Percutaneous microwave ablation versus sclerotherapy for large hepatic hemangioma: a multi-center cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) and percutaneous sclerotherapy (PS) for the treatment of large hepatic hemangioma (LHH). METHODS: This retrospective study included 96 patients who underwent MWA (n = 54) and PS (n = 42) as first-line treatment for LHH in three tertiary hospitals from January 2016 to December 2021. Primary outcomes were technique efficacy rate (volume reduction rate [VRR] > 50% at 12 months), symptom relief rate at 12 months and local tumor progression (LTP). Secondary outcomes included procedure time, major complications, treatment sessions, cost and one-, two-, three-year VRR. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 36 months, the MWA group showed a higher technique efficacy rate (100% vs. 90.4%, p = .018) and symptom relief rate (100% vs. 80%, p = .123) than the PS group. The MWA group had fewer treatment sessions, higher one-, two- and three-year VRR, lower LTP rate (all p < .05), longer procedure time and higher treatment costs than the PS group (both p < .001). MWA shared a comparable major complications rate (1.8% vs. 2.4%, p = .432) with PS. After multivariate analysis, the lesion's heterogeneity and maximum diameter >8.1 cm were independent risk factors for LTP (all p < .05). In the PS group, lesions with a cumulative dose of bleomycin > 0.115 mg/cm3 had a lower risk of LTP (p = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Both MWA and PS treatments for large hepatic hemangioma are safe and effective, with MWA being superior in terms of efficacy.

Major complications after ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: An annual audit of a Chinese tertiary-care teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: As ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) has become a standard and important method in the management of liver disease in our country, a periodical audit of the major complications is needed. AIM: To determine the annual incidence of major complications following ultrasound-guided PLB and to identify variables that are significantly associated with an increased risk of major complications. METHODS: A total of 1857 consecutive cases of PLB were included in our hospital from January 2021 to December 2021. The major complication rate and all-cause 30-d mortality rate were determined. Multivariate analyses were performed by logistic regression to investigate the risk factors associated with major complications and all-cause 30-d mortality following ultrasound-guided PLB. RESULTS: In this audit of 1857 liver biopsies, 10 cases (0.53%) of major complications occurred following ultrasound-guided PLB. The overall all-cause mortality rate at 30 d after PLB was 0.27% (5 cases). Two cases (0.11%) were attributed to major hemorrhage within 7 d after liver biopsy. Fibrinogen less than 2 g/L [odds ratio (OR): 17.226; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.647-112.102; P = 0.003], post-biopsy hemoglobin level (OR: 0.963; 95%CI: 0.942-0.985; P = 0.001), obstructive jaundice (OR: 6.698; 95%CI: 1.133-39.596; P = 0.036), application of anticoagulants/antiplatelet medications (OR: 24.078; 95%CI: 1.678-345.495; P = 0.019) and age (OR: 1.096; 95%CI: 1.012-1.187; P = 0.025) were statistically associated with the incidence of major complications after PLB. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results of this annual audit confirmed that ultrasound-guided PLB can be performed safely, with a major complication rate within the accepted range. Strict patient selection and peri-biopsy laboratory assessment are more important than procedural factors for optimizing the safety outcomes of this procedure.

Percutaneous ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy of solid pancreatic lesions: An analysis of 1074 lesions.

BACKGROUNDS: Percutaneous ultrasound (US) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided pancreatic biopsies are widely accepted in the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases. Studies comparing the diagnostic performance of US- and EUS-guided pancreatic biopsies are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the diagnostic yields of US- and EUS-guided pancreatic biopsies and identify the risk factors for inconclusive biopsies. METHODS: Of the 1074 solid pancreatic lesions diagnosed from January 2017 to February 2021 in our center, 275 underwent EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), and 799 underwent US-guided core needle biopsy (US-CNB/FNA). The outcomes were inconclusive pathological biopsy, diagnostic accuracy and the need for repeat biopsy. All of the included factors and diagnostic performances of both US-CNB/FNA and EUS-FNA were compared, and the independent predictors for the study outcomes were identified. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy was 89.8% for EUS-FNA and 95.2% for US-CNB/FNA (P = 0.001). Biopsy under EUS guidance [odds ratio (OR) = 1.808, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.083-3.019; P = 0.024], lesion size < 2 cm (OR = 2.069, 95% CI: 1.145-3.737; P = 0.016), hypoechoic appearance (OR = 0.274, 95% CI: 0.097-0.775; P = 0.015) and non-pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma carcinoma (PDAC) diagnosis (OR = 2.637, 95% CI: 1.563-4.449; P < 0.001) were identified as factors associated with inconclusive pathological biopsy. Hypoechoic appearance (OR = 0.236, 95% CI: 0.064-0.869; P = 0.030), lesions in the uncinate process of the pancreas (OR = 3.506, 95% CI: 1.831-6.713; P < 0.001) and non-PDAC diagnosis (OR = 2.622, 95% CI: 1.278-5.377; P = 0.009) were independent predictors for repeat biopsy. Biopsy under EUS guidance (OR = 2.024, 95% CI: 1.195-3.429; P = 0.009), lesions in the uncinate process of the pancreas (OR = 1.776, 95% CI: 1.014-3.108; P = 0.044) and hypoechoic appearance (OR = 0.127, 95% CI: 0.047-0.347; P < 0.001) were associated with diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, both percutaneous US- and EUS-guided biopsies of solid pancreatic lesions are safe and effective; though the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA is inferior to US-CNB/FNA. A tailored pancreatic biopsy should be considered a part of the management algorithm for the diagnosis of solid pancreatic disease.

Application value of double-layer spectral detector CT in differentiating central lung cancer from atelectasis.

BACKGROUND: Central lung cancer with obstructive atelectasis is very common in clinical practice. Determination of the tumor borderline is important. Conventional computed tomography (CT) alone may not be sufficiently accurate to distinguish central lung cancer from obstructive atelectasis. Spectral CT can improve the soft-tissue resolution greatly. In this study, we evaluated the application value of double-layer spectral detector CT in differentiating central lung cancer from atelectasis. METHODS: A total of 51 patients (37 males) with pathologically confirmed central lung cancer accompanied by atelectasis were enrolled. The rates of differentiation between tumors and atelectasis were retrospectively analyzed using conventional CT and three types of spectral images (40 keV virtual monoenergetic imaging, iodine density map, and their fusion image) of unenhanced scans as well as arterial and venous phases. Cochran's Q test and Friedman test were used to compare the differentiation rates and the maximal diameters of the tumors in each image. RESULTS: Among the 51 cases, conventional CT, 40 keV monoenergetic, iodine density, and their fusion images of the venous phase were successful in differentiating tumors from atelectasis in 17 (33.33%), 35 (68.63%), 39 (76.47%), and 38 (74.51%) cases, respectively. The differentiation rates of the 40 keV monoenergetic, iodine density, and fusion images were significantly higher than those of conventional images (χ2=-0.35, -0.43, and -0.41, respectively, all P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the differentiation rates among the 40 keV monoenergetic, iodine density, and fusion images (χ2=-0.06, -0.08, 0.02, respectively, all P=1.00). The maximal tumor diameters in the four images did not significantly differ (χ2=3.61, P=0.31). Conventional and spectral images of unenhanced and arterial phases could not/barely identify the tumor borderlines. CONCLUSIONS: Venous-phase spectral images of double-layer spectral detector CT can differentiate most central lung cancers from atelectasis, and the maximal diameter measurement of the tumor is reliable. Double-layer spectral detector CT can accurately identify the borderlines of most central lung cancers through spectral images during routine CT examinations without requiring other imaging modalities. Therefore, this method has considerable clinical value for applications in tumor staging, efficacy evaluation, and radiotherapy.

Prediction of early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after resection based on Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced magnetic resonance imaging: a preliminary study.

Background: Early recurrence (ER) after radical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) affects the prognosis of patients. Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can improve the detection rate of small HCC. This study innovatively introduces a new quantitative index combined with qualitative index to compare the differences in clinical and imaging characteristics between ER and non-ER groups and evaluate the feasibility of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in predicting ER. Methods: A total of 68 patients with HCC confirmed by operation and pathology in the Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute were included retrospectively. All participants were examined by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI within 3 weeks before surgery. Regular follow-up was performed every 2 months within 1 year after operation. Among them, 18 cases with new lesions were in ER group, and 50 cases without new lesions were in non-ER group. The clinical and imaging data of the 2 groups were collected, and the differences of clinical data and preoperative MRI signs between the ER group and non-ER group were compared. The predictive factors of ER after HCC were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The quantitative parameter lesion-to-liver contrast enhancement ratio (LLCER) can predict the pathological grade of HCC (P=0.023). The results of univariate analysis between the ER group and non-ER group showed that there were significant differences in pathological grade (P=0.008), lesion morphology (P=0.011), peritumoral low signal intensity in hepatobiliary phase (HBP) (P<0.001), satellite nodules (P<0.001), and LLCER (P<0.001) between the 2 groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HBP peritumoral low signal intensity [odds ratio (OR) =7.214, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.230-42.312, P=0.029], satellite nodules (OR =9.198, 95% CI: 1.402-60.339, P=0.021), and parameter LLCER value (OR =0.906, 95% CI: 0.826-0.995, P=0.039) were independent predictors of ER of HCC after resection. Conclusions: Preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI has important predictive value for early recurrence after radical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Usefulness of new shear wave elastography in early predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer: where and when to measure is optimal?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnosis performance of new shear wave elastography (sound touch elastography, STE) in the prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response at an early stage in breast cancer patients and to determine the optimal measurement locations around the lesion in different ranges. METHODS: One hundred and eight patients were analyzed in this prospective study from November 2018 to December 2020. All patients completed NAC treatment and underwent STE examination at three time points [the day before NAC (t0); the day before the second course (t1); the day before third course (t2)]. The stiffness of the whole lesion (G), 1-mm shell (S1) and 2-mm shell (S2) around the lesion was expressed by STE parameters. The relative changes (∆stiffness) of STE parameters after the first and second course of NAC were calculated and shown as the variables [Δ(t1) and Δ(t2)]. The diagnostic accuracy of STE was evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: The ∆stiffness (%) including ∆Gmean(t2), ∆S1mean(t2) and ∆S2mean(t2) all showed significant differences between pathological complete response (pCR) and non-pCR groups. ∆S2mean(t2) displayed the best predictive performance for pCR (AUC = 0.842) with an ideal ∆stiffness threshold value - 26%. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring the relative changes in the stiffness of surrounding tissue or entire lesion with STE holds promise for effectively predicting the response to NAC at its early stage for breast cancer patients and ∆stiffness of shell 2 mm after the second course of NAC may be a potential prediction parameter.

Esophageal wall thickness on CT scans: can it predict the T stage of primary thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma?

BACKGROUND: CT is the most commonly used method to stage esophageal cancer (EC). However, the reported CT T-staging criteria for EC are controversial. PURPOSE: To determine and validate the optimal esophageal wall thickness (EWT) threshold on CT to distinguish lesions with different T stages in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. METHODS: One thousand, one hundred-two consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed ESCC between July 2014 and April 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent a preoperative CT examination and surgical treatment. The maximal EWT of the lesions on CT was measured. Patients were divided into pT1, pT2, pT3 and pT4 subgroups according to the pathologic stage. We employed the support vector machine, where linear kernels were leveraged to determine the optimal threshold to classify samples with different T stages. 90% of samples from each subgroup were randomly selected as the training set, while the remainder comprised the testing set. RESULTS: The mean EWTs of the pT1, pT2, pT3 and pT4 subgroups were 4.9 ± 2.6 mm, 8.1 ± 2.3 mm, 12.4 ± 3.6 mm, and 18.6 ± 4.4 mm, respectively. Differences in the EWT between the four subgroups or between adjacent subgroups were significant (p < 0.001), and esophageal wall became thicker with increasing pT stage. We utilized MATLAB 2020a to implement the SVM model and ran the code 10 times. The accuracy of the model was 60.29 ± 2.33%. The thresholds between samples from pT1/pT2, pT2/pT3 and pT3/pT4 lesions were 5.5 ± 0.3 mm, 10.8 ± 0.8 mm and 15.9 ± 0.5 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Possibility of predicting T stage of ESCC by EWT on CT scans was limited to 60% by model examination with large sample size.

Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in mediastinal leiomyosarcoma mimicking aortic hematoma: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Primary mediastinal leiomyosarcomas are extremely rare. We report a case of leiomyosarcoma around the thoracic and abdominal aorta, mimicking an aortic hematoma, and discuss the diagnostic value of ultrasound. CASE SUMMARY: A 63-year-old female was hospitalized for abdominal pain. Initial computed tomography angiography revealed an enhanced mass around the lower thoracic and upper abdominal aorta. Aortic hematoma was strongly suspected, and stents were placed by interventional surgery. About 1 mo postoperatively, the patient was re-hospitalized because of progressive abdominal pain. Ultrasound showed that the mass had a heterogeneous echo. In contrast-enhanced ultrasound, the hyperechoic regions were filled with contrast medium after the aortic region was, indicating that the blood supply was abundant but had no direct connection with the aorta. There was no obvious contrast medium-filling in the hypoechoic area. These findings were similar to those of malignant tumors with liquefaction and necrosis. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography confirmed that the mass had a high metabolic signal similar to that of a malignant tumor. Leiomyosarcoma was confirmed by postoperative pathology. CONCLUSION: Symptoms of mediastinal leiomyosarcoma surrounding the aorta may mimic aortic hematoma. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can provide valuable and unique diagnostic clues.

Fusion imaging-guided radiofrequency ablation for residual hepatocellular carcinoma invisible on ultrasound after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the technical efficiency and therapeutic response of fusion imaging (considered as virtual navigation) between contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CECT/CEMRI) for the guidance of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS: For this prospective study, 98 patients with residual HCC lesions after TACE treatment were enrolled between June 2017 and December 2020. All the lesions were invisible on conventional ultrasound scans. Percutaneous RFA was performed using either CEUS (CEUS group, 52 lesions) or virtual navigation (VN group, 46 lesions) guidance. The lesion display rate, disease-free survival rate, local recurrence rate, overall survival rate and complication incidence were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Fusion imaging had a significant impact on the RFA outcomes (hazard ratio, 2.629; 95% confidence interval, 1.256-5.505; p = .01). The median disease-free survival time of the VN group was significantly higher than that of the CEUS group (10.9 vs. 8.8 months; p = .007). The local recurrence rates after 3, 6 and 12 months in the VN group were significantly lower than those in the CEUS group (p = .014, .002 and .011). The minor complication rate was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS-CECT/CEMRI fusion imaging for guiding RFA enables an efficient and useful therapy of inconspicuous HCC lesions after TACE. The novel solution prolongs the disease-free survival time and reduces the long-term local recurrence of residual lesions treated when using virtual-navigation (VN)-guided RFA.

Virtual navigation-guided radiofrequency ablation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma invisible on ultrasound after hepatic resection.

BACKGROUND: No reports are available on the technical efficiency and therapeutic response of virtual navigation (VN)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatic resection. The aim of this study was to investigate the overall technical performance and outcome of VN-guided RFA in recurrent HCC patients. In addition, a nomogram model was developed to predict the factors influencing the overall survival (OS). METHODS: This was a prospective study on 76 recurrent HCC patients who underwent VN-guided RFA between June 2015 and February 2018. The technical feasibility, success, and efficiency, OS, local tumor progression, and complications were evaluated. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to predict the significant factors, and a nomogram including independent predictive factors was subsequently plotted to predict OS. RESULTS: The technical feasibility, success, and efficiency rates of VN-guided RFA were 86.4%, 94.7%, and 97.4%, respectively. The cumulative OS rates at 1-, 2-, and 3-year were 88.1%, 79.7%, and 71.0%, respectively. The cumulative local tumor progression rates at 1-, 2-, and 3-year were 5.5%, 8.7%, and 14.0%, respectively. In addition, the minor and major complication rates were 5.3% and 3.9%, respectively. No intervention-related deaths occurred during the follow-up period. The C-index of the OS nomogram in this study was 0.737. CONCLUSIONS: VN-guided RFA is an effective therapeutic option in recurrent HCC patients and improves the long-term outcomes especially for the lesions that cannot be detected in the two-dimensional ultrasound. Besides, the nomogram may be a useful supporting tool in predicting OS to estimate the individual survival probability, optimize treatment options, and facilitate decision-making.

Pre-operative Detection of Liver Fibrosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Using 2D Shear Wave Elastography: Where to Measure?

The aim of this study was to pre-operatively investigate the diagnostic performance of 2D shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) for staging liver fibrosis and inflammation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who then undergo surgery and to determine the optimal locations for measurement. In total, 106 patients were enrolled in this prospective study from March 2017 to May 2018. Two-dimensional SWE was used to measure liver stiffness (LS) in each patient 0-1, 1-2 and 2-5 cm from the tumor border (groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively). Spearman's correlation was used to evaluate the relationships between LS and hepatic fibrosis and between LS and inflammation. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 2D-SWE. The technical success rate of SWE in tissue distant from the tumor (group 3) was significantly higher than that in peri-tumoral tissue (groups 1 and 2) (p < 0.001). Moreover, the area under the ROC for diagnosing cirrhosis (F4) and severe inflammation (A3) was higher for group 3 than for groups 1 and 2. Our results suggest that 2D-SWE is a helpful approach to assessment of hepatic fibrosis in HCC patients before hepatic resection. We found that to achieve a superior success rate and preferable diagnosis accuracy for patients with HCC, LS measurement should be performed 2-5 cm from the tumor margin.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Versus Percutaneous Drainage for the Recurrent Pancreatic Fluid Collections.

BACKGROUND Ultrasonography-guided percutaneous drainage for pancreatic fluid collections is associated with a high recurrence rate and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided drainage is a valuable approach. Our aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of percutaneous and EUS-guided drainage for the recurrent pancreatic fluid collections. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of percutaneous-guided and EUS-guided procedures for pancreatic fluid collections drainages at a single tertiary care center between February 2017 and May 2018 was performed. Treatment success, adverse events, recurrence, need for surgery, length of hospital stays, and number of follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan were assessed. RESULTS A total of 119 pancreatic fluid collections treated with initial percutaneous drainage were included in this study and 35 patients had recurrent pancreatic fluid collections. Recurrent patients were classified based on drainage method: EUS-guided drainage (18 patients) and the second percutaneous drainage (17 patients). EUS-guided drainage revealed a shorter length of hospital stays (P<0.001), less re-intervention (P=0.047), fewer number of follow-up CT scans (P=0.006) compared with the initial percutaneous drainage. Furthermore, we also compared the clinical outcomes between the EUS-guided drainage and the second percutaneous drainage for the recurrent PFC after initially failed percutaneous drainage. EUS-guided drainage showed higher clinical success (P=0.027), shorter length of hospital stays (P<0.001), less re-intervention (P=0.012), fewer number of follow-up CT scan (P<0.001) and less recurrence P=0.027) compared to the second percutaneous drainage procedure. CONCLUSIONS EUS-guided drainage is an effective and appropriate method to treat the recurrent pancreatic fluid collections after initially failed percutaneous drainage procedure, with the advantage of higher clinical success, shorter length of hospital stays, less re-intervention, fewer number of follow-up CT scan and less recurrence compared to the percutaneous drainage.

Balloon dilator controls massive bleeding during endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage for pancreatic pseudocyst: A case report and review of literature.

Pancreatic pseudocyst (PPC), a common sequela of acute or chronic pancreatitis, was defined by the revised Atlanta classification as "a collection." Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage is often considered a standard first-line therapy for patients with symptomatic PPC. This effective approach exhibits 90%-100% technical success and 85%-98% clinical success. Bleeding is a deadly adverse event associated with EUS-guided drainage procedures, and the bleeding rate ranges from 3% to 14%. Hemostasis involves conservative treatment, endoscopy, interventional radiology-guided embolization and surgery. However, few studies have reported on EUS-guided drainage with massive, multiple hemorrhages related to severe pancreatogenic portal hypertension (PPH). Thus, the aim of this case report was to present a case using a balloon dilator to achieve successful hemostasis for PPH-related massive bleeding in EUS-guided drainage of PPC. To our knowledge, this method has not been previously reported.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided interventional treatment for refractory malignant left-sided liver tumors: a case series of 26 patients.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of EUS-guided ethanol injection and 125I seed brachytherapy for malignant left-sided liver tumors which were difficult for trans-abdominal intervention. The study protocol was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02816944). Twenty-six patients were consecutively and prospectively hospitalized for EUS-guided interventional treatment of refractory malignant left-sided liver tumors between June 2014 and June 2016. Liver masses were detected using EUS in 25 of 26 (96.2%) patients. EUS-guided interventional treatment was completed uneventfully in 23 of 26 (88.5%) patients using anhydrous ethanol injection (n = 10) or iodine-125 seed implantation (n = 13). Six months later, complete response was achieved in 15 of 23 (65.2%) patients and partial response in 8 of 23 (34.8%) patients. Patients with tumor residual have second-look EUS-guided interventional treatment (n = 5), radiotherapy (n = 2) or surgical resection (n = 1). Complete response was achieved after repeated interventional treatment in 3 of 5 patients who underwent second EUS-guided intervention; 2 patients required additional surgical resection but one succeed. No significant complications occurred. Therefore EUS-guided 125I seed brachytherapy is an effective and safe treatment modality for radical operation or promising palliative control of malignant left-sided liver tumors refractory to trans-abdominal intervention.

Differentiation of branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms from serous cystadenomas of the pancreas using contrast-enhanced sonography.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether contrast-enhanced sonography can improve the ability to differentiate branch duct intraductal mucinous neoplasms from serous cystadenomas of the pancreas compared to conventional (unenhanced) sonography alone. METHODS: Between March 2008 and May 2012, there were 20 patients with branch duct intraductal mucinous neoplasms and 25 with serous cystadenomas in our institute, for whom preoperative conventional and contrast-enhanced sonographic results were available. The final diagnosis was obtained by histopathology. Various conventional and contrast-enhanced sonographic characteristics were retrospectively evaluated by 2 radiologists in consensus. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of conventional and contrast-enhanced sonography for discriminating between the two entities. RESULTS: Three conventional sonographic characteristics (microcysts, cysts with internal echoes, and main pancreatic duct dilatation) and 2 contrast-enhanced sonographic characteristics (communication between the lesion and main pancreatic duct and enhancement of mural nodules) significantly improved the ability to differentiate branch duct intraductal mucinous neoplasms from serous cystadenomas. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve increased from 0.691 with conventional sonography to 0.859 with combined contrast-enhanced and conventional ultrasonography (P = .043). CONCLUSIONS: In this series of patients, the addition of contrast-enhanced sonography to conventional sonography improved the ability to differentiate branch duct intraductal mucinous neoplasms from serous cystadenomas.

Percutaneous biopsy of anterior mediastinal mass guided by real-time US fused with CT.

We report a case of successful fused CT-sonographic imaging-guided percutaneous biopsy of an anterior mediastinal mass, which was visualized poorly with conventional sonography. Real-time sonography fused with CT can be useful for biopsy of anterior mediastinal masses that are not well visualized on conventional sonography.

[Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of liver].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of liver (IPL). METHODS: The contrast-enhanced untrasonography was performed in 32 cases of IPL and the results were retrospectively analyzed. RESULT: Among total 32 cases, 21 had absent contrast enhancement (type I); 6 had rimlike or stringlike enhancement during arterial phase and presented hypoechoic lesions during the late phase (type II); 2 had diffuse and homogeneous enhancement during early arterial phase,persisting hyperechoic during the late phase (type III); 3 had enhancement during arterial phases and washed out more quickly than liver parenchymal (type IV). CONCLUSION: The perfusion pattern of IPL with CEUS varies, the predominant type is no contrast enhancement; type IV may be confused with atypical hepatic carcinoma, in that case the needle biopsy is necessary.

Diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis discontinued with liver tumors in patients with liver cirrhosis and tumors by contrast-enhanced US: a pilot study.

AIMS: We assessed the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients who had liver tumors. METHODS: Seventeen consecutive patients who had cirrhosis, liver tumors, and PVT were prospectively studied with CEUS. CEUS was performed at low mechanical index after intravenous administration of a second-generation contrast agent (SonoVue, Bracco, Milan, Italy). Presence or absence of thrombus enhancement on CEUS were considered diagnostic for malignant or benign PVT. Five patients also underwent percutaneous portal vein fine-needle biopsy under US guidance. All patients were followed-up. Shrinkage of the thrombus and/or recanalization of the vessels on CDUS during follow-up were considered definitive evidence of the benign nature of the thrombosis, whereas the enlargement of the thrombus, disruption of the vessel wall, and parenchymal infiltration over follow-up were considered consistent with malignancy. RESULTS: Follow-up showed signs of malignant thrombosis in 14 of 17 patients. CEUS showed early arterial enhancement of the PVT in 14 patients of 14 malignant PVT, 1 patient of 3 benign PVT and the absence of thrombus enhancement in 2 patients of 3 benign PVT. FNB confirmed the results for malignant PVT in four of five patients, for benign granulomatous inflammation PVT in one of five patients in which CEUS showed early arterial enhancement of the PVT. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy is 100%, 66.7% and 93.3% at diagnosis of malignant PVT using CEUS. In one patient with intrahepatic bile duct stone, CEUS were positive for malignant PVT, whereas FNB was negative (benign granulomatous inflammation PVT); follow-up examination confirmed benign PVT. CONCLUSION: CEUS seems to be the pretty sensitive and specific test for diagnosing malignant portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis and tumors.

Multicentric hyaline-vascular Castleman's disease in the retroperitoneum.

BACKGROUND: Castleman's disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disease of unknown cause. Most multicentric cases described have been of the plasma-cell variety. This article presents a case of multicentric hyaline-vascular Castleman's disease in the retroperitoneum with the ultrasonographic and computed tomography (CT) imaging manifestations. METHODS: During routine physical examination, a mass was detected in the left abdomen of a 53-year-old man with no signs or symptoms. The patient underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration biopsy and operative excision after laboratory examination, ultrasonography, and CT. RESULTS: Ultrasonography demonstrated a dominant hypoechogenic mass with hypervascularity in the retroperitoneum. CT detected a relatively homogenous enhanced lesion and several satellite nodules. After the mass and several lymph nodes were resected, histopathologic examination demonstrated a lymphocyte-predominant infiltrate surrounding the germinal centres and extensive capillary proliferation, consistent with the hyaline-vascular type of Castleman's disease. The patient received postoperative chemotherapy and remained free of recurrence 3 months later. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced CT can provide a positive differential diagnosis of hyaline-vascular Castleman's disease which is a kind of giant lymph node hyperplasia with hypervascularity.