Diagnostic value of automated breast volume scanning versus hand-held ultrasound for benign and malignant lesions in breast: a Meta-analysis / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To systematically assess the diagnostic value of automated breast volume scanning (ABVS) versus hand-held ultrasound (HHUS) in benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods:The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Ovid, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, Wanfang, China Biology Medicine (CBM) and other databases were searched from the beginning of database construction to January 2022. Relevant literatures were screened and included, and the characteristics of the literatures were extracted. Meta-disc 1.4 statistic software was used to analyze the pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), specificity, sensitivity, 95% CI, the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and the area under the curve of ABVS and HHUS. The heterogeneity and publication bias were also evaluated. Results:A total of 26 studies were included. Heterogeneity test showed no threshold value effect; random effect model was used to pool specificity, sensitivity and DOR.The pooled sensitivity of ABVS and HHUS was 0.86 (95% CI 0.84-0.87), 0.80 (95% CI 0.78-0.82), respectively; I2 was 89.7% and 82.3%, respectively; the pooled specificity of ABVS and HHUS was 0.91 (95% CI 0.90-0.92), 0.84 (95% CI 0.83-0.86), I2 was 89.7% and 92.2%, respectively. AUC of ABVS, HHUS, and joint diagnosis of the two was 0.954, 0.883, 0.958, respectively. No evidence of publication bias was shown in the funnel plot analysis. Conclusion:ABVS has a higher clinical value compared with HHUS in the diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions.

Reliability of automated versus handheld breast ultrasound examinations of suspicious breast masses

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) examinations of suspicious breast masses in comparison to handheld breast ultrasound (HHUS) with regard to Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category assessment, and to investigate the factors affecting discrepancies in categorization. METHODS: A total of 135 masses that were assessed as BI-RADS categories 4 and 5 on ABUS that underwent ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy from May 2017 to December 2017 were included in this study. The BI-RADS categories were re-assessed using HHUS. Agreement of the BI-RADS categories was evaluated using kappa statistics, and the positive predictive value of each examination was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the mammography and US findings associated with discrepancies in the BI-RADS categorization. RESULTS: The overall agreement between ABUS and HHUS in all cases was good (79.3%, kappa=0.61, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that accompanying suspicious microcalcifications on mammography (odds ratio [OR], 4.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83 to 11.71; P=0.001) and an irregular shape on US (OR, 5.59; 95% CI, 1.43 to 21.83; P=0.013) were associated with discrepancies in the BI-RADS categorization. CONCLUSION: The agreement between ABUS and HHUS examinations in the BI-RADS categorization of suspicious breast masses was good. The presence of suspicious microcalcifications on mammography and an irregular shape on US were factors associated with ABUS yielding a lower level of suspicion than HHUS in terms of the BI-RADS category assessment.

Hand-held Ultrasound Scanners in Medical Education: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound imaging devices are becoming popular in clinical and teaching settings, but there is no systematic information on their use in medical education. We conducted a systematic review of hand-held ultrasound (HHU) devices in undergraduate medical education to delineate their role, significance, and limitations. METHODS: We searched Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, and Medline using the strategy: [(Hand-held OR Portable OR Pocket OR “Point of Care Systems”) AND Ultrasound] AND (Education OR Training OR Undergraduate OR “Medical Students” OR “Medical School”). We retained 12 articles focusing on undergraduate medical education. We summarised the patterns of HHU use, pooled and estimated sensitivity, and specificity of HHU for detection of left ventricular dysfunction. RESULTS: Features reported were heterogeneous: training time (1–25 hours), number of students involved (1-an entire cohort), number of subjects scanned (27–211), and type of learning (self-directed vs. traditional lectures + hands-on sessions). Most studies reported cardiac HHU examinations, but other anatomical areas were examined, e.g. abdomen and thyroid. Pooled sensitivity 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83–0.92] and specificity 0.86 (95% CI 0.81–0.90) were high for the detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction by students. CONCLUSION: Data on HHU devices in medical education are scarce and incomplete, but following training students can achieve high diagnostic accuracy, albeit in a limited number of (mainly cardiac) pathologies. There is no consensus on protocols best-suited to the educational needs of medical students, nor data on long-term impact, decay in proficiency or on the financial implications of deploying HHU in this setting.

Assessment of left ventricular function by emergency physicians using echocardiography / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To determine the capability of emergency physicians (EPs) after goaldirected training to make accurate judgement and assessment of left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) as they own manipulated the hand-held echocardiography.Methods Eighty-one patients with acute dyspneic symptom admitted into emergency department of Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai qaotong University School of Medicine from November 2011 to February 2012 were enrolled for a prospective,observational study.Patients with a history of trauma or acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by electrocardiogram were excluded.Four EPs after a intensive course of goal-oriented training in a good command of trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) in 81 emergency patients using hand-held echocardiography.EPs attempted to obtain images at the parasternal (long and short axis),apical,and subcostal positions,and visually estimated left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and categorized LVSF as normal function,mild or moderate or severely depressed function.The results of echocardiographic LVEF got by EPs were compared quntitatively with those measured by an professional echocardiographer.The kappa statistical test by using SPSS version 13.0 software was used to allow for comparison in agreement between EPs and the professional echocardiographer's interpretations of TTE findings.Results Using the results of TTE measured by the professional echocardiographer as agold standard,EPs correctly distinguished the normal LVSF from decreased LVSF in 89％ patients.The rate of positive predictive value for the EPs identifying any abnormality in LV function was 83％ and the rate of negative predictive value was 93％.The kappa coefficient for the agreement between EPs and the professional echocardiographer' s interpretations for any abnormality in LV function was 0.77 (95％ CI:0.70-0.84,P ＜ 0.01).EPs correctly placed LV function into one of three categories in 68 of 81 cases (84％),The kappa coefficient for the agreement was 0.71 (95％ CI:0.64-0.78,P ＜0.01).Conclusions Emergency physicians after a intensive course of training in mastering echocardiography can accurately determine the left ventricular systolic function.