European journal of radiology
-
Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) can be considered in the treatment of severe asthma to reduce airway smooth muscle mass and bronchoconstriction. We hypothesized that BT may thus have long-term effects on airway dimensions and air-trapping detectable by quantitative computed tomography (QCT). ⋯ BT significantly reduced airway narrowing and air-trapping in patients with severe asthma. This can be interpreted as direct therapeutic effects caused by a reduction in airway-smooth muscle mass and changes in innervation. A reduction in air-trapping indicates an influence on more peripheral airways not directly treated by the BT procedure.
-
To retrospectively assess magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that can predict lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in invasive breast cancer patients who were diagnosed with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes (LNs) preoperatively. ⋯ We found that the tumor ADC value, peritumoral ADC value, and peritumor-tumor ADC ratio were predictive MRI findings for LVI in patients aged ≤55. The tumor ADC value was the most significant predictor for LVI; moreover, inter-observer agreement for the tumor ADC value was substantial between two blinded observers with differences in interpretation experience.