Paediatric unilateral giant hydroureteronephrosis from idiopathic ureterovesical stricture: a case report

A congenital type of ureterovesical junction obstruction may be present in the fetus or at any stage during childhood, more commonly associated with urinary tract infections and other secondary causes. We present the case of a 6-year-old boy who suffered from colic and side pain, which was worsening monthly. He suffered from a giant hydroureteronephrosis resulting from idiopathic ureterovesical junction obstruction, with no clinical or laboratory signs of urinary tract infection or other secondary causes of obstruction. Indications for surgery were a decrease in kidney function (<40%) at scintigraphy, severe hydronephrosis (>30 mm), and the coexistence of symptoms (colic pain). After surgery, kidney function returned to almost completely normal. Unexpectedly an obstruction may become symptomatic late in infancy, especially in patients with normal prenatal ultrasound screening and postnatal life, as was the case for our patient in whom the only clinical sign was pain at flank

Renal shear wave velocity and estimated glomerular filtration rate in children with chronic kidney disease

A shear wave velocity (SWV) value obtained by the acoustic radiation force impulse technique depends on tissue elasticity. We investigated the relationship between SWV values and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in children with chronic kidney disease. A total of 29 patients were enrolled in the study. There were 18 primary and 11 secondary cases of vesicoureteral reflux. eGFR was calculated using Schwartz's formulas (2012). Partial eGFR for each kidney was assessed by multiplying the eGFR by the percentage of renal function measured by means of renal (99m)Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy. All ultrasound tests were done by a single qualified technician using a convex probe (frequency 4 MHz) on an S-2000 system. The mean SWV values of the two kidneys were significantly and negatively correlated with eGFR calculated with both univariate (cystatin C [Cys C] and multivariate (creatinine, Cys C, and nitrogen) equations. Of all the formulae, the strongest correlation was obtained with eGFR (Cys C). SWV of the renal cortex correlates with the eGFR of patients affected by malformative uropathies. Nevertheless, this technique needs standardization and validation

3T DCE-MRI Radiomics Improves Predictive Models of Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

To test whether 3T MRI radiomics of breast malignant lesions improves the performance of predictive models of complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy when added to other clinical, histological and radiological information

Dual-tracer (68Ga-DOTATOC and 18F-FDG-)-PET/CT scan and G1-G2 non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A single-center retrospective evaluation of 124 non-metastatic resected cases

The combined use of 68Gallium [68GA]-DOTA-peptides and 18Fluorine-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose [18F-FDG] PET/TC scans in the work-up of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) is controversial. This study aimed at assessing both tracers' capability to identify tumors and to assess its association with pathological predictors of recurrence

Performance of FDG-PET/CT in solitary pulmonary nodule based on pre-test likelihood of malignancy: results from the ITALIAN retrospective multicenter trial

Purpose The aimof this study was to determine the performance of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN), stratifying the risk according to the likelihood of pulmonary malignancy. Methods FDG-PET/CTof 502 patients, stratified for pre-test cancer risk, were retrospectively analyzed. FDG uptake in SPN was assessed by a 4-point scoring system and semiquantitative analysis using the ratio between SUVmax in SPN and SUVmean in mediastinal blood pool (BP) and between SUVmax in SPN and SUVmean in liver (L). Histopathology and/or follow-up data were used as standard of reference. Results SPN was malignant in 180 (36%) patients, benign in 175 (35%), and indeterminate in 147 (29%). The 355 patients with a definitive SPN nature (malignant or benign) were considered for the analysis. Considering FDG uptake ≥ 2, sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, and accuracy were 85.6%, 85.7%, 86%, 85.2%, and 85.6% respectively. Sensitivity and PPV were higher (P < 0.05) in intermediate and high-risk patients, while specificity and NPV were higher (P < 0.05) in low-risk patients. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-offs for better discrimination between benign and malignant SPN were 1.56 (sensitivity 81% and specificity 87%) and 1.12 (sensitivity 81% and specificity 86%) for SUVmax/SUVmeanBP and SUVmax/SUVmeanL respectively. In intermediate and high-risk patients, including the SUVmax/SUVmeanBP, the specificity shifted from 85% and 50% to 100%. Conclusion Visual FDG-PET/CT has an acceptable performance in patients with SPN, but accuracy improves when SUVratios are considered, particularly in patients with intermediate and high risk of malignancy