Radiology Research and Practice
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Acceptance rate14%
Submission to final decision107 days
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Impact Factor2.7

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 Journal profile

Radiology Research and Practice publishes articles on all areas of medical imaging. The journal promotes evidence-based radiology practice though the publication of original research and reviews for a multidisciplinary audience.

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Radiology Research and Practice maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.

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Research Article

Ultrasound Assessment of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: Comparison between Diabetes and Nondiabetes Subjects, and Correlation with Serum Vitamin D

Background and Objective. Diabetes contributes to considerable morbidity and mortality through vascular complications. Sonographic evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is accepted as a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to find out the difference in the CIMT between diabetes and nondiabetes and determine its correlation with serum vitamin D and some other modifiable and nonmodifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Methods. This multicenter cross-sectional study was performed on two groups of adults (nondiabetes and type 2 diabetes) of various ages, sexes, and body mass index (BMI). CIMT for each side was measured at three segments using high-resolution ultrasound, and the mean of both sides was determined. Comparison was made between each group, and the association of CIMT with each of age, sex, BMI, serum vitamin D status, smoking, and physical activity status was studied. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical data, and binary logistic regression was utilized to ascertain the relationship between CIMT and the study variables. Results. A significant difference was observed between the CIMT of the diabetes and nondiabetes group, average CIMT was 0.82 ± 0.23 mm vs. 1.12 ± 0.24 mm for the nondiabetes and diabetes group, respectively, with value <0.005. No significant correlation was observed between serum vitamin D level and CIMT neither in the study group as a whole nor in either subgroup; however, a significant association was observed between CIMT with each of age, sex, BMI, smoking, and physical activity status. Conclusion. Ultrasound is a sensitive tool for CIMT evaluation. Diabetes has a 5.4-fold higher risk of having high CIMT. Serum vitamin D level showed no significant influence on CIMT. Smoking, BMI, and physical activity are among the modifiable risk factors with significant influence on CIMT.

Research Article

Orthopantomography Detection of Atheroma Plaques and Its Relationship with Periodontal Disease and Missing Teeth

Background. The aim of this study is to determine the atheromatous plaques’ prevalence in orthopantomography and their relationship with periodontal disease and missing teeth. Material and Methods. Orthopantomographs of 1,254 patients over 18 years of age from Clínica Arlanza in Lerma, Burgos, were examined between 2017 and 2021. A Planmeca ProOne® orthopantomograph (68 kV, 7 mA, and 10 sg) was used. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistics® version 25. The results of the categorical variables were described as frequencies (%). Contingency tables were made with the qualitative variables, and the chi-square test was applied to study the relationship among them. The measure of statistical power used was the relative risk (RR), which was described with its respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Student’s t-test was applied to study the relationship between the qualitative variable “presence or absence of atheroma plaque” and the quantitative variable “number of teeth.” Results. A 6.2% prevalence of atheroma plaques was obtained from 1,079 selected X-rays. The risk in patients with periodontal disease increased as periodontal disease worsened. The risk in patients with periodontal disease increased as periodontal disease worsened as follows: healthy patients vs. periodontal patients with less than 30% bone loss in radiography: RR 0.434, 95% CI 0.181–1.041, healthy patients vs. patients with between 30%–60% bone loss: RR 0.177, 95% CI 0.075–0.418, healthy patients vs. patients with more than 60% bone loss: RR 0.121, 95% CI 0.041–0.355, . Patients with calcifications on their orthopantomograms had a lower mean teeth number (20.9 teeth) compared to patients without calcifications (24 teeth), which was statistically significant, t (1077) = −3.125, . Conclusions. Orthopantomography can be considered a screening method to detect patients at increased cardiovascular risk who are referred for individualized study. It is important to continue research to know the real significance of these findings. Dentists should be aware of the importance of our work in our patients’ systemic health.

Research Article

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Availability on Utilization of Breast Imaging in a Multistate Radiology Practice

Purpose of Study. Our study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on breast imaging volumes and the recovery of these volumes following availability of COVID-19 vaccination. Method. Data were obtained from medical health records across 77 Radiology Partners practices in the US. The data provided us with the total monthly mammography, breast ultrasound, and breast MRI procedures from January 2019 to September 2022. An interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccination. We chose March 2020 and December 2020 as critical time points in the pandemic and analyzed trends before and after these dates. Results. The starting level (at baseline in January 2019) of the total breast imaging procedure volume was estimated at 114,901.5, and this volume appeared to significantly increase every month prior to March 2020 by 4,864.0 (, CI = [3,077.1, 6,650.9]). In March 2020, there appeared to be a significant decrease in volume by 104,446.3 (, CI = [−172,063.1, −36,829.5]), followed by a significant increase in the monthly trend of service volume (relative to the pre-COVID trend) of 20,660.7 per month (, CI = [8,828.5, 32,493.0]). In December 2020, there appeared to be a significant decrease in service volume by 69,791.2 (, CI = [−123,602.6, −15,979.7]). Compared to the period from March to November 2020, there was a decrease in the monthly trend of service volumes per month by 24,213.9 (, CI = [−36,027.6, −12,400.2]). After March 2020, the total service volume increased at the rate of 25,524.7 per month (, CI = [13,828.2, 37,221.2]). In contrast, the service volumes after December 2020 appeared to grow steadily and slowly at a rate of 1,310.8 per month (, CI = [−348.8, 2970.3]). Conclusion. Our study revealed that there has been a recovery and a further increase in breast imaging service volumes compared to prepandemic levels. The increase can be best explained by vaccination rollout, reopening of elective/nonemergency healthcare services, insurance coverage expansion, the decline in the US uninsured rate due to government interventions and policies, and the recovery of jobs with employer-provided medical insurance post-pandemic.

Review Article

The Application of Advanced Bone Imaging Technologies in Sports Medicine

Until recently, the evaluation of bone health and fracture risk through imaging has been limited to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and plain radiographs, with a limited application in the athletic population. Several novel imaging technologies are now available for the clinical assessment of bone health, including bone injury risk and healing progression, with a potential for use in sports medicine. Among these imaging modalities is high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) which is a promising technology that has been developed to examine the bone microarchitecture in both cortical and trabecular bone at peripheral anatomical sites. Technologies that do not expose patients to ionizing radiation are optimal, particularly for athletes who may require frequent imaging. One such alternative is diagnostic ultrasound, which is preferable due to its low cost and lack of radiation exposure. Furthermore, ultrasound, which has not been a common imaging modality for monitoring fracture healing, has been shown to potentially demonstrate earlier signs of union compared to conventional radiographs, including callus mineralization and density at the healing site. Through the use of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), finite element analysis (FEA) can be used to simulate the structural and mechanical properties of bone. On the other hand, the ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI can evaluate cortical bone quality by detecting water bound to the organic bone matrix and free water, providing important information about bone porosity. Several novel bone imaging techniques originally developed for osteoporosis assessment have great potential to be utilized to improve the standard of care in bone fracture risk assessment and healing in sports medicine with much greater precision and less adverse radiation exposure.

Research Article

Comparison of Chest Computed Tomography (CT) Imaging Patterns and Severity among COVID-19 Patients during the First and Fourth Waves in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background. Studies done globally had shown that chest imaging patterns of Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection varied depending on the strains of the virus and the waves of the pandemic. There is no published literature done in Ethiopia to examine whether there is any difference in chest computed tomography (CT) findings of COVID-19 patients during the first and fourth waves. Thus, this study tries to fill the gap of knowledge in that regard. Objective. To describe and compare chest CT scan imaging pattern and assess the predictors of chest CT severity of the first and fourth wave of COVID-19 infection. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 polymerase chain reaction test confirmed COVID-19 patients who underwent chest CT scan imaging in two diagnostic centers in Addis Ababa city. Pioneer and Wudassie diagnostic centers were selected due to the high case load and availability of well-experienced cardiothoracic radiologists. Data were collected from July 1 to August 3, 2022, using a structured Google form sheet questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was performed, and statistical significance was assessed at a level of significance α = 0.05. Results. Comparatively higher proportion of patients from the first wave had positive chest CT finding than fourth wave (99% vs. 69%). Bilateral lung involvement and lower lobe predilection were seen for both waves of COVID-19. Ground glass opacity and consolidation were the most common CT features for both waves. Delayed chest CT features such as traction bronchiectasis were primarily seen among first-wave patients. Mean global CT severity score was higher for the first-wave patients (13.18 vs. 8.31), and the mean difference is statistically significant ( < 0.001). Duration of symptoms was a statistically significant predictor of CT severity during the first wave of COVID-19, and patients that presented later than 14 days had 4.12 times higher odds of being in the severe CT score category than those that presented less than 7 days (AOR = 4.12,  = 0.011). There was no statistically significant predictor of CT severity for the fourth wave in this study. Conclusion. Chest CT positivity was comparatively higher for first wave patients. Common features included bilateral involvement, lower lobe involvement, ground glass opacity, and consolidation. Mean chest CT severity was comparatively higher for the first wave than the fourth wave, and the duration of symptoms was a statistically significant predictor of the CT severity for first wave.

Research Article

Identification of Differences in Body Composition Measures Using 3D-Derived Artificial Intelligence from Multiple CT Scans across the L3 Vertebra Compared to a Single Mid-Point L3 CT Scan

Purpose. Body composition analysis in colorectal cancer (CRC) typically utilises a single 2D-abdominal axial CT slice taken at the mid-L3 level. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) allows for analysis of the entire L3 vertebra (non-mid-L3 and mid-L3). The goal of this study was to determine if the use of an AI approach offered any additional information on capturing body composition measures. Methods. A total of 2203 axial CT slices of the entire L3 level (4–46 slices were available per patient) were retrospectively collected from 203 CRC patients treated at Western Health, Melbourne (97 males; 47.8%). A pretrained artificial intelligence (AI) model was used to segment muscle, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) on these slices. The difference in body composition measures between mid-L3 and non-mid-L3 scans was compared for each patient, and for males and females separately. Results. Body composition measures derived from non-mid-L3 scans exhibited a median range of 0.85% to 6.28% (average percent difference) when compared to the use of a single mid-L3 scan. Significant variation in the VAT surface area ( = 0.02) was observed in females compared to males, whereas male patients exhibited a greater variation in SAT surface area ( < 0.001) and radiodensity ( = 0.007). Conclusion. Significant differences in various body composition measures were observed when comparing non-mid-L3 slices to only the mid-L3 slice. Researchers should be aware that considering only the use of a single midpoint L3 CT scan slice will impact the estimate of body composition measurements.

Radiology Research and Practice
 Journal metrics
See full report
Acceptance rate14%
Submission to final decision107 days
Acceptance to publication10 days
CiteScore-
Journal Citation Indicator0.680
Impact Factor2.7
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