Value of Ultrasonographic Features for Assessing Malignant Potential of Complex Cystic Breast Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the value of ultrasonography (US) features for determining the malignant potential of complex cystic lesions. METHODS: Seventy-nine complex cystic lesions were reviewed retrospectively. They were classified into four types according to US features in type I, the masses have a thick outer wall, thick internal septa, or both; in type II, the masses are an intracystic type with one or more discrete solid mural lesions within a cyst; in type III, the masses contain mixed cystic and solid components and are at least 50% cystic portion in a mass; in type IV, there are predominantly (at least 50%) solid masses with eccentric or central cystic foci. Positive predictive values were calculated for all types. RESULTS: The frequency of malignancy was higher among type III and IV lesions than among the other two types. Lesions with a diameter greater than or equal to 20 mm, margins not circumscribed, resistance index greater than or equal to 0.7, and axillary abnormal nodes had a high probability of malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: US is an important adjunct to evaluate the malignant potential of complex cystic lesions.

Forearm bone mineral density measurement with different scanning positions: a study in right-handed Chinese using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

The purpose of our study was to determine whether different scanning positions influence forearm bone mineral density (BMD) measurements and to evaluate the association between forearm BMDs in different scanning positions and those of other skeleton sites. The study population consisted of 30 right-handed healthy Chinese volunteers. BMD was measured with GE Lunar Prodigy at the left forearm in both sitting and supine positions, and at lumbar spine and the right femur. All subjects received repeated measurements in the same day (repositioning), and the average of repeated BMD results was used for analysis. The BMD precision errors of the nondominant forearm in the sitting and supine positions varied from 1.13% to 2.46%. There were no statistically significant differences between BMD precision errors for each region of interest (ROI) between sitting and supine positions (all the p values were greater than 0.05). When comparing BMDs on the same side in the sitting position with those in the supine position, there were significant differences at both the 1/3 radius level and in the total radius (p<0.05). The BMD values at these ROIs obtained in the supine position were lower than those in the routine sitting position. The BMDs of the ultradistal radius in the both 2 different scanning positions were significantly associated with lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD, respectively. The total radius BMD in the different positions was associated with the BMD of the femoral neck. A change in body scanning position from sitting to supine will significantly influence forearm BMD results.

A clinical investigation treating different types of fibroids identified by MRI-T2WI imaging with ultrasound guided high intensity focused ultrasound.

Clinical data from 172 cases of uterine fibroids with different appearances on MRI-T2WI and accepted ultrasound guided high intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) treatment were retrospectively analyzed. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of ablating different types of fibroids, classified by T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-T2WI). Based on MRI-T2WI signal intensities, uterine fibroids were classified as three types: hypointensive (52 cases), isointensive (64 cases) and hyperintensive (56 cases). Evaluation parameters including treatment time, ablation efficiency, percentage non-perfused volume, fibroid reduction rate, adverse reactions, symptom severity scores (SSS) and re-intervention rate were assessed from 3 months to 1 year. The percentage non-perfused volume and ablation efficiency of hyperintensive uterine fibroids were lower than those of isointensive and hypointensive uterine fibroids. All fibroids shrunk and the SSS continued to reduce at 3 and 6 months after treatment respectively. At 12-month postoperative assessments, hypointensive fibroids continued to shrink, while the isointensive fibroids enlarged but remained smaller than pre-treatment. The incident rate of postoperative Society of Interventional Radiology B-class (SIRB-class) adverse events showed no significant differences. The re-interventional rate of hyperintensive fibroids was higher than in isointensive and hypointensive groups. USgHIFU ablation of all types of fibroids were safe and effective.