Utility of Ultrasound and Mammography in Detection of Negative Axillary Nodal Metastasis in Breast Cancer.

Objective The status of axillary lymph nodes is one of the most important prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer. A precise noninvasive evaluation of axillary lymph node status preoperatively, although challenging, is vital for optimization of the treatment plan for patients. The objective of our study was to assess the utility of ultrasound and mammography in detecting the absence of axillary lymph nodal metastasis in patients of breast cancer, taking histopathology as gold standard. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. All female patients between 20 and 95 years of age with a known diagnosis of breast cancer with mammographic and ultrasound imaging done at our institute were included. Patients with abnormal lymph nodes on mammography or on ultrasound, patients already operated for breast cancer, patients who already underwent axillary lymph node dissection and those whose histopathology reports were not available or who did not undergo surgery were excluded. Results A total of 262 women with breast carcinoma who had both ultrasound and mammography done and also had surgery performed at our institution were included. At final surgical pathology, a total of 45 of the 262 patients (17.2%) with breast carcinoma had one or more positive lymph nodes. Out of the total 262 patients, 217 patients were found to be true negatives as they had absent axillary nodal metastasis on imaging as well as on histopathology. In all, 45 out of 262 patients were found to be false negatives as they had absent axillary nodal metastasis on imaging; however, they were found to be positive for metastasis on histopathology. The negative predictive value was 82.8%. Patient age was considered as a factor that may influence the outcome of results; the patients were stratified into age ranges seven groups with the age range of 10 years, ranging from 26 to 95 years. Chi-square test showed a p-value of 0.148, which showed no significant difference in the effect of age on diagnosing the absence of metastasis by ultrasound and mammography. Conclusion Our study shows that ultrasound and mammography even when used in combination cannot safely exclude axillary metastasis and thus cannot eliminate the need for sentinel node biopsy.

Cholecystocolonic Fistula.

Cholecystocolonic fistula (CCF) is a rare complication of gallstone disease with a variable clinical presentation. It is difficult to diagnose CCF pre-operatively despite modern diagnostic and imaging modalities as they are often asymptomatic or incidentally discovered, often peri-operatively. However, management of this uncommon yet important finding is not very well described in the literature. The most common fistula is the cholecystoduodenal fistula, followed by the cholecystocolonic fistula; the cholecystogastric fistula is reportedly the least commonly reported. We report our experience with three cases of cholecystocolonic fistula discovered on imaging which were subsequently confirmed through surgery.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Multidetector Computed Tomography in Detection of Esophageal Varices.

Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in the detection of esophageal varices by taking endoscopy as the reference standard. Materials and methods This was a cross-sectional prospective study conducted at the Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital, (AKUH) Karachi, for the duration of 12 months from August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015. One hundred ninety-six patients with a suspicion of chronic liver disease/cirrhosis undergoing 64 slice MDCT were enrolled in our study and underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning in the Department of Radiology at AKUH. Biphasic CT was performed with images obtained during the hepatic arterial phase (30-second delay) and the portal venous phase (65-second delay) after the intravenous (IV) injection of 120 mL of nonionic contrast material at a rate of 3.5 mL/s. The presence of esophageal varices was evaluated on MDCT with endoscopy as gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value, and accuracy of MDCT were assessed against the gold standard. Results Our results yielded an MDCT sensitivity of 98.96%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 66.67%, and diagnostic accuracy of 98.97% for esophageal varices in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. Conclusion The rate of detection of esophageal varices in patients with chronic liver disease on MDCT in our country is comparable to the international data and we advocate that MDCT should be used as a screening tool in patients with chronic liver disease to exclude esophageal varices.

Torsion of Wandering Spleen with Infarction.

Wandering spleen is a rare entity that results from the absence or maldevelopment of the ligaments that support the spleen in its normal location. As a result, the spleen is hypermobile and may be predisposed to hilar torsion and subsequent infarction, making it a potentially fatal abdominal emergency. We present a case of a 36-year-old Afghan female who presented with an acute abdomen, and was radiologically and surgically confirmed to have a wandering spleen with torsion and complete infarction. Knowledge of this condition and its radiological findings can play a crucial role in making a correct and timely diagnosis.

Hepatic, Periportal, Retroperitoneal, and Mesenteric Neurofibromatosis in von Recklinghausen's Disease.

We present a rare case of histologically proven neurofibromatosis of the liver, hepatic hilum, retroperitoneum, and mesentery. An adult male who had been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis (NF) type 1 underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan for abdominal pain and vomiting. The CT scan showed a large low-attenuating lesion in the region of porta hepatis which was infiltrating along portal tracts into the liver, encasing the major vessels, and extending into the retroperitoneum and mesentery. Based on the radiological findings, a differential diagnosis of plexiform neurofibroma was given, although sarcomatous transformation could not have been entirely excluded from imaging alone. The tumor was subsequently biopsied, and the histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of neurofibroma. This case highlights the importance and diagnostic dilemmas in the presence of this tumor at atypical locations in this disease spectrum.