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Acute Cholecystitis on CT: Imaging Biomarkers, AI-Assisted Diagnosis, and Clinical Decision-Making for Emergency Radiology

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  Acute Cholecystitis on CT: Imaging Biomarkers, AI-Assisted Diagnosis, and Clinical Decision-Making for Emergency Radiology Keywords: Acute Cholecystitis, Gallbladder CT, Emergency Radiology, Medical Imaging AI, Radiology AI, Abdominal CT, Gallstones, CT Interpretation, AI Healthcare, Clinical Decision Support When Right Upper Quadrant Pain Becomes a Surgical Emergency A 56-year-old man presented to the emergency department with sudden-onset severe abdominal pain localized to the right upper quadrant. He reported nausea and progressive discomfort that had worsened over several hours. Physical examination demonstrated marked tenderness over the gallbladder fossa with a positive Murphy sign, while laboratory evaluation revealed inflammatory changes suggestive of an acute infectious process. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) demonstrated several characteristic imaging findings: Marked gallbladder distension Diffuse gallbladder wall thickening Mucosal hyperenhancement ...
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AFP-Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma: CT Imaging Diagnosis, Differential Diagnosis, AI Applications, and Clinical Management

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  Why Normal Alpha-Fetoprotein Does Not Exclude Liver Cancer: A Comprehensive Radiology and Precision Imaging Guide Clinical Hook "Can liver cancer exist even when AFP is completely normal?" A 48-year-old man underwent a routine abdominal ultrasound during a health screening. He had no abdominal pain, no jaundice, and no constitutional symptoms. Surprisingly, ultrasonography revealed a 2 cm hepatic nodule within a cirrhotic liver . Subsequent contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) followed by portal venous washout , highly suggestive of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, his serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level remained within the normal range (<20 ng/mL) . This clinical scenario illustrates one of the most important diagnostic pitfalls in hepatology: normal AFP does not exclude liver cancer. This case underscores why modern liver cancer diagnosis relies heavily on imaging rather than tumor markers alone. Learning Objectives After...
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