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Objective To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of BRAF V600E mutation screening of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA)specimens in patients with thyroid nodule. Methods The BRAF V600E mutation status were assessed in FNA specimens of 104 patients with thyroid nodules before operations.The BRAF mutation status,clinical,and pathology records of the patients were reviewed and the associations between these characteristics and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC ) were analyzed.Results Seventy-one PTC and 14 benign thyroid nodules were included in this study.BRAF V600E mutations were found in 57/71 (80%)PTC.All benign thyroid nodules had no BRAF V600E mutation.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of BRAF V600E mutations in differentiation between PTC and benign thyroid nodules were 80%,100%,100% and 50%(P < 0.001 ).In 44 patients with PTC who underwent surgery,the central compartment lymph node metastases and extrathyroidal invasion were not significantly different between BRAF-positive and BRAF-negative PTC (P = 0.283 and 0.307 ).Conclusions BRAF V600E mutation may be a potential tool to facilitate ultrasound in diagnosis of PTC.In patients with PTC,the presence of the BRAFV600E mutation was not significantly associated with prognostic factors.
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Objective To evaluate the changes in eutopic endometrial vascularity of endometriosis using three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound.Methods Forty-four women with endometriosis and 51 normal controls were studied by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound.Eutopic endometrial volume,vascularization index (VI),flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) were calculated using VOCAL software.Results In proliferative phase,the mean VI was (5.499 ± 5.153)％ in patients with endometriosis and ( 1.135 ± 1.333) ％ in normal controls ( P ＜0.001 ),the mean FI was (28.832 ± 4.279)dB in patients with endometriosis and (25.544 ± 3.465)dB in normal controls ( P =0.006),the VFI was (1.769 ± 1.981 )dB in patients with endometriosis and (0.321 ± 0.397)dB in normal controls( P =0.002).In secretory phase,the mean VI was (8.693 ± 5.940) ％ in patients with endometriosis and ( 1.014±0.968)％ in normal controls ( P ＜0.001); the mean FI was (30.689 ± 3.632)dB in patients with endometriosis and (24.748 ± 3.811 )dB in normal controls( P ＜0.001 ),the VFI was (2.753 ± 2.044)dB in patients with endometriosis and (0.27 ± 0.293)dB in normal controls( P =0.001 ).Both in proliferative and secretory phase,no significant difference in endometrial volume between the two groups was observed ( P =0.108 and 0.068,respectively).Conclusions Three-dimensional power ultrasound provides a useful tool to investigate eutopic endometrial vascularization of endimetriosis.
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Objective To evaluate eutopic endometrial blood supply and vessels in patients with endometriosis(EMs) with contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS),to explore a newmethod to estimate vascularization of eutopic endometrium in EMs patients.MethodsThirty patients with EMs were enrolled and 20 patients who were diagnosed as other gynecological diseases as control.Informed consent of each case was obtained. AllcasesunderwentconventionalultrasoundexaminationandCEUSexamination.Characteristics of CEUS in each patients were observed and analyzed using off-line Qontrast software.Parameters of CEUS including peak intensity(PEAK),time to peak(TTP),regional blood volume(RBV),regional blood flow(RBF) were obtained automatically.ResultsComparing with control group,the eutopic endometrium in EMs group presented higher enhancement.The parameters of CEUS,including PEAK,TTP,RBV,RBF were (41.18 ± 3.29) dB,(29.01 ± 4.46) s,(29.07 ± 4.59) ml,(48.61 ± 5.35) ml/min in EMs group and (13.36 ± 2.34)dB,(24.59 ± 2.29)s,(26.51 ±- 3.80)ml,(48.71 ± 3.80)ml/min in controls respectively,the value of PEAK in EMs group was higher than that of controls ( P =0.000).Conclusions CEUS can be regarded as a new method which can be used to assess vascularization of eutopic endometrium in endometriosis.
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Objective To evaluate the significance of sonographically detected thyroid calcification in the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma.Methods Five hundred and twenty-two patients with thyroid disease,including 119 with thyroid cancer,were included in the study.Each patient underwent preoperative,highresolution sonography to evaluate the thyroid gland for the presence of calcification.Calcifications were classified:type Ⅰ,microcalcification;type Ⅱ,coarse calcification;type Ⅲ,annular or"egg-shell"calcification;typeⅣ,calcified nodules within a cyst.Results The incidence of calcification and microcalcification was significantly higher in thyroid cancer than in benign nodules(P＜0.001).The appearance of microcalcifications was highly specific for malignancy with a sonographic specificity of 88%.The sensitivity was 60%,and the odds ratio(0R)was 11.28.The incidence of calcifications of type Ⅱ and type Ⅲ did not differ significantly between the benign and malignant groups.Calcifications of type Ⅳ were showed totally in benign groups.Patients younger than 45 years with calcified nodules constituted a highrisk group,with a OR of 11.33 versus 2.96 in patients older than 45 years with calcified nodules.In the group of solitary thyroid nodules,the incidence of cancer in the calcified nodules was higher than in the nodules without calcifications,with a OR of 20.48.Conclusions The detection of thyroid calcifications by sonography is diagnostically valuable,especially in eases involving a solitary nodule or a young person.The presence of calcifications in these cases should raise the suspicion of malignancy,especially microcalcification.
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Objective To explore the enhancement patterns of pulmonary carcinomas by contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS).Methods Thirty-eight patients with pulmonary carcinomas proven by pathology[28 with peripheral pulmonary carcinomas and 10 central pulmonary carcinoma with obstructive atelectasis(OA)]were examined by baseline ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound,then the arrival time(AT),time to peak(TTP)were analyzed with time-intensity curve analysis software and the dynamic enhancement pattern of each lesion was assessed.Results Twenty-four peripheral pulmonary carcinomas demonstrated delayed AT about 6-16 s after application of contrast medium,three lesions demonstrated early AT about 4-5 s and one lesion demonstrated absence of contrast enhancement.The lesions exhibited hyper-,hypo- and non-enhancement were 14,13 and 1,respectively.Seventeen lesions were heterogenous enhanced with non-enhanced necrosis areas and enhanced septa,while ten lesions homogeneous enhanced and one lesion no enhanced.Ten central pulmonary carcinoma with OA demonstrated a characteristic pattern:OA appeared a short AT(mean AT 4.8 s)until enhancement and strong contrast enhancement,while the central tumors appeared a delayed AT(mean AT 10.5 s)and faint enhancement.Conclusions CEUS can be useful in differentiation between solid and cystic pulmonary lesions,and detection of the latent lesions underlying the atelectasis.