relationship between myocardial perfusion changes and prognosis is unknown.

A convolutional neural network-based system to prevent patient misidentification in FDG-PET examinations.

Patient misidentification in imaging examinations has become a serious problem in clinical settings. Such misidentification could be prevented if patient characteristics such as sex, age, and body weight could be predicted based on an image of the patient, with an alert issued when a mismatch between the predicted and actual patient characteristic is detected. Here, we tested a simple convolutional neural network (CNN)-based system that predicts patient sex from FDG PET-CT images.

Which is the proper reference tissue for measuring the change in FDG PET metabolic volume of cardiac sarcoidosis before and after steroid therapy?

Background: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease that causes conduction disturbance, systolic dysfunction, and, most notably, sudden cardiac death. F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) plays important roles not only in diagnosing CS but also in evaluating the effects of anti-inflammatory therapy. A volume-based analysis of parameters measured by FDG PET, so-called cardiac metabolic volume (CMV), has emerged as a new assessment tool.

Highly Accurate Analysis of the Cervical Neural Tract of the Elderly Using ZOOM DTI.

Objective: To investigate the fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the cervical spinal cord in elderly individuals using zonally magnified oblique multislice (ZOOM) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Methods: Fourteen healthy elderly volunteers (group E) and 10 young volunteers (group Y) were enrolled. We assessed the FA, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and λ1-λ3 values using 3-T magnetic resonance imaging.

The Reliability of Reduced Field-of-view DTI for Highly Accurate Quantitative Assessment of Cervical Spinal Cord Tracts.

Purpose: To compare the accuracy of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values between reduced FOV or so-called zonally oblique multislice (ZOOM) and conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in the cervical spinal cord.

Methods: Both ZOOM and conventional DTI were performed on 10 healthy volunteers. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the reliability of the measurements obtained.

Renal Mucinous Tubular and Spindle Cell Carcinoma Shows a High Uptake on F-FDG PET/CT.

We herein report a rare case of mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) in an 80-year-old woman. A well circumscribed tumor located on the right kidney was discovered incidentally as a result of screening non-contrast CT. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)/CT showed the increased tracer accumulation in the tumor.

Serial Arterial Spin Labeling May Be Useful in Assessing the Therapeutic Course of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Case Reports.

We report two cases of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) which serial arterial spin labeling (ASL) was useful in evaluating the clinical course of the disease. A 48-year-old female presented with acute seizure, and was diagnosed as transverse-sigmoid sinus thrombosis. ASL imaging revealed low signal intensity in the right temporal lobe, suggesting the decreased perfusion by elevated venous pressure.