Imaging Characteristics and Interpretation Strategy for Renal Hyperparathyroidism: A Retrospective 4-Dimensional Computed Tomography Study.

OBJECTIVE: Parathyroidectomy treats uncontrolled renal hyperparathyroidism (RHPT), requiring identification of all glands. Three types of enhancement are proposed. Type A lesions have higher arterial phase attenuation than the thyroid, type B lesions lack higher arterial phase attenuation but have lower venous phase attenuation, and type C lesions have neither higher arterial phase attenuation nor lower venous phase attenuation than the thyroid. We aimed to outline the image features of problematic parathyroid glands in RHPT and propose a 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) interpretation algorithm. METHODS: This retrospective study involved data collection from patients with RHPT who underwent preoperative 4DCT for parathyroidectomy between January and November 2022. Pathologically confirmed parathyroid lesions were retrospectively identified on 4DCT according to the location and size described in the surgical notes. The attenuation of parathyroid lesions and the thyroid glands was assessed in 3 phases, and demographic data of the patients were collected. RESULTS: Ninety-seven pathology-proven parathyroid glands from 27 patients were obtained, with 86 retrospectively detected on 4DCT. In the arterial phase, the attenuation of parathyroid lesions in RHPT did not exceed that of the thyroid gland (P < .001). In the venous phase, parathyroid lesions demonstrated lower attenuation than the thyroid gland (P < .001). A total of 81 parathyroid lesions (94.2%) exhibited type B patterns. CONCLUSION: Unlike primary hyperparathyroidism, lesions in RHPT exhibited more type B enhancement, making them less readily identifiable in the arterial phase. Therefore, we propose a distinct imaging interpretation strategy to locate these problematic glands more efficiently.

Enhancement pattern of differentiated and undifferentiated gastric carcinoma on multiphasic contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

PURPOSE: To study the enhancement pattern of differentiated and undifferentiated gastric carcinoma on multiphasic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy patients with biopsy-proven gastric cancer underwent multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT. The CT protocol include plain, arterial, portal venous, and hepatic venous phase. Tumour size, location, peak-enhancement characteristics, and staging were evaluated. RESULTS: The peak-enhancement type was 'arterial' in 20 out of 28 within the differentiated-type GCAs and 'portalvenous' in 37 out of 42 within the undifferentiated-type GCAs (c2 statistic with Yates correction = 23.3981, p < 0.00001). The maximum attenuation value was statistically significant for the arterial phase between differentiated and undifferentiated GCAs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Assessing peak-enhancement in a multiphasic CT can help identify the histological subcategory of gastric carcinomas that has prognostic significance. Arterial phase peak-enhancement is frequently seen in differentiated carcinomas whereas venous phase peak-enhancement is seen in undifferentiated carcinomas.

Association between Histological Types and Enhancement of Dynamic CT for Primary Lung Cancer.

The aim of this study was to explore enhancement patterns of different types of primary lung cancers on 2-phase dynamic computed tomography (CT). This study included 217 primary lung cancer patients (141 adenocarcinomas [ADs], 48 squamous cell carcinomas [SCCs], 20 small cell lung carcinomas [SCLCs], and 8 others) who were examined using a 2-phase dynamic scan. Regions of interest were identified and mean enhancement values were calculated. After excluding the 20 SCLCs because these lesions had different clinical stages from the other cancer types, the mean attenuation values and subtractions between phases were compared between types of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Late phase attenuation and attenuation of the late minus unenhanced phase (LMU) of SCCs were significantly higher than those of ADs (p<0.05). To differentiate SCC and AD in the late phase, a threshold of 80.21 Hounsfield units (HU) gave 52.9% accuracy. In LMU, a threshold of 52.16 HU gave 59.3% accuracy. Dynamic lung CT has the potential to aid in differentiating among NSCLC types.

Clinical role of fludeoxyglucose (18F) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

PURPOSES: Clinical predictive markers for the malignant potential of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are limited without histological investigation. We reported previously that a loss of the regular enhancement pattern in preoperative computed tomography (CT) was correlated with the malignant tumor phenotype. This study aimed to establish whether the metabolic aspect of the tumor evaluated by fludeoxyglucose (18F) positron emission tomography/computed tomography 18F-FDG PET/CT is associated with the tumor imaging characteristics and postoperative oncological outcome. METHODS: Among 77 patients who underwent surgery with curative intent for a PNET at our institution between 2001 and 2017, 24 who received 18F-FDG PET/CT before surgery were enrolled in this study. The clinical importance of the standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was investigated with regard to tumor progression and prognosis after curative surgery. RESULTS: There were four (16%) patients with insulinoma. The mean tumor size was 17 mm and when the median value of the SUVmax (= 2.0) was measured as the cut-off value, the SUVmax ≥ 2.0 group (n = 12) was associated with large tumor size (p = 0.021), high tumor grade (p = 0.015), and irregular pattern on CT (p = 0.0055). The SUVmax was not correlated with age, gender, whether the tumor was functioning or non-functioning, or lymph node metastasis. The SUVmax ≥ 2.0 group had significantly poorer disease-free survival (median, 3.5 vs 16.2 months; p = 0.023) and poorer overall survival (median, 8.8 vs 16.2 months; p = 0.042). CONCLUSION: An SUVmax ≥ 2.0 on 18F-FDG PET/CT might be associated with higher malignant potential of PNETs.

Value of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography with enhancement pattern for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Current imaging modalities are limited in their ability to distinguish pancreatic cancer (PC) from non-neoplastic pancreatic lesions. The diagnostic use of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography (CE-EUS) has increased, and its utility has been reported. Recently, contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CH-EUS) was reported to facilitate imaging of parenchymal perfusion and microvessels in pancreatobiliary diseases, leading to a high diagnostic accuracy for PC. The present meta-analysis aims to investigate the usefulness of CH-EUS with enhancement pattern for PC diagnosis. METHODS: A systematic meta-analysis of all potentially relevant articles identified in PubMed, the Cochrane library, and Medline was carried out. Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used to investigate pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The study enrolled 887 patients from nine eligible studies. Pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 93% (95% CI, 0.91-0.95) and 80% (95% CI, 0.75-0.85), respectively. Subgroup analyses were carried out on the main results after excluding two outliers. Area under summary receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.97. No publication bias was found using funnel plots. No significant relationship was found between the diagnostic odds ratios and the characteristics of the studies including continent and contrast agent. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed that CH-EUS with qualitative analysis of enhancement pattern is useful for the diagnosis of PC, and has high sensitivity and accuracy, regardless of the type of contrast agent used. This modality may provide improved diagnostic accuracy for PC in clinical practice.

The value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for sentinel lymph node identification and characterisation in pre-operative breast cancer patients: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in pre-operative breast cancer patients and the value of enhancement patterns for diagnosing lymph node metastases and characterising axillary nodal burden. METHODS: 110 consecutive breast cancer patients were enrolled. Before the surgery, microbubbles were injected intradermally. The lymphatic drainage pathway was detected to identify the SLNs. Blue dye and indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence were used to trace SLNs during the operation. The enhancement patterns of SLNs were recorded and compared with the final pathological diagnosis. RESULTS: SLN detection rate was 96.4 % of 110 patients, 134 SLNs were detected in total. The sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value, negative-predictive value and accuracy of predicting SLNs metastases by CEUS enhancement patterns were 100 %, 52.0 %, 43.4 %, 100 % and 64.9 %, respectively. No metastatic SLNs were presented as homogeneous enhancement. Low nodal burden with 0-2 SLN metastases in 92.5 % nodes presented as heterogeneous enhancement. No enhancement pattern was proved to be SLN metastases in 100 % patients. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS is a feasible approach for SLN identification. CEUS enhancement patterns can be helpful in recognising metastatic SLNs and nodal burden. KEY POINTS: • CEUS is a feasible approach for SLN identification and characterisation. • The enhancement patterns on CEUS can be helpful in recognising metastasised SLNs. • Homogeneous enhancement pattern has the highest negative-predictive value.

Predicting IDH mutation status of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas based on contrast-enhanced CT features.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the difference in contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) features of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs) with different isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status. METHODS: Clinicopathological and contrast-enhanced CT features of 78 patients with 78 ICCs were retrospectively analysed and compared based on IDH mutation status. RESULTS: There were 11 ICCs with IDH mutation (11/78, 14.1%) and 67 ICCs without IDH mutation (67/78, 85.9%). IDH-mutated ICCs showed intratumoral artery more often than IDH-wild ICCs (p = 0.023). Most ICCs with IDH mutation showed rim and internal enhancement (10/11, 90.9%), while ICCs without IDH mutation often appeared diffuse (26/67, 38.8%) or with no enhancement (4/67, 6.0%) in the arterial phase (p = 0.009). IDH-mutated ICCs showed significantly higher CT values, enhancement degrees and enhancement ratios in arterial and portal venous phases than IDH-wild ICCs (all p < 0.05). The CT value of tumours in the portal venous phase performed best in distinguishing ICCs with and without IDH mutation, with an area under the curve of 0.798 (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: ICCs with and without IDH mutation differed significantly in arterial enhancement mode, and the tumour enhancement degree on multiphase contrast-enhanced CT was helpful in predicting IDH mutation status. KEY POINTS: • IDH mutation occurred frequently in ICCs. • ICCs with and without IDH mutation differed significantly in arterial enhancement mode. • ICCs with IDH mutation enhanced more than those without IDH mutation. • Enhancement ratio and tumour CT value can predict IDH mutation status.

Mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Enhancement patterns in the arterial phase of dynamic hepatic CT - Correlation with clinicopathological findings.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between the enhancement pattern of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs) in the hepatic arterial phase (HAP) of dynamic hepatic CT and the clinicopathological findings with special reference to the perihilar type and the peripheral type. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with pathologically proven ICCs were enrolled. Based on the enhancement pattern in the HAP, the lesions were classified into three groups: a hypovascular group (n=13), rim-enhancement group (n=18), and hypervascular group (n=16). The clinicopathological findings were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: Perihilar-type ICCs were significantly more frequently observed in the hypovascular group than in the rim-enhancement and hypervascular groups (p=0.006 and p <0.001, respectively). Lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, and biliary invasion were significantly more frequent in the hypovascular group than the rim- enhancement group (p=0.001, p=0.025 and p=0.029, respectively) or hypervascular group (p <0.001, p <0.001 and p=0.025, respectively). Patients with hypovascular lesions showed significantly poorer disease-free survival than patients with rim-enhancing or hypervascular lesions (p=0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). Hypovascularity was an independent preoperative prognostic factor for disease-free survival (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Hypovascular ICCs in the HAP tend to be of perihilar type and to have more malignant potential than other ICCs. KEY POINTS: • Hypovascular ICCs have greater malignant potential than rim-enhancing and hypervascular ICCs. • Hypovascular ICCs show a higher frequency of perihilar-type ICCs. • Perihilar-type ICCs do not always display distal ductal wall thickening.

Prognostic significance of contrast-enhanced CT attenuation value in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether washout characteristics of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) could predict survival in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHC). METHODS: This study collected 46 resected cases. All cases were examined by dynamic contrast study on multidetector-row CT. Region-of-interest measurements were obtained at the non-enhanced, portal venous phase and delayed phase in the tumour and were used to calculate the washout ratio as follows: [(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at delayed enhanced CT)/(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at unenhanced CT)] × 100. On the basis of the median washout ratio, we classified the cases into two groups, a high-washout group and low-washout group. Associations between overall survival and various factors including washout rates were analysed. RESULTS: The median washout ratio was 29.4 %. Univariate analysis revealed that a lower washout ratio, venous invasion, lymphatic permeation and lymph node metastasis were associated with shorter survival. Multivariate analysis identified the lower washout ratio as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 3.768; p value, 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The washout ratio obtained from the contrast-enhanced CT may be a useful imaging biomarker for the prediction of survival of patients with EHC. KEY POINTS: • Dynamic contrast study can evaluate the aggressiveness of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. • A lower washout ratio was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. • CT can predict survival and inform decisions on surgical options or chemotherapy.

Determination of Soft Tissue Breakpoint Based on Its Temperature Enhancement Pattern: In Vivo and In Vitro Experiments.

The breakpoint of fresh commercial meats and in vivo mice has been assessed using tissue temperature enhancement pattern. A 1 cm length and 0.1 cm diameter gold rod was implanted in fresh chicken breast, beef, fish, and in vivo Mus musculus white mice and was insonated with ultrasound. The temperature enhancement of gold rods was measured with a needle type thermistor over a temperature range from 35 to 50 °C. From these results the breakpoints were determined by plotting the gold rod temperature versus ultrasound exposure duration using the interception point of two curves fitted by a linear regression equations of thermal response above and below 43 °C. The linear correlation coefficients for all fitted curves lie within 0.985 and 0.997. The breakpoints were found to be 42.1 ± 1.1, 42.3 ± 0.9, 42.6 ± 0.8 and 43.5 ± 0.6 for fish, chicken breast, beef and in vivo Mus musculus white mice, respectively. The interception of the thermal response curves above and below 43 °C. Soft tissue temperature enhancement pattern has demonstrated to be a fast method to determine breakpoint. It denotes the temperature where cells may start to be destroyed and may be used to spot the startup point in dosimetry of hyperthermia cancer therapy.

Differentiation of pancreatobiliary-type from intestinal-type periampullary carcinomas using 3.0T MRI.

PURPOSE: To differentiate pancreatobiliary-type from intestinal-type periampullary carcinomas using combined magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), contrast-enhanced MRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI (3.0T) results of 41 patients with pathologically confirmed periampullary carcinoma were retrospectively assessed. Two radiologists, blinded to histologic type of each tumor, evaluated image findings independently. MRCP image features, enhancement pattern, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were analyzed. Independent-sample t-test, chi-square, or Fisher's exact test were used to determine differential image findings between the pancreatobiliary-type and the intestinal-type group. Cohen's κ statistic or interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate interobserver agreement between two observers. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to identify MRI features with predictive values. RESULTS: On the basis of hematoxylin-eosin staining, 27 patients were classified as having pancreatobiliary-type carcinomas, and 14 patients the intestinal type. The pancreatobiliary-type carcinomas more commonly showed progressive enhancement than the intestinal type (P = 0.003). The minimum ADC (ADCmin ) value of the pancreatobiliary-type group ([0.95 ± 0.21] × 10(-3) mm(2) /s) was significantly lower than the intestinal-type group ([1.10 ± 0.25] × 10(-3) mm(2) /s) (P = 0.047). For interobserver agreement, the κ values and ICCs for all parameters exceeded 0.8, indicating almost perfect agreement. At multiple logistic regression analysis, the enhancement pattern was the only significant independent predictor (P = 0.011, odds ratio [OR] = 0.105). When the enhancement pattern and ADCmin were used in combination, we could identify 70.4% of pancreatobiliary-type and 78.6% of intestinal-type carcinomas. CONCLUSION: Progressive enhancement and low ADCmin values suggest a pancreatobiliary-type periampullary carcinoma.

"Comet tail sign": A pitfall of post-gadolinium magnetic resonance imaging findings for metastatic brain tumors.

A highly enhanced cap attached to the surface of metastatic tumors in the brain parenchyma is occasionally encountered on magnetic resonance (MR) images. This atypical enhanced cap tends to occur in severe peritumoral edema and may produce the characteristic bulge of a metastatic mass lesion termed the "comet tail sign" (CTS). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the features of the CTS using MR imaging and pathological findings, and to clarify its clinical relevance. We selected 21 consecutive cases of newly diagnosed metastases from MR imaging studies that demonstrated the CTS; all had diffuse peritumoral edema. The MR T2-weighted images showed similarly homogenous and high intensity signals in both the tail and peritumoral edema. Fourteen of the 21 patients underwent surgical resection of their tumors, and 12 tails were separately removed for pathological examination, no tumor cells which revealed. We speculate that the CTS does not contain neoplastic tissues but is observed as a result of the leakage of contrast medium from the tumor body into the interstitial space of the white matter. Although CTS is a peculiar and uncommon enhancement pattern, it has clinical significance in determining the extent of the margin for invasive local treatments, such as surgical resection or stereotactic radiotherapy; this is particularly true in and near the eloquent areas.

Acute extrahepatic infectious or inflammatory diseases are a cause of transient mosaic pattern on CT and MR imaging related to sinusoidal dilatation of the liver.

PURPOSE: To report the association of a mosaic enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT or MR imaging and hepatic sinusoidal dilatation (SD) with acute inflammatory conditions affecting extrahepatic organs. METHODS: From 2007 to 2012, patients with acute inflammatory diseases who underwent contrast-enhanced CT and/or MRI of the liver with a mosaic enhancement pattern were selected. Clinico-biological and other imaging features were collected at diagnosis and during follow-up. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were included (15 women, median age 27 years; range 18-68). Five women (33 %) were receiving oral contraceptives. Acute inflammatory diseases included pyelonephritis (n = 10), pancreatitis (n = 2), pneumonia (n = 1), septicemia (n = 1), active Crohn's disease (n = 1), and infectious colitis (n = 1). Median white blood cell count was 13,250 cells/µL (range 11,500-18,000 cells/µL) and CRP level 94 mg/L (range 60-121 mg/L). Mosaic enhancement pattern was present in the whole liver and was prominent in the subcapsular areas. Four patients underwent liver biopsy confirming SD. Eleven patients underwent follow-up imaging showing normalized aspect in 9/11 patients after a median of 2 months. CONCLUSION: Acute diseases of extrahepatic organs, associated with a marked systemic inflammatory syndrome should be added to the list of conditions causing a reversible hepatic sinusoidal dilatation as manifested by a mosaic enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT or MR imaging. KEY POINTS: • Acute extrahepatic infectious/inflammatory diseases are a cause of transient MP. • In most patients, MP was seen during both arterial and portal venous phase. • In all patients, the mosaic enhancement pattern was diffuse, but more conspicuous in subcapsular areas. • MP was no longer seen after resolution of the acute disease. • No liver biopsy should be performed.

Contrast-Enhanced Sonographic Characteristics of Hepatic Inflammatory Pseudotumors.

A hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor, which can be misdiagnosed as a malignant tumor, is a relatively uncommon tumor with nonspecific imaging manifestations. As a new diagnostic technique, contrast-enhanced sonography has become increasingly important in the diagnosis of liver focal lesions. Here we present 3 cases of histologically confirmed hepatic inflammatory pseudotumors diagnosed with contrast-enhanced sonography. "Fast-in and centrifugal-out" may be a characteristic contrast-enhanced sonographic enhancement pattern in the diagnosis of hepatic inflammatory pseudotumors, which needs confirmation in further studies.

Contribution of contrast-enhanced sonography in the detection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of contrast-enhanced sonography in the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma up to 3 cm and analyze its dynamic enhancement patterns. METHODS: Forty-five patients (29 male and 16 female; mean age ± SD, 61.3 ± 10.7 years; range, 38-79 years) with a preliminary diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by contrast-enhanced sonography were retrospectively analyzed. For each nodule, the enhancement pattern, level, and dynamic change during the arterial, portal, and late phases after the injection of a sulfur hexafluoride microbubble contrast agent were evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 35 patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 18 nodules showed hyperenhancement during the arterial phase, and 17 showed hypoenhancement. Heterogeneous, peripheral, and partial enhancement were found in 24, 8, and 2 nodules, respectively. However, only 1 nodule showed homogeneous enhancement. During the portal phase, 34 nodules showed hypoenhancement, and 1 showed isoenhancement. Hypoenhancement during the late phase was observed in all cases. Ten patients had a misdiagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma up to 3 cm may display a variety of arterial enhancement patterns on contrast-enhanced sonography. However, some other nodules may manifest findings similar to those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Contrast-enhanced US of ampullary carcinoma: correlations with pathological findings.

PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of ampullary cancer (AC). METHODS: In 12 patients with AC, the presence of tumor enhancement, histological type, amount of connective tissue in cancer, and tumor growth pattern were evaluated. The correlation between the tumor growth pattern and enhancement shape, that between the enhancement pattern and surrounding tissue, and the presence of pancreatic infiltration were evaluated. The depth of cancer invasion was mucosa in five patients, within Oddi's sphincter in four, beyond the duodenum but not to the pancreas in two, and pancreatic invasion less than 5 mm in one. RESULTS: The tumor was enhanced in 11 patients but not in the patient with much connective tissue in the tumor. Enhancement was observed in all patients with the intraluminal papillary or mixed type, but not in those with the periductal invasive type. The enhancement shape was predominantly round or irregular in the intraluminal papillary type and predominantly serrated in the mixed type. The enhancement shape differed among the growth patterns. The normal pancreatic parenchyma around the tumor was enhanced in all patients, and pancreatic infiltration was regarded as absent when there was a continuous unenhanced area between the tumor and pancreatic parenchyma. CONCLUSION: CEUS correlates with pathological findings of ampullary cancer.

Hepatic mosaic enhancement pattern correlates with increased inflammatory activity and adverse therapeutic outcomes in patients with Crohn's disease.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the role of hepatic mosaic enhancement pattern (HMEP) on computed tomography images in the disease activity and therapeutic outcome of Crohn's Disease (CD). METHODS: Twenty-five CD patients with HMEP comprised the HMEP group, and 25 CD patients without HMEP, who had a similar onset age, sex, and disease course with those in the HMEP group, comprised the non-HMEP group. No underlying liver/biliary disease was observed in any of the patients. Clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, Lémann index, and CD endoscopic index of severity (CDEIS) were compared between the groups using the Student t-, Mann-Whitney U, Chi square, or Fisher's exact tests. Patients received top-down, step-up, or traditional treatment during the follow-up period. After the 1-year follow-up, therapeutic outcomes (active inflammation [CDEIS > 3.5 if the endoscopic data were available, or C-reactive protein level > 5 mg/L if the endoscopic data were unavailable] or remission) were evaluated. RESULTS: The occurrence rate of fistulas/abscesses was higher in the HMEP group (84%, 21/25) than in the non-HMEP group (48%, 12/25) with no statistical significance (P = 0.056). The HMEP group showed a higher C-reactive protein level (P = 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.013), and blood platelet count (P = 0.005). There was no significant difference in therapeutic strategies between the groups (P = 0.509). The HMEP group showed a significantly lower remission ratio after anti-inflammatory treatment than the non-HMEP group (P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: HMEP was correlated with increased inflammatory activity and adverse therapeutic outcomes in CD. This finding provided insights regarding novel markers of CD diagnosis and treatment.

Value of Low-Mechanical-Index Contrast-Enhanced Transabdominal Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

The incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer (PC) are increasing. It is important to discriminate PC from the other pancreatic lesions; however, differential diagnosis based on conventional transabdominal ultrasound (US) remains challenging even though US is often the first examination performed. Transabdominal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has high diagnostic accuracy for PC. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the utility of low-mechanical-index CEUS with enhancement for PC diagnosis. A systematic meta-analysis of all potentially relevant articles was performed. Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used to investigate pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR) and negative LR. The study enrolled 983 patients from nine eligible studies. The pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89-0.94) and 76% (95% CI: 0.71-0.81), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for CEUS was high (53.62). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95. Funnel plots revealed no publication bias, and there was no significant relationship between the DORs and study characteristics, including continent, type of contrast agent, contrast agent dosage and scan phase. Only number of patients affected diagnostic ability. This meta-analysis indicates that CEUS with enhancement pattern is useful for diagnosis of PC.

Correlation Between Enhancement Patterns on Transabdominal Ultrasound and Survival for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the CEUS enhancement patterns of PDAC and analyse correlations between the CEUS enhancement pattern and both the degree of tumour tissue differentiation and overall survival (OS). METHODS: The study included 56 patients with locally advanced PDAC, performed conventional ultrasound and CEUS, and analysed characteristics of the CEUS enhancement patterns. In addition, clinical data, such as serum level of CA19-9, TNM stage were collected, and patients' survival times were followed up. TICs of dynamic CEUS images were acquired using image processing software to obtain the peak, TP, sharpness, and AUC. Correlations of the CEUS enhancement patterns of PDAC with the degree of differentiation of tumour tissue and OS were quantitatively analysed, as were the correlations of the TIC parameters and CEUS enhancement patterns with OS. RESULTS: Enhancement in the arterial phase included iso-enhancement (30.3%) and hypo-enhancement (69.6%), and was not significantly correlated with sex, age at disease onset, or lesion size. Also was not significantly correlated with tumour tissue differentiation. Clear survival times were obtained for 50 patients during follow-up, and the median survival time was significantly longer for the patients with iso-enhancement than hypo-enhancement. Among the TIC parameters, peaktumour, sharpnesstumour, AEsharpness, and REsharpness differed significantly between the group with iso-enhancement and hypo-enhancement (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The CEUS enhancement patterns of PDAC in the arterial phase include iso-enhancement and hypo-enhancement. Enhancement pattern was not significantly correlated with the degree of differentiation of tumour tissue, but patient survival time differed significantly between the two enhancement patterns, with longer survival for patients with iso-enhancement.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Patterns for the Non-invasive Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective Multicenter Study in Histologically Proven Liver Lesions in a Real-Life Setting Demonstrating the Benefit of Extended Late Phase Observation.

The hallmark for the non-invasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in cirrhosis is arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE), followed by late-onset (>60 s), mild washout. Large retrospective studies report this pattern of washout to occur in the vast majority of HCCs. However, a prospective multicenter validation of these findings is still missing. Thus, we initiated a prospective multicenter validation study assessing CEUS enhancement patterns in focal liver lesions of patients at risk for HCC. We analyzed lesions that were eventually histology proven in a real-life setting. CEUS patterns were assessed for subgroups of HCC, intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (iCCA) and non-HCC, non-iCCA lesions. The diagnosis was HCC in 316 lesions (median size: 40 mm), iCCA in 26 lesions (median size: 47.5 mm) and non-HCC, non-iCCA in 53 lesions (median size: 27 mm). Overall, 85.8% of HCCs exhibited APHE. APHE followed by washout occurred in 72.8% of HCCs and 50% of iCCAs and non-HCC, non-iCCA malignancies (p < 0.05). Early and marked washout was associated more commonly with iCCA; HCCs exhibited mostly late and mild washout (onset >4-6 min in 10% of cases). Our prospective data confirm that the typical pattern of APHE followed by late-onset, mild washout occurs in the majority of HCCs.