Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery最新文献

{"title":"Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen: clinical, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics.","authors":"Xue-Lian Xiang, Yun-Yun Li, Chang Liu","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1660","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1660","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) of the spleen is a benign, vasculogenic lesion with unclear etiology. Despite increased recognition of its imaging features, the rates of imaging misinterpretation and unnecessary surgery for SANT remain high, and a possible association with benign and malignant tumors have been suggested. This study aimed to systematically analyze the clinical and imaging characteristics of SANT to improve clinician and radiologist knowledge, reduce overtreatment, and increase the awareness of potential concomitant diseases in other organs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study consecutively sampled medical records from The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January 2012 and June 2024, ultimately 40 patients with pathologically confirmed SANT of the spleen were enrolled. Among them, 16 underwent both enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 8 underwent only enhanced MRI scans, and 16 underwent only enhanced CT scans. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, CT, and MRI features of these patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 40 patients with SANT, there were 21 males and 19 females, with an age range of 18-71 years, an average age of 42.3±14.6 years, and a median age of 40.5 years. Additionally, 90% (36/40) had solitary lesions, while 10% (4/40) had multiple lesions; 47.5% (19/40) cases of SANT were detected via routine health checks, and 52.5% (21/40) were found incidentally during other investigations; 30% (12/40) cases were correctly identified as SANT by preoperative imaging diagnosis, whereas 70% (28/40) cases were misdiagnosed prior to surgery. All lesions had an oval shape, among which 65% (26/40) had well-defined margins, 27.5% (11/40) had partially clear boundaries, and 7.5% (3/40) had ill-defined borders. Calcification was observed in 15.6% (5/32) cases by CT examinations. Twenty-four out of 24 (100%) displayed low-signal scars on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), with all of these scars showing enhancement, and 70.8% (17/24) cases exhibited signals indicative of hemosiderin. After contrast enhancement, 65% (26/40) cases showed a \"spoke-wheel\" pattern of enhancement, while 35% (14/40) cases exhibited nodular enhancement. In 40% (16/40) cases, branches of the splenic artery traversing the lesions were visible. Progressive enhancement was the predominant pattern observed 92.5% (37/40).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The main imaging features of SANT, a rare, benign primary splenic lesion of unknown etiology, include solitary, solid masses with a rounded shape, mostly well-defined margins, slightly lower density than the spleen on noncontrast CT, occasional calcification, and predominantly iso-to-low-signal intensity on MRI with an even lower-signal scars on T2WI. SANT exhibits a typical progressive enhancement pattern with delayed central scar enhancement, char","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"1888-1897"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948392/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating failed dacryocystorhinostomy using computed tomography dacryocystography: a preliminary analysis of bony ostium characteristics in an Asian population.","authors":"Xinhan Cui, Kun Shan, Xiaochun Wang, Yan Wang","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1979","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1979","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is the standard treatment for nasolacrimal duct obstruction, some surgeries are unsuccessful, and the reasons are not fully understood. By comparing successful and unsuccessful cases, this study investigated how computed tomography dacryocystography (CT-DCG) can help explain why these surgeries fail.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective study included 34 failed and 16 successful DCR cases. The bony ostium was analyzed using CT-DCG with 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions. The ostium position, dimensions (width, height, total area, and shortest side), shape regularity, and presence of obstructing residual bone were measured and assessed. Preoperative nasal endoscopy was performed, and intraoperative findings were documented to supplement the CT-DCG data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Properly sized and positioned ostia were found in only 14.7% of unsuccessful cases, compared to 100% in successful cases (P<0.001). Failed cases showed higher rates of irregular ostium shapes (47.1% <i>vs.</i> 12.5%, P=0.019) and residual obstructing bone (70.6% <i>vs.</i> 6.3%, P<0.001). Through nasal endoscopy, reduced ostium visibility was detected in failed cases (32.4% <i>vs.</i> 93.8%, P<0.001) and higher rates of adhesions were observed (41.2% <i>vs.</i> 6.3%, P=0.011). Multiple contributing factors to failure were identified in 35.3% of unsuccessful cases during surgery.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>CT-DCG provides valuable insights into ostium characteristics in failed DCR cases, including irregular ostium shape and residual obstructing bone. Although findings from nasal endoscopy and surgical observations were found to be supportive, more detailed and quantifiable information was provided by CT-DCG. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive preoperative assessment and meticulous surgical technique in DCR procedures.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2183-2192"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948431/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of silicosis combined with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the quantitative CT measured parameters.","authors":"Ting Fang, Cheng-Long Wang, Yan Zhang, Rui Zhu, Yue Lin, Qin-Xi Dai, Shu Cai, Lai-Wei Chen, Xiao-Ling Wen","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1748","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1748","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and silicosis both have significant impacts on cardiopulmonary health. However, there is a lack of research investigating whether the presence of T2DM causes additional damage to the heart and lungs of patients with silicosis. This study aims to assess the alterations in pulmonary and cardiac structures, as well as lung function, in patients with silicosis who also have T2DM, and to explore the factors influencing lung function.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 30 silicosis patients with T2DM and 30 silicosis patients without diabetes. The two groups were matched by age, silicosis stage, smoking history, and dust exposure duration. Demographic details, occupational history, hematological results, computed tomography (CT)-measured cardiac and lung parameters, and pulmonary function test (PFT) results were collected. We compared these parameters between the two groups, evaluated the correlation between lung function and CT parameters in the diabetic group, and analyzed factors affecting lung function in this group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The silicosis combined with T2DM group showed significantly higher values for body mass index (BMI), the longest diameters from left to right of the left ventricle (LVLR), blood glucose, and triglycerides compared to the silicosis but without T2DM group (all P<0.05). The silicosis combined with T2DM group showed significantly lower total lung mass, and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) compared to the silicosis but without T2DM group (all P<0.05). In the silicosis with T2DM group, FEV1/FVC ratio showed significant correlations with total lung mass, the longest diameters from left to right of the left atrium, LVLR, and the longest diameters from left to right of the right atrium (r values were 0.51, 0.47, 0.40, and 0.44, respectively; all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that BMI and the LVLR were independent determinants of FEV1/FVC ratio in the silicosis with T2DM group (t values were -3.367 and 2.471, respectively; all P<0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Diabetes mellitus induces structural changes in the lungs and heart of patients with silicosis and exacerbates the impairment of lung function. BMI and LVLR are key determinants of the FEV1/FVC ratio highlighting the need for enhanced comprehensive management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2258-2269"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948391/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An automatic deep learning-based bone mineral density measurement method using X-ray images of children.","authors":"Hongye Zhao, Yi Zhang, Wenshuang Zhang, Ling Wang, Kai Li, Jian Geng, Xiaoguang Cheng, Tongning Wu","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-283","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-283","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Osteoporosis is a common bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD). Low BMD screening and early interventions during childhood can significantly decrease osteoporosis risk in adulthood. However, in clinical settings, the applicability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a technique to measure standard area BMD (aBMD), cannot adequately meet the diagnostic needs of the majority of the Chinese population. We aimed to achieve a comprehensive evaluation in clinical settings by taking a single X-ray image, which, in conjunction with the use of equivalent step phantoms, can assess bone age or injuries (such as sprains, fractures, or breaks) in the wrist while also measuring aBMD in the forearm, to further evaluate growth and development.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the present study, we used routine X-ray images of the hand and forearm to measure aBMD with step phantom. First, based on the X-ray images, the regions of interest (ROIs) and step phantom used in clinical settings were automatically located and segmented; then, their average grayscale values were calculated. Second, after fitting the linear calibration relationship between the equivalent phantom thickness and grayscale value of the phantom, the effect of soft tissue on aBMD measurement was eliminated using a deep learning method. Finally, aBMD was measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our developed method was validated on 500 X-ray images taken at the clinic and compared with DXA-based aBMD measurements. Experiments revealed that the average correlation coefficient was 0.836.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The proposed method is an automatic method for measuring aBMD in children by utilizing X-ray images of hand and forearm. Furthermore, our findings suggest the effectiveness of the developed method, which provides a comparable performance to that of clinicians.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2481-2493"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948375/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of common carotid artery wall stiffness using shear wave elastography: a promising technique for evaluating active and inactive Behçet's disease.","authors":"Ping Yu, Ying Wang, Tian Liu, Li Yang, Diancheng Li, Jia'an Zhu","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1448","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1448","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem vasculitis that affects arteries and veins of all sizes. This study aimed to investigate the value of shear wave elastography (SWE) in evaluating inactive and active BD patients by measuring the wall stiffness of the common carotid artery (CCA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 39 patients with BD were included in the study. Each patient was evaluated to assess if they were in active or inactive disease periods. Based on their BD current activity form scores, 19 and 20 patients were classified as active stage and inactive stage, respectively. Additionally, 22 healthy adults were included in the control group. SWE (Young's modulus) and the pulse wave velocity (PWV) were used to measure the wall stiffness of the CCA of all subjects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The wall stiffness of the CCA was significantly higher in the BD patients than the healthy subjects (P<0.05). The active stage patients had a higher wall stiffness of the CCA measured by SWE (44.42±5.23 kPa) than the inactive stage patients (35.17±4.60 kPa) (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the PWV values of the CCA between the active {5.96 m/s [interquartile range (IQR), 5.35-6.62 m/s]} and inactive [5.42 m/s (IQR, 4.63-6.30 m/s)] stage patients (P>0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for distinguishing between the active stage patients and the control subjects was 0.978 for SWE imaging, which was significantly higher than that for PWV (0.776) (P<0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>By measuring arterial stiffness, SWE could serve as a promising modality for evaluating the active and inactive stages of BD. SWE was better able to evaluate the BD active stage than PWV.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2175-2182"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948440/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of U-Mamba and no new U-Net for the detection and segmentation of esophageal cancer in contrast-enhanced computed tomography images.","authors":"Yifan Hu, Yi Zhang, Zeyu Tang, Xin Han, Huimin Hong, Lin Kong, Zhihan Xu, Shanshan Jiang, Xiaojin Yu, Lei Zhang","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1116","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Radiomics research in esophageal cancer (EC) has made considerable advancements. However, manual segmentation, which is relied upon in clinical and scientific workflows, remains time-consuming and inconsistent. This study aimed to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model for the automatic detection and segmentation of EC lesions in contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively collected the CT data of patients with EC confirmed by pathology from January 2017 to September 2021 at three hospitals and from individuals with a healthy esophagus. Manual labeling of EC lesions was conducted, and DL networks [no new U-Net (nnU-Net) and U-Mamba] were trained for automatic segmentation. An optimal threshold volume for EC lesion detection was determined and integrated into the postprocessing module. The performance of DL models was evaluated in internal, external, and thin-slice image test cohorts and compared with diagnoses by radiologists. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and Hausdorff distance (HD) were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 871 patients (564 males) were included, with a median age of 67 years. DL models exhibited no significant difference from radiologists' diagnoses (P>0.05). Median DSC values for the internal, external, and thin-slice cohorts were 0.795, 0.811, and 0.797, respectively, with a corresponding HD of 9.733 mm, 7.860 mm, and 8.168 mm. An intraclass correlation coefficient greater than 0.7 was observed for 97.2% of the radiomic features extracted from thin-slice images.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The DL methods demonstrated exceptional sensitivity and robustness in EC detection and segmentation on contrast-enhanced CT images, not only reducing missed EC diagnoses but also providing radiologists with consistent lesion annotations.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2119-2131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948442/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative assessment and risk stratification of random acute pulmonary embolism cases using a deep learning model based on computed tomography pulmonary angiography images.","authors":"Yang Qiao, Yaozong Gao, Yanbo Chen, Xiaodan Ye, Cheng Yan, Mengsu Zeng","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1412","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). The semi-quantitative clot burden scoring based on imaging is related to the risk stratification and prognosis of acute PE, but it cannot be widely applied in the clinic due to the difficulty of calculation. This study developed a high-quality VB-Net deep learning (DL) model combined with Transformer, which can detect PE from images and automatically calculate the clot burden score (CBS). The aim of this study was to help patients via earlier diagnosis, risk stratification, and determination of treatment plans, thereby improving prognosis, as well as alleviate the burden on radiologists. To our knowledge, no related studies have been reported.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective inclusion of 2,424 CTPA examination cases (44% male) were conducted to train and test the VB-Net DL model for the detection of PE and to evaluate the clot burden volume and scoring. Area under the curve (AUC), and sensitivity and specificity on the case or clot level were used to evaluate the model's performance. Random CTPA data from Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University (30 cases with acute PE, 40 cases without PE) were applied to test the relationship between the clot burden automatically calculated by the model and the Qanadli score determined manually, as well as other imaging parameters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The performance of the VB-Net DL model on the testing set had an AUC of 0.972 based on the case level. The sensitivity at the operational point of the model threshold selected was 94.6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8650-0.9828], and the specificity was 89.4% (95% CI: 0.8407-0.9308). In the random CTPA examinations from this research center, the model's sensitivity based on the case was 76.67% (95% CI: 0.5880-0.8848), the specificity was 95.00% (95% CI: 0.8261-0.9950), the positive predictive value (PPV) was 92.00%, and the accuracy was 87.14%. On the clot-based level, the sensitivity was 84.43%, the PPV was 87.29%, and the false positive rate was 0.19 per case. The clot burden volume and score automatically measured by the model were significantly correlated with the manually determined Qanadli score (r=0.866, P<0.001 and r=0.899, P<0.001, respectively). The severity grading of the CBS groups was consistent with the degree of right ventricular dilation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The VB-Net DL model based on CTPA could conveniently and efficiently detect and quantitatively evaluate PE.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"1950-1962"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A case description of mucosal Schwann cell hamartoma, which, as an unusual neoplasm, was removed using the standard cold snare polypectomy method.","authors":"Andrey Kiryukhin, Alexandra Shishkina, Ksenia Feoktistova, Pavel Pavlov, Alexander Tertychnyy","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1597","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1597","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2621-2624"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948409/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography of lenticulostriate artery imaging at 5.0 Tesla: a hierarchic analysis method and clinical applications.","authors":"Hao Mei, Jinfeng Lv, Dan Xu, Lei Gao, Wenbo Sun, Xiaoli Zhong, Chenhong Fan, Ran Tao, Xiaopeng Song, Feng Xiao, Haibo Xu","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-1554","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-1554","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lenticulostriate artery (LSA) arteriosclerosis is a key pathological basis for cerebrovascular diseases including stroke and cerebral small vessel disease. However, the comprehensive visualization and the meticulous quantitative analysis of the entire spectrum of LSA branches remain an ongoing clinical challenge. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of LSA branch detection using ultra-high field clinical 5.0 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with 3D time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and to introduce a hierarchic categorization method for better LSA branching pattern analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 12 participants were included and scanned using 5.0T and 3.0T TOF-MRA. First, an LSA hierarchic analysis method that categorized the LSA into three levels was proposed. Morphological parameters and signal-to-noise ratio/contrast-to-noise ratio (SNR/CNR) were calculated separately at each level. Then, the LSA imaging quality was compared between 5.0T and 3.0T TOF-MRA, utilizing the hierarchic analysis method. Next, the resolution setting in 5.0T TOF-MRA was optimized for better LSA imaging. Finally, the patient with left cerebral infarction underwent a 4-month follow-up examination using 5.0T TOF-MRA to validate the clinical utility of the 5.0T TOF-MRA and the proposed hierarchic analysis method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The LSA imaging quality on 5.0T is significantly better than that of 3.0T in different levels of the LSA branches both in the numbers and lengths (P<0.05). Critically, LSA tertiary branches which were commonly delineated in the 5.0T TOF-MRA images were barely visible in the 3.0T images; furthermore, at the origin of LSA branches, 5.0T TOF-MRA showed notably superior visualization in comparison to the 3.0T (P<0.001). The clinical application studies showed the advantageous prospects of the proposed quantitative analysis method for LSA-related research at 5.0T.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The visibility in the branching of LSA with 5.0T TOF-MRA is superior to that of 3.0T, especially at the origination from the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the periphery of its branches. With the implementation of the proposed hierarchic analysis method for LSA, 5.0T TOF-MRA could be a valuable instrument for identifying subtle changes in LSA associated with various cerebrovascular-related diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"1768-1783"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948410/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of coronary computed tomography angiography-derived plaque features in the diagnosis of optical coherence tomography-defined vulnerable plaques.","authors":"Xiaojing Liu, Ruigang Xie, Yukun Pan, Zhihan Xu, Yinghui Ge, Junling Xu","doi":"10.21037/qims-24-838","DOIUrl":"10.21037/qims-24-838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Identification of vulnerable plaque is essential for pre-estimation of the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stratification of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) risks. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic ability of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived qualitative and quantitative plaque features in detecting optical coherence tomography (OCT)-defined vulnerable plaques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 31 patients who underwent both CCTA and OCT were retrospectively included in this study. The results of OCT and CCTA were blindly analyzed on a segment-to-segment comparison. The qualitative and quantitative plaque parameters derived by CCTA were recorded. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to reveal the independent predictors. The diagnostic efficacy of quantitative parameters was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 76 plaques in 31 patients were included for analysis, of which 15/76 plaques (19.7%, 10 patients) were vulnerable plaques. Low-density plaques, spotty calcification (SC), positive remodeling (PR), number of high-risk plaque signs, non-calcified fraction, and lipid fraction displayed significant differences between vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaques (P<0.05). Fibrotic plaque volume (FPV) [odds ratio (OR) =1.013; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003-1.024] and low attenuation plaque (LAP) (OR =23.416; 95% CI: 4.725-116.055) were shown to be independent predictors of vulnerable plaques. Compared with qualitative and quantitative models, the mixed model integrating all significant CCTA-derived plaque characteristics achieved the highest AUC and accuracy (mixed model AUC =0.87, 95% CI: 0.808-0.979; qualitative model AUC =0.80, 95% CI: 0.654-0.941; quantitative model AUC =0.64, 95% CI: 0.528-0.866).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The CCTA-derived plaque characteristics were able to detect the OCT-defined vulnerable plaques and show great potential as a non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of coronary vulnerable plaques.</p>","PeriodicalId":54267,"journal":{"name":"Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery","volume":"15 3","pages":"2029-2041"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948381/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}