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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish an animal model of acute blunt scrotal trauma (BST) and evaluate the types of lesion by conventional ultrasonography (CUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We made acute BST models in 21 healthy male New Zealand rabbits by striking 3 - 12 times the unilateral testes randomly selected with a 0. 5 kg iron ball falling freely from a 30 cm height. Then we evaluated the lesion types in the models by CUS and CEUS and verified our evaluation against pathological results.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Acute BST models were successfully established in all the 21 animals, including contusion in 10, hematoma in 6, and rupture in 5, all confirmed by pathology. CUS clearly manifested the morphology, internal echoes, and blood flow of the testes, but had a low rate of accurate diagnosis in testicular contusion for over 6 hours as well as in complex lesions. CEUS revealed an earlier perfusion of the contrast agent and shorter arriving time (AT) and time to peak intensity ( TP) in testicular contusion than in the control testes (P <0.05) , but showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the half time of descending peak intensity (P>0.05). For testicular hematoma, contrast agent clearly presented its outline and a delayed low enhancement in the surrounding tissue, with significant differences from the control in AT and TTP. In severe testis rupture, occasional outflow but no perfusion of contrast agent was observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BST models can be established in rabbits by repeated strikes of the unilateral testes lesion of contrast agent was observed. with a freely falling iron ball. Simple contusion injury can be induced by less than 6 strikes, while complex injuries can be inflicted by more than 10. Combined application of CUS and CEUS can improve the accuracy of diagnosis of different types of lesion.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rabbits , Acute Disease , Disease Models, Animal , Scrotum , Diagnostic Imaging , Wounds and Injuries , Ultrasonography , Wounds, Nonpenetrating , Diagnostic ImagingABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in detecting testicular perfusion in acute testis contusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We established the model of testis contusion in 11 healthy male New Zealand rabbits by randomly hitting one side of the scrotum under general anesthesia. We examined the bilateral scrotums of all the animals before, immediately after and at 2, 4 and 6 hours after modeling by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and CEUS, and analyzed the time-intensity curve (TIC), arriving time (AT), time to peak intensity (TTP), peak intensity (PI), half time of descending peak intensity (HT) and area under the curve (AUC) in the healthy and injured testis, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CEUS exhibited a higher sensitivity in detecting tissue perfusion than CDFI. The mode of contrast agent perfusion in testicular contusion was fast in and slow out. There were no evident differences between the contused and the healthy testis in AT, TTP and PI before modeling. The contused testis showed significantly earlier AT and TTP, higher PI and larger AUC (P < 0.05) than the healthy one at different time points after modeling, but no statistically significant difference was found in HT (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Accurate parameters of testicular perfusion in acute testis contusion can be quantitatively obtained by CEUS, which are of important value for the diagnosis of testis contusion.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rabbits , Contrast Media , Contusions , Diagnostic Imaging , Testis , Diagnostic Imaging , Wounds and Injuries , Ultrasonography, Doppler, ColorABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the value of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in assessment of left ventricular (LV) strains. Methods Thirty healthy young adults examined by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) and 3D-STI. And the results of LV measurements were compared, which included mean peak systolic longitudinal strains, radial strains and circumferential strains. Also, the time consumption of these two methods was compared. Results The time needed for 3D-STI in acquisition and analysis of the images were (309.3±23.4)s, (305.5±11.2)s, while the time for 2D-STI were (490.6±14.4)s, (1261.4±39.9)s. The differences were signiifcant(t=-21.81, 69.94, both P<0.01). The global mean peak systolic radial strains was (48.59±7.68)%by 3D-STI and (33.25±7.27)%by 2D-STI. The difference was signiifcant(t=9.16, P<0.01). The global mean peak systolic longitudinal and circumferential strains were (-17.66±3.14)%, (-17.13±2.29)% by 3D-STI and (-21.35±2.46)%, (-21.97±3.84)% by 2D-STI. The differences were signiifcant(t=5.33, 5.99, both P < 0.01). The 3D-STI strains were different at different levels of LV. The longitudinal, circumferential and radial 3D-STI strains were largest at middle levels. However, 2D-STI strains didn′ t show such trend. Peak strains measured by 3D-STI and 2D-STI showed high inter-observer and intra-observer agreement in Bland-Altman chart. Conclusion 3D-STI is a novel, convenient and reproducible method to evaluate the strains of LV.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the application value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of acute experimental incomplete testicular torsion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seven incomplete and 1 complete testicular torsion models were established in 8 healthy hybrid dogs by twisting unilateral spermatic cord. The twisted testes were included in the model group and the healthy ones in the control. All the dogs underwent CEUS before, immediately after, and/or 6 hours after the torsion, followed by time-intensity curve analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The arriving time (AT) and the time to peak (TTP) of the contrast agents in the bilateral testes were almost coincident, and the peak intensity (PI) and the area under the curve (AUC) in the bilateral testes basically the same before the torsion. The incompletely torsion testes showed delayed perfusion of contrast agents, prolonged AT and 'TP, and decreased PI and AUC as compared with the contralateral testes (P < 0.05), while the completely torsion one exhibited no perfusion all the time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CEUS has a very high application value in the diagnosis of acute incomplete testicular torsion.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Dogs , Male , Disease Models, Animal , Spermatic Cord Torsion , Diagnostic Imaging , Testis , Diagnostic Imaging , Ultrasonography, Doppler, ColorABSTRACT
Objective To comparatively analyze the preoperative value of the size of primary breast cancer presenting as a mass by ultrasonography and by mammography.Methods The tumor size data obtained preoperatively by mammography and by ultrasonography were retrospectively analyzed in all the patients pathologically diagnosed with primary breast cancer in our hospital from July 2006 to July 2009.The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated for the size of tumors between with pathological method and with each of the imaging modalities.Results A total of 57 patients with breast cancers took both of imaging modalities including 51 cases of infiltrating ductal cancer,4 cases of infiltrating lobular cancer,and 2 of ductal carcinoma in situ.The ranges of the maximum diameter of tumor was 0.6-11.8 cm and mean value was (2.3±2.1) cm by pathological examination,0.6-12.6 cm and mean value was (3.4±2.9)cm by mammography and 0.7-10.2 cm and mean value was (2.4±1.8)cm by ultrasonography,respectively.The Pearson correlation coefficient in the accuracy of imaging assessments was superior to those by ultrasonography (r=0.744,P＜0.05) than those by mammography (r=0.544,P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasonography is more accurate than mammography for size assessment of primary breast cancer.
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Objective To investigate the relationship between diastolic function of the left ventricle and common carotid artery (CCA) elasticity in patients with hypertension. Methods Forty-one primary hypertension patients and 31 healthy volunteers underwent echocardiography to obtain the indices of LV diastolic function and also echo tracking techniqne (ET) to obtain the CCA elasticity indices. The LV diastolic function indices included Ve (early diastolic peak velocity), Va (late diastolic peak velocity ), Ve/Va, Em (early diastolic mitral annular motive velicity), Am (late diastolic mitral annular motive velicity) and Em/Am. The indices of CCA elasticity included Ep (pressure-strain elasticity modulus), β(stiffness parameter), AC (arterial compliance), AI (augmentation index) and PWVβ (pulse wave velocity). Results Va was higher and Em, Ve/Va and Em/Am were lower in patients than that in the healthy , P＜0.05. Ep and PWVβ were higher in patients,P＜0.05. Am and Va were correlated positively with PWV β and Ep , respectively in patients, P＜0.05. Ve/Va was correlated positively with AC, and negatively with PWV β, P＜0.05 in patients. Em/Am was correlated negatively with β and PWV β in patients. Conclusions The LV diastolic function and common carotid artery elasticity were decreased in patients with hypertension. The decreased common carotid artery elasticity was along with the LV diastolic function decreased.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the ultrasonographic changes in the epididymis after long-term vasectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four patients with a history of vasectomy for more than 10 years (vasectomy group) and another 60 without vasectomy (control group) were included in the study. The patients were referred to scrotal ultrasonography for epididymal indications. The shape, thickness and internal echoes of the head, body and tail of the epididymis were observed with high frequency ultrasonography (HFU), and the blood flow changes were observed with color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) or color Doppler power imaging (CDPI).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significantly higher rates were found in the vasectomy group than in the control: thickened body (64.1% vs 15.0%) and tail (78.1% vs 51.7%) of the epididymis, thickened head, body and tail (42.2% vs 8.3%) of the epididymis, and epididymal tubular ectasia (54.7% vs 8.3%). However, increased blood flow in the epididymis was seen at a significantly lower rate in the vasectomy group than in the control (15.6% vs 61.7%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The ultrasonographic changes in the epididymis after long-term vasectomy were mainly epididymis thickening and epididymal tubular ectasia, mostly with no or diminished blood flow in the epididymis.</p>
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Epididymis , Diagnostic Imaging , Postoperative Period , Ultrasonography , VasectomyABSTRACT
The objective of this study is to propose a more accurate and faster MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] colorimetric assay (MCA) for quantitative measurement of polypeptide bacteriocins in solutions with nisin as an example. After an initial incubation of nisin and indicator bacterium Micrococcus luteus NCIB 8166 in tubes, MTT was added for another incubation period. After that, nisin was quantified by estimating the number of viable bacteria based on measuring the amount of purple formazan produced by cleavage of yellow tetrazolium salt MTT. Then MCA was compared to a standard agar diffusion assay (ADA). The results suggested a high correlation coefficient (r(2)=0.975+/-0.004) between optical density (OD) and the inhibitory effect of nisin on a bacterial strain Micrococcus luteus NCIB 8166 at a range of 0.125-32 IU/ml. The MCA described in this study was very quick. Quantification of nisin took only 7-8 h and the detection limit was at the level of 0.125 IU/ml when compared to 12 IU/ml and 24-28 h for ADA. The MCA provides an accurate and rapid method for quantification of nisin in solutions and is expected to be used for quantification of other antimicrobial substances.