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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a form of chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, including two major entities: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Although intestinal imaging of IBD is well known, imaging of extraintestinal manifestations is not extensively covered. In particular, the spectrum of IBD-associated or related changes in the chest is broad and may mimic other conditions. The common embryonic origin of intestine and lungs from the foregut, autoimmunity, smoking, and bacterial translocation from the colon may all be involved in the pathogenesis of these manifestations in IBD patients. Chest involvement in IBD can present concomitant with or years after the onset of the bowel disease even postcolectomy and can affect more than one thoracic structure. The purpose of the present paper is to present the different radiological spectrum of IBD-related chest manifestations, including lung parenchyma, airways, serosal surfaces, and pulmonary vasculature. The most prevalent and distinctive pattern of respiratory involvement is large airway inflammation, followed by lung alterations. Pulmonary manifestations are mainly detected by pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). It is desirable that radiologists know the various radiological patterns of possible respiratory involvement in such patients, especially at HRCT. It is essential for radiologists to work in multidisciplinary teams in order to establish the correct diagnosis and treatment, which rests on corticosteroids at variance with any other form of bronchiectasis.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are heterogeneous tumours with a common phenotype descended from the diffuse endocrine system. NENs are found nearly anywhere in the body but the most frequent location is the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (GI-NENs) are rather uncommon, representing around 2% of all gastrointestinal tumours and 20–30% of all primary neoplasms of the small bowel. GI-NENs have various clinical manifestations due to the different substances they can produce; some of these tumours appear to be associated with familial syndromes, such as multiple endocrine neoplasm and neurofibromatosis type 1. The current WHO classification (2019) divides NENs into three major categories: well-differentiated NENs, poorly differentiated NENs, and mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms. The diagnosis, localization, and staging of GI-NENs include morphology and functional imaging, above all contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), and in the field of nuclear medicine imaging, a key role is played by 68Ga-labelled-somatostatin analogues (68Ga-DOTA-peptides) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/TC). In this review of recent literature, we described the objectives of morphological/functional imaging and potential future possibilities of prognostic imaging in the assessment of GI-NENs.

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Aims We aimed to present our series of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI-NETs) in order to illustrate and highlight the associated contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) features. We also attempted to identify a relationship between MDCT imaging and the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system. Materials and methods We selected all patients with pathologically proven GI-NETs diagnosed between January 2010 and August 2017. Only patients undergone contrast-enhanced MDCT imaging in the immediate preoperative period were included in our study. Later, two expert radiologists retrospectively assessed MDCT intestinal and extra-intestinal signs. We also analysed the relationship between MDCT imaging and the 2010 WHO classification. Results A total of 20 patients (13 males, 7 females, age range 37-89 years, mean age 69.9 years) were included in our study. The majority of GI-NETs (85%) occurred in the small bowel and mainly in the terminal ileum. Forty-five percentage of our GI-NETs were diagnosed after an access to emergency medical service for obstruction symptoms or gastrointestinal bleeding. Regarding intestinal signs, 15/20 patients showed an intraluminal nodular mass and 5/20 a wall thickening. Extra-intestinal signs were present in 75% of cases. Desmoplastic reaction and lymph nodes metastases were significantly correlated with higher grade of GI-NETs. Conclusions The majority of GI-NETs appears as intraluminal mass often associated with extra-intestinal signs. We found a significantly correlation between higher grade of GI-NETs and extra-intestinal signs. MDCT imaging may be useful in predicting the pathological classification of GI-NETs.

Background: Imaging methods and the most appropriate criteria to be used for detecting and evaluating response to oncological treatments depend on the pathology and anatomical site to be treated and on the treatment to be performed. This document provides a general overview of the main imaging and histopathological findings of electroporation-based treatments (Electrochemotherapy—ECT and Irreversible electroporation—IRE) compared to thermal approach, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), in deep-seated cancers with a particular attention to pancreatic and liver cancer. Methods: Numerous electronic datasets were examined: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The research covered the years from January 1990 to April 2021. All titles and abstracts were analyzed. The inclusion criteria were the following: studies that report imaging or histopathological findings after ablative thermal and not thermal loco-regional treatments (ECT, IRE, RFA) in deep-seated cancers including pancreatic and liver cancer and articles published in the English language. Exclusion criteria were unavailability of full text and congress abstracts or posters and different topic respect to inclusion criteria. Results: 558 potentially relevant references through electronic searches were identified. A total of 38 articles met the inclusion criteria: 20 studies report imaging findings after RFA or ECT or IRE in pancreatic and liver cancer; 17 studies report histopathological findings after RFA or ECT or IRE; 1 study reports both imaging and histopathological findings after RFA or ECT or IRE. Conclusions: Imaging features are related to the type of therapy administrated, to the timing of re-assessment post therapy and to the imaging technique being used to observe the effects. Histological findings after both ECT and IRE show that the treated area becomes necrotic and encapsulated in fibrous tissue, suggesting that the size of the treated lesion cannot be measured as an endpoint to detect response. Moreover, histology frequently reported signs of apoptosis and reduced vital tissue, implying that imaging criteria, which take into account the viability and not the size of the lesion, are more appropriate to evaluate response to treatment.

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The assessment of nodal involvement in patients with rectal cancer (RC) is fundamental in disease management. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is routinely used for local and nodal staging of RC by using morphological criteria. The actual dimensional and morphological criteria for nodal assessment present several limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity. For these reasons, several different techniques, such as Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI), Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM), Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI), and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement (DCE) in MRI have been introduced but still not fully validated. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/CT plays a pivotal role in the assessment of LNs; more recently PET/MRI has been introduced. The advantages and limitations of these imaging modalities will be provided in this narrative review. The second part of the review includes experimental techniques, such as iron-oxide particles (SPIO), and dual-energy CT (DECT). Radiomics analysis is an active field of research, and the evidence about LNs in RC will be discussed. The review also discusses the different recommendations between the European and North American guidelines for the evaluation of LNs in RC, from anatomical considerations to structured reporting.