BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System was introduced to assess the probability of recurrence in surveillance imaging after treatment of head and neck cancer. This study investigated inter- and intrareader agreement in interpreting contrast-enhanced CT after treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed CT datasets of 101 patients. Four radiologists provided the Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System reports for the primary site and neck (cervical lymph nodes). The Kendall9s coefficient of concordance (W), Fleiss κ (κ_F), the Kendall9s rank correlation coefficient (τ_B), and weighted κ statistics (κ_w) were calculated to assess inter- and intrareader agreement. RESULTS: Overall, interreader agreement was strong or moderate for both the primary site (W = 0.74, κ_F = 0.48) and the neck (W = 0.80, κ_F = 0.50), depending on the statistics applied. Interreader agreement was higher in patients with proved recurrence at the primary site (W = 0.96 versus 0.56, κ_F = 0.65 versus 0.30) or in the neck (W = 0.78 versus 0.56, κ_F = 0.41 versus 0.29). Intrareader agreement was moderate to strong or almost perfect at the primary site (range τ_B = 0.67–0.82, κ_w = 0.85–0.96) and strong or almost perfect in the neck (range τ_B = 0.76–0.86, κ_w = 0.89–0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System used for surveillance contrast-enhanced CT after treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma provide acceptable score reproducibility with limitations in patients with posttherapeutic changes but no cancer recurrence.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and image quality of low-dose computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinuses using iterative reconstruction with adaptive-iterative dose reduction (AIDR) in 3D in comparison with conventional image protocols of older scanner generations.Methods:Sinus CT scans of 136 patients were assessed retrospectively. Patients underwent CT either with low-dose settings (A: 80 kV, 30 mAs; B: 120 kV, 15 mAs or C: 80 kV, 90 mAs) reconstructed using AIDR 3D (A, B) or filtered back projection (FBP) (C) or with standard dose (D: 120 kV, 80 mAs) and FBP. Image quality was assessed in consensus by two blinded readers scoring diagnostic image quality (1= excellent to 5= nondiagnostic) and conspicuity of important anatomic landmarks (0= not visible to 2= completely visible; maximum score of 16 points) as well as osseous structures (maximum score of 12 points). Dose-length product (DLP), effective dose (ED), CT dose index (CTDI) and scan length were retrieved for each scan and compared.Re...

Objectives: Accurate radiological differentiation of parotid tumors remains challenging despite recent technical advances in quantitative medical imaging. Multifrequency magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) could provide additional information on viscoelastic properties of normal and abnormal biological tissues. This study investigates the feasibility of MRE of the parotid glands in healthy participants and provides first reference values.Methods: 20 healthy participants underwent multifrequency MRE of both parotid glands at 3 Tesla. Shear waves at frequencies of 25, 30, 40, and 50 Hz were introduced into the participants' heads through the occiput using pressurized-air actuators. Shear wave speed (SWS) and loss angle of the shear modulus (φ) were reconstructed by tomoelastography post-processing as surrogate parameters for tissue stiffness and viscosity or fluidity. 10 participants underwent repeated MRE to determine test–retest reliability based on intraclass correlation coefficients.Results: All MRE datasets acquired could be included in the analysis. Mean SWS was 0.97 ± 0.13 m/s, and mean φ was 0.59 ± 0.05 rad, each for both sides combined and without notable lateral difference (p = 0.88/0.87). Test–retest reliability was good for SWS (ICC = 0.84 for both sides/ICC = 0.77 for the right side/ICC = 0.79 for the left side) and good to excellent for φ(ICC = 0.94/0.86/0.90).Conclusions: Multifrequency MRE of the parotid glands is feasible and reliable. This technique, therefore, is a promising method for investigating the viscoelastic properties of salivary gland tumors in future studies.

To evaluate run-off computed tomography angiography (CTA) of abdominal aorta and lower extremities for detecting musculoskeletal pathologies and clinically relevant extravascular incidental findings in patients with intermittent claudication (IC) and suspected peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Does run-off CTA allow image-based therapeutic decision making by discriminating the causes of intermittent claudication in patients with suspected peripheral arterial disease PAD? Retrospective re-evaluation of CTAs performed in patients with acute or chronic intermittent claudication (i.e., Fontaine stages I to IIB) between January 2005 and October 2013. Allocation to one of three categories of underlying causes of IC symptoms: vascular, musculoskeletal (MSK) or both. Clinically relevant extravascular incidental findings were evaluated. Medical records were reviewed to verify specific therapies as well as main and incidental findings. While focused on vascular imaging, CTA image quality was sufficient for evaluation of the MSK system in all cases. The underlying cause of IC was diagnosed in run-off CTA as vascular, MSK and a combination in n = 138 (65%), n = 10 (4%), and n = 66 (31%) cases, respectively. Specific vascular or MSK therapy was recorded in n = 123 and n = 9 cases. In n = 82, no follow-up was possible. Clinically relevant extravascular incidental findings were detected in n = 65 patients (30%) with neoplasia, ascites and pleural effusion being the most common findings. Run-off CTA allows identification of vascular, MSK, and combined causes of IC in patients with suspected PAD and can guide specific therapy. CTA also allowed confident detection of crEVIF although detection did not necessarily trigger workup or treatment.