Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the capabilities of contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed (CE FS) three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D FLAIR) brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with those of coronal T2-weighted orbital MRI obtained at 3 Tesla for the diagnosis of optic neuritis (ON).
Materials and methods: Patients who presented to our center with acute visual loss and underwent MRI examination of the orbits and the brain between November 2014 and February 2020 were retrospectively included. Three radiologists independently and blindly analyzed CE FS 3D FLAIR and coronal T2-weighted images. Disagreements in image interpretation were resolved by consensus with an independent neuroradiologist who was not involved in the initial reading sessions. The primary adjudication criterion for the diagnosis of ON was the presence of an optic nerve hypersignal. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CE 3D FLAIR brain images were compared with those of coronal T2-weighted orbital images using McNemar test. Artifacts were classified into three categories and compared between the two image sets.
Results: A total of 1023 patients were included. There were 638 women and 385 men with a mean age of 42 ± 18.3 (standard deviation) years (age range: 6-92 years). Optic nerve hyperintensities were identified in 375/400 (94%) patients with ON using both 3D FLAIR and coronal T2-weighted images. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of both sequences were 94% (95% CI: 91.3-96.1), 79% (95% CI: 75.5-82.2), and 89% (95% CI: 86.8-90.7), respectively. Optic disc hypersignal was detected in 120/400 patients (30%) using 3D FLAIR compared to 3/400 (0.75%) using coronal T2-weighted images (P < 0.001). Optic radiation hypersignal was observed in 2/400 (0.5%) patients using 3D FLAIR images. Significantly more artifacts (moderate or severe) were observed on coronal T2-weighted images (801/1023; 78%) by comparison with 3D FLAIR images (448/1023; 44%) (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The performance of 3D FLAIR brain MRI for the diagnosis of ON is not different from that of coronal T2-weighted orbital MRI and its use for optic nerve analysis may be beneficial.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance and relationships of cardiac MRI structural parameters and strain components in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and to estimate the capabilities of these variables to discriminate between CA and non-amyloid cardiac hypertrophy (NACH).
Materials and methods: Seventy patients with CA (56 men; mean age, 76 ± 10 [standard deviation] years) and 32 patients (19 men; mean age, 63 ± 10 [standard deviation] years) with NACH underwent cardiac MRI. Feature tracking (FT) global longitudinal strain (GLS), radial strain (GRS), circumferential strain (GCS), strain AB ratio (apical strain divided by basal strain), myocardial T1, myocardial T2 and extracellular volume (ECV) were calculated. Comparisons between patients with CA and those with NACH were made using Mann-Whitney rank sum test. The ability of each variable to discriminate between CA and NACH was estimated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).
Results: Patients with CA had higher median GLS (-7.0% [Q1, -9.0; Q3, -5.0]), higher median GCS (-12.0% [Q1, -15.0; Q3, -9.0]), and lower median GRS (16.5% [Q1, 13.0; Q3, 23.0]) than those with NACH (-9.0% [Q1, -11.0; Q3, -8.0]; -17.0% [Q1, -20.0; Q3, -14.0]; and 25.5% [Q1, 16.0; Q3, 31.5], respectively) (P < 0.001 for all). Median myocardial T1 and ECV were significantly higher in patients with CA (1112 ms [Q1, 1074; Q3, 1146] and 47% [Q1, 41; Q3, 55], respectively) than in those with NACH (1056 ms [Q1, 1011; Q3, 1071] and 28% [Q1, 26; Q3, 30], respectively) (P < 0.001). Basal ECV showed the best performance for the diagnosis of CA (AUC = 0.975; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.947-1). No differences in AUC were found between AB ratio of GRS (0.843; 95% CI: 0.768-0.918) and basal myocardial T1 (0.834; 95% CI: 0.741-0.928) for the diagnosis of CA (P = 0.81). The combination of the AB ratio of FT-GRS and basal myocardial T1 had a diagnostic performance not different from that of basal ECV (P = 0.06).
Conclusion: ECV outperforms FT-strain for the diagnosis of CA with cardiac MRI. The AB ratio of FT-GRS associated with myocardial T1 provides diagnostic performance similar to that achieved by ECV.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous cryoablation in the treatment of abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) nodules.
Thirty-eight women treated for symptomatic AWE nodules with percutaneous cryoablation under ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) guidance between May 2020 and July 2023 were retrospectively included. Pain was estimated using visual analog scale (VAS) and assessed at baseline, three months, six months, and 12 months after percutaneous cryoablation. Baseline VAS score, volume of AWE nodule and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of AWE nodules were compared to those obtained after percutaneous cryoablation. Major complications, if any, were noted.
Thirty-eight women with a median age of 35.5 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 32, 39; range: 24–48 years) and a total of 60 AWE nodules were treated. Percutaneous cryoablation was performed under local or regional anesthesia in 30 women (30/38; 79%). Significant decreases between initial median VAS score (7; IQR: 6, 8; range: 3–10) and median VAS score after treatment at three months (0; IQR: 0, 5; range; 0–8) (P < 0.001), six months (0; IQR: 0, 1; range; 0–10) (P < 0.001) and 12 months (0; IQR: 0, 2; range: 0–7) (P < 0.001) were observed. Percutaneous cryoablation resulted in effective pain relief in 31 out of 38 women (82%) at six months and 15 out of 18 women (83%) at 12 months. Contrast-enhanced MRI at six-month follow-up showed a significant decrease in the volume of AWE nodules and the absence of AWE nodule enhancement after treatment by comparison with baseline MRI (P < 0.001). No major complications were reported.
Percutaneous cryoablation is an effective, minimally invasive intervention for the treatment of AWE nodules that conveys minimal or no morbidity.
The purpose of this study was to assess image quality and dose level using a photon-counting CT (PCCT) scanner by comparison with a dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner on virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) at low energy levels.
A phantom was scanned using a DSCT and a PCCT with a volume CT dose index of 11 mGy, and additionally at 6 mGy and 1.8 mGy for PCCT. Noise power spectrum and task-based transfer function were evaluated from 40 to 70 keV on VMIs to assess noise magnitude and noise texture (fav) and spatial resolution on two iodine inserts (f50), respectively. A detectability index (d’) was computed to assess the detection of two contrast-enhanced lesions according to the energy level used.
For all energy levels, noise magnitude values were lower with PCCT than with DSCT at 11 and 6 mGy, but greater at 1.8 mGy. fav values were higher with PCCT than with DSCT at 11 mGy (8.6 ± 1.5 [standard deviation [SD]%), similar at 6 mGy (1.6 ± 1.5 [SD]%) and lower at 1.8 mGy (-17.8 ± 2.2 [SD]%). For both inserts, f50 values were higher with PCCT than DSCT at 11- and 6 mGy for all keV levels, except at 6 mGy and 40 keV. d’ values were higher with PCCT than with DSCT at 11- and 6 mGy for all keV and both simulated lesions. Similar d' values to those of the DSCT at 11 mGy, were obtained at 2.25 mGy for iodine insert at 2 mg/mL and at 0.96 mGy for iodine insert at 4 mg/mL at 40 keV.
Compared to DSCT, PCCT reduces noise magnitude and improves noise texture, spatial resolution and detectability on VMIs for all low-keV levels.
The purpose of this study was to assess the type and prevalence of stroke and non-stroke-related findings diagnosed on early cardiac computed tomography (CT) in patients with suspected stroke. The secondary objective was to assess the clinical consequences on the management of patients with non-stroke-related conditions identified by early cardiac CT.
This single-center, retrospective, observational study included 1111 consecutive patients with suspected ischemic stroke between November 2018 and March 2020 who underwent cardiac CT examination in addition to the usual brain CT protocol (i.e., non-enhanced brain CT, perfusion brain CT when needed, aortic arch and supra-aortic CT angiography, and post contrast brain CT). There were 562 women and 549 men with a median age of 74 years (range: 60–85 years). Of these, 415 (415/1111; 37.4%) patients had ischemic stroke and 692 (692/1111; 62.3%) had no stroke. Cardiac CT examinations were retrospectively reviewed for cardiac CT findings at high embolic risk and clinically significant extracardiac incidental findings.
Among 1111 included patients, 89 (89/1111; 8.0%) had a stroke-related condition identified on early cardiac CT. This was significantly more frequent in patients with ischemic stroke (66/415; 15.9%) by comparison with those without ischemic stroke (23/696; 3.3%) (P < 0.001), with 41 patients (41/415; 9.9%) diagnosed with left atrial thrombus. Cardiac CT revealed a clinically significant non-stroke-related finding in 173 patients (173/1111; 15.6%), including 17 pulmonary embolisms (1.5%), seven suspicious pulmonary lesions (0.6%), and three breast lesions suspected to be malignant (0.3%). Twenty out of 173 patients (20/173; 11.5%) with incidental findings on early cardiac CT had a change in their management.
This study shows that adding early cardiac CT to brain CT during the acute phase of an ischemic stroke leads to a higher rate of etiological diagnoses and highlights the major interest of looking at the bigger picture.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pre-emptive transcatheter arterial embolization (P-TAE) of aortic side branches to prevent type II endoleak in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm after endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair (EVAR).
This multicenter, prospective, single-arm trial enrolled 100 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm from nine hospitals between 2018 and 2021. There were 85 men and 15 women, with a mean age of 79.6 ± 6.0 (standard deviation) years (range: 65–97 years). P-TAE was attempted for patent aortic side branches, including the inferior mesenteric artery, lumbar arteries, and other branches. The primary endpoint was late type II endoleak incidence at 6 months post-repair. Secondary endpoints included changes in aneurysmal sac diameter at 6- and 12 months, complications, re-intervention, and aneurysm-related mortality. Aneurysm sac changes at 6- and 12 months was compared between the late and no-late type II endoleak groups.
Coil embolization was successful in 80.9% (321/397) of patent aortic side branches, including 86.3% of the inferior mesenteric arteries, 80.3% of lumbar arteries, and 55.6% of other branches without severe adverse events. Late type II endoleak incidence at 6 months was 8.9% (8/90; 95% confidence interval: 3.9–16.8%). Aneurysm sac shrinkage > 5 mm was observed in 41.1% (37/90) and 55.3% (47/85) of the patients at 6- and 12-months post-EVAR, respectively. Patients with late type II endoleak had less aneurysm sac shrinkage than those without type II endoleak at 12 months (˗0.2 mm vs. ˗6.0 mm; P = 0.040). No patients required re-intervention for type II endoleak, and no aneurysm-related mortalities occurred.
P-TAE is safe and effective in preventing type II endoleak, leading to early sac shrinkage at 12 months following EVAR.