Explainable fully automated CT scoring of interstitial lung disease for patients suspected of systemic sclerosis by cascaded regression neural networks and its comparison with experts.

Visual scoring of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) from CT scans is laborious, subjective and time-consuming. This study aims to develop a deep learning framework to automate SSc-ILD scoring. The automated framework is a cascade of two neural networks.

Accuracy and precision of Volumetric Matching Micromotion Analysis (V3MA) is similar to RSA for tibial component migration in TKA.

Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is the current gold standard to determine implant migration, but it requires bone markers and special equipment. Therefore, we developed VoluMetric Matching Micromotion Analysis (V3MA), a software program for Computed Tomography-based radiostereometric analysis (CT-RSA). This study aimed to determine the accuracy and precision of V3MA in vitro compared to RSA and provide a clinical proof of concept.

Automated quantification of the pulmonary vasculature in pulmonary embolism and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

The shape and distribution of vascular lesions in pulmonary embolism (PE) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are different. We investigated whether automated quantification of pulmonary vascular morphology and densitometry in arteries and veins imaged by computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) could distinguish PE from CTEPH. We analyzed CTPA images from a cohort of 16 PE patients, 6 CTEPH patients, and 15 controls.

MRI of diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumour in the knee: a guide for diagnosis and treatment response assessment.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumour (TGCT) is a rare soft-tissue tumour originating from synovial lining of joints, bursae and tendon sheaths. The tumour comprises two subtypes: the localised-type (L-TGCT) is characterised by a single, well-defined lesion, whereas the diffuse-type (D-TGCT) consists of multiple lesions without clear margins. D-TGCT was previously known as pigmented villonodular synovitis.

MRI-based 3D retinal shape determination.

Objective: To establish a good method to determine the retinal shape from MRI using three-dimensional (3D) ellipsoids as well as evaluate its reproducibility.

Methods And Analysis: The left eyes of 31 volunteers were imaged using high-resolution ocular MRI. The 3D MR-images were segmented and ellipsoids were fitted to the resulting contours.

An Automatic Framework to Create Patient-specific Eye Models From 3D Magnetic Resonance Images for Treatment Selection in Patients With Uveal Melanoma.

Purpose: The optimal treatment strategy for uveal melanoma (UM) relies on many factors, the most important being tumor size and location. Building on recent developments in high-resolution 3D ocular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we developed an automatic image-processing framework to create patient-specific eye models and to subsequently determine the full 3D tumor shape and size automatically.

Methods And Materials: From 15 patients with UM, 3D inversion-recovery gradient-echo (T1-weighted) and 3D fat-suppressed spin-echo (T2-weighted) images were acquired with a 7T MRI scanner.

Evaluation of intraocular lens position and retinal shape in negative dysphotopsia using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To assess potential relationships of intraocular lens (IOL) position and retinal shape in negative dysphotopsia (ND).

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Design: Case-control study.

Three-dimensional MRI-based treatment planning approach for non-invasive ocular proton therapy.

Purpose: To develop a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based treatment planning approach for uveal melanomas (UM) in proton therapy.

Materials/methods: For eight patients with UM, a segmentation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and organs-at-risk (OARs) was performed on T1- and T2-weighted 7 Tesla MRI image data to reconstruct the patient MR-eye. An extended contour was defined with a 2.

Prediction of lung function and lung density of young adults who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

COPD risk is jointly determined by fetal lung development, lung growth rate and lung growth duration leading to the maximally attained level of lung function in early adulthood. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is considered a developmental arrest of alveolarisation. Long-term outcome studies of adult survivors born before the introduction of surfactant therapy ("old BPD") showed impaired lung function.

Use of artificial intelligence in imaging in rheumatology - current status and future perspectives.

After decades of basic research with many setbacks, artificial intelligence (AI) has recently obtained significant breakthroughs, enabling computer programs to outperform human interpretation of medical images in very specific areas. After this shock wave that probably exceeds the impact of the first AI victory of defeating the world chess champion in 1997, some reflection may be appropriate on the consequences for clinical imaging in rheumatology. In this narrative review, a short explanation is given about the various AI techniques, including 'deep learning', and how these have been applied to rheumatological imaging, focussing on rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis as examples.

Artificial intelligence in detecting early RA.

To prevent chronicity of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) by early treatment, detecting inflammatory signs in an early phase is essential. Since Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the wrist, hand and foot can detect inflammation before it is clinically detectable, this modality may play an important role in achieving very early diagnoses. By collecting large amounts of MRI data from healthy controls and patients with arthralgia suspicious for progression to RA, patterns can be studied that are most specific for early development of RA.

Automatic quantitative analysis of pulmonary vascular morphology in CT images.

Purpose: Vascular remodeling is a significant pathological feature of various pulmonary diseases, which may be assessed by quantitative computed tomography (CT) imaging. The purpose of this study was therefore to develop and validate an automatic method for quantifying pulmonary vascular morphology in CT images.

Methods: The proposed method consists of pulmonary vessel extraction and quantification.

Registration of vascular structures using a hybrid mixture model.

Purpose: Morphological changes to anatomy resulting from invasive surgical procedures or pathology, typically alter the surrounding vasculature. This makes it useful as a descriptor for feature-driven image registration in various clinical applications. However, registration of vasculature remains challenging, as vessels often differ in size and shape, and may even miss branches, due to surgical interventions or pathological changes.

Regional lung densities in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency compared to predicted values.

Background: We developed a method to calculate a standard score for lung tissue mass derived from CT scan images from a control group without respiratory disease. We applied the method to images from subjects with emphysema associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) and used it to study regional patterns of differential tissue mass.

Methods: We explored different covariates in 76 controls.

Pulmonary Vascular Morphology Associated With Gas Exchange in Systemic Sclerosis Without Lung Fibrosis.

Purpose: Gas exchange in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is known to be affected by fibrotic changes in the pulmonary parenchyma. However, SSc patients without detectable fibrosis can still have impaired gas transfer. We aim to investigate whether pulmonary vascular changes could partly explain a reduction in gas transfer of SSc patients without fibrosis.

Lung function and CT lung densitometry in 37- to 39-year-old individuals with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.

Background: Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a hereditary disorder that predisposes to emphysema. A cohort of severe (PiZZ) and moderate (PiSZ) AAT-deficient newborn infants was identified by the Swedish national neonatal AAT screening program in 1972-1974 and has been followed-up since birth. Our aim was to study whether the cohort has signs of emphysema in pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and computed tomography (CT) densitometry at 38 years of age in comparison with an age-matched control group, randomly selected from the population registry.

Automatic quantification of tenosynovitis on MRI of the wrist in patients with early arthritis: a feasibility study.

Objectives: Tenosynovitis (inflammation of the synovial lining of the sheath surrounding tendons) is frequently observed on MRI of early arthritis patients. Since visual assessment of tenosynovitis is a laborious task, we investigated the feasibility of automatic quantification of tenosynovitis on MRI of the wrist in a large cohort of early arthritis patients.

Methods: For 563 consecutive early arthritis patients (clinically confirmed arthritis ≥ 1 joint, symptoms < 2 years), MR scans of the wrist were processed in three automatic stages.

Identifying MRI-detected inflammatory features specific for rheumatoid arthritis: two-fold feature reduction maintains predictive accuracy in clinically suspect arthralgia patients.

Objective: MRI-detected inflammation is considered of diagnostic value for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its evaluation involves a time-consuming scoring of 61 joint-level features. It is not clear, however, which of these features are specific for RA and whether evaluating a subset of specific features is sufficient to differentiate RA patients. This study aimed to identify a subset of RA-specific features in a case-control setting and validate them in a longitudinal cohort of arthralgia patients.

Treatment Effect of Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Quantified by Automatic Comparative Imaging in Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography.

Objectives: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can have variable outcomes. To gain more insight into this variation, we designed a method for visualizing and quantifying changes in pulmonary perfusion by automatically comparing computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography before and after BPA treatment. We validated these quantifications of perfusion changes against hemodynamic changes measured with right-sided heart catheterization.

Lung Density and Pulmonary Artery Diameter are Predictors of Pulmonary Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate computed tomography (CT)-measured pulmonary artery diameter (PAD) and lung density as predictors of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in subjects with systemic sclerosis (SSc). We compared these PAD values with normal values and between SSc subgroups with PH and/or interstitial lung disease (ILD). We investigated whether PAD predicts PH and whether lung densitometry, by using the 85th percentile density value (Perc85) as a measure for ILD, can predict PH.

Automatic quantification of bone marrow edema on MRI of the wrist in patients with early arthritis: A feasibility study.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of automatic quantification of bone marrow edema (BME) on MRI of the wrist in patients with early arthritis.

Methods: For 485 early arthritis patients (clinically confirmed arthritis of one or more joints, symptoms for less than 2 years), MR scans of the wrist were processed in three automatic stages. First, super-resolution reconstruction was applied to fuse coronal and axial scans into a single high-resolution 3D image.