Background and AimsData mining methods are effective and well‐known tools for developing predictive models and extracting useful information from various data of patients. The present study aimed to predict the severity of patients with COVID‐19 by applying the rule mining method using characteristics of medical images.MethodsThis retrospective study has analyzed the radiological data from 104 COVID‐19 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 in a hospital in Iran. A data set containing 75 binary features was generated. Apriori method is utilized for association rule mining on this data set. Only rules with confidence equal to one were generated. The performance of rules is calculated by support, coverage, and lift indexes.ResultsTen rules were extracted with only X‐ray‐related features on cases referred to ICU. The Support and Coverage index of all of these rules was 0.087, and the Lift index of them was 1.58. Thirteen rules were extracted from only CT scan‐related features on cases referred to ICU. The CXR_Pleural effusion feature has appeared in all the rules. The CXR_Left upper zone feature appears in 9 rules out of 10. The Support and Coverage index of all rules was 0.15, and the Lift index of all rules was 1.63. the CT_Adjacent pleura thickening feature has appeared in all rules, and the CT_Right middle lobe appeared in 9 rules out of 13.ConclusionThis study could reveal the application and efficacy of CXR and CT scan imaging modalities in predicting ICU admission to a major COVID‐19 infection via data mining methods. The findings of this study could help data scientists, radiologists, and clinicians in the future development and implementation of these methods in similar conditions and timely and appropriately save patients from adverse disease outcomes.
Background: Elastofibromadorsi is an uncommon benign pseudotumor. We aimed to assess its demographic, clinical and radiological features. Materials and methods: We retrospectively re-evaluated all thoracic CT scans and MRI's of Babak imaging center to identify cases of elastofibromadorsi. Such variables as age, gender, weight, height, body mass index, handedness, and symptoms were extracted from their medical records. Hounsfield numbers and mass laterality were determined by three radiologists. Also, suspicious patients were asked to undergo punch biopsies. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Prevalence rate of elastofibroma dorsi was 1.2%, after reviewing 10,056 imaging records. Most patients (69%) were women (p<0.05). Mean age±SD was 62.7±2.3 (range: 28-72) with the highest frequency in the middle age (p<0.05). Majority of cases were unilateral (77.5%), commonly on the right side (95% of unilateral lesions). Eighty-eight percent of right- vs. 71% of left-handed individuals had the mass ipsilateral to their dominant side (p<0.05). About 2/3 of patients were asymptomatic. Mean±SD Hounsfield unit of the masses was 33±4.1 (range:19-48), while for the adjacent muscle, Hounsfield unit it was 46±3.7 (range:35-55). All taken biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of elastofibromadorsi. Conclusion:Most cases were found unilaterally on the right side of middle-aged women.
Background: Due to its non-specific symptoms, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is difficult to diagnose via non-invasive methods. Various diagnostic tests are required to evaluate PAH patients. The increased diameter of the main pulmonary artery in computed tomography (CT) imaging represents a high probability of PAH. Moreover, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and pro B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) can be considered as prognostic predictors in patients with PAH. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of CT-based main pulmonary artery diameter (MPAD) and the serum level of NT-proBNP (as a strong pro-inflammatory factor) with the severity of PAH in echocardiography among patients with PAH. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 63 hospitalized patients with PAH due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited from 2019 to 2020 after initial evaluations and collection of serum NT-proBNP measurements and echocardiographic findings. On the chest CT scans, the largest diameter of the pulmonary artery trunk was determined, and then, correlation of CT-based MPAD with both PAH severity on echocardiography and NT-proBNP level in patients with PAH were evaluated. Results: The results of the present study on 63 patients (70% male; mean age, 67.02 years) showed a significant positive correlation between the MPAD and NT-proBNP level (r = 0.444, P < 0.001). Moreover, a significant positive relationship was observed between the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and NT-proBNP (r = 0.353, P = 0.005) and also between MPAD and PAP (r = 0.306, P = 0.015). In PAH patients, the mean values of MPAD, PAP, and NT-proBNP were 32.58 mm, 47.9 mmHg, and 6563 pg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the significant positive correlation between PAP, MPAD, and NT-proBNP level in subgroup comparisons based on MPAD and PAP, if the MPAD is abnormal on CT scan, additional echocardiographic assessments and serum NT-proBNP measurements can be helpful.
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