Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is one of the most promising technological innovations made in the field of imaging in recent years. Thanks to its ability to provide quantitative and reproducible data, and to improve radiologists’ confidence, especially in the less experienced, its applications are increasing in number and variety. In thoracic diseases, DECT is able to provide well-known benefits, although many recent articles have sought to investigate new perspectives. This narrative review aims to provide the reader with an overview of the applications and advantages of DECT in thoracic diseases, focusing on the most recent innovations. The research process was conducted on the databases of Pubmed and Cochrane. The article is organized according to the anatomical district: the review will focus on pleural, lung parenchymal, breast, mediastinal, lymph nodes, vascular and skeletal applications of DECT. In conclusion, considering the new potential applications and the evidence reported in the latest papers, DECT is progressively entering the daily practice of radiologists, and by reading this simple narrative review, every radiologist will know the state of the art of DECT in thoracic diseases.

Purpose: To describe a Delphi consensus for the realization of a structured radiology request form for patients undergoing musculoskeletal imaging. Methods: A steering committee (four radiologists, a rheumatologist and an orthopedic surgeon) proposed a form to an expert panel (30 members, ten radiologists, ten rheumatologists and ten orthopedic surgeons). Through an online survey, the panelists voted on their level of agreement with the statements of the form using a 10-point Likert scale (1: no agreement; 10: total agreement) in a three-round process. A combination of two distinct criteria, a mean agreement level ≥ 8 and a percentage of at least 75% of responses with a value ≥ 8, was deemed as acceptable. Results: The form achieved high median ratings in all the assessed key features. During the first round, all items met the threshold to be advanced as unmodified in the next round. Additional proposed items were considered and introduced in the next round (six items in Section 1, five items in Section 2, ten items in Section 3, 11 items in Section 4, six items in Section 5, eight items in Section 6, ten items in Section 7 and eight items in Section 8). Of these items, in round 3, only six reached the threshold to be integrated into the final form. Conclusions: Implementation of a structured radiology request form can improve appropriateness and collaboration between clinicians and radiologists in musculoskeletal imaging.

Objective: The main objective was to assess the geographical distribution and main areas of use of dual-energy CT (DECT) scanners in Italy prior to the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) within the Next Generation EU (NGEU) framework. Secondary objectives included the level of knowledge of DECT among radiologists and some possible solutions to maximize its use. Methods: Between February and March 2022, an anonymous questionnaire was conducted among the members of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM), using the Google form platform. Results: A total of 261 radiologists (mean age 41 ± 11.7 years) from 90 Italian cities participated in the questionnaire. 42% of them worked in an academic center, and diagnostic imaging was the main area of work for most participants (87%). Most radiologists had some knowledge gap, especially those who did not have a DECT scanner available in their hospital (48.3%). Weekly use of DECT protocols varied widely between centers. Oncological imaging (70.4%) was the main area of use. Radiologists use DECT to improve contrast resolution (65.9%), characterize materials (64.4%), and reduce the amount of contrast agent (60%). 91.1% of participants reported that DECT improved their diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion: DECT scanners have become increasingly available in Italy in recent years, and their number is expected to increase with the NRRP. There is a wide variation in their use and in the expertise of radiologists, leading to a huge untapped potential, that can be improved by specific training. A similar questionnaire will be conducted at the end of the NRRP in 2027.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the underreporting rate of sacroiliitis (SI) in a large cohort of patients with biopsy-proved Crohn’s disease (CD) who underwent magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) or computed tomography enterography (CTE). Materials and Methods: Patients with CD were recruited from eight Italian health centers in the period from January 2013 to December 2017. Disease activity was recorded according to the CD activity index (CDAI). The scans were read by two blinded readers who defined the presence of SI according to Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) classifications and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations. Moreover, SI was scored using a simplified Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) scoring system. Results: Interobserver agreement in diagnosing SI on imaging was good (K = 0.72–0.83). SI was diagnosed in 129 (14.4%, 54 men, 75 women) out of 894 patients; however, sacroiliac joint (SIJ) abnormalities were not mentioned in the radiological reports of 112 patients (86%). Fifty (38.7%) out of 129 patients also underwent a subsequent SIJ evaluation through a dedicated MRI protocol to confirm SI. SI was found in a higher percentage of patients with “active” than “inactive” CD (18% vs. 4%). Conclusion: This study confirms the feasibility of CTE and MRE for the screening of SI in CD patients; however, it also underlines the remarkable problem concerning the underreporting of this entity in radiological practice.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is widely used to diagnose peritoneal metastases (PM), with debated accuracy. Dual-energy CT (DECT) may improve accuracy, yet its diagnostic performance is still unknown. We explored the potential of DECT for PM detection and quantification. Materials and methods: We retrospectively included patients undergoing staging DECT for cancers with a high risk of peritoneal involvement, followed by staging laparoscopy/laparotomy, which served as the reference standard. Nine readers with varying experience levels (three expert, three intermediate, and three inexpert) reviewed two sets of images, separated by ≥ 60 days, considering the presence/absence of PM, abdominal region(s) involved, and calculated the radiological peritoneal cancer index (PCI). The first set included contrast-enhanced delayed-DECT scans reconstructed as virtual 120-kVp images; the second set also included virtual monoenergetic, 40-keV images and iodine maps. Performance metrics, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, McNemar, DeLong, and Wilcoxon tests were applied. Results: Twenty patients (mean age 64.2 years; 12 females) were included, 10 with PM. At per-patient analysis, the addition of monoenergetic 40-keV images and iodine maps slightly increased the performance and improved inter-reader agreement, with significant benefit for inexperienced readers only (p = 0.010). Per-region analysis demonstrated a significant advantage with an area under the ROC curve ranging from 0.709 to 0.766 (p < 0.001), confirmed for each reader group; in addition, the inter-reader agreement significantly improved. Quantitative analysis showed a reduction in the differences between CT results and surgical PCI by DECT (4 ± 12 versus 2 ± 9, p < 0.001). Conclusion: DECT-derived reconstructions in the delayed-phase enhanced PM detection and quantification. Relevance statement: Delayed-phase DECT reconstruction showed superior accuracy over conventional CT in detecting and quantifying peritoneal metastases. These findings could help establish a new standard CT protocol for malignancies with peritoneal tropism. Key Points: CT is the most widely used technique for assessing peritoneal metastases. The accuracy of CT for peritoneal metastases is debated; dual-energy CT shows promise. In our study, delayed-phase dual-energy CT provided significant advantages for all readers. Graphical