[Fucoidan-Modified Phase-Transitional Contrast Agent for Ultrasound Imaging and Targeting of Hepatoma Cells].

Objective: To prepare a fucoidan-modified phase-transitional contrast agent (FPCA) and to evaluate its in vitro capabilities for ultrasound imaging and targeting of hepatoma cells. Methods: Nano-liposomes encapsulated with perfluoropentane were prepared using thin-film hydration and ultrasonic emulsification methods. Then, FPCA nanoparticles were prepared through chemical grafting of fucoidan and the characterization of their physical and chemical properties was performed. After applying external stimuli of heating with hot water bath and microwave irradiation, the phase-transition status of FPCA was observed with microscope. The imaging abilities of phase-transited FPCA on two-dimensional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were observed with ultrasonic diagnostic instrument. The ability of FPCA to target at hepatoma cells was evaluated and verified with fluorescence confocal observation and flow cytometry analysis. Results: The FPCA prepared in the study had an average diameter of (222.1±32.5) nm, displaying spherical appearance, good dispersion, good stability, and good biocompatibility. The phase-transition of FPCA was induced by both heating with hot water bath and microwave irradiation. For phase transition, the optimal temperature was found to be 50 ℃ and the preferred microwave power was 1.5 W/cm 2. Moreover, after phase transition, FPCA showed significant imaging enhancement on both two-dimensional ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. Through fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeling, FPCA could specifically bind with hepatoma cells at a high binding rate of (96.19±1.62)%, while it rarely bound with normal liver cells, showing a binding rate of less than 10%. Conclusion: A new type of phase-transitional ultrasound contrast agent with good stability and biocompatibility was successfully prepared. It not only could enhance ultrasound imaging through phase transition, but also had specific active hepatoma cell-targeting properties.

Ultrasound Diagnosis of Breast Lymphoma and the Identification of Breast Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: By analyzing the B-mode ultrasound and color Doppler flow imaging characteristics of breast lymphoma (BL) and breast infiltrating ductal carcinoma (BIDC), we expected to discriminate these diseases. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with BL and 30 with BIDC confirmed pathologically were selected. The BL group was divided into nodular and diffuse groups. We analyzed and compared the general and imaging characteristics of the BL subgroups and the BIDC group. RESULTS: The mean maximum diameter of BL was 54.93 ± 43.74 cm, and that of BIDC was 23.90 ± 6.79 cm (P < .05). The differences between the nodular BL and BIDC groups in a circumscribed margin (60.00% versus 20.00%), calcification (20.00% versus 53.33%), aggregation characteristics (0.00% versus 53.33%), and density (73.33% versus 10.00%) were statistically significant (P < .05). The differences between the diffuse BL and BIDC groups in calcification (6.67% versus 53.33%), aggregation characteristics (6.67% versus 53.33%) and density (40.00% versus 10.00%) were statistically significant (P < .05). The difference in a circumscribed margin (60% versus 13.33%) between the BL subgroups was statistically significant (P < .05). The blood flow signal in BL lesions was richer than that in BIDC lesions (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Extrasuperior-quadrant single lesions in the BL group were larger than those in the BIDC group. The edges of the lesions in the nodular BL group were circumscribed and dense. Lesions in the diffuse BL group did not have a circumscribed margin, calcification, aggregation characteristics, or density. The blood flow signal in BL lesions was richer than that in BIDC lesions.

[Multiple Calcification of the Nipple Areola Complex: a Case Report of Infiltrating Syringomatous Adenoma of the Nipple].

A 41 years old female patient experienced enlarged right nipple more than 6 years ago. Physical examination showed enlarged and hardened right nipple (about 2 cm) but no tenderness. Mammographic results showed the mixed calcification pattern, which was presenting multiple sizes of circular and granular calcification of the nipple areola complex. Ultrasound revealed large calcification in the nipple areola area with posterior acoustic shadow. This patient underwent extensive excision of the nipple areola complex. The surgical margin was confirmed to be negative. Postoperative pathology confirmed an infiltrating syringomatous adenoma with ossification in some areas. Tumor cell infiltration was not found at the surgical margin. After 4 years of follow-up, no recurrence was found. The mammography and ultrasound findings of this benign tumor were significantly different from those reported in previous literatures. We should improve the understanding of the variousness of clinical imaging manifestations of this disease.

[The Characteristics of Ultrasonography and Thermal Tomography in Various Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the imaging features of ultrasonography and thermal tomography and molecular subtypes of breast cancer. METHODS: 404 female breast cancer patients with complete imaging data and pathological findings from January 2014 to June 2017 were reviewed in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Breast cancer pathological molecules were classified into Luminal A like type, Luminal B like type, human epidermal growth receptor-2 (HER-2) overexpression type and Basal like type according to the expression of various immune markers. The correlation of ultrasonographic BI-RADS signs, thermal tomography characteristics and immunohistochemical results of breast cancer was analyzed. RESULTS: Breast cancer lesions with regular morphology, sharp margins, and enhanced posterior echo were more common in Basal like type; Microcalcification was more likely tend to appear in HER-2 expression breast cancer than other subtypes; The q-r curve of Luminal A like breast cancer was nearly 30°, and that was more common between 30°and 45° of HER-2 expression and Basal like breast cancer；The ratio of vertical and horizontal ≥1 of tumors and limited lymph node metastasis could not be used for distinguishing between different subtypes. CONCLUSION: Different molecular subtypes of breast cancer may behave routine ultrasound and thermal tomography imaging features.

[Clinical and Ultrasonographic Features of Hepatic Infantile Hemangioendothelioma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical manifestations and ultrasound features of hepatic infantile hemangioendothelioma (IHE). METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and ultrasound characteristics of 8 patients of IHE,whose diagnosis was confirmed by surgery or liver biopsy from January 2010 to October 2016. RESULTS: Among the eight IHE patients,the male-to-female ratio was 1:1,with the mean age ranged from 15 d to 3 yr.,of which six individuals were younger than 3 months old. Seven patients had single lesion and one case was multiple. The average size of the lesions was (8.2±1.0) cm diameter. Hypoechoic (4 cases) and echogenic lesions (3 cases) were shown by echography,the lesions border and morphology were clearly defined in 7 cases.Furthermore,internal echoes were mostly inhomogeneous (4 cases),and calcification or peripheral halo were even visible. Color Dopplar flow imaging (CDFI) showed internal visible line or more abundant blood flow signal in 6 cases,mainly to venous blood flow. CONCLUSION: The age of onset for hepatic IHE seems less than three months. The echography with single lesion with clear border,regular solid mass or calcification in the tumor,should come to the possibility of IHE.

[Preparation of VEGFR2 Targeted Ultrasound Microbubbles by Freeze-drying and Targeting Study in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare vascular endothelial growth factor receptor2 (VEGFR2) targeted ultrasound contrast agent (microbubbles, MBs) by freeze-dried method and to evaluate its contrast enhanced effect and targeting capability through in vitro experiments. METHODS: Targeted MBs were prepared using the biotin-avidin linkage to conjugate rat anti-mouse VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody to the surface of biotinylated MBs. Morphology, size and distribution of MBs were assessed. The binding of streptavidin (FITC marker) and VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody (PE labeled rabbit IgG) to MBs was verified by immunofluorescence staining. In vitro targeting experiments were performed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The binding capacity of MBs to HUVECs were detected by three groups including untargeted MBs group (adding 1×107 untargeted MBs), antibody presaturation added VEGFR2 targeted MBs group (after being incubated with excess VEGFR2 antibody, 1×107 VEGFR2 targeted ultrasound MBs were added) and VEGFR2 targeted MBs group (adding 1×107 VEGFR2 targeted ultrasound MBs). Contrast enhanced effects of VEGFR2 targeted MBs were preliminarily examined using an ultrasound imaging system and a home-made extracorporeal circulating device. RESULTS: The monoclonal antibody of streptomycin and rat anti-mouse VEGFR2 can be combined with the biotinized MBs to construct the targeted ultrasound MBs of VEGFR2 by immunofluorescence staining. Under the microscope, VEGFR2 targeted MBs were round, uniform in size and uniform in distribution, with a mean diameter of (1.31±0.93) µm. Microscopy showed a small number of MBs around HUVECs in non-targeted MBs group, almost no MBs around HUVECs of antibody presaturation+VEGFR2 targeted ultrasound MBs group, and many MBs around HUVECs of VEGFR2 targeted ultrasound MBs group. The binding capacity was significantly higher than that of untargeted MBs. The self-made MBs developed well and no significant attenuation was observed as time extension in the mode of enhanced ultrasonography. CONCLUSIONS: The freeze-drying method can be used to prepare VEGFR2 targeted ultrasound contrast agent, which has good in vitro targeting ability and contrast enhanced effects for ultrasound molecular imaging.

Discovery of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-3-carbonitrile derivatives as a new class of histone lysine demethylase 4D (KDM4D) inhibitors.

Herein we report the discovery of a series of new small molecule inhibitors of histone lysine demethylase 4D (KDM4D). Molecular docking was first performed to screen for new KDM4D inhibitors from various chemical databases. Two hit compounds were retrieved. Further structural optimization and structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis were carried out to the more selective one, compound 2, which led to the discovery of several new KDM4D inhibitors. Among them, compound 10r is the most potent one with an IC50 value of 0.41±0.03µM against KDM4D. Overall, compound 10r could be taken as a good lead compound for further studies.

[The Diagnostic Value of Double Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound in Colorectal Neoplasms].

OBJECTIVES: To determine the value of double contrast enhanced ultrasound (DCEUS) in detecting colorectal neoplasms. METHODS: The conventional abdominal ultrasound and DCEUS (hydrocolonal ultrasound+intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasonography) were performed in 77 patients with 79 colorectal tumors. The clinical, ultrasonic and pathological data of the patients were reviewed. RESULTS: The conventional abdominal ultrasound detected 32 colorectal tumors (32/79, with a sensitivity of 40.1%), compared with 68 tumors found in DCEUS (68/79, with a sensitivity of 86.1%). The tumors were located accurately in 21.9%(7/32) and 88.2%(60/68) cases for the conventional abdominal ultrasound and DCEUS, respectively ( P<0.05). DCEUS accurately located 94.4%(51/54)cased with colon neoplasm. Two types of enhancing modes were found with colorectal neoplasm: entirely homogeneous enhancing and heterogeneous enhancing perpendicularly from the serosal part to the mucosal part. The enhancing modes were associated with the morphology of neoplasm. Thirty-nine segmented-thickened tumors were found with perpendicularly enhancing from the serosal surface to the mucosal surface, while 29 protruding tumors were found with enhancing from their pedicles or fund. CONCLUSIONS: DCEUS has higher detection sensitivity and location accuracy than conventional ultrasound.

[Breast Thermal Tomography and High Frequency Ultrasound Imaging in Predicting Breast Cancer: a Preliminary Study].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical value of breast thermal tomography and high frequency ultrasound imaging in diagnosing breast cancer. METHODS: Breast thermal tomography and high frequency ultrasound imaging were performed in 298 patients with breast lumps. The results were compared with pathological diagnosis. RESULTS: The ultrasound imaging had a sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve (AUC) of 99.02%, 62.78% and 0.814, respectively, compared with 83.33%, 83.16% and 0.830 of thermal tomography, for diagnosing breast cancer. The two imaging results showed statistical significance in the test of non-inferiority (P < 0.001). A combination of the two imaging results produced a sensitivity, specificity and AUC of 83.33%, 89.79% and 0.866, respectively. CONCLUSION: Thermal tomography is not inferior to ultrasonography in detecting breast cancer. The two combined can improve specificity and accuracy of the diagnosis of breast cancer.

[Characteristics of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of neovascularization].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the characteristics of carotid arteriosclerotic plaques in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of neovascularization. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques were examined with real-time CEUS. The perfusion modes of neovascularization in relation to the carotid arteriosclerotic plaques were identified. Patients were categorized into four groups according to their plaque echo. Five patients with serious atherosclerotic carotid artery disease received carotid endarterectomy. The intra-plaque neovascularization recorded by CEUS were validated by post-surgery pathology examinations of the tissues. RESULTS: In routing ultrasound examinations, 23 (29. 49%) plaques were identified with low-echo, 30 (38.46%) with mixed echo, 20 (25. 64%) with equal-echo, and 5 (6. 41%) with high-echo. The CEUS imaging revealed 60 carotid atherosclerotic plaques (76. 9%) with various degrees of enhancement in intra-plaque neovascularization. The thickness of plaques was correlated with the enhanced intensity of ultrasonography, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0. 686 (P < 0. 05). Compared with equal and high echo plaques, the enhanced intensity of ultrasonography in low and mixed echo plaques was higher (P<0. 05). The intra-plaque neovascularization recorded by CEUS was correlated with the grade of neovascularization resulted from post-surgery examinations (Spearman coefficient= 0. 886, P 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The real-time CEUS can assess the neovascularization in carotid atherosclerotic plaques non-invasively and quantitatively.

[The perfusion pattern of lymphadenopathy in contrast-enhanced ultrasonograph. under different reference conditions ].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perfusion pattern of lymphadenopathy in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) under different reference conditions. METHODS: The CEUS perfusion patterns of 78 superficial lymph node lesions were compared with their pathology results. Time-intensity curves were used for comparison between benign and malignant lymph nodes. RESULTS: Inhomogeneous hyperenhancement was the main perfusion pattern (7/17, 41. 2%) in metastatic lymph nodes; compared with homogeneous hyperenhancement (2/4, 50. 0%) in lymphoma, homogeneous hyperenhancement and isoenhancement (6/52, 11. 5%) in reactive lymph nodes, and circle enhancement (2/4,50. 0%) in tuberculosis. Benign lymph nodes showed different mean value, peak intensity and area under the curve compared with their surrounding arteries (P<0. 05). But the differences in mean value, rise time, time to peak, peak intensity and the area under the curve between benign lymphadenopathy and their surrounding tissues were not statistically significant (P>0. 05). Malignant lymph nodes showed different mean value and peak intensity compared with their surrounding arteries and tissues (P<0. 05). The differences in time to peak between malignant lymph nodes and their surrounding tissues were also statistically significant (P< 0. 05). CONCLUSION: Different CEUS perfusion patterns are associated with different types of lymph node lesions. Time intensity curves with surrounding tissues as reference condition offer great values for the differential diagnosis of superficial lymphadenopathy.

Deep learning-assisted ultrasonic diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer: a retrospective study of 3059 patients.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a deep learning system to identify and differentiate the metastatic cervical lymph nodes (CLNs) of thyroid cancer. Methods: From January 2014 to December 2020, 3059 consecutive patients with suspected with metastatic CLNs of thyroid cancer were retrospectively enrolled in this study. All CLNs were confirmed by fine needle aspiration. The patients were randomly divided into the training (1228 benign and 1284 metastatic CLNs) and test (307 benign and 240 metastatic CLNs) groups. Grayscale ultrasonic images were used to develop and test the performance of the Y-Net deep learning model. We used the Y-Net network model to segment and differentiate the lymph nodes. The Dice coefficient was used to evaluate the segmentation efficiency. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to evaluate the classification efficiency. Results: In the test set, the median Dice coefficient was 0.832. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV were 57.25%, 87.08%, 72.03%, 81.87%, and 66.67%, respectively. We also used the Y-Net classified branch to evaluate the classification efficiency of the LNs ultrasonic images. The classification branch model had sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of 84.78%, 80.23%, 82.45%, 79.35%, and 85.61%, respectively. For the original ultrasonic reports, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV were 95.14%, 34.3%, 64.66%, 59.02%, 87.71%, respectively. The Y-Net model yielded better accuracy than the original ultrasonic reports. Conclusion: The Y-Net model can be useful in assisting sonographers to improve the accuracy of the classification of ultrasound images of metastatic CLNs.

[Monitoring renal microcirculation perfusion alteration with contrast-enhanced ultrasound during cardiopulmonary bypass].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the monitoring of renal microcirculation perfusion alteration with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: Renal microcirculation perfusion before and during CPB was assessed by CEU. Time-intensity curve (TIC) were derived from three region of interest (ROI) using QLAB post-analysis software. Parameters such as TIC curve wash in slope (A), area under curve (AUC), peak intensity (DPI) as well as time to peak intensity (TTP) were then calculated. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound showed a significant reduction (or elongation) of perfusion parameter (A, AUC, DPI, TTP) in all three regions (superficial cortex, deep cortex and medulla) during cardiopulmonary bypass in comparison with normal cardiac cycle. CONCLUSION: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has a dramatic impact on renal microcirculation in pediatric patients which manifest as global reduction in renal perfusion as well as significant region perfusion difference. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) could detect the renal microcirculation alteration during CPB.

Differential Diagnosis of DCIS and Fibroadenoma Based on Ultrasound Images: a Difference-Based Self-Supervised Approach.

Differentiation of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, a precancerous lesion of the breast) from fibroadenoma (FA) using ultrasonography is significant for the early prevention of malignant breast tumors. Radiomics-based artificial intelligence (AI) can provide additional diagnostic information but usually requires extensive labeling efforts by clinicians with specialized knowledge. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of differentially diagnosing DCIS and FA using ultrasound radiomics-based AI techniques and further explore a novel approach that can reduce labeling efforts without sacrificing diagnostic performance. We included 461 DCIS and 651 FA patients, of whom 139 DCIS and 181 FA patients constituted a prospective test cohort. First, various feature engineering-based machine learning (FEML) and deep learning (DL) approaches were developed. Then, we designed a difference-based self-supervised (DSS) learning approach that only required FA samples to participate in training. The DSS approach consists of three steps: (1) pretraining a Bootstrap Your Own Latent (BYOL) model using FA images, (2) reconstructing images using the encoder and decoder of the pretrained model, and (3) distinguishing DCIS from FA based on the differences between the original and reconstructed images. The experimental results showed that the trained FEML and DL models achieved the highest AUC of 0.7935 (95% confidence interval, 0.7900-0.7969) on the prospective test cohort, indicating that the developed models are effective for assisting in differentiating DCIS from FA based on ultrasound images. Furthermore, the DSS model achieved an AUC of 0.8172 (95% confidence interval, 0.8124-0.8219), indicating that our model outperforms the conventional radiomics-based AI models and is more competitive.

Metastasis to the thyroid gland from primary breast cancer presenting as diffuse goiter: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis to the thyroid gland (TM) from primary breast cancer is uncommon and usually presents as thyroid nodules; however, diffuse goiter without thyroid nodules is the first sign of TM in rare cases. Skip metastases (SMs) to the lymph nodes in breast cancer, defined as discontiguous higher-level metastases in the absence of lower levels of contiguous metastases, have been reported in the contralateral cervical area of the primary tumor site in rare cases. CASE SUMMARY: A 49-year-old previously healthy Chinese woman was diagnosed with right lateral invasive ductal carcinoma and underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment and bilateral mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection. No malignancy of the left breast or axillary or distant metastases were identified preoperatively. However, enlarged left cervical lymph nodes were detected 36 mo after surgery, and rapidly enlarging thyroid glands without nodules were detected 42 mo after surgery. Fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed on the left cervical lymph nodes and left lobe of the thyroid, which were both revealed to contain metastases from the primary breast cancer. Additionally, the immunostaining profiles changed in the process of metastases. The patient was discharged with the NP (vinorelbine and cisplatin) regimen for subsequent treatment, and stable disease was determined when the curative effect was evaluated. CONCLUSION: Diffuse goiter may be the first sign of TM, and enlarged lymph nodes in the contralateral cervical area may be SMs of primary breast cancer.

Hepatic perfusion disorder associated with focal liver lesions: contrast-enhanced US patterns--correlation study with contrast-enhanced CT.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively compare the detection and characterization of hepatic perfusion disorder (HPD) associated with focal liver lesions (FLLs) at contrast material-enhanced ultrasonography (US) by using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the local institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was waived. Three hundred fifty patients (mean age, 50 years ± 11 [standard deviation]; age range, 19-82 years; 168 women, 182 men) underwent contrast-enhanced US and contrast-enhanced CT between April 2008 and July 2010. Two independent readers reviewed contrast-enhanced US images for the detection and characterization of HPD. The largest lesion or the lesion best identified at contrast-enhanced US per patient was used for statistical analysis. Contrast-enhanced CT was used as the reference standard. Contrast-enhanced US and CT interreader agreement of diagnoses was assessed by using the weighted κ coefficient, and influences of lesion size, enhancement covering rate, and liver cirrhosis were evaluated by using logistic regression analysis and the paired χ(2) test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of contrast-enhanced US for HPD detection were calculated. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced US results showed HPD features similar to those of CT imaging. CT depicted 50 HPDs in 350 patients, and contrast-enhanced US depicted 55 HPDs in 350 patients. The agreement for HPD diagnosis between US and CT was good (κ = 0.749). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of contrast-enhanced US were 84.0%, 95.7%, 76.4%, 97.3%, and 0.945, respectively. Rapid enhancement coverage (P < .001) and lesion size (P = .002) were significant predictors of the occurrence of HPD. Liver cirrhosis did not have significant influence for HPD detection (P = .087). Image zooming, limited acoustic window, lesion diameter greater than 5 cm, attenuation, and blurred images were the main reasons for the false-positive diagnosis of HPD at contrast-enhanced US. CONCLUSION: The HPD in FLLs can reliably be detected with contrast-enhanced US, which correlated well with contrast-enhanced CT images.

The comparison of grey-scale ultrasonic and clinical features of hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in children: a retrospective study for ten years.

BACKGROUND: Hepatoblastoma (HBL) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are respectively the first and the second most common pediatric malignant liver tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combined use of the ultrasound examination and the assessment of the patients' clinical features for differentiating HBL from HCC in children. METHODS: Thirty cases of the confirmed HBL and 12 cases of the confirmed HCC in children under the age of 15 years were enrolled into our study. They were divided into the HBL group and the HCC group according to the histological types of the tumors. The ultrasonic features and the clinical manifestations of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed, with an emphasis on the following parameters: onset age, gender (male/female) ratio, positive epatitis-B-surface-antigen (HBV), alpha-fetoprotein increase, and echo features including septa, calcification and liquefaction within the tumors. RESULTS: Compared with the children with HCC, the children with HBL had a significantly younger onset age (8.2 years vs. 3.9 years, P < 0.001) and a significantly smaller frequency of positive HBV (66.7% vs. 13.3%, P < 0.001). The septa and liquefaction were more frequently found in HBL than in HCC (25/30, 83.3% vs. 2/12, 16.7%, P < 0.001; 17/30, 56.7% vs. 3/12, 25%, P = 0.02). When a combination of the liquefaction, septa, negative HBV and onset age smaller than 5 years was used in the evaluation, the sensitivity was raised to 90%, the accuracy was raised to 88%, and the negative predictive value was raised to 73%. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic features combined with clinical manifestations are valuable for differentiating HBL from HCC in children.

Multimodal ultrasound imaging of primary thyroid schwannoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: Primary schwannoma of the thyroid gland is very rare, and its preoperative diagnosis is difficult. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report the case of a thyroid nodule in an 18-year-old woman, who presented with a mass in her left neck with stiffness and normal thyroid function. However, the patient complained of numbness in her left upper extremity, and ultrasound (US) features were suspicious of malignancy. DIAGNOSES: Multimodal US imaging was performed using B-mode, color doppler, ultrasonic elastography (UE), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). CEUS revealed heterogeneous enhancement and "target sign" within the tumor. The nodule was suspicious for malignancy and classified as TI-RADS 4b, while the elasticity values measured by UE indicated a benign lesion. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was subsequently performed in the markedly contrast-enhanced area for biopsy. Cytological results revealed a benign schwannoma. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent left lobe resection. Postoperative pathology confirmed it to be a primary benign schwannoma of the thyroid. OUTCOMES: After thyroidectomy, the patient was followed-up with US. At present, all laboratory tests and thyroid imaging are normal, and the numbness of the left upper limb has disappeared. LESSONS: The combination of different US modalities is useful for the diagnosis of thyroid lesions. FNA performed under CEUS guidance improves the accuracy of biopsy sampling.

Partially cystic thyroid cancer on conventional and elastographic ultrasound: a retrospective study and a machine learning-assisted system.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid carcinoma constitutes the vast majority of all thyroid cancer, most of which is the solid nodule type. No previous studies have examined combining both conventional and elastic sonography to evaluate the diagnostic performance of partially cystic thyroid cancer (PCTC). This retrospective study was designed to evaluate differentiation of PCTC from benign partially cystic nodules with a machine learning-assisted system based on ultrasound (US) and elastography. METHODS: Patients with suspicious partially cystic nodules and finally confirmed were included in the study. We performed conventional US and real-time elastography (RTE). The US features of nodules were recorded. The data set was entered into 6 machine-learning algorithms. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 177 nodules were included in this study. Among these nodules, 81 were malignant and 96 were benign. Wreath-shaped feature, micro-calcification, and strain ratio (SR) value were the most important imaging features in differential diagnosis. The random forest classifier was the best diagnostic model. CONCLUSIONS: US features of PCTC exhibited unique characteristics. Wreath-shaped partially cystic nodules, especially with the appearance of micro-calcifications and larger SR value, are more likely to be malignant. The random forest classifier might be useful to diagnose PCTC.

[The labral plicae entrapment syndrome of hip in children: an ultrasonography study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the ultrasonographic (US) features of labral plicae entrapment syndrome of hip (LPEH) in children and to evaluate the value of US in diagnosing LPEH. METHODS: (1) Twenty six LPEH models and 38 sham LPEH hips were established surgically from 32 children cadavers [15 male and 17 female, age from 2 to 8 years, mean age of (6.12 +/- 2.13) years]. US was performed on these hips double-blindly. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. (2) A total of 21 children (17 male and 4 female, mean age (5.95 +/- 2.67) years) with unilateral LPEH and 21 age and gender matched children with normal hips were consecutively recruited. The 21 symptomatic hips, 21 asymptomatic hips and 42 normal hips were examined by the US (ATL 5000) using the high-frequency (7.5-12 MHz) linear array transducer. RESULTS: (1) The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the US for the LPEH model were 88%, 84%, 79%, and 91%, respectively. (2) Fluids in hip joints were detected in all of the 21 symptomatic hips. No fluid was detected in the asymptomatic and normal hips (less than 2mm); The mean width of the inferomedial recess was significantly larger than that of the anterior recess (12.50 mm vs. 4.35 mm, P < 0.05) in the 21 symptomatic hip joints; The echogenic entrapped labral plicaes were demonstrated in the inferomedial recess of the 21 symptomatic hip joints, with a length ranging from 5.3 to 25.0 mm [mean(15.63 +/- 5.57) mm) and a width ranging from 4.0 to 17.0 mm [mean (8.90 +/- 7.81) mm], respectively; No color signal of blood flow was demonstrated in 90% of the 21 entrapped labral plicaes; With regard to the mean thickness of cartilage of femora head, anterior layer and posterior layer of the anterior capsule, there were no statistical significant differences between the three groups (P > 0.05). After manual reduction and conservative treatment, all of the entrapped labral plicae and fluids disappeared in the US follow-up examinations. CONCLUSION: The entrapped labral plicae in the inferomedial recess of hip joints could be visualized by the US. The US provides a useful diagnostic clue to LPEH in children.