Radiologic Response Assessment in Pediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Computed-Assisted Volume Evaluation.

Objectives: To compare 3 methods of dimensional assessment, with particular attention to a new software assisted method of volume calculation, in soft tissue sarcoma, and to investigate the interobserver agreement and the intermethod agreement in chemotherapy response classification and resultant clinical repercussions.

Study Design: We studied 34 pediatric patients with nonmetastatic soft tissue sarcoma who had undergone only diagnostic biopsy. Tumor size was measured both at diagnosis and after induction chemotherapy by 3 observers and using 3 measurement methods: maximum axis (1 diameter), estimated volume (3 diameters), and computed volume (software-assisted volume calculation).

Role of Radiologic Imaging in Genetic and Acquired Neuromuscular Disorders.

Unlabelled: Great technologic and clinical progress have been made in the last two decades in identifying genetic defects of several neuromuscular diseases, as Spinal Muscular Atrophy, genetic muscular dystrophies and other genetic myopathies. The diagnosis is usually challenging, due to great variability in genetic abnormalities and clinical phenotypes and the poor specificity of complementary analyses, i.e.

Vascular perfusion kinetics by contrast-enhanced ultrasound are related to synovial microvascularity in the joints of psoriatic arthritis.

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship of the continuous mode contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasound (CEUS) imaging with the histopathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) quantitative estimation of microvascular proliferation on synovial samples of patients affected by sustained psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A dedicated linear transducer was used in conjunction with a specific continuous mode contrast enhanced harmonic imaging technology with a second-generation sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubbles C-agent. The examination was carried out within 1 week before arthroscopic biopsies in 32 active joints.

Effects of mud-bath therapy in psoriatic arthritis patients treated with TNF inhibitors. Clinical evaluation and assessment of synovial inflammation by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Objectives: Despite the efficacy of TNF inhibitors, most patients with psoriatic arthritis maintain a residual synovial inflammation. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of mud-bath therapy on clinical picture of PsA patients treated with TNF inhibitors. The secondary outcome was to assess synovial inflammation in hand joints detected by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Muscle MR imaging in tubular aggregate myopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate with Magnetic Resonance (MR) the degree of fatty replacement and edematous involvement in skeletal muscles in patients with Tubular Aggregate Myopathy (TAM). To asses the inter-observer agreement in evaluating muscle involvement and the symmetry index of fatty replacement.

Materials And Methods: 13 patients were evaluated by MR to ascertain the degree of fatty replacement (T1W sequences) according to Mercuri's scale, and edema score (STIR sequences) according to extent and site.

Analysis by high resolution ultrasound of superficial lymph nodes: anatomical, morphological and structural variations.

Purpose: To analyze morphostructural variations of benign lymph nodes, 49 cervical , 49 axillary and 49 inguinal lymph nodes had been studied in many healthy subjects.

Methods: Longitudinal and transverse diameters, longitudinal to transverse axis ratio, hilum and cortex thickness, hilar to cortical thickness ratio, presence and echogenicity of hilum, and presence of cortical focal thickening had been evaluated.

Results: Some parameters were statistically significant such as for the presence of hilum that was identified in 100% of axillary and inguinal lymph nodes.

MR and CEUS monitoring of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis treated with biological agents: a preliminary study.

Purpose: This study was done to propose a study protocol for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with biological agents, by evaluating the contribution of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (CE-MR) imaging, a software programme that calculates the volume of synovitis on CE-MR images, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients with RA receiving treatment with biologics were analysed. The patients underwent clinical examination, CE-MR imaging and CEUS on the same day.

Conservative treatment for cystic duct stenosis in a child.

Introduction. Few cases of common bile duct stenosis have been reported in the literature, and observations of strictures in the cystic duct are even more rare. Surgical cholecystectomy is the treatment needed in most cases of gallbladder hydrops.

Hydroxyurea treatment can avoid the need for aggressive surgery in pediatric fibromatosis.

Aggressive fibromatosis is a rare tumor of borderline malignancy with a marked local aggressiveness. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment but complete tumor resection is often not easy to achieve without functional and cosmetic sequelae. We report a case of a pretreated child with aggressive fibromatosis who responded to hydroxyurea, avoiding the need for demolitive surgery.

Imaging of soft-tissue tumors.

The objective of this review is to highlight the major imaging characteristics of the main soft-tissue sarcoma histotypes observed in the group "Sarcomi" of the Istituto Oncologico Veneto in the last 5 years. A literature review was performed using PubMed and textbooks. Radiological imaging can guide the diagnosis for the subset of lesions that have typical clinical and imaging features.

Improved detection of synovial boundaries in ultrasound examination by using a cascade of active-contours.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multisystemic autoimmune disease, with an unclear etiopathogenesis. Its early diagnosis and activity assessment are essential to adjust the proper therapy. Among the different imaging techniques, ultrasonography (US) allows direct visualization of early inflammatory joint changes as synovitis, being also rapidly performed and easily accepted by patients.

Sonographic evaluation of bone fractures: a reliable alternative in clinical practice?

Objective: The objective was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of conventional radiography and ultrasonography (US) for the diagnosis of suspected bone fractures.

Method: Eighty-six patients were assessed using conventional radiography and US on the affected bone district.

Results: Radiographic and sonographic findings were concordant in 93% of cases.

Evaluation of finger joint synovial vascularity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using contrast-enhanced ultrasound with water immersion and a stabilized probe.

PURPOSE.: To assess synovial microvascularity in finger joints with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), distinguishing between cases of active disease and those in remission; to standardize the technique for software analysis. METHODS.

Structured reporting using a shared indexed multilingual radiology lexicon.

Purpose: A system for creating structured reports (SRs) using a standardized radiology lexicon was developed and tested to facilitate automated translation of content and multidisciplinary international communications.

Methods: A database of radiology terms, RadLex developed by the Radiological Society of North America, was used to create a shared indexed multilingual radiology lexicon. A diagnostic workstation for generating structured reports (OpenEye) was implemented with a "RadLex manager" function for adding new words to the lexicon in both English and Italian.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for characterizing lymph nodes with focal cortical thickening in patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to ascertain the utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in assessing the significance of focal cortical thickening in the lymph nodes of patients followed up after surgery for cutaneous melanoma.

Materials And Methods: Ultrasound was used to examine 460 consecutive patients to identify nodes with focal hypoechoic cortical thickening. Patients whose nodes revealed these features underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) focusing on the area of cortical thickening.

The role of contrast-enhanced gray-scale ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of superficial lymph nodes.

Lymph node micrometastases are common, but too often in clinical practice lack the tools for their accurate prebiopsy detection. The gray-scale contrast-enhanced ultrasonography technique permits high-resolution imaging of both the arterial and parenchymal phase and allows visualization of diffuse and partial alterations of nodal perfusion even in lymph nodes with a maximum diameter smaller than 1 cm. The gray-scale contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can supply further useful information in case where doubt has arisen with conventional techniques.