Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.26346

How many CT-guided lung biopsies should one perform before being considered competent? Knowing metrics for performance and how to measure performance may help set guidelines for training and clinical practice. Liwei Jiang, MD details a new study in which the authors seek to define the learning curve of CT-guided lung biopsies, looking at diagnostic accuracy and complication rates.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.26014 

Lara Gabrielle L Lim discusses a new AJR study that focuses on CT changes of the pancreas before the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This involves six focal pancreatic abnormalities that when detected will aid in early disease detection, early disease management, and improved patient outcomes.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25832 

Xiaochen D. Liu, MD discusses a proposed selective surgery of benign papillomas that was discussed in a recent AJR article.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.26132 

Jeffrey Guccione, MD discusses an article that examines the use of iohexol in a water-soluble contrast challenge for predicting non-operative management of small bowel obstruction. Technical success rates are also examined, and the real-world practicality discussed. Strengths and limitations are addressed as well, including the use of iohexol over gastrografin.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.19.22661 

In this podcast, Pei-Kang (Ken) Wei, MD and Cinthia Cruz-Romero, MD summarized the study by Stewart et al. and then provided a discussion regarding the limitation of this article as well as whether including MRI to the diagnostic algorithm for placental adhesion disorder may provide added benefit to clinical management. 

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25787 

In this podcast, Tyler Richards, MD discusses an observational retrospective study that looks at risk factors for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, which they found to be advanced clinical stage at diagnosis (stage III or IV) and EGFR mutation in patients with adenocarcinoma histology. They recommend that patients in these risk groups receive a surveillance brain MRI at 12 months.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25732 

David Ballard, MD discusses an AJR article in which the authors provide a practical practice consideration for optimizing prostate MR image quality. To reduce susceptibility from rectal gas, the authors had MR technologist place 18-French rectal tubes in patients undergoing prostate MR and compared them to patients without rectal tube placement.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25608 

Drew Gunio, MD discusses a new AJR study assessing the impact of a flexed elbow valgus external rotation (FEVER) view on ulnotrochlear (UT) joint space measurement and reader evaluation of the UCL when incorporated into standard elbow MRI in throwing athletes.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25744 

Kerem Ozturk, MD discusses a new AJR articles that includes retrospective ECG-Gated CTA findings which may help guide presurgical planning in Type A Aortic Dissection with sinus Valsalva involvement that impacts patient prognosis and surgical planning.

Full article: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.21.25924 

Intracranial deposition of gadolinium after contrast-enhanced MRI is an emerging area of concern with much still to be learned. Kalen Riley, MD, MBA discusses a new article that proposes a dose-reduction strategy that takes advantage of relatively higher T1 relaxivity of one macrocyclic agent compared to another while still striving to maintain an adequate imaging examination.