Use of shear wave elastography to analyze the muscle structure in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE: In children with cerebral palsy (CP), gastrocnemius muscle spasticity may lead to pes equinus posture which causes insufficient ankle joint dorsiflexion for normal gait. The aim of this study was to analyze the stiffness of gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles by shear wave elastography (SWE) in children with pes equinus deformity due to spastic CP. METHODS: 24 legs of 12 children (6 females and 6 males, mean age 45.8 months) with CP were prospectively included in the study. Tissue stiffness quantification with shear-wave velocity (SWV) was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean SWVs of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles were 3.91±0.26 m/s and 2.67±0.18 m/s, respectively. The stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle was significantly higher than the stiffness of the tibialis anterior muscle (p < 0.0001). There was no correlation between the stiffness of these muscles (r = 0.129, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Gastrocnemius muscles were stiffer than tibialis anterior muscles in patients with spastic CP. But stiffness between these muscles was not correlated with each other. Pes equinus may be related to stiff gastrocnemius in these patients. This study demonstrates the clinical potential for SWE as a non-invasive tool for analyzing calf muscle stiffness.

Metaplastic Carcinoma of the Breast: Analysis of 38 Cases from a Single Institute.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pathological and radiological features, hormone profiles, surgery and treatment methods of metaplastic breast carcinoma cases diagnosed at our center in the light of current literature. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 38 metaplastic breast cancer cases diagnosed between 2006-2018 at our center were included in the study. The patients were evaluated in terms of age, tumor size, localization, histological grade, hormone profiles (ER, PR, Her2-neu), American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor, Lymph node status, Metastases (TNM) stage, progression, survival, radiological features, types of surgery and therapy modalities (chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy). RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged between 32 and 95 years. Pathological evaluation of cases showed that 14 were pure epithelial (IC-NST + squamous cell carcinoma) and 24 were metaplastic carcinomas with mesenchymal differentiation. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was accompanying an invasive component in twenty cases. Seventeen patients had lymph node metastasis. Twelve patients developed distant metastasis. Thirty patients were triple negative for hormone receptors. The mean follow-up period of the patients was 34 months. The estimated life expectancy was 116 months. All of the patients received chemotherapy and 28 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. There was no correlation between tumor size and lymph node or distant metastasis in our series. Our findings are consistent with the literature. CONCLUSION: Metaplastic breast carcinoma is a rare entity among breast carcinomas. Metaplastic carcinomas of the breast draw attention with the differences in their clinical course and the radiological and pathological heterogeneity.

Not Otherwise Specified-Type Sarcoma of Breast with CD10 Expression: Case Report.

Primary breast sarcomas are very rare and account less than 1% of invasive breast carcinomas. Primary sarcomas of breast are leiomyosarcoma, angiosarcoma, liposarcoma, fibrosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and pleomorphic sarcoma. Recently, a new CD10 positive group of sarcoma was identified. These tumors cannot be classified as a soft tissue sarcoma and show diffuse strong positive staining pattern with CD10 (NSCD10). Herein we report clinical and morphological characteristics of two cases diagnosed with not otherwise specified-type sarcoma with CD10 expression by histologically and immunohistochemical findings with the literature. NSCD10 shows similarity with leiomyosarcoma and sarcomatoid-type metaplastic carcinoma histomorphologically among specific sarcomas of breast. CD10 expression should be taken into consideration in the presence of not diagnosed and not specified tumors and CD10 should be added to the immunohistochemical panel.

Association Between the Elasticity of Hip Muscles and the Hip Migration Index in Cerebral Palsy.

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral palsy (CP) increases the risk of hip displacement during childhood. Abnormal hip muscle forces have been proposed as the predisposing factors. In CP, the amount of hip displacement is commonly evaluated by the Reimers hip migration index (MI) on an anteroposterior pelvic radiograph. To the best of our knowledge, the association between the elasticity of hip muscles measured by shear wave elastography and the MI has not been studied yet. Herein, we aimed to analyze the correlation between the elasticity of hip muscles and the MI. METHODS: Bilateral hips of 25 children with spastic CP were included prospectively in this study. Anteroposterior pelvic radiographs were used to measure the MI. Shear wave elastography was performed to evaluate the elasticity of muscles. The correlation between the MI and the elasticity of hip flexor and adductor muscle groups was assessed. Also, the association between the elasticity of agonist/antagonist muscles was analyzed. RESULTS: The MI showed fair to good correlations with hip flexors and adductors for both readers (0.71 ≥ r ≥ 0.52). The mean MIs of the patients ± SDs were 22.64% ± 7.79% for reader 1 and 21.55% ± 8.83% for reader 2. The elasticity of agonist/antagonist muscle groups showed little/no to a weak correlation for both readers (0.32 ≥ r ≥ -0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Although, hip flexor and adductor muscle elasticity showed a correlation with MI, it seems very hard to say that increased elasticity of hip flexor and adductor muscles causes hip dislocation.

The role of Shear-Wave elastography in the differentiation of benign and malign non-mass lesions of the breast.

AIM: The aim of this study is to retrospectively assess the additional diagnostic value of shear wave elastography (SWE) added to ultrasound (US) versus US alone in differentiating malignant and benign non-mass lesions (NMLs) of the breast by readers with different experience levels and to assess interreader agreement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 53 NMLs (31 benign, 22 malignant). Two radiologists (readers 1 and 2 had 15 years and 1 year of experience in breast imaging, respectively) independently reviewed each study and determined the BI-RADS category using US alone and again after adding SWE to US. Diagnostic performances of US alone and US combined with SWE were compared for both readers. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were estimated. The levels of interobserver agreement were determined by the calculated kappa coefficient. RESULTS: With the addition of SWE to US, AUCs for differentiation of benign and malignant lesions increased significantly for the less experienced reader (0.56 vs. 0.79; p=0.028), but not for the more experienced reader (0.60 vs. 0.75; p=0.170). While evaluating US alone, the interobserver agreement was moderate, and the interobserver variability among the readers was statistically significant (k=0.493, p<0.001). After adding SWE, the agreement increased to 0.773, and the interobserver variability among the readers became non-significant (k=0.773, p=0.688) CONCLUSIONS: SWE increased the diagnostic performance of relatively less experienced reader significantly. SWE improved interobserver agreement of two readers with different levels of experience and reduced the interobserver variability in differentiating benign and malignant NMLs of the breast. KEY WORDS: Breast, Elastography, Ultrasound.

Effects of chronic flexed wrist posture on the elasticity and crosssectional area of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel among chronic stroke patients.

AIM: To investigate the effects of chronic flexed wrist posture following spasticity on the elasticity and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel among chronic stroke patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This prospective study included 24 consecutive patients (mean age, 56.5±11.56 years) with unilateral wrist spasticity following a stroke in a chronic phase. The CSA of the median nerve was measured by ultrasound (US). The elasticity was measured by Virtual Touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ; Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). SWV and CSA of the median nerves of the affected and unaffected sides for each patient were compared. The correlations between duration of time since the stroke, SWV and CSA of the median nerve were assessed. The interobserver agreement was assessed. RESULTS: The CSA of the median nerve at the affected side was significantly lower than that of the unaffected side (p = 0.03). The SWV of the median nerve at the affected side was significantly higher than that on the unaffected side (p < 0.001). The interobserver agreement was excellent for both CSA and SWV measurements. There was a negatively fair correlation between CSA at the affected side and duration of time since stroke (r = -0.58, p < 0.05). The SWV of the median nerve at the affected side was not correlated with the duration of time since stroke (r ≤ 0.3, p ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chronic flexed wrist posture may cause atrophy of the median nerve due to chronic compression after stroke and increase in the stiffness of the median nerve.

Is there a correlation between the severity of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis and pre-treatment Shear-Wave Elastography Findings? Original research.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between the severity of idiopathic Garulomatous Mastitis (IGM) and the pre-treatment Shear-Wave Elastography (SWE) findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients diagnosed with granulomatous mastitis were included in the study between the dates of December 2014 and February 2017. The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 was treated using a conservative protocol and steroids. Group 2 was treated surgically. Pre-treatment SWE findings of both groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean ages of the patients in group 1 and 2 were 38.44±9.6 and 36.05±7.44 years, respectively. There were not any significant differences between the groups with regard to frequency of BI-RADS categories and Virtual touch tissue imaging (VTI) patterns. The mean Shear-Wave Spead (SWS) were 1.98 ± 1.02 m/sec and 2.82± 1.66 m/sec in group 1 and 2 respectively. The difference was not significant (p ≥ 0.05). The BI-RADS categories and VTI patterns did not show significant difference when the recurrent and non-recurrent patients were compared. CONCLUSION: There may not be a correlation with the pre-treatment SWE findings and severity of the IGM. KEY WORDS: Breast, Elasticity Imaging Techniques, Granulomatous mastitis, Ultrasonography.

Breast Involvement by Hematologic Malignancies: Ultrasound and Elastography Findings with Clinical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Hematological malignancies very rarely involve the breast. The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate B-mode ultrasound (US) and elastography (ES) findings of breast involvement by hematologic malignancies with clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All core-needle biopsy results that were performed at our tertiary breast center from January 2013 to September 2016 were searched. Our search revealed 9 patients with breast involvement either by leukemia or lymphoma. All patients were examined using B-mode US and ES. US and ES findings were analyzed with the consensus of two radiologists, and clinical outcomes were noted. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 41.6 years (range, 20-83 years). Two patients showed diffuse hypoechoic parenchymal infiltration. The elasticity assessments of these lesions were soft and intermediate. The remaining 7 patients had mass lesions. The elasticity assessment of these masses according to Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System US was as follows: Soft (n = 1), intermediate (n = 4), high (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: It is important to consider that hematologic malignancies may appear as soft or intermediate lesions on ES. Patients' history and clinical background should help us to consider breast involvement. In addition, the clinical outcomes may not be related with elasticity assessments.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: magnetic resonance imaging findings with diffusion MRI.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare benign breast disease with unknown etiology which can mimic breast carcinoma, both clinically and radiologically. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of IGM have been previously described; however there is no study evaluating diffusion-weighted MRI findings of IGM. PURPOSE: To analyze conventional, dynamic contrast-enhanced, and diffusion-weighted MRI signal characteristics of IGM by comparing it with the contralateral normal breast parenchyma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients were included in the study. On dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, the distribution and enhancement patterns of the lesions were evaluated. We also detected the frequencies of involving quadrants, retroareolar involvement, accompanying abscess, and skin edema. T2-weighted (T2W) and STIR signal intensities and both mean and minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were compared with the contralateral normal parenchyma. RESULTS: IGM showed significantly lower mean and minimum ADC values when compared with the normal parenchyma. Signal intensities on T2W and STIR sequences of the lesion were significantly higher than the normal parenchyma. On dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, 7.7% of the patients had mass-like contrast enhancement, 92.3% of the patients had non-mass-like contrast enhancement. Abscess was positive in 33.3% of the patients. CONCLUSION: As a result, IGM showed commonly non-mass-like lesions with restricted diffusion. Although it is a benign pathology, it may show clustered ring-like enhancement like malignant lesions.

Doppler ultrasonography findings of splenic arterial steal syndrome after liver transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Splenic arterial steal syndrome is an important cause of morbidity and mortality after orthotopic liver transplant. Splenic arterial steal syndrome is characterized by arterial hypoperfusion of the graft; and if left untreated, causes ischemic biliary tract injury. Selective arterial embolization is important when treating splenic arterial steal syndrome. Doppler ultrasound has been used to follow-up liver transplant patients. This study sought to analyze alterations in portal vein velocity, peak systolic velocity, and resistivity index of the hepatic artery before diagnosis and after treatment of splenic arterial steal syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the Duplex Doppler ultrasonography results of 20 liver transplant recipients who developed angiographically proven splenic arterial steal syndrome between January 2005 and March 2009. Peak systolic velocity and resistivity index of the hepatic artery were noted during transplant surgery, before selective arterial embolization, and after embolization procedures. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease was found in peak systolic velocity and resistivity index of the hepatic artery between the intraoperative and pre-embolization values. In contrast to the statistically significant increase in peak systolic velocity of the hepatic artery, there were no significant changes in resistivity index after the selective arterial embolization. Portal vein velocity did not show a statistically significant change between intraoperative and preprocedure values. Portal vein velocity did show a tendency to decrease after coil embolization, but this was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Doppler ultrasound surveillance is a valuable tool in early detection of hepatic arterial complications. A decrease in peak systolic velocity and resistivity index compared to the corresponding intraoperative data should raise suspicion of splenic arterial steal syndrome. Also Doppler ultrasound can be effectively used to examine the hepatic arterial inflow after selective arterial embolization.

The magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings of extrapontine myelinolysis in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy findings of extrapontine myelinolysis have been rarely reported. Herein, we present MR spectroscopy findings as well as the conventional MR and diffusion MR findings of an acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient with extrapontine myelinolysis. Advanced MR imaging including diffusion-weighted imaging and MR spectroscopy may be helpful to exclude other pathologies in the differential diagnosis and make the diagnosis when there is a diagnostic difficulty on cases clinically suspicious for extrapontine myelinolysis.