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064-6.491) and higher Child-Pugh class (HR, 2.010-2.815) were strong prognostic factors of poor outcome. Treatment with three or more HAIC cycles (HR, 0.371; p = .001) and high-dose HAIC (HR, 0.447; p less then .001) were favorable for increased overall survival. CONCLUSION. Infiltrative tumor growth and rimlike arterial enhancement in pre-treatment imaging studies were associated with poor prognosis, and better early radiologic response and preserved liver function reserve were strong indicators of prolonged survival. Recognizing these radiologic and clinical predictors may help optimize care of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.OBJECTIVE. Knowledge of normal testicular 18F-FDG PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) SUVs is crucial for accurate examination interpretation. The objective of this study was to establish normal testicular SUV ranges among adult men receiving health care in North America. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review of an institutional electronic database identified adult men undergoing pretreatment clinical FDG PET/CT examinations from March 15, 2013, through March 15, 2018. An FDG PET/CT image review of 700 testicles in 350 male patients was performed. Data collected included testicular SUVmax, SUVmean, and visual PET pattern of uptake. RESULTS. Testicular SUVmean and SUVmax values (mean ± SD) by age group were as follows 3.1 ± 0.7 and 3.8 ± 0.9 for the age group of 18-30 years; 3.2 ± 0.6 and 4.0 ± 0.8, 31-40 years; 3.1 ± 0.4 and 3.8 ± 0.5, 41-50 years; 3.0 ± 0.5 and 3.7 ± 0.7, 51-60 years; 2.9 ± 0.5 and 3.5 ± 0.7, 61-70 years; 2.8 ± 0.5 and 3.5 ± 0.7, 71-80 years; and 2.6 ± 0.5 and 3.3 ± 0.6, more than 80 years. A statistically significant difference exists between age groups for testicular SUVmean (p ≤ .001) and SUVmax (p less then .001), with SUVs peaking in the 4th decade of life and subsequently declining with age. A small but significant negative correlation exists between blood glucose level and testicular SUVmean (r = -0.12). CONCLUSION. This study reports the largest currently known cohort of SUVs in normal testicles and may guide clinical interpretation of testicular FDG activity. Discrepancies in normal SUVs may exist because of differences in patient demographics and PET technology.OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to provide insight on the diagnostic validity of cardiac CTA (CCTA) to identify obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and patients who require urgent intervention, compared with those who require same-admission coronary catheterization (CC), and to help elucidate the necessity of a 24/7 CCTA service. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We retrospectively reviewed 658 consecutive CCTA examinations performed of emergency department (ED) patients who presented with acute chest pain from October 1, 2013, to February 28, 2018. Patients were categorized by CAD severity on CCTA. Using same-admission CC as the reference standard, we assessed CCTA's validity to identify obstructive disease using PPV, NPV, sensitivity, and specificity and CCTA's validity to identify patients who require urgent intervention. The added value of the CCTA findings of subendocardial hypoattenuation and wall motion abnormality was evaluated. CCTA examinations were categorized on the basis of the time of day when scanning was performed. RESULTS. The PPV, NPV, and sensitivity of CCTA to diagnose obstructive CAD were 0.87, 0.79, and 0.95, respectively. Nine percent of the scanned patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or were referred for urgent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The presence of obstructive CAD on CCTA has a PPV of 0.73 to identify patients deemed to be at higher acute coronary syndrome (ACS) risk to warrant urgent PCI or CABG. Wall motion abnormality increased the PPV to 1.0; subendocardial attenuation increased the PPV to 0.9. The NPV and sensitivity were 0.89 and 0.97, respectively. Of the CCTA examinations, 54% were performed outside regular working hours. Of the patients who received urgent interventions, 62% underwent CCTA examinations performed outside regular working hours. CONCLUSION. CCTA provides high correlation with CC, helps identify individuals with high ACS risk, and is further strengthened by functional analysis; 24/7 CCTA service is warranted.OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of percutaneous cryoablation for the treatment of lymph node metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS. In this single-institution retrospective study 55 patients were identified who underwent CT-guided cryoablation of metastatic lymph nodes between November 2006 and September 2019. Patient demographics, disease characteristics, and procedural details were recorded. The primary endpoints were technical success and major complications. The secondary endpoints were time to local and time to distant progression. Complications were graded according to the Society of Interventional Radiology consensus guidelines. RESULTS. The study sample comprised 55 patients (42 men, 13 women; mean age 64 ± 12 years) who underwent 61 cryoablation procedures to treat 65 lymph node metastases. Targeted nodes measured 1.7 ± 1.2 cm in mean short-axis diameter. Technical success was achieved in 60 of 61 cryoablation procedures (98%). Adjunctive maneuvers performed to protect adjacent structures included hydrodissection (n = 40), ureteral stenting (n = 3), and neural monitoring (n = 3). There were two Society of Interventional Radiology major complications (3%) pneumothorax (n = 1) and bleeding (n = 1). Local tumor control was achieved in treatment of 53 of 65 (82%) nodal metastases within a median of 25 months (range, 1-121 months) of follow-up. Local progression occurred in 12 of 65 cases (18%); the median time to recurrence was 11 months. CONCLUSION. Percutaneous cryoablation of nodal metastases is feasible and safe. Further investigation is warranted to assess the long-term efficacy of this technique and to define its role in oncologic care.OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to evaluate interobserver, intraobserver, and interplatform variability and compare the previously established association between texture metrics and tumor histologic subtype using three commercially available CT texture analysis (CTTA) software platforms on the same dataset of large (> 7 cm) renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS. CT-based texture analysis was performed on contrast-enhanced MDCT images of large (> 7 cm) untreated RCCs in 124 patients (median age, 62 years; 82 men and 42 women) using three different software platforms. Using this previously studied cohort, texture features were compared across platforms. Features were correlated with histologic subtype, and strength of association was compared between platforms. Single-slice and volumetric measures from one platform were compared. Values for interobserver and intraobserver variability on a tumor subset (n = 30) were assessed across platforms. RESULTS. Metrics including mean gray-level intensity, SD, and volume correlated fairly well across platforms (concordance correlation coefficient [CCC], 0.66-0.99; mean relative difference [MRD], 0.17-5.97%). Entropy showed high variability (CCC, 0.04; MRD, 44.5%). Mean, SD, mean of positive pixels (MPP), and entropy were associated with clear cell histologic subtype on almost all platforms (p less then .05). Mean, SD, entropy, and MPP were highly reproducible on most platforms on both interobserver and intraobserver analysis. CONCLUSION. Select texture metrics were reproducible across platforms and readers, but other metrics were widely variable. If clinical models are developed that use CTTA for medical decision making, these differences in reproducibility of some features across platforms need to be considered, and standardization is critical for more widespread adaptation and implementation.OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the upgrade rate of calcified lobular neoplasia (LN) versus incidental noncalcified classic LN found on core needle biopsy performed for the evaluation of suspicious calcifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study included 390 consecutive image-guided breast core needle biopsies with microcalcifications as the target that were performed between December 2009 and July 2017. In 81 of the 390 core biopsies, the highest-risk lesion was LN that then underwent either excision or imaging follow-up. Core biopsy results were compared with excision and imaging follow-up findings. An upgrade of LN was defined as ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive ductal or lobular carcinoma. RESULTS. Of 81 LN diagnosed on core biopsy performed for calcifications, 16 had calcifications within the LN. Fifteen of these 16 cases underwent surgical excision, and three (3/15, 20.0%) were upgraded on excision. Of the 64 core biopsies showing incidental noncalcified LN with benign concordant entities containing calcifications, 42 underwent surgical excision, and one LN (1/42, 2.4%) was upgraded. selleck chemicals Twenty-three total lesions (one calcified LN and 22 noncalcified LN) were followed with imaging rather than excision. No cancers were detected among the follow-up group. One case was deemed to have discordant findings on radiologic-pathologic review and was sent for excision, which showed invasive cancer with tubulolobular and lobular features. CONCLUSION. Women undergoing stereotactic core needle biopsy for calcifications revealing noncalcified incidental classic LN and a benign concordant entity that could explain the presence of the target calcifications have a low risk of upgrade and may be followed with imaging. Surgical excision should be offered to women who have LN with calcifications.OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a dual-energy CT (DECT)-based nomogram for noninvasive identification of the status of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; also known as ERBB2) expression in gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. A total of 206 patients with histologically proven GC who underwent pretreatment DECT were retrospectively recruited and randomly allocated to a training cohort (n = 144) or a test cohort (n = 62). Information on clinical characteristics, qualitative imaging features, and quantitative DECT parameters was collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were implemented to screen independent predictors of HER2 status. An individualized nomogram was built, and its discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness were assessed. RESULTS. Tumor location, the iodine concentration of the tumor in the venous phase, and the normalized iodine concentration of the tumor in the venous phase were significant factors predictive of HER2 status (all p .05 by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test) and would offer more net benefits than simple default strategies within a wide range of threshold probabilities in both cohorts. CONCLUSION. The DECT-based nomogram has great application potential in terms of detecting HER2 status in GC, and can serve as a novel substitute for invasive testing.OBJECTIVE. The objectives of this study were to propose the use of the cross-sectional area of paravertebral muscle (PMA) and the ratio of the PMA to the cross-sectional area of visceral fat (PVR) as new indexes of sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity through comparison with existing indexes and to show the clinical associations of PMA and PVR with hypertension and diabetes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. A total of 1270 participants (608 men and 662 women; mean [± SD] age, 63.57 ± 6.94 years) were recruited from a community-based population of elderly individuals. PMA and PVR were measured on single-slice abdominal CT images. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the correlation of PMA and PVR with widely used imaging and muscle function indexes of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity. Tertile categories of PMA and PVR were evaluated to investigate associations with risks for hypertension and diabetes in men and women, by use of separate multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS. PMA was correlated with the cross-sectional area of thigh muscle on CT, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, height-adjusted ASM (calculated as ASM divided by the height in meters squared), and body mass index (BMI)-adjusted ASM (calculated as ASM divided by BMI) (p less then .