[en] Highlights: • Review of upper tract urothelial carcinoma clinical background: epidemiology, staging and prognosis, similarities and differences compared to lower tract urothelial carcinoma, and treatment. • Societal recommendations for upper tract urothelial carcinoma imaging. • Review of imaging modalities for the upper urinary tracts. • The imaging appearances of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. • Other upper tract tumors and mimickers of urothelial carcinoma. - Abstract: While urothelial carcinoma is a very common tumor, involvement of the upper tract is relatively uncommon. Consequently, there are no consensus imaging recommendations for upper tract disease. CT urography is the dominant imaging modality for the upper tract, but despite its excellent performance characteristics and being widely accepted as standard of care there is great variability in how CTU exams are performed across practices. MR urography has limited current application, but has the potential to become more mainstream in the future with continued technical advances. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma can manifest as a variety of appearances: a papillary lesion, focal wall thickening, focal enhancement, or as an infiltrative lesion. Pelvicalyceal location is about twice as common as in the ureter. Tumors in the pelvicalyceal location often manifest as an irregular enhancing soft tissue attenuation filling defect, and may be sessile or polypoid in morphology. Within the ureter, 73% are located in the distal segment.

[en] The key components of the MR urography protocol for suspected upper tract urothelial carcinoma are coronal T2-weighted hydrographic sequences without contrast agent and coronal gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted 3D-spoiled gradient-recalled echo in nephrographic and pyelographic phases. Upper tract urothelial carcinomas can be categorized into papillary tumor, flat tumor, and infiltrative tumor based on the growth pattern and extent. Papillary lesions appear as small filling defects of soft tissue signal on T2-weighted hydrographic and T1-weighted pyelographic phase images. On nephrographic phase images, the lesions show homogeneous enhancement. A flat tumor appears as a segmental area of diffuse thickening and enhancement of the urinary tract wall on nephrographic phase images. Infiltrative tumor often appears as a large heterogeneously enhancing mass. MR urography is a promising alternative for CT urography in the evaluation of upper tract urothelial carcinoma, especially when the patient has a contraindication to iodinated contrast material. (orig.)

[en] We have developed an efficient method to generate highly active Pd and PdO nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on graphene and graphene oxide (GO) by an impregnation method combined with thermal treatments in H₂ and O₂ gas flows, respectively. The Pd NPs supported on graphene (Pd/G) and the PdO NPs supported on GO (PdO/GO) demonstrated excellent carbon-carbon cross-coupling reactions under a solvent-free, environmentally-friendly condition. The morphological and chemical structures of PdO/GO and Pd/G were fully characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that the remarkable reactivity of the Pd/G and PdO/GO catalysts toward the cross-coupling reaction is attributed to the high degree of dispersion of the Pd and PdO NPs while the oxidative states of Pd and the oxygen functionalities of graphene oxide are not critical for their catalytic performance

[en] Objectives: To investigate the imaging findings of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related kidney disease (IgG4-KD) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and to evaluate the usefulness of DWI in lesion detection. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 31 patients with IgG4-KD who underwent MRI covering both kidneys. Two radiologists reviewed in consensus the MR images to determine the distribution pattern (location, laterality, and multiplicity) and the visually assessed signal intensity (hypointense, isointense or hyperintense) of the renal lesions compared to the normal renal parenchyma on each sequence. Per-patient sensitivity for detecting IgG4-KD and the number of detectable lesions were compared in T2-weighted images, DWI, and dynamic contrast-enhanced images. Results: IgG4-KD typically manifested as bilateral (83.9%), multiple (93.5%), and renal parenchymal (87.1%) nodules appearing isointense (93.5%) on T1-weighted images, hypointense (77.4%) on T2-weighted images, hyperintense (100%) on DWI (b = 1000), and hypointense (83.3%) in the arterial phase and with a progressive enhancement pattern on dynamic contrast-enhanced images. The sensitivity of DWI for detecting IgG4-KD was significantly higher than that of T2-weighted images (100% vs. 77.4%, P = 0.034). The median number of detectable lesions was significantly greater in DWI (n = 9) than in T2-weighted images (n = 2) and dynamic contrast-enhanced images (n = 5) (P ≤ 0.008). Conclusions: The characteristic MRI findings of IgG4-KD were bilateral, multiple, renal parenchymal nodules with T2 hypointensity, diffusion restriction, and a progressive enhancement pattern. As DWI was useful in the detection of IgG4-KD, adding DWI to conventional MRI for patients suspected of having IgG4-KD may enhance the diagnosis

[en] Background Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is widely accepted as an effective imaging modality in monitoring for bladder cancer recurrence after radical cystectomy. Elucidating the pattern of bladder cancer recurrence on CT can increase the diagnostic accuracy. Purpose To evaluate the recurrence patterns of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and the factors associated with cancer recurrence. Material and Methods One hundred and forty-nine consecutive patients (mean age, 66.55 years; range, 32-86 years) who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced CT and radical cystectomy were included in this study. The presence, site, and time of tumor recurrence were recorded retrospectively by two radiologists in a consensus fashion. The association of tumor recurrence and tumor factors (T stage, lymph node metastasis, nuclear grade, and tumor diameter) were also evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier statistics. Results Tumor recurrence occurred in 60 patients (40.3%) with a mean time of 14 months (range, 1-64 months). The sites of recurrence included the operation site (n = 20), lymph node (n = 20), bone (n = 11), liver (n = 6), lung (n = 5), upper urinary tract (n = 4), colon (n = 3), adrenal gland (n = 2), peritoneum (n = 1), abdominal wall (n = 1), psoas muscle (n = 1), and penile skin (n = 1). Tumor recurrence was found to be associated with advanced T stage (P = 0.002) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). Conclusion Transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder recur more frequently at the operation site and lymph node, and T-stage and lymph node metastasis are closely associated with tumor recurrence

[en] To determine the usefulness of tissue harmonic imaging (THI) and pulse-inversion harmonic imaging (PIHI) in the evaluation of normal and abnormal fetuses. Forty-one pregnant women who bore a total of 31 normal and ten abnormal fetuses underwent conventional ultrasonography (CUS), and then THI and PIHI. US images of six organ systems, namely the brain, spine, heart, abdomen, extremities and face were compared between the three techniques in terms of overall conspicuity and the definition of borders and internal structures. For the brain, heart, abdomen and face, overall conspicuity at THI and PIHI was significantly better than at CUS (p < 0.05). There was, though, no significant difference between THI and PIHI. Affected organs in abnormal fetuses were more clearly depicted at THI and PIHI than at CUS. Both THI and PIHI appear to be superior to CUS for the evaluation of normal or abnormal structures, particularly the brain, heart, abdomen and face

[en] To investigate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating parametrial invasion (PMI) in stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer. A total of 117 patients with stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer who underwent preoperative MRI and radical hysterectomy were included in this study. Preoperative clinical variables and MRI variables were analysed and compared between the groups with and without pathologically proven PMI. All variables except age were significantly different between patients with and without pathologic PMI (P < 0.05). All variables except squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen were also significantly correlated with pathologic PMI on univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that PMI on MRI (P < 0.001) and tumour apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) (P = 0.029) were independent predictors of pathologic PMI. Area under the curve of PMI on MRI increased significantly from 0.793 to 0.872 when combined with tumour ADC (P = 0.002). When PMI on MRI was further stratified by tumour ADC, the false negative rate was 2.0 % (1/49). In stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer, tumour ADC and PMI on MRI seem to be independent predictors of pathologic PMI. Combining the two predictors improved the diagnostic performance of identifying patients at low risk of pathologic PMI. (orig.)

[en] Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a non-invasive tool for measuring liver stiffness (LS) with high diagnostic accuracy. This study investigated whether quantified LS by MRE could predict early recurrence of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria. A prospectively collected cohort, which included the HCC patients who underwent MRE before treatment (an HCC-MRE cohort), was analyzed. In the HCC-MRE cohort, only patients under the Milan criteria, who underwent hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), were reviewed. We investigated whether LS assessed by MRE was an independent predictor of early recurrence using Cox regressions and Kaplan-Meier analyses. A total of 192 HCC patients under the Milan criteria who underwent hepatic resection (n = 96), RFA (n = 23), or TACE (n = 73) were included. Higher LS ratings (kPa; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01–1.25; p = 0.040) emerged as an independent risk factor for early tumor recurrence. In the subgroup analysis, higher LS ratings were associated with higher risks of early HCC recurrence in both the resection/RFA group (> 4.5 kPa; HR = 2.95; 95% CI = 1.26–6.94; p = 0.013) and the TACE group (> 6 kPa; HR = 2.94; 95% CI = 1.27–6.83; p = 0.012). LS assessed by MRE was an independent predictor of early recurrence among HCC patients under the Milan criteria after achieving a complete response.

[en] We aimed to compare iohexol vs. diatrizoate as fecal/fluid tagging agents for computed tomography colonography (CTC) regarding examination quality. Forty prospective patients (M:F = 23:17; 63 ± 11.6 years) received CTC using 50 mL (350 mgI/mL) oral iohexol for tagging. Forty other indication-matched, age-matched, and sex-matched patients who underwent CTC using 100 mL diatrizoate for tagging and otherwise the same technique, were retrospectively identified. Two groups were compared regarding overall examination quality, per-patient and per-segment scores of colonic bubbles (0 [no bubbles] to 5 [the largest amount]), and the volume, attenuation, and homogeneity (untagged, layered, and homogeneous) of the residual colonic fluid. The iohexol group demonstrated a greater amount of colonic bubbles than the diatrizoate group: mean per-patient scores ± SD of 1.2 ± 0.8 vs. 0.7 ± 0.6, respectively (p = 0.003); and rates of segments showing ≥ grade 3 bubbles of 12.9 % (85/659) vs. 1.6 % (11/695), respectively (p = 0.001). Residual colonic fluid amount standardized to the colonic volume did not significantly differ: 7.2 % ± 4.2 vs. 7.8 % ± 3.7, respectively (p = 0.544). Tagged fluid attenuation was mostly comparable between groups and the fluid was homogeneously tagged in 98.7 % (224/227) vs. 99.5 % (218/219) segments, respectively (p = 0.344). Iohexol caused more colonic bubbles when used during cathartic CTC. Otherwise, examination quality was similarly adequate with both iohexol and diatrizoate. (orig.)

[en] To compare the breathing effects on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI between controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA)-volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE), radial VIBE with k-space-weighted image contrast view-sharing (radial-VIBE), and conventional VIBE (c-VIBE) sequences using a dedicated phantom experiment. We developed a moving platform to simulate breathing motion. We conducted dynamic scanning on a 3T machine (MAGNETOM Skyra, Siemens Healthcare) using CAIPIRINHA-VIBE, radial-VIBE, and c-VIBE for six minutes per sequence. We acquired MRI images of the phantom in both static and moving modes, and we also obtained motion-corrected images for the motion mode. We compared the signal stability and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each sequence according to motion state and used the coefficients of variation (CoV) to determine the degree of signal stability. With motion, CAIPIRINHA-VIBE showed the best image quality, and the motion correction aligned the images very well. The CoV (%) of CAIPIRINHA-VIBE in the moving mode (18.65) decreased significantly after the motion correction (2.56) (p < 0.001). In contrast, c-VIBE showed severe breathing motion artifacts that did not improve after motion correction. For radial-VIBE, the position of the phantom in the images did not change during motion, but streak artifacts significantly degraded image quality, also after motion correction. In addition, SNR increased in both CAIPIRINHA-VIBE (from 3.37 to 9.41, p < 0.001) and radial-VIBE (from 4.3 to 4.96, p < 0.001) after motion correction. CAIPIRINHA-VIBE performed best for free-breathing DCE-MRI after motion correction, with excellent image quality