John J. Cronan

Managing incidental thyroid nodules detected on imaging: white paper of the ACR Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee.

The incidental thyroid nodule (ITN) is one of the most common incidental findings on imaging studies that include the neck. An ITN is defined as a nodule not previously detected or suspected clinically, but identified by an imaging study. The workup of ITNs has led to increased costs from additional procedures, and in some cases, to increased risk to the patient because physicians are naturally concerned about the risk of malignancy and a delayed cancer diagnosis. However, the majority of ITNs are benign, and small, incidental thyroid malignancies typically have indolent behavior. The ACR formed the Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee to derive a practical approach to managing ITNs on CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound studies. This white paper describes consensus recommendations representing this committees review of the literature and their practice experience.

Incidence of deep vein thrombosis after arthroscopic knee surgery: A prospective study

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with subsequent pulmonary emboli (PE) is the most life-threatening complication of knee arthroscopy. Although the incidence of clinically diagnosed DVT after arthroscopy is low, clinical examination is less sensitive and specific than other diagnostic modalities for the detection of venous clot. This study used compression ultrasound to prospectively evaluate patients before and after arthroscopic surgery for the presence of DVT. Preoperatively, patients were screened for DVT risk factors. Eighty-five patients completed the study. Three asymptomatic silent DVTs were identified, for an incidence of 3.5%. There was no statistically significant difference between those with and without risk factors for the development of DVT.

ACR Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS): White Paper of the ACR TI-RADS Committee

Thyroid nodules are a frequent finding on neck sonography. Most nodules are benign; therefore, many nodules are biopsied to identify the small number that are malignant or require surgery for a definitive diagnosis. Since 2009, many professional societies and investigators have proposed ultrasound-based risk stratification systems to identify nodules that warrant biopsy or sonographic follow-up. Because some of these systems were founded on the BI-RADS® classification that is widely used in breast imaging, their authors chose to apply the acronym TI-RADS, for Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System. In 2012, the ACR convened committees to (1) provide recommendations for reporting incidental thyroid nodules, (2) develop a set of standard terms (lexicon) for ultrasound reporting, and (3) propose a TI-RADS on the basis of the lexicon. The committees published the results of the first two efforts in 2015. In this article, the authors present the ACR TI-RADS Committees recommendations, which provide guidance regarding management of thyroid nodules on the basis of their ultrasound appearance. The authors also describe the committees future directions.

Thyroid Ultrasound Reporting Lexicon: White Paper of the ACR Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) Committee.

Ultrasound is the most commonly used imaging technique for the evaluation of thyroid nodules. Sonographic findings are often not specific, and definitive diagnosis is usually made through fine-needle aspiration biopsy or even surgery. In reviewing the literature, terms used to describe nodules are often poorly defined and inconsistently applied. Several authors have recently described a standardized risk stratification system called the Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TIRADS), modeled on the BI-RADS system for breast imaging. However, most of these TIRADS classifications have come from individual institutions, and none has been widely adopted in the United States. Under the auspices of the ACR, a committee was organized to develop TIRADS. The eventual goal is to provide practitioners with evidence-based recommendations for the management of thyroid nodules on the basis of a set of well-defined sonographic features or terms that can be applied to every lesion. Terms were chosen on the basis of demonstration of consistency with regard to performance in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer or, conversely, classifying a nodule as benign and avoiding follow-up. The initial portion of this project was aimed at standardizing the diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules with regard to terminology through the development of a lexicon. This white paper describes the consensus process and the resultant lexicon.

Echogenic foci in thyroid nodules: significance of posterior acoustic artifacts.

OBJECTIVEnThis study was undertaken to define and evaluate echogenic foci and their posterior acoustic artifacts in thyroid nodules. Whether these findings were indicative of benignity or malignancy was assessed.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnEchogenic foci were classified into five types: no posterior artifact, large comet-tail artifact, small comet-tail artifact (≤1.0 mm), and posterior shadowing (subdivided into internal versus peripheral). Nodules were also classified into four parenchymal patterns: hypoechoic, hyperechoic, >50% solid, and cystic. Results were compared with the cytologic or surgical findings.nnnRESULTSnA total of 704 nodules had echogenic foci; 246 did not. The prevalence of malignancy ranged between 15.4% and 19.5% for all types of foci except large comet-tail artifacts (3.9%). Foci without posterior artifacts had a 21.9% rate of cancer in hypoechoic lesions and 15.8% in hyperechoic lesions. Foci with small comet-tail artifacts had a 27.6% rate of malignancy in hypoechoic nodules. For internal calcifications, no malignant nodules were found in either partially cystic group. Nodules with peripheral calcifications had prevalence rates of 20.0% in cystic nodules and 11.1% in predominately solid nodules. Identification of one additional type of high-risk focus increased the chance of malignancy 1.48 times.nnnCONCLUSIONnAll categories of echogenic foci except those with large comet-tail artifacts are associated with high cancer risk. Identification of large comet-tail artifacts suggests benignity. Nodules with small comet-tail artifacts have a high incidence of malignancy in hypoechoic nodules. With the exception of nodules that have peripheral calcifications, the risk of malignancy is low when echogenic foci are present in partially cystic lesions.

CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy: Comparison of conventional CT fluoroscopy to CT fluoroscopy with electromagnetic navigation system in 60 consecutive patients

PURPOSEnTo determine if use of an electromagnetic navigation system (EMN) decreases radiation dose and procedure time of CT fluoroscopy guided lung biopsy in lesions smaller than 2.5 cm.nnnMATERIALS/METHODSn86 consecutive patients with small lung masses (<2.5 cm) were approached. 60 consented and were randomized to undergo biopsy with CT fluoroscopy (CTF) (34 patients) or EMN (26 patients). Technical failure required conversion to CTF in 8/26 EMN patients; 18 patients completed biopsy with EMN. Numerous biopsy parameters were compared as described below.nnnRESULTSnAverage fluoroscopy time using CTF was 28.2s compared to 35.0 s for EMN (p=0.1). Average radiation dose was 117 mGy using CTF and 123 mGy for EMN (p=0.7). Average number of needle repositions was 3.7 for CTF and 4.4 for EMN (p=0.4). Average procedure time was 15 min for CTF and 20 min for EMN (p=0.01). There were 7 pneumothoracesin the CTF group and 6 pneumothoraces in the EMN group (p=0.7). One pneumothorax in the CTF group and 3 pneumothoraces in the EMN group required chest tube placement (p=0.1). One pneumothorax patient in each group required hospital admission. Diagnostic specimens were obtained in 31/34 patients in the CTF group and 22/26 patients in the EMN group (p=0.4).nnnCONCLUSIONSnEMN was not statistically different than CTF for fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, number of needle repositions, incidence of pneumothorax, need for chest tube, or diagnostic yield. Procedure time was increased with EMN.

Low Dose Thrombolysis: A Nonoperative Approach to Renal Artery Occlusion

Selective infusion of low dose streptokinase into the occluded renal arteries of 3 patients produced clot lysis. Clot lysis was achieved with a dose of 5,000 units per hour (1/100 systemic dose) when delivered via catheter to the clot site for 24 to 36 hours. No untoward consequences related to bleeding were encountered. In selected patients this technique permits re-establishment of renal arterial patency without surgery.

Advances in ultrasound imaging of venous thrombosis.

In the contemporary clinical setting, a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis can be established using ultrasound. While different ultrasound modalities, including direct B-mode venous imaging, Doppler, and vein compression, have been employed to diagnose clot, it is the compression technique that has been established as the dominant method. In venographically controlled series, compression ultrasound has demonstrated a 93% sensitivity and 99% specificity for clot detection. These remarkable results have been achieved without the evaluation of calf veins. Recent improvements in instrumentation have permitted the direct visualization of calf veins, and it would seem likely that this will result in even better sensitivity for clot detection.

Retirement: It's Not About the Finances!

Retirement. The word has traditionally represented a milestone for working individuals: after a lengthy phase of labor, one was rewarded with a new segment of life free from the responsibilities of ones vocation. As society has progressed, however, the concept of retirement has also changed, evolving to encompass much more than freedom from work. The elements of retirement that have been generally considered most important, financial security and leisure, have maintained their significance but are now accompanied by issues that reflect the population of today. Factors such as continued self-fulfillment, a sense of worth, social interactions, and intellectual stimulation have become equally as important. Life expectancies have increased, and the period of retirement has lengthened, presenting many retirees with unexpected challenges. Financial security and leisure have most likely been achieved, but what else is there? What can be found missing from the equation are components that have, for many years, shaped these individuals existences. For physicians, an absence of the very valuable social, intellectual, and structural constants may be experienced. Lacking a definitive plan to address this possible void can lead one to feelings of insignificance and an uncertainty about what rewards retirement will afford one. Advanced planning can lessen the shock of the transition from the working phase to the retirement phase of ones life. Whether this is accomplished by choosing to continue ones career (albeit on a lesser scale), establishing a strong alternative social system, or developing self-satisfying and meaningful interests, a well thought-out plan can ensure that retirement serves its intended purpose of providing a rewarding chapter in the book of life.

Dots are not clots: the over-diagnosis and over-treatment of PE

The purpose of this work is to question the conventional theory that all pulmonary emboli (PE) are abnormal, and to test the hypothesis that small peripheral PE are a function of life. Most radiologists report any filling defect, independent of size, as clinically significant PE when detected in the pulmonary arteries. We sought to reinforce the theory that small dots in the pulmonary arteries are not clinically significant clots in the conventional setting. The necessity for anticoagulation should be balanced against the risk of bleeding. This retrospective HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board; informed consent was not required. All patients diagnosed with PE by 16-slice or 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (CT) over a 6-month period who also had a lower extremity venous ultrasound (US) performed within 7xa0days of CT were identified. The study group included 26 women and 24 men (mean, 56xa0years; range, 21–90xa0years). The locations of the PE were plotted on a pulmonary arterial diagram, and width of the most proximal clot for each patient was measured. Of 1,273 consecutive CT studies, 101 were positive (7.9%) and 50 patients underwent lower extremity US. Thirty-three (66%) patients had PE in the central pulmonary arteries, of which 19 (58%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Seventeen (34%) patients had peripheral PE; DVT was detected in 0 (0%) patients. The peripheral clots measured 1.0–3.8xa0mm (mean, 2.5xa0mm). These clots appeared focal and rounded with a “dot-like” appearance. Peripheral, focal filling defects in the pulmonary arteries, which we termed “dots,” are not traditional embolic clots, are not associated with detectable lower-extremity clot load, and may represent “normal” embolic activity originating from the lower extremity venous valves. We suggest that more in-depth understanding about small peripheral PE is needed. The necessity of conventional anticoagulation should be critically reviewed in patients with subsegmental PE and minimal clot burden.