Automated Color-Coding of Lesion Changes in Contrast-Enhanced 3D T1-Weighted Sequences for MRI Follow-up of Brain Metastases

The aim was to compare the abilities of contrast-enhanced CT, non-contrast-enhanced MR imaging and contrast-enhanced MR imaging using standard (0.1 mmol/kg b.w.) and high (0.3 mmol/kg b.w.) doses of Gadodiamide injection to detect brain metastases (i.e. blood-brain barrier damage). Sixteen patients with at least 2 metastases found by CT were evaluated by MR imaging using non-contrast-enhanced spin-echo, T1-weighted, T2-weighted sequences, and contrast-enhanced spin-echo T1-weighted sequences at 2 dose levels. Gadodiamide injection was first given at the dose of 0.1 mmol/kg b.w. After imaging, another 0.2 mmol/kg b.w. was given, yielding a cumulative dose of 0.3 mmol/kg b.w. No contrast media-related adverse events were recorded. The images were evaluated openly by one and blindly by 2 investigators and the number of metastases, size, delineation (open study) and diagnostic certainty (blind study) of each individual metastasis noted. High-dose MR imaging showed significantly more and smaller metastases than any other examination, and gave a higher diagnostic certainty. All high-dose images were superior to those with the standard dose MR imaging when compared blindly in pairs. We conclude that spin-echo MR imaging with a high dose of Gadodiamide injection is an efficient way to improve the detection of brain metastases, in particular of small ones.

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Outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery of brain metastases in patients with malignant melanoma and validation of the melanoma molGPA

Clinical & Translational Oncology ◽

10.1007/s12094-021-02607-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

K. A. Kessel ◽

A. Deichl ◽

J. Gempt ◽

B. Meyer ◽

C. Posch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prognostic Factors ◽

Malignant Melanoma ◽

Brain Metastases ◽

Stereotactic Radiosurgery ◽

Prognostic Score ◽

Target Volume ◽

Prognostic Assessment ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Male Patients

Abstract Introduction Malignant melanoma is the third most common primary in the diagnosis of brain metastases. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a well-established treatment option in limited brain disease. We analyzed outcomes of SRS with a particular focus on the graded prognostic assessment (GPA, melanoma molGPA), prognostic factors, and toxicity. Methods We evaluated 173 brain metastases in 83 patients with malignant melanoma. All were treated with SRS median dose of 20 Gy prescribed to the 80 or 100% isodose line between 2002 and 2019. All patients were followed-up regularly, including contrast‐enhanced brain imaging as well as clinical examination, initially 6 weeks after treatment, then in quarterly follow-up. Results The median age was 61 years (range 27–80); 36 female and 47 male patients were treated. After a median follow-up of 5.7 months, median OS (overall survival) was 9.7 months 95%-KI 4.7–14.7). LC (local control) at 6 months, 12, 24 months was 89%, 86%, and 72%, respectively (median was not reached). Median DBC (distant brain control) was 8.2 months (95%-KI 4.7–11.7). For OS, a KPS ≥ 80%, a positive BRAF mutation status, a small PTV (planning target volume), the absence of extracranial metastases, as well as a GPA and melanoma molGPA > 2 were prognostic factors. In the MVA, a small PTV and a melanoma molGPA > 2 remained significant. Conclusion The present survival outcomes support the use of the disease-specific melanoma molGPA as reliable prognostic score. Favorable outcomes for SRS compared to other studies were observed. In the treatment of brain metastases of malignant melanoma patients, a multidisciplinary approach consisting of surgery, SRS, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy should be considered.

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Over-All Accuracy of 99mTc-Pertechnetate Brain Scanning for Brain Tumours – Study of 471 Patients

Nuklearmedizin ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1620701 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 17 (06) ◽

pp. 249-253

Author(s):

E. Pétursson ◽

B. Sigurbjörnsson ◽

D. Davidsson ◽

O.G. Björnsson

Keyword(s):

Brain Metastases ◽

Brain Tumours ◽

True Negative ◽

Diagnostic Reliability ◽

Radioisotope Scanning ◽

Primary Brain Tumours ◽

99Mtc Pertechnetate

A 3-year follow-up and re-evaluation of all scans on all patients referred for brain scanning in Iceland during 1 year was performed in order to assess the diagnostic reliability of radioisotope scanning for brain tumours. The study included 471 patients. Of these 25 had primary brain tumours and 7 brain metastases. Scans were positive and correctly interpreted in68 % of the patients with primary brain tumours and in 3 of the 7 patients with metastases. The over-all accuracy of brain scanning for brain tumours defined as the total number of correct positive scans and correct negative scans versus total number of scans examined was 96%, this figure being mainly influenced by the high number of true negative scans.

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THE USE OF CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASOUND IN FOLLOW-UP AFTER ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENT OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS (AAA) WITH BIFURCATED STENTGRAFTS

Ultraschall in der Medizin - European Journal of Ultrasound ◽

10.1055/s-2005-917646 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (S 1) ◽

Author(s):

A Drelich-Zbroja ◽

T Jargiello ◽

A Wolski ◽

W Zywicki ◽

M Szczerbo-Trojanowska

Keyword(s):

Endovascular Treatment ◽

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms ◽

Aortic Aneurysms ◽

Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound ◽

Abdominal Aortic ◽

Contrast Enhanced

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Restaging of patients with lymphoma

Nuklearmedizin ◽

10.3413/nukmed-0114 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 47 (01) ◽

pp. 37-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

T. Pfluger ◽

V. Schneider ◽

M. Hacker ◽

N. Bröckel ◽

D. Morhard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

18F Fdg ◽

Sensitivity Specificity ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

SummaryAim: Assessment of the clinical benefit of i.v. contrast enhanced diagnostic CT (CE-CT) compared to low dose CT with 20 mAs (LD-CT) without contrast medium in combined [18F]-FDG PET/CT examinations in restaging of patients with lymphoma. Patients, methods: 45 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 35) and Hodgkin's disease (n = 10) were included into this study. PET, LD-CT and CECT were analyzed separately as well as side-by-side. Lymphoma involvement was evaluated separately for seven regions. Indeterminate diagnoses were accepted whenever there was a discrepancy between PET and CT findings. Results for combined reading were calculated by rating indeterminate diagnoses according the suggestions of either CT or PET. Each patient had a clinical follow-up evaluation for >6 months. Results: Region-based evaluation suggested a sensitivity/specificity of 66/93% for LD-CT, 87%/91% for CE-CT, 95%/96% for PET, 94%/99% for PET/LD-CT and 96%/99% for PET/CE-CT. The data for PET/CT were obtained by rating indeterminate results according to the suggestions of PET, which turned out to be superior to CT. Lymphoma staging was changed in two patients using PET/ CE-CT as compared to PET/LD-CT. Conclusion: Overall, there was no significant difference between PET/LD-CT and PET/CE-CT. However, PET/CE-CT yielded a more precise lesion delineation than PET/LD-CT. This was due to the improved image quality of CE-CT and might lead to a more accurate investigation of lymphoma.

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Role of CEUS in Vascular Pathology

Ultraschall in der Medizin - European Journal of Ultrasound ◽

10.1055/a-1403-2400 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vito Cantisani ◽

Nicola Di Leo ◽

Emanuele David ◽

Dirk-André Clevert

Keyword(s):

Research Field ◽

Arterial System ◽

Qualitative Assessment ◽

Vascular Pathology ◽

New Horizons ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Inflammatory Infiltrates ◽

Time Evaluation

AbstractIn recent years, the implementation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in clinical practice has opened new horizons in the arterial pathologies research field, since this technique is able to supply new sets of data that can be crucial in patient management. The main applications of CEUS in the arterial system are the detection, characterization, and follow-up of carotid plaques and endoleaks after EVAR. Other situations in which CEUS was demonstrated to be a useful tool are large vessel vasculitis, dissections, and untreated aneurysms. In carotid atherosclerosis CEUS is not only able to acquire quantitative data about stenosis but also to perform a qualitative assessment of the plaque. The most important plaque features that CEUS is able to depict are ulceration, neovascularization, and the presence of inflammatory infiltrates. All of these factors contribute to plaque vulnerability. Thus, CEUS is crucial in order to allow better risk stratification and management of patients. In follow-up after EVAR, CEUS shows sensitivity and specificity values similar to CTA while ensuring several advantages, such as lower cost and the absence of ionizing radiation and nephrotoxic agents. Moreover, CEUS is able to offer real-time evaluation of endoleaks and thus is a useful tool in cases that are ambiguous on CTA. Most limitations are patient-related and are the same as in all other ultrasound techniques, such as high BMI and meteorism.

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Incremental Role of 18F-FDG PET with contrast enhanced CT (PET-CECT) in detection of recurrence of carcinoma cervix

10.1055/s-0039-1685260 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

S. Dash ◽

A. Goel ◽

S. Sogani

Keyword(s):

Fdg Pet ◽

Carcinoma Cervix ◽

Histopathological Correlation ◽

Contrast Enhanced Ct ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

Enhanced Ct ◽

Radiologic Imaging ◽

18F Fdg

Purpose: To evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET with contrast enhanced CT (PET-CECT) in early detection of recurrence in follow up patients of carcinoma cervix. Methods: Patients with histopathologically proven carcinoma cervix who underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or surgery and on follow up were recruited in the study. Fifty-two patients underwent 18F-FDG PET-CECT for detection of recurrence. The median age was 51.5 (average = 53.4) years. PET-CECT studies were evaluated and analyzed separately by an experienced nuclear medicine physician and a radiologist independently. The physicians were blinded for the patient history. PET-CECT results were validated with histopathological correlation, conventional radiologic imaging/follow up PET-CECT study and clinical follow up. Results: Out of 52 patients, 34 patients were reported as positive for recurrence, 17 of these were having active local recurrence and 31 patients had regional lymph nodal metastases, 14 patients had distant metastases (out of them 6 patients had distant lymph node metastases, 6 had pulmonary metastases, 4 had skeletal metastases and two had liver metastases). Remaining 18 patients were reported as negative for recurrence. The lung was the most common site for distant metastasis. Patient were then further evaluated based on histopathological correlation, conventional radiologic imaging and follow up PET-CECT scan and five were found to be false positive and one patient was identified as false negative. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were derived to be 96.7%, 77.3%, 85.3% and 94.4%, respectively. Accuracy was calculated to be 88.5%. Conclusions: 18F-FDG PET-CECT is a very useful non-invasive modality for the early detection of recurrence and metastatic workup in patients with carcinoma cervix with a very high sensitivity and negative predictive value. It is also useful in targeting biopsy sites in suspected cases of recurrence.

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The Incidence of Brain Metastases Among Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noaa285 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Markus Kuksis ◽

Yizhuo Gao ◽

William Tran ◽

Christianne Hoey ◽

Alex Kiss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Metastatic Breast Cancer ◽

Brain Metastases ◽

Triple Negative ◽

Screening Program ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Metastatic Breast ◽

Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis

Abstract Background Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are living longer, but development of brain metastases often limits their survival. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the incidence of brain metastases in this patient population. Methods Articles published from January 2000 to January 2020 were compiled from four databases using search terms related to: breast cancer, brain metastasis, and incidence. The overall and per patient-year incidence of brain metastases were extracted from studies including patients with HER2+, triple negative, and hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2- MBC; pooled overall estimates for incidence were calculated using random effects models. Results 937 articles were compiled, and 25 were included in the meta-analysis. Incidence of brain metastases in patients with HER2+ MBC, triple negative MBC, and HR+/HER2- MBC was reported in 17, 6, and 4 studies, respectively. The pooled cumulative incidence of brain metastases was 31% for the HER2+ subgroup (median follow-up: 30.7 months, IQR: 24.0 – 34.0), 32% for the triple negative subgroup (median follow-up: 32.8 months, IQR: 18.5 – 40.6), and 15% among patients with HR+/HER2- MBC (median follow-up: 33.0 months, IQR: 31.9 – 36.2). The corresponding incidences per patient-year were 0.13 (95% CI: 0.10 – 0.16) for the HER2+ subgroup, 0.13 (95%CI: 0.09 – 0.20) for the triple negative subgroup, and only 0.05 (95%CI: 0.03 – 0.08) for patients with HR+/HER2- MBC. Conclusion There is high incidence of brain metastases among patients with HER2+ and triple negative MBC. The utility of a brain metastases screening program warrants investigation in these populations.

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Use of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound with Sonazoid for Evaluating the Radiotherapy Efficacy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11030486 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 486

Author(s):

Akihiro Funaoka ◽

Kazushi Numata ◽

Atsuya Takeda ◽

Yusuke Saigusa ◽

Yuichirou Tsurugai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Local Recurrence ◽

Tumor Size ◽

Size Reduction ◽

Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound ◽

Tumor Vascularity ◽

Contrast Enhanced

Radiotherapy is one of the available curative therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigate the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound using Sonazoid (SCEUS) in evaluating the efficacy of radiotherapy for HCC. We enrolled 59 patients with 59 HCCs in this retrospective study. Tumor size and tumor vascularity were evaluated using SCEUS before and 1, 3, 7, 10, and 13 months after radiotherapy. The median follow-up period was 44.5 months (range: 16–82 months). Of the HCCs, 95% (56/59) had no local recurrence, while 5% (3/59) did. At 13 months after radiotherapy, in cases with no local recurrence, SCEUS showed a reduction in tumor vascularity in all cases, while tumor size reduction (>30% reduction, compared with pre-radiotherapy) was observed in 82.1% (46/56). In all three cases of local recurrence, vascularity and tumor size reduction were not observed during the follow-up period and residual HCCs were demonstrated pathologically. Compared with cases with local recurrence, tumor size reduction and reduction in tumor vascularity (p < 0.001) were significantly greater in cases with no local recurrence at 13 months after radiotherapy. SCEUS may be useful in evaluating radiotherapy efficacy for HCC.

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Ultrasound-guided implantation of radioactive 125I seed in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08500-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wei Chen ◽

Yu kun Luo ◽

Ying Zhang ◽

Qing Song ◽

Jie Tang

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Reduction Rate ◽

Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Comprehensive Treatment ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Ultrasound Guided ◽

Contrast Enhanced ◽

The Us ◽

Median Volume

Abstract Background Treatment for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RR-DTC) is challenging. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided implantation of radioactive 125I-seed in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Methods Thirty-six cervical metastatic lymph nodes (CMLNs) diagnosed with RR-DTC from 18 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. US and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examinations were performed before implantation. Follow-up comprised US, CEUS, thyroglobulin (Tg) level and routine hematology at 1–3, 6, 9 and 12 months and every 6 months thereafter. The volumes of the nodules were compared before implantation and at each follow-up point. The volume reduction rate (VRR) of nodules was also recorded. Results The median volume of the nodules was 523 mm3 (148, 2010mm3) initially, which decreased significantly to 53mm3 (0, 286mm3) (P < 0.01) at the follow-up point of 24 months with a median VRR as 95% (86,100%). During the follow-up period (the range was 24–50 months), 25 (69%) nodules had VRR greater than 90%, of which 12 (33%) nodules had VVR ≈ 100% with unclear structures and only 125I seed images were visible in the US. At the last follow-up visit, the serum Tg level decreased from 57.0 (8.6, 114.8) ng/ml to 4.9 (0.7, 50.3) ng/ml, (P < 0.01). Conclusion US-guided 125I seed implantation is safety and efficacy in treating RR- DTC. It could be an effective supplement for the comprehensive treatment of thyroid cancer.

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