Editorial
Authors: Albeshan Salman 
Published: August 2022

Scientific research is one of the most important cornerstones on which the ”Kingdom’s Vision 2030” depends. One of the 2030 vision’s main goals is to be one of the top ten countries in of Global Competitiveness Index. Yet scientific research is a vital element of this index. Another goal is to have at least 5 Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in the world rankings. It has become universally recognized that scientific research is a viable and long-term investment, the keystone of building civilizational leap, and the basis for generating and exchanging new knowledge and strengthening the global network.

In the Nature Index 2019 rankings, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first in the Arab world and 29th globally in scientific research. The report from the ministry of education indicated that in 2019, there was a more than 104% increase in publication growth, and the citation index improved by 35%. Thus, the Kingdom quickly advanced to become one of the most important players in the field of scientific research in the world, thanks to generous funding from the rational government.

However, governmental funds and support should go alongside individual initiatives to achieve the desired outcomes. Proceeding from the SJR keenness to advance the scientific research process in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the wider Asian content, where there is a scarcity of academic journals related to the field of radiology, the Saudi Journal of Radiology (SJR) was launched in September 2021. One of the most fundamental objectives of the SJR is to enrich the field of radiology by advancing knowledge and its applications by producing original scientific research by supporting research and efforts in a way that stimulates knowledge production and research as well as by providing channels and network where researchers and scientists have a place to share their thoughts. SJR brings research to light by standardizing it, coordinating it in a unique academic format, and then publishing it in the most important international and local databases, which the reader can easily access.

I consider it a great privilege to be editor-in-chief for the Saudi Journal of Radiology (SJR). I will do my best with my corresponding associate and editorial members to face all challenges and strive to increase the impact as well as the quality of the journal’s content. Hereby, I am pleased to write this editorial letter for the first issue of SJR and my first as an Editor-in-Chief. The issue contains three clinical papers and two case reports.

The issue opens with Waheed et al., with a project evaluating the diagnostic utility of Susceptibility Weighted Angiogram (SWAN) in brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) by identifying venous angiomas causing epileptic seizures. They conclude that venous angiomas are usually asymptomatic when detected incidentally. However, adding a SWAN sequence in routine brain MRI for epilepsy patients may help to detect venous angiomas.

Next, Alkhatib et al. tried to report a case of a 68-year-old male on how to manage the glue reflux occurring during embolization of a bronchial artery aneurysm. This technical report describes a known complication of transcatheter embolization, non-target distal embolization, which must be recognized and managed well to avoid sequelae. They concluded that technical complication was recognized and managed as shown with no adverse outcome and good long-term treatment of the lesion.

Another interesting clinical research article on Sella, Optic nerve, Ventricular, acquired cerebellar ectopia, Cerebral venous sinus stenosis (SOVAC) approach has been studied by Waheed and his colleagues to determine the diagnostic ability of brain MRI in the detection of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (ICH) by considering certain findings under the SOVAC approach. They found that brain MRI under the ‘SOVAC’ approach can predict ICH with greater sensitivity and specificity.

Even though the brown tumour is the hallmark of hyperparathyroidism, it is rarely observed due to early laboratory detection of elevated parathyroid hormone levels. The unusual occurrence of this entity in everyday practice is a concern not only for patients but also for physicians, as it can be mistaken for other lytic bone lesions. Therefore, Hussian has reported a case of a 45-year-old male with a polyostotic brown tumour presenting with thoracic cord compression secondary to vertebral pathological fracture. She concluded that in conventional radiology, cross-sectional imaging should be performed to distinguish it from other bone tumours that should be considered even in the background of hyperparathyroidism.

Our last paper in this issue relates to estimating the prevalence of pulmonary embolism and non-embolic findings in patients who underwent Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA). Alrehaili and Eltayeb retrospectively analyzed more than 150 CTPA patients and concluded that the prevalence of CTPA studies was positive for pulmonary embolism (embolism 26.6%. and non-embolic findings 86.7%.) was reasonable compared with other studies research. Lung opacification and pleural effusion were the most commonly occurring findings.

I would like to take this chance to invite all researchers to submit their work to the SJR send issue. Our experienced and knowledgeable peer reviewers will thoroughly read your work and provide you with constructive feedback. What can the SJR offer to those submitting their work? First, we are committed to a proficient submission process, with the first decision anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks from submission. All accepted articles will be published “online first,” which greatly shortens the time to publication. If you are interested in submitting your work to SJR, please refer to the author guidelines on our website: https ://saudiradiology.com/index.php/home/about/submissions.

To conclude, I want to pass my appreciation to all the contributors, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members for their invaluable assistance and support to the SJR first issue. I look forward to a productive and fruitful term as Editor-in-Chief of SJR. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your ideas and comments at salbeshan@saudiradiology.com.

Sincerely,Salman Mohammed Albeshan Ph.D.