ABSTRACT
Fat necrosis of the breast is a commonly encountered condition in daily practice. It is a benign pathology, but it can have variable manifestations and patterns that may sometimes mimic malignancy, depending on its stage of evolution and its underlying cause. This review demonstrates the wide spectrum of appearances of fat necrosis on mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron-emission tomography (PET). Sequential follow-up images are included in some cases to illustrate the temporal change of the findings. The typical location and distribution of fat necrosis from a comprehensive list of aetiologies are discussed. Improved knowledge of the multimodality imaging features of fat necrosis could enhance diagnostic accuracy and clinical management, thus avoiding unnecessary invasive investigations.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Fat Necrosis , Humans , Female , Fat Necrosis/diagnostic imaging , Fat Necrosis/pathology , Breast/diagnostic imaging , Breast/pathology , Mammography/methods , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Breast Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Breast Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
Physiological and pathological processes arising from the breast and anterior chest wall may share similar clinical presentations because of the small volume of male breasts. Therefore, imaging is frequently required to localise and characterise the lesion and guide biopsy when radiological findings are equivocal or suspicious. Mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and ultrasound are the mainstays of breast imaging work-up. Other imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron-emission tomography (PET) can sometimes augment the investigation and aid treatment planning. This article reviews the key imaging features of a wide spectrum of benign and malignant conditions that involve the male breast and anterior chest wall across various age groups. Familiarisation with the salient radiological findings is essential for reaching an accurate diagnosis and optimising management.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Thoracic Wall , Adolescent , Breast/diagnostic imaging , Breast/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Child , Humans , Male , Mammography/methods , Radiographic Image Enhancement/methods , Thoracic Wall/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Young AdultABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: A magnetic seed marker system (Magseed, Endomagnetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom) is used as a localisation method for non-palpable breast lesions in the United States, Europe, and Hong Kong. It overcomes many limitations of conventional techniques and allows scheduling flexibility. We sought to evaluate its efficacy and safety in the Chinese population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all Chinese women who underwent magnetic seed marker-guided breast lesion excision from June 2019 to February 2020 at a single institution. Placement success (final target-to-seed distance <10 mm) was evaluated by imaging on the day of surgery. Specimen radiographs and pathology reports were reviewed for magnetic seed markers and target removal. Margin clearance and re-excision rates were analysed. RESULTS: Twenty two magnetic seed markers were placed in 21 patients under sonographic or stereotactic guidance to localise 21 target lesions. One target lesion required two magnetic seed markers for bracketing. There was no migration of nine markers placed 6 to 56 days before the day of surgery. Placement success was achieved in 20 (90.9%) cases. Mean final target-to-seed distance was 3.1 mm. Two out of 21 (9.5%) lesions required alternative localisation due to marker migration ≥10 mm, while 19 (90.5%) lesions underwent successful magnetic seed marker-guided excision. Three of these 19 lesions (15.8%) were excised with therapeutic intent, one of which (33%) required re-excision due to a close margin. All 22 magnetic seed markers were successfully removed. No complications were reported. CONCLUSION: Magnetic seed markers demonstrated safety and efficacy in Chinese women for breast lesion localisation and excision.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis , Early Detection of Cancer/methods , Magnetometry/methods , Adult , Aged , China , Early Detection of Cancer/instrumentation , Female , Humans , Magnetic Phenomena , Magnetometry/instrumentation , Magnets , Mammography , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Therapeutic communication is central to mental health nursing and through this process nurse-client relationships can be enhanced. In Hong Kong, mental health nurses are educated in 'western' theories and strategies in using therapeutic communication and the field of communication is predominantly Eurocentric. However, the majority of people in Hong Kong are Chinese and little research has been conducted into how Hong Kong nurses communicate with their Chinese clients. This qualitative study focused on identifying the therapeutic communication strategies used by mental health nurses with Chinese clients in Hong Kong. Three case study vignettes with some of the characteristics of Chinese culture were developed to elicit information about the strategies that respondents used in therapeutic communication. The purposive sample of 20 comprised 10 admission ward nurses and 10 community nurses from two psychiatric hospitals. All participants had at least five years post-registration experience. Content analysis revealed categories of communication and theme clusters for the nurses' response to the vignettes. The result showed a unique cultural influence emerged in communication patterns. In view of the scant nature of existing literature and studies in this area, this research provided some valuable data for further studies. Implications for mental health nursing education and practice in Hong Kong are raised, as are implications for nurses working in multicultural countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA, where there are significant numbers of Chinese clients who would benefit from nurses practising with a deeper understanding of communication strategies which are culturally bound.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health/ethnology , Communication , Mental Disorders/ethnology , Mental Disorders/nursing , Nurse-Patient Relations , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Psychiatric Nursing/methods , Transcultural Nursing/methods , Adult , China/ethnology , Clinical Competence/standards , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Hong Kong , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/psychology , Middle Aged , Nursing Methodology Research , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Nursing TheoryABSTRACT
The occurrence of SARS in March 2003 has resulted in an increased interest, worldwide in emerging infectious diseases. The SARS experience provided us a lesson on the importance of promoting hygienic practices among individuals and different working sectors. In Hong Kong, a voluntary organization called the UNITE proposed a Hygiene Charter which aimed at taking hygiene to new levels. This action has been supported by individuals and different sectors including the Personal and Family, Management, Buildings, Catering, Education, Finance and Commercial, Industrial, Medical and Health, Public Transportation, Social Welfare, Sports and Culture and Tourism. As promotion and maintenance of environmental health requires input from different sectors, the signing of the Hygiene Charter provides an opportunity for individuals and the public to show their pledge and commitment to good hygiene practices. As a result, with environment improvement and good infectious disease control measures, prevention of epidemics of infectious diseases is deemed to be possible.
Subject(s)
Environmental Health , Health Promotion/methods , Hygiene , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/transmission , Adult , Female , Hong Kong , Humans , Male , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/prevention & controlABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: A study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of achieving ultra low respirable suspended particulates (RSP) in commercial offices without major modification of existing ventilation systems by enhancing the particulates removal efficiency of existing central ventilation systems. Four types of filters which include pre-filters, cartridge filters, bag filters and high efficiency particulates air (HEPA) filters were tested in a commercial building in Causeway Bay. The results show that an RSP objective of <20 microg/m3 could be met by removing RSP from both the return air and outdoor air supply simultaneously. This level of performance is classed as 'excellent' by the Hong Kong Government, Environmental Protection Department. Filters with efficiency that exceed 80% placed both in the return air and outdoor air were sufficient to meet the objective. It is not necessary to install HEPA filters to achieve the 'excellent' class. The outdoor air filter has great influence on the steady state indoor RSP concentration while the effective cleaning rate is governed by the return air filter. Higher efficiency filters increased the static drop but the volume flow of the air fan was not affected significantly. The additional cost incurred was <5% of the existing operation cost. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This paper reports a field study of RSP control for an indoor office environment. The results are directly applicable to building service engineering in the design of ventilation systems using air-handling units. Field observations indicated that indoor RSP in an office environment could be suppressed below 20 microg/m3 within 1 h by the simultaneous filtration of outdoor air and return air. Outdoor air filtration has a great influence on the steady state indoor concentration and return air filtration governs the cleaning rate. It is believed that the results of this study could be extended to the cleaning of other indoor pollutants such as volatile organic compounds.