Surveillance of interval cancers (IC) lacks standardisation of review methodologies. We investigated the extent to which 'informed' or 'blinded' review may affect IC classification. This is a retrospective study of 100 validated screening mammograms (20 IC, 80 negative screens) independently reviewed by six radiologists. Three sequenced review methods with increasing information were used: (1) blinded (no IC information, case mix), (2) partially informed, and (3) fully informed. IC 'screening error' (SE) reports averaged 24% (10-40), 33% (20-55), and 42% (35-50) for phases 1, 2, and 3, while 'minimal signs' (MS) reports averaged 6% (5-15), 10% (10-20), and 20% (15-30), respectively. Negative mammograms classification was MS in 18% (7-39) or SE in 19% (11-29), respectively. MS or SE classification was more likely for method 2 (OR=1.78, p=0.033) and method 3 (OR=3.91, p=0.000) relative to method 1, but no reader effect was evident. Inter-observer agreement in classifying at method 1 was slight (k 0.20), lowest (k 0.06) for MS, and fair (k 0.25) for negative and SE categories. More 'informed' review is more likely to yield an IC classification as MS or SE. Due to expected variability, review methods need standardisation to improve screening quality. Our data support blinded review of IC in mammography screening.

No abstract

Analysis of the time of onset of US contrast enhancement of the hepatic vein appears to be a potentially useful noninvasive supplement to conventional sonography and Doppler in the follow-up of patients with chronic diffuse liver disease.

The hepatic vasculature is highly complex. The hepatic artery (a branch of the celiac tripod) and the portal vein (formed by the confluence of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins) provide a dual blood supply while venous drainage is guaranteed by the hepatic veins. There are also numerous anatomic variants that can involve one or more of the system's three components.Hepatic artery variants are the least common. Ten types have been identified, including several that are fairly frequent and others that are quite rare, and the variation generally involves the extrahepatic portion of the vessel. Portal vein variants are found in around 20% of the population. They can involve the main portal trunk or segmental branches. Variants of the hepatic veins are the most common. They involve the number and course (supernumerary veins) or the number, course, and openings (accessory veins).Knowledge of portal vein and hepatic vein variants, which are extremely common, is of prime importance for precise localization of lesions. Hepatic artery variants are equally important for surgical treatment of hepatic disease, especially liver transplantation, where it is essential for preoperative workup and postoperative follow-up of the recipient as well as for assessment of potential donors.Sommario La vascolarizzazione del fegato è complessa: arteria epatica, ramo del tripode celiaco, e vena porta, costituita dalla confluenza delle vene splenica e mesenterica superiore, forniscono una doppia vascolarizzazione; mentre il drenaggio è assicurato dalle vene sovrepatiche, inoltre vi è un numero significativo di varianti che possono interessare separatamente o contemporaneamente i tre i sistemi.Le varianti dell'arteria epatica, meno frequenti rispetto alle altre, sono state classificate in dieci tipi di cui alcuni più comuni, altri del tutto eccezionali, riguardano principalmente il tratto extra-epatico del vaso. Quelle della vena porta, che si riscontrano in circa il 20% della popolazione, possono interessare sia i rami principali che i segmentari. Quelle delle vene sovrapatiche, le più frequenti, possono riguardare il numero ed il decorso (vene soprannumerarie) o il numero ed il decorso, ma anche lo sbocco (vene accessorie). La conoscenza delle varianti portali e delle vene sovrepatiche, estremamente frequenti, è di primaria importanza per la possibilità di localizzare con precisione eventuali lesioni; non meno importante è la conoscenza delle varianti dell'arteria epatica, in relazione alle terapie chirurgiche, in particolare per quello che riguarda i trapianti, sia nella fase pre-operatoria, sia nella valutazione del potenziale donatore, sia nel follow-up. ª

Various treatments for liver diseases, including liver transplant (particularly partial liver resection from a living donor), treatment of liver tumors, and TIPS, require detailed knowledge of the complex vascular anatomy of the liver. The hepatic artery and portal vein provide the organ with a double blood supply whereas venous drainage is furnished by the hepatic veins.Multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging provide undeniably excellent information on these structures. On ultrasound, the inferior vena cava, the openings of the hepatic veins, and the main branch of the portal vein can always be visualized, but intrasegmental vessels (portal, arterial, accessory hepatic venous branches) can be only partially depicted and in some cases not at all.In spite of its difficulty and limitations, hepatic sonography is frequently unavoidable, particularly in critically ill patients, and the results are essential for defining diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. For this reason, a thorough knowledge of the sonographic features of hepatic vascular anatomy is indispensable.Sommario Vari interventi terapeutici sul fegato, in particolare il trapianto, con maggior rilevanza per la resezione parziale da donatore vivente, il trattamento dei tumori epatici e le TIPS, richiedono la conoscenza dettagliata dell'architettura vascolare epatica, che è complessa; arteria epatica e vena porta forniscono al fegato una doppia vascolarizzazione, mentre il drenaggio venoso è assicurato dalle vene sovrepatiche.TC multistrato e RM forniscono sicuramente dati eccellenti mentre ecograficamente sono costantemente evidenziabili la vena cava inferiore, lo sbocco delle sovrepatiche e i rami principali della vena porta; la vascolarizzazione intrasegmentale (rami portali, rami arteriosi e vene sovrepatiche accessorie) lo è solo parzialmente e saltuariamente.