Neuroimaging clinics of North America
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2020
ReviewDiffusion MR Imaging in the Head and Neck: Principles and Applications.
Diffusion imaging is a functional MR imaging tool that creates tissue contrast representative of the random, microscopic translational motion of water molecules within human body tissues. Long considered a cornerstone MR imaging sequence for brain imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) increasingly is used for head and neck imaging. This review reports the current state of diffusion techniques for head and neck imaging, including conventional DWI, DWI trace with apparent diffusion coefficient map, diffusion tensor imaging, intravoxel incoherent motion, and diffusion kurtosis imaging. This article describes background physics, reports supportive evidence and potential pitfalls, highlights technical advances, and details practical clinical applications.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2020
ReviewNeck Imaging Reporting and Data System: Principles and Implementation.
Head and neck cancer surveillance imaging is diagnostically challenging, often with highly distorted anatomy after surgery and chemoradiation therapy. In the era of standardized reporting, the Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System (NI-RADS) was developed as a numerical classification system to provide clear and concise radiology reports and recommend next management step. There are 5 categories, each conveying a certain level of suspicion for the presence of persistent or recurrent disease. This article reviews the goals of NI-RADS, NI-RADS categories and lexicon, current research, and the future direction of NI-RADS in posttreatment head and neck cancer surveillance.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2020
ReviewPatient-Centric Head and Neck Cancer Radiation Therapy: Role of Advanced Imaging.
The traditional 'one-size-fits-all' approach to H&N cancer therapy is archaic. Advanced imaging can identify radioresistant areas by using biomarkers that detect tumor hypoxia, hypercellularity etc. Highly conformal radiotherapy can target resistant areas with precision. ⋯ The tumor imaging world is pushing its boundaries. Molecular imaging can now detect protein expression and genotypic variations across tumors that can be exploited for tailoring treatment. The exploding field of radiomics and radiogenomics extracts quantitative, biologic and genetic information and further expands the scope of personalized therapy.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2020
ReviewTechnical Improvements in Head and Neck MR Imaging: At the Cutting Edge.
Head and neck MR imaging is technically challenging because of magnetic field inhomogeneity, respiratory and swallowing motion, and necessity of high-resolution imaging to trace key anatomic structures. These challenges have been answered by advances in MR imaging technology, including isovolumetric three-dimensional imaging, robust fat-water separation techniques, and novel deep learning-based reconstruction algorithms. ⋯ Improvements in acquisition and reconstruction technique facilitate novel applications of morphologic and functional imaging. This results in opportunities to improve diagnosis, staging, and treatment selection through application of advanced MR imaging techniques.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2020
ReviewCommon Data Elements in Head and Neck Radiology Reporting.
Radiologists must convert the complex information in head and neck imaging into text reports that can be understood and used by clinicians, patients, and fellow radiologists for patient care, research, and quality initiatives. Common data elements in reporting, through use of defined questions with constrained answers and terminology, allow radiologists to incorporate best practice standards and improve communication of information regardless of individual reporting style. Use of common data elements for head and neck reporting has the potential to improve outcomes, reduce errors, and transition data consumption not only for humans but future machine learning systems.