Preclinical Cushing's syndrome in adrenal incidentalomas

Adrenal tumors are usually diagnosed by clinical symptoms of hormone excess. The increasing use of ultrasound and computed tomography results in the detection of a substantial number of incidentally discovered adrenal tumors. Most of these tumors are nonfunctional adrenocortical adenomas, but a few cases of subclinical cortisol production in "incidentalomas" have been reported. We investigated prospectively the prevalence of autonomous cortisol production in 68 patients (44 females and 24 males, aged 25-90 yr) with adrenal incidentalomas at our institution. As a screening procedure all patients with incidentalomas underwent an overnight dexamethasone suppression test (1 mg). Patients who failed to suppress serum cortisol below 140 nmol/L (5 micrograms/dL) underwent more comprehensive studies (prolonged dexamethasone suppression test, determination of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion in saliva, and CRH stimulation test). Eight patients (12% of all patients with incidentalomas; 5 females and 3 males, aged 25-71 yr) were finally identified as having cortisol- producing tumors, and the findings in these patients were compared with those of overt Cushing's syndrome in 8 patients (8 females, aged 26-50 yr) suffering from cortisol-producing adrenal adenomas. The tumor size of patients with cortisol-producing incidentalomas ranged from 2-5 cm. No specific signs and symptoms of hypercortisolism were present, but arterial hypertension (seven of eight subjects), diffuse obesity (four of eight subjects), and noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM; two of eight subjects) were frequently observed. Baseline cortisol levels were in the normal to upper normal range, whereas baseline ACTH levels were suppressed in five of the eight patients. In none of the patients was serum cortisol suppressible by low dose or high dose dexamethasone. The ACTH and cortisol responses to CRH were normal in two, blunted in one, and suppressed in four patients. Unilateral adrenalectomy was performed in seven patients and resulted in temporary adrenal insufficiency in four of them. After surgery, improvement of arterial hypertension, a permanent weight loss in obese subjects, and a better metabolic control of NIDDM were noted in the majority of patients. The following conclusions were reached. Incidentally diagnosed adrenal tumors with pathological cortisol secretion in otherwise clinically asymptomatic patients are more frequently observed than previously assumed. Adrenocortical insufficiency is a major risk in these patients after adrenalectomy. After surgery, hypertension, obesity, and NIDDM may improve. Patients with asymptomatic adrenal incidentalomas, therefore, should be screened for cortisol production by means of an overnight dexamethasone suppression test

Genicular artery embolization as a novel treatment for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis:protocol design of a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial

INTRODUCTION: Knee osteoarthritis is a common disease with pain as the most prevalent symptom. Previous cohort studies have shown genicular artery embolization to reduce pain symptoms in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Patients resistant to conservative therapy but not eligible yet for surgical treatment due to young age or comorbidities may profit from an effective and sustained pain reduction treatment. This study is a randomized sham-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of genicular artery embolization in patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Fifty-eight patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis will be recruited and randomly allocated to the treatment or control group in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the treatment group will undergo genicular artery embolization. Patients in the control group will undergo sham treatment. Outcome measurements will be assessed at baseline and after 1, 4, 8, and 12 months with questionnaires, pressure pain threshold testing, and MR imaging. The MR imaging protocol is designed to (semi)quantitatively assess osteoarthritis in the knee joint. The primary outcome is the change from baseline of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain subscale after 4 months. Secondary outcomes include change in osteoarthritis-related questionnaires, pressure pain threshold, and OA-related MRI features, particularly synovitis and bone marrow lesions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial will determine the efficacy of genicular artery embolization compared to a sham treatment. This is of importance to assess before proceeding to larger-scale efficiency studies and, ultimately, implementing this treatment into day to day clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03884049. Registered on 21 March 201

Integrated diagnostics: proceedings from the 9th biennial symposium of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology

The International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology held its 9th biennial meeting in August 2011. The focus of the programme was integrated diagnostics and massive computing. Participants discussed the opportunities, challenges, and consequences for the discipline of radiology that will likely arise from the integration of diagnostic technologies. Diagnostic technologies are increasing in scope, including advanced imaging techniques, new molecular imaging agents, and sophisticated point-of-use devices. Advanced information technology (IT), which is increasingly influencing the practice of medicine, will aid clinical communication and the development of “population images” that represent the phenotype of particular diseases, which will aid the development of diagnostic algorithms. Integrated diagnostics offer increased operational efficiency and benefits to patients through quicker and more accurate diagnoses. As physicians with the most expertise in IT, radiologists are well placed to take the lead in introducing IT solutions and cloud computing to promote integrated diagnostics. To achieve this, radiologists must adapt to include quantitative data on biomarkers in their reports. Radiologists must also increase their role as participating physicians, collaborating with other medical specialties, not only to avoid being sidelined by other specialties but also to better prepare as leaders in the selection and sequence of diagnostic procedures

Advancing radiology through informed leadership: summary of the proceedings of the Seventh Biannual Symposium of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology (IS3R), 23–25 August 2007

The International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology (IS3R) brings together thought leaders from academia and industry from around the world to share ideas, points of view and new knowledge. This article summarizes the main concepts presented at the 2007 IS3R symposium, providing a window onto trends shaping the future of radiology. Topics addressed include new opportunities and challenges in the field of interventional radiology; emerging techniques for evaluating and improving quality and safety in radiology; and factors impeding progress in molecular imaging and nanotechnology and possible ways to overcome them. Regulatory hurdles to technical innovation and drug development are also discussed more broadly, along with proposals for addressing regulators’ concerns and streamlining the regulatory process

Effectiveness of progressive tendon-loading exercise therapy in patients with patellar tendinopathy:a randomised clinical trial

Objective To compare the effectiveness of progressive tendon-loading exercises (PTLE) with eccentric exercise therapy (EET) in patients with patellar tendinopathy (PT). Methods In a stratified, investigator-blinded, block-randomised trial, 76 patients with clinically diagnosed and ultrasound-confirmed PT were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either PTLE or EET. The primary end point was clinical outcome after 24 weeks following an intention-to-treat analysis, as assessed with the validated Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment for patellar tendons (VISA-P) questionnaire measuring pain, function and ability to play sports. Secondary outcomes included the return to sports rate, subjective patient satisfaction and exercise adherence. Results Patients were randomised between January 2017 and July 2019. The intention-to-treat population (mean age, 24 years, SD 4); 58 (76%) male) consisted of patients with mostly chronic PT (median symptom duration 2 years). Most patients (82%) underwent prior treatment for PT but failed to recover fully. 38 patients were randomised to the PTLE group and 38 patients to the EET group. The improvement in VISA-P score was significantly better for PTLE than for EET after 24 weeks (28 vs 18 points, adjusted mean between-group difference, 9 (95% CI 1 to 16); p=0.023). There was a trend towards a higher return to sports rate in the PTLE group (43% vs 27%, p=0.13). No significant between-group difference was found for subjective patient satisfaction (81% vs 83%, p=0.54) and exercise adherence between the PTLE group and EET group after 24 weeks (40% vs 49%, p=0.33). Conclusions In patients with PT, PTLE resulted in a significantly better clinical outcome after 24 weeks than EET. PTLE are superior to EET and are therefore recommended as initial conservative treatment for PT

Preoperative Chest Computed Tomography Screening for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Asymptomatic Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Due to the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2), an efficient COVID-19 screening strategy is required for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The objective of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the role of preoperative computed tomography (CT) screening for COVID-19 in a population of COVID-19 asymptomatic patients scheduled for cardiac surgery. Between the 29th of March and the 26th of May 2020, patients asymptomatic for COVID-19 underwent a CT-scan the day before surgery, with reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) reserved for abnormal scan results. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of abnormal scans, which was evaluated using the CO-RADS score, a COVID-19 specific grading system. In a secondary analysis, the rate of abnormal scans was compared between the screening cohort and matched historical controls who underwent routine preoperative CT-screening prior to the SARS-Cov-2 outbreak. Of the 109 patients that underwent CT-screening, an abnormal scan result was observed in 7.3% (95% confidence interval: 3.2–14.0%). One patient, with a normal screening CT, was tested positive for COVID-19, with the first positive RT-PCR on the ninth day after surgery. A rate of preoperative CT-scan abnormalities of 8% (n = 8) was found in the unexposed historical controls (P &gt; 0.999). In asymptomatic patients undergoing cardiac surgery, preoperative screening for COVID-19 using computed tomography will identify pulmonary abnormalities in a small percentage of patients that do not seem to have COVID-19. Depending on the prevalence of COVID-19, this results in an unfavorable positive predictive value of CT screening. Care should be taken when considering CT as a screening tool prior to cardiac surgery.</p

Diagnostic accuracy of multislice computed tomography coronary angiography is improved at low heart rates

Purpose: Assess the effect of heart rate on diagnostic accuracy for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis using 16-row multislice computed tomography (MSCT). Material and methods: About 120 patients (105 males; 59 ± 11 years) with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent conventional coronary angiography (CA) and MSCT-CA were retrospectively enrolled for the study. Patients underwent a MSCT-CA (Sensation 16, Siemens, Germany), with the following protocol: Collimation 16 × 0.75 mm, gantry rotation time 420 ms, feed/rotation 3.0 mm, kV 120, mAs 400-500. The protocol for contrast material administration was 100 ml of Iodixanol (Visipaque 320 mg l/ml, Amersham, UK) at 4 ml/s and the delay was defined with a bolus tracking technique. In all patients the mean heart rate (HR) during the scan was used as a criteria to divide the population in two groups of 60 patients each. In one group (Low HR) the 60 patients with lower heart rates, and in the other group (High HR) the patients with higher heart rates. In the two groups diagnostic accuracy (per coronary segment) for the detection of significant stenosis (≥50% lumen reduction) was evaluated in vessels ≥2 mm of diameter using quantitative CA as reference standard. The difference in diagnostic accuracy were compared with a Chi2 test and a p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age, gender, weight, mean intravascular attenuation, and calcium score. Overall 1310 (652 for Low HR and 658 for High HR) segments with 219 (105 for Low HR and 114 for High HR) significant lesions were available for the analysis. The average heart rate was 52 ± 4HU and 63 ± 5HU for Low HR and High HR, respectively (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity were 92 and 96% for Low HR and 90 and 92% for High HR (p < 0.05). There were 22 vs. 44 false positives, and 8 vs. 12 false negatives in the Low HR and High HR, respectively. Conclusion: Increasing HR significantly deteriorates diagnostic accuracy in MSCT-CA

Influence of intracoronary attenuation on coronary plaque measurements using multislice computed tomography: Observations in an ex vivo model of coronary computed tomography angiography

Assessment of attenuation (measured in Hounsfield units, HU) of human coronary plaques was performed using multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in an ex vivo model. In three ex vivo specimens of left coronary arteries in oil, MSCT was performed after intracoronary injection of four solutions of contrast material (400 mgI/ml iomeprol). The four solutions were diluted as follows: 1/∞, 1/200, 1/80, and 1/20. All scans were performe

Tumor Volume as an Alternative Response Measurement for Imatinib Treated GIST Patients

Background: Assessment of tumor size changes is crucial in clinical trials and patient care. We compared imatinib-induced volume changes of liver metastases (LM) from gastro-intestinal stromal tumors (GIST) to RECIST and Choi criteria and their association with overall survival (OS). Methods: LM from 84 GIST p

Added value of 18F-FDG-PET/CT and cardiac CTA in suspected transcatheter aortic valve endocarditis

Backgrounds: Transcatheter-implanted aortic valve infective endocarditis (TAVI-IE) is difficult to diagnose when relying on the Duke Criteria. Our aim was to assess the additional diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission/computed tomography (PET/CT) and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) in suspected TAVI-IE. Methods: A multicenter retrospective analysis was performed in all patients who underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT and/or CTA with suspected TAVI-IE. Patients were first classified with Duke Criteria and after adding 18F-FDG-PET/CT and CTA, they were classified with European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria. The final diagnosis was determined by our Endocarditis Team based on ESC guideline recommendations. Results: Thirty patients with suspected TAVI-IE were included. 18F-FDG-PET/CT was performed in all patients and Cardiac CTA in 14/30. Using the Modified Duke Criteria, patients were classified as 3% rejected (1/30), 73% possible (22/30), and 23% definite (7/30) TAVI-IE. Adding 18F-FDG-PET/CT and CTA supported the reclassification of 10 of the 22 possible cases as “definite TAVI-IE” (5/22) or “rejected TAVI-IE” (5/22). This changed the final diagnosis to 20% rejected (6/30), 40% possible (12/30), and 40% definite (12/30) TAVI-IE. Conclusions: Addition of 18F-FDG-PET/CT and/or CTA changed the final diagnosis in 33% of patients and proved to be a valuable diagnostic tool in patients with suspected TAVI-IE