Importance of Imaging in Congenital Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Case of Neck Neuroblastoma Presenting with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Congenital vocal fold paralysis (VFP) is an important cause of respiratory compromise in infants. It can either be unilateral or bilateral, while imaging is routinely performed for bilateral VFP to evaluate for potential neurological causes, and such a practice may not be routine for unilateral VFP. While many of the unilateral VFP cases are idiopathic, the cause may occasionally be more sinister in nature, such as tumors. Therefore, unless an obvious cause of unilateral VFP is present (such as cardiac surgery or birth trauma), routine imaging of the brain, neck, and mediastinum should be performed for congenital unilateral VFP. We describe a rare case of a cervical neuroblastoma presenting with unilateral VFP that was detected only on imaging, thus highlighting its value and importance.

The low utility of routine cranial imaging after pediatric shunt revision

OBJECTIVE Postoperative routine imaging is common after pediatric ventricular shunt revision, but the benefit of scanning in the absence of symptoms is questionable. In this study, the authors aimed to assess how often routine scanning results in a change in clinical management after shunt revision. METHODS The records of a large, tertiary pediatric hospital were retrospectively reviewed for all consecutive cases of pediatric shunt revision between July 2013 and July 2018. Postoperative imaging was classified as routine (i.e., in the absence of symptoms, complications, or other direct indications) or nonroutine. Reinterventions within 30 days were assessed in these groups. RESULTS Of 387 included shunt revisions performed in 232 patients, postoperative imaging was performed in 297 (77%), which was routine in 244 (63%) and nonroutine in 53 (14%). Ninety revisions (23%) underwent any shunt-related procedure after postoperative imaging, including shunt reprogramming (n = 35, 9%), shunt tap (n = 10, 3%), and a return to the operating room (OR; n = 58, 15%). Of the 244 cases receiving routine imaging, 241 did not undergo a change in clinical management solely based on routine imaging findings. The remaining 3 cases returned to the OR, accounting for 0.8% (95% CI 0.0%–1.7%) of all cases or 1.2% (95% CI 0.0%–2.6%) of cases that received routine imaging. Furthermore, 27 of 244 patients in this group returned to the OR for other reasons, namely complications (n = 12) or recurrent symptoms (n = 15); all arose after initial routine imaging. CONCLUSIONS The authors found a low yield to routine imaging after pediatric shunt revision, with only 0.8% of cases undergoing a change in management based on routine imaging findings without corresponding clinical findings. Moreover, routine imaging without abnormal findings was no guarantee of an uneventful postoperative course. Clinical monitoring can be considered as an alternative in asymptomatic, uncomplicated patients.

SP8.1.6 The role of staging imaging prior to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for breast cancer

Aims The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines state that there is no evidence base for routine imaging in patients with early breast cancer (≤T2 and ≤N1 disease) planned for NACT. Standard practice in our unit is to routinely stage all patients scheduled for NACT with CT chest/abdomen/pelvis and MRI marrow. Our aim was to assess the utility of this practice in this group of patients. Methods All patients who received NACT for breast cancer from 2017 to 2020 were included. The imaging reports were reviewed to identify whether metastatic disease had been detected, or further investigations were required. Results 127 patients were identified. 51 patients met the current RCR criteria for imaging and were excluded. Of the remaining 76 patients with ≤T2 and ≤N1 disease, metastatic disease was found in 13. This was detected by CT in 9 patients, by MRI in 1 patient, and by both modalities in 3 patients. Indeterminate findings requiring further investigation were present in 17 with 6 patients requiring at least one further scan. Conclusion Routine staging investigations detected metastatic disease in almost one in five patients with early breast cancer about to start NACT, impacting on their treatment planning. A similar proportion of patients required further investigations due to indeterminate findings. We believe that routine staging using our current criteria for NACT patients should continue. In the absence of evidence from prospective trials, there is a need for ongoing audit of the utility of systemic staging in early breast cancer.

The need for neuroimaging in first manifestations of psychiatric symptoms

Background: Brain imaging in psychiatry, especially by first-episode psychiatric symptoms, is unfortunately not a standard procedure in psychiatric clinics and is recommended only if indicated by history or if associated with neurological findings. As a result, the most serious diagnoses can be delayed or missed. Case Description: We describe a patient who presented with psychiatric symptoms admitted initially to a psychiatric clinic. Thanks to routine imaging the diagnosis of a brain tumor could be made with prompt transfer to neurosurgery. Conclusion: Brain imaging should be a mandatory procedure upon admission to a psychiatric clinic also in patients who present with exclusive psychiatric symptoms.

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL): Quantifying the direct economic costs of post-treatment radiological surveillance.

e19574 Background: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) was recognised by the WHO in 2016 as a rare sub-type of peripheral T-cell, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), characterized by an indolent clinical course and excellent prognosis. Little evidence exists on the role of post-treatment imaging surveillance with variable practices across the world. Recent UK guidelines recommend that routine surveillance imaging should not be offered to BIA-ALCL patients, in line with national/international recommendations for other NHLs. The aim of this study was to quantify the direct economic costs (DEC) of post-treatment BIA-ALCL routine radiological surveillance at our institution compared to the DEC if UK guidelines were followed. Methods: Following IRB approval a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of BIA-ALCL patients at The Royal Marsden Hospital was performed. DECs were estimated using current (2020) NHS tariffs for radiological investigations. Imaging undertaken for symptomatic problems/non-BIA-ALCL related concerns was excluded. Results: Eleven patients [median age: 49 years (IQR 45-52)] were treated for BIA-ALCL between 2015-2020 following cosmetic augmentation (n = 6) or breast reconstruction (n = 5). Median time from first implant surgery to BIA-ALCL diagnosis was 11 years (IQR 8-12). Patients presented with effusion (n = 7), mass (n = 2) or effusion and mass (n = 2). One patient had neoadjuvant CHOP/brentuximab, all 11 had explantation with en bloc total capsulectomy, 1 had adjuvant CHOP. Median follow-up was 38 months (IQR 12-47) with no local or distant relapses. Two patients did not have any radiological surveillance and 1 had follow-up elsewhere. The remaining 8 patients had a combination of PET/CT (n = 10), CT (n = 2), breast ultrasound (n = 6), mammogram (n = 4) and breast MRI (n = 1) as routine imaging follow-up not guided by clinical concerns. This represents evolving practice at our institution as the UK guidelines were published in 2021. Total cost of routine imaging surveillance was £10,396 ($14,396) with median cost of £1,953 ($2,705) per patient [IQR £526-2029 ($728-2,810)]. This cost could have been saved based on current guidelines recommending no routine surveillance for patients with no symptoms or clinical concerns. Conclusions: This data demonstrates that omission of routine post-treatment imaging surveillance, as per the recent UK guidelines, would result in a median DEC saving of £1,953 ($2,705) per patient at our institution. No local or distant relapses where identified within the follow-up period, in line with the existing literature suggesting BIA-ALCL has a very low risk of relapse and excellent prognosis. These findings provide a value-based analysis to further support the recommendation not to perform routine post-treatment imaging surveillance in patients with BIA-ALCL.