scholarly journals CT diagnosis of ilioinguinal lymph node metastases in melanoma using radiological characteristics beyond size and asymmetry

BJS Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Wilkinson ◽  
H Snow ◽  
K Downey ◽  
K Thomas ◽  
A Riddell ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Diagnosis of lymph node (LN) metastasis in melanoma with non-invasive methods is challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of six LN characteristics on CT in detecting melanoma-positive ilioinguinal LN metastases, and to determine whether inguinal LN characteristics can predict pelvic LN involvement. Methods This was a single-centre retrospective study of patients with melanoma LN metastases at a tertiary cancer centre between 2008 and 2016. Patients who had preoperative contrast-enhanced CT assessment and ilioinguinal LN dissection were included. CT scans containing significant artefacts obscuring the pelvis were excluded. CT scans were reanalysed for six LN characteristics (extracapsular spread (ECS), minimum axis (MA), absence of fatty hilum (FH), asymmetrical cortical nodule (CAN), abnormal contrast enhancement (ACE) and rounded morphology (RM)) and compared with postoperative histopathological findings. Results A total of 90 patients were included. Median age was 58 (range 23–85) years. Eighty-eight patients (98 per cent) had pathology-positive inguinal disease and, of these, 45 (51 per cent) had concurrent pelvic disease. The most common CT characteristics found in pathology-positive inguinal LNs were MA greater than 10 mm (97 per cent), ACE (80 per cent), ECS (38 per cent) and absence of RM (38 per cent). In multivariable analysis, inguinal LN characteristics on CT indicative of pelvic disease were RM (odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95 per cent c.i. 1.2 to 8.7) and ECS (OR 4.2, 1.6 to 11.3). Cloquet’s node is known to be a poor predictor of pelvic spread. Pelvic LN disease was present in 50 per cent patients, but only 7 per cent had a pathology-positive Cloquet’s node. Conclusion Additional CT radiological characteristics, especially ECS and RM, may improve diagnostic accuracy and aid clinical decisions regarding the need for inguinal or ilioinguinal dissection.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ninlawan Thammasiri ◽  
Chutimon Thanaboonnipat ◽  
Nan Choisunirachon ◽  
Damri Darawiroj

Abstract Background It is difficult to examine mild to moderate feline intra-thoracic lymphadenopathy via and thoracic radiography. Despite previous information from computed tomographic (CT) images of intra-thoracic lymph nodes, some factors from animals and CT setting were less elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of internal factors from animals and external factors from the CT procedure on the feasibility to detect the intra-thoracic lymph nodes. Twenty-four, client-owned, clinically healthy cats were categorized into three groups according to age. They underwent pre- and post-contrast enhanced CT for whole thorax followed by inter-group evaluation and comparison of sternal, cranial mediastinal, and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Results Post contrast-enhanced CT appearances revealed that intra-thoracic lymph nodes of kittens were invisible, whereas the sternal, cranial mediastinal, and tracheobronchial nodes of cats aged over 7 months old were detected (6/24, 9/24 and 7/24, respectively). Maximum width of these lymph nodes were 3.93 ± 0.74 mm, 4.02 ± 0.65 mm, and 3.51 ± 0.62 mm, respectively. By age, lymph node sizes of these cats were not significantly different. Transverse lymph node width of males was larger than that of females (P = 0.0425). Besides, the detection score of lymph nodes was affected by slice thickness (P < 0.01) and lymph node width (P = 0.0049). Furthermore, an irregular, soft tissue structure, possibly the thymus, was detected in all juvenile cats and three mature cats. Conclusions Despite additional information on intra-thoracic lymph nodes in CT images, which can be used to investigate lymphatic-related abnormalities, age, sex, and slice thickness of CT images must be also considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 972-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Husmann ◽  
Martin W. Huellner ◽  
Bruno Ledergerber ◽  
Nadia Eberhard ◽  
Marisa B. Kaelin ◽  
...  

1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 867-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel W. Yeakley ◽  
John S. Mayer ◽  
Larry L. Patchell ◽  
K. Francis Lee ◽  
Michael E. Miner

✓ The “delta sign” is a triangular area of high density with a low-density center seen on contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scans in the location of the superior sagittal sinus. It indicates thrombosis of the sinus. The authors describe the “pseudodelta sign,” which is similar but is seen on non-contrast-enhanced CT scans and which has a high correlation with hemorrhage secondary to acute head trauma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. e200131
Author(s):  
Derek Hsu ◽  
Tanya J. Rath ◽  
Barton F. Branstetter ◽  
Yoshimi Anzai ◽  
C. Douglas Phillips ◽  
...  

Thorax ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. thoraxjnl-2021-216948
Author(s):  
Fiona J Gilbert ◽  
Scott Harris ◽  
Kenneth A Miles ◽  
Jonathan R Weir-McCall ◽  
Nagmi R Qureshi ◽  
...  

IntroductionDynamic contrast-enhanced CT (DCE-CT) and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) have a high reported accuracy for the diagnosis of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of these.MethodsIn this prospective multicentre trial, 380 participants with an SPN (8–30 mm) and no recent history of malignancy underwent DCE-CT and PET/CT. All patients underwent either biopsy with histological diagnosis or completed CT follow-up. Primary outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy for PET/CT and DCE-CT. Costs and cost-effectiveness were estimated from a healthcare provider perspective using a decision-model.Results312 participants (47% female, 68.1±9.0 years) completed the study, with 61% rate of malignancy at 2 years. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values for DCE-CT were 95.3% (95% CI 91.3 to 97.5), 29.8% (95% CI 22.3 to 38.4), 68.2% (95% CI 62.4% to 73.5%) and 80.0% (95% CI 66.2 to 89.1), respectively, and for PET/CT were 79.1% (95% CI 72.7 to 84.2), 81.8% (95% CI 74.0 to 87.7), 87.3% (95% CI 81.5 to 91.5) and 71.2% (95% CI 63.2 to 78.1). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) for DCE-CT and PET/CT was 0.62 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.67) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.85), respectively (p<0.001). Combined results significantly increased diagnostic accuracy over PET/CT alone (AUROC=0.90 (95% CI 0.86 to 0.93), p<0.001). DCE-CT was preferred when the willingness to pay per incremental cost per correctly treated malignancy was below £9000. Above £15 500 a combined approach was preferred.ConclusionsPET/CT has a superior diagnostic accuracy to DCE-CT for the diagnosis of SPNs. Combining both techniques improves the diagnostic accuracy over either test alone and could be cost-effective.Trial registration numberNCT02013063


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