Deep Learning-Enabled Automated Quality Control for Liver MR Elastography: Initial Results.

Background: Several factors can impair image quality and reliability of liver magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), such as inadequate driver positioning, insufficient wave propagation and patient-related factors.

Purpose: To report initial results on automatic classification of liver MRE image quality using various deep learning (DL) architectures.

Study Type: Retrospective, single center, IRB-approved human study.

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Perspective on Tissue-Based Technologies for Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Discovery and Application.

With immuno-oncology becoming the standard of care for a variety of cancers, identifying biomarkers that reliably classify patient response, resistance, or toxicity becomes the next critical barrier towards improving care. Multi-parametric, multi-omics, and computational platforms generating an unprecedented depth of data are poised to usher in the discovery of increasingly robust biomarkers for enhanced patient selection and personalized treatment approaches. Deciding which developing technologies to implement in clinical settings ultimately, applied either alone or in combination, relies on weighing pros and cons, from minimizing patient sampling to maximizing data outputs, and assessing reproducibility and representativeness of findings, while lessening data fragmentation towards harmonization.

Prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma response to radiation segmentectomy using an MRI-based machine learning approach.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of pre-treatment MRI-based radiomics in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for the prediction of response to Yttrium 90 radiation segmentectomy.

Methods: This retrospective study included 154 patients (38 female; mean age 66.8 years) who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI prior to radiation segmentectomy.

Quantification of Multi-Compartment Flow with Spectral Diffusion MRI.

Purpose: Estimation of multi-compartment intravoxel 'flow' in in ml/100g/min with multi-b-value diffusion weighted imaging and a multi-Gaussian model in the kidneys.

Theory And Methods: A multi-Gaussian model of intravoxel flow using water transport time to quantify (ml/100g/min) is presented and simulated. Multi-compartment anisotropic DWI signal is simulated with Rician noise and SNR=50 and analyzed with a rigid bi-exponential, a rigid tri-exponential and diffusion spectrum imaging model of intravoxel incoherent motion (spectral diffusion) to study extraction of multi-compartment flow.

The Spatial Extracellular Proteomic Tumor Microenvironment Distinguishes Molecular Subtypes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mortality rates continue to increase faster than those of other cancer types due to high heterogeneity, which limits diagnosis and treatment. Pathological and molecular subtyping have identified that HCC tumors with poor outcomes are characterized by intratumoral collagenous accumulation. However, the translational and post-translational regulation of tumor collagen, which is critical to the outcome, remains largely unknown.

Lemann Index for assessing bowel damage in Crohn's disease: a real world study.

Background & Aims: The Lemann Index (LI), an endpoint to measure cumulative structural bowel damage in Crohn's disease (CD), has been recently updated and validated. We applied this to investigate predictors of bowel damage in a real-world cohort.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study (2008-2022) involving two tertiary referral IBD centers in the US.

Imaging cholangiocarcinoma: CT and MRI techniques.

Cross-sectional imaging plays a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, staging, and resectability assessment of intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Despite this vital function, there is a lack of standardized CT and MRI protocol recommendations for imaging cholangiocarcinoma, with substantial differences in image acquisition across institutions and vendor platforms. In this review, we present standardized strategies for the optimal imaging assessment of cholangiocarcinoma including contrast media considerations, patient preparation recommendations, optimal contrast timing, and representative CT and MRI protocols with individual sequence optimization recommendations.

Precision and Test-Retest Repeatability of Stiffness Measurement with MR Elastography: A Multicenter Phantom Study.

Background MR elastography (MRE) has been shown to have excellent performance for noninvasive liver fibrosis staging. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the precision and test-retest repeatability of stiffness measurement with MRE in the multicenter setting. Purpose To determine the precision and test-retest repeatability of stiffness measurement with MRE across multiple centers using the same phantoms.

Imaging-based noninvasive liver disease assessment for staging liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease: A systematic review supporting the AASLD Practice Guideline.

Background And Aims: Transient elastography (TE), shear wave elastography, and/or magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), each providing liver stiffness measurement (LSM), are the most studied imaging-based noninvasive liver disease assessment (NILDA) techniques. To support the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines on NILDA, we summarized the evidence on the accuracy of these LSM methods to stage liver fibrosis (F).

Approach And Results: A comprehensive search for studies assessing LSM by TE, shear wave elastography, or MRE for the identification of significant fibrosis (F2-4), advanced fibrosis (F3-4), or cirrhosis (F4), using histopathology as the standard of reference by liver disease etiology in adults or children from inception to April 2022 was performed.

Characterization of renal masses with MRI-based radiomics: assessment of inter-package and inter-observer reproducibility in a prospective pilot study.

Objectives: To evaluate radiomics features' reproducibility using inter-package/inter-observer measurement analysis in renal masses (RMs) based on MRI and to employ machine learning (ML) models for RM characterization.

Methods: 32 Patients (23M/9F; age 61.8 ± 10.

Prediction of locally advanced rectal cancer response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy using volumetric multiparametric MRI-based radiomics.

Purpose: To assess the role of pretreatment multiparametric (mp)MRI-based radiomic features in predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT).

Methods: This was a retrospective dual-center study including 98 patients (M/F 77/21, mean age 60 years) with LARC who underwent pretreatment mpMRI followed by nCRT and total mesorectal excision or watch and wait. Fifty-eight patients from institution 1 constituted the training set and 40 from institution 2 the validation set.

MR Enterography in Ulcerative Colitis: Beyond Endoscopy.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that progressively affects mucosa and submuccosa of the colon and rectum in a continual pattern. In comparison, Crohn disease (CD), the other type of IBD, is a chronic transmural inflammatory disorder that can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract. MR enterography (MRE) has emerged as an important imaging modality for the diagnosis and detection of disease activity and complications in CD, with comparable results to those of endoscopy.

Benign and Malignant Ovarian Teratomas: Multimodality Imaging Findings With Histopathologic Correlation.

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the imaging findings along with histopathologic correlation of mature (benign) teratomas and malignant ovarian teratomas, which include both immature teratomas and malignant degeneration of mature teratomas. The radiologist's ability to provide an accurate diagnosis plays an essential role in guiding the interdisciplinary care of patients with malignant teratomas and improving their outcomes.

Magnetic resonance elastography for noninvasive detection of liver fibrosis: is there an added value of 3D acquisition?

Purpose: (1) Assess the diagnostic performance of liver 3D magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) parameters (including stiffness, storage/loss modulus and damping ratio) compared to liver stiffness measured with 2D MRE for noninvasive detection of advanced liver fibrosis (F3-F4) and cirrhosis (F4) in patients with chronic liver disease. (2) Assess the value of serum markers (FIB-4) in detecting advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in the same patients.

Methods: This was a single center, prospective IRB-approved cross-sectional study that included 49 patients (M/F: 23/26, mean age 50.

Longitudinal assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma response to stereotactic body radiation using gadoxetate-enhanced MRI: A case series.

Purpose: To describe the longitudinal response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and who underwent liver transplant (LT) using gadoxetate-enhanced MRI.

Methods: Five men (median age 61y, range 57-64y) with 6 HCCs treated with SBRT (median dose 50 Gy) who subsequently underwent LT were included in this retrospective study. Patients underwent gadoxetate-enhanced MRI before and after SBRT over a period of 3-18 months.