Mustafa Koplay

Background: The kidneys maintain systemic homeostasis, making renal size assessment essential for evaluating various disorders. Renal volume represents a critical morphometric parameter with distinct clinical significance. This study investigated age-, sex-, and laterality-related differences in renal volume and surface area within an adult population. Methods: A total of 582 kidneys from 291 individuals aged 19 to 89 who underwent abdominal CT scans were retrospectively examined. The images were imported into the 3D Slicer software (version 5.6.2) in DICOM format, and automatic segmentation was performed using the Total Segmentator module. The volumes and surface areas of both kidneys were measured and compared according to age and sex groups. Results: Kidney volume and surface area values were found to be significantly higher in men than in women (p < 0.05). This difference was particularly pronounced in the 30–69 age range. The highest volume values were found in women in the 40–49 age group, while in men, they were found in the 30–59 age group. However, in groups over seventy years old, the gender difference lost its statistical significance. Additionally, the left kidney was found to be significantly larger than the right kidney (p < 0.05). As age increases, a gradual decrease in kidney volume and surface area is observed in both sexes. Conclusions: The progressive decline in renal metrics and the disappearance of sex-based differences after 70 years align with age-related parenchymal atrophy, nephron loss, and reduced blood flow. These findings support the establishment of data baselines for clinical monitoring and surgical planning.

Lymphoma is a type of cancer classified under blood cancer, emerging because of cell degradation. It is visualized using computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Segmentation refers to the process of separating the desired object from the background and other elements in an image. In this study, CT images obtained from lymphoma patients were segmented using U-Net, a deep learning-based segmentation model. The test results achieved were a 0.83 Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), 0.73 Jaccard Index (JI), an average Hausdorff Distance (HD) of 15.81 mm for neck axial CT images, and a 0.75 DSC, 0.64 JI, and an average HD of 30.18 mm for neck coronal CT images. The detailed statistical and visual analyses demonstrated that the lymphoma lesion segmentation was successfully performed on neck coronal and axial CT images using U-Net.

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are among the most common causes of orofacial pain and dysfunction, characterized by a multifactorial etiology. Although their exact pathogenesis remains un...

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to quantitatively evaluate the vascular supply and tissue stiffness of the salivary glands—namely, the submandibular and parotid glands—in pregnant individuals throughout the three trimesters, employing superb microvascular imaging (SMI) and shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods: A longitudinal prospective study was executed involving 35 healthy pregnant women. Salivary gland ultrasonography was conducted during each trimester. The vascularization index (VI) was quantified using the two‐dimensional SMI VI (2DcSMIVI) mode by manually delineating the glandular parenchyma. Glandular elasticity was measured through SWE in kilopascals (kPa) and meters per second (m/s). Statistical evaluations incorporated repeated measures ANOVA and the Friedman test ( p < 0.05). Results: Submandibular gland stiffness showed significant trimester‐based variations, with kPa values peaking in the second trimester and declining in the third ( F (2,68) = 5.31, p < 0.05, η ² = 0.13). Likewise, m/s values were elevated in the second trimester relative to the third ( X ² = 7.79, p < 0.05). In contrast, the stiffness and VI values of the parotid gland exhibited consistency across trimesters ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: The dynamic shifts in submandibular gland stiffness, highlighted by a rise in the second trimester followed by a decrease in the third, most likely signify the hormonal and hemodynamic adaptations that come with pregnancy. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring salivary gland function in pregnant women and pave the way for future investigations into the diagnostic and prognostic implications of these changes. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the inaugural study demonstrating normative stiffness and vascularity parameters of salivary glands across each trimester of pregnancy.

Purpose: This study evaluates the role of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography in diagnosis and management of coronary artery anomalies and explores demographic variations.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 2,786 patients undergoing Coronary CT angiography from November 2018 to October 2023 identified 53 cases (21 females, 32 males) of coronary artery anomalies. Anomalies were classified by origin, course, and structure. Imaging was performed using a dual-source CT scanner. Results: Coronary artery anomaly prevalence was 1.82%. The most common anomaly was a high take-off origin of the right coronary artery (41.5%). Left main anomalies were more frequent in males, while malignant courses occurred only in females (19%). Additional findings included coronary stenosis and diverticula. Coronary CT angiography provided critical 3D visualization for preoperative planning and revealed gender-specific differences, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches. Conclusion: Coronary CT angiography is an indispensable tool for diagnosing and characterizing coronary artery anomalies. Its non-invasive imaging allows for detailed preoperative evaluation, improving clinical and surgical outcomes. This study underscores the importance of addressing demographic variations and highlights the need for standardized protocols and further multicenter research.

To evaluate supervised machine learning (ML) models for classifying temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc displacement on MRI using morphometric and signal intensity features. This retrospective study analyzed 324 TMJs from 162 individuals who underwent 3T MRI. Extracted features included condylar anteroposterior and mediolateral diameters, disc and condyle morphology, and lateral pterygoid muscle signal intensity ratios. Six ML algorithms (Random Forest, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Logistic Regression, AdaBoost, Gradient Boost, and k-Nearest Neighbor) were evaluated using stratified 5-fold cross-validation. Performance was assessed with accuracy, macro-averaged recall, precision, F1-score, and ROC-AUC. All models demonstrated good classification performance (ROC-AUC >0.80). AdaBoost achieved the highest ROC-AUC (0.88), while Gaussian Naïve Bayes showed the most balanced overall metrics. Mediolateral condylar diameter and disc morphology were key features associated with disc displacement categories. ML models can identify MRI-based morphometric patterns related to TMJ disc displacement and may support radiologic assessment, while clinical diagnosis should continue to rely on established standards of care.

Background/Objective: Vitamin D plays an important role in musculoskeletal health; however, its association with skeletal muscle microvascular perfusion has not been clearly defined using quantitative imaging techniques. To investigate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and skeletal muscle microvascularity using an advanced ultrasound-based microvascular imaging method. Methods: In this cross-sectional study a total of 141 healthy adults were stratified into two groups according to serum 25(OH)D concentration (n = 71; ≥20 ng/mL, n = 70). Ultra-Micro-Angiography was used to quantitatively assess the vascular index (VI), while cross-sectional area (CSA) measurements were obtained for the flexor carpi radialis, biceps brachii, and tibialis anterior muscles. Group comparisons and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to evaluate the discriminative performance of microvascular parameters. Results: CSA values did not differ significantly between the groups. In contrast, VI values were significantly higher in participants with higher serum 25(OH)D levels across all examined muscles (p < 0.001). Among the evaluated parameters, the biceps brachii VI demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance in distinguishing between groups (AUC = 0.992; optimal cut-off = 1.25). Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D levels are strongly associated with skeletal muscle microvascularity independent of muscle size. These findings demonstrate a strong association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and skeletal muscle microvascularity and highlight the potential of ultra-micro-angiography as a non-invasive imaging approach for detecting microvascular differences related to vitamin D status.

Aim: To investigate the utility of computed tomography texture analysis (CTTA) findings in differentiating ground glass opacities (GGO) detected in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other viral pneumonias. Methods: 120 patients who underwent thoracic computed tomography (CT) examination for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 viral pneumonia were included in the study. The heterogeneity of the lung parenchyma was evaluated with CT tissue analysis special software (Olea Medical, France). CTTA included features based on 8 first order intensity and 3 gray level co-occurrence matrix. Results: Contrast value was higher in COVID-19 GGO (p = 0.006). Mean, median, skewness and inverse difference moment (IDM) values were higher in non-COVID-19 GGO (p values 0, 0.001, 0.021 and 0.006, respectively) mean absolute deviation, variance and contrast values were higher in normal lung parenchyma of COVID-19 patients (p values 0.011, 0.023 and 0.006, respectively). In the ROC analysis of tissue parameters obtained from both GGO and normal lung parenchyma in both groups, the sensitivity values of tissue parameters ranged from 58.3% to 66.7%, while the specificity values ranged from 50% to 66.7%. Conclusion: Mean, median, skewness and IDM values, which are CTTA parameters, can be used to distinguish COVID-19 and non- COVID-19 viral pneumonias.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the morphological changes in the diameter and length of the trachea, bronchi, and pulmonary artery on chest CT images of COVID-19 patients, and to compare the findings with those of a healthy control group. In addition, the obtained data were analyzed across patient groups classified as mild, moderate, and severe according to the degree of pulmonary involvement. Methods: In this study, thoracic CT images of 78 patients who were diagnosed with and treated for COVID-19 and 52 healthy controls were retrospectively analyzed. Diameter and length measurements of the trachea and bronchi, as well as the diameter of the pulmonary artery, were obtained. Based on the extent of pulmonary involvement observed on CT, the patients were divided into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe. The measurements obtained were compared with those of a control group matched for age and sex. Results: In COVID-19 patients, compared to the control group, a marked decrease in tracheal and bronchial diameters was detected according to sex and CT involvement level, while an increase in pulmonary artery diameter was observed. The severity of these changes was found to increase in parallel with the extent of lung involvement. Conclusions: COVID-19 infection causes measurable morphological changes in the airways and vascular structures. We believe that the combined evaluation of lung CT findings and pulmonary artery diameter may guide future studies based on morphometric measurements in revealing the relationship with mortality and morbidity. We believe that the findings of our study will contribute to the existing literature on COVID-19