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Clinicians’ Perceptions of Breast Ultrasound Reporting for Women Using the BI-RADS Lexicon at a Tertiary Hospital in Uganda: An Exploratory Qualitative Study
Aloysius Gonzaga Mubuuke,
Francis Businge,
Eric Murachi
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 2, June 2023
Pages:
25-29
Received:
15 April 2023
Accepted:
2 May 2023
Published:
10 May 2023
Abstract: In the era of breast cancer which still remains a high cause of mortality among women in many parts of the world, the BI-RADS breast ultrasound reporting system has been recommended to standardize communication of breast findings and improve on the management of women with suspected breast cancer. This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of clinicians on the use of the BI-RADS system to report breast ultrasound findings. It was an exploratory qualitative study conducted at Mulago National Referral hospital, a tertiary hospital treating women with breast cancer in Uganda. Individual interviews were conducted with the clinicians (doctors) working in the breast clinic of the hospital. The responses were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was employed to develop the themes from the responses. Overall, the clinicians interviewed expressed a positive perception towards use of the BI-RADS system when reporting breast ultrasound findings. They reported that BI-RADS has positively influenced the management of women with breast masses who are identified quickly. Three key themes emerged from the responses namely: 1) Ease of interpretation of reports; 2) Positive impact on patient management and 3) Limited knowledge of BI-RADS. The study has demonstrated that the BI-RADS system eases the work of clinicians when making management decisions for women with suspected breast masses. Continued training on use of BI-RADS involving clinicians and radiologists is thus recommended.
Abstract: In the era of breast cancer which still remains a high cause of mortality among women in many parts of the world, the BI-RADS breast ultrasound reporting system has been recommended to standardize communication of breast findings and improve on the management of women with suspected breast cancer. This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of cl...
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Value of 18F-FDG PET-CT and MR Fusion in Preoperative Diagnosis and Staging of Pancreatic Cancer
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 2, June 2023
Pages:
30-33
Received:
17 April 2023
Accepted:
8 May 2023
Published:
18 May 2023
Abstract: Background: With the improvement of medical level, the incidence of some tumors decreased significantly; However, in the actual clinical work, it was found that the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer is increasing, and most of the findings are in the late stage, so the following studies have solved its current situation, so as to early detection, early treatment, improve the survival rate of patients; Secondly, better clinical staging, so as to reasonably select treatment methods. Objective: To use 18 fluoro-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission computed tomography (PET-CT) molecular metabolism imaging and MRI multi-parameter structure imaging, and then use different machine fusion technology to realize the comprehensive application of pancreatic cancer diagnosis and staging. Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted on 100 patients with pancreatic space occupying diagnosed in our center. All patients received enhanced MR Examination and 18F-FDG PET-CT examination before surgery, and underwent different machine image fusion. Results: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PET-CT and MRI in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were higher than those of PET-CT alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The PET-CT and MRI fusion technology can be used in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, which can be accurately staged and provide help for early clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Abstract: Background: With the improvement of medical level, the incidence of some tumors decreased significantly; However, in the actual clinical work, it was found that the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer is increasing, and most of the findings are in the late stage, so the following studies have solved its current situation, so as to early de...
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The Influence of Post-Acquisition Image Processing on a Radiomic Signature Constructed from Planar Images
Tamarisk Du Plessis,
Gopika Ramkilawon,
Christophe Van de Wiele,
Mike M. Sathekge
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 2, June 2023
Pages:
34-41
Received:
17 April 2023
Accepted:
9 May 2023
Published:
18 May 2023
Abstract: For radiomics to be accepted as a definite tool in medicine, the outputs must be robust, repeatable and reliable. Image processing alters the quality of the input data which might have an impact on the values of the extracted features and ultimately the signatures developed. This study evaluated the magnitude of the influence of various interpolation and post-acquisition processing methods on the radiomic feature values extracted from planar images and radiomic signatures. Three different interpolation methods were applied to a chest x-ray dataset before 2-dimesional (2D) radiomic features were extracted using Pyradiomics. The influence of image size, cropping and re-segmentation were also evaluated by changing the respective variable before applying bilinear interpolation and extracting 2D features. ANOVA and post-hoc Bonferroni corrections were used to assess the differences in the radiomic feature values. Of the 93 first order- and texture- features extracted, 42 texture features (56.8%) proved to be significantly influenced (p ≤ 0.05) by the interpolation method. Only 2 first order features (10.5%) were significantly influenced (p ≤ 0.05) by the image size and 62 texture features (83.8%) by the other pre-processing methods evaluated. Pearson’s Correlation Analysis was then applied to develop a separate radiomics signature from each of the six image processing datasets under consideration. Five identical signatures were developed, with only the uncropped dataset that resulted in a unique signature. This study showed that the interpolation algorithms and other processing applied to planar images do have a noticeable influence on most radiomic feature values extracted. But regardless of the differences seen in the feature values, the radiomic signatures were reproducible for most datasets using different image processing methods.
Abstract: For radiomics to be accepted as a definite tool in medicine, the outputs must be robust, repeatable and reliable. Image processing alters the quality of the input data which might have an impact on the values of the extracted features and ultimately the signatures developed. This study evaluated the magnitude of the influence of various interpolati...
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Evaluation of Trackability Test Method for Intracranial Aneurysm Flow Diverter System Using Simulated Neurovascular Model
Minocha Pramod Kumar,
Kothwala Deveshkumar Mahendralal,
Shaikh Amirhamzah Mahmadiqbal,
Patel Chirag Jitubhai
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 2, June 2023
Pages:
42-45
Received:
30 March 2023
Accepted:
4 May 2023
Published:
9 June 2023
Abstract: A simulation model is a testing model, that mimics the operation of an existing or proposed system, providing evidence for decision-making by being able to test different scenarios or process changes. Trackability refers to the measurement of the force required to advance the device through a tortuous anatomy with or without the assistance of a guiding accessory such as a guide wire and guide catheter. Simulation is becoming increasingly important in medical device development, because its main objective is to lower the development cost by improving device’s performance and dependability, eliminating bench top tests clinical trials, and accelerating the regulatory approval process. It could be challenging to compare the performance of several devices because each manufacturer might employ a different “Simulated Neurovascular Model”. To reduce the risk of device failure and patient's injury during clinical use, it is important to adequately examine these devices. As a result, “Simulated Neurovascular Model”" is used in the present work, to understand the performance of testing for 'Intravascular devices' meant to access the 'Neurovasculature'. This test process intends to examine or determine the trackability of “Intracranial Aneurysm Flow Diverter System” by using” “Simulated Neurovascular Model”. A flow diversion operation is used to treat a number of unruptured brain aneurysms. Sterilized “Intracranial Aneurysm Flow Diverter Stent” samples are used in the present research work.
Abstract: A simulation model is a testing model, that mimics the operation of an existing or proposed system, providing evidence for decision-making by being able to test different scenarios or process changes. Trackability refers to the measurement of the force required to advance the device through a tortuous anatomy with or without the assistance of a gui...
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