MD · Radiodiagnosis

Radiodiagnosis thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each

A radiodiagnosis thesis is usually won or lost on the reference standard: an index test is only as good as the arthroscopy, histopathology, surgical finding or laboratory result you can actually obtain for every patient you scan. The data comes from the scanner log and the request register, so the real constraint is how many patients of the chosen type pass through in a year and how many of them go on to the confirmatory procedure in your own hospital. Examiners press hardest on verification bias, on whether the reporting radiologist was blinded, and on whether inter-observer agreement was measured when the index test is a subjective grading.

Topic register · 45 entries · 8 designs^[6]

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NMC PGMER-2023
NBEMS 180 days / 26 months
UGC 2018 · under 10%
ICMR 2017 · ethics

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The Radiodiagnosis register

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Filter by design or by feasibility, or search the titles and outcomes. Filtering only hides entries: every topic stays on the page, so nothing is lost if you clear the filters or arrive by a deep link.

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Study design

Feasibility in a teaching unit

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Showing 45 of 45 topics

The sample figure on each plate is a planning range read off the design, not a calculated answer. Your own number comes from a calculation against your own assumptions — the difference you would call clinically meaningful, the variability in your setting, the power you want — and it belongs in the synopsis with those assumptions written beside it.

Topic 01 / 45
Link to this entry
Diagnostic accuracy of 1.5 T MRI in meniscal and cruciate ligament injury of the knee, with arthroscopy as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of MRI for meniscal and cruciate tears against arthroscopic findings
Collection time
12 to 15 months of recruitment
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 120 knees, subject to a proper calculation against the sensitivity you expect
What your unit must already have
- 1.5 T MRI with a dedicated knee coil
- An arthroscopy service that operates on a predictable proportion of those scanned
- A written agreement with orthopaedics on a standard arthroscopy reporting form
What derails it
Only a fraction of the knees you scan actually reach arthroscopy, and if you analyse only those you have built in verification bias; fix recruitment at the arthroscopy end rather than at the MRI end.
Topic 02 / 45
Link to this entry
Shear wave elastography of solid thyroid nodules, with ultrasound-guided FNA cytology reported by the Bethesda system as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of a stiffness cut-off in kilopascals for a Bethesda category of V or VI
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 90 to 130 nodules, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Ultrasound machine with a shear wave elastography licence, not only strain elastography
- A cytopathologist reporting thyroid FNA in Bethesda categories
- A thyroid or surgical OPD that refers nodules steadily
What derails it
Stiffness readings drift with probe pressure and with lesion depth, so fix the number of acquisitions and the region-of-interest size before the first patient, or your own repeat measurements will disagree with each other.
Topic 03 / 45
Link to this entry
Contrast-enhanced MDCT in blunt abdominal trauma, with laparotomy findings or documented clinical course as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Organ-wise sensitivity and specificity of CT for solid organ and hollow viscus injury against operative findings or a defined clinical follow-up
Collection time
12 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 150 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A CT scanner available to casualty at night, not only in working hours
- A trauma caseload that reaches CT before laparotomy
- Access to operation notes and discharge summaries to close the reference standard
What derails it
Conservatively managed patients never get an operative reference standard, so define in advance what counts as a negative, such as an uneventful fixed period of observation, or a third of your table will be unclassifiable.
Topic 04 / 45
Link to this entry
Graded compression ultrasound compared with contrast-enhanced CT in suspected acute appendicitis in adults, with histopathology of the resected appendix as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Paired sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound and of CT for appendicitis against histopathology
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 140 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Ultrasound available inside the emergency area
- A surgical unit that sends every appendicectomy specimen for histopathology
- Agreement that the ultrasound is reported before the CT is seen
What derails it
Unless the sonologist commits a report before the CT appears, the ultrasound reading is contaminated by the CT and the two tests stop being independent.
Topic 05 / 45
Link to this entry
MRCP in suspected choledocholithiasis, with ERCP or intraoperative cholangiography as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of MRCP for common bile duct calculi against the endoscopic or operative reference
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 90 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI with a heavily T2-weighted MRCP sequence
- A gastroenterology or surgical unit doing ERCP or routine intraoperative cholangiography
- A shared proforma on which the endoscopist records stone number and size
What derails it
Small stones pass between the MRCP and the ERCP, so record the interval between the two for every patient, because a long gap converts a true positive into an apparent false positive.
Topic 06 / 45
Link to this entry
Diagnostic performance of BI-RADS assessment on digital mammography with targeted ultrasound in palpable breast lumps, with core needle biopsy histopathology as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Positive predictive value of each BI-RADS category against core biopsy histopathology
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 180 lesions, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A digital mammography unit in working condition through the study period
- A pathology department reporting core biopsies inside the study window
- A breast or surgical OPD referring lumps steadily
What derails it
BI-RADS 3 lesions are not biopsied in routine care, so decide at protocol stage whether you exclude that category or follow it up, because biopsying only the ones that worried you inflates every predictive value you report.
Topic 07 / 45
Link to this entry
Transvaginal ultrasound compared with pelvic MRI for myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinoma, with hysterectomy histopathology as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Agreement of each modality with histopathological depth of myometrial invasion
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 40 to 70 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A gynaecological oncology caseload operated in-house
- MRI slots for a pelvic staging protocol
- A pathologist willing to report invasion depth as a fraction of myometrial thickness
What derails it
Many of these women are referred elsewhere for surgery after imaging, which removes the reference standard entirely, so count last year's hysterectomy specimens for endometrial carcinoma before committing.
Topic 08 / 45
Link to this entry
Hysterosalpingography for tubal patency in primary infertility, with laparoscopic chromopertubation as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Side-wise sensitivity and specificity of HSG for tubal occlusion against chromopertubation
Collection time
12 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 70 to 100 women, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A fluoroscopy unit with an image intensifier
- A gynaecology unit that includes diagnostic laparoscopy in its infertility workup
- A consent process covering both procedures in one pathway
What derails it
Tubal spasm produces false occlusion on HSG, so record whether an antispasmodic was given and whether a delayed film was taken, because a protocol that varies between patients makes the false positive rate uninterpretable.
Topic 09 / 45
Link to this entry
Diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient values in differentiating brain abscess from cystic neoplasm, with histopathology or aspirate culture as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of an ADC cut-off for abscess against the tissue or microbiological reference
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 40 to 60 lesions, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI with diffusion and ADC mapping on the standard brain protocol
- Neurosurgical aspiration or excision performed in the same hospital
- A microbiology link so aspirate culture results reach the radiology record
What derails it
Many ring-enhancing lesions in an Indian unit are treated empirically as tuberculomas and never sampled, so the cases with a reference standard are a biased minority; write that restriction into the objectives rather than meeting it at analysis.
Topic 10 / 45
Link to this entry
Two-dimensional shear wave elastography for liver stiffness in chronic liver disease, with liver biopsy or a pre-defined composite clinical standard as the reference
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of stiffness cut-offs for significant fibrosis against the chosen reference standard
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 90 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An elastography-capable machine that displays quality indicators
- A hepatology unit where liver biopsy is still performed, or an agreed composite standard
- Fasting and breath-hold instructions standardised for every acquisition
What derails it
Liver biopsy has become uncommon in many units, and if you substitute a composite standard you must define it in the protocol and defend it at viva, because an undefined reference standard is the first thing an examiner attacks.
Topic 11 / 45
Link to this entry
High-resolution shoulder ultrasound compared with MRI for rotator cuff tears, with arthroscopic findings as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound and of MRI for full-thickness and partial tears against arthroscopy
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 shoulders, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A high-frequency linear probe and an operator trained in shoulder scanning
- An arthroscopy service doing shoulders, not only knees
- MRI slots for a dedicated shoulder protocol
What derails it
Shoulder arthroscopy volume is a fraction of knee volume in most Indian teaching hospitals, so count last year's shoulder arthroscopies in the theatre register before choosing this over a knee study.
Topic 12 / 45
Link to this entry
MRI in perianal fistula, with operative findings at fistula surgery as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Agreement of MRI with operative findings for the primary tract, the internal opening and secondary extensions
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI pelvis with high-resolution small field-of-view sequences
- A surgical unit operating fistulas with a structured operative note
- A shared clock-position diagram sheet used by both teams
What derails it
Your reference standard is the operation note and it is usually free text, so give the surgeon a one-page structured form in advance or you will be reading prose that never states where the internal opening was.
Topic 13 / 45
Link to this entry
Non-contrast CT of the urinary tract for ureteric calculus in acute flank pain, with stone retrieval or documented spontaneous passage as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Accuracy of CT for the presence, site and size of ureteric calculi against the urological reference
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 150 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- CT available to the emergency department
- A urology unit that records stone retrieval and passage
- A low-dose protocol agreed with senior faculty or the department physicist
What derails it
Spontaneous passage is usually reported by the patient on a phone call rather than documented, so build a defined confirmation step into the protocol instead of letting a verbal account serve as the reference standard.
Topic 14 / 45
Link to this entry
Transfontanelle ultrasound in term neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, with MRI brain as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity of cranial ultrasound for parenchymal and basal ganglia injury against MRI findings
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 neonates, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A portable machine that can be taken into the neonatal unit
- A neonatal team that will consent and stabilise babies for MRI
- An agreed day of life for both scans
What derails it
Getting a sick neonate to the MRI suite is the step that fails, so settle the transport and monitoring arrangement with neonatology in writing before the synopsis rather than after the tenth missed scan.
Topic 15 / 45
Link to this entry
Ultrasound estimated fetal weight in the week before delivery compared with actual birth weight at term
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Mean absolute percentage error of estimated fetal weight against measured birth weight, and accuracy for identifying birth weight below the small-for-gestational-age threshold
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 women, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Obstetric ultrasound with standard biometry packages
- A labour room register that lets the scan be linked to the delivery
- A calibrated weighing scale used for every newborn
What derails it
A scan done more than a week before delivery makes the comparison meaningless, so put a maximum scan-to-delivery interval in the inclusion criteria and enforce it even when it costs you recruits.
Topic 16 / 45
Link to this entry
MRI of the sacroiliac joints in young adults with inflammatory back pain, with rheumatological classification as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of active inflammatory MRI changes against the classification made by rheumatology
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 70 to 100 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI with oblique coronal fat-saturated or STIR sequences of the sacroiliac joints
- A rheumatology or medicine clinic that classifies these patients formally
- A written definition of the clinical reference standard, recorded before reporting
What derails it
If the rheumatologist classifies the patient after reading your MRI report, the reference standard is circular, so the clinical assessment must be recorded and sealed before the scan is read.
Topic 17 / 45
Link to this entry
Inter-observer agreement of the ASPECTS score on non-contrast CT in acute ischaemic stroke and its relation to functional status at ninety days
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Weighted kappa for inter-observer agreement on ASPECTS, and the relation of the score to the modified Rankin Scale at ninety days
Collection time
15 to 18 months including follow-up
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 120 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- CT within the stroke window as routine practice
- Two or three readers willing to score independently and blind to each other
- A stroke clinic or telephone system that can reach patients at ninety days
What derails it
Ninety-day follow-up is where stroke studies bleed, because discharged patients from distant districts do not return, so take two phone numbers and a local address at enrolment and log every contact attempt.
Topic 18 / 45
Link to this entry
CT severity index in acute pancreatitis and its relation to the clinical course during admission
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Relation of the CT severity index to a composite of intensive care admission, intervention for a collection and length of stay
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 70 to 110 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Contrast-enhanced CT available between the third and seventh day of illness
- A medicine or surgery unit admitting pancreatitis regularly
- Access to the inpatient record for the clinical composite
What derails it
A CT done on the day of admission understages necrosis, so fix the scan window in the protocol and record the actual day of illness for every scan, or the sickest patients will be the ones imaged too early.
Topic 19 / 45
Link to this entry
Umbilical and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices in fetal growth restriction and the perinatal course
DesignCohortFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Relation of the cerebroplacental ratio to a composite perinatal outcome of caesarean for fetal distress, neonatal unit admission and low Apgar score
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 90 to 140 pregnancies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Colour Doppler with obstetric presets and an operator trained in waveform acquisition
- An antenatal clinic that follows growth-restricted pregnancies to delivery
- Access to the labour room and neonatal records of the same women
What derails it
Women booked elsewhere deliver elsewhere and a Doppler without a delivery outcome is a wasted recruit, so restrict enrolment to women registered for delivery in your own hospital.
Topic 20 / 45
Link to this entry
Transvaginal cervical length in the mid-second trimester and the timing of delivery in singleton pregnancy
DesignCohortFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Relation of cervical length to delivery before thirty-seven completed weeks
Collection time
18 months including follow-up to delivery
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 300 women, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A transvaginal probe and a private scanning room
- An antenatal clinic booking women before twenty-four weeks
- A system that records gestation at delivery for every woman enrolled
What derails it
Only a fraction of the women you enrol will reach the endpoint, so a cohort needs far more recruits than residents expect; count the unit's preterm deliveries for last year before choosing this over a case-control comparison.
Topic 21 / 45
Link to this entry
Carotid intima-media thickness in adults with type 2 diabetes and its relation to disease duration and glycaemic control
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Mean carotid intima-media thickness and its correlation with disease duration and the most recent HbA1c
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 150 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A high-frequency linear probe and a machine with callipers and image storage
- A diabetes OPD that will send patients with a recent HbA1c
- A fixed measurement protocol naming the segment and the number of readings
What derails it
Intima-media thickness varies by hundredths of a millimetre, which is inside the range of operator error, so measure at a fixed distance from the bulb on stored images and report your own repeatability.
Topic 22 / 45
Link to this entry
Renal arterial resistive index on Doppler in type 2 diabetes and its relation to albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Correlation of the intrarenal resistive index with the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio and eGFR
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 90 to 130 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Colour and spectral Doppler with a low-velocity scale setting
- Laboratory support for albumin-creatinine ratio on a spot urine sample
- A nephrology or medicine OPD with a steady diabetic load
What derails it
The resistive index rises with age and with blood pressure, so record both at the time of the scan, because a correlation with albuminuria that is really a correlation with age will not survive the viva.
Topic 23 / 45
Link to this entry
HRCT patterns in interstitial lung disease and their relation to spirometric severity
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of HRCT patterns and their relation to forced vital capacity expressed as percent predicted
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 70 to 100 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A thin-section HRCT protocol with inspiratory and expiratory sequences
- A pulmonary medicine unit doing spirometry on a calibrated machine
- Spirometry and HRCT performed within a defined interval of each other
What derails it
Spirometry done months apart from the scan breaks the comparison, so set a maximum interval of a few weeks and record it, because lung function moves faster than the HRCT pattern does.
Topic 24 / 45
Link to this entry
MRI findings in chronic low back pain and their relation to the Oswestry Disability Index
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Relation of graded disc degeneration and canal dimensions to the Oswestry Disability Index score
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 110 to 160 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI lumbar spine as a routine orthopaedic request
- A validated Oswestry questionnaire in the local language
- A reader applying one named grading system consistently
What derails it
Patients score disability differently when they are hoping for surgery or for a medical certificate, so administer the questionnaire before the report is handed over and record whether a claim or certificate is involved.
Topic 25 / 45
Link to this entry
Agreement between Greulich-Pyle and Tanner-Whitehouse bone age assessment on hand and wrist radiographs in children referred for short stature
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Mean difference and limits of agreement between the two methods, with inter-observer agreement for each
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 180 radiographs, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A steady paediatric endocrinology or growth clinic referral stream
- Both atlases available in the department
- Two readers who will score independently
What derails it
Neither atlas was built on this population, so frame the objective as agreement between methods and not as accuracy, because there is no reference standard for bone age and the examiner will ask what you compared against.
Topic 26 / 45
Link to this entry
Audit of radiation dose indices for common CT examinations against national diagnostic reference levels
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Median CTDIvol and dose-length product per examination type compared with the published national diagnostic reference levels
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 400 to 800 examinations across the protocols studied, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Console or PACS records carrying the dose report for each study
- Permission from the head of department to extract console logs
- The list of national reference levels being used as the comparator
What derails it
Older scanners store the dose page as a screenshot that cannot be exported as numbers, so check how your machine saves it before promising eight hundred examinations, or you will be typing every figure by hand.
Topic 27 / 45
Link to this entry
Reject and repeat analysis in digital radiography and the reasons recorded for repeat exposure
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Repeat rate by examination type and the distribution of documented reasons for repeat
Collection time
3 to 5 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 2000 to 4000 exposures over the audit period, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A digital radiography system that logs deleted and repeated images
- Co-operation of the radiographer team, who must not feel punitively audited
- Permission to access the modality log
What derails it
Radiographers quietly stop logging rejects once they know a study is running, so agree with the chief technologist that logging continues unchanged and compare your period against an equivalent earlier one.
Topic 28 / 45
Link to this entry
Incidental extra-target findings on contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen requested for a specified indication
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of studies carrying an incidental finding, classified by organ and by whether a recommendation for further action was recorded
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 500 to 800 consecutive reports, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A searchable PACS or report archive covering the chosen period
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee for record review
- A classification list agreed with a faculty member before extraction begins
What derails it
Different consultants differ in whether an incidental finding is mentioned at all, so re-read the images rather than the text for a defined subset and state that limitation instead of letting the report stand in for the scan.
Topic 29 / 45
Link to this entry
Preoperative CT staging of gastric carcinoma compared with postoperative histopathological stage
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Agreement between CT-assigned T and N stage and the pathological stage on the resected specimen
Collection time
6 to 9 months of record retrieval
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 operated cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A surgical gastroenterology unit with a file of resected gastric cancers
- Archived CT images, not only reports, available for re-reading
- Histopathology reports with full staging for the same patients
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee for review of archived images and reports
What derails it
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy between the CT and the surgery destroys the comparison, so separate those patients at screening rather than at analysis, because in a tertiary unit they are often the majority.
Topic 30 / 45
Link to this entry
Inter-observer agreement in chest radiograph interpretation for community-acquired pneumonia among radiology residents and faculty
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Kappa statistics by reader pair for the presence, lobe and pattern of consolidation
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 radiographs read by each of four or five readers, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An anonymised image set drawn from the archive
- Four or five readers at different levels who will commit to reading every image
- A structured reporting form fixed before reading begins
What derails it
Readers drift towards each other if they discuss cases in the reporting room, so stagger the sessions and bar discussion until everyone has finished, or your kappa will be measuring corridor conversation.
Topic 31 / 45
Link to this entry
Bedside lung ultrasound in acute dyspnoea, with CT chest as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of lung ultrasound profiles for interstitial syndrome, consolidation and effusion against CT
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 120 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A portable machine that can be taken to the emergency area or ward
- An agreed protocol with a fixed number of zones per hemithorax
- CT chest performed within a short defined interval of the ultrasound
What derails it
The sickest patients never reach CT, so a protocol that requires CT for inclusion excludes exactly the patients in whom bedside ultrasound matters most; count and report those exclusions.
Topic 32 / 45
Link to this entry
Correlation of the ACR TI-RADS category assigned on ultrasound with Bethesda cytology category in thyroid nodules
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of Bethesda categories within each TI-RADS category
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 180 nodules, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Ultrasound with good near-field resolution for thyroid
- A cytopathology service reporting in Bethesda categories
- A single reader, or a written consensus rule for assigning TI-RADS
What derails it
TI-RADS assignment shifts once the reader knows the cytology, so record the category in a sealed form before the aspirate is sent, not while you are writing up.
Topic 33 / 45
Link to this entry
MR venography in suspected cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and the relation of findings to the clinical presentation
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of sinus involvement on MR venography and its relation to the presenting syndrome recorded at admission
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- MRI with a venographic sequence on the standard brain protocol
- A neurology or medicine unit referring suspected cases
- A clinical proforma completed at admission
What derails it
A hypoplastic transverse sinus is a normal variant that reads as thrombosis on projection images alone, so require a source-image review in the protocol and name who adjudicated doubtful studies.
Topic 34 / 45
Link to this entry
CT perfusion parameters in acute ischaemic stroke and their relation to infarct extent on follow-up imaging
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Relation of perfusion-derived core and hypoperfusion volumes to infarct volume on follow-up CT or MRI
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 40 to 70 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A CT scanner with perfusion software and a power injector
- A stroke pathway that brings patients inside the perfusion window
- A fixed day for follow-up imaging that is routinely performed
What derails it
Perfusion post-processing licences are frequently not installed even when the hardware supports it, so confirm with the service engineer that the software is live and who is trained to run it before the synopsis goes in.
Topic 35 / 45
Link to this entry
Hippocampal volumetry and signal changes on MRI in temporal lobe epilepsy compared with age-matched controls
DesignCase-controlFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Difference in hippocampal volume, normalised to intracranial volume, between patients and controls
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 30 to 50 per group, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A thin-section oblique coronal epilepsy protocol
- Volumetry software, or an agreed manual tracing protocol with repeatability testing
- An epilepsy clinic with electroclinically defined cases
What derails it
Scanning healthy controls on a busy clinical magnet is the step that does not happen, so secure written permission for control slots and a defensible justification for scanning people who need no scan before you plan anything else.
Topic 36 / 45
Link to this entry
Warmed versus room-temperature iodinated contrast medium for contrast-enhanced CT: a randomised comparison of injection-site discomfort
DesignRandomised controlledFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Patient-reported injection-site discomfort on a visual analogue scale immediately after injection
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 70 to 110 per arm, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A contrast warmer held at a recorded temperature
- A power injector with fixed rate and volume per protocol
- Ethics approval and CTRI registration before the first participant is enrolled
What derails it
The nurse injecting cannot be blinded to a warmed bottle, so the discomfort score must be taken by someone who was not in the room, and that person has to be rostered in advance rather than found on the day.
Topic 37 / 45
Link to this entry
Capillary versus aspiration technique for ultrasound-guided fine needle sampling of thyroid nodules: a comparison of specimen adequacy
DesignComparative interventionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion of samples reported adequate for cytological interpretation by a cytopathologist blinded to technique
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 90 nodules per technique, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Ultrasound-guided sampling performed in the radiology department
- A cytopathologist willing to grade adequacy blinded to technique
- Ethics approval, since technique is being allocated rather than observed
What derails it
A single operator gets better at whichever technique they do first, so alternate within the same session and record operator and order for every nodule, or the learning curve becomes your result.
Topic 38 / 45
Link to this entry
Coaxial versus single-pass CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy: comparison of diagnostic yield and pneumothorax rate
DesignComparative interventionalFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Proportion of biopsies yielding a diagnostic specimen, and the rate of pneumothorax requiring intervention
Collection time
18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 40 to 60 per technique, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An interventional service performing lung biopsies regularly
- Immediate access to intercostal drain insertion
- Pathology turnaround that classifies yield inside the study window
What derails it
Lung biopsy volume in most teaching units is a handful a month and faculty pick the technique from the lesion position, so a design that assigns technique will be overruled at the table unless the consultants have agreed in writing.
Topic 39 / 45
Link to this entry
Ultrasound-guided needle aspiration compared with catheter drainage of liver abscess as chosen in routine care
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Time to clinical resolution and the proportion needing a repeat procedure, by the drainage method used
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Guided drainage performed in radiology with pigtail catheters stocked
- A medicine or surgery unit that refers abscesses rather than managing them blind
- A defined follow-up schedule with repeat ultrasound
What derails it
Method is chosen by abscess size and consistency, so the groups differ at baseline; record volume and wall characteristics for every abscess and present this as observation rather than as a trial.
Topic 40 / 45
Link to this entry
Ultrasound O-RADS categorisation of adnexal masses, with histopathology of the excised specimen as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion malignant on histopathology within each O-RADS category
Collection time
15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 120 masses, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Transvaginal and transabdominal scanning with Doppler
- A gynaecology unit operating adnexal masses in-house
- Histopathology reports retrievable for every operated case
What derails it
Low-category masses are managed conservatively and never reach histopathology, so state in the objectives that your figures apply to operated masses rather than to all adnexal masses seen.
Topic 41 / 45
Link to this entry
Pattern of coronary artery dominance and anomalous origin on CT coronary angiography in adults
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of coronary dominance and the proportion with an anomalous origin or course
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 300 studies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An archive of CT coronary angiograms of reportable quality
- A workstation with multiplanar and curved reformatting
- A waiver of consent for archived image review
What derails it
Studies degraded by arrhythmia or a high heart rate are unreadable for the right coronary in particular, so set an image-quality threshold in advance and report how many studies you discarded for it.
Topic 42 / 45
Link to this entry
Serial ultrasound follow-up of cytologically benign thyroid nodules over twelve months
DesignCohortFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion showing a defined increase in maximum dimension or a change in sonographic features at twelve months
Collection time
18 months including the follow-up interval
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 90 to 140 nodules, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A thyroid clinic that recalls benign nodules rather than discharging them
- Stored baseline images and measurements
- A recall system with telephone contact for defaulters
What derails it
A nodule already called benign does not bring the patient back, so budget for losing a large fraction and put the recall calls in your own diary rather than the clinic nurse's.
Topic 43 / 45
Link to this entry
Radiation protection knowledge and observed practice among radiographers and resident doctors in a teaching hospital
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Knowledge score on a pre-tested questionnaire and the proportion of observed examinations meeting defined protection practices
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 200 respondents, with a defined number of observed examinations, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Permission from the head of department and from technologist and nursing supervisors
- A questionnaire adapted and pre-tested locally
- An observation checklist applied by a single observer
What derails it
People behave differently while being watched, so separate the knowledge survey from the observation in time and observe from the normal working position rather than standing beside the console with a clipboard.
Topic 44 / 45
Link to this entry
MRI grading of cartilage and meniscal changes in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and its relation to radiographic severity
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Relation of a named MRI cartilage grading to the Kellgren-Lawrence grade on weight-bearing radiographs
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 120 knees, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A knee MRI protocol with proton density or fat-saturated sequences
- Weight-bearing radiographs taken to a fixed technique
- An orthopaedic OPD referring symptomatic knees
What derails it
Radiographs taken supine instead of weight-bearing understate joint space loss, so specify the radiographic technique in the protocol and reject studies done otherwise rather than mixing the two.
Topic 45 / 45
Link to this entry
Colour Doppler ultrasound in the acute scrotum, with surgical exploration or a documented clinical course as the reference standard
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Sensitivity and specificity of Doppler for testicular torsion against exploration or the defined clinical reference
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 80 patients, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Doppler available at night with low-flow settings preset
- A urology or surgery unit that explores suspected torsion
- An on-call arrangement that gets a trained operator to the machine after hours
What derails it
Torsion presents at two in the morning and whoever is on call scans it, so either you take those calls yourself for the study period or the protocol must name who else is trained and accountable for the images.

The designs

What each design commits you to

The designs in this Radiodiagnosis register

The design is not a label on the title; it decides your ethics route, your timetable and the test that answers your primary question. Only the designs that appear above are explained here.

Cross-sectional
10 topics
One contact per participant. Usually the quickest to complete, and the design most often chosen when time is short.
Prospective observational
4 topics
Participants are followed after enrolment without allocating an intervention. Ethics approval must precede the first enrolment.
Retrospective
5 topics
Existing records only. Faster, but limited by what was recorded, and a waiver of consent is normally sought from the ethics committee.
Comparative interventional
2 topics
Two or more arms compared. Ethics scrutiny is heavier, and the protocol must state how allocation is handled.
Randomised controlled
1 topic
Allocation is randomised. Prospective interventional studies are registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India before the first participant is enrolled.
Diagnostic accuracy
19 topics
An index test measured against a reference standard. The sample size depends on the expected sensitivity or specificity and the prevalence in your setting.
Case-control
1 topic
Cases and controls compared for prior exposure. Control selection is where these are most often criticised.
Cohort
3 topics
A defined group followed over time. Attrition is the usual threat, so plan for it in the sample size.

What the feasibility mark means

A judgement about a typical teaching unit, not about yours. Confirm the volume, the equipment and the co-operation a topic needs before your synopsis goes in, because after that the timetable stops being negotiable^[2].

Straightforward
15 topics
Achievable in most teaching units with routine caseload and no equipment beyond what is already in use.
Moderate
23 topics
Achievable, but needs either a specific piece of equipment, a collaborating department, or a caseload you should confirm before committing.
Demanding
7 topics
Only take this on if your unit already has the volume, the equipment and the co-operation it needs. Confirm all three before your synopsis goes in.

Next steps

Before you commit to one

What to do with a topic you like

Three steps, in this order. None of them is us: the first is arithmetic, the second is your guide, the third is a search only you can run.

Do the arithmetic
The figure on each plate is a planning range, not an answer. Put your own assumptions — the difference you would call clinically meaningful, the variability you expect, the power you want — into the free sample size calculator, then divide the result by the eligible patients your unit sees in a month and see whether the months you have left permit it.
Take it to your guide
Nothing on this page is approved by anybody. Your guide and your department decide what is feasible in your unit, and your ethics committee decides whether it may start — before the first participant, not before the analysis^[5]. Where your university ordinance is stricter than anything here, the ordinance wins^[1].
Run the search yourself
We make no claim that any question here is novel, under-studied or a gap, because that depends on a literature search run today in your own field. Read what the search returns before you write the introduction, and be ready to say why the question is worth asking in your setting.

What a thesis in this field has to satisfy — the obligations, the statistics and the questions residents ask first — is set out on the Radiodiagnosis page. Other specialties are in the topic bank index, and the method is worked through in the guides.

Undertakings

Mechanisms, not promises

What protects your draft, and who owns the work

Each line below is a mechanism this platform implements or a published instrument it is built around. None of them is a guarantee, and we are affiliated with no regulator or university.

Protection of your work

Row-level security
Every table enforces row-level access. You read your own record, and nothing else.
View-only streaming
Drafts are streamed to you through an authenticated route, not handed over as a file.
Watermarked to you
Every page you read carries your own name and email across it.
Download gated
The final file unlocks when the fee is settled in full, and not before.
Mumbai region · DPDP 2023
Your record and your documents are held in the Mumbai region, so India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 applies to them.
Anonymised data only
We accept no patient identifiers. An NDA is available on request.

How this works

Instruments we work to

NMC PGMER-2023
The thesis obligations set out in the postgraduate medical education regulations.
NBEMS
DNB and DrNB protocol and thesis timelines, and the page limit, as published.
UGC 2018 · <10%
The academic integrity convention we work to on every draft.
ICMJE · Vancouver
Authorship criteria and reference style, applied as published.
No affiliation
We work to these published instruments. We are affiliated to none of the bodies that issue them.

How this works

Authorship and the uniqueness check

Sole author
Mentoring, editing, statistics and compliance. You remain the sole author of your thesis.
Not ghostwriting
We will not write your thesis for you, and we will not be named in it.
MDSoftune
Word-level uniqueness checking, built with REDENN Informatics Inc., Canada.
Every version
Each draft is checked word by word before your university sees it.

How this works

MDThesis is an independent academic mentorship practice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the NMC, NBEMS, UGC or any university.

Free feasibility call

Tell us where your thesis stands. A senior doctor will tell you what to do next.

A senior doctor replies within one working day. No obligation. MD, MS, DNB, DrNB, DM, MCh, MDS and international programmes.

Request for a feasibility call

No obligation

Reply within one working day · No obligation · Your details are not shared

Prefer to write to us first? Contact the practice. We mentor and edit; you remain the sole author of your thesis.

References

[1]
Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, National Medical Commission. In force 1 January 2024. Thesis requirements at Regulation 5.2. nmc.org.in
[2]
DNB and DrNB thesis guidelines, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences. Protocol within 180 days of joining for three-year courses and 90 days for the two-year post-diploma DNB; research study complete by 24 months; thesis by 26 months; 80-page limit inclusive of certificates and annexures. natboard.edu.in
[5]
National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017, Indian Council of Medical Research. Ethics approval precedes data collection. icmr.gov.in
[6]
Counts of specialties, tracked stages, supported currencies and supported countries are structural facts of this platform, read from its own configuration rather than from a claim.

Document: Topic bank — Radiodiagnosis · Revision 1 · Last reviewed 10 SEPT 2026

Issued by MDThesis, a brand of REDENN Informatics Private Limited

Radiodiagnosis thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for eachRadiodiagnosis thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each

Diagnostic accuracy of 1.5 T MRI in meniscal and cruciate ligament injury of the knee, with arthroscopy as the reference standard

Shear wave elastography of solid thyroid nodules, with ultrasound-guided FNA cytology reported by the Bethesda system as the reference standard

Contrast-enhanced MDCT in blunt abdominal trauma, with laparotomy findings or documented clinical course as the reference standard

Graded compression ultrasound compared with contrast-enhanced CT in suspected acute appendicitis in adults, with histopathology of the resected appendix as the reference standard

MRCP in suspected choledocholithiasis, with ERCP or intraoperative cholangiography as the reference standard

Diagnostic performance of BI-RADS assessment on digital mammography with targeted ultrasound in palpable breast lumps, with core needle biopsy histopathology as the reference standard

Transvaginal ultrasound compared with pelvic MRI for myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinoma, with hysterectomy histopathology as the reference standard

Hysterosalpingography for tubal patency in primary infertility, with laparoscopic chromopertubation as the reference standard

Diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient values in differentiating brain abscess from cystic neoplasm, with histopathology or aspirate culture as the reference standard

Two-dimensional shear wave elastography for liver stiffness in chronic liver disease, with liver biopsy or a pre-defined composite clinical standard as the reference

High-resolution shoulder ultrasound compared with MRI for rotator cuff tears, with arthroscopic findings as the reference standard

MRI in perianal fistula, with operative findings at fistula surgery as the reference standard

Non-contrast CT of the urinary tract for ureteric calculus in acute flank pain, with stone retrieval or documented spontaneous passage as the reference standard

Transfontanelle ultrasound in term neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, with MRI brain as the reference standard

Ultrasound estimated fetal weight in the week before delivery compared with actual birth weight at term

MRI of the sacroiliac joints in young adults with inflammatory back pain, with rheumatological classification as the reference standard

Inter-observer agreement of the ASPECTS score on non-contrast CT in acute ischaemic stroke and its relation to functional status at ninety days

CT severity index in acute pancreatitis and its relation to the clinical course during admission

Umbilical and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices in fetal growth restriction and the perinatal course

Transvaginal cervical length in the mid-second trimester and the timing of delivery in singleton pregnancy

Carotid intima-media thickness in adults with type 2 diabetes and its relation to disease duration and glycaemic control

Renal arterial resistive index on Doppler in type 2 diabetes and its relation to albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate

HRCT patterns in interstitial lung disease and their relation to spirometric severity

MRI findings in chronic low back pain and their relation to the Oswestry Disability Index

Agreement between Greulich-Pyle and Tanner-Whitehouse bone age assessment on hand and wrist radiographs in children referred for short stature

Audit of radiation dose indices for common CT examinations against national diagnostic reference levels

Reject and repeat analysis in digital radiography and the reasons recorded for repeat exposure

Incidental extra-target findings on contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen requested for a specified indication

Preoperative CT staging of gastric carcinoma compared with postoperative histopathological stage

Inter-observer agreement in chest radiograph interpretation for community-acquired pneumonia among radiology residents and faculty

Bedside lung ultrasound in acute dyspnoea, with CT chest as the reference standard

Correlation of the ACR TI-RADS category assigned on ultrasound with Bethesda cytology category in thyroid nodules

MR venography in suspected cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and the relation of findings to the clinical presentation

CT perfusion parameters in acute ischaemic stroke and their relation to infarct extent on follow-up imaging

Hippocampal volumetry and signal changes on MRI in temporal lobe epilepsy compared with age-matched controls

Warmed versus room-temperature iodinated contrast medium for contrast-enhanced CT: a randomised comparison of injection-site discomfort

Capillary versus aspiration technique for ultrasound-guided fine needle sampling of thyroid nodules: a comparison of specimen adequacy

Coaxial versus single-pass CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy: comparison of diagnostic yield and pneumothorax rate

Ultrasound-guided needle aspiration compared with catheter drainage of liver abscess as chosen in routine care

Ultrasound O-RADS categorisation of adnexal masses, with histopathology of the excised specimen as the reference standard

Pattern of coronary artery dominance and anomalous origin on CT coronary angiography in adults

Serial ultrasound follow-up of cytologically benign thyroid nodules over twelve months

Radiation protection knowledge and observed practice among radiographers and resident doctors in a teaching hospital

MRI grading of cartilage and meniscal changes in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and its relation to radiographic severity

Colour Doppler ultrasound in the acute scrotum, with surgical exploration or a documented clinical course as the reference standard

What the feasibility mark means

Tell us where your thesis stands. A senior doctor will tell you what to do next.

Radiodiagnosis thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each