The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Program convened surgeons, endocrinologists, pathologists, biostatisticians, radiologists, oncologists, and other health care professionals, as well as members of the general public, to address the causes, prevalence, and natural history of clinically inapparent adrenal masses, or "incidentalomas"; the appropriate evaluation and treatment of such masses; and directions for future research. Improvements in abdominal imaging techniques have increased detection of adrenal incidentalomas, and because the prevalence of these masses increases with age, appropriate management of adrenal tumors will be a growing challenge in our aging society. To address six predetermined questions, the 12-member nonfederal, nonadvocate state-of-the-science panel heard presentations from 21 experts in adrenal incidentalomas and consulted a systematic review of medical literature on the topic provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and an extensive bibliography developed by the National Library of Medicine. The panel recommended a 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test and measurement of plasma-free metanephrines for all patients with an adrenal incidentaloma; additional measurement of serum potassium and plasma aldosterone concentration-plasma renin activity ratio for patients with hypertension; and surgery for patients with biochemical evidence of pheochromocytoma, patients with tumors greater than 6 cm, and patients with tumors greater than 4 cm who also meet other criteria. The panel also advocated a multidisciplinary approach to managing adrenal incidentalomas. The statement is an independent report of the panel and is not a policy statement of the National Institutes of Health or the federal government.
Less than one-third of adult intussusceptions demonstrated at CT or MR imaging were caused by a neoplastic lead point. Almost half of adult cases in this series were idiopathic.
Purpose: To assess MR imaging findings and clinical manifestations of diffuse-type hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Materials and Methods:We retrospectively reviewed our experience with diffuse HCC from November 1994 to October 2001. MR imaging findings and clinical features were assessed.Results: Twenty-two consecutive patients with diffuse-type HCC (19 men and three women, age range 16 -80 years [mean, 52 years]) were identified in a review of liver MR studies. This represented 13% of all patients with HCC imaged during this time period. Diffuse HCC showed a permeative, infiltrative pattern with ill-defined borders and no evidence of convex margination in all cases. At least 50% of the liver volume was involved with tumor. Diffuse-type HCC showed hypointensity in 15 patients, mixed intensity in three, and isointensity in four on T1-weighted images; heterogeneous hyperintensity in 16 patients; and homogeneous hyperintensity in six on T2-weighted MR images. Diffuse-type HCC showed patchy enhancement in 12 patients, miliary enhancement in nine, and minimal enhancement in one on postcontrast early-phase images, and showed heterogeneous washout in all patients on postcontrast late-phase images. Proximal portal venous tumor thrombosis was seen in all patients. Serum ␣-fetoprotein (AFP) value was elevated (Ͼ10 ng/mL) in 14 of 18 patients, and 13 showed a value greater than 500 ng/mL. The four patients who did not have elevated AFP had tumors which were indistinguishable from those in patients with elevated AFP; they also did not have a distinctive clinical history.Conclusion: Diffuse-type HCC was typically seen as an extensive, heterogeneous permeative hepatic tumor, with portal venous tumor thrombosis on MR images in all cases. Early enhancement, observed as patchy in 12 and miliary in nine of 22 patients, was a distinctive imaging feature. Elevated serum AFP value was a common finding; however, 22% had normal values.
As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection spreads globally, the demand for chest imaging will inevitably rise with an accompanying increase in risk of disease transmission to frontline radiology staff. Radiology departments should implement strict infection control measures and robust operational plans to minimize disease transmission and mitigate potential impact of possible staff infection. In this article, the authors share several operational guidelines and strategies implemented in our practice to reduce spread of COVID-19 and maintain clinical and educational needs of a teaching hospital.
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