Search

Introduction and aims Early and accurate non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis is important for reducing the burden of cirrhosis and related complications. This cross-sectional study compares shear wave elastography (SWE), transient elastography (TE) and clinical markers of chronic liver disease in patients with various liver disorders. Methods Liver ultrasound with SWE was performed on 421 adult patients, 227 of whom also had TE. Patient age, gender, body mass index (BMI), liver disease aetiology, and laboratory results were recorded. Associations between SWE, TE and other tests for liver fibrosis and chronic liver disease severity were sought. Advanced liver fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness measurement (LSM) equivalent to ≥F3 using Metavir staging. Results Patients were predominantly male (68%), with mean (standard deviation) age 54(13) years, BMI 28(6) kg/m2 , and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 39(27) U/L. Liver disorders were predominantly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and alcohol-related liver disease. The median (interquartile range) LSM was 10 (6-20) kPa with SWE and 9.2 (6-21) kPa with TE. Advanced liver fibrosis was associated with older age, higher BMI, MELD score, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), AST/ALT ratio, AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and Hepascore. SWE and TE LSM were positively correlated, particularly for NAFLD and CHC. SWE LSM predicted ultrasound and endoscopy-diagnosed portal hypertension and oesophageal varices. Conclusions Across various liver diseases, SWE is at least comparable to TE and other non-invasive tests of liver fibrosis. SWE is accurate for predicting liver-related portal hypertension. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

HELLP syndrome is a rare, potentially life threatening obstetric condition that is diagnosed by the combination of Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme levels, and Low Platelets (Pregnancy Hypertens, 1, 164, 2011). HELLP affects between 0.5% and 0.9% of all pregnancies (BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 9, 8, 2009), however less than 0.5% of HELLP syndrome cases demonstrate any imaging abnormalities (Am J Roentgenol 185, 1205, 2005). This case report outlines the use of three new liver ultrasound technologies – shear wave elastography (SWE), shear wave dispersion (SWD) and attenuation imaging (ATI) in the evaluation of a patient with HELLP syndrome. The ultrasound applications were used to examine temporal changes of the disease with corresponding biochemical variations. The SWE and SWD values correlated with B mode ultrasound imaging and the clinical findings of HELLP.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Higher anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) drug levels are associated with improved clinical healing of Crohn's perianal fistulas. It is unclear whether this leads to improved healing on radiologic assessment. We aimed to evaluate the association between anti-TNF drug levels and radiologic outcomes in perianal fistulising Crohn's disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective multicenter study was undertaken. Patients with perianal fistulising Crohn's disease on maintenance infliximab or adalimumab, with drug levels within 6 months of perianal magnetic resonance imaging were included. Patients receiving dose changes or fistula surgery between drug level and imaging were excluded. Radiologic disease activity was scored using the Van Assche Index, with an inflammatory subscore calculated using indices: T2-weighted imaging hyperintensity, collections >3 mm diameter, rectal wall involvement. Primary endpoint was radiologic healing (inflammatory subscore ≤6). Secondary endpoint was radiologic remission (inflammatory subscore =0). RESULTS: Of 193 patients (infliximab, n = 117; adalimumab, n = 76), patients with radiologic healing had higher median drug levels compared with those with active disease (infliximab 6.0 vs 3.9 μg/mL; adalimumab 9.1 vs 6.2 μg/mL; both P < .05). Patients with radiologic remission also had higher median drug levels compared with those with active disease (infliximab 7.4 vs 3.9 μg/mL; P < .05; adalimumab 9.8 vs 6.2 μg/mL; P = .07). There was a significant incremental reduction in median inflammatory subscores with higher anti-TNF drug level tertiles. CONCLUSIONS: Higher anti-TNF drug levels were associated with improved radiologic outcomes on magnetic resonance imaging in perianal fistulising Crohn's disease, with an incremental improvement at higher drug level tertiles for both infliximab and adalimumab.

Background A high body mass index (BMI) is known to adversely affect anti-TNFα trough levels and secondary loss of response (SLOR); however, the literature is scarce in defining what aspect of body mass determine these outcomes. We hypothesise that a large visceral fat area is associated with a lower anti-TNFα level and a higher rate of SLOR. Our aim was to determine the impact of fat and muscle compartment areas on these outcomes. Methods Crohn’s disease (CD) patients who were prescribed standard doses of an anti-TNFα agent [5 mg/kg, 8 weekly infliximab (IFX) or 40 mg EOW of adalimumab (ADA)] from 1 February 2015 to 30 June 2018 were examined retrospectively. Primary responders with a minimum therapy duration of 12 weeks, at least 12 months of follow-up and a trough level within 6 months of a CT or MRI, were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was the trough level and the secondary outcome was time to SLOR, defined as a need to dose escalate, change out of class, requiring ≥3 courses of corticosteroids in a 12-month period, or surgery. Patients were followed until they met a SLOR or the census date of 30 June 2019. Visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and skeletal muscle area (SMA) were measured on the CT/MRI at the L3 vertebral level in cm2 by a radiologist blinded to the clinical outcome and corrected for patient height (cm2/m2). Results Of 813 patients prescribed an anti-TNFα agent in the study period, data from 69 eligible CD patients were included for analysis. The median age was 43.5 ± 16.2 years, and 42 (60.9%) were males. Forty-four (63.8%) and 25 (36.2%) patients were treated with IFX and ADA respectively. The mean BMI was 26.9 ± 5.2. Univariate analysis of infliximab trough levels found that total fat area, VFA, visceral fat index [VFI (VFA/height in m2)] and VFA/SMA ratio were inversely correlated with anti-TNFα trough level (p < 0.05). No association was found between ADA trough level and muscle/fat areas. After multivariate adjustment for CRP, albumin, presence of antibodies, concurrent immunomodulator use and gender, IFX levels were inversely associated with VFA [-0.021 (−0.038, −0.003) p = 0.025], VFI [−0.066 (−0.119, −0.013) p = 0.016] and VFA/SMA [−3.805 (−7.132, −0.477) p = 0.026] but not BMI [−0.232 (−0.520, 0.055) p = 0.11). No association was found for ADA trough levels. Kaplan–Meir analyses showed a trend towards a shorter time to SLOR with an increasing tertile of VFI in both IFX and ADA treated patients. Conclusion Visceral fat area corrected for height (VFI) is a better determinant of anti-TNFα trough levels and SLOR than BMI.

Introduction A high body mass index is known to adversely affect antitumor necrosis factor-alpha trough levels and secondary loss of response (SLOR) in patients with Crohn's disease. We hypothesize that high levels of adiposity negatively affect these outcomes and aimed to determine if this relationship exists. Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of 69 patients with Crohn's disease from two tertiary inflammatory bowel disease centers between February 1, 2015, and June 30, 2018. Primary responders to infliximab (IFX) or adalimumab (ADA) who had a trough level performed within 6 months of CT or MRI scan and at least 12 months of clinical follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Body composition as measured on CT/MRI scans were correlated with trough concentration and time SLOR. Multivariate adjustments were made for established risk factors known to affect trough levels and SLOR. Results Of 69 included patients, 44 (63.8%) and 25 (36.2%) patients received IFX and ADA, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that IFX trough concentrations were inversely correlated with visceral fat area (-0.02 [-0.04, -0.003], P = 0.03), visceral fat index (-0.07 [-0.12, -0.01], P = 0.02) and visceral fat: skeletal muscle area ratio (-3.81 [-7.13, -0.50], P = 0.03), but not body mass index (-0.23 [-0.52, 0.06], P = 0.11). No predictive factors were found for ADA. Increased total adipose area was associated with an increased risk of SLOR in ADA-treated patients, but not IFX-treated patients (hazard ratio = 1.01 [1.002, 1.016], P = 0.011). Discussion Visceral adiposity is an important predictor of IFX trough levels, and high total adiposity predicts for SLOR to ADA.

Globally, there is an increasing incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a potential cause of chronic liver disease. NAFLD may result in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which can develop into end stage liver disease. Because of the increasing incidence of fatty liver disease it is critically important to improve our ability to diagnose the spectrum of NAFLD/NASH and its clinical pathways. The gold standard for assessing the degree of hepatic steatosis is biopsy, however the cost, patient intolerance, risk factors, processing artefacts and the small amount of tissue procured during biopsy may not reflect the global degree of fatty infiltration. Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) techniques show promise for assessment of steatosis but are more expensive and resource intensive than ultrasound techniques. Many novel on cart ultrasound tools are being made available for the assessment of hepatic parenchyma during an ultrasound examination – these include Attenuation Index (ATI), Liver-Kidney Ratio and Shear Wave dispersion (SWD). The echosens Fibroscan® unit utilises a tool “Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP)”. CAP estimates the degree of fatty infiltration of the liver by producing a resultant dB/cm/Hz attenuation coefficient. This talk looks at the preliminary evaluation of some of these tools and their potential role.

Introduction and aims Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an emerging ultrasound-related technology for assessment of liver fibrosis. The usefulness and reliability of SWE is unclear relative to other markers of liver fibrosis. We compared the clinical usefulness of SWE relative to transient elastography (TE), liver ultrasound and other standard biochemical markers of chronic liver disease in patients with varied liver disorders. Methods SWE assessment was performed using a Toshiba Aplio 500 or Canon Aplio i800 machine, concurrently with liver ultrasound on 421 adult patients. Amongst these patients 227 also had liver transient elastography (TE). Patient age, gender, body mass index (BMI), alcohol history, liver disease diagnosis, and laboratory results were recorded. Associations between SWE, TE and patient factors were sought. Suspected significant liver fibrosis was defined by liver stiffness measurement interpretation of ≥ F2 equivalent using Metavir staging. Results Patients were predominantly male (67.5%). Males and females were matched as regards age and BMI. The indications for SWE included nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (10%), chronic hepatitis B (22%), chronic hepatitis C (38%), alcohol-related liver disease (18%) and others (12%). 23%The mean (standard deviation) age was 53 (14) years, body mass index 27.7 (6.3) kg/m2, ultrasound-measured skin to liver capsule distance 20.0 (7.3)mm, serum ALT 39(27) U/L and AST 48(32) U/L. The median (IQR) liver stiffness was 9.9 (6.4-20.0) kPa with SWE and 9.2 (5.8-20.9) kPa with TE. Patients with suspected significant liver fibrosis determined by SWE, compared with patients not suspected of having significant fibrosis, were significantly older, had higher BMI, skin to liver capsule distance, TE liver stiffness measurement, alcohol consumption, and blood based assessments AST (but not ALT), AST/ALT ratio, AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), Hepascore and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), but lower platelet count and serum albumin (p Conclusions SWE was found to be a useful test for suspected liver fibrosis in various liver disorders, and results were found to correlate with TE liver stiffness measurement plus clinically relevant anthropometric and laboratory parameters.

Summary Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography is a reliable way to assess peripheral vascular disease. This article reviews the basic physics behind this technique and discusses our institution's experience with regard to the clinical role, recent advances in image acquisition and use of contrast agents. Problems that can affect image quality and interpretation are also highlighted.

We describe the CT findings in the brain of a woman with pathologically proven elevated levels of blood and tissue cesium. The 42-year-old woman had been receiving cesium chloride as a non-mainstream treatment for metastatic breast carcinoma. She presented to hospital following a seizure, and died 48 hours after admission. A brain CT performed on hospital admission showed a diffuse increase in attenuation of brain parenchyma. Autopsy revealed elevated levels of cesium in blood and solid organs including the brain. We hypothesize that the imaging findings are attributable to the abnormally elevated level of brain cesium at the time of the CT scan. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this imaging finding.

AIMS: To survey the perceived indications for magnetic resonance imaging of the small bowel (MRE) by experts, when MR enteroclysis (MREc) or MR enterography (MREg) may be chosen, and to determine how the approach to MRE is modified when general anaesthesia (GA) is required.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Selected opinion leaders in MRE completed a questionnaire that included clinical indications (MREg or MREc), specifics regarding administration of enteral contrast, and how the technique is altered to accommodate GA.RESULTS: Fourteen responded. Only the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn's disease were considered by over 80 % as a valid MRE indication. The remaining indications ranged between 35.7 % for diagnosis of caeliac disease and unknown sources of gastrointestinal bleeding to 78.6 % for motility disorders. The majority chose MREg over MREc for all indications (from 100 % for follow-up of caeliac disease to 57.7 % for tumour diagnosis). Fifty per cent of responders had needed to consider MRE under GA. The most commonly recommended procedural change was MRI without enteral distention. Three had experience with intubation under GA (MREc modification).CONCLUSION: Views were variable. Requests for MRE under GA are not uncommon. Presently most opinion leaders suggest standard abdominal MRI when GA is required.MAIN MESSAGES: • Experts are using MRE for various indications. • Requests for MRE under general anaesthesia are not uncommon. • Some radiologists employ MREc under general anaesthesia; others do not distend the small bowel.

To determine if a nasojejunal tube (NJT) is required for optimal examination of enteroclysis and if patients can be examined only in the supine position.Data were collected from all patients undergoing small bowel (SB) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination over a 32-mo period. Patients either underwent a magnetic resonance (MR) follow-through (MRFT) or a MR enteroclysis (MRE) in the supine position. The quality of proximal and distal SB distension as well as the presence of motion artefact and image quality were assessed by 2 radiologists.One hundred and fourteen MR studies were undertaken (MRFT-49, MRE-65) in 108 patients in the supine position only. Image artefact was more frequent in MRE than in MRFT (29.2% vs 18.4%), but was not statistically significant (P=0.30). Adequate distension of the distal SB was obtained in 97.8% of MRFT examinations and in 95.4% of MRE examinations, respectively. Proximal SB distension was, however, less frequently optimal in MRFT than in MRE (P=0.0036), particularly in patients over the age of 50 years (P=0.0099). Image quality was good in all examinations.All patients could be successfully imaged in the supine position. MRE and MRFT are equivalent for distal SB distension and artefact effects. Proximal SB distension is frequently less optimal in MRFT than in MRE. MRE is, therefore, the preferred MR examination method of the SB.

AIM: To determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to categorize small bowel Crohn’s disease (SB CD) into groups that correlate with response to medical therapy and surgical pathology. METHODS: Data was collected from all patients with MRI evidence of SB CD without significant colonic disease over a 32-mo period. Two radiologists, blinded to clinical findings, evaluated each MRI and grouped them based on bowel wall thickness and wall enhancement. These categories were: (1) “fibrosis”, (2) “mild segmental hyper-enhancement and mild wall thickening”, (3) “mild segmental hyper-enhancement and marked wall thickening”, (4) “marked segmental transmural hyper-enhancement”. Patient response to additional medical therapy post-MRI was prospectively determined at 8-wk. Non-responders underwent endoscopy and were offered therapeutic endoscopy or surgery. Surgical pathology was assessed against the MRI category. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients were included. Females and category “2” patients were more likely, and patients with luminal narrowing and hold-up less likely, to respond to medical therapy (P < 0.05). Seventeen patients underwent surgery. The surgical pathological findings of fibrosis and the severity of inflammation correlated with the MRI category in all cases. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that SB CD can be grouped by the MRI findings and that these groups are associated with patients more likely to respond to continued medical therapy. The MRI categories also correlated with the presence and level of intestinal inflammation and fibrosis on surgical pathology, and may be of prognostic use in the management of CD patients.