Prenatal diagnosis of tracheo-oesophageal fistula/oesophageal atresia: is MRI helpful?

Background: Oesophageal atresia (OA) with or without tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF) affects 2.75 per 10,000 births within the UK. It is most frequently suspected on antenatal imaging when the stomach is absent or appears small.

The value of fetal magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of congenital anomalies of the fetal body: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To undertake a systematic review to assess the accuracy of fetal MRI in diagnosis of non-CNS congenital anomalies of the fetal body in comparison with antenatal ultrasound when correlated to postnatal diagnosis.

Methods: Searches were conducted from electronic databases, key journals and reference lists for eligible papers. Inclusion criteria was original research studies comparing the diagnostic results of antenatal ultrasound, fetal MRI and final postnatal diagnosis via imaging, surgery or post-mortem testing.

Optimising physiotherapy for people with lateral elbow tendinopathy - Results of a mixed-methods pilot and feasibility randomised controlled trial (OPTimisE).

Background: The OPTimisE intervention was developed to address uncertainty regarding the most effective physiotherapy treatment strategy for people with Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy (LET).

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of conducting a fully-powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating whether the OPTimisE intervention is superior to usual physiotherapy treatment for adults with LET.

Design: A mixed-methods multi-centred, parallel pilot and feasibility RCT, conducted in three outpatient physiotherapy departments in the UK.

MRI prediction of fetal lung volumes and the impact on counselling.

Aim: To assess whether lung volume percentages in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) differ depending on which formula is used to calculate the expected volume for gestation and any potential impact this may have on perinatal counselling.

Materials And Methods: Forty-seven patients with left-sided CDH who had undergone fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals were reviewed. The lung volumes were measured on MRI and compared with the volumes that would be expected at the given gestation for each patient.

Use of super resolution reconstruction MRI for surgical planning in Placenta accreta spectrum disorder: Case series.

Introduction: Comprehensive imaging using ultrasound and MRI of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) aims to prevent catastrophic haemorrhage and maternal death. Standard MRI of the placenta is limited by between-slice motion which can be mitigated by super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) MRI. We applied SRR in suspected PAS cases to determine its ability to enhance anatomical placental assessment and predict adverse maternal outcome.

Fetal lung MRI and features predicting post-natal outcome: a scoping review of the current literature.

The outcome for infants with fetal lung pathologies not only depends on the nature of the pathology, but the impact it has on the developing lungs. The main prognostic factor is the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia, but this is not detectable pre-natally. Imaging techniques aim to simulate these features with a variety of surrogate measurements, including lung volume and MRI signal intensity.

MRI features of perifibrinous deposits in the placenta due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has been linked to pregnancy complications and loss (1). Infection during pregnancy is usually mild (2). The risk is highest in the third trimester with increased hospital admission rates and maternal and fetal compromise (3).

Current and future funding streams for paediatric postmortem imaging: European Society of Paediatric Radiology survey results.

Background: Perinatal and childhood postmortem imaging has been accepted as a noninvasive alternative or adjunct to autopsy. However, the variation in funding models from institution to institution is a major factor prohibiting uniform provision of this service.

Objective: To describe current funding models employed in European and non-European institutions offering paediatric postmortem imaging services and to discuss the perceived barriers to future postmortem imaging service provision.

T2*-weighted MRI produces viable fetal "Black-Bone" contrast with significant benefits when compared to current sequences.

Objectives: Fetal "black bone" MRI could be useful in the diagnosis of various skeletal conditions during pregnancy without exposure to ionizing radiation. Previously suggested susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is not available in the suggested form on all scanners leading to long imaging times that are susceptible to motion artefacts. We aimed to assess if an optimized T2*-weighted GRE sequence can provide viable "black bone" contrast and compared it to other sequences in the literature.

"Why didn't we do it"? Reproductive loss and the problem of post-mortem consent.

Informed consent has been a much debated topic within the social sciences. It often forms a central feature of discussions on research in medical settings and in social research methods more broadly. While sympathetic to its' underlying principles of autonomy and choice, social scientists have tended to argue that these are seldom enacted in research or clinical practice.

Retrospective evaluation of refeeding syndrome in cats: 11 cases (2013-2019).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the clinicopathological findings, management and outcome of cats with refeeding syndrome (RS) following prolonged starvation.

Methods: Records from four referral hospitals were searched between May 2013 and November 2019 and retrospectively evaluated. Inclusion criteria were the presence of a risk factor for RS, such as severe weight loss or emaciation following a period of presumed starvation, hypophosphataemia or a delta phosphorous exceeding 30% reduction following refeeding, being treated on the basis of a clinical diagnosis of RS and one or more derangement of hypokalaemia, hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia.

Current state of perinatal postmortem magnetic resonance imaging: European Society of Paediatric Radiology questionnaire-based survey and recommendations.

Background: Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in perinatal and childhood deaths is increasingly used as a noninvasive adjunct or alternative to autopsy. Imaging protocols vary between centres and consensus guidelines do not exist.

Objective: Our aim was to develop practical, standardised recommendations for perinatal postmortem MRI.

Computed tomography chest imaging offers no advantage over chest X-ray in the initial assessment of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.

Background: The International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) score identifies gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) patients as low- or high-risk of single-agent chemotherapy resistance (SACR). Computed tomography (CT) has greater sensitivity than chest X-ray (CXR) in detecting pulmonary metastases, but effects upon outcomes remain unclear.

Methods: Five hundred and eighty-nine patients underwent both CXR and CT during GTN assessment.

Visualisation of fetal meconium on post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging scans: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Less invasive techniques for fetal post-mortems are increasingly used to correlate with parental wishes. With the use of post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), normal appearance of the organs must be established.

Purpose: To investigate the after death appearance of the fetal meconium throughout gestation using the hyperintense appearance of meconium on T1 weighted MRI.

Biometric analysis of the foetal meconium pattern using T1 weighted 2D gradient echo MRI.

Objectives: Foetal MRI is used to assess abnormalities after ultrasonography. Bowel anomalies are a significant cause of neonatal morbidity, however there are little data concerning its normal appearance on antenatal MRI. This study aims to investigate the pattern of meconium accumulation throughout gestation using its hyperintense appearance on weighted scans and add to the current published data.

Benefits and Limitations of the Minimally Invasive Postmortem: A Review of an Innovative Service Development.

Introduction: Pediatric postmortem (PM) rates have significantly declined, creating a need for effective minimally invasive alternatives to correlate with parental wishes. We review the use of a minimally invasive fetal and neonatal PM service further to preliminary findings published in 2015.

Materials And Methods: Cases taken from the mortuary electronic database from 2012 to 2017 are analyzed.

Joint European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) and International Society for Forensic Radiology and Imaging (ISFRI) guidelines: paediatric postmortem computed tomography imaging protocol.

Postmortem CT for investigating childhood deaths is increasingly utilised as a noninvasive adjunct or alternative to standard autopsy; however there are no standardised published imaging protocols. This article describes a standardised imaging protocol that has been developed based on current practices of international postmortem imaging practitioners and experts. This recommendation is expected to be useful for postmortem imaging centres wishing to update their existing practices and for those starting paediatric postmortem CT as a new service.

Foot drop post varicella zoster virus.

Leg pain and weakness can often be seen in a musculoskeletal physiotherapy outpatient setting. While the differential diagnoses for neuropathic pain and weakness is often spine related, this unusual cause for polyradiculopathy is less commonly seen. Shingles is not something routinely seen in a physiotherapy department but is usually associated with skin eruptions and pain but less so with motor loss.

How to obtain diagnostic planes of the fetal central nervous system using three-dimensional ultrasound and a context-preserving rendering technology.

The antenatal evaluation of the fetal central nervous system (CNS) is among the most difficult tasks of prenatal ultrasound (US), requiring technical skills in relation to ultrasound and image acquisition as well as knowledge of CNS anatomy and how this changes with gestation. According to the International Guidelines for fetal neurosonology, the basic assessment of fetal CNS is most frequently performed on the axial planes, whereas the coronal and sagittal planes are required for the multiplanar evaluation of the CNS within the context of fetal neurosonology. It can be even more technically challenging to obtain "nonaxial" views with 2-dimensional (2D) US.

Current physiotherapy practice in the management of tennis elbow: A service evaluation.

Background: Tennis elbow is a common painful condition that may affect daily function and ability to work. Physiotherapy is the most commonly used primary intervention but there is a wide range of treatment options within the umbrella of physiotherapy. Our aim was to report on the treatments that are currently used by physiotherapists in a UK National Health Service (NHS) setting.

Visualising uncertainty: Examining women's views on the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in late pregnancy.

Prenatal screening occupies a prominent role within sociological debates on medical uncertainty. A particular issue concerns the limitations of routine screening which tends to be based on risk prediction. Computer assisted visual technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are now starting to be applied to the prenatal realm to assist in the diagnosis of a range of fetal and maternal disorders (from problems with the fetal brain to the placenta).

ESPR postmortem imaging task force: where we begin.

A new task force on postmortem imaging was established at the annual meeting of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) in Graz, Austria, in 2015. The postmortem task force is separate from the child abuse task force as it covers all aspects of fetal, neonatal and non-forensic postmortem imaging. The main focus of the task force is the guidance and standardization of non-radiographic postmortem imaging, particularly postmortem CT and postmortem MRI.

The MRI features of placental adhesion disorder-a pictorial review.

Placental adhesion disorder (PAD) comprises placenta accreta, increta and percreta lesions; these are classified according to the depth of uterine invasion. Although PAD is considered a rare condition, its incidence has increased 10-fold in the last 50 years. Ultrasound is the primary imaging modality for the assessment of the placenta and in the majority of cases, it is sufficient for diagnosis; however, when ultrasound findings are suspicious or inconclusive, MRI is recommended as an adjunct imaging technique.

Estimation of trabecular bone parameters in children from multisequence MRI using texture-based regression.

Purpose: This paper presents a statistical approach for the prediction of trabecular bone parameters from low-resolution multisequence magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children, thus addressing the limitations of high-resolution modalities such as HR-pQCT, including the significant exposure of young patients to radiation and the limited applicability of such modalities to peripheral bones in vivo.

Methods: A statistical predictive model is constructed from a database of MRI and HR-pQCT datasets, to relate the low-resolution MRI appearance in the cancellous bone to the trabecular parameters extracted from the high-resolution images. The description of the MRI appearance is achieved between subjects by using a collection of feature descriptors, which describe the texture properties inside the cancellous bone, and which are invariant to the geometry and size of the trabecular areas.