Artifacts in computer tomography imaging: how it can really affect diagnostic image quality and confuse clinical diagnosis?

Different kinds of artifacts can occur during a computer tomography (CT) scans due to hardware or software related problems, human physiologic phenomenon or physical restrictions. Some of them can seriously affecting diagnostic image quality, while others may simulate or be confused with different pathology. On another words artifact is an artificial feature appearing in an image that is not present in the original investigative object. It is important to recognize these artifacts according to a basic understanding of their origin, especially those mimicking pathology, as they can lead to incorrect diagnosis and cause serious after-effects on patient’s health. We presented an overview of the most common CT artifacts and methods to fix or rectify them. We also provide the original artifacts images and statistics from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinical Hospital obtained from image databases

Evaluation of complexity of induced necrosis zone shape by means of principal component analysis

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is medical procedure that causes coagulation necrosis in the ablative tissue. Experts using descriptive and morphometric methods usually assess the shape of necrosis zone. However, a precise and objective assessment of necrosis zone shape requires quantitative evaluation methodology that includes computerized mathematical algorithms. One of such methods is presented in the program package “SHAPE ver.1.3”, in which quantitative evaluation of various biological contour shapes is based on principal component analysis of elliptic Fourier descriptors (EFDs). Aim of present study was elaboration of quantitative measure for complexity of the necrosis zone shape after radiofrequency ablation. We performed assessment of suitability of computer program package “SHAPE ver. 1.3” to produce valuable estimates of necrosis zone shape. Minimal yet sufficient number of principal components for optimal representation of necrosis area shape could be a quantitative measure of the shape complexity. Program package “SHAPE ver.1.3” together with proposed procedure for determination of this measure could be used for optimization of radiofrequency ablation procedures

Artifacts in computer tomography imaging: how it can really affect diagnostic image quality and confuse clinical diagnosis?

Different kinds of artifacts can occur during a computer tomography (CT) scans due to hardware or software related problems, human physiologic phenomenon or physical restrictions. Some of them can seriously affecting diagnostic image quality, while others may simulate or be confused with different pathology. On another words artifact is an artificial feature appearing in an image that is not present in the original investigative object. It is important to recognize these artifacts according to a basic understanding of their origin, especially those mimicking pathology, as they can lead to incorrect diagnosis and cause serious after-effects on patient’s health. We presented an overview of the most common CT artifacts and methods to fix or rectify them. We also provide the original artifacts images and statistics from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinical Hospital obtained from image databases

Analysis of Morphological and Morphometric Changes in a Parenchymal Tissue after the Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Background and Objectives: Prostate cancer is on the rise in the European Union, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the minimally invasive treatment options used for its treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the effects of RFA on prostate tissues. Materials and Methods: A standard prostate RFA procedure was performed on 13 non-purebred dogs in three sessions: no cooling (NC), cooling with a 0.1% NaCl solution (C.01), and cooling using a 0.9% NaCl solution (C.09). Microtome-cut 2–3 µm sections of prostate samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and further examined. Results: A histopathologic evaluation identified four zones of exposure: direct, application, necrosis, and transitional, as the damage on tissues decreased going further from the ablation site. The areas and perimeters of these zones were calculated, and geometric shapes of ablative lesions were evaluated using the quotient formula. Areas and perimeters of prostate tissue lesions in the NC and C.09 sessions were of similar size, whereas those found in C.01 were statistically significantly smaller. Lesions observed in session C.01 were of the most regular geometric shape, while the most irregular ones were found in session C.09. The shapes of lesions closest to the ablation electrode were the most irregular, becoming more regular the further away from the electrode they were. Conclusions: Prostate RFA leads to tissue damage with distinct morphological zones. Notably, the prostate lesions were the smallest and the most regular in shape after RFA procedures using the 0.1% NaCl cooling solution. It can be argued that smaller ablation sites may result in smaller scars, thus allowing for faster tissue healing if the blood flow and innervation at the ablation site are not compromised.Peer reviewe

Šiuolaikinis požiūris į šlapimo nelaikymo gydymą

Sergančiųjų šlapimo nelaikymu, metams bėgant, daugėja. Moterys ir vyrai iki 85 metų serga santykiu 2:1, vėliau sergamumas būna vienodas – 1:1. Šlapimo nelaikymas – tai liga, lemianti fizinę žmonių veiklą, emocinę pusiausvyrą, darbingumą bei socialinį bendravimą. Nelaikantys šlapimo žmonės turi psichologinių sunkumų, nevisavertiškumo jausmą, nerimą dėl ateities, diskomfortą dėl galimo blogo šlapimo kvapo. Dalis pacientų vengia viešai kalbėti apie esamą problemą, nedrįsta pasakoti gydytojui apie savo negalavimus. Literatūros duomenimis, vyrauja keletas šlapimo nelaikymo gydymo būdų, kurie taikomi klinikinėje praktikoje. Apibendrinus ir išanalizavus įvairias gydymo metodikas, nustatyta, kad šlapimo nelaikymo pradiniame etape rekomenduojami konservatyvūs gydymo būdai. Vėliau, nesant teigiamo poveikio, taikomi chirurginiai gydymo metodai

Low intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy for chronic pelvic pain syndrome: Long-term follow-up

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is one of the diseases that reduce the quality of life (QoL) of young men. To date, there is no consensus on the management of these patients. It is essential to continue research into the treatment of CP, despite the use of various therapies, including low-energy extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). The main objective of this study is to observe and record the clinical symptomatology of patients during a 48-week follow-up period after ESWT treatment. Between 2019 and 2021, 28 patients with type IIIB CP/chronic pelvic pain syndrome were enrolled. Patients underwent ESWT once weekly for 4 weeks (3,000 individual sessions, maximum total energy flux density 0.25 mJ/mm2, frequency 3 Hz). Participants were assessed at 0, 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks post-treatment using the visual analogue scale (VAS), National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5. The mean age of patients was 47.1 ± 13.7 years (range 28–4 years). The positive effect of LI-ESWT was reflected in improvements in VAS, NIH-CPSI, and IIEF-5 scores. Regression of patients’ symptoms was observed as early as 4 weeks after treatment. The greatest progress was achieved at week 24. In addition, a slight worsening was observed at week 36 and 48, with stable progress. The treatment significantly improved the QoL of the patients, with the most significant improvement in the VAS score. In conclusion, this treatment approach is safe, most effective in the first 6 months. Thereafter, the efficacy of the treatment diminishes, but is sustained over a longer period

TVT-Exact and midurethral sling (SLING-IUFT) operative procedures: a randomized study

Objectives: The aim of the study is to compare results, effectiveness and complications of TVT exact and midurethral sling (SLING-IUFT) operations in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI)

The Effect of Echinacea purpurea extract on sexual glands of male rats

Fifty percent of men over the age of fifty are diagnosed benign prostate hyperplasia. It is caused by disorders in the balance of androgens and estrogens, depending on the activity of sexual glands; therefore it is advisable to examine the functioning of these organs and to determine the pathogenetic mechanism of effect of this pathology. The antiandrogenic effect of Echinacea preparations was examined in our previous study and hypoplasia of histological structures and the mass reduction of prostate were determined. This encouraged more detailed investigation of the effect of the preparation directly to the organs, participating in the synthesis of the male hormone – testosterone. The effect of Echinacea extract on a testicle and epididymis was examined, the mass of these organs was determined, the proportion between the mass of the organ and the mass of a body was calculated, the changes in histological structures were evaluated in this study. Material and methods. Experiments with the Wistar line 3-month-old male rats were carried out. There were three experimental groups of rats. The first one was control group. The rats of the second group were fed on the usual food enriched with the Echinacea extract additive with the proportion of 50 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The rats in the third group were fed equally to the second one for 8 weeks. The clinical death of the animals was caused by overdosage of the solution of phenobarbital (1 mg/kg). The rats were weighed, the testicles and epididymis were eliminated, and pathohistological examinations were carried out. Results. The average weight of the male rats in the control group was 1530±166.37mg, in the second group – 1520±164.62mg, and in the third group –1499±158.81 mg. [...]

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Prostatitis is the most commonly diagnosed disease in men younger than 50 years and accounts for about 8% of all urologists’ consultations

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Background Prostatitis is the most commonly diagnosed disease in men younger than 50 years and accounts for about 8% of all urologists’ consultations. Objective After evaluating clinical trials and demonstrating the efficacy of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis treatment, it remains of clinical importance to continue studies on the use of low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in men. Materials and methods From May 2017 to April 2018, 40 patients with chronic prostatitis (CP) type IIIB/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) were enrolled in the study. The patients underwent ESWT once a week for 4 weeks. Results The mean age of the patients was 47.8 years. A statistically significant improvement in all the parameters, i.e., the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the visual analogue scale (VAS), National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), was observed at week 4. The effect of the treatment was maintained during the entire 12-week period. The NIH-CPSI total score showed the best improvement at week 4, but a slight deterioration without a statistically significant change was noticed at week 12. The greatest improvement at week 4 was documented for the NIH-CPSI and IPSS (43% and 37%, respectively). At week 12, an improvement of 52% and 39% was recorded for VAS and IPSS, respectively. Conclusions Our findings confirmed the effectiveness and safety of ESWT in resistant cases of CPPS in the short term. ESWT is cost-effective, which takes little time or requires a small amount of staff, and is easily conducted