Ultrasound-Guided Prolotherapy for Acromial Enthesopathy and Acromioclavicular Joint Arthropathy: A Single-Arm Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: Prolotherapy is an injection-based complementary treatment for various musculoskeletal diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ultrasound-guided prolotherapy in the treatment of acromial enthesopathy and acromioclavicular joint arthropathy. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with chronic moderate-to-severe shoulder pain were recruited from September 2015 to September 2017. Ultrasound-guided prolotherapy was performed by injecting 10 mL of a 15% dextrose solution into the acromial enthesis of the deltoid or acromioclavicular joint capsule aseptically. Prolotherapy was given in 2 sessions separated by a 1-month interval. The pretreatment-to-posttreatment change in the pain visual analog scale (VAS) score was recorded as the primary outcome. The mean follow-up duration was 61.8 days. A paired t test was used to assess the difference in pretreatment and posttreatment VAS scores. A univariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the demographic variables associated with substantial pain reduction after the intervention. Substantial pain reduction was defined as a posttreatment VAS score of 3 or less. RESULTS: Twenty of the 31 patients reported substantial pain reduction without adverse effects after the intervention. The mean VAS score reduction ± SD was 4.3 ± 2.6 (pretreatment, 6.8 ± 1.5; posttreatment, 2.5 ± 2.1; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided prolotherapy with a 15% dextrose solution is an effective and safe therapeutic option for moderate-to-severe acromial enthesopathy and acromioclavicular joint arthropathy.

Percutaneous ethanol ablation of intrahepatic arterial pseudoaneurysm: A case report.

Hepatic arterial pseudoaneurysm is a rare but potentially fatal condition that requires prompt management. We report a case of hepatic arterial pseudoaneurysm developed after radiofrequency ablation of a hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient was successfully treated with percutaneous absolute ethanol injection under ultrasound guidance. Follow-up studies with ultrasound and computed tomography for 2 years after treatment revealed no evidence of local recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma and of the pseudoaneurysm.

Characterization and management of various renal cystic lesions by sonographic features.

Renal cysts are common incidental findings in clinical practice. Most renal cysts detected in medical imaging are benign simple cysts. However, some are complicated by hemorrhage or infection or are associated with calcification. In these instances, difficulties can be encountered distinguishing the complicated cysts from cystic renal tumors such as cystic renal cell carcinoma, multilocular cystic nephroma, and mixed epithelial and stromal tumors. The Bosniak classification is widely used to categorize cystic renal lesions but is used to classify those discovered via computed tomography. Ultrasonography (US) and color Doppler US are the most frequently used imaging techniques for abdominal surveys and long-term follow-up because of their noninvasiveness, relatively low cost, wide availability, and frequently, lack of contrast medium. Herein, we review the features of various cystic lesions of the kidney that can be found using US, discuss differential diagnoses using US, and propose a feature-oriented algorithmic approach to classifying renal cystic lesions using US.

Algorithmic approaches to the diagnosis of gallbladder intraluminal lesions on ultrasonography.

Ultrasound is a frequently used diagnostic tool for gallbladder diseases. Polypoid lesions are commonly depicted at routine abdominal ultrasonography (US). The characteristics of these lesions vary. Since most early malignant tumors in the gallbladder are asymptomatic, differentiation between malignancy and benignity is crucial. Knowledge of gallbladder polypoid lesions is important so that they can be appropriately included in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with intra-gallbladder nodules on US. This article summarizes the algorithmic approach to the diagnosis of these lesions and our recent experience with contrast-enhanced US. The clinical and imaging features of gallbladder polypoid lesions are reviewed.

Shoulder joint synovial chondromatosis presenting as multiple axillary masses: A case report.

Synovial chondromatosis is a rare, benign, proliferative cartilaginous lesion arising from the synovial tissue, tenosynovium, or bursal lining. We describe the case of a patient who initially presented with multiple axillary masses. Breast ultrasound (US) was requested due to the concern of a breast tumor with axillary lymph node metastases. US study was helpful and provided adequate information to suggest the diagnosis.

The use of fine needle aspiration and trends in incidence of thyroid cancer in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy, and the incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) for cytology of thyroid tissue is used for differentiating thyroid cancers from benign thyroid nodules. Overuse of FNA may detect subclinical thyroid cancer and play a role in the increased incidence of thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate trends in incidence of thyroid cancer and the use of palpation-guided FNA thyroid and ultrasound-guided FNA thyroid in Taiwan. METHODS: By retrospectively analyzing a cohort dataset of one million people randomly sample to represent as NHI beneficiaries of Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2004 to 2010, patients who received palpation-guided and ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA were identified. Individuals who were diagnosed as having thyroid cancer were determined. Age-standardized, yearly rates of palpation-guided thyroid FNA and ultrasound-guided FNA, and age-standardized, yearly incidence rates of thyroid cancer were calculated. RESULTS: In the study period, a total of 541 patients were newly diagnosed with thyroid cancer, 14,240 individuals received palpation-guided thyroid FNA, and 3823 individuals underwent ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA. There was a 94.8% increase in the age-standardized annual incidence rate of thyroid cancer. The age-standardized rates of palpation-guided thyroid FNA and ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA increased by 10.9% and 349.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FNA for cytology of thyroid tissue, especially ultrasound-guided FNA, was conducted by physicians more frequently in Taiwan. Increased use of FNA, especially ultrasound-guided FNA for cytology of thyroid tissue, may attribute to the increased incidence of thyroid cancer in Taiwan.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the breast: A case report and review of the literature.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is an uncommon neoplasm of mesenchymal origin, which can be benign or malignant. Most SFTs develop from the pleura, but they can also be found in other sites. There are only few reports of SFT occurring in the breast. We herein report such a rare case. Sonography demonstrated an ovoid lesion mimicking a fibroadenoma, whereas color Doppler imaging showed marked internal vascularity. A brief literature review on imaging features of SFTs is added. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:350-354, 2017.

Epidermoid cyst of the testis: An atypical sonographic appearance.

Epidermoid cysts are rare. They represent the most common benign tumor of the testis. The sonographic appearances of testicular epidermoid cysts usually include avascular, mostly lamellated, heterogeneous internal echotexture, with hypoechoic and hyperechoic concentric rings, accounting for the typical onion-ring appearance. On MRI, epidermoid cysts show a low-signal-intensity center, with internal concentric rings of alternating high- and low-signal intensity on T2-weighted images, which correlates with the onion-ring appearance. We report a patient with testicular epidermoid cyst with atypical ultrasound and MRI appearances that led to the erroneous initial diagnosis of "burned-out" tumor. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:448-451, 2016.