The diagnostic contribution of magnetic resonance imaging in the detection of axillary metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) is a reliable method that provides axillary staging in clinical node-negative (cN0) breast cancer patients before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). However, it is not a standard method on its own due to the high false-negative rates (FNR) reported in initially clinical node-positive patients (cN1-cN3). The contribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to SLND after chemotherapy is not well understood. In our study, we aimed to investigate the contribution of post-NACT MRI to SLND in breast cancer patients receiving NACT. Between January 2014 and December 2020, patients who had MRI images including the axilla after NACT and had axillary lymph nodes evaluation performed simultaneously with SLND were included in the study. MRI images of all patients were re-evaluated by 2 experienced clinicians. MRI and SLND results were analyzed to detect axillary lymph node metastasis. 117 patients were included in the study. The median age of the patients was 49 years. Before chemotherapy, 108 patients (92.3%) had tumor metastases in their axilla pathologically confirmed by tru-cut biopsy. Axillary downstage was obtained in 48.1% (n=52) of the patients after NACT. Of the 56 patients with axillary node positivity, 3 patients had no metastasis in the SLND evaluation (FNR=5.4%). The sensitivity of post-NACT MRI in detecting node positivity was 69.6%, the specificity was 90.2%, the positive predictive value (PPV) was 86.7% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 76.4. SLND together with MRI predicted all node-positive patients (FNR=0%). In summary, SLND may not detect a group of patients with residual axillary lymph node metastases after NACT. We have shown that MRI can contribute to identifying these patients. If no metastases are detected by both methods (SLND and MRI), avoidance of axillary dissection may be an acceptable choice.

Does anterolateral ligament injury change the treatment option in patients with partial ACL tears?

Patients with ACL tears with ALL injury have more clinical complaints (instability, feeling of the pop on the knee or knee sliding). patients have ALL injury with partial ACL tears, It is unclear whether the choice of treatment will be conservative or surgical. This study aimed to determine the effect of anterolateral ligament (ALL) status, whether intact or ruptured, on the choice of conservative or surgical treatment in patients with partial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Between 2015 and 2019, patients with suspected partial ACL tears were identified on both physical examination and MR imaging. 122 patients who had partial ACL tears and also status of patient's ALL could be evaluated by radiologist were included in the study, retrospectively. Sixty-two patients who underwent ACL reconstruction were determined as group 1, and 60 patients who did not undergo ACL reconstruction were defined as group 2. In patients with partial ACL rupture with or without ACL reconstruction, it was evaluated whether a ruptured or non- ruptured ALL was effective in this decision of conservative or surgically. The MRIs of patients with partial ACL tears were evaluated by a radiologist and it was concluded that the ALLs of 50 patients were ruptured, and 72 were intact. The ALLs of 36 patients in group 1 were ruptured, and 26 patients were intact. Fourteen patients in group 2 had ruptured ALLs, 46 patient's ALLs were intact. Seventy-two percent of the patients with partial ACL tears who had ruptured ALLs in MRI underwent ACL reconstruction. It was found that ACL reconstruction was performed more frequently in patients with partial ACL tears with ALL rupture. Therefore, we believe that preoperative evaluations of ALLs using MRI in patients with partial ACL tears are essential for surgical planning.

Digital Mammography, Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics in Differential Diagnosis of Papillary Carcinoma Subtypes of the Breast and Diagnostic Challenges.

Objective: We aimed to investigate mammography (MG), ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of papillary breast carcinoma subtypes and to compare the diagnostic features and performance of the imaging method in distinguishing subtypes. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients presenting with pathological diagnosis of 45 papillary carcinoma lesions, between 2014 and 2019, were included. Cases were assigned to five subgroups according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The clinical characteristics (n = 45) and imaging features of each pathological subgroup were retrospectively related to imaging findings from US (n = 45), MG (n = 37), and breast MRI (n = 23), and further compared. Results: The finding of a palpable mass in all subgroups was more common than nipple discharge on clinical breast evaluation, and no significant difference was found between the subgroups. Irregular shape on MG (10/12, 83.3%, p = 0.039) and US (11/12, 91.7%, p = 0.039) was found more frequently in invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) compared to other subgroups. Circumscribed margins (4/5, 80%, p = 0.002) occurred more frequently in papillary ductal carcinoma in situ (pDCIS) and encapsulated papillary carcinoma (EPC) than in other subgroups (6/8, 75%, p = 0.002). Lower apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were found in solid papillary cancer (SPC) than in other subgroups (ADC = 0.35 x 10-3, p = 0.017). Conclusion: Radiological findings of papillary carcinomas overlap with each other. US and MRI are complementary when revealing specific morphological characteristics.

Vagus nerve assessment via ultrasonography in irritable bowel syndrome. Are there any changes of dimension in the vagus nerve?

BACKGROUND/AIM: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the functional gastrointestinal disorder which has closely relationship with Central Nervous System (CNS). VN is the major connector between CNS and Enteric Nervous System (ENS). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible changes of dimension of Vagus Nerve (VN) with Vagus ultrasonography (VU) in IBS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total 119 patients which is consisted of 66 IBS patients appropriated with Rome IV criterias and 53 patients of control group were enrolled to the study. All patients were underwent to colonoscopy for role-out the organic pathologies, such as polyposis, inflammatory bowel syndromes, diverticulosis and colon cancer. Right Vagus (RV) and left Vagus (LV) nerve areas and diameters were calculated with VU. RESULTS: There were no statistical difference of RV (p=0.445) and LV (p=0.944) diameter between two groups. There were also no statistical difference of RV (p=0.549) and LV (p=0.874) areas between IBS and control groups. CONCLUSION: VU clearly depicted that there is no changes of dimension in VN areas and diameters in the IBS. This might show that VN is only a transporter of abnormal neuronal stimulations according to IBS pathophisiology.

Effectiveness of the diagnostic pathway of BLES: could it be safely used as a therapeutic method in selected benign lesions?

PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to investigate the breast lesion excision system (BLES) as a tool and a practical alternative technique to surgical biopsy and other percutaneous biopsy methods for suspicious lesions. We also wanted to share our initial experience with BLES and compare it with standard percutaneous biopsy methods. METHODS: From July 2015 to December 2016, a total of 50 patients who had high-risk lesions which were diagnosed with core needle biopsy (CNB) or had lesions with radiology pathology discordance, or had high-risk factors, high-grade anxiety, or suspicious follow-up lesions were enrolled in the study. These lesions were classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 3 or 4, which are under 2 cm. Pathologic diagnoses before and after BLES were evaluated comparatively. The diagnostic and therapeutic success and the complications of CNB and BLES were analyzed. RESULTS: After BLES, two cases were diagnosed as atypical lobular hyperplasia and atypical ductal hyperplasia. Since the surgical margin was negative, re-excision was not required. Two cases were diagnosed as malignant, and no residual tissue was detected in the operation region. Total excision rates were reported as 56%. Minor hematoma was observed in only 1 out of 50 cases (2%), and spontaneous remission was observed. Two patients (4%) complained of pain during the procedure. Radiofrequency-related thermal damage to the specimen showed: Grade 0 (<0.5 mm) damage in 88%, Grade 1 (0.5-1.5 mm) in 10%, Grade 2 (>1.5 mm or thermal damage in diffuse areas) in 2%, and Grade 3 (diffuse thermal damage or inability to diagnose) in 0%. We found a significant positive correlation between classification of thermal damage and lesion fat cell content (r = 0.345, P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: BLES is a safe technique that can be effectively used with low complication rates in the excision of benign and high-risk breast lesions in selected cases. It may also provide high diagnostic success and even serve as a therapeutic method in high-risk lesions, such as radial scar, papilloma, and atypical lobular hyperplasia with high complete excision rates without fragmentation of lesions.