AIM:To compare the diagnostic yield of 8G and 11G bone biopsy needles in tubercular spondylitis (TBS). MATERIALS AND METHODS:50 patients (mean age-40. years; males-27), suspected of TBS based on clinical and MRI features, underwent transpedicular biopsies under fluoroscopic guidance with 8G or 11G needles after randomization. The samples were evaluated on histology (chronic inflammation, granulomas, caseous necrosis and giant cells), GeneXpert, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and liquid cultures and categorised into diagnostic, non-specific and inadequate groups. Any procedure related complications (pneumothorax, puncture site infection, hematoma or increased pain) were recorded. RESULTS:There were 25 patients in each group. One patient in the 8G group experienced procedure-related pneumothorax. Of the three microbiological tests (GeneXpert, PCR, Liquid Culture), at least one test was found to be positive in 32% (n=8) of 8G group and 24% (n=6) of the 11G group samples (p>0.05). Histopathology was suggestive of tuberculosis for TB in 40% (n=10) of 8G group and 36% (n=9) of 11G group samples (p=0.88). Overall, the samples in 8G and 11G groups were diagnostic in 13 and 12 patients, non- specific in 10 and 9 patients, and inadequate in 2 and 4 patients respectively, with no statistically significant difference between groups (p=0.62). CONCLUSION:The study showed no significant difference in complications and diagnostic yield of biopsies performed using 8G and 11G needles in patients with tuberculous spondylitis.

To compare the image quality, definition of vascular invasion and radiation dose of split bolus dual energy CT (DECT) with standard multiphase CT in biliary malignancies. This prospective study performed from December 2020 to November 2022 included 88 patients of biliary malignancies randomized into two groups and scanned on rapid-switching dual energy CT scanner. Group 1 (n = 43, mean age: 54.6 years, 12 males) underwent the standard multiphase protocol (MPP; arterial, venous phases), while group 2 (n = 45, mean age: 52.6 years, 20 males) underwent split bolus dual-energy protocol (SBP; split-bolus phase). The mean attenuation, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of tumor, liver and hepatic vessels were measured and compared between the two groups along with dose-length product. Two readers independently assessed image quality and vascular invasion (5-point Likert scale) in each phase and inter-reader agreement was compared within groups. Mann Whitney U-test and kappa statistics were used for comparison. The mean attenuation, CNR and SNR of arteries were significantly higher in the arterial phase of group 1 and significantly lower in the venous phase of group 1 than the SBP of group 2 (p < 0.001). The quantitative parameters of veins and tumor between venous phase (group 1) and SBP (group 2) were comparable. Good-to-strong inter-reader agreement (k = 0.45 to 0.75) for image quality for both protocols was observed. For hepatic arterial invasion, the SBP had significantly higher inter-reader agreement compared to the arterial phase of MPP (p < 0.001). The SBP had a 37

To non-invasively quantify pancreatic fibrosis and grade severity of chronic pancreatitis (CP) on dual-energy CT (DECT) and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI). We included 72 patients (mean age:30years; 59 men) with suspected or confirmed CP from December 2019 to December 2021 graded as equivocal(n = 20), mild(n = 18), and moderate-marked(n = 34) using composite imaging and endoscopic ultrasound criteria. Study patients underwent multiphasic DECT and mpMRI of the abdomen. Normalized iodine concentration(NIC) and fat fraction(FF) on 6-minute delayed DECT, and T1 relaxation time(T1Rt), extracellular volume fraction(ECVf), intravoxel incoherent motion-based perfusion fraction(PF), and magnetization transfer ratio(MTR) on mpMRI of pancreas were compared. 20 renal donors(for DECT) and 20 patients with renal mass(for mpMRI) served as controls. NIC of pancreas in controls and progressive grades of CP were 0.24 ± 0.05, 0.80 ± 0.18, 1.06 ± 0.23, 1.40 ± 0.36, FF were 9.28 ± 5.89, 14.19 ± 5.29, 17.31 ± 5.99, 29.32 ± 12.22, T1Rt were 590.11 ± 61.13, 801.93 ± 211.01, 1006.79 ± 352.18, 1388.01 ± 312.23ms, ECVf were 0.07 ± 0.03, 0.30 ± 0.12, 0.41 ± 0.12, 0.53 ± 0.13, PF were 0.38 ± 0.04, 0.28 ± 0.07, 0.25 ± 0.09, 0.21 ± 0.05 and MTR were 0.12 ± 0.03, 0.15 ± 0.06, 0.21 ± 0.07, 0.26 ± 0.06, respectively. There were significant differences for all quantitative parameters between controls and mild CP; for NIC, PF, and ECVf between controls and progressive CP grades (p < 0.05). Area under curve for NIC, FF, T1Rt, ECVf, PF, and MTR in differentiating controls and mild CP were 1.00, 0.86, 0.95, 1.00, 0.90 and 0.84 respectively and for NIC, FF, ECVf and PF in differentiating controls and equivocal CP were 1.00, 0.76, 0.95 and 0.92 respectively. DECT and mpMRI were useful in quantifying pancreatic fibrosis and grading the severity of CP. NIC was the most accurate marker.

BACKGROUND:Fasting before elective anesthesia care is a standardized practice worldwide. The aim is to decrease the risk of aspiration leading to pulmonary complications such as aspiration pneumonitis during anesthesia care. There are different guidelines for elective preoperative fasting in children. However, there is insufficient literature measuring gastric emptying time after breast milk or formula milk feeding in infants.OBJECTIVE:This study used gastric ultrasound to determine the gastric emptying time for breast milk and formula milk in children below 6 months of age. We also compared the calculated gastric volumes among breast-fed and formula milk-fed based on Schmitz's and Spencer's formula.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in India between November (2017-2019). A total of 52 infants less than 6 months of age were recruited. The study population was divided into two groups (breast-fed and formula milk-fed) of 26 patients each. Ultrasound was used to measure the antral cross-sectional area of the stomach and to calculate the gastric volume using the two classical formulas (Schmitz and Spencer's). Gastric emptying was reported when the bull's eye appearance of the gastric antrum was seen or when the antral cross-sectional area was less than 3.07 cm2.RESULTS:The number of breast-fed children whose antral cross-sectional was greater than 3.07 cm2 (cut-off value for aspiration risk) beyond 1 h was 14/26 (53.84%) while none (0) children went beyond 3 h. The number of formula-fed children whose antral cross-sectional was greater than 3.07 cm2 beyond 1 h was 17/26 (65.38%) while one child (3.84%) went beyond 3 h. Using Schmitz's formula, mean (SD) gastric emptying times were 0.35 ± 0.68 h (95% CI 0.35 ± 0.185, range 0.165-0.535) for breast-fed patients and 0.35 ± 0.69 h (95% CI 0.35 ± 0.188, range 0.162-0.538) for formula-fed patients, and were thus neither clinically nor statistically different (p = .73) Using Spencer's formula, the mean gastric emptying times were 0.12 ± 0.33 h (95% CI 0.12 ± 0.09, range 0.03-0.21) for breast-fed patients and 0.04 ± 0.20 h (95% CI 0.04 ± 0.05, range -0.01 to 0.09) for formula-fed patients, and were also neither clinically nor statistically different p = .13.CONCLUSION:In our series, the gastric emptying times in breast-fed and formula-fed infants less than 6 months old were similar. Our results support the fasting guidelines of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care 2022, that is, 3 h for breastfeeding and 4 h for formula milk feeding. In addition, this shows that the Schmitz's and Spencer's formulae used to calculate the gastric volume based on ultrasound measurement of the antral cross-sectional area are not comparable in infants less than 6 months.

Background/Purpose Late hemorrhage following pancreatic surgery is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Pseudoaneurysm (PSA) is an important source of late hemorrhage, which is effectively and safely managed by embolization. We aim to retrospectively review the outcomes of embolization for pseudoaneurysms causing late post-pancreatectomy hemorrhage over a period of six-years at our tertiary care center. Methods Between 2014 and 2020, 616 pancreatic surgeries were performed and 25 patients had late hemorrhage (occurring > 24 hours post-operatively). The clinical parameters related to late hemorrhage, associated complications, embolization details, treatment success and their short-and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Results Sixteen of 25 patients had PSA on digital subtraction angiography. Embolization was performed in these patients with technical and clinical success rates of 94.1% and 100%, respectively. Compared to patients without PSA, patients with PSA had significant hemoglobin drop (2.5 g/dL vs. 1.5 g/dL, p = 0.01), higher incidence of sentinel bleed (50% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.05) and lower requirement for surgery for bleeding (0% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.02). Clincally relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula and bile leak were seen in 72% and 52% of patients, respectively. Eight of these embolized patients died due to sepsis. The long-term outcome was good, once the patients were discharged. Conclusion Late hemorrhage after pancreatic surgery was associated with high mortality due to complications such as pancreatic fistula and bile leak. Sentinel bleeding was an important clinical indicator of PSA. Angiographic embolization is safe and effective without any adverse short or long-term outcomes.

The portal vein is the largest vessel supplying the liver. A number of radiological interventions are performed through the portal vein, namely for primary pathologies of the portal vein, for inducing liver hypertrophy or to treat the sequelae of portal hypertension among others. The routes used include direct transhepatic, transjugular, and, uncommonly, trans-splenic and through subcutaneous varices. Portal vein embolization and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt are among the most common portal vein interventions that are performed to induce hypertrophy of the future liver remnant and to treat complications of portal hypertension, respectively. Other interventions include transhepatic obliteration of varices and shunts, portal vein thrombolysis, portal vein recanalization, pancreatic islet cell transplantation, and embolization of portal vein injuries. We present a detailed illustrative review of the various radiological portal vein interventions.

A mass or a tumor may not always be an underlying cause for a clinically apparent swelling. A wide range of myotendinous disorders can present as pseudomasses. These include muscle/myofascial hernia, tendon tears, benign hypertrophy, accessory muscles, tendon xanthomas, diffuse myositis, and exertional compartment syndromes. We have briefly reviewed these lesions highlighting their typical radiological findings and have also highlighted the role of different imaging modalities and the role of dynamic imaging. Although rare, radiologists should be aware of these entities to avoid mislabeling a pseudomass as a mass or malignancy and to detect the abnormality in not-so-apparent masses.

Introduction: Tendons may rarely be ossified. The calcaneal tendon (CT) is the largest in the body. The incidence and mechanism of ossification of CT is not known. Material and Methods: We carried out a morphological, radiological, histological, and immunohistochemical study on the CT of 50 (30 – male and 20 – female) human cadavers. Results: The mean length (cm) of the CT was 27.60 ± 2.30 (right) and 27.51 ± 2.60 (left) in males and 25.43 ± 0.77 on both sides in females. The contribution to the formation of the CT from the two heads of gastrocnemius muscle was greater from medial head in 84%, lateral head in 12%, and equal in 4%. On screening the CT by C-arm radiography, slight opacification at the site of insertion of CT (bilaterally) was noted in an elderly male. Large, bilateral opacification was seen in another elderly male cadaver. Well-defined lamellar bone with osteocytes lying in lacunae and bone marrow amid the tendon collagenous tissue was noted in hematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections. The osteocytes expressed hypoxia-induced factor 1 alpha. Discussion and Conclusion: In this study, we confirmed that the radiological opacification in the CT was ossification that may have been triggered by hypoxia.

We read with great interest the research article by Nischal et al.[1] Their study embarks upon a very important clinical question with regard to choosing ultrasound (US) or MR neurography (MRN) in the diagnosis of peripheral nerve diseases. The authors reported that US was better in detecting nerve discontinuity and caliber change as well as evaluating tiny superficial nerves. MR better detected nerve/muscle edema, had better overall sensitivity and higher predictive value to rule out nerve pathology. We wish to humbly present a few observations regarding the article and highlight certain important points regarding the imaging evaluation of peripheral nerve injuries.

Objective: To study the use of serial ultrasound gastric residual volume (GRV) measurements in predicting feed intolerance in critically ill patients. Patients and methods: This study was conducted in various intensive care units (ICUs) of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Forty-three critically ill patients aged more than 18 years were studied for a total of 130 enteral feeding days. Gastric residual volume was obtained by calculating the antral cross-sectional area (CSA), which is the product of anteroposterior (AP) and craniocaudal (CC) diameters of gastric antrum obtained using ultrasound in the right lateral decubitus position. A baseline measurement was done before the initiation of the enteral feed and termed GRV0, the ultrasound scanning was repeated every 1 hour for the first 4 hours and termed GRV1, GRV2, GRV3, and GRV4, respectively, and the patients were watched for feed intolerance. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to correlate the GRV at each time with feed intolerance. Results: The data from 43 medical and surgical critically ill patients were analyzed. Out of 130 feeding days, 13 were noted to be feed intolerant. Gastric residual volume at the end of the fourth hour of feed, that is, GRV4 was the best predictor of feed intolerance with 99.3% area under the curve (AUROC), sensitivity of 99%, specificity of 99.3%, and 95% CI, 0.89-0.98 followed by GRV3, with AUROC of 96% and sensitivity and specificity of 92.3 and 96%, respectively, with 95% CI, 0.92-0.99.

Purpose This article assesses the safety and utility of transhepatic drainage of deep seated postoperative intra-abdominal collections under computed tomography (CT) guidance in a short series. Methods This retrospective study included five patients (mean age: 45.8 years; 3 males, 2 females) who underwent CT-guided transhepatic drainage of postoperative abdominal abscess in our department between April 2019 and December 2020. The clinical and surgical details and the details of the transhepatic drainage procedure were evaluated along with success rates and complications. Results The surgical procedures were Whipple's pancreaticoduodenectomy in four patients and gastrectomy in one patient. Four out of five abscesses were drained through the right lobe of liver, while one was through the left lobe with a technical success rate of 100%. The mean total time for catheter drainage procedure including patient positioning and preparation was 29.2 minutes. None of the patients had procedure-related complications. Mean duration of catheter drainage was 12 days. All patients had complete resolution of symptoms after drainage and the clinical success rate was 100%. Conclusion Transhepatic approach is safe and effective for the drainage of inaccessible postoperative abdominal collections or abscesses where a standard percutaneous approach is not possible.

There are limited studies in the literature comparing the alignment accuracy of the large console, imageless, computer-assisted navigation (CAN) and portable, hand-held, accelerometer-based navigation (ABN) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study was aimed to compare the operative time, blood loss, radiological, clinical and functional outcomes between CAN- and ABN-guided bilateral TKA. From Jan 2016 to Dec 2017, 50 patients who underwent bilateral TKA were randomized to undergo either CAN-guided or ABN-guided TKA. Tourniquet time and blood loss were recorded, and intra-op complications were noted. Post-op radiological outcomes at 2 weeks were compared between the groups. The clinical and functional outcomes using the American Knee Society Scores (KSS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) were recorded pre-operatively and post-operatively at 3, 6, 12 months and at the end of the study with a minimum follow-up of 48 months. Both groups were well-matched in terms of patient demographic parameters. The mean surgical time per knee was significantly lower in the ABN group (54.5 ± 5.6 min) compared to the CAN group (61.7 ± 13.7 min; p < 0.01). Mean blood loss per knee in the ABN group was 592.1 ± 245.3 mL compared to 682.8 ± 322.0 in the CAN group (p = 0.11). In the ABN group, the mean post-op mechanical axis was 1.2 ± 3.2° (vs 1.5 ± 2.2° in the CAN group, p 0.6), the frontal femoral angle was 88.8 ± 2.3° (vs 88.8 ± 1.8° in the CAN group, p 1.0) and frontal tibial angle was 90.1 ± 1.6° (vs 89.7 ± 1.1° in the CAN group, p 0.14). At 48 month follow-up, the mean functional KSS in the ABN group was 89.0 ± 5.7 (vs 88.1 ± 4.5 in the CAN group, p 0.37) and the mean OKS was 40.5 ± 2.8 (vs 39.6 ± 3.2 in the CAN group, p 0.12). Portable, hand-held ABN offers alignment accuracy and functional outcomes in TKA similar to that with CAN, with a reduced duration of surgery. There was no advantage of either of the techniques in terms of clinical or functional outcomes at 48 month follow-up.

Background/objective: To retrospectively evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of benign hepat-ic nodules in patients with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) and assess predictable features for their development. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 18 diagnosed patients of EHPVO who un-derwent contrast enhanced abdominal MRI at our Institute between June 2016 and May 2017, and who could be followed up for at least two years. The patients with liver nodules formed the study group (n = 8; 4 males, 4 fe-males; mean age: 26.1 +/- 10.9 years) and patients without liver nodules were controls (n = 10; 3 males, 7 females; mean age: 24.2 +/- 15.1 years). Liver nodules were confirmed as benign by either biopsy or stability on follow up imaging. MRI features of liver nodules were assessed. Clinical details and imaging data of the study group were compared with controls to assess predictable features. Results: There was no statistically significant differ-ence in age, gender, clinical characteristics and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings between the study and control groups. The size of the lienorenal collateral, left renal vein and superior mesenteric vein were signifi- cantly larger in the study group (P < 0.05). In the study group, the majority had multiple hepatic nodules with most of them being isointense on T1 (18/35; 51.4%) and T2-weighted images (16/35; 45.7%) and showing restric-tion of diffusion (21/35; 60%). All (n = 35) lesions showed arterial phase hyperenhancement and none showed washout in the venous phase. The patients in the control group did not develop any liver nodules during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Liver nodules in patients with EHPVO are likely to be benign and have character-istic MRI features. Significantly larger lienorenal collateral, left renal vein and superior mesenteric vein were associated with the development of these nodules. ( J CLIN EXP HEPATOL 2022;12:1301-1309)

Objective: To explore the utility of first-order MRI-texture analysis (TA) parameters in predicting histologic grade and muscle invasion in urinary bladder cancer (UBC). Methods: After ethical clearance, 40 patients with UBC, who were imaged on a 3.0-Tesla scanner, were retrospectively included. Using the TexRAD (TM) platform, two readers placed freehand ROI on the sections demonstrating the largest dimension of the tumor, evaluating only one tumor per patient. Interobserver reproducibility was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Mann-Whitney U test and ROC curve analysis were used to identify statistical significance and select parameters with high class separation capacity (AUC >0.8), respectively. Pearson's test was used to identify redundancy in the results. Results: All texture parameters showed excellent ICC. The best parameters in differentiating high and low-grade tumors were mean/mean of positive pixels (MPP) at SSF 0 (AUC: 0.897) and kurtosis at SSF 5 (AUC: 0.828) on the ADC images. In differentiating muscle invasive from non-muscle invasive tumors, mean/PP at SSF 0 on the ADC images showed AUC >0.8; however, this finding resulted from the confounding effect of high-grade histology on the ADC values of muscle invasive tumors. Conclusion: MRI-TA generated few parameters which were reproducible and useful in predicting histologic grade. No independent parameters predicted muscle invasion. Advances in knowledge: There is lacuna in the literature concerning the role of MRI-TA in the prediction of histologic grade and muscle invasion in UBC. Our study generated a few first-order parameters which were useful in predicting high-grade histology.

OBJECTIVE Early detection of peripheral neuropathy is extremely important as leprosy is one of the treatable causes of peripheral neuropathy. The study was undertaken to assess the role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in ulnar neuropathy in leprosy patients. METHODS This was a case-control study including 38 patients (72 nerves) and 5 controls (10 nerves) done between January 2017 and June 2019. Skin biopsy proven cases of leprosy, having symptoms of ulnar neuropathy (proven on nerve conduction study) were included. MRI was performed on a 3 T MR system. Mean cross-sectional area, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of ulnar nerve at cubital tunnel were calculated. Additional ancillary findings and appearance of base sequences were evaluated. RESULTS Ulnar nerve showed thickening with altered T2W signal in all the affected nerves, having an average cross-sectional area of 0.26 cm2. Low FA with mean of 0.397 ± 0.19 and high ADC with mean of 1.28 ± 0.427 x 10 -3 mm2/s of ulnar nerve in retrocondylar groove was obtained. In the control group, mean cross-sectional area was 0.71cm2 with mean FA and ADC of 0.53 ± 0.088 and 1.03 ± 0.24 x 10 -3 mm2/s respectively. Statistically no significant difference was seen in diseased and control group. Cut-off to detect neuropathy for FA and ADC is 0.4835 and 1.1020 × 10 -3 mm2/s respectively. CONCLUSION DTI though is challenging in peripheral nerves, however, is proving to be a powerful complementary tool for assessment of peripheral neuropathy. Our study validates its utility in infective neuropathies. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE 1. DTI is a potential complementary tool for detection of peripheral neuropathies and can be incorporated in standard MR neurography protocol.2. In leprosy-related ulnar neuropathy, altered signal intensity with thickening or abscess of the nerve is appreciated along with locoregional nodes and secondary denervation changes along with reduction of FA and rise in ADC value.3. Best cut-offs obtained in our study for FA and ADC are 0.4835 and 1.1020 × 10 -3 mm2/s respectively.

Hemorrhagic complications are uncommon after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. The presenting features include bleeding through or around the drainage catheter, hematemesis or melena. Diagnosis requires cholangiography, CT angiography or conventional angiography. Minor venous hemorrhage is managed by catheter repositioning, clamping or upgrading to a larger bore catheter. Major vascular injuries require percutaneous or endovascular procedures like embolization or stenting. A complete knowledge of these complications will direct the interventional radiologist to take adequate precautions to reduce their incidence and necessary steps in their management. This review presents and discusses various hemorrhagic complications occurring after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage along with their treatment options and suggests a detailed algorithm.

PURPOSE:To evaluate and compare the immediate and long-term outcomes of radiological interventions for hemorrhagic complications in patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This retrospective study, conducted between January 2014 and June 2020, included all patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis presenting with hemorrhagic complications who underwent angiography and/or embolization. Their clinical, angiographic, and embolization details were evaluated and correlated with procedure success, complications, recurrence, and mortality. The patients were subgrouped into groups A (acute pancreatitis) and C (chronic pancreatitis), and comparisons were made.RESULTS:The study included 141 patients (mean age, 36.3 ± 11.2 years; 124 men), of whom 106 patients had abnormal angiography findings and underwent embolization. Of them, group A had 50 patients (56 lesions) and group C had 56 patients (61 lesions). All the patients in group A had severe acute pancreatitis, with a mean computed tomography severity index of 7.6. The technical and clinical success rates of embolization, complications, recurrence, and long-term outcomes were not significantly different between the groups. Group A had significantly higher mortality due to sepsis and organ failure. Embolic agents did not have any significant association with complications, recurrence, and mortality. After a mean follow-up of 2 years, 72.5% of the patients were asymptomatic, and none had symptoms attributable to embolization.CONCLUSIONS:Success, complications, and recurrence after embolization for hemorrhagic complications were comparable between acute and chronic pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis was associated with significantly higher mortality. Embolic agents did not significantly influence the outcomes. None had long-term adverse effects attributable to embolization.