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Background and Objectives: The course and clinical outcomes of acute pancreatitis (AP) are highly variable. Up to 20% of patients develop pancreatic necrosis. Extent and location of it might affect the clinical course and management. The aim was to determine the clinical relevance of the extent and location of pancreatic necrosis in patients with AP. Materials and Methods: A cohort of patients with necrotizing AP was collected from 2012 to 2018 at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Patients were allocated to subgroups according to the location (entire pancreas, left and right sides of pancreas) and extent (50%) of pancreatic necrosis. Patients were reviewed for demographic features, number of performed surgical interventions, local and systemic complications, hospital stay and mortality rate. All contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scans were evaluated by at least two experienced abdominal radiologists. All patients were treated according to the standard treatment protocol based on current international guidelines. Results: The study included 83 patients (75.9% males (n = 63)) with a mean age of 53 ± 1.7. The volume of pancreatic necrosis exceeded 50% in half of the patients (n = 42, 51%). Positive blood culture (n = 14 (87.5%)), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (n = 17 (73.9%)) and incidences of respiratory failure (n = 19 (73.1%)) were significantly more often diagnosed in patients with pancreatic necrosis exceeding 50% (p < 0.05). Patients with >50% of necrosis were significantly (p < 0.05) more often diagnosed with moderately severe (n = 24 (41.4%)) and severe (n = 18 (72%)) AP. The number of surgical interventions (n = 18 (72%)) and ultrasound-guided interventions (n = 26 (65%)) was also significantly higher. In patients with whole-pancreas necrosis, incidence of renal insufficiency (n = 11 (64.7%)) and infected pancreatic necrosis (n = 19 (57.6%)) was significantly higher (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The clinical course and outcome were worse in the case of pancreatic necrosis exceeding 50%, rendering the need for longer and more complex treatment.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the new International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading system, biochemical recurrence (BCR), clinical progression (CP) and cancer related death (CRD) after open radical prostatectomy (RP) and determine whether the 2014 ISUP grading system influences the concept of high-risk prostate cancer (HRPCa).Patients and Methods: A total of 1,754 men who underwent RP from 2005 to 2017 were identified from a database at a single tertiary institution. Histopathology reports were reassessed according to the 2014 ISUP grading system. All preoperative, pathological, and clinical follow-up data were obtained. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses were performed.Results: At a median (quartiles) follow-up of 83 (48–123) months, 446 men (25.4%) had BCR, 77 (4.4%) had CP and 39 (2.2%) died from cancer. Grade groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were detected in 404 (23%), 931 (53.1%), 200 (11.4%), 93 (5.3%), and 126 (7.2%), respectively. 10-year biochemical progression free survival difference between Grade group 3 and 4 was minor but significant (log-rank p = 0.045). There was no difference between Grade groups 3 and 4 comparing 10-year clinical progression free and 10-year cancer specific survival: p = 0.82 and p = 0.39, respectively. Group 5 had the worst survival rates in comparison with other groups (from p < 0.005 to p < 0.0001) in all survival analyses. Pathological stage (hazard ratio (HR) 2.6, p < 0.001), positive surgical margins (HR 2.2, p < 0.0001) and Grade group (HR 10.4, p < 0.0001) were independent predictors for BCR. Stage and Grade group were detected as independent predictors for CP–HR 6.0, p < 0.0001 and HR 35.6, p < 0.0001, respectively. Only Grade group 5 (HR 12.9, p = 0.001) and pT3b (HR 5.9, p = 0.001) independently predicted CRD.Conclusions: The new ISUP 2014 grading system is the most significant independent predictor for BCR, CP, and CRD. Grade group 3 and 4 had similar long-term disease progression survival rates and could potentially be stratified in the same risk group. High-risk cancer associated only with group 5.

Background: Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is a noninvasive imaging modality that can supply information regarding the tumor anatomy and physiology. The aim of the study was to analyze DCE-MRI perfusion parameters in normal pancreatic parenchymal tissue and PDAC and to evaluate the efficacy of this diagnostic modality in determining the tumor grade. Methods: A single-center retrospective study was performed. A total of 28 patients with histologically proven PDAC underwent DCE-MRI; the control group enrolled 14 patients with normal pancreatic parenchymal tissue; the radiological findings were compared with histopathological data. The study patients were further grouped according to the differentiation grade (G value): well- and moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated PDAC. Results: The median values of Ktrans, kep and iAUC were calculated lower in PDAC compared with the normal pancreatic parenchymal tissue (p < 0.05). The mean value of Ve was higher in PDAC, compared with the normal pancreatic tissue (p < 0.05). Ktrans, kep and iAUC were lower in poorly differentiated PDAC, whereas Ve showed no differences between groups. Conclusions: Ve and iAUC DCE-MRI perfusion parameters are important as independent diagnostic criteria predicting the probability of PDAC; the Ktrans and iAUC DCE-MRI perfusion parameters may serve as effective independent prognosticators preoperatively identifying poorly differentiated PDAC.

Increased detection of small renal masses (SRMs) has encouraged research for non-invasive diagnostic tools capable of adequately differentiating malignant vs. benign SRMs and the type of the tumour. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has been suggested as an alternative to intervention, therefore, it is important to determine both the capabilities and limitations of MDCT for SRM evaluation. In our study, two abdominal radiologists retrospectively blindly assessed MDCT scan images of 98 patients with incidentally detected lipid-poor SRMs that did not present as definitely aggressive lesions on CT. Radiological conclusions were compared to histopathological findings of materials obtained during surgery that were assumed as the gold standard. The probability (odds ratio (OR)) in regression analyses, sensitivity (SE), and specificity (SP) of predetermined SRM characteristics were calculated. Correct differentiation between malignant vs. benign SRMs was detected in 70.4% of cases, with more accurate identification of malignant (73%) in comparison to benign (65.7%) lesions. The radiological conclusions of SRM type matched histopathological findings in 56.1%. Central scarring (OR 10.6, p = 0.001), diameter of lesion (OR 2.4, p = 0.003), and homogeneous accumulation of contrast medium (OR 3.4, p = 0.03) significantly influenced the accuracy of malignant diagnosis. SE and SP of these parameters varied from 20.6% to 91.3% and 22.9% to 74.3%, respectively. In conclusion, MDCT is able to correctly differentiate malignant versus uncharacteristic benign SRMs in more than 2/3 of cases. However, frequency of the correct histopathological SRM type MDCT identification remains low.