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Objectives To assess changes in working patterns and education experienced by radiology residents in Northwest Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An online questionnaire was sent to residents of 9 postgraduate schools in Lombardy and Piedmont, investigating demographics, changes in radiological workload, involvement in COVID-19-related activities, research, distance learning, COVID-19 contacts and infection, changes in training profile, and impact on psychological wellbeing. Descriptive and χ2 statistics were used. Results Among 373 residents invited, 300 (80%) participated. Between March and April 2020, 44% (133/300) of respondents dedicated their full time to radiology; 41% (124/300) engaged in COVID-19-related activities, 73% (90/124) of whom working in COVID-19 wards; 40% (121/300) dedicated > 25% of time to distance learning; and 66% (199/300) were more involved in research activities than before the pandemic. Over half of residents (57%, 171/300) had contacts with COVID-19-positive subjects, 5% (14/300) were infected, and 8% (23/300) lost a loved one due to COVID-19. Only 1% (3/300) of residents stated that, given the implications of this pandemic scenario, they would not have chosen radiology as their specialty, whereas 7% (22/300) would change their subspecialty. The most common concerns were spreading the infection to their loved ones (30%, 91/300), and becoming sick (7%, 21/300). Positive changes were also noted, such as being more willing to cooperate with other colleagues (36%, 109/300). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic changed radiology residents’ training programmes, with distance learning, engaging in COVID-19-related activities, and a greater involvement in research becoming part of their everyday practice. Key Points • Of 300 participants, 44% were fully dedicated to radiological activity and 41% devoted time to COVID-19-related activities, 73% of whom to COVID-19 wards. • Distance learning was substantial for 40% of residents, and 66% were involved in research activities more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. • Over half of residents were exposed to COVID-19 contacts and less than one in twenty was infected.

Objectives To investigate the knowledge of radiologists on breast arterial calcifications (BAC) and attitude about BAC reporting, communication to women, and subsequent action. Methods An online survey was offered to EUSOBI members, with 17 questions focused on demographics, level of experience, clinical setting, awareness of BAC association with cardiovascular risk, mammographic reporting, modality of BAC assessment, and action habits. Descriptive statistics were used. Results Among 1084 EUSOBI members, 378 (34.9%) responded to the survey, 361/378 (95.5%) radiologists, 263 females (69.6%), 112 males (29.6%), and 3 (0.8%) who did not specify their gender. Of 378 respondents, 305 (80.7%) declared to be aware of BAC meaning in terms of cardiovascular risk and 234 (61.9%) to routinely include BAC in mammogram reports, when detected. Excluding one inconsistent answer, simple annotation of BAC presence was declared by 151/233 (64.8%), distinction between low versus extensive BAC burden by 59/233 (25.3%), and usage of an ordinal scale by 22/233 (9.5%) and of a cardinal scale by 1/233 (0.4%). Among these 233 radiologists reporting BAC, 106 (45.5%) declared to orally inform the woman and, in case of severe BAC burden, 103 (44.2%) to investigate cardiovascular history, and 92 (39.5%) to refer the woman to a cardiologist. Conclusion Among EUSOBI respondents, over 80% declared to be aware of BAC cardiovascular meaning and over 60% to include BAC in the report. Qualitative BAC assessment predominates. About 40% of respondents who report on BAC, in the case of severe BAC burden, investigate cardiovascular history and/or refer the woman to a cardiologist. Key Points • Of 1084 EUSOBI members, 378 (35%) participated: 81% of respondents are aware of breast arterial calcification (BAC) cardiovascular meaning and 62% include BAC in the mammogram report. • Of those reporting BAC, description of presence was declared by 65%, low versus extensive burden distinction by 25%, usage of an ordinal scale by 10%, and of a cardinal scale by 0.4%; 46% inform the woman and, in case of severe BAC burden, 44% examine cardiovascular history, and 40% refer her to a cardiologist. Rubina Manuela Trimboli and Davide Capra equally contributed to this work and share co-first authorship.

C ardiovascular MRI (CMR) is a key imaging modality in children, especially in congenital heart disease (CHD) (1-4). Evaluation of biventricular volumes and function is crucial in this setting. The standard CMR method to calculate these parameters entails multisection, cardiac-gated balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine imaging (5,6). Unfortunately, bSSFP cine sequences require multiple breath holds, which are time-consuming and can be difficult in young children with heart disease. Therefore, new emerging techniques aiming to reduce CMR imaging time are recently gaining increasing interest (7,8). However, data on this topic are scant in the pediatric population.Compressed sensing (CS) is a relatively novel MRI technique based on k-space incoherent subsampling, paired with a noise-reduction algorithm employing sparse representation in a nonlinear iterative reconstruction process (9,10). The purpose is to drastically speed up acquisition time without significantly degrading image quality. In recent years, CS has become increasingly popular in CMR. This is especially true for cine imaging in adults, in which real-time CS has shown to be accurate and reproducible, allowing for fast and reliable imaging even in patients who may be difficult to image (11)(12)(13)(14).Compared with standard bSSFP cine sequences, the major advantages of CS are the decreased imaging duration and the relative insensitivity to motion artifacts, such as irregular heart rhythms and breathing (15). These features account for most of its appeal in the pediatric population, in which patient cooperation is often limited. Moreover, in contrast with classic real-time cine imaging using parallel imaging, real-time CS yields higher spatial and temporal resolution closer to that of standard bSSFP (16).Recent experiences investigating CS in children and CHD are encouraging, showing feasibility and strong agreement with standard bSSFP cine imaging (17). In this context, we present results from our initial experience of This copy is for personal use only. To order printed copies, contact