Perfluorobutane contrast-enhanced ultrasonography: a new standard for ultrasonography-guided thermal ablation of sonographically occult liver tumours?

INTRODUCTION@#Image-guided thermal ablation, preferably with ultrasonography (US), is increasingly used for treatment of small liver tumours. Perfluorobutane-contrast-enhanced US (pCEUS) is a promising tool that may allow for targeting of tumours that are otherwise imperceptible on greyscale US. Although pCEUS has been reported to be effective, the literature has been limited outside of Japan and South Korea. We aimed to provide data that supports the use of pCEUS in the thermal ablation of sonographically occult liver tumours.@*METHODS@#We conducted a retrospective single-centre study of 35 consecutive patients who underwent pCEUS-guided ablation of 48 liver tumours with a median size of 1.2 cm. Periprocedural, one-month post-treatment and relevant follow-up imaging studies were reviewed. Electronic records were also obtained, with long-term follow-up data of 12-28 months being available for 32 patients.@*RESULTS@#36 (75%) tumours that were imperceptible on greyscale US became visible with pCEUS. Overall, complete tumour ablation at one month was 89%. 1 (3%) patient developed a major complication following treatment, while 6 (17%) had minor post-treatment complaints. The local tumour progression rate was 17%, with a median time of 14 months.@*CONCLUSION@#pCEUS has a role in US-guided thermal ablation of liver tumours, offering a high technical success rate that is comparable to reported data. Additional benefits may include improved procedural time and freedom from ionising radiation.

Mid-Term Outcomes of Patients with Central Venous Occlusive Disease Undergoing Surveillance Venography and Intervention

INTRODUCTION@#To evaluate the mid-term outcomes of regular surveillance venography with or without percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in haemodialysis patients presenting with central venous occlusive disease.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#A single-centre retrospective analysis of haemodialysis patients who presented with central vein occlusion (CVO) and central vein stenosis (CVS) between January 2008 and December 2011 was performed. CVO and significant CVS were defined as 100% and >50% luminal narrowing, respectively. Upon successful angioplasty on first presentation, patients were followed up with regular surveillance venography within 3-6 months of the intervention and were re-treated when a significant stenosis or occlusion was demonstrated. Data on patient's demographics, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, type of upper limb dialysis access, lesion characteristics and complications were collected. Technical success, primary patency and primary assisted patency were analysed.@*RESULTS@#Thirty-five patients with CVO and 77 patients with CVS were enrolled. The technical success of initial PTA was 77% and 73% for the CVO and CVS groups, respectively. The primary patency at 3 months was 65% and 55% for the CVO group and CVS group, respectively ( = 0.32). The primary assisted patency at 1 year was 88% and 99% for the CVO group and CVS group, respectively ( = 0.009). At 2 years, the primary assisted patency were 77% and 90%, respectively ( = 0.07). There was significant difference in the overall primary assisted patency ( = 0.048) between the CVO and CVS groups.@*CONCLUSION@#CVOs are more difficult to treat than CVS. High primary assisted patency rates can be achieved with surveillance venography, albeit at the expense of increased number of interventions. Further cost effectiveness studies need to be performed to study the true benefit of our surveillance programme.

Single-centre retrospective review of risk factors for local tumour progression and complications in radiofrequency ablation of 555 hepatic lesions

INTRODUCTION@#This study aimed to assess safety, local tumour progression (LTP) and risk factors for LTP after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of liver tumours in a single centre.@*METHODS@#All consecutive patients treated with RFA for liver tumours between January 2009 and October 2012 were included. Previously treated lesions that progressed were excluded. Using electronic medical records, the following data was captured: patient demographics, pre-procedural laboratory results, Child-Pugh status, tumour characteristics, development of tumoral seeding, RFA complications and LTP. Possible risk factors for LTP were identified using Cox regression.@*RESULTS@#In total, 555 liver tumours were treated in 337 patients. 483 (87.0%) hepatocellular carcinomas, 52 (9.4%) colorectal metastases and 20 (3.6%) other tumour types were treated. Mean tumour size was 2.1 ± 1.1 (range 0.4-6.8) cm. Mean follow-up duration was 387 days. 416 (75.0%) lesions had no LTP at the last imaging. 70 (12.6%) patients had minor complications requiring observation, while 7 (1.3%) patients had significant complications requiring prolonged hospitalisation or further interventions. Only one case of tumour seeding was detected. Using multivariate Cox regression, the following factors were statistically significant in predicting LTP: hilar location (relative ratio [RR] 3.988), colorectal metastases (RR 2.075), size (RR 1.290) and younger age (RR 0.982).@*CONCLUSION@#RFA of liver tumours is safe and effective, with a low significant complication rate of 1.3%. Hilar lesions are most prone to LTP, followed by lesions that were larger in size and colorectal metastases. 75.0% of patients showed no LTP at the last follow-up.

Diagnostic performance of ATA, BTA and TIRADS sonographic patterns in the prediction of malignancy in histologically proven thyroid nodules

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>We aimed to compare the malignancy risk stratification of histologically proven thyroid nodules using the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) Management Guidelines, 2014 British Thyroid Association (BTA) Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid Cancer and the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thyroid nodules measuring > 1 cm resected over 5.5 years were retrospectively studied. Demographic information as well as cytology and histopathology results were collected. Static ultrasonography (US) images and radiologists' reports of each resected nodules were reviewed and classified based on the above risk classification systems.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 167 thyroid nodules from 150 patients were examined. More malignant nodules were solid (78.4% vs. 62.5%; p = 0.049) or hypoechoic (70.6% vs. 28.6%; p < 0.001), and had irregular margins (35.3% vs. 8.0%; p < 0.001), taller-than-wide morphology (9.8% vs. 2.7%; p = 0.031), microcalcifications (33.3% vs. 8.0%; p < 0.001), disrupted rim calcifications (9.8% vs. 0.9%; p = 0.012) or associated abnormal cervical lymphadenopathy (13.7% vs. 0.9%; p = 0.001) compared with benign nodules. The guidelines' diagnostic performance was: ATA - sensitivity 98.0%, specificity 17.3%, positive predictive value (PPV) 35.0%, negative predictive value (NPV) 95.0%; BTA - sensitivity 90%, specificity 50.9%, PPV 45.5%, NPV 91.8%; and TIRADS - sensitivity 94.0%, specificity 28.2%, PPV 37.3%%, NPV 91.2%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sonographic patterns outlined by the three guidelines displayed high sensitivity and NPV. Although isolated suspicious US features cannot predict malignancy risk, they should be considered when risk stratifying nodules that do not fit into particular sonographic patterns based on current guidelines.</p>

Application of a standardised protocol for hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement improves quality of readings and facilitates reduction of variceal bleeding in cirrhotics

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement is recommended for prognostic and therapeutic indications in centres with adequate resources and expertise. Our study aimed to evaluate the quality of HVPG measurements at our centre before and after introduction of a standardised protocol, and the clinical relevance of the HVPG to variceal bleeding in cirrhotics.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HVPG measurements performed at Singapore General Hospital from 2005-2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Criteria for quality HVPG readings were triplicate readings, absence of negative pressure values and variability of ≤ 2 mmHg. The rate of variceal bleeding was compared in cirrhotics who achieved a HVPG response to pharmacotherapy (reduction of the HVPG to < 12 mmHg or by ≥ 20% of baseline) and those who did not.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>126 HVPG measurements were performed in 105 patients (mean age 54.7 ± 11.4 years; 55.2% men). 80% had liver cirrhosis and 20% had non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH). The mean overall HVPG was 13.5 ± 7.2 mmHg, with a significant difference between the cirrhosis and NCPH groups (p < 0.001). The proportion of quality readings significantly improved after the protocol was introduced. HVPG response was achieved in 28 (33.3%, n = 84) cirrhotics. Nine had variceal bleeding over a median follow-up of 29 months. The rate of variceal bleeding was significantly lower in HVPG responders compared to nonresponders (p = 0.025).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The quality of HVPG measurements in our centre improved after the introduction of a standardised protocol. A HVPG response can prognosticate the risk of variceal bleeding in cirrhotics.</p>

Imaging findings of chronic subluxation of the os odontoideum and cervical myelopathy in a child with Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome after surgery to the head and neck

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Although uncommon, fractures of the os odontoideum are known to occur in children under 7 years old, following acute trauma.</p><p><b>CLINICAL PICTURE</b>We report a case of chronic subluxation of the os odontoideum resulting in cervical myelopathy in a child with Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome after surgery to the head and neck.</p><p><b>TREATMENT AND OUTCOME</b>The patient was initially put in a Halo vest, following which occipital cervical fusion was performed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Subluxations and fractures at the odontoid synchondrosis are rare but should be anticipated in young children with risk factors for instability of the cervical spine.</p>