Prediction of successful discectomy using MRI quantitation of dural sac and herniated disc dimensions

Objective: To evaluate the ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) quantitation of disc prolapse and dural sac to identify those who would benefit from discectomy. Methods: Thirty consecutive patients with disc herniation and leg pain who had MRI of lumbar spine and subsequently underwent discectomy were prospectively enrolled and compared with 30 controls. The anteroposterior (AP) diameter and the cross-sectional area of disc prolapse and of dural sac were measured. The ratios of AP diameters and cross-sectional areas were calculated. The measurements were correlated with the relief of symptoms based on a visual analogue scale assessment preoperatively and 1 week postoperatively. Results: All patients preoperatively had a pain score of seven or higher (mean ± SD = 7.9 ± 0.3) and postoperatively a score of ≤ 2(mean ± SD = 1.1 ± 0.2). The AP diameter of disc prolapse and the ratio of AP diameters demonstrated the highest sensitivity and specificity: an AP diameter of 3.3 mm was 99% sensitive and specific and a ratio of the AP diameters of 0.37 was 100% sensitive and 99% specific. Conclusion: Quantitative measurements of MRI can improve significantly the ability to identify the patients who would benefit from discectomy. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Leiomyoma of the Retzius space in a male patient: A case report and a diagnostic approach to Retzius space diseases

Retzius space is a small anatomical compartment located directly posterior to the pubic symphysis and anterior to the urinary bladder. Diseases developing primarily in this space are rare; only 7 cases of leiomyomas of the Retzius space have been reported in the literature so far, all of them in female patients. We present a unique case of a leiomyoma of the Retzius space in a male patient. An imaging-based diagnostic approach to Retzius space disease is proposed. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Radiomics/Radiogenomics in Lung Cancer: Basic Principles and Initial Clinical Results

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and elucidation of its complicated pathobiology has been traditionally targeted by studies incorporating genomic as well other high-throughput approaches. Recently, a collection of methods used for cancer imaging, supplemented by quantitative aspects leading towards imaging biomarker assessment termed “radiomics”, has introduced a novel dimension in cancer research. Integration of genomics and radiomics approaches, where identifying the biological basis of imaging phenotypes is feasible due to the establishment of associations between molecular features at the genomic–transcriptomic–proteomic level and radiological features, has recently emerged termed radiogenomics. This review article aims to briefly describe the main aspects of radiogenomics, while discussing its basic limitations related to lung cancer clinical applications for clinicians, researchers and patients. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Arteriovenous malformation: An unusual cause of rectus sheath hematoma, following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is an accumulation of blood in the rectus abdominis muscle sheath, secondary to several conditions which may cause the epigastric vessel rupture or muscular tear, but mostly affecting patients undergoing anticoagulation therapy

Transarterial embolization with sorafenib in animal livers: A pharmacokinetics study

Purpose To assess the safety and feasibility of the targeted delivery of the antiangiogenic drug sorafenib to the liver using transarterial chemoembolization methodology as a novel approach to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. Materials and Methods Seven healthy New Zealand white rabbits were used in the study. After placement of a catheter in the common hepatic artery, six rabbits were treated with chemoembolization of sorafenib in iodized oil (Lipiodol) (sorafenib dose 0.1 mg/kg), and one rabbit received Lipiodol only. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentration of sorafenib in the peripheral blood and liver tissue 24 hours and 72 hours after treatment. Histochemical staining of the liver sections and biochemical measurements were performed. Results The administration of sorafenib in Lipiodol emulsions by transarterial chemoembolization resulted in sorafenib concentrations of 794 ng/g ± 240 and 64 ng/g ± 15 in the liver tissue 24 hours and 72 hours after treatment. The average liver-to-serum ratios 24 hours and 72 hours after treatment were approximately 14 and 22. The histochemical staining of the liver tissue sections and aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase and total bilirubin concentrations indicated no significant liver damage. Conclusions Transarterial chemoembolization with sorafenib in Lipiodol is an effective methodology for the localized delivery of this drug to the liver and has possible practical implications in therapeutic interventions for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. © 2013 SIR