TY  - JOUR
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the associations between cardiovascular risk factors (CRF) and disc degeneration (DD). PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential association between CRFs and intervertebral DD in a population-based sample. METHODS: A total of 400 participants from the community-based KORA-study were assessed in terms of CRFs, specifically obesity, hypertension, diabetes, elevated LDL-c, low HDL-c, elevated triglycerides, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. The patients additionally underwent whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using T2-weighted single-shot fast-spin-echo and T1 dual-echo gradient-echo Dixon pulse sequences. Thoracic and lumbar DD were assessed using the Pfirrmann score and for the presence of disc bulging/protrusion. Cross-sectional associations between CRFs and MR-based Pfirrmann score were then analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 385 individuals (58.2% men; mean age 56.3 ± 9.2 years) were included. Prevalence of DD was 76.4%. Older age (β = 0.18; 95% CI 0.12-0.25; P < 0.001) and higher body mass index (BMI) (β = 0.19; 95% CI 0.06-0.30; P = 0.003) were significantly associated with DD of the thoracolumbar spine. Diabetes was significantly associated with DD at T7/8 (P = 0.029) and L3/4 (P = 0.017). Hypertension correlated significantly with DD in univariate analysis, but the association did not persist using multivariate analysis (β = 0.53; 95% CI -0.74 to 1.81; P = 0.41). None of the other CRFs (P ≥ 0.11) were associated with advanced DD. Disc bulging was independently associated with hypertension (β = 0.47; 95% CI 0.27-0.81; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: A significant independent association exists between age, BMI, and intervertebral DD. In contrast, there is no significant association between cardiovascular risk factors and DD. Providing strong evidence that the pathologic process undergirding DD is mechanical, rather than microvascular, in nature.
AU  - Maurer, E.*
AU  - Klinger, C.*
AU  - Lorbeer, R.*
AU  - Hefferman, G.*
AU  - Schlett, C.L.*
AU  - Peters, A.
AU  - Nikolaou, K.*
AU  - Bamberg, F.*
AU  - Notohamiprodjo, M.*
AU  - Walter, S.S.*
C1  - 61891
C2  - 50511
CY  - 1 Olivers Yard, 55 City Road, London Ec1y 1sp, England
SP  - 750-759
TI  - Association between cardiovascular risk factors and degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine in the general population: Results from the KORA MRI Study.
JO  - Acta Radiol.
VL  - 63
IS  - 6
PB  - Sage Publications Ltd
PY  - 2022
SN  - 0284-1851
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Background: The radiation dose to staff performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is not negligible. Purpose: To evaluate the shielding effect of a table-suspended lower-body radiation shield for the positions in the room occupied by the operator, assisting nurse, and anesthesiologist, used during ERCP procedures with a mobile C-arm. Material and Methods: Eye lens dose, whole body dose, and extremity dose were measured with and without a table-suspended lower-body radiation shield in a phantom model and in clinical routine work. The effect of the shield was evaluated for each scenario and compared, and a projection was made for when shielding should be required from a regulatory point of view. Results: In the phantom measurements, the shield provided significant shielding effects on the body and lower extremities for the operator but no significant shielding of the eye lens. The shielding effect for the assisting nurse was limited to the lower extremity. The clinical measurements yielded the same general result as the phantom measurements, with the major difference that the shield provided no significant reduction in the whole-body dose to the operator. Conclusion: The table-suspended shield has a significant shielding effect for the lower extremities of the operator and assisting nurse. For annual dose–area product values >300,000 cGycm2, the protection of the operator should be reinforced with a ceiling-suspended shield to avoid doses to the eye lens and body in excess of regulatory dose restrictions.
AU  - Österlund, A.*
AU  - Drohn, W.*
AU  - Hödlmoser, H.
AU  - Greiter, M.
AU  - Schmid, M.*
AU  - Källman, H.E.*
C1  - 60866
C2  - 49604
CY  - 1 Olivers Yard, 55 City Road, London Ec1y 1sp, England
TI  - Staff dose evaluation by application of radiation protection during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures performed with a mobile C-arm.
JO  - Acta Radiol.
PB  - Sage Publications Ltd
PY  - 2020
SN  - 0284-1851
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Background There is an opportunity to improve the image quality and lesion detectability in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) by choosing an appropriate reconstruction method and optimal parameters for the reconstruction. Purpose To optimize the use of the Flash 3D reconstruction algorithm in terms of equivalent iteration (EI) number (number of subsets times the number of iterations) and to compare with two recently developed reconstruction algorithms ReSPECT and orthogonal polynomial expansion on disc (OPED) for application on (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG)-SPECT. Material and Methods Eleven adult patients underwent SPECT 4 h and 14 patients 24 h after injection of approximately 200 MBq (123)I-MIBG using a Siemens Symbia T6 SPECT/CT. Images were reconstructed from raw data using the Flash 3D algorithm at eight different EI numbers. The images were ranked by three experienced nuclear medicine physicians according to their overall impression of the image quality. The obtained optimal images were then compared in one further visual comparison with images reconstructed using the ReSPECT and OPED algorithms. Results The optimal EI number for Flash 3D was determined to be 32 for acquisition 4 h and 24 h after injection. The average rank order (best first) for the different reconstructions for acquisition after 4 h was: Flash 3D(32) > ReSPECT > Flash 3D(64) > OPED, and after 24 h: Flash 3D(16) > ReSPECT > Flash 3D(32) > OPED. A fair level of inter-observer agreement concerning optimal EI number and reconstruction algorithm was obtained, which may be explained by the different individual preferences of what is appropriate image quality. Conclusion Using Siemens Symbia T6 SPECT/CT and specified acquisition parameters, Flash 3D(32) (4 h) and Flash 3D(16) (24 h), followed by ReSPECT, were assessed to be the preferable reconstruction algorithms in visual assessment of (123)I-MIBG images.
AU  - Söderberg, M.*
AU  - Mattsson, S.*
AU  - Oddstig, J.*
AU  - Uusijärvi-Lizana, H.*
AU  - Valind, S.*
AU  - Thorsson, O.*
AU  - Garpered, S.*
AU  - Prautzsch, T.*
AU  - Tischenko, O.
AU  - Leide-Svegborn, S.*
C1  - 10586
C2  - 30298
SP  - 778-784
TI  - Evaluation of image reconstruction methods for 123I-MIBG-SPECT: A rank-order study.
JO  - Acta Radiol.
VL  - 53
IS  - 7
PB  - Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd.
PY  - 2012
SN  - 0284-1851
ER  -