Ultrasound detection of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To define standard criteria for the detection of lipohypertrophy using ultrasonography and to determine the accuracy of this method. METHOD: Individuals using insulin therapy for ≥2 years with unknown lipohypertrophy status were enrolled at a diabetes education centre. A team of diabetes educator nurses performed a clinical examination for evidence of lipohypertrophy and a separate team of ultrasonographers examined participants in a blinded fashion. RESULTS: The echo signature for lipohypertrophy consisted of location in the subcutaneous layer and lesions that were 1) well circumscribed either by hyperechoic foci with defined borders or a nodular shape with a hypoechoic halo, 2) heterogeneous in echotexture compared with surrounding tissue, 3) associated with distortion of surrounding connective tissue with 4) absence of vascularity and 5) absence of capsule. Ultrasonography identified individuals with lipohypertrophy significantly more frequently than inspection or palpation (P<0.0001). Inter-observer agreement was moderate (κ=0.50) and limited by the presence of subclinical lesions in 73% of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound detection of lipohypertrophy is consistent with clinical examination and is reproducible using a defined echo signature. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no: NCT02348099).

A case report of osteomalacia unmasking primary biliary cirrhosis.

Osteomalacia, a metabolic bone disease characterized by the inability to mineralize new osteoid, can be caused by vitamin D deficiency. We report a patient with symptomatic, biochemical, and imaging evidence of osteomalacia due to vitamin D deficiency, who as a result of work up for bone disease was diagnosed with early primary biliary cirrhosis. Osteomalacia was treated with high-dose vitamin D and serial bone density scans showed evidence of increasing bone mineral density suggesting osteoid mineralization in response to treatment. The diagnosis of cholestatic liver disease should be considered in all patients presenting with osteomalacia due to vitamin D deficiency, particularly if other cholestatic liver enzymes are elevated in addition to alkaline phosphatase.