Sonographic visibility of the main posterior ankle ligaments and para-ligamentous structures in 15 healthy subjects.

The present article describes the ultrasound (US) appearance of ligaments and paraligamentous structures which are not included in standard US imaging of the ankle: the posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (PITFL), the transverse tibiofibular ligament (TTFL), the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL), the posterior intermalleolar ligament (PIL), the synovial recess (SR) of the posterior joint and the os trigonum (OT). Two skilled operators examined 15 ankles in 15 healthy volunteers. Correlation between thickness of the main ligaments and body mass index (BMI) was also analyzed. Compound and tissue harmonic imaging (THI) were carried out using 12-, 6-15- and 9-MHz linear probes. Exploration of the posterior ankle ligament complex is accurately described including correct ankle position, echogenicity, shape, direction and thickness. Both operators identified and measured the main ligaments (PITFL, TTFL and PTFL) in all volunteers (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ranged from 0.8 to 1); both operators also detected SR and OT in 2/15 ankles and posterior intermalleolar ligament (PIL) in 5/15 ankles. Pearson's test showed a significant correlation (< 0.05) between TTFL thickness and BMI. Also, a dynamic study was carried out showing tension of the PTFL during dorsiflexion in 7/15 subjects. Our results highlight the potential role of accurate US imaging in detecting posterior ankle ligament involvement in acute and chronic traumas. To our knowledge, there are no previous articles in the literature dealing with this topic providing an accurate description of the US procedure, and in particular, no study has been carried out to identify OT.

Pneumonia Lung Ultrasound Score (PLUS): A New Tool for Detecting Pneumonia in the Oldest Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound (LUS) and standard chest X-ray (CXR) in older patients admitted to an acute-care geriatric ward for suspected acute pneumonia, and to develop an easy-to-use diagnostic tool, now called Pneumonia Lung Ultrasound Score (PLUS), for early risk stratification. DESIGN: Prospective, single-center, cohort study. SETTING: Acute-care geriatric ward of tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals, aged 65 years and older, with suspected acute pneumonia. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were stratified according to the Multidimensional Prognostic Index. All the patients underwent CXR and LUS, whereas chest computed tomography was performed in case of mismatch between LUS and CXR. Using logistic multivariate regression, we assessed the influence of age, sex, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, and clinical biomarkers in the misdiagnosis of acute pneumonia. Finally, an easy-to-perform diagnostic tool based on the combination of biomarkers (brain natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and partial pressure arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio) and LUS was realized. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to verify the predictive accuracy of PLUS, CXR, and LUS in pneumonia diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 132 subjects (69% women; mean age = 85.3 ± 6.9 years) were enrolled in the study. Acute pneumonia was diagnosed in 94 of 132 cases. LUS showed higher diagnostic accuracy compared with CXR (0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.85-0.93) vs 0.67 (95% CI = 0.58-0.75)) in detecting pneumonic consolidations. A higher degree of cognitive impairment was associated with both LUS and CXR pneumonia misdiagnosis (odds ratio = 1.30 (95% CI = 1.04-1.65)). PLUS showed higher predictive accuracy in the diagnosis of acute pneumonia compared with LUS (AUC = 0.92 (95% CI = 0.87-0.98) vs 0.86 (95% CI = 0.80-0.96); P = .029). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the higher diagnostic accuracy of LUS compared with CXR for acute pneumonia in older adults. Nonetheless, the accuracy of PLUS, an easy-to-use, biomarker-derived diagnostic tool, was superior to LUS regardless of patients' degree of frailty.

Primary and secondary prophylaxis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: current state of the art.

Introduction: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis represents a frequent and severe complication in cirrhotic patients with ascites. In daily practice, the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis might be challenging in the absence of the typical signs and symptoms of infection such as fever or leukocytosis. Areas covered: Aim of this review is to revise the current state of the art on primary and secondary spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Literature search in Medline/Pubmed was performed. Expert opinion: Historically, gram-negative bacteria were the most frequent etiologic agents of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. being the most frequently isolated bacteria. However, major changes in this regard occurred over the last few decades with an increasing prevalence of gram-positive, quinolone-resistant, and multidrug-resistant bacteria. In particular, the increasing prevalence of quinolone-resistant bacteria challenged the prominent role of norfloxacin in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis prevention. Given the high mortality rate and the risk of developing the hepatorenal syndrome, prophylaxis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is indicated in three high-risk populations: patients with acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage, patients with low total protein content in ascitic fluid and advanced cirrhosis, and patients with a previous history of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (secondary prophylaxis).

Risk factors for relapse and long-term outcome of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RF) is a rare disease of unclear etiology characterized by the presence of fibroinflammatory tissue in the retroperitoneal space, which can entrap and obstruct retroperitoneal structures, notably the ureters. The disease responds well to steroid therapy, but tends to recur even after years. The aim of our study was to evaluate the long-term renal outcome of patients affected by idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis looking for predictive risk factors for recurrence of the disease and progression to end-stage renal disease. METHODS: Retrospective observational study of patients with idiopathic RF diagnosed from 2004 to 2017 and follow-up of at least 1 year after the end of first course therapy with steroid, with or without tamoxifen (TMX) and with urological procedures when applicable. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were included in the study. The follow-up was 93 ± 52 months. All the patients obtained remission after therapy that was maintained until the last observation in 26 of them. In 17 patients, there was at least one recurrence. Risk factors associated with relapse were identified and resulted in smoking habit, onset with acute kidney injury (AKI), low back pain and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) positivity. Renal function remained fairly stable during the long-term follow-up. The renal end-point (doubling of serum creatinine or ESRD) occurred in 8% of the patients; however, eGFR in patients with relapse was similar to that of non-recurrent at the diagnoses, but it decreased over time more in the relapsing than in non-relapsing patients (p group = 0.20; p time = 0.001; p time × group interactions = 0.04). Based on these 4 predictor conditions, patients were divided into "low risk" (with 0-1 risk factor), and "high risk" (3-4 risk factors). The renal end-point occurred in 40% of high-risk patients, while none of the low-risk patients reached it (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking habit, AKI at diagnosis, ANA positivity and lumbar pain were associated with relapse of RF after initial remission due to steroid and/or TMX therapy; the combination of these conditions was also predictive of worse renal function outcome. Identification of risk factors for relapse can be useful not only to modulate the choice, the dosage of first-line treatment and the duration of maintenance therapy but also for preventing a progressive loss of kidney function, as well.

Clinical differences among the elderly admitted to the emergency department for accidental or unexplained falls and syncope.

It is difficult to distinguish unexplained falls (UFs) from accidental falls (AFs) or syncope in older people. This study was designed to compare patients referred to the emergency department (ED) for AFs, UFs or syncope. Data from a longitudinal study on adverse drug events diagnosed at the ED (ANCESTRAL-ED) in older people were analyzed in order to select cases of AF, syncope, or UF. A total of 724 patients (median age: 81.0 [65-105] years, 66.3% female) were consecutively admitted to the ED (403 AF, 210 syncope, and 111 UF). The number of psychotropic drugs was the only significant difference in patients with AF versus those with UF (odds ratio [OR] 1.44; 95% confidence interval 1.17-1.77). When comparing AF with syncope, female gender, musculoskeletal diseases, dementia, and systolic blood pressure >110 mmHg emerged as significantly associated with AF (OR 0.40 [0.27-0.58], 0.40 [0.24-0.68], 0.35 [0.14-0.82], and 0.31 [0.20-0.49], respectively), while valvulopathy and the number of antihypertensive drugs were significantly related to syncope (OR 2.51 [1.07-5.90] and 1.24 [1.07-1.44], respectively). Upon comparison of UF and syncope, the number of central nervous system drugs, female gender, musculoskeletal diseases, and SBP >110 mmHg were associated with UF (OR 0.65 [0.50-0.84], 0.52 [0.30-0.89], 0.40 [0.20-0.77], and 0.26 [0.13-0.55]), respectively. These results indicate specific differences, in terms of demographics, medical/pharmacological history, and vital signs, among older patients admitted to the ED for AF and syncope. UF was associated with higher use of psychotropic drugs than AF. Our findings could be helpful in supporting a proper diagnostic process when evaluating older patients after a fall.

Sonographic visibility of the sinus tarsi with a 12 MHz transducer.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the value of ultrasonography in studies of the ligaments within the sinus tarsi (ST) in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 20 healthy volunteers using a 12-MHz transducer with THI and compound imaging. With the foot in inversion, the following structures were examined with coronal and transverse scans: (1) the root of the inferior extensor retinaculum (RIER); (2) the interosseous talocalcaneal ligament (ITCL); (3) the cervical ligament (CL); (4) the bifurcate ligament (BL); (5) the synovial recesses, which were examined for possible distention (distended synovial recesses, DSR). The sonographic features, orientation, and thickness of each ligament were assessed. RESULTS: The easiest structure to identify (visualized in 20/20 subjects) was the RIER, which formed a semiarch. The two deeper layers were hypoechoic, the superficial layer hyperechoic. The ITCL was situated posteriorly and deep with an oblique course. It appeared hypoechoic with a mean thickness of 4.06 mm ± 0.7. It was visualized in 18/20 (90 %) subjects. The CL (isoechoic/hyperechoic) was located more anteriorly at an intermediate depth. The orientation was almost vertical. It was visualized in 17/20 (85 %) subjects, with a mean thickness of 2.28 mm ± 0.34. The BL appeared hypoechoic. It was visualized in 19/20 (95 %) subjects with transverse (anterior end of the ST) and longitudinal scans. The calcaneonavicular and calcaneocuboid components displayed mean (SD) thicknesses of 2.09 mm ± 0.37 and 2.7 mm ± 0.32, respectively. The ITCL and RIER were visualized in the same scan as a semiarch. DSR was observed in 4/20 (20 %) subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that, in patients with suspected ST pathology, the anatomic structures that make up this recess can be adequately examined with ultrasonography performed with ordinary 12-MHz transducers.

Renal colic in Pisa emergency department: epidemiology, diagnostics and treatment patterns.

The present investigation aimed to point out some epidemiological and clinical features of renal colic in our region. All emergency department (ED) visits performed from 1 January to 31 December 2005 were reviewed to select those with diagnosis of renal colic or kidney stones. There were 70,621 visits to the University of Pisa ED. Renal colic or stone were diagnosed in 696 cases (1%); 21.6% of them were recurrent stone formers; the males to female ratio was 1.4-1. The age distribution showed a higher rate from 25 to 44 years of age, whereas seasonal distribution showed a higher risk during summer months, particularly in July. Ultrasonography (US) was the only examination in 70.2% cases, it was coupled with plain abdomen X-ray (KUB) in 10% of the cases. NSAIDs were always used (100%), sometimes in association with opiate (15.8%) or with anti-cholinergic (26.5%) medications. The data of our investigation are in a substantial agreement with the reported literature as far as concerns the main epidemiological features of renal colic and its treatment. On the contrary, the diagnostic approach is mainly based on US whereas KUB is rarely performed. Until the 31st of December 2005, CT-scan was not used as the first and only imaging study in cases of renal colic. This different diagnostic approach may be linked to financial and cultural reasons, and structural and functional organization of the National Health Service facilities.

The role of the radiologist in the management of politrauma patients.

The management of trauma patients has become a very relevant issue and one of the major challenges in the western countries. In the assessment of politrauma patients, since the last 2 decades, radiological imaging methods have been increasingly used in order to provide a quick and thorough survey of craniocerebral, cervical, abdominal, pelvic and limb traumatic injuries. Among imaging methods, conventional radiographs (CR) have precise but limited indications. In most European hospitals, UltraSonography (US) represents the method of choice for patients referred following blunt abdominal trauma, whereas multislice computed tomography (MSCT) remains a second-line method of investigation, although it provides a fully comprehensive assessment of their injuries and allows for their categorization according to the severity of traumatic injuries. In fact, injury prevalence, radiation dose exposure, and costs represent important considerations in all of the emergency departments, where a growing number of patients seeking medical attention is seen. The radiologist's task is to decide which imaging method is mostly appropriate after initial patient presentation. In the severe politrauma patient, the diagnostic endpoint is to identify the nature and extent of the various injuries in order to execute a more tailored therapeutic approach: this is the patient in whom a total-body MSCT has to be performed in order to provide rapid and accurate information for a correct management. In the large majority of our patients, who do not show the need for a formal hospital admission, after the physical examination has revealed the clinical suspicion of minimal single-organ injury, US provides an adequate assessment of abdominal traumatic injuries and triage those few who are subsequently to be evaluated by means of MSCT. In the majority of this patients category, with low to very-low grade of potential injuries, CR can detect all types of skeletal fractures (except for the skull and the hips). Overall, the role of the emergency radiologist has become of primary importance in the management of trauma patients, and this all the more so since development of interventional radiology affords therapeutic procedures alternative to surgery.

Cervical and mediastinal hematoma: presentation of an asymptomatic cervical parathyroid adenoma: case report and literature review.

The spontaneous rupture with extracapsular hemorrhage of a cervical parathyroid adenoma is a rare cause of cervical and mediastinal hematoma. We describe this case to emphasize that a failure to consider this diagnosis may result in delayed operative intervention with potentially fatal complications.

Blunt submandibular gland trauma: acute CT findings.

We describe an early CT study of a rare case of blunt traumatic injury to the right submandibular salivary gland, without mandibular bone fractures, in a 30-year-old man after a car accident.