Purpose To assess the performance of hardware- and software-gating technologies in terms of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of respiratory motion in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Materials and Methods Between 2010 and 2013, 219 fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET examinations were performed in 116 patients for assessment of pulmonary nodules. All patients provided informed consent in this institutional review board-approved study. Acquisitions were reconstructed as respiratory-gated images by using hardware-derived respiratory triggers and software-derived signal (via an automated postprocessing method). Asymmetry was evaluated in the joint distribution of reader preference, and linear mixed models were used to evaluate differences in outcomes according to gating type. Results In blind reviews of reconstructed gated images, software was selected as superior 16.9% of the time (111 of 657 image sets; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.0%, 19.8%), and hardware was selected as superior 6.2% of the time (41 of 657 image sets; 95% CI: 4.4%, 8.1%). Of the image sets, 76.9% (505 of 657; 95% CI: 73.6%, 80.1%) were judged as having indistinguishable motion quality. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the two gating strategies exhibited similar performance, and the performance of both was significantly different from that of nongated images. The mean increase ± standard deviation in lesion maximum standardized uptake value was 42.2% ± 38.9 between nongated and software-gated images, and lesion full width at half maximum values decreased by 9.9% ± 9.6. Conclusion Compared with vendor-supplied respiratory-gating hardware methods, software gating performed favorably, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Fully automated gating is a feasible approach to motion correction of PET images. (©) RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

The authors tested the effectiveness of a community-based, tribally delivered oral health promotion (OHP) intervention (INT) at reducing caries increment in Navajo children attending Head Start. In a 3-y cluster-randomized trial, we developed an OHP INT with Navajo input that was delivered by trained Navajo lay health workers to children attending 52 Navajo Head Start classrooms (26 INT, 26 usual care [UC]). The INT was designed as a highly personalized set of oral health-focused interactions (5 for children and 4 for parents), along with 4 fluoride varnish applications delivered in Head Start during academic years of 2011 to 2012 and 2012 to 2013. The authors evaluated INT impact on decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces (dmfs) increment compared with UC. Other outcomes included caries prevalence and caregiver oral health-related knowledge and behaviors. Modified intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. The authors enrolled 1,016 caregiver-child dyads. Baseline mean dmfs/caries prevalence equaled 19.9/86.5% for the INT group and 22.8/90.1% for the UC group, respectively. INT adherence was 53% (i.e., ≥3 child OHP events, ≥1 caregiver OHP events, and ≥3 fluoride varnish). After 3 y, dmfs increased in both groups (+12.9 INT vs. +10.8 UC; P = 0.216), as did caries prevalence (86.5% to 96.6% INT vs. 90.1% to 98.2% UC; P = 0.808) in a modified intention-to-treat analysis of 897 caregiver-child dyads receiving 1 y of INT. Caregiver oral health knowledge scores improved in both groups (75.1% to 81.2% INT vs. 73.6% to 79.5% UC; P = 0.369). Caregiver oral health behavior scores improved more rapidly in the INT group versus the UC group (P = 0.006). The dmfs increment was smaller among adherent INT children (+8.9) than among UC children (+10.8; P = 0.028) in a per-protocol analysis. In conclusion, the severity of dental disease in Navajo Head Start children is extreme and difficult to improve. The authors argue that successful approaches to prevention may require even more highly personalized approaches shaped by cultural perspectives and attentive to the social determinants of oral health (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01116739).

Pure extrinsic compression of the transverse-sigmoid junction and female gender were strongly associated with hemodynamic failure. Eight patients with hemodynamic failure who were restented had successful control of papilledema, including 4/4 who had extended stenting into the SSS.

Utilization of the AWV has increased modestly since its introduction, but remains low. Utilization varies by ethnoracial group, with disparities largely explained by differences in income and education. Further efforts are needed to evaluate AWV utilization and effectiveness, especially among low socioeconomic status ethnoracial minorities.