Arterial enhancing \u2013 only nodules less than 2 cm in diameter in patients with liver cirrhosis: predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis on gadobenate dimeglumine - enhanced MR Imaging.

Purpose: To assess whether gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA)-enhanced MR imaging could predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis in small arterial enhancing-only nodules detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Materials and Methods: We prospectively recruited 125 cirrhotic patients (67 males, and 58 females; age: 68 6 12.36 years) with 151 small (<2 cm in diameter) arterial enhancing-only nodules identified by contrast-enhanced CT. All patients were scanned by MR imaging before and after Gd-BOPTA injection during the hepatic arterial phase (HAP), portal venous phase (PVP), equilibrium phase (EP), and hepatobiliary phase (HP). Nodule characterization was based on reference imaging criteria (n \ubc 29 nodules), follow-up (n \ubc 105), or histology (n \ubc 17). Two radiologists (5 and 10 years experience) analyzed the MR images, and logistic regression was conducted to assess how well MR imaging findings could predict HCC diagnosis. Results: Final diagnoses included 115 benign nodules and 36 HCCs. Nodule T2 hyperintensity, T1 hypointensity, PVP-EP hypointensity, and HP hypointensity were the best predictors of HCC on univariate analysis. Nodule T2 hyperintensity, T1 hypointensity, and HP hypointensity, were independent predictors of HCC on multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MR imaging provides imaging findings which may predict a diagnosis of HCC in small arterial enhancing-only nodules in cirrhotic patients

The Diagnostic value of small bowel wall vascularity after sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble injection in patients with Crohn's disease: correlation with the therapeutic effectiveness of specific anti-inflammatory treatment

Purpose. To assess the value of small bowel wall vascularity after microbubble contrast agent injection in evaluating the therapeutic effectiveness of specific anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with Crohn's disease. Materials and methods. Fifteen patients (7 male and 8 female; mean age ± SD, 40 years ± 6) with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of Crohn's disease – Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) &gt; 150 (n = 12 patients) or &lt; 150 ((n = 3) – involving the terminal loop of the small bowel (wall thickness &gt; 5 mm) were included. In each patient the terminal loop was scanned by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) after sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble injection before and after 6-month anti-inflammatory treatment. The vascularity of the terminal loop was quantified in gray-scale levels (0–255) by a manually drawn ROI encompassing the thickened bowel wall and it was correlated with CDAI. Result. Before the beginning of the specific treatment all patients revealed diffuse transparietal contrast enhancement after microbubble injection, except for 3 patients who revealed contrast enhancement limited to the submucosa. In 13 patients the slope of the first ascending tract and the area under the enhancement curve were significantly lower after anti-inflammatory treatment (P &lt; 0.05; Wilcoxon test) with a significant correlation with the CDAI score (ρ = 0.85, P &lt; 0.05). In 2 patients no significant vascularity changes were found even though a mild reduction of CDAI score was identified (from 200 to 150 gray-scale levels). Conclusion. CEUS is a useful method to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of specific medical anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with Crohn's disease.<br/

Safety profile of risankizumab in the treatment of psoriasis patients with concomitant hepatitis B or C infection: A multicentric retrospective cohort study of 49 patients

safety of risankizumab in patients with psoriasis and hepatitis B and

MicroRNAs Related to TACE Treatment Response: A Review of the Literature from a Radiological Point of View

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world. Patients with intermediate stage (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, B stage) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been able to benefit from TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) as a treatment option. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), i.e., a subclass of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), participate in post-transcriptional gene regulation processes and miRNA dysfunction has been associated with apoptosis resistance, cellular proliferation, tumor genesis, and progression. Only a few studies have investigated the role of miRNAs as biomarkers predicting TACE treatment response in HCC. Here, we review the studies&rsquo; characteristics from a radiological point of view, also correlating data with radiological images chosen from the cases of our institution