1,720,993 research outputs found
Primary systemic amyloidosis with giant hepatomegaly and a swiftly progressive course.
No full textAlthough the involvement of the liver is common in systemic amyloidosis (AL), clinical features of hepatic dysfunction and liver chemistry abnormalities are often mild or absent. A mild increase in the serum alkaline phosphatase value is the most common finding. Hypertransaminasemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and portal hypertension with ascites and gastroesophageal varices occur late in the course of the disease and predict a short survival. We describe the case of a 58-year-old woman with AL, whose dramatic and unusual clinical picture, consisting of giant hepatomegaly, hypertransaminasemia, increase in alkaline phosphatase, esophageal varices, and ascites, was rapidly complicated by severe obstructive cholestasis
Correlative imaging of cystic lymphangiomas: ultrasound, CT and MRI comparison
No full textCystic lymphangioma is a rare benign lesion derived from the detachment of the lymph sacs from venous drainage systems; the treatment of choice is a surgical excision and the final diagnosis is of histological type
State of the art in abdominal MRI structured reporting: a review
Full text linkIn the management of several abdominal disorders, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to significantly improve patient's outcome due to its diagnostic accuracy leading to more appropriate treatment choice. However, its clinical value heavily relies on the quality and quantity of diagnostic information that radiologists manage to convey through their reports. To solve issues such as ambiguity and lack of comprehensiveness that can occur with conventional narrative reports, the adoption of structured reporting has been proposed. Using a checklist and standardized lexicon, structured reports are designed to increase clarity while assuring that all key imaging findings related to a specific disorder are included. Unfortunately, structured reports have their limitations too, such as risk of undue report simplification and poor template plasticity. Their adoption is also far from widespread, and probably the ideal balance between radiologist autonomy and report consistency of has yet to be found. In this article, we aimed to provide an overview of structured reporting proposals for abdominal MRI and of works assessing its value in comparison to conventional free-text reporting. While for several abdominal disorders there are structured templates that have been endorsed by scientific societies and their adoption might be beneficial, stronger evidence confirming their imperativeness and added value in terms of clinical practice is needed, especially regarding the improvement of patient outcome
Role of advanced imaging techniques in the evaluation of oncological therapies in patients with colorectal liver metastases
Full text link: In patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLMs) unsuitable for surgery, oncological treatments, such as chemotherapy and targeted agents, can be performed. Cross-sectional imaging [computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 18-fluorodexoyglucose positron emission tomography with CT/MRI] evaluates the response of CRLMs to therapy, using post-treatment lesion shrinkage as a qualitative imaging parameter. This point is critical because the risk of toxicity induced by oncological treatments is not always balanced by an effective response to them. Consequently, there is a pressing need to define biomarkers that can predict treatment responses and estimate the likelihood of drug resistance in individual patients. Advanced quantitative imaging (diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion imaging, molecular imaging) allows the in vivo evaluation of specific biological tissue features described as quantitative parameters. Furthermore, radiomics can represent large amounts of numerical and statistical information buried inside cross-sectional images as quantitative parameters. As a result, parametric analysis (PA) translates the numerical data contained in the voxels of each image into quantitative parameters representative of peculiar neoplastic features such as perfusion, structural heterogeneity, cellularity, oxygenation, and glucose consumption. PA could be a potentially useful imaging marker for predicting CRLMs treatment response. This review describes the role of PA applied to cross-sectional imaging in predicting the response to oncological therapies in patients with CRLMs
Multidetector row CT angiography of the abdominal aorta and lower extremities in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease: diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement
No full textPurpose: To evaluate the accuracy of four channel multidetector row CT angiography (MDCTA) of the abdominal aorta and lower extremities arteries compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Materials and methods: In our prospective study 42 patients with peripheral vascular occlusive disease (27 M. 15 F, age range 40-79 years) underwent MDCTA and DSA within 5 days. Images were blindly interpreted by two radiologists. Maximum intensity projections (MIP), multiplanar (MPR) reformations, three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions as well as axial images were available for analysis of MDCTA. DSA were analyzed on hard copies. Results: Overall sensitivity and specificity of MDCTA were 93 and 95%. respectively, with positive and negative predictive values of 90 and 97%. Overall diagnostic accuracy was 94%. Normal arterial segments and 100% occlusions were correctly identified in all cases by MDCTA. Moderately stenotic segments interpretation in the calves appeared to be more controversial, but no statistical difference in accuracy of MDCTA in the infrapopliteal district arteries was noted with respect to accuracy in the more proximal arterial bed. Good to excellent interobserver and intraobserver agreement were observed, with k values greater than 0.80. Conclusions: MDCTA of the abdominal aorta and lower extremities is an accurate imaging modality in clinical practice when compared with DSA. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved
Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: Pitfalls in the diagnosis on fine needle cytology and "small biopsy" and review of the literature
No full textHepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular neoplasm with an unpredictable malignant potential. Different therapeutic options are available, depending on the basis of disease extension and the patient's overall condition. A correct pathological diagnosis is necessary and is often based on scant material. Here, we report a case diagnosed on fine needle aspiration and on a small surgical biopsy. In addition, we will review the literature. The patient is a 54-year-old woman who presented with persistent pain in the right hypochondrium and suffered from weight loss. Ultrasound examination and CT scan showed several focal and confluent hepatic lesions. Thus, an ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) was performed. A cytological diagnosis of vascular proliferation with epithelioid component was performed. Afterwards, a hepatic "small biopsy" (SB) was made. Histological and immunohistochemical data were consistent with a hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma diagnosis. The patient, however, is in good general condition and is waiting for a hepatic transplantation; repeated total CT scan showed no signs of metastasis. The literature was reviewed in order to define the pathological features that were helpful in the cytological and histological diagnosis of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and to better understand if pathological data is prognostically useful
Non-invasive diagnostic imaging of colorectal liver metastases
No full textColorectal cancer is one of the few malignant tumors in which synchronous or metachronous liver metastases [colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs)] may be treated with surgery. It has been demonstrated that resection of CRLMs improves the long-term prognosis. On the other hand, patients with un-resectable CRLMs may benefit from chemotherapy alone or in addition to liver- directed therapies. The choice of the most appropriate therapeutic management of CRLMs depends mostly on the diagnostic imaging. Nowadays, multiple non-invasive imaging modalities are available and those have a pivotal role in the workup of patients with CRLMs. Although extensive research has been performed with regards to the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography, computed tomography, positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance for the detection of CRLMs, the optimal imaging strategies for staging and follow up are still to be established. This largely due to the progressive technological and pharmacological advances which are constantly improving the accuracy of each imaging modality. This review describes the non-invasive imaging approaches of CRLMs reporting the technical features, the clinical indications, the advantages and the potential limitations of each modality, as well as including some information on the development of new imaging modalities, the role of new contrast media and the feasibility of using parametric image analysis as diagnostic marker of presence of CRLMs
Endovascular vs open surgery of abdominal aortic aneurysm in high-risk patients: a single center experience.
No full textColorectal cancer: Parametric evaluation of morphological, functional and molecular tomographic imaging
No full textColorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the leading causes of tumor-related deaths worldwide. Among the various tools at physicians' disposal for the diagnostic management of the disease, tomographic imaging (e.g., CT, MRI, and hybrid PET imaging) is considered essential. The qualitative and subjective evaluation of tomographic images is the main approach used to obtain valuable clinical information, although this strategy suffers from both intrinsic and operator-dependent limitations. More recently, advanced imaging techniques have been developed with the aim of overcoming these issues. Such techniques, such as diffusion-weighted MRI and perfusion imaging, were designed for the "in vivo" evaluation of specific biological tissue features in order to describe them in terms of quantitative parameters, which could answer questions difficult to address with conventional imaging alone (e.g., questions related to tissue characterization and prognosis). Furthermore, it has been observed that a large amount of numerical and statistical information is buried inside tomographic images, resulting in their invisibility during conventional assessment. This information can be extracted and represented in terms of quantitative parameters through different processes (e.g., texture analysis). Numerous researchers have focused their work on the significance of these quantitative imaging parameters for the management of CRC patients. In this review, we aimed to focus on evidence reported in the academic literature regarding the application of parametric imaging to the diagnosis, staging and prognosis of CRC while discussing future perspectives and present limitations. While the transition from purely anatomical to quantitative tomographic imaging appears achievable for CRC diagnostics, some essential milestones, such as scanning and analysis standardization and the definition of robust cut-off values, must be achieved before quantitative tomographic imaging can be incorporated into daily clinical practice
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