Advancements in biomedical rendering: A survey on AI-based denoising techniques.

A recent investigation into deep learning-based denoising for early Monte Carlo (MC) Path Tracing in computed tomography (CT) volume visualization yielded promising quantitative outcomes but inconsistent qualitative assessments. This research probes the underlying causes of this incongruity by deploying a web-based SurveyMonkey questionnaire distributed among healthcare professionals. The survey targeted radiologists, residents, orthopedic surgeons, and veterinarians, leveraging the authors' professional networks for dissemination.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the concept of bone quality in dento-maxillofacial Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

Objectives: Bone quality is currently considered a set of intrinsic characteristics of the bone, among which macro- and microarchitecture of the trabecular bone tissue stands out. The investigation of bone quality is crucial in maxillofacial area and especially in dental implant planning. Nevertheless, there is currently no consensus about what bone quality really represents.

CT and MRI Key Features of Benign Tumors and Tumor-like Lesions of the Tongue: A Pictorial Review.

Benign neoplasms and tumor-like lesions of the tongue are relatively rare entities, encompassing a heterogeneous spectrum of morphological alterations. The recent literature focusing on benign tumors and tumor-like lesions of the tongue is relatively limited, which may lead to a gap in understanding their specific imaging characteristics. Most benign tongue tumors usually appear as submucosal bulges located in the deep portion of the tongue.

Circulating inflammatory cytokines predict severity disease in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A prospective multicenter study of the European DRAGON consortium.

Background: COVID-19 has put a huge strain on the healthcare systems worldwide, requiring unprecedented intensive care resources. There is still an unmet clinical need for easily available biomarkers capable of predicting the risk for severe disease. The main goal of this prospective multicenter study was to identify biomarkers that could predict ICU admission and in-hospital mortality.

Diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiography and panoramic radiography in the detection of apical periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Apical periodontitis (AP) is one of the most common pathologies of the oral cavity. An early and accurate diagnosis of AP lesions is crucial for proper management and planning of endodontic treatments. This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiography (PR) and panoramic radiography (PAN) in the detection of clinically/surgically/histopathologically confirmed AP lesions.

Laboratory data and broncho-alveolar lavage on Covid-19 patients with no intensive care unit admission: Correlation with chest CT features and clinical outcomes.

Broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) is indicated in cases of uncertain diagnosis but high suspicion of Sars-Cov-2 infection allowing to collect material for microbiological culture to define the presence of coinfection or super-infection. This prospective study investigated the correlation between chest computed tomography (CT) findings, Covid-19 Reporting and Data System score, and clinical outcomes in Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients who underwent BAL with the aim of predicting outcomes such as lung coinfection, respiratory failure, and hospitalization length based on chest CT abnormalities. Study population included 34 patients (range 38-90 years old; 20 males, 14 females) with a positive nucleic acid amplification test for Covid-19 infection, suitable BAL examination, and good quality chest CT scan in the absence of lung cancer history.

Organizational Health Literacy as a supportive tool for the effective implementation of the 2013/59/EURATOM Directive in Italy.

Introduction: Since 2013, European countries have transposed the 2013/59/EURATOM Directive that lays down basic safety standards for protection against dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. In the years between the issuance of the European Directive and its formal transposition, Italian researchers investigated solutions to renew the technological, educational, and organizational culture in radiology departments.

Scope: This article proposed a reflection on the contribution of Organizational Health Literacy (OHL) to implement Legislative Decree 101/2020 in the practice of Italian radiology departments.

Predicting Response to Exclusive Combined Radio-Chemotherapy in Naso-Oropharyngeal Cancer: The Role of Texture Analysis.

The aim of this work is to identify MRI texture features able to predict the response to radio-chemotherapy (RT-CHT) in patients with naso-oropharyngeal carcinoma (NPC-OPC) before treatment in order to help clinical decision making. Textural features were derived from ADC maps and post-gadolinium T1-images on a single MRI machine for 37 patients with NPC-OPC. Patients were divided into two groups (responders/non-responders) according to results from MRI scans and 18F-FDG-PET/CT performed at follow-up 3-4 and 12 months after therapy and biopsy.

The Impact of Rapid On-site Evaluation on Diagnostic Performance of Computed Tomography-Guided Core Needle Biopsy in Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Rapid on-site-evaluation (ROSE) is a technique aimed at improving the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) in lung cancer. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of ROSE on the rate of nondiagnostic specimens and on accuracy computed on diagnostic specimens.

Materials And Methods: During a 3-year period, 417 CT-guided CNBs were performed at our center.

Utility of bronchoalveolar lavage for COVID-19: a perspective from the Dragon consortium.

Diagnosing COVID-19 and treating its complications remains a challenge. This review reflects the perspective of some of the Dragon (IMI 2-call 21, #101005122) research consortium collaborators on the utility of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in COVID-19. BAL has been proposed as a potentially useful diagnostic tool to increase COVID-19 diagnosis sensitivity.

Liver Biliary Function Evaluation on a 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan by T1 Reduction Rate Assessment Using Variable-Flip-Angle Sequences.

Objective: Magnetic resonance (MR) relaxometry is an absolute and reproducible quantitative method, compared with signal intensity for the evaluation of liver biliary function. This is obtainable by the T1 reduction rate (T1RR), as it carries a smaller systematic error than the pre/post contrast agent T1 measurement. We aimed to develop and test an MR T1 relaxometry tool tailored for the evaluation of liver T1RR after gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid administration on 1.

Advanced and traditional chest MRI sequence for the clinical assessment of systemic sclerosis related interstitial lung disease, compared to CT: disease extent analysis and correlations with pulmonary function tests.

Background: MRI is a radiation-free emerging alternative to CT in systemic sclerosis related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) assessment. We aimed to compare a T2 radial TSE and a PD UTE MRI sequence with CT in SSc-ILD extent evaluation and correlations with pulmonary function tests (PFT).

Material And Methods: 29 SSc-ILD patients underwent CT, MRI and PFT.

Doubts and concerns about COVID-19 uncertainties on imaging data, clinical score, and outcomes.

Background: COVID-19 is a pandemic disease affecting predominantly the respiratory apparatus with clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to respiratory failure. Chest CT is a crucial tool in diagnosing and evaluating the severity of pulmonary involvement through dedicated scoring systems. Nonetheless, many questions regarding the relationship of radiologic and clinical features of the disease have emerged in multidisciplinary meetings.

Magnetic resonance imaging in naso-oropharyngeal carcinoma: role of texture analysis in the assessment of response to radiochemotherapy, a preliminary study.

Objective: Identifying MRI texture parameters able to distinguish inflammation, fibrosis, and residual cancer in patients with naso-oropharynx carcinoma after radiochemotherapy (RT-CHT).

Material And Methods: In this single-centre, observational, retrospective study, texture analysis was performed on ADC maps and post-gadolinium T1 images of patients with histological diagnosis of naso-oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with RT-CHT. An initial cohort of 99 patients was selected; 57 of them were later excluded.

Communicating radiation dose in medical imaging: How to best inform our patients?

Background: The newly adopted European directive DE59/2013 mandates adequate patient information in procedures involving ionising radiation. Patient interest in knowing about their radiation dose and an effective communication method for dose exposure remain poorly investigated.

Purpose: This study is aimed at investigating both patient interest in radiation dose and an effective method to communicate radiation dose exposure.

A multicenter evaluation of a deep learning software (LungQuant) for lung parenchyma characterization in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: The role of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and characterization of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has been widely recognized. We evaluated the performance of a software for quantitative analysis of chest CT, the LungQuant system, by comparing its results with independent visual evaluations by a group of 14 clinical experts. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ability of the automated tool to extract quantitative information from lung CT, relevant for the design of a diagnosis support model.

Low levels of miR-34c in nasal washings as a candidate marker of aggressive disease in wood and leather exposed workers with sinonasal intestinal-type adenocarcinomas (ITACs).

Introduction: Sinonasal intestinal-type adenocarcinomas (ITACs) are rare and aggressive tumors, closely related to professional exposure to wood dusts or leather. Here we explored the role of non-coding RNAs controlling MUC2 in liquid biopsies and tumors from ITAC patients with the aim of identifying biomarkers and molecular mechanisms to improve early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic approaches for this rare cancer.

Methods: MiR-34c-3p, lncRNA AF147447 and MUC2 were measured in tumors and normal mucosa, in nasal washings (NW) from the affected and non-affected nostril and in plasma from 17 ITAC patients.

A practical overview of CT and MRI features of developmental, inflammatory, and neoplastic lesions of the sphenoid body and clivus.

The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone that contributes to the formation of the skull base. Despite the enormous progress in transnasal endoscopic visualisation, imaging techniques remain the cornerstones to characterise any pathological condition arising in this area. In the present review, we offer a bird's-eye view of the developmental, inflammatory, and neoplastic alterations affecting the sphenoid body and clivus, with the aim to propose a practical diagnostic aid for radiologists based on clinico-epidemiological, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging features.

Magnetic resonance imaging of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver: a 2021 systematic literature update and series presentation.

Purpose: Inflammatory pseudotumors of the liver (IPTL) are not exceptional benign lesions with various etiologies, histology, and imaging appearances. The incomplete knowledge of this pathology and the wide polymorphism sometimes resembling malignancy often induce long and expensive diagnostic flow, biopsy and occasionally unnecessary surgery. We propose a systematic revision of MRI literature data (2000-2021) with some narrative inserts and 10 new complete MRI cases, with the aim of organizing the data about IPTL and identifying some typical features able to improve its diagnosis from imaging.