Related Articles

Radiologic placement of totally implantable venous access devices: Outcomes and complications from a large oncology cohort

Long-term intermittent venous access has proven to be indispensable for oncology patients who require frequent intravenous (IV) infusions and repeated phlebotomies apart from facing the discomfort of frequent venepuncture.1 Totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) or ports are preferred to external catheters, especially in these patients, due to their...

Interventional radiology placement of totally implantable venous access devices in oncology practice

In November 1929, Werner Forssmann, a German surgical resident, attempted the first documented central venous catheter with a 35 cm-long catheter via his left antecubital vein.1 Although revolutionary for his time, this innovation encountered significant opposition, and he was expelled from his training programme for this unauthorised experimentation. Despite...

Towards a unified approach: Standardising radiological diagnosis and grading of vertebral compression fractures

Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are frequently missed on frontal and lateral chest radiographs.1 Even with abdominal computed tomography, where sagittal imaging is readily available, up to 84% of grades 2–3 compression fractures can be unreported.2 In patients with acute hip fractures, vertebral fractures were found to be unreported in...

Automated Cobb angle measurement in scoliosis radiographs: A deep learning approach for screening

Dear Editor, Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common paediatric spinal deformity, impacting 1 in 300 children.1 In Singapore and other countries, national screening programmes have been established to detect scoliosis early, with the aim of using bracing to prevent progression to moderate or severe scoliosis, which may require surgical...

Mental wellness and health-related quality of life of young adult survivors of childhood cancer in Singapore

Advancements in technology and cancer treatments have improved childhood cancer survival rates, with up to 85% surviving 5 years or more.1 The Malaysia-Singapore Leukaemia Study Group reported an improvement in overall 5-year survival for the past 20 years in Singapore, from 69% to 91% for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which...

Association between alcohol flushing syndrome and cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Alcohol flushing syndrome (AFS) is characterised by intense facial flushing, often accompanied by palpitations, headache and nausea shortly after the consumption of alcohol. This phenomenon occurs in up to 46% of East Asians and to a much lesser extent Caucasians, due to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, a metabolic byproduct...

Challenges in genetic screening for inherited endocrinopathy affecting the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands in Singapore

In the current landscape of medicine, it is well known that most diseases incorporate a genetic component to some degree. Genetic testing of human diseases originated in the 1950s, and screening for genetic disorders followed a decade after.1 It is worthwhile noting that the Human Genome Project (1990–2003), which...

Defining breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) prevalence and risk factors: A pragmatic approach to lymphedema surveillance

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a chronic progressive pathological condition of the lymphatic system that can lead to significant impact on the quality of life after breast cancer treatment.1 It is characterised by swelling and accumulation of protein-rich fluid in body tissues, leading to pain, tightness, skin changes such...

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL): Should we be doing more or less for the axilla?

Breast cancer mortality has declined steadily over the years with breast cancer screening, and improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic regimens. Despite cancer survivors living longer, breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a significant complication after major breast surgery that can impact quality of life adversely. The incidence of BCRL reported...

Clinical utility of PET/MRI in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy characterised by abnormal accumulation of malignant plasma cells and is associated with anaemia, renal impairment, hypercalcemia and bone lesions. A sensitive method to detect bone lesions is crucial as it could determine the decision to start treatment. In this era, the International...

Transforming radiology to support population health

The recent launch of Healthier SG—a national initiative by Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) focusing on preventive health—will have far-reaching effects on the delivery of health services in Singapore.1 Part of it involves a shift away from tertiary hospital-based to community-based care, to improve diagnostic imaging services in the...

Breast conservation treatment and frozen section analysis of margins

Dear Editor, Re. Surgical margins assessment reduces re-excision rates in breast-conserving surgery I read with interest the article by Woon et al. published in a recent issue of the Annals on the reduction of re-excision rates with the use of intraoperative frozen section (FS) analysis.1 This certainly has the potential...

Molecular testing in non-small cell lung cancer: A consensus recommendation

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with an estimated 2.21 million new cases and 1.80 million deaths in 2020.1 In Singapore, lung cancer is the third most frequent cancer in men and women, and accounts for the highest and third highest number of cancer deaths...

Streamlining multidisciplinary care in sarcoma management

Dear Editor, Sarcomas are rare and heterogenous tumours that constitute fewer than 1% of adult solid cancers.1 Owing to their aggressive behaviour, relative rarity and occurrence at multiple anatomical sites, sarcomas can be challenging to treat.2 Timely referral to specialist sarcoma centres is thus paramount and reduces the incidence...

Restaging of rectal cancer with hybrid positron emission tomography magnetic resonance imaging after preoperative chemoradiotherapy

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery is the current standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancers. Randomised trials have shown that a neoadjuvant approach results in improved tumour downstaging, improved R0 resections, improved local control and increased sphincter preservation rates.1 Reliable response assessment and restaging post-CRT add invaluable...

Poor survival rate of pregnancy-associated breast cancer in Asian countries

Dear Editor, Asia has a lower incidence of breast cancer than North America, Oceania, and Western Europe. However, breast cancer rates have been rising fast in recent decades.1 Breast cancer cases in Asian countries now constitute 40% of all cases diagnosed globally, and mortality due to breast cancer has similarly...

An approach to genetic testing in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in Singapore

Prostate cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Asian men, and with its rising incidence, is emerging as a health priority in Asia.1 Across Asian countries, age-standardised incidence rates (ASIRs) of prostate cancer range from 0.9 to 56.1 per 100,000 population, with the second highest ASIR reported in...

Clinical outcomes and management of contrast hypersensitivity in patients requiring repeated computed tomography imaging

Allergic and non-allergic hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media (ICM) are increasingly recognised, particularly the latter where there is greater clarity on pathomechanisms.1 There is limited evidence for the use of corticosteroids as premedication to prevent the occurrence of contrast-related reactions. At our institution, a dose of 30mg oral...

Preventing recurrent hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media

Iodinated contrast media (ICM) is one of the most commonly used drugs in the practice of modern medicine. ICM, as the name implies, is a contrast media that contains iodine. It is frequently used in computed tomography (CT) and angiographic procedures, to highlight important anatomical structures and for the...

Challenges with mainstreaming genetic testing for metastatic prostate cancer treatment in Singapore

Compared with other solid tumours, patients with metastatic prostate cancer typically have better survival in the range of years.1 The long survival translates to a high prevalence, and thus, a large number of men living with prostate cancer. Singapore has one of the highest age-standardised incidence rates of prostate...

Clinical efficacy and long-term immunogenicity of an early triple dose regimen of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in cancer patients

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Initial studies have reported an increased vulnerability of patients with solid and haematological malignancies to SARS-CoV-2 infections.1,2 Global efforts to combat SARS-CoV-2 led to the unprecedented rapid development of multiple vaccines, with reported efficacies of...

Early COVID-19 booster is beneficial in cancer patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its corresponding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 20191 and led to an unprecedented pandemic in modern times. It quickly overwhelmed healthcare systems around the world, and rendered...

Diagnostic accuracy of multiparametric MRI in endometrial cancer and its adjunctive value in identifying high-risk women requiring surgical staging

Dear Editor, Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in developed countries, with a five-year survival rate of 81%.1,2 Prognostic factors include the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, depth of myometrial invasion (MI), lymph node involvement, cervical stromal involvement, and histological grade. Total hysterectomy with bilateral...

Multidisciplinary lung cancer clinic: An emerging model of care

Dear Editor, Lung cancer management is progressively complex and multidisciplinary input is often needed. The recent publication of CheckMate 816 heralds a paradigm shift in the treatment of resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC),1 with many other perioperative trials soon to follow.2 Oligometastasis and oligoprogression in stage IV NSCLC...

Characteristics of anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma autoantibody-positive dermatomyositis patients in Singapore

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a heterogeneous group of acquired, systemic autoimmune conditions characterised by muscular and extramuscular manifestations. As a subset within the family of IIM, dermatomyositis is distinguished by cutaneous features and has twice the risk of associated malignancy than polymyositis.1-3 Various meta-analyses have shown that between 10%...

A recurring nasal mass

A 56-year-old Chinese man presented to the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic with months of unilateral right-sided nasal obstruction. He reported occasional mucopurulent discharge and denied any hyposmia, episodes of epistaxis, or loss of weight and appetite. Nasoendoscopy revealed a right-sided nasal mass between the septum and middle turbinate....

Erdheim-Chester disease: Imaging spectrum of multisystemic manifestations

Dear Editor, Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis, usually affecting middle-aged to older adults. It is a multisystemic disease with protean clinical manifestations. It can involve single or multiple organs, and presentations range from asymptomatic lesions detected incidentally on imaging to severe organ dysfunction. Hence, accurate and timely...

Early rehabilitation to improve functional outcomes in childhood cancer in Singapore

Dear Editor, We conducted a prospective, single-centre cohort study to review the impact of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme in children with cancer in Singapore. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist was used to allow sufficient details for replication of the study (see Appendix in online Supplementary...

TB or not TB? The axillary lump question

An 81-year-old woman of healthy weight presented with a 2-week history of a painless right axillary lump. Physical examination revealed a 2cm firm nodule with a central keratinous plug in the right axilla (Fig. 1). The surrounding skin was pigmented, non-tender and indurated. Sonography of the nodule demonstrated an...

Cause of vaginal spotting in an older woman

A 77-year-old Chinese woman with a past medical history of Sjogren’s syndrome, nodular goitre and right-sided neck lymphadenopathy, presented to the gynaecological service for per-vaginal spotting. On clinical examination, she was noted to have a cervical polyp. A polypectomy was performed and the specimen was sent for histological examination. The...

Safe time interval for screening estimated glomerular filtration rate prior to gadolinium-enhanced MRI scan

Dear Editor, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast media are commonly used in medical imaging and are usually gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). They can be divided into 3 groups. Group I consists of compounds with linear molecular structures. Group II consists of compounds with macrocyclic molecular structures. Group III currently includes...

Nitrous oxide and cervical myelopathy

A 25-year-old woman presented with progressive paraesthesia and numbness, both of which started from the left hand. Her symptoms progressed to the fingertips of her right hand and bilateral soles over a few days. There was associated confusion and altered mental status on admission. There was no weakness of...

The Lancet Commission on diagnostics: What it means for Singapore

Effective healthcare systems depend on a functioning healthcare value chain—defined as a care cascade comprising screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. The tremendous heterogeneity and global disparity regarding this healthcare value chain has been one of the fundamental problems with prioritised urgency since the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals were...

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma associated with sudden stridor arising from thyroid mucormycosis and concomitant bacterial infection

Dear Editor, Mucormycosis is a life-threatening fungal infection that mainly affects immunocompromised patients. It typically has low prevalence, but fatality rate is as high as 50%. We present a patient with intravascular lymphoma with secondary bacterial infection and invasive mucormycosis involving the thyroid gland, who experienced good outcomes following surgical...

Reduction in Retake Rates and Radiation Dosage Through Computed Radiography

New computed radiography imaging systems are slowly gaining a foothold in radiological departments worldwide. By computed radiography we mean a digital imaging system which exposes a photostimulable phosphor image receptor plate to obtain a latent image using existing radiographic equipment. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click...

Computed Tomographic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Paranasal Sinus Involvement in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive infiltrative neoplasm. Spread into the paranasal sinuses is often seen but the frequency is documented in only a few series. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Book Review

This book is a collection of 30 case studies, which were published in the Singapore Medical Journal from 1994 to 1997. They include interesting cases from all the major anatomical regions and organ systems. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

Bone Mineral Density—Correlation between Quantitative Ultrasound Characteristics and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

Osteoporosis is well documented to be a significant determinant of the risk of fracture and its assessment in vivo has been based on various methods for measuring bone mineral density (BMD). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has proven so far to be reasonably precise (about 1% to 2%) and accurate...

A Case Series of Paget’s Disease of Bone: Diagnosing a Rather Uncommon Condition in Singapore

Sir James Paget’s description in 1877 of “a form of chronic inflammation of bones” which now bears his name was based entirely on clinical and pathological observations in patients with advanced disease. Today, more than a century later, advanced imaging techniques and biochemical tests have allowed us to identify...

A Review of the Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Rotator Cuff Tendon Tears

In the evaluation of chronic shoulder pain and dysfunction clinically suspected to be due to shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tendon tears, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has virtually replaced double contrast shoulder arthrography. MRI has the advantage of demonstrating the shoulder joint in multiple anatomical planes with excellent...

Portable Chest Radiography: Comparison of High-resolution Digital Displays with Laser Printed Digital Film

In most institutions, about 10% to 25% of imaging examinations are recorded digitally (e.g. digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound). Conventional-projection radiographic studies are still displayed in an analog fashion (on film). This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on...

Percutaneous Needle Aspiration in the Treatment of Hepatic Abscess: Factors Influencing Patients’ Outcome

Liver abscess traditionally has been treated by open surgical drainage, mortality rates being as high as 80% to 100% if left untreated. However, with the advent of modern non-invasive imaging techniques, percutaneous techniques performed under imaging guidance have, over the recent years, become increasingly acceptable as a suitable alternative...

Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Internal Auditory Canals and Posterior Fossa

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now the gold-standard examination for the exclusion of acoustic schwannomas or other posterior fossa tumours. We retrospectively reviewed 314 cases done over a period of 2 years and 9 months, correlating presenting symptoms with scan findings. This article is available only as a PDF....

Imaging of Thoracic Manifestations of Scleroderma

Systemic sclerosis (SScl) is a generalised disease of the connective tissue characterised by fibrosis and vascular changes affecting the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and heart. The American College of Rheumatology has proposed that for the purpose of clinical trials and surveys, the diagnosis is made if the patient...

Overview of Imaging in Rheumatologic Diseases

Since the discovery of X-rays over a century ago, radiology has played a pivotal role in rheumatology and diseases of the joints. The innovations and advances in technology in imaging and interventional radiology today enable more precise and earlier detection, assessment and treatment. This article is available only as a...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain Metastases: Magnetisation Transfer or Triple Dose Gadolinium?

Accurate detection of brain metastases is an important part of tumour staging. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is well accepted as a sensitive tool in the detection of brain metastases. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Radiological Placement of 211 Central Venous Catheters: Outcome and Complications

Long-term central venous access is an important part of modern medical practice, especially in the haematology and oncology units. Central venous (CV) catheters are used for the administration of anti-neoplastic agents, immunosuppressive drugs, antibiotics, blood components, hyperalimentation, for frequent blood sampling, and for acute and temporary haemodialysis prior to...

Tissue Microangiography Using a Simplified Barium Sulphate Cadaver Injection Technique

The understanding of blood supply is the cornerstone of successful tissue transfer in reconstructive surgery. This understanding has been derived largely from cadaveric dissections, combined with injections to outline the blood supply. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Radionuclide Studies of Articular Cartilage in the Early Diagnosis of Arthritis in the Rabbit

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that involves destruction of articular cartilage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a sensitive imaging modality for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Retroperitoneal Castleman’s Disease in the Perinephric Space—Imaging Appearance: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

Castleman’s disease (CD) was first proposed by Castleman in 1954. It is usually found in the mediastinum, but other sites have been described. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Evaluation of Technetium-99m Ciprofloxacin (Infecton) in the Imaging of Infection

Over the past 10 years we have used various radiopharmaceuticals (RPCs) for imaging of inflammation and infection. These include gallium-67 citrate and the technetium-99m labelled nanocolloids, immunoglobulin (IgG), antigranulocyte antibodies (AGAB) and HMPAO-labelled leukocytes. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

Magnetic Resonance Arthrography of the Labral-Ligamentous Complex of the Shoulder: An Update

Shoulder instability is a frequently encountered clinical problem in young active people following injury, particularly in athletes. The labral-ligamentous complex is increasingly recognised as being an important structural component that contributes to shoulder instability. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

Limited Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the Occult Hip Fracture

Worldwide, in the past decade, the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increased tremendously in the management of musculoskeletal trauma. Not least is its application as a valuable diagnostic tool in occult hip fracture evaluation. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on...

Technetium-99m Methoxyisobutylisonitrile Imaging in the Follow-up of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is not an uncommon tumour in Thailand.1 A high percentage of 10-year survival results in long-term follow-up. I-131 total-body scan (I-131 TBS) is commonly used for monitoring the disease after surgery and radioiodine ablation in most centres. This article is available only as a PDF. Please...

Embolisation of a Renal Artery Pseudoaneurysm in a Patient with Renal Malrotation and Chronic Aortic Dissection

A 40-year-old Chinese male presented with severe right loin pain. He had a history of chronic abdominal aortic dissection of unknown aetiology. He was not hypertensive and there was no evidence of ankylosing spondylitis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or any connective tissue disorder. This article is available only as a PDF. Please...

Single Centre Review of Radiologically-guided Percutaneous Nephrostomies: A Report of 273 Procedures

Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) is a well-established technique in the armamentarium of an interventional radiologist when dealing with urinary obstruction. It provides temporary relief in obstructive uropathy and stabilises the patients for subsequent definitive treatment. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

To Establish the Normal Bone Mineral Density Reference Database for the Singapore Male

Bone mineral densitometry was developed as a means to quantify the bone mineral content of the skeleton accurately and has been used in the diagnosis of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the axial skeleton is one such technique2 which is based on a subtraction method. This article...

Percutaneous Vertebroplasty in the Management of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures: Initial Experience

With the general increase in life expectancy in the local population, the incidence of osteoporosis is anticipated to rise as well. Even with screening modalities such as bone mineral densitometry and preventive treatment such as hormone replacement therapy, many patients are asymptomatic and are diagnosed with osteoporosis only after...

Differentiation of Malignant Vertebral Collapse from Osteoporotic and Other Benign Causes Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

An elderly patient presenting with backache and vertebral collapse on plain X-ray is a common clinical scenario and a diagnostic challenge. It is difficult to differentiate between benign and malignant causes for the vertebral collapse. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top...

Letter to the Editor

We would like to draw the attention of your readers to the comments made in the editorial of the recent Imaging issue of your journal. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Imaging-guided Bone Biopsy

Biopsy may be performed at surgery (open biopsy) or percutaneously (closed biopsy). Percutaneous bone biopsies are usually performed under imaging guidance using a variety of modalities, such as fluoroscopy1 and computed tomography (CT), and less commonly, ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. This article is available only as a...

Carcinoma of the Cervix: Role of MR Imaging

In females with cancer, cervical carcinoma is second to breast cancer in both incidence and mortality worldwide. About 465,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in both developing and industrialised nations, with a higher incidence in women of low socioeconomic status. This article is available only as a PDF. Please...

Intracerebral Schwannoma—A Rare Cause of Epilepsy

Schwannomas are extra-axial neoplasms derived from the nerve sheath of peripheral or cranial nerves. They represent approximately 8% of all intracranial tumours, arising predominantly from the vestibular nerve. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Radiographic Features of a Case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome with Fatal Outcome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an atypical pneumonia that was first reported in early 2003. Reports of outbreaks of cases rapidly appeared in Hong Kong, Vietnam, China and Singapore. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Clinical Applications of MR Cholangiopancreatography

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) has attracted a lot of interest from clinicians because it is a non-invasive method of obtaining a cholangiographic image without the morbidity that is associated with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

Imaging of Paediatric Mediastinal Masses

A review of mediastinal masses in children, emphasising imaging features, is important for several reasons. Firstly, the mediastinum is the most common location for thoracic masses in children. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Clinical Positron Emission Tomography Imaging—Current Applications

Like other radionuclide techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) is based on the tracer principle – a small amount of labelled ligand is used to trace the metabolic pathway of an important chemical in the cell. PET complements anatomic imaging by its ability to map function or metabolism. This article is...

MR Imaging and MR Spectroscopy of Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

Prostate cancer is usually suspected due to an abnormal digital rectal examination, elevated serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level or both. The diagnosis of prostate cancer depends on histopathologic examination of tissue obtained from systematic sextant core needle biopsy under transrectal ultrasound guidance. This article is available only as a...

Imaging of Congenital Middle Ear Deafness

When a child or young adult with morphologically normal external ears and no previous history of ear discharge or trauma presents with conductive hearing deficit, a congenital middle ear anomaly should be sought. Although fenestral otosclerosis is a differential diagnosis, the early onset of symptoms and a lack of...

MR Imaging of the Fetal Brain and Spine: A Maturing Technology

The introduction of a new diagnostic test into a clinical arena goes through a number of stages. The first stage is technical development. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Imaging of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

The pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a global healthcare problem and HIV infection is the most common cause of death worldwide. There are now 60 million deaths recorded from the infection worldwide by the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) organisation, most of them in sub-Saharan...

The Singapore National Breast Screening Programme: Principles and Implementation

In January 2002, the first population-based national mammographic breast screening programme in Asia, the Singapore National Breast Screening Programme (BreastScreen Singapore), was launched. The programme aims to achieve international standards of breast screening practice and breast cancer detection, as well as to reduce or stabilise the mortality from breast...

Brachiocephalic-Superior Vena Cava Metallic Stenting in Malignant Superior Vena Cava Obstruction

A large majority of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is caused by malignancy (74% to 95%). This can either be due to direct SVC invasion or secondary to extrinsic compression. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Pilot Study Using Technetium-99m Pertechnetate Sequential Radionuclide-Sialography to Assess Salivary Gland Function in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Patients on Radiation Therapy

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy occurring worldwide with particularly high frequencies in the Far East. The incidence is highest in Hong Kong followed by Singaporean Chinese. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Breath-hold Fast Recovery Fast Spin Echo versus Conventional Non-Breath-hold Fast Spin Echo T2-Weighted MR Imaging of Focal Liver Lesions

T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is an important sequence for characterisation of focal liver lesion. Accurate characterisation of benign lesions, such as haemangioma or cyst, is important to prevent unnecessary procedure or surgery. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view...

Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging in Intracranial Infections

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (DWMRI) is becoming essential to the assessment of acute cerebral infarction and has also been applied to distinguish cerebral abscess from necrotic intracranial neoplasm. There have also been a few case reports on DWMRI of encephalitis. This article is available only as a PDF. Please...

Preoperative High Resolution CT and MR Imaging in Cochlear Implantation

Candidates for cochlear implantation undergo a thorough audiological and medical assessment. The audiological assessment is done to ensure that these candidates who have bilateral profound or severe hearing loss have been given adequate hearing amplification, but show no significant benefit. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click...

Non-consensual Double Reading in the Singapore Breast Screening Project: Benefits and Limitations

Double reading of mammogram is not the standard practice in the United Kingdom National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP). Rather, single reading of the mammogram remains the basic policy, as was recommended in the Forrest report. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF”...

Breast Cancer in Women Under 40 Years: Preoperative Detection by Mammography

The incidence of breast cancer peaks between the ages of 45 and 55 years. Approximately 7% of breast cancers occur below 40 years of age. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

The Past Decade of Diagnostic Radiology in Singapore: How Much Progress Have We Really Made?

It has been 10 years since the first ever issue of Annals dedicated to “Radiology” was published in Volume 22 No. 5 September 1993. Keeping in mind the tremendous growth in the development and applications of Imaging for both Diagnosis and Intervention, this second theme issue is long overdue. This...

Colorectal Hepatic Metastases: Role of Radiofrequency Ablation

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Singapore, accounting for 15.9% of all cancers registered with the Singapore Cancer Registry in the years between 1993 and 1997. Despite recent advances in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, more than half of those afflicted will die from their cancer. This article...

Computed Tomographic Appearance of Colorectal Hepatic Metastases

It is important to recognise the computed tomography (CT) appearance of hepatic metastases from colorectal primaries, as resection in a selected group may offer a 20% to 40% rate of five-year survival compared to 5% to 10% with non-surgical management. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click...

Current Status in Imaging of Colorectal Liver Metastases

Colorectal cancer is a common primary that metastasizes to the liver. About 20% of patients with colorectal cancer will have detectable metastases at the time of clinical presentation, with an additional 30% developing clinical evidence of hepatic disease within 24 months. This article is available only as a PDF. Please...

Routine Abdominal and Pelvic Ultrasound Examinations: An Audit Comparing Radiographers and Radiologists

Since its introduction into clinical practice in the early 1970s, ultrasound (US) has become firmly established as an extremely valuable imaging modality and widely used to the extent that abdominal US is the second most commonly performed imaging study (after chest radiography). Our department has also experienced a steady...

Clinical Utility of Selective Intra-arterial Calcium-stimulated Hepatic Venous Sampling in Regionalisation of Insulinomas—The Singapore Experience

Insulinomas are small tumours with dimensions that seldom exceed 2.0 cm in diameter. Preoperative non-invasive localisation using trans-abdominal ultrasound and conventional computed tomography (CT) detect only between 25% and 60% of insulinomas. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Reflections of a Septuagenarian – Radiology: Past, Present and Future

Before I commence, I would like to thank the Singapore Radiological Society and the Chapter of Radiologists of the Academy of Medicine for inviting me to speak today on the occasion of the inauguration of the FY Khoo Lectureship. I was initially hesitant. This article is available only as a...

Imaging Findings in Acute Neck Infection due to Pyriform Sinus Fistula

Pyriform sinus fistula is a developmental abnormality of the 3rd or 4th branchial pouch. It usually presents in childhood as acute inflammatory swelling of the neck and frequently involves the thyroid gland. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Audit of Diagnostic and Interventional Craniocervical Catheter Angiographic Procedures at the Singapore General Hospital

Catheter angiography has long been considered the diagnostic standard by which the accuracy of other vascular imaging modalities are compared, given its superior contrast and spatial resolution, as well its high selectivity and ability to show the full extent of vascular disease, presence of contralateral disease, patterns of collateral...

Breast Ultrasound in Women With Familial Risk of Breast Cancer

Mammography is the modality of choice to screen for breast cancer in asymptomatic women. However, it is known that about 10% to 12% of breast cancers are mammographically occult. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Coronary Artery Disease: Comprehensive Evaluation by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major health problem worldwide. With advances in CAD intervention and improvements in treatment and management of CAD, there has been a dramatic increase in the survival rate of patients. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top...

A Case of Right Loin Pain: Septic Ovarian Vein Thrombosis Due to Campylobacter fetus Bacteraemia

Septic ovarian venous thrombosis is an uncommon entity. Classically, it occurs as a postpartum complication with reported frequency of 1 in 600 to 2000 deliveries. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Clinical Indications for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanning

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a broad framework for clinicians considering the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning for their patients. PET imaging is a rapidly evolving field, with ongoing developments in imaging technology, radiochemistry, isotope production, animal research and clinical applications. This article is available...

Semi-Quantitative Measurements of Normal Organs With Variable Metabolic Activity on FDG PET Imaging

Positron emission tomography (PET) has a proven clinical role in oncology, cardiology and neurology that primarily uses 2-deoxy-2--fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG). FDG is an analogue of glucose that mimics the cellular uptake and initial metabolism of glucose, which enables cells utilising excess glucose to be visualised. Increased glucose metabolism is commonly...

Clinical Applications of Positron Emission Tomography in Cardiology: A Review

Ischaemic heart disease associated with depressed left ventricular function is a common clinical management dilemma. There is overwhelming evidence that such patients have a poor prognosis when treated medically. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

The Role of FDG-PET in the Management of Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Carcinoma of the lung is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women and is the second most common malignancy in both men and women. In 2003, it is estimated that there will be 171,900 new cases of lung carcinoma diagnosed in the United States and...

Clinical PET Imaging – An Asian Perspective

Positron emission tomography (PET) is distinct from other imaging modalities in its ability to probe the physiology and biochemistry of normal and abnormal tissues. It is based on the same principle of tracer kinetics used in conventional nuclear medicine. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on...

PET Tracers and Radiochemistry

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become a powerful scientific and clinical tool for probing biochemical processes in the human body. This is due, in large part, to advances in instrumentation and synthetic chemistry. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view...

Physical Principles and Technology of Clinical PET Imaging

The past few years have seen the transition of positron emission tomography (PET) from the research domain into mainstream clinical applications for oncology. The emergence of PET as the functional imaging modality of choice for diagnosis, staging, therapy monitoring and assessment of recurrence in cancer has led to an...

Positron Emission Tomography – A Vital Component of Molecular Imaging

Contemporary medical imaging is progressing towards quantification of tissue function in addition to merely providing anatomical information, as illustrated by the rising use of such modalities as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET). As far back as 1951, positron-emitting radiotracers have...

Use of D-dimer and Lower Extremity Doppler Ultrasound Results to Obviate the Need for Computerised Tomographic Pulmonary Angiography

The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) can be a challenging problem. It depends on clinical suspicion and the interpretation of a combination of clinical and radiological presentations. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Image-guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Malignancies: Experience at Singapore General Hospital

Radiofrequency (RF) ablation for the treatment of focal liver malignancies is a relatively new image-guided procedure that is gaining increasing acceptance in the radiologic and surgical community, particularly as an alternative treatment option for patients who have inoperable tumours. The potential benefits of minimally invasive image-guided ablation, as compared...

Building Collaboration in Cardiac Imaging

Publicity about new developments in medical technology is not at all unusual. But the degree with which multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) for coronary artery disease (CAD) detection has captured the imagination of the public appears exceptional. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on...

3rd FY Khoo Memorial Lecture – Education, Professionalism, Outsourcing and the Future of Radiology

Radiology is undergoing unprecedented changes. Not only is the technology evolving rapidly, providing images of breathtaking anatomical clarity, but functional information has also become a reality. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Singapore National Medical Image Resource Centre (SN.MIRC): A World Wide Web Resource for Radiology Education

Radiological images are critical for diagnosis, teaching and research. In radiology education, learners must be exposed to large amounts of visual information, and assimilation of these medical images is essential in the training of diagnostic skills. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on...

Teleradiology in Singapore – Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of radiologic images from one location to another for the purposes of interpretation and/or consultation. The current interest in teleradiology is fuelled mainly by rapid technological advances, a worldwide shortage of radiologists, and cost considerations in developed countries. This article is available only as a...

Radiographic Features of SARS in Paediatric Patients: A Review of Cases in Singapore

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly emerged atypical pneumonia caused by the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). It is easily transmitted via droplet infection from close contact. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction After Intravenous Glucagon Administered for a Barium Enema: A Case Report

A 74-year-old Chinese woman presented with a 1-week history of an itchy rash on the trunk and legs. A barium enema was performed a day before the rash started. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

A Case of Cystic Schwannoma of the Lesser Sac

Schwannoma or neurilemmoma (NL) is a well-defined, usually benign, tumour arising from the nerve sheath (Schwann cell). It may present as a solitary mass in any part of the body, but is more commonly seen in the head and neck, the extremities and on the trunk. This article is available...

The Teaching of Radiology

A record of Diagnostic Radiology would be incomplete without reference to Wilheim Roentgen, who discovered the rays that he could not comprehend; hence, X-rays. The day was Friday, 8 November 1895, as he worked on cathode ray tubes at the University of Wurzburg, Germany. These rays penetrated opaque substances,...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Sports Injuries of the Knee

Sports-related knee injuries are common, with contact sports and sports involving twisting movements being the most frequent causes. Sports injuries may affect any of the knee structures, including ligaments, menisci, bones, cartilage and periarticular soft tissues. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on...

Charity Colonoscopy Event to Commemorate the 185th Anniversary of Singapore General Hospital

Colorectal cancer is now the cancer with the highest incidence in Singapore. Similar to many developed countries, individuals here have a moderate to high risk of developing colorectal cancer in their lifetime. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Local Experience of Endorectal Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Prostate with Correlation to Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

Prostate cancer ranks among the top 10 cancers in Singapore. The incidence of prostate cancer has risen by 5% to 118% in most Asian countries. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Characteristics of unplanned hospitalisations among cancer patients in Singapore

Cancer is a pervasive global problem with growing healthcare utilisation and costs.1-3 This situation is similar in Singapore where cancer incidence is on the rise and accounts for nearly 30% of total population mortality.4,5 Singapore data suggests that cancer patients accounted for 13% of total healthcare costs in 2016,...

Medical Misadventure: Barium Extravasation in Colorectal Cancer

Double contrast barium enema (DCBE) is a safe and accurate diagnostic procedure for colorectal cancer. It is often the next diagnostic test after incomplete colonoscopy, with an additional diagnostic yield of 3.2% for neoplastic lesions larger than 1 cm in the non-visualised portion of the colon. This article is available...

Durian Seed Masquerading as Gallstone Ileus on Computed Tomography

Bezoars and gallstones are unusual causes of small bowel obstruction, with well-described imaging features on CT. We present a case of intestinal obstruction caused by a laminated mass in the terminal ileum that resembled a gallstone on CT, but was surgically proven to be a durian seed phytobezoar. This article...

A Survey of Local Preclinical and Clinical Medical Students’ Attitudes towards Radiology

Radiology is not a popular specialty for undergraduate student electives or postgraduate training amongst students from a local undergraduate medical school which is based in Southeast Asia. During the last 2 years (2007 & 2008), none of our elective students came from the local undergraduate medical school. During the...

Primary Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of the Lung Presenting as Left-sided Shoulder Pain

Primary angiosarcoma of the lung is a rare, often difficult to diagnose disorder with non-specific respiratory manifestations. Angiosarcoma involving the lung is usually a result of metastatic disease. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Macronodular Tuberculosis: Imaging Resemblance of Cholangiocarcinoma

The ability of multiphasic computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) studies in the diagnosis of liver tumours such as hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma is well established. Nevertheless, potential mimics of malignant tumours abound. Hepatic tuberculosis presenting as hepatic mass is rare and preoperative diagnosis is usually difficult without...

Central Clot Score at Computed Tomography as a Predictor of 30-day Mortality after Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Multi-detector Computed Tomography (MDCT) pulmonary angiography is currently the method of choice for the detection of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), because of its convenience, speed, sensitivity, direct clot visualisation and ability to provide alternative diagnoses that mimic PE clinically. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on...

Assessment of Medical Students’ Knowledge Retention in a Diagnostic Radiology Course: Lecture Attendees versus Absentees

Although problem-based learning has been implemented in many medical schools to supplement didactic lectures, traditional didactic lectures and a strictly discipline-oriented approach remain the mainstream teaching method in many medical schools worldwide, especially in Asia.1,2 Teaching by didactic lectures can be used to overcome the problems of shortage of...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Singapore Cancer Patients

Worldwide, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by cancer patients is highly prevalent. For cancer specialists, knowledge on CAM use in their patients is particularly important as there can be potentially hazardous drug interactions between some forms of oral CAM and chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This article is available...

Routine intraoperative frozen section adds little value to the management of thyroid nodules with Bethesda III cytology

Dear Editor, We would like to highlight the need to reduce intraoperative frozen section (FS) during diagnostic hemithyroidectomy performed on thyroid nodules with Bethesda III cytology. Thyroid nodules are increasingly diagnosed and subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology. Bethesda III is a cytological category that consists of atypia or follicular...

Periarticular FDG Uptake on PET/CT in Malignant Melanoma—Metastatic or Misleading?

A 74-year-old male with newly diagnosed melanoma of the right mastoid region, underwent resection of the lesion followed by F-18 fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for staging. Figure 1 demonstrates a whole body maximal intensity projection image while Figures 2 and 3 show cross-sectional images through the elbows...

How do English-speaking Cancer Patients Conceptualise Personhood?

Understanding the way personhood or “what makes you, you” is conceptualised is pivotal to the practice of medicine. Conceptions of personhood determine the moral and legal status of an individual, is central to the protection of rights and privileges and is pivotal to the maintenance of the distinctiveness of...

Ultrasound-Guided Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy—The Way Forward

I read with great interest the recent article published in the Annals of Academy of Medicine Singapore entitled, ‘Surgeon-Performed Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (SP-US-FNAC) Shortens Time for Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules, Ann Acad Med Singapore 2014;43:320-4’. Indeed, ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) is an exceptionally valuable and simple approach...

Relationships between Prostatic Volume and Intravesical Prostatic Protrusion on Transabdominal Ultrasound and Benign Prostatic Obstruction in Patients with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the commonest diseases of ageing men. It can be associated with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that affect quality of life and it causes structural and functional changes in the bladder. Previous clinical guidelines had emphasised on managing symptoms; however current...

Are Pregnant Women Adequately Equipped for Autonomy in Pregnancy Screening?

The concept of first trimester screening (FTS) to evaluate the risk of fetal aneuploidies was first introduced in 1997 by Orlandi et al. The Fetal Medicine Foundation, London, has refined and populated this screening test that uses a combination of maternal age, nuchal translucency (NT) thickness and biochemical markers,...

A Follow-up Longitudinal Survey on a Cohort of Undergraduate Medical Students’ Attitudes towards Radiology

As a follow-up to an earlier study comparing the attitudes of first year undergraduate medical students following the introduction of a new radiology curriculum in 2008 with their clinical seniors who did not have an early exposure to radiology; we again surveyed this same cohort of first year students...

Bradycardia in a patient with lung cancer

A 70-year-old man presented with fatigue andbdyspnea. He denied any chest pain, orthopnea, pedalnoedema, dizziness and syncope. He had a history of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and minor coronary artery disease identified on coronary angiography performed a year ago. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on "Download PDF"...

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy: The emerging role of cardiac amyloid imaging

Transthyretin amyloidosis (or ATTR amyloidosis) is an under-recognised multisystemic disorder, arising from misfolding of transthyretin proteins into insoluble amyloid fibrils. As amyloid fibrils deposit into various tissues and organs, the process invariably leads to organ dysfunction. Deposition of amyloid fibrils into the heart results in cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Manifestations...

Prevalence of thyroid malignancy and hormonal dysfunction following radiation exposure in childhood

The incidence of thyroid cancer has been steadily increasing worldwide. Childhood radiation exposure is a known risk factor for thyroid malignancy. However, data on the incidence of thyroid cancer in this high-risk cohort in Singapore are limited. Thus, we assessed data from patients treated in our institution with a...

Pelvic mass mimicking advanced tubo-ovarian malignancy with hepatic metastasis

A 49-year-old woman presented with mild pain in her lower abdomen and changes in bowel habits for 2 months. She also experienced 20kg of weight loss over 7 months. She previously had an intrauterine device (IUD) for 5 years, removed 2 years prior to presentation. Vital signs were stable,...

Radiological changes on chest CT following COVID-19 infection

COVID-19 infection is associated with high rates of hospitalisation and mortality, placing healthcare systems under strain. There are many reports regarding the non-contrast-enhanced high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features of the lungs during the onset of COVID-19; however, few studies have described the radiological changes and outcome of residual lesions...

Incidence and trends of ophthalmic cancer in Singapore: Data from Singapore Cancer Registry

Ophthalmic cancers are commonly encountered in clinical practice and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Globally, the incidence of ophthalmic cancers have been increasing in the past 2 to 3 decades.3-6 Data on recent incidence of primary ophthalmic cancers, comprising intraocular and extraocular cancers, have not been...

An unusual submandibular tumour

A woman in her 60s presented with a non-tender, non-enlarging swelling in the left submandibular triangle of the neck for 3 months. She had no significant past medical or surgical history. Examination showed a 2cm firm round lump in the left submandibular triangle, not attached to the skin, mandible...

Penile preserving surgery in penile cancer management

Penile cancer is a condition that accounts for approximately 0.4% of cancers among Singapore males. Overall, this is an uncommon cancer with higher rates in developing countries (2.8–6.8 per 100,000) compared to Western countries (as low as 0.3 per 100,000). However, in the UK, which is a developed country,...

Primary cutaneous umbilical melanoma

A 59-year-old woman with a pre-existing asymptomatic pigmented nevus on the umbilicus for the past 20 years was seen in the outpatient dermatology clinic for a 2-week history of a raised, bleeding pigmented papule overlying the nevus. Physical examination showed a 7 x 7mm ulcerated papule overlying a 2.2...

Cervical screening in foreign domestic workers in Singapore

Cervical cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in many countries in Southeast Asia, with a cumulative age-standardised incidence rate (ASRI) of 17.2 per 100,000 and a corresponding mortality rate (ASMR) of 10 per 100,000. In Singapore, cervical cancer is the 10th most common cancer in women with an...