ULTRASOUND--A USEFUL COMPLEMENTARY TOOL TO MAMMOGRAPHY IN ASSESSMENT OF SYMPTOMATIC BREAST DISEASES.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy worldwide. Pakistan has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer than any other Asian population. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the worth of sono-mammography in diagnosis of symptomatic breast diseases by comparing it with mammogram. METHODS: In this cross-sectional validation study, 45 subjects with mean age of 45 +/- 12.07 were included. Majority of the patients presented with complaint of breast lump. After complete history and clinical examination, all the patients had high resolution ultrasound of bilateral breasts and axilla followed by bilateral mammography. Histopathology was taken as gold standard in this study. The exclusion criteria were pregnancy and patients having direct clinical signs of breast malignancy. RESULTS: Based on histopathology, out of 45 patients with breast symptoms, 12 patients had benign lesions, whereas 32 patients were diagnosed as the cases of breast cancers. Finally one patient did not have biopsy proven final diagnosis. Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound were calculated to be 100% and 67% as compared to sensitivity and specificity of 90.6% and 91.7% for that of mammography. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound is a useful complementary tool to mammography in assessment of symptomatic breast diseases since it helps in characterization and localization of breast lesions seen on mammogram and it is not limited by dense breasts. Also it should be the considered as initial imaging technique for assessment of palpable breast lumps.

Testicular choriocarcinoma: diagnosed on cervical lymph node biopsy.

Choriocarcinoma is a very rare germinal testicular tumour and in literature its incidence has been reported to be 0.3% of all germinal testicular tumours. An important tumour marker is serum beta-hCG which not only helps in establishing diagnosis but also in assessing response to chemotherapy. In this study we present a case of testicular choriocarcinoma, who presented with abdominal pain, cough, generalized weakness and left sided cervical mass. Incisional biopsy of cervical mass was performed. Histopathology revealed metastatic choriocarcinoma. Serum beta-hCG levels were 1227 ng/mL. Patient received intravenous cycles of PEB (cisPlatin, Etoposide, Bleomycin) chemotherapy but he had progressive disease both radiologically and on tumour marker monitoring. He was planned for salvage chemotherapy but was lost to follow up there after. It is concluded that in males, choriocarcinoma carries a very dismal prognosis and a very poor response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy; surgery has no role in the management.

Transabdominal Ultrasound: A Potentially Accurate And Useful Tool For Detection Of Choledocholithiasis.

BACKGROUND: Choledocholithiasis denotes to the presence of gallstones within the common bile duct. In patients with Gall stones, the precise incidence and prevalence of choledocholithiasis are not known, but it has been estimated that 5-20 percent of patients have choledocholithiasis at the time of cholecystectomy, with the incidence increasing with age. The transabdominal ultrasound examination (US) is the most commonly used modality for symptoms attributable to gallstone disease. US can provide important evidence for presence of stones in CBD. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional validation study which was conducted at PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad from February to July 2015. Patients with suspected choledocholithiasis attending radiology department for ultrasound abdomen were included in the study. Findings for dilatation of common bile duct, intrahepatic biliary channel dilatation and direct visualization of calculus in CBD were noted. Ultrasound findings were compared with subsequent ERCP which was considered gold standard. RESULTS: Diagnostic accuracy of trans abdominal ultrasound in detection of choledocholithiasis came out to be 76.9% with sensitivity of 76.2% and specificity of 81.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound can be used as an initial and baseline tool for detection of CBD calculi as it is non-invasive, easily available, radiation free and cost effective.

Ultrasound And Supine Chest Radiograph In Road Traffic Accident Patients: A Reliable And Convenient Way To Diagnose Pleural Effusion.

BACKGROUND: Portable bed side ultrasound and supine chest radiograph of 80 traumatic patients excluding very clinically unstable patients who subsequently underwent CT scan chest was done for traumatic effusion showing that ultrasound had a higher sensitivity than CXR, 88.23% and 77.94%, respectively, and a similar specificity of 100% and 100%, respectively. Objective of the study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of high resolution ultrasound and supine chest x-ray in detection of pleural effusion in road traffic accident patients keeping plain CT chest as gold standard. METHODS: This study was conducted in PIMS and PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad from 1st January to 15th December 2015. The current study examined total of 80 trauma (blunt and penetrating) patients coming to emergency departments of both hospitals specifically those who had road traffic accident history. Their portable bed side ultrasound and supine chest radiograph were performed for assessing pleural effusion and subsequently CT scan chest was done for confirmation as it's a gold standard. RESULTS: Using CT findings as gold standard the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value was assessed for both ultrasonography and chest radiography and found to be 88.23%,100%, 100%, 40% and 77.94%, 100%, 100%, 55.55% respectively with diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound 90% as compared to 81.25% for supine chest x-rays when compared with gold standard. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound and chest x-ray can be used as a useful and suitable adjunct to CT in road traffic accident patients as these are easily available, non-invasive, no contrast required, can be performed on bed side and carries no or little radiation risk.

Bedside Ultrasonography: AUseful Tool for Traumatic Pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiography for the diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax. STUDY DESIGN: Analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: PIMS and PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad, from November 2014 to August 2015. METHODOLOGY: Patients coming to emergency departments of the study centres, who had sustained chest injuries, were inducted. Their portable bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiographs were taken for assessing pneumothorax and subsequently CTchest was done for confirmation as gold standard. RESULTS: Based on CTfindings, sensitivity for ultrasonography and chest radiography was found to be 83.33% and 54.76%, respectively and specificity of 100% for both modalities. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound can be used as a useful and suitable adjunct to CTin trauma patients as it is easily available, non-invasive, bedside, easily examined with no radiation risk.

Solid neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast.

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast is a rare disease that accounts for less than 5% of all cancers arising from the breast. The tumour cells stain positively for chromogranin and synaptophysin. This report describes the occurrence of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast with neuroendocrine differentiated tumour in 37 year old female. Early small cell neuroendocrine cancer of the breast that is treated with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy shows an increased disease-free survival. She is planned for anthracycline/cyclophosphamide based chemotherapy followed by etoposide/platinum based chemotherapy. As her tumour showed ER/PR positivity, she will be given hormonal therapy subsequently, however, more extensive review is required to define a standard treatment protocol for this rare neoplasm.

Diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma: at times a challenge.

Hodgkin's lymphoma has been traditionally defined as a hematopoietic neoplasm composed of diagnostic Reed-Sternberg cells. More than 70% of the cases involve cervical or supraclavicular lymph nodes. Isolated sub-diaphragmatic lymphadenopathy or organ involvement is rare. We present the case of Hodgkin's lymphoma in a 51 years old female, who presented with obstructive jaundice and lymphadenopathy, empirically treated previously as a case of tuberculosis. Chemotherapy with modified ABVD protocol was given with dose modification according to LFT's. Her liver functions returned to normal levels after the first cycle. The main purpose of reporting the case is to stress definitive diagnosis of the disease before initiating treatment and the modified chemotherapy regimen used in this infrequent presentation of the disease.