Cardiovascular disease continues to be a major burden facing healthcare systems worldwide. In the developed world, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a well-established non-invasive imaging modality in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. However, there is significant global inequality in availability and access to CMR due to its high cost, technical demands as well as existing disparities in healthcare and technical infrastructures across high-income and low-income countries. Recent renewed interest in low-field CMR has been spurred by the clinical need to provide sustainable imaging technology capable of yielding diagnosticquality images whilst also being tailored to the local populations and healthcare ecosystems. This review aims to evaluate the technical, practical and cost considerations of low field CMR whilst also exploring the key barriers to implementing sustainable MRI in both the developing and developed world.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled non-invasive cancer diagnosis, monitoring, and management in common clinical settings. However, inadequate quantitative analyses in MRI continue to limit its full potential and these often have an impact on clinicians’ judgments. Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) has recently been introduced to acquire multiple quantitative parameters simultaneously in a reasonable timeframe. Initial retrospective studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using MRF for various cancer characterizations. Further trials with larger cohorts are still needed to explore the repeatability and reproducibility of the data acquired by MRF. At the moment, technical difficulties such as undesirable processing time or lack of motion robustness are limiting further implementations of MRF in clinical oncology. This review summarises the latest findings and technology developments for the use of MRF in cancer management and suggests possible future implications of MRF in characterizing tumour heterogeneity and response assessment.
The global disparity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a major challenge, with many low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) experiencing limited access to MRI. The reasons for limited access are technological, economic and social. With the advancement of MRI technology, we explore why these challenges still prevail, highlighting the importance of MRI as the epidemiology of disease changes in LMICs. In this paper, we establish a framework to develop MRI with these challenges in mind and discuss the different aspects of MRI development, including maximising image quality using cost‐effective components, integrating local technology and infrastructure and implementing sustainable practices. We also highlight the current solutions—including teleradiology, artificial intelligence and doctor and patient education strategies—and how these might be further improved to achieve greater access to MRI.
Shear wave elastography (SWE) has shown promise in distinguishing lymph node malignancies. However, the diagnostic accuracies of various SWE parameters that quantify tissue stiffness are yet to be demonstrated. To evaluate the pooled diagnostic accuracy of different SWE parameters for differentiating lymph node malignancies, we conducted a systematic screening of four databases using the PRISMA guidelines. Lymph node biopsy was adopted as the reference standard. Emax (maximum stiffness), Emean (mean stiffness), Emin (minimum stiffness), and Esd (standard deviation) SWE parameters were subjected to separate meta-analyses. A sub-group analysis comparing the use of Emax in cervical (including thyroid) and axillary lymph node malignancies was also conducted. Sixteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Emax and Esd demonstrated the highest pooled sensitivity (0.78 (95% CI: 0.69–0.87); 0.78 (95% CI: 0.68–0.87)), while Emean demonstrated the highest pooled specificity (0.93 (95% CI: 0.88–0.98)). From the sub-group analysis, the diagnostic performance did not differ significantly in cervical and axillary LN malignancies. In conclusion, SWE is a promising adjunct imaging technique to conventional ultrasonography in the diagnosis of lymph node malignancy. SWE parameters of Emax and Esd have been identified as better choices of parameters for screening clinical purposes.
The understanding of metabolic compartments involved in the survival, growth and invasion of tumours is important for modern cancer research. Deuterium metabolic spectroscopy (DMS) and metabolic imaging (DMI) have been demonstrated as robust, straightforward tools for visualising tumour metabolism in vivo. However, for them to become part of the cancer patient’s management pathway in a clinical setting, there remain many obstacles to overcome. Technological advancement in magnetic resonance imaging hardware and processing is needed. Further justification of DMI’s potential also requires more human study and multidisciplinary collaboration.
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