The ASEAN Journal of Radiology

Acknowledgement of Reviewers

2023-04-18T15:44:10+07:00

Another loss of radioactive material in Thailand highlights the need for effective risk communication

2023-04-08T21:03:20+07:00

On March 10^th 2023, a cylinder containing caesium-137 was found missing from a power plant near Bangkok, Thailand. This generated lots of fear and anxiety, fuelled by social media and inadequate statements from the authorities. Later it was discovered in a foundry, compressed and partially melted. It is clear from this incident that risk communication was inadequate.

Two case studies from Southeast Asia, the 2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and the COVID-19 pandemic illustrate the significance of effective risk communication in crisis management and public policy.

This incident in Thailand serves as a "wake-up call" for other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond, urging them to ensure the safe management of radioactive materials as well as to pay attention to their own investments in creating efficient risk communication frameworks to deal with future disasters.

Capability of constructive interference in steady state sequence versus postcontrast T1-weighted imaging in cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal masses

2023-04-08T20:55:03+07:00

Background: The tumor size is one of the main factors in the treatment of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) provides the best evaluation. However, administration of the gadolinium is time consuming and increasing in cost. There is a risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with renal failure and liver or renal transplantation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the capability of constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequence in measuring the tumor size of the CPA and internal auditory canal (IAC) masses compared to postcontrast T1-weighted images (T1-WI).

Materials and Methods: The 118 MR studies with both CISS sequence and postcontrast T1-WI of 45 patients with CPA and IAC masses were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: There was no significant difference between CISS and postcontrast T1-WI in measuring size in transverse diameter of the masses (p = 0.051-0.06). The longitudinal diameter measurement revealed a significant difference (p < 0.001) and the measured size on postcontrast T1-WI was slightly larger than the CISS image. The difference in median measurement between two sequences was less than 0.9 mm. and Bland-Altman plots revealed that differences between the two sequences in longitudinal and transverse diameters of the masses were within the limits of agreement. Interobserver agreement showed excellent correlation (r = 0.994-0.999, p < 0.001 by Pearson's product-moment correlation).

Conclusions: The CISS sequence may be sufficient for assessing the size of CPA and IAC masses, which can be used interchangeably with postcontrast T1-weighted image as a contrast-free option, especially in follow-up studies and vulnerable settings of gadolinium administration.

China’s reopening border, AOCR2023 in Bangkok, and Songkran

2023-04-24T17:34:33+07:00

After 3 years of absence due to COVID-19 pandemic, the first group of Chinese tourists from Xiamen arrived Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday 9^th January 2023 just a day after China abandoned zero-COVID policies and reopened its border on Sunday 8^th January. During 9^th-12^th February, the Royal College of Radiologists of Thailand (RCRT) and the Radiological Society of Thailand (RST) hosted the 21^th Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology (AOCR), 40 years after they last hosted the 4^th AOCR in 1983. Leaders in Radiology from Asian Oceanian countries met and shared their experiences and opinions on various topics. This issue takes core messages from Asian Symposia in AOCR on tuberculosis and post COVID lung disease. In March, the missing caesium-137 in Thailand generated lots of fear and anxiety, fuelled by social media and inadequate statements from the authorities. The need of effective risk communication was discussed in this issue. Songkran, the water splashing festival which is Thailand’s traditional new year during 13th-15th April, marked the end of wearing masks and social distancing due to the pandemic as both local and visitors from around the world, as many as more than 100, 000, gathered in many famous parts of Thailand.

Post-COVID-19 lung diseases: A short note from AOCR 2023, Bangkok, Thailand

2023-04-12T08:04:14+07:00

The Asian Symposia II: Post-COVID Lung Diseases at the Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology (AOCR) 2023, Bangkok, Thailand, discussed the current understanding regarding post-COVID-19 lung diseases, one of the topical health concerns. At the AOCR2023 Asian Symposia, representatives from South Korea, India, Malaysia, and Thailand presented different views, initiatives, and experiences in post-COVID-19 lung diseases.

Report from the 2022 annual meeting of thoracic radiologists in Thailand: National HRCT Protocol and its applications in 10 major institutes

2023-04-20T09:18:55+07:00

The Royal College of Radiologists of Thailand (RCRT) and the Thoracic Society of Thailand Under Royal Patronage (T.S.T.) has established the standard national high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) protocol for ILD in 2019 and announced the member to adopt the protocol. The Thoracic Society of Thailand Under Royal Patronage (T.S.T.) is required to evaluate whether this national protocol actually works in the real practice in many institutes across Thailand and monitor the problems, so the meeting among radiologists from various institutes in Thailand was held on September 2022 to update data and discuss the challenges of the current situation of the HRCT protocol in each institute. At the end of the meeting, we found that most institutes were able to adopt the national protocol. Although there were minor deviations from national protocols in a few institutes, only one institute demonstrated a significantly higher radiation dose than the recommendation in the national protocol. The institute will return to explore the cause, do a root cause analysis, and the matter will be discussed in the next meeting.

A historic event - The 21st Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology, Bangkok, Thailand, February 9th-12th, 2023

2023-04-28T16:58:51+07:00

A summary from AOCR2023, Bangkok, Thailand

2023-04-28T23:16:37+07:00

The Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology (AOCR) was

held in Bangkok, Thailand, by the Royal College of Radiologists of Thailand (RCRT) and the Radiological Society of Radiology of Thailand (RST) in a hybrid format, offering an opportunity for participants to attend the meeting virtually or in person and meet international colleagues face-to-face (Figure 1). It was well-attended by 1,162 participants from 29 countries around the world with 241 overseas participants and 921 local participants. There were 785 people attending the conference in person and 377 participating via the online channel. The countries with the highest number of participants included Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore, respectively

A visit to Songklanagarind Hospital, Prince of Songkla University

2023-02-18T23:16:22+07:00