[Power Doppler Index for preoperative ovarian tumors discrimination]. / Valeur de l'index de vascularisation (Power Doppler Index) pour la discrimination des masses ovariennes en préopératoire.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of a power doppler vascularity index in the preoperative diagnosis of ovarian malignancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two successive series of adnexal masses (N=101 and N=82) were examined prospectively with power Doppler before surgical treatment. A vascularity index, called Power Doppler Index (PDI), based on the number of colored pixels, was estimated on selected frames (defined region of interest covering the entire tumor) of the tumors using an in house color-quantifying program. The first study was monocentric to test the inter- and intraobserver reproducibilities and the availability of the parameter. The second was multicentric to validate the first results. The sensitivity and specificity of PDI, resistance index (RI) and subjective visual scoring were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Histology identified 23 malignant and 78 benign lesions in the first study and 34 malignant and 48 benign tumors in the second. PDI was considerably higher in malignant than in benign lesions (0.34+/-0.04 vs 0.12+/-0.06 (P<0.001)). Intra-observer and interobserver variability of PDI was low (intraclass correlation coefficients estimated at 0.99 and 0.98, respectively). The PDI cut-off value for differential diagnosis was set at 0.265 (26.5% of the tumor is colored) in the first study and 0.107 in the second. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% (95% CI [87.8; 100.0]) and 97.4% (95% CI [91.0; 99.7]), respectively, for PDI in the first study compared to 75% (95% CI [72.9; 90.7]) and 60% (95% CI [56.3; 92.5]) in the second study. Using logistic regression, visual Doppler scoring performed best. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The Power Doppler Index obtained using our color quantifying software has discriminating power for adnexal masses but visual Doppler scoring performs best.

[Sonographic diagnosis of ovarian tumors: pre-operative Doppler evaluation]. / Apport du doppler pour le diagnostic des tumeurs ovariennes. Indications, pertinence des critères diagnostiques.

Pelvic sonography is the gold standard for diagnosis of ovarian masses. Only 2% of adnexal masses or malignant or bordeline tumors. Does Doppler US improve the diagnostic accuracy of sonography? The purpose of this article is to review current data and identify what areas still require further evaluation with regards to Doppler characterization of adnexal masses. It has been shown that Doppler evaluation of the ovary and cyst or tumor improves the diagnostic accuracy of US to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Hemodynamic data collected from pulsed Doppler imaging and Doppler energy vascular mapping have been shown to improve the characterization of malignant lesions. These data improve the accuracy of B-mode US combined with clinical evaluation and CA125 measurement. Nonetheless, the sensitivity and specificity values are between 85-90%, with few missed malignancies, but several false positive results. Useful Doppler data include the resistive index and the central intratumoral location of vascular flow. The use of 3D US with computer post-processing as well as sonographic contrast agents could provide additional information, but these techniques have not yet been validated. All suspicious adnexal lesions should be evaluated by an experienced sonographer and include discriminatory parameters to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions.

Power Doppler vascularity index for predicting malignancy of adnexal masses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of a power Doppler vascularity index in the preoperative diagnosis of ovarian malignancy. METHODS: Adnexal masses (n = 101) were examined prospectively with power Doppler ultrasonography before surgical treatment. The tumor vascularity index (power Doppler index, PDI) was determined by quantification of the number of pixels in a defined region of interest according to the formula: number of colored pixels/(total number of pixels minus the number of pixels in the fluid or avascular areas). It was estimated on selected frames of the tumors using an in-house color-quantifying program added to MATLAB 6.0 software. Inter- and intraobserver reproducibilities of PDI assessment were evaluated. Intratumoral blood flow velocity waveforms were obtained to determine the lowest resistance index (RI). A subjective visual score of power Doppler signals in the tumor was used to classify it as having low, moderate or high vascularity. The discriminatory ability of this score was compared to that of RI and PDI measurement. RESULTS: Histology identified 23 malignant and 78 benign lesions. The PDI was considerably higher in malignant than in benign lesions (0.34 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.12 +/- 0.06; P < 0.001). The intra- and interobserver variabilities of PDI were low (intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively). The PDI cut-off value to differentiate malignant from benign tumors was set at 0.265 (26.5% of the tumor being colored). Using this cut-off, sensitivity and specificity were 100% (95% CI, 87.8-100.0) and 97.4% (95% CI, 91.0-99.7) compared to 78.3% (95% CI, 56.3-92.5) and 83.1% (95% CI, 72.9-90.7) for RI (cut-off value of 0.53) and 78.3% (95% CI, 56.3-92.5) and 94.9% (95% CI, 87.4-98.6) for visual scoring. Logistic regression demonstrated that PDI was the best parameter for differentiating between malignant and benign tumors. CONCLUSION: The power Doppler vascularity index obtained using customized color quantifying software has high diagnostic value in discriminating between benign and malignant adnexal masses.

Contrast-enhanced sonography during uterine artery embolization for the treatment of leiomyomas.

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a successful and safe treatment for symptomatic leiomyomas. However, rare complications such as premature menopause and uterine necrosis can arise because of embolization of non-target tissues. We studied the feasibility of using contrast-enhanced sonography with intravenous SonoVue just before, during and after complete occlusion of both uterine arteries. In a patient with multiple, large, symptomatic leiomyomas, contrast-enhanced imaging established that the UAE was technically successful and that myometrial vascularity was not reduced. Our case suggests that ultrasound contrast agents may have a role in monitoring UAE and thus may help prevent ischemic complications. Further studies are required to confirm this.