MRI safety in patients with abandoned temporary epicardial pacing wires: an eight-year retrospective study : Original Research Article.

To evaluate the prevalence and types of adverse events associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with abandoned temporary epicardial pacing wires (TEPW) over an eight-year period. A total of 54 patients and 104 MRI examinations with abandoned TEPW (9 cardiac, 6 non-cardiac thoracic, 89 other) were included in the final analysis. Imaging was reviewed to confirm wire presence and billing information was queried to identify hardware manufacturer.

Soil acidity remediation in sub-Saharan Africa requires targeted investments.

Acid soils are widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural lime can be used to alleviate production constraints associated with soil acidity, but lime is not widely available in the region, and it is unclear if applying it would be profitable. Using lime requirement models and crop yield responses to soil acidity modelled as plateau-linear decay functions, we estimated the profitability of acid soil remediation through liming.

Highlights 2024.

publishes research, technical developments, and reviews related to cardiac, vascular, and thoracic imaging. The current review article, led by the trainee editorial board, highlights the most impactful articles published in the journal between November 2023 and October 2024. The review encompasses various aspects of cardiac, vascular, and thoracic imaging related to coronary artery disease, cardiac MRI, valvular imaging, congenital and inherited heart diseases, thoracic imaging, lung cancer, artificial intelligence, and health services research.

ChatGPT vs. Gemini: Comparative accuracy and efficiency in Lung-RADS score assignment from radiology reports.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of large language models (LLMs) in generating Lung-RADS scores based on lung cancer screening low-dose computed tomography radiology reports.

Material And Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed on 242 consecutive LDCT radiology reports generated by cardiothoracic fellowship-trained radiologists at a tertiary center. LLMs evaluated included ChatGPT-3.

Cross-Sectional Validation of an Automated Lesion Segmentation Software in Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison with Radiologist Assessments.

Background And Purpose: MRI is widely used to assess disease burden in MS. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available k-nearest neighbors (kNN) network software in quantifying white matter lesion (WML) burden in MS. We compared the software's WML quantification to expert radiologists' assessments.

Reconstruction Kernel Optimization for Ultra-High-Resolution Photon-Counting Detector Computed Tomography of the Lung.

Background: The latest generation of computed tomography (CT) systems based on photon-counting detector promises significant improvements in several clinical applications, including chest imaging.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the image quality of ultra-high-resolution (UHR) photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) of the lung using four sharp reconstruction kernels.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 25 patients (11 women and 14 men; median age, 71 years) who underwent unenhanced chest CT from April to May 2023.

Non-small cell lung cancer in ever-smokers vs never-smokers.

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises 85% of cases with rising incidence among never-smokers (NS). This study seeks to compare clinical, imaging, pathology, and outcomes between NS and ever-smokers (S) NSCLC patients to identify significant differences if any.

Prognostic value of coronary artery calcium scoring in patients with non-small cell lung cancer using initial staging computed tomography.

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprising 85% of cases. Due to the lack of early clinical signs, metastasis often occurs before diagnosis, impacting treatment and prognosis. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common comorbidity in lung cancer patients, with shared risk factors exacerbating outcomes.

Artificial intelligence-derived coronary artery calcium scoring saves time and achieves close to radiologist-level accuracy accuracy on routine ECG-gated CT.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been proposed to improve workflow for coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS), but simultaneous demonstration of improved efficiency, accuracy, and clinical stability have not been demonstrated. 148 sequential patients who underwent routine calcium-scoring computed tomography were retrospectively evaluated using a previously validated AI model (syngo. CT CaScoring VB60, Siemens Healthineers, Forscheim, Germany).

Clinical Pilot of a Deep Learning Elastic Registration Algorithm to Improve Misregistration Artifact and Image Quality on Routine Oncologic PET/CT.

Rationale And Objectives: Misregistration artifacts between the PET and attenuation correction CT (CTAC) exams can degrade image quality and cause diagnostic errors. Deep learning (DL)-warped elastic registration methods have been proposed to improve misregistration errors.

Materials And Methods: 30 patients undergoing routine oncologic examination (20 F-FDG PET/CT and 10 Cu-DOTATATE PET/CT) were retrospectively identified and compared using unmodified CTAC, and a DL-augmented spatial transformation CT attenuation map.

Drug-induced Acute Lung Injury: A Comprehensive Radiologic Review.

Drug-induced acute lung injury is a significant yet often underrecognized clinical challenge, associated with a wide range of therapeutic agents, including chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and immunotherapies. This comprehensive review examines the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and radiologic findings of drug-induced acute lung injury across different drug categories. Common imaging findings are highlighted to aid radiologists and clinicians in early recognition and diagnosis.

The Art of Medicine: Applying the Visual Thinking Strategy to Radiology.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to develop a formal visual arts training curriculum and evaluate if there was improvement in the observational and descriptive skills of first- and second-year medical students for radiologic images.  Materials and methods: A demographic survey and an initial pre-test of 12 radiologic images were administered asking an open-ended question to describe the image and to identify the abnormality in their own words. Three virtual one-hour sessions of visual thinking strategy (VTS) training occurred, and an immediate post-test and a six-month post-test were administered, each with images different from the pre-test, as well as a final questionnaire.

Polyenergetic reconstruction mitigates streak artifacts by dual source imaging in chest photon counting detector computed tomography.

Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy of polyenergetic reconstruction methods in reducing streak artifacts caused by dual source imaging in Photon Counting Detector Computed Tomography (PCD-CT) imaging, thereby improving image quality and diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, involving 50 patients who underwent chest Computed Tomography Angiography with PCD-CT, focusing on those with streak artifacts. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on images reconstructed using monoenergetic and polyenergetic techniques.

Iodine quantification of renal lesions: Preliminary results using spectral-based material extraction on photon-counting CT.

Objectives: To assess the range of quantitative iodine values in renal cysts (RC) (with a few renal neoplasms [RNs] as a comparison) to develop an expected range of values for RC that can be used in future studies for their differentiation.

Material And Methods: Consecutive patients ( = 140) with renal lesions who had undergone abdominal examination on a clinical photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) were retrospectively included. Automated iodine quantification maps were reconstructed, and region of interest (ROI) measurements of iodine concentration (IC) (mg/cm) were performed on whole renal lesions.

Optimisation of virtual monoenergetic reconstructions for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism using photon-counting detector computed tomography angiography.

Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography is considered the gold standard for pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis, relying on the discrimination between contrast and embolus. Photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) generates monoenergetic reconstructions through energy-resolved detection. Virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) at low keV can be used to improve pulmonary artery opacification.

Enhancing diagnostic precision for acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease: insights from dual-energy CT lung perfusion mapping.

Purpose: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is secondary to occlusion of the pulmonary vasculature and a potentially life-threatening complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Dual-energy CT (DECT) iodine perfusion map reconstructions can provide a method to visualize and quantify the extent of pulmonary microthrombi.

Methods: A total of 102 patients with sickle cell disease who underwent DECT CTPA with perfusion were retrospectively identified.

Sustainable maize intensification through site-specific nutrient management advice: Experimental evidence from Nigeria.

There is growing evidence on the impacts of site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) from Asia. The evidence for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where SSNM developments are more recent and where conditions concerning soil fertility and fertilizer use differ importantly from those in Asia, is extremely scarce. We evaluate a SSNM advisory tool that allows extension agents to generate fertilizer recommendations tailored to the specific situation of an individual farmer's field, using a three-year randomized controlled trial with 792 smallholder farmers in the maize belt of northern Nigeria.

Ultra-high-resolution photon-counting detector computed tomography of the lungs: Phantom and clinical assessment of radiation dose and image quality.

Purpose: Photon-counting-detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) offers enhanced noise reduction, spatial resolution, and image quality in comparison to energy-integrated-detectors CT (EID-CT). These hypothesized improvements were compared using PCD-CT ultra-high (UHR) and standard-resolution (SR) scan-modes.

Methods: Phantom scans were obtained with both EID-CT and PCD-CT (UHR, SR) on an adult body-phantom.

Left atrial calcification on chest CT: atrial ablation replaces rheumatic heart disease as the most identified etiology.

Purpose: Left atrial calcification (LAC), a primarily radiologic diagnosis, has been associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and rheumatic fever (RF). However, left atrial calcification continues to be observed despite a significant decrease in the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate other possible etiologies of left atrial calcification.

Failure to scale in digital agronomy: An analysis of site-specific nutrient management decision-support tools in developing countries.

While many have extolled the potential impacts of digital advisory services for smallholder agriculture, the evidence for sustained uptake of such tools remains limited. This paper utilizes a survey of tool developers and researchers, as well as a systematic -analysis of prior studies, to assess the extent and challenges of scaling decision support tools for site-specific soil nutrient management (SSNM-DST) across smallholder farming systems, where "scaling" is defined as a significant increase in tool usage beyond pilot levels. Our evaluation draws on relevant literature, expert opinion and apps available in different repositories.