Alexander, Lauren F

Abstract Background Abdominal arterial calcification is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality in kidney failure. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a common genetic cause of kidney failure, presents with a distinct vascular profile. However, the burden of abdominal arterial calcification in ADPKD remains inadequately characterized. Clarifying these differences may improve cardiovascular risk stratification and transplant timing. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 4088 adult patients listed for kidney transplant at three Mayo Clinic sites (2005–2024). Patients were categorized by kidney failure cause: ADPKD vs. non-ADPKD. Abdominal arterial calcification was quantified on non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans using a modified Agatston scoring method. Propensity score matching (1:1) adjusted for age, sex, race, lipid levels, left ventricular ejection fraction, dialysis exposure, coronary artery disease, neurovascular disease, and smoking history, was performed. Abdominal arterial calcification scores were compared between matched groups, and subgroup analyses evaluated abdominal arterial calcification severity across dialysis durations in ADPKD patients. Results After matching, 309 patients with ADPKD were compared with 309 non-ADPKD chronic kidney disease (CKD) controls. Abdominal arterial calcification scores were significantly lower in the ADPKD group (median: 425.3; IQR: 0.0–2033.5) than in the non-ADPKD group (median: 1256.8; IQR: 96.5–5033.8). Among ADPKD patients, abdominal arterial calcification scores increased with dialysis duration (P < .001). Conclusion ADPKD patients exhibit lower abdominal arterial calcification scores than their non-ADPKD counterparts after adjusting for clinical variables. Abdominal arterial calcification progression with dialysis highlights the importance of early transplant evaluation. This study introduces a novel adaptation of coronary calcium scoring software for quantifying abdominal calcification, offering a standardized approach to vascular risk assessment in kidney transplant candidates.

CEUS is a safe and cost-effective means for characterization of indeterminate renal masses, with performance equal to or better than that of contrast-enhanced CT or MRI for stratification and surveillance of cystic renal masses and discrimination of benign avascular cysts from solid renal masses.

The interpretation of gynecologic pelvic MRI benefits from tailored MRI protocols, radiologists' knowledge of normal female pelvic anatomy, and a step-by-step approach focusing on lesion origin, lesion tissue composition, and solid tissue morphology, with findings presented in a structured report.

Pancreas transplant is the standard treatment for restoring endocrine function and limiting complications from diabetes, and radiologists should understand the surgical techniques, normal imaging spectrum, and various complications associated with this surgical procedure.

This review examines the applications and challenges of large language models (LLMs), like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, in radiology research. ChatGPT can assist radiology researchers in generating new ideas, finding and summarizing research papers, designing studies, analyzing data, and facilitating manuscript writing. LLMs are powerful tools with numerous applications in radiology research. However, users should be mindful of potential pitfalls, such as producing incorrect or biased outputs and inconsistent responses, along with ethical and privacy concerns. We discuss approaches to optimize models and address these issues, including prompting techniques like chain-of-thought prompting, retrieval-augmented generation, and fine-tuning. For researchers, prompt engineering can be particularly effective. This review seeks to demonstrate how researchers can utilize ChatGPT for radiology research while offering strategies to mitigate associated risks. We aim to help researchers harness these potent tools to safely boost their productivity.

Background: According to Tonnessen BH (2011), 1 iatrogenic arteriovenous (AV) fistulas in adults most commonly occur due to endovascular access and procedures. Rarely, AV fistulas have been reported in low birth weight neonates following repeating venipuncture. This complication is extremely uncommon in adults, but has been reported after routine venipuncture for blood transfusion. Case presentation: We report the case of an elderly female patient who presented to the office for evaluation of left upper extremity swelling, ecchymosis, and dilated vessels after routine venipuncture at an outpatient laboratory. She was subsequently found to have an acquired AV fistula from her left cephalic vein to a small branch artery. Conclusion: This case demonstrates the rare but relevant risk in routine venipuncture and may underscore the benefit of using ultrasound guidance in high-risk populations, such as patients with coagulopathies, or thin, fragile veins, like the elderly or neonates.