Corona mortis variant of the obturator artery : a systematic study of 300 hemipelvises by means of computed tomography angiography

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to systematically assess the prevalence and characteristics of the corona mortis (CM) variant of the obturator artery by means of computerised tomography angiography (CTA). Material and methods: A total of 150 consecutive patients (112 males, average age 73 years) referred to CTA for lower limb arterial evaluation were included in this retrospective study. Patient demographics, anastomosis incidence, artery diameter, distance from the symphysis pubis, Kellgren-Lawrence score, and pelvic size were evaluated. Results: In this study 40.6% of patients presented at least one competent CM arterial anastomosis. In the 300 evaluated arteries, 90 arterial anastomoses were found (30%), 40 on the right side (average diameter 1.63 mm) and 50 on the left side (1.78 mm). In 32 cases there was only one anastomosis, while in 29 cases the CM was bilateral. No anastomoses were detected in 89 patients. Mean distance from the symphysis was 50 mm. No relevant association with hip osteoarthrosis was found for CM. Mean pelvic size was 213 mm. Conclusions: The evidence from this study suggests that CM is a common variant that needs to be acknowledged before pelvic intervention

Clinical Breast MR Using MRS or DWI: Who Is the Winner?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast gained a role in clinical practice thanks to the optimal sensitivity of contrast-enhanced (CE) protocols. This approach, first proposed 30 years ago and further developed as bilateral highly spatially resolved dynamic study, is currently considered superior for cancer detection to any other technique. However, other directions than CE imaging have been explored. Apart from morphologic features on unenhanced T2-weighted images, two different non-contrast molecular approaches were mainly run in vivo: proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Both approaches have shown aspects of breast cancer (BC) hidden to CE-MRI: 1H-MRS allowed for evaluating the total choline peak (tCho) as a biomarker of malignancy; DWI showed that restricted diffusivity is correlated with high cellularity and tumor aggressiveness. Secondary evidence on the two approaches is now available from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, mainly considered in this article: pooled sensitivity ranged 71-74% for 1H-MRS and 84-91% for DWI; specificity 78-88% and 75-84%, respectively. Interesting research perspectives are opened for both techniques, including multivoxel MRS and statistical strategies for classification of MR spectra as well as diffusion tensor imaging and intravoxel incoherent motion for DWI. However, when looking at a clinical perspective, while MRS remained a research tool with important limitations, such as relatively long acquisition times, frequent low quality spectra, difficult standardization, and quantification of tCho tissue concentration, DWI has been integrated in the standard clinical protocols of breast MRI and several studies showed its potential value as a stand-alone approach for BC detection

Population screening for colorectal cancer by flexible sigmoidoscopy or CT colonography: Study protocol for a multicenter randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most prevalent type of cancer in Europe. A single flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening at around the age of 60 years prevents about one-third of CRC cases. However, FS screens only the distal colon, and thus mortality from proximal CRC is unaffected. Computed tomography colonography (CTC) is a highly accurate examination that allows assessment of the entire colon. However, the benefit of CTC testing as a CRC screening test is uncertain. We designed a randomized trial to compare participation rate, detection rates, and costs between CTC (with computer-aided detection) and FS as primary tests for population-based screening. METHODS/DESIGN: An invitation letter to participate in a randomized screening trial comparing CTC versus FS will be mailed to a sample of 20,000 people aged 58 or 60 years, living in the Piedmont region and the Verona district of Italy. Individuals with a history of CRC, adenomas, inflammatory bowel disease, or recent colonoscopy, or with two first-degree relatives with CRC will be excluded from the study by their general practitioners. Individuals responding positively to the invitation letter will be then randomized to the intervention group (CTC) or control group (FS), and scheduled for the screening procedure. The primary outcome parameter of this part of the trial is the difference in advanced neoplasia detection between the two screening tests. Secondary outcomes are cost-effectiveness analysis, referral rates for colonoscopy induced by CTC versus FS, and the expected and perceived burden of the procedures. To compare participation rates for CTC versus FS, 2,000 additional eligible subjects will be randomly assigned to receive an invitation for screening with CTC or FS. In the CTC arm, non-responders will be offered fecal occult blood test (FOBT) as alternative screening test, while in the FS arm, non-responders will receive an invitation letter to undergo screening with either FOBT or CTC. Data on reasons for participation and non-participation will also be collected. DISCUSSION: This study will provide reliable information concerning benefits and risks of the adoption of CTC as a mass screening intervention in comparison with FS. The trial will also evaluate the role of computer-aided detection in a screening setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0173960

Path Tracing vs. Volume Rendering Technique in Post-Surgical Assessment of Bone Flap in Oncologic Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery: A Preliminary Study

This study aims to compare a relatively novel three-dimensional rendering called Path Tracing (PT) to the Volume Rendering technique (VR) in the post-surgical assessment of head and neck oncologic surgery followed by bone flap reconstruction. This retrospective study included 39 oncologic patients who underwent head and neck surgery with free bone flap reconstructions. All exams were acquired using a 64 Multi-Detector CT (MDCT). PT and VR images were created on a dedicated workstation. Five readers, with different expertise in bone flap reconstructive surgery, independently reviewed the images (two radiologists, one head and neck surgeon and two otorhinolaryngologists, respectively). Every observer evaluated the images according to a 5-point Likert scale. The parameters assessed were image quality, anatomical accuracy, bone flap evaluation, and metal artefact. Mean and median values for all the parameters across the observer were calculated. The scores of both reconstruction methods were compared using a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. Inter-reader agreement was calculated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. PT was considered significantly superior to VR 3D reconstructions by all readers (p < 0.05). Inter-reader agreement was moderate to strong across four out of five readers. The agreement was stronger with PT images compared to VR images. In conclusion, PT reconstructions are significantly better than VR ones. Although they did not modify patient outcomes, they may improve the post-surgical evaluation of bone-free flap reconstructions following major head and neck surgery

COMPLICANZE ASSOCIATE AL POSIZIONAMENTO DI PORT-A-CATH E LORO GESTIONE DA PARTE DI RADIOLOGI INTERVENTISTI

Scopo: Descrivere le complicanze precoci e tardive associate al posizionamento di port-a-cath e la loro gestione da parte di Radiologi Interventisti. Materiali e metodi: Sono stati retrospettivamente analizzati i dati clinici di 742 pazienti sottoposti a posizionamento di port-a-cath presso la nostra Unità di Angiografia tra il 2016 ed il 2019. Le complicanze associate alla procedura sono state distinte in precoci (entro 30 giorni dall’impianto) e tardive (>30 giorni). Risultati: Il follow-up medio è stato di 832 giorni (range, 162-1532 giorni). Il malfunzionamento clinico del port-a-cath è stato riscontrato in 72 pazienti (9.7%). Le complicanze precoci (19/72, 26.4%) hanno incluso: infezione della tasca (31.6%), ematoma sottocutaneo (26.3%), torsione del catetere (15.8%), difficoltà di iniezione da causa indefinita (10.5%), dislocazione del serbatoio (10.5%) e deiscenza della ferita (5.3%); tali complicanze sono state gestite con rimozione del port-acath in 10 casi (52.6%) e con sua revisione (disostruzione meccanica, aspirazione percutanea di raccolta o sutura della tasca) nel 49.1% dei casi. Le complicanze tardive (53/72, 73.6%) hanno incluso: difficoltà di iniezione da causa indefinita (50.9%), infezione della tasca (18.9%), deiscenza della ferita (17%), trombosi venosa (7.5%) e migrazione del catetere (5.7%); le complicanze tardive sono state gestite con rimozione del serbatoio in 30 casi (56.6%) e con revisione del dispositivo (disostruzione meccanica o sutura della tasca) in 23 casi (43.4%). Conclusioni: Il malfunzionamento clinico dei port-a-cath può occorrere in circa il 10% dei casi; è più frequente dopo 30 giorni dall’impianto e può essere gestito senza rimozione del serbatoio in circa il 50% dei casi

CSF levels of CXCL12 and osteopontin as early markers of primary progressive multiple sclerosis

Background and objectives: To evaluate the extent of intrathecal inflammation in patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) at the time of diagnosis and to define markers and a specific inflammatory profile capable of distinguishing progressive from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Methods: Levels of 34 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the CSF were evaluated at the diagnosis in 16 patients with PPMS and 80 with RRMS. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, including Expanded Disability Status Scale assessment and a 3T brain MRI to detect white matter and cortical lesion number and volume and global and regional cortical thickness. Results: Higher levels of CXCL12 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.97, 95% CI [1.34-11.7]) and the monocyte-related osteopontin (OR = 2.24, 95% CI [1.01-4.99]) were detected in patients with PPMS, whereas levels of interleukin-10 (IL10) (OR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.09-0.96]) were significantly increased in those with RRMS. High CXCL12 levels were detected in patients with increased gray matter lesion number and volume (p = 0.001, r = 0.832 and r = 0.821, respectively). Pathway analysis confirmed the chronic inflammatory processes occurring in PPMS. Conclusions: At the time of diagnosis, a specific CSF protein profile can recognize the presence of early intrathecal inflammatory processes, possibly stratifying PPMS with respect to RRMS. Elevated CSF levels of CXCL12 and osteopontin suggested a key role of brain innate immunity and glia activity in MS. These molecules could represent useful candidate markers of MS progression, with implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of progressive MS. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that CXCL12 and monocyte-related osteopontin may be correlated with PPMS, and IL-10 may be related to RRMS. It is may be correlated due to Bonferroni correction negating the statistical correlations found in the study

Affidabilità dell'agobiopsia percutanea di noduli polmonari di piccole dimensioni eseguiti con guida TC a fascio conico

Valutare l’affidabilità e il tasso di complicanze delle agobiopsie dei noduli polmonari di piccole dimensioni eseguite mediante guida TC a fascio conico con braccio “a C”

APPROCCIO ENDOVASCOLARE ALL’EMBOLIZZAZIONE NEL RENE TRAPIANTATO: DESCRIZIONE DELLA NOSTRA CASISTICA

Scopo: Descrivere la nostra casistica di pazienti nefrotrapiantati sottoposti ad embolizzazione arteriosa transcatetere. Materiali e metodi: Nel periodo 2016-2019, 7 pazienti (6 uomini, 1 donna; età media 57, range 46-66 anni) sono stati sottoposti ad embolizzazione transcatetere dopo trapianto renale: 3/7 prima dell’espianto chirurgico di un graft malfunzionante, 4/7 per complicanze vascolari insorte nel rene trapiantato (3 pseudoaneurismi, 1 fistola artero-venosa conseguente a biopsia del graft). Risultati: Le procedure pre-espianto sono state eseguite mediante posizionamento di spirali o plug metallici a cavallo dell’anastomosi chirurgica arteriosa. In tutti casi l’espianto chirurgico è stato eseguito senza complicanze emorragiche. Nei pazienti con pseudoaneurismi intrarenali l’embolizzazione è stata eseguita mediante posizionamento di spirali metalliche “a monte” e “a valle” dello pseudoaneurisma, per escluderlo dalla circolazione sistemica; 1 di queste procedure è stata eseguita in regime d’urgenza a causa della rottura dello pseudoaneurisma entro la pelvi renale. Nel paziente con fistola artero-venosa sono state posizionate microspirali metalliche entro l’arteria afferente la fistola. Nel caso eseguito in urgenza è stato necessaria una seconda procedura per il persistere dell’ematuria secondaria ad incompleta esclusione della sacca pseudoaneurismatica. In tutti i casi la procedura di embolizzazione ha determinato la risoluzione della problematica e la preservazione del graft. Conclusioni: Il trattamento endovascolare può essere un valido aiuto tanto nell’embolizzazione pre-espianto di graft renale quanto nel trattamento delle complicanze vascolari. In quest’ultimo caso l’embolizzazione dev’essere più precisa e selettiva possibile, per evitare l’embolizzazione non target con rischio di perdita di funzione del graft

Heterogeneity of Cortical Lesion Susceptibility Mapping in Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Quantitative susceptibility mapping has been used to characterize iron and myelin content in the deep gray matter of patients with multiple sclerosis. Our aim was to characterize the susceptibility mapping of cortical lesions in patients with MS and compare it with neuropathologic observations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pattern of microglial activation was studied in postmortem brain tissues from 16 patients with secondary-progressive MS and 5 age-matched controls. Thirty-six patients with MS underwent 3T MR imaging, including 3D double inversion recovery and 3D-echo-planar SWI. RESULTS: Neuropathologic analysis revealed the presence of an intense band of microglia activation close to the pial membrane in subpial cortical lesions or to the WM border of leukocortical cortical lesions. The quantitative susceptibility mapping analysis revealed 131 cortical lesions classified as hyperintense; 33, as isointense; and 84, as hypointense. Quantitative susceptibility mapping hyperintensity edge found in the proximity of the pial surface or at the white matter/gray matter interface in some of the quantitative susceptibility mapping–hyperintense cortical lesions accurately mirrors the microglia activation observed in the neuropathology analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Cortical lesion susceptibility maps are highly heterogeneous, even at individual levels. Quantitative susceptibility mapping hyperintensity edge found in proximity to the pial surface might be due to the subpial gradient of microglial activation

ESCLUSIONE ENDOVASCOLARE DI PSEUDOANEURISMI IN FEGATO TRAPIANTATI: VIRTUTE DUCE, COMITE FORTUNA

Scopo: Presentare due casi di trattamento endovascolare di pseudoaneurismi in pazienti sottoposti a trapianto epatico. Materiali e metodi: Gli pseudoaneurismi sono stati identificati incidentalmente in corso di follow-up dopo trapianto epatico ortotopico. Il paziente 1, nel quale era stata confezionata una bilio-digiuno anastomosi, presentava uno pseudoaneurisma pre-anastomotico dell’arteria epatica, con trombosi dell’arteria a valle ed opacizzazione dei rami intraepatici apparentemente attraverso esili circoli collaterali di pertinenza dell’arteria epatica comune e del circolo mesenterico. Il paziente 2 presentava uno pseudoaneurisma intraepatico, probabile conseguenza di biopsia eseguita sul donatore. Risultati: In entrambi i casi lo pseudoaneurisma è stato escluso dal circolo sistemico edil graft è stato preservato. Nel paziente 1 una delle spirali metalliche utilizzate per l’esclusione dello pseudoaneurisma con tecnica “sandwich“ si è dislocata trombizzando l’arteria epatica comune prossimale; fortunatamente, grazie a verosimili fenomeni di neoangiogenesi indotti dalla presenza della bilio-digiuno anastomosi, le branche arteriose intraepatiche permanevano pervie, anche in corso di follow- up. Nel paziente 2 si è scelto di utilizzare la tecnica “jailing“, con posizionamento di spirali a rilascio controllato attraverso le maglie di uno stent a celle aperte posizionato nel lume dell’arteria coinvolta dallo pseudoaneurisma; nonostante una parziale occlusione dello stent, le diramazioni a valle permanevano pervie in corso di follow-up. Conclusioni: Nel fegato trapiantato il circolo arterioso è importante quanto quello portale. Il trattamento endovascolare in tali casi è una procedura ad elevato rischio, poichè l’embolizzazione non target può portare a perdita di parenchima con malfunzionamento del graft