The OAT technique for ACD or OCD repair in the athletic population allows for a higher rate of return to and maintenance of sports at the preinjury level compared with MF.

Background There is lack of guidance on specific CT protocols for imaging patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Purpose To assess international variations in CT utilization, protocols, and radiation doses in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and Methods In this retrospective data collection study, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) coordinated a survey between May and July 2020 regarding CT utilization, protocols, and radiation doses from 62 healthcare sites in 34 countries across five continents for CT exams performed in COVID-19 pneumonia. The questionnaire obtained information on local prevalence, method of diagnosis, most frequent imaging, indications for CT, and specific policies on use of CT in COVID-19 pneumonia. Collected data included general information (patient age, weight, clinical indication), CT equipment (CT make and model, year of installation, number of detector rows), scan protocols (body region, scan phases, tube current and potential), and radiation dose descriptors (CT dose index (CTDI vol ) and dose length product (DLP)). Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equations were performed. Results Data from 782 patients (median age (interquartile range) of 59(15) years) from 54 healthcare sites in 28 countries were evaluated. Less than one-half of the healthcare sites used CT for initial diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia and three-fourth used CT for assessing disease severity. CTDI vol varied based on CT vendors (7-11mGy, p<0.001), number of detector-rows (8-9mGy, p<0.001), year of CT installation (7-10mGy, p=0.006), and reconstruction techniques (7-10mGy, p=0.03). Multiphase chest CT exams performed in 20% of sites (11 of 54) were associated with higher DLP compared with single-phase chest CT exams performed in 80% (43 of 54 sites) (p=0.008). Conclusion CT use, scan protocols, and radiation doses in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia showed wide variation across healthcare sites within the same and different countries. Many patients were scanned multiple times and/or with multiphase CT scan protocols. See also the editorial by Lee .

Background and Objectives: Both chronic pancreatitis (CP) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) may lead to cachexia, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis due to different mechanisms. Neither patient gender, age, nor body weight are good predictors of these metabolic changes having a significant negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) and treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate radiological changes in body composition and to compare them with manifestations of exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency, body mass, and QOL among patients with CP and PDAC. Materials and Methods: Prospectively collected data of 100 patients with diagnosed CP or PDAC were used for analysis. All patients underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess QOL. Diabetes and changes in fecal elastase-1 were also assessed. Results: There was no significant difference in skeletal muscle mass (SMM) among patients with CP and PDAC (p = 0.85). Significantly more underweight patients had low SMM (p = 0.002). Patients with CP had more pronounced pancreatic fibrosis (PF) (p < 0.001). Data showed a significant relationship between a high degree of PF and occurrence of diabetes (p = 0.006) and low fecal elastase-1 levels (p = 0.013). A statistically significant lower QOL was determined in patients with PF ≥ 50% and in the CP group. Conclusions: Sarcopenia and osteoporosis/osteopenia are highly prevalent among patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, and CT- and MRI-based assessment of body composition and pancreatic fibrosis could be a potentially useful tool for routine detection of these significant metabolic changes.

Background and objective: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) - based feature tracking (FT) can detect left ventricular (LV) strain abnormalities in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients, but little is known about the prognostic value of LV function and mechanics in PH patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate LV systolic function by conventional CMR and LV global strains by CMR-based FT analysis in precapillary PH patients, thereby defining the prognostic value of LV function and mechanics. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 43 patients with precapillary PH (mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) 55.91 ± 15.87 mmHg, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) ≤15 mmHg) referred to CMR for PH evaluation. Using FT software, the LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS), also right ventricular (RV) GLS were analyzed. Results: Patients were classified into two groups according to survival (survival/non-survival). LV GLS was significantly reduced in the non-survival group (−12.4% [−19.0–(−7.8)] vs. −18.4% [−22.5–(−15.5)], p = 0.009). By ROC curve analysis, LV GLS > −14.2% (CI: 3.229 to 37.301, p < 0.001) was found to be robust predictor of mortality in PH patients. Univariable analysis using the Cox model showed that severely reduced LV GLS > −14.2%, with good sensitivity (77.8%) and high specificity (93.5%) indicated an increase of the risk of death by 11-fold. LV GLS significantly correlated in PH patients with RV ESVI (r = 0.322, p = 0.035), RV EF (r = 0.444, p < 0.003). Conclusions: LV systolic function and LV global longitudinal strain measurements using CMR-FT correlates with RV dysfunction and is associated with poor clinical outcomes in precapillary PH patients.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the noninvasive assessment of pancreatic fibrosis (PF). Methods Fifty-two patients who underwent surgical resection of the pancreas, histological examination of resection margins, preoperative abdominal MRI, and fecal elastase-1 test were enrolled in the study. Pancreatic tissue was identified on the MRI T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured at the expected resection margin of the pancreas. Results There was a significant negative correlation between the ADC mean and histologically determined PF (r = −0.752, P = 0.001). For equal to or greater than 25% of PF, the ADC cutoff value was 1.331 or less, with a sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 88%. The unenhanced T1-weighted signal intensity ratio (T1SI) cutoff value was 172.1 or less. For equal to or greater than 50% of PF, the ADC cutoff value was 1.316 or less with a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 88%. The highest sensitivity was obtained by combining ADC and T1SI values. Conclusions Combining both the ADC and T1SI measurement allows the detection of early PF with good sensitivity and specificity. Magnetic resonance imaging has the advantage of being noninvasive and widely used in the clinical setting, thus making our results easily transferable to routine clinical practice.