Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Irrigation of Calcific Tendinopathy

Rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy (RCCT) is a common disease that may cause highly disabling shoulder pain. No treatment is required for asymptomatic calcifications; mild symptoms may be treated conservatively. Among several therapeutic options, ultrasound-guided percutaneous irrigation of calcific tendinopathy (US-PICT) is currently accepted as the first-line safe and effective treatment for RCCT, with significant pain improvement and a very low rate of minor complications. Different approaches have been reported to dissolve calcified deposits, all including the use of a fluid (local anesthetic or saline solution) and the use of one or two needles to inject and retrieve the fluid/dissolved calcium. This review describes both one-needle and two-needle US-PICT techniques, providing technical and practical information that can improve daily clinical practice

Impact of artificial intelligence on radiology: a EuroAIM survey among members of the European Society of Radiology

We report the results of a survey conducted among ESR members in November and December 2018, asking for expectations about artificial intelligence (AI) in 5-10 years. Of 24,000 ESR members contacted, 675 (2.8%) completed the survey, 454 males (67%), 555 (82%) working at academic/public hospitals. AI impact was mostly expected (>= 30% of responders) on breast, oncologic, thoracic, and neuro imaging, mainly involving mammography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance. Responders foresee AI impact on: job opportunities (375/675, 56%), 218/375 (58%) expecting increase, 157/375 (42%) reduction; reporting workload (504/675, 75%), 256/504 (51%) expecting reduction, 248/504 (49%) increase; radiologist's profile, becoming more clinical (364/675, 54%) and more subspecialised (283/675, 42%). For 374/675 responders (55%) AI-only reports would be not accepted by patients, for 79/675 (12%) accepted, for 222/675 (33%) it is too early to answer. For 275/675 responders (41%) AI will make the radiologist-patient relation more interactive, for 140/675 (21%) more impersonal, for 259/675 (38%) unchanged. If AI allows time saving, radiologists should interact more with clinicians (437/675, 65%) and/or patients (322/675, 48%). For all responders, involvement in AI-projects is welcome, with different roles: supervision (434/675, 64%), task definition (359/675, 53%), image labelling (197/675, 29%). Of 675 responders, 321 (48%) do not currently use AI, 138 (20%) use AI, 205 (30%) are planning to do it. According to 277/675 responders (41%), radiologists will take responsibility for AI outcome, while 277/675 (41%) suggest shared responsibility with other professionals. To summarise, responders showed a general favourable attitude towards AI

Diffusion tensor imaging in the musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve systems : from experimental to clinical applications

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a well-established imaging modality which is used in all districts of the musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve systems. More recently, initial studies have applied multiparametric MRI to evaluate quantitatively different aspects of musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve diseases, thus providing not only images but also numbers and clinical data. Besides 1H and 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and blood oxygenation level-dependent imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a relatively new MRI-based technique relying on principles of DWI, which has traditionally been used mainly for evaluating the central nervous system to track fibre course. In the musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve systems, DTI has been mostly used in experimental settings, with still few indications in clinical practice. In this review, we describe the potential use of DTI to evaluate different musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve conditions, emphasising the translational aspects of this technique from the experimental to the clinical setting

How good are low back pain guidelines? A critical appraisal of the quality of clinical practice guidelines using the agree II tool

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice, but their increasing number in the last few years arises possible concerns about their quality. Preliminary results on the methodological quality of CPGs for low back pain management (LBP) are here presented. The results of this review can help researchers and Italian policymakers select and adopt the highest quality Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for Low Back Pain (LBP) management in the CPG National Systems (Sistema Nazionale Linee Guida)

Scrotal migration of inguinal hernia repair mesh : an unusual cause of testicular mass

Scrotal masses are common findings in primary care and can develop from all anatomical structures of the scrotum. They are usually painless, although pain may be present occasionally. In this report, we present the case of an unusual testicular mass caused by the migration in the scrotum of a mesh used for inguinal hernia repair. The patient was treated conservatively owing to the spontaneous resolution of symptoms

Multimodality imaging of chronic tophaceous gout

The diagnosis of gout is usually based on clinical presentation and laboratory findings. Imaging plays a role in the assessment and grading of articular damage related to chronic, long-standing disease, which is characterized by granulomatous synovitis, tophi, and erosions. Multimodality imaging of chronic tophaceous gout may be useful in clinical practice for a variety of purposes, including assessment of disease-related anatomical changes and monitoring of articular and soft-tissue lesions over time, especially in response to urate-lowering therapy. Radiography remains the primary imaging technique. Ultrasonography may detect monosodium urate crystals on cartilage, is helpful to assess small joint effusion, to guide to joint aspiration, and to evaluate the volume of tophi. Computed tomography is considered to be more sensitive than plain radiography in the detection and evaluation of cortical bone erosions associated with tophi. MRI represents the only imaging modality which provides visualization of bone marrow oedema associated with erosions and may be useful to characterize and distinguish tophi from other soft tissue nodules