Johan Van Goethem

• Doctor of Medicine
• Professor at University of Antwerp

Background and purpose: We aimed to evaluate GPT-4's ability to write radiology editorials and to compare these with human-written counterparts, thereby determining their real-world applicability for scientific writing. Materials and methods: Sixteen editorials from eight journals were included. To generate the AI-written editorials, the summary...

Background and purpose Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of health loss and disability worldwide. Accurate and timely diagnosis of TBI is critical for appropriate treatment and management of the condition. Neuroimaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and characterization of TBI. Computed tomography (CT) is the first-line diagnost...

We compared different LLMs, notably chatGPT, GPT4, and Google Bard and we tested whether their performance differs in subspeciality domains, in executing examinations from four different courses of the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) notably anatomy/embryology, neuro-oncology, head and neck and pediatrics. Written exams of ESNR were used...

The global surge in aging populations has intensified osteoporosis challenges, necessitating improved diagnostic methods. While dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the conventional standard in assessing bone mineral density (BMD), the exploration of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) has been proposed, particularly phantomless techniques. Challe...

We describe 2 cases of a spinal cord lesion with imaging features closely resembling those described in supratentorial multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT) or infratentorial multinodular and vacuolating posterior fossa lesions of unknown significance. Multiple well-delineated nonenhancing T2-hyperintense intramedullary cystic ovoid no...

Brain spaces around (perivascular spaces) and alongside (paravascular or Virchow–Robin spaces) vessels have gained significant attention in recent years due to the advancements of in vivo imaging tools and to their crucial role in maintaining brain health, contributing to the anatomic foundation of the glymphatic system. In fact, it is widely accep...

Objectives Vacuum phenomenon (VP) is defined as air within a joint. Many pathologies are associated with VP, mainly degenerative disease and trauma. Although patients with intradiscal gas may be asymptomatic, it promotes disc degeneration and can eventually become painful. VP is suspected to be an indicator of segmental mobility, helping in determi...

Our goal was to determine if “Nomenclature 2.0,” the classification of lumbar disk pathology consensus, should be updated. We conducted a social media and e-mail-based survey on preferences regarding the use of classification on magnetic resonance spine reporting. Members of the European Society of Neuroradiology, European Society of Musculoskeleta...

Whiplash,” a term describing the severe acceleration and deceleration forces applied to the head, craniocervical junction (CCJ), and cervical spine during trauma, is one of the most frequent mechanisms of injury to the CCJ. The CCJ is a complex region at the transition of the cranium and the cervical spine, essential for maintaining craniocervical...

Introduction: Chronic pain after spinal surgery (CPSS), formerly known as failed back surgery syndrome, encompasses a variety of highly incapacitating chronic pain syndromes emerging after spinal surgery. The intractability of CPSS makes objective parameters that could aid classification and treatment essential. In this study, we investigated the...

Hematopoietic and lymphoid tumors are a heterogeneous group of diseases including lymphomas, multiple myeloma (MM), and leukemias. These diseases are associated with systemic involvement and various clinical presentations including acute neurological deficits. Adult patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) are at risk for developing a wide array...

Background Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is an umbrella term referring to painful sensations experienced by patients after spinal surgery, mostly of neuropathic nature. Adequate treatment of FBSS is challenging, as its etiology is believed to be multifactorial and still not fully clarified. Accurate identification of the source of pain is dif...

Background We explored perceptions and preferences regarding the conversion of in-person to virtual conferences as necessitated by travel and in-person meeting restrictions. Methods A 16-question online survey to assess preferences regarding virtual conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic and future perspectives on this subject was disseminated in...

Complications to spinal surgery are not uncommon. The type of complications may, in part, vary depending on the surgical procedure. Some complications may occur during the intraoperative procedure, while others are considered to be delayed and occur during the post-surgical recovery phase. The present chapter will focus on the more common acute and...

Current guidelines for primary and secondary prevention of stroke in patients with carotid atherosclerosis are based on the quantification of the degree of stenosis and symptom status. Recent publications have demonstrated that plaque morphology and composition, independent of the degree of stenosis, are important in the risk stratification of caro...

Spinal infection may occur due to iatrogenic causes. Its pathogenesis, clinical presentation, management, various imaging techniques, and its application in instrumented and noninstrumented spines are discussed. We provide an overview of the typical infection locations and its imaging correlates, such as spondylodiscitis, epidural and paravertebral...

Background: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a popular material for posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) cages, although osseointegration remains limited. To optimize PEEK cage characteristics, titanium (Ti) and calcium phosphate (CaP) nanocoatings have been developed with proven mechanical safety. This multicenter randomized controlled trial co...

We explored perceptions and preferences about the conversion of in-person meetings to virtual ones. A first look to the results showed that people appreciated the opportunity to attend online the most important radiological meetings; however, they generally would prefer a change in meeting design.

Purpose The craniocervical junction (CCJ) is a complex of bony and ligamentous structure stabilizing CCJ. Nearly one-third of all traumatic injuries to the cervical spine involve the CCJ. Only little literature is available on this topic, and most of the studies are focused on anatomy, biomechanics or ligamentous injury in whiplash-associated disor...

Intracranial nonmalignant mass lesions are not uncommon on imaging, often as an incidental finding. Many of these entities do not cause symptoms and do not require surgical intervention. It is therefore important to recognize them and differentiate them from truly malignant lesions. A diagnostic approach combining location and imaging characteristi...

There are many anatomic structures in close proximity to one another in the region around the pituitary gland, sella turcica, and suprasellar cistern. Knowledge of these structures, and their relationship to one another, is important for accurate interpretation of diagnostic images of this area. An excellent approach to differential diagnosis of le...

Diseases of the intervertebral disk may result from several multifactorial pathophysiologic processes. In this chapter, we discuss the normal anatomy of the intervertebral disk along with their anatomic variants and pathologic processes responsible for disk disease and their imaging correlates on conventional radiography, computed tomography, and m...

Many advanced imaging techniques that were originally developed and used for brain imaging have found their way into spinal imaging, including imaging of the intervertebral disc. Most of these started out as basic research into the microstructure, vascularisation, and chemical composition of the disc. These are technically challenging MR studies in...

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is strongly associated with back pain. However, imaging features of spine degeneration are common in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Imaging plays a crucial role in degenerative disc disease as it provides the accurate morphological information necessary for decisions about patient management. This chapter...

This easy-to-consult guide examines the most advanced techniques in the radiological evaluation of the disc and degenerative disc disease, using conventional, functional, dynamic and advanced imaging. It provides clear information on a range of CT, X-ray, and MRI guided techniques, presents all disc treatments in connection with symptomatic disc he...

We analyzed the use of Twitter during the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) held in Rotterdam from 19 to 23 September 2018. The aim was to check the status of the European neuroradiology Twitter community and to discover which topics were discussed most often. The data were compared with a similar analysis perform...

Link to article: https://rdcu.be/bu01Z

Lace porcelain is a fragile type of ceramics that used to be in fashion in 19th century Dresden artworks. Because of its fragile nature, it is known to break easily while manual repair is nearly impossible. Instead, we considered digital scanning, reconstruction, and 3D printing of the damaged areas. One reference case was used throughout testing v...

Purpose: The aim of the present study is to provide a systematic literature review of the current evidence about the Central Tegmental Tract Hyperintensity (CTTH).Methods: The literature search was performed on December 2017 using Medline PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane Central databases. Statistical analysis was performed using Kolmogorov-Smir...

A wide variety of lesions can be found in the osseous spine. These lesions can be solitary or multiple with a benign or malignant aetiology. Metastatic bone disease usually presents as multiple vertebral body lesions and is the most common vertebral tumour. In a clear clinical context, the diagnosis can be easily made. However, in case of an isolat...

Background Context The evidence for the treatment for nonspecific chronic low back pain (ns CLBP) is very weak. Besides the complexity of the pain experience, a good biological marker or tool enabling identification of a pain generator is lacking. Hybrid imaging, combining single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) with computerized tom...

The normal lumbar spine consists of five vertebral bodies which constitute some kind of lordosis and which are, in normal cases, perfectly aligned by three major ligaments: Anterior longitudinal ligament Posterior longitudinal ligament Ligamenta flava The lumbar vertebrae enclose the spinal canal, which contains the thecal sac (enclosed by the dura...

When evaluating low back pain (LBP), imaging is frequently used to examine patients with specific as well as nonspecific chronic LBP (CLBP). However, the correlation between anatomic abnormalities as seen on imaging, clinical history, and treatment outcomes remains controversial. In some cases, the cause of CLBP cannot be determined with certainty...

Back pain is one of the most common disorders worldwide. A global burden of disease study from 2010 [1] ranks it sixth between HIV and malaria in terms of its impact on disability-adjusted life years. Degenerative disease of the spine is considered the most common etiologic cause. Mechanical, traumatic, nutritional, and genetic factors all play a r...

Degenerative disease of the spine, in the form of intervertebral disc degeneration and bony growth, causing osteophytes and impinging upon the spinal canal and neural foramina, is the most frequent disorder affecting the spine. In this chapter we first discuss briefly the indications for computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in suspecte...

OBJECTIVE: Here we describe the clinical and histopathological characteristics of a nine-year-old girl with an intraorbital mass of the left orbit, and review the relevant literature.

Purpose This prospective randomized comparative trial compared radiological and clinical outcome of Trabecular Metal™ (TM) spacers in PLIF, used as standalone (SA) devices, to TM spacers in PLIF with pedicle screw fixation (PF), in patients with single-level degenerative disc disease (DDD). Methods Patients (n = 80) with chronic low back pain and s...

Spondylitis or infection of the spine is a spectrum of diseases involving the bone, disks, and/or ligaments. Because of a significant increase in the immunocompromised patient population, spinal infections are a growing and changing group of conditions, making the diagnosis based on imaging more challenging. Most cases of spinal infections are pyog...

When participating in sport and exercise activities, various – often agedependent – injuries to any part of the spine are possible. The neck is most commonly injured in sports that involve contact, which place the cervical spine at risk of injury, in some cases with catastrophic consequences. The thoracic spine is less likely to be injured because...

Sports-related spinal injuries can be divided into acute “traumatic” injuries and chronic “overuse” injuries. They mainly occur in sports that either involve high-velocity incidents or falls from heights. In that respect, they do not differ much from other causes of acute spinal injuries. Injuries can be bony with fractures and/or dislocations, sof...

TBI can occur in a wide range of sports activities. Lesions are most commonly caused by impact (contact sports) or activities involving high velocity. Acute sports-related injuries are indistinguishable from head trauma sustained in other accidents. Recurring craniocerebral injuries, such as in sustained in contact sports, can lead to chronic traum...

Large intracranial calcifications are occasionally encountered in routine computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain. These calcifications, also known as "brain stones", can be classified according to location and aetiology. Combining imaging findings with relevant clinical history and physical examination can help narrow down the differential dia...

Introduction: Skull base meningiomas are often missed on non-contrast CT or MR examinations due to their close proximity to bone and low lesion to brain contrast. The purpose of this study is to illustrate that pneumosinus dilatans can be an indicator of anterior skull base meningiomas. Methods: A retrospective search of the radiology informatio...

Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a measure for the degree of microstructural organization. Several studies have used FA values to assess microstructural organization of brain tumors and peritumoral edema. The purpose of our study was to validate FA and apparent diffusion constant (ADC) values in the diagnosis of meningiomas versus high-grade glial tum...

Objective: The purpose of this article is to illustrate the utility of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) as an adjunct to routine MRI of the brain in neurologic disorders. Conclusion: SWI is a 3D spoiled gradient-echo sequence that combines phase and magnitude information to provide a high sensitivity for the detection of blood degradation p...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of the brain can be performed with several coil types, depending on the design of the MRI unit and the information required. Traditionally, MRI examinations of the brain are performed with quadrature (i.e., circularly polarized) head coils. These volume coils are closely shaped around the head of the pa...

Depending on the type and manufacturer of your magnet, and the type of examination you are going to perform, patients can be positioned either head first or feet first. The main advantage of positioning patients feet first is the diminution of claustrophobic feelings. Many magnet systems, however, obligate you to position patients for cervical spin...

Traumatic injuries of the spine and spinal cord are common and potentially devastating lesions. We present a comprehensive overview of the classification of vertebral fractures, based on morphology (e.g., wedge, (bi)concave, or crush fractures) or on the mechanism of injury (flexion-compression, axial compression, flexion-distraction, or rotational...

To examine the T(2)-normal appearing spinal cord of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using diffusion tensor imaging. Diffusion tensor images of the spinal cord were acquired from 21 healthy subjects, 11 MS patients with spinal cord lesions, and 10 MS patients without spinal cord lesions on the T(2)-weighted MR images. Different diffusion measu...

PurposeTo compare region of interest (ROI)-based and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT)-based methods for evaluating diffusion properties of the spinal cord as a function of age.Materials and Methods Commonly, an ROI segmentation is used to delineate the spinal cord. In this work, new segmentation methods are developed based on DTT. In a first, DT...

Background: A 24-year-old woman complained of progressive headache and right sided visual disturbances. Previous medical history was unremarkable. Neurological examination did not reveal additional abnormalities.

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a very sensitive technique for the early delection of ischemic stroke, due to its sensitivity for the detection of cyotoxic edema. However, there are several other neurological disorders which can also be associated with cytotoxic edema. It is now considered that glumate-mediated "exicitotoxic brain injury" is th...

We report the clinical, neuroradiological, and molecular genetic findings in a patient with lipoid proteinosis or Urbach-Wiethe disease. Interestingly, in this patient epilepsy and migraine were the symptoms leading to the diagnosis of the disease, contrary to most patients in whom skin abnormalities are the first recognized symptoms.

This study discusses the influence of user-defined parameters on fiber tracking results obtained from a standard deterministic streamline tractography algorithm. Diffusion tensor imaging with fiber tractography was performed in five healthy volunteers. A region of interest was highlighted in the ventral part of the pons at the level of the middle c...

Scoliosis is a structural lateral curvature of the spine with a rotatory component. Imaging in scoliosis is important. Most cases of scoliosis are idiopathic, and imaging is used routinely in monitoring the changes of the deformity that take place during growth. Imaging is also crucial in determining the underlying etiology in non-idiopathic cases...

Until recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast, was mainly used to study brain physiology. The activation signal measured with fMRI is based upon the changes in the concentration of deoxyhaemoglobin that arise from an increase in blood flow in the vicinity of neuronal firing. Technical...

We report 62-year-old female patient with coincident posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The first presentation of PRES was a generalised tonic-clonic seizure. A risk factor for PRES was acute arterial hypertension. The diagnosis of PRES was established by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and hyper...

The spinal column is a complex anatomical structure which is composed of vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and ligaments. All components undergo degenerative changes and morphologic alterations during life (Prescher 1998). In this chapter we shall focus our attention on the intervertebral discs, which are also referred to as “intervertebral fibrocar...

Low-back pain (LBP) is a frequent complaint and a leading cause of disability in the general population. Epidemiological studies have identified many individual, psychosocial, and occupational risk factors for its onset, but the primary causative mechanisms of LBP remain largely undetermined. Psychological factors have an important role in the tran...

The normal human spine has a series of curves in the sagittal plane, including a cervical lordosis that averages, depending on the end points, 20–50° (C2-C7) or 30–70° (C1-T1), a thoracic kyphosis averaging 30–35° (T5-T12), and a lumbar lordosis averaging 50–60° (T12-S1). The normal cervical lordosis is a circular arc.

This is a richly illustrated and comprehensive textbook on the imaging of frequently encountered spinal disorders. Degenerative disease, spinal trauma, spinal tumors and the postoperative spine are addressed in detail. In addition, there are individual chapters on embryology, the pediatric spine, biomechanics, scoliosis, bone marrow disorders, infe...

Background: A 65-year-old woman presented with progressive walking disturbances and limping of the left leg. On clinical examination central paresis of the left leg was observed. The Babinski sign was positive on the left. Initially there were no sensory disturbances. EMG showed no evidence of a peripheral neuropathy. MR-examination of the brain (n...

To present the magnetic resonance imaging features, clinical findings, and possible embryologic bases for nonterminal myelocystoceles, a distinct subset of closed spinal dysraphisms. We retrospectively analyzed imaging series and clinical records from five newborns and one older child with skin-covered soft tissue masses along the posterior midline...

The synovial membrane is derived from embryonic mesenchyme and lines nonarticular areas in synovial joints, bursae and tendon sheaths. Cells of the synovial membrane regulate the exchange of substances between blood and synovial fluid, and they synthesize hyaluronate, which is a major component of the synovial fluid [1]. There are considerable diff...

Because it may cause paralysis, injury to the spine is one of the most feared traumas, and spinal cord injury is a major cause of disability. In the USA approximately 10,000 traumatic cervical spine fractures and 4000 traumatic thoracolumbar fractures are diagnosed each year. Although the number of individuals sustaining paralysis is far less than...

Accurate radiographic diagnosis is a cornerstone of the clinical management and outcome prediction of the head-injured patient. New technological advances, such as multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanning and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have influenced imaging strategy. In this article we review the impact of these...

Neuroradiology plays an essential part in the clinical management of patients with brain tumors [1]. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and, to a lesser extent, computed tomography (CT) are the cornerstones for the diagnosis, definition of extent, detection of spread and follow-up of residual or recurrent tumor [2]. The purpose of this presentation i...

Evaluation of the intracranial circulation provides valuable information in the diagnosis and prognosis of various intracranial abnormalities and may influence patient management. Technical advances in magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) have improved the accuracy of this technique in various clinical situations, such as aneurysms, arterial and ve...

The purpose was to investigate patients with unexplained pulsatile and non-pulsatile tinnitus by means of MR imaging of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) and to correlate the clinical subtype of tinnitus with the location of a blood vessel (in the internal auditory canal or at the cisternal part of the VIIIth cranial nerve). Clinical presentation of...

The aim of this study is three folds: to compare the eight-channel phased-array and standard circularly polarized (CP) head coils in visualisation of the intracranial vessels, to compare the three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) techniques, and to define the effects of parallel imaging in 3D TOF MRA. Fifteen healthy volun...

Efficient communication between the radiologist and the referring clinician is an essential feature of high quality radiology practice. The written report, the only result of the radiological investigation most clinicians will see, should therefore comply with a number of quality criteria. As far as reporting in Dutch is concerned, these criteria h...

Spinal tumors are uncommon lesions but may cause significant morbidity in terms of limb dysfunction. In establishing the differential diagnosis for a spinal lesion, location is the most important feature, but the clinical presentation and the patient's age and gender are also important. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays a central role in the im...