Interstitial Lung Disease Associated With Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: Checklists for Clinical Practice

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are often associated with rheumatic diseases. Their early diagnosis and management are not only difficult, but also crucial, because they are associated with major morbidity and mortality and can be the first cause of death in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). Objectives: By using methodologies, such as Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and Delphi Survey, the aims of this study were (1) to measure consensus between pulmonologists, radiologists, and rheumatologists experienced in the management of ARD-ILD; (2) to highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach; and (3) to provide clinicians with a practical tool aimed at improving the prompt recognition and follow-up of ILD associated with ARDs and of any possible rheumatic conditions underlying ILD. Results: During the NGT round, the Steering Committee defined 57 statements to be used in the Delphi survey. A total of 78 experts participated in the Delphi survey, namely 28 pulmonologists, 33 rheumatologists, and 17 radiologists. During this round, consensus on agreement was reached in 47 statements, while disagreement was not reached in any statements. A secondary questionnaire was drafted by the Steering Committee to obtain clearer indications on ILD-ARD \u201cred-flags\u201d and follow-up. Delphi Panelists took part also in the second-questionnaire survey. Answers from both surveys were used to draft two checklists of \u201cred flags\u201d sign or symptom suggestive of ILD and ARD, respectively, and two checklists on identification and monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) ILD. Limitations: This study is a consensus work, which cannot produce empiric data, and is limited to the Italian scenario. Conclusions: This work showed a high level of agreement, but also shows some divergent opinions between different experts. This underlines the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. Eventually, we believe the drafted checklists can help clinicians in the diagnosis and follow-up of ILD-ARD

The impact of COVID-19 in the management of breast radiology units: What we have learned since 2020? A systematic review

During the last years, the COVID-19 pandemic determined different clinical and radiological scenarios, sometimes difficult to manage, in particular in breast units. On these bases, we tried to understand what we have learned and how to improve the management of breast cancer screening and breast cancer patients.We included a total number of 16 studies. Most published papers about managing breast units during the spread of COVID-19 were editorial, followed by original articles and reviews. Even if the COVID spread followed a bimodal distribution, most papers were published during the first wave, without significant improvement in 2021 and 2022, and were published in journals belonging to general speciality, followed by surgical and radiological journals.One of the most common topics reported in the final included studies is prioritizing patients in the clinical setting according to individual characteristics (first of all, age), risk factors, and time since the last imaging examination. For biopsies, prioritization has been suggested according to the risk of malignant lesions. In the screening setting, this was suspended in most reported studies, also for BRCA+ patients, and then resumed with different modalities according to different centres. Moreover, some proposed the establishment of mobile units for screening or the decentralization of more screening mammograms to smaller clinics or hospital admittance for screening patients via telemedicine.The majority of analyzed papers underlined that all patients, before admittance into the diagnostic rooms, should be screened for suspicious symptoms directly on-site or by asking by phone. In the case of patients with a high suspicion of COVID-19 infection, some papers proposed to delay all breast imaging studies and others to use dedicated departments or areas of the cancer center. In this setting, telemedicine for radiologists has also been suggested. Moreover, other suggestions should be considered: reducing patients' time in the hospital, increasing the distance between patients in the waiting room, and creating additional waiting areas