Accuracy of duplex ultrasonography versus angiotomography for the diagnosis of extracranial internal carotid stenosis / Acurácia da ultrassonografia duplex comparada à angiotomografia para o diagnóstico de estenose de carótida interna extracraniana

ABSTRACT Introduction: Internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis causes about 15% of ischemic strokes. Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) is the first line of investigation of ICA stenosis, but its accuracy varies in the literature and it is usual to complement the study with another more accurate exam when faced with significant stenosis. There is a lack of studies that compare DUS with angiotomography (CTA) in the present literature. Methods: we performed an accuracy study, which compared DUS to CTA of patients in a tertiary hospital with a maximum interval of three months between tests. Patients were selected retrospectively, and two independent and certified vascular surgeons evaluated each image in a masked manner. When there was discordance, a third evaluator was summoned. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of ICA stenosis of 50-94% and 70-94%. Results: we included 45 patients and 84 arteries after inclusion and exclusion criteria applied. For the 50-94% stenosis range, DUS accuracy was 69%, sensitivity 89%, and specificity 63%. For the 70-94% stenosis range, DUS accuracy was 84%, sensitivity 61%, and specificity 93%. There was discordance between CTA evaluators with a change from clinical to surgical management in at least 37.5% of the conflicting reports. Conclusion: DUS had an accuracy of 69% for stenoses of 50-94% and 84% for stenoses of 70-94% of the ICA. The CTA analysis depended directly on the evaluator with a change in clinical conduct in more than 37% of cases.

RESUMO Introdução: a estenose da artéria carótida interna (ACI) causa cerca de 15% dos acidentes vasculares cerebrais isquêmicos. A ultrassonografia duplex (USD) é a primeira linha de investigação da estenose de ACI, mas sua acurácia varia na literatura e é comum complementar o estudo com outro exame de maior acurácia diante de estenose significativa. Há uma escassez de estudos que comparem a USD com a angiotomografia computadorizada (ATC) na literatura atual. Métodos: realizamos um estudo de acurácia, que comparou a USD à ATC de pacientes de um hospital terciário com um intervalo máximo de três meses entre os exames. Os pacientes foram selecionados retrospectivamente e dois cirurgiões vasculares independentes e certificados avaliaram cada imagem de maneira mascarada. Quando houve discordância, um terceiro avaliador foi convocado. Avaliou-se a precisão diagnóstica da estenose da ACI de 50-94% e 70-94%. Resultados: foram incluídos 45 pacientes e 84 artérias após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Para a faixa de estenose de 50-94%, a acurácia da USD foi 69%, sensibilidade 89% e especificidade 63%. Para a faixa de estenose de 70-94%, a acurácia da USD foi 84%, sensibilidade 61% e especificidade 93%. Ocorreu discordância entre avaliadores da ATC com mudança de conduta clínica para cirúrgica em pelo menos 37,5% dos laudos conflitantes. Conclusão: a USD teve uma acurácia de 69% para estenoses de 50-94% e de 84% para estenoses de 70-94% da ACI. A análise das ATC dependeu diretamente do avaliador com mudança de conduta clínica em mais de 37% dos casos.

Application value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with thyroid imaging reporting and data system classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the application value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods:The clinical data of 157 thyroid nodules from 122 participants who underwent conventional ultrasound and CEUS examination from January 2016 to January 2017 in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, China were collected. The image features were analyzed for conventional ultrasound and TI-RADS classification. According to CEUS results, the thyroid nodules were classified by TI-RADS. Based on pathological results, the efficacy of CEUS combined with TI-RADS classification versus conventional ultrasound combined with TI-RADS classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules was investigated. Results:The area under the curve of CEUS combined with TI-RADS classification (AUC = 0.900) was greater than that of conventional ultrasound combined with TI-RADS classification (AUC = 0.808). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of conventional ultrasound combined with TI-RADS classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules were 81.6% (80/98), 67.8% (40/59), 76.4% (120/157), 80.8% (80/99), 68.9% (40/58), respectively. They were 98.0% (96/98), 78.0% (34/59), 90.4% (142/157), 88.1% (96/109), 95.8% (46/48), respectively for CEUS combined with TI-RADS classification. The sensitivity of CEUS combined with TI-RADS classification in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules was significantly higher than that of conventional ultrasound combined with TI-RADS classification ( χ2 = 12.50, P < 0.001). Conclusion:CEUS combined with TI-RADS classification is more effective in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules than conventional ultrasound combined with TI-RADS classification.

Inversão total do fluxo em artéria carótida interna direita em paciente com estenose grave do tronco braquiocefálico / Total reversal of internal carotid blood flow in a patient with severe stenosis of the brachiocephalic trunk

RESUMO As estenoses graves e oclusões do tronco braquiocefálico (artéria inominada) são raras, e apresentam uma grande variedade de manifestações clínicas, com alterações relacionadas a isquemia cerebral hemisférica, vertebrobasilar e de membro superior direito. A causa mais comum é a aterosclerose. A ultrassonografia vascular com Doppler pode revelar inversão de fluxo na artéria vertebral direita, hipofluxo na subclávia, e vários tipos de alterações no fluxo da carótida direita, incluindo hipofluxo, inversão parcial do fluxo durante o ciclo cardíaco, e até mesmo inversão completa do fluxo na carótida interna, achado este bastante raro. Os autores descrevem o caso de paciente do sexo feminino, tabagista, com estenose grave do tronco braquiocefálico e crises de lipotimia. Além do roubo de artéria subclávia e do fluxo parcialmente invertido na carótida comum direita, a paciente apresentava exuberante fluxo invertido na carótida interna durante todo o ciclo cardíaco, achado este não encontrado na literatura em tamanha magnitude.

ABSTRACT Occlusions and severe stenoses of the innominate artery (brachiocephalic trunk) are rare and present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, with hemispheric, vertebrobasilar and right upper limb ischemic symptoms. The most common cause is atherosclerosis. Duplex scanning may show right vertebral artery flow reversal, diminished subclavian flow, and several patterns of right carotid flow disturbance, including slow flow, partial flow reversal during the cardiac cycle and even complete reversal of flow in the internal carotid artery, which is a very uncommon finding. Herein, the authors describe the case of a female patient who was a heavy smoker, had severe stenosis of the brachiocephalic trunk, and had episodes of collapse. Besides the subclavian steal and partial flow reversal in the common carotid artery, duplex scanning also showed high-velocity reversed flow in the internal carotid artery during the entire cardiac cycle, a finding that is not reported in the literature at this magnitude.

Preoperative carotid duplex scanning in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) using carotid duplex ultrasound in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between January 2017 and January 2018 and included 166 consecutive patients [130 males (78.31%), 36 females (21.69%); mean age: 64.25±9.78 years] who underwent elective and isolated CABG. Patients who had significant CAS (≥50% stenosis) were compared with patients who had non-significant CAS (<50% stenosis). Logistic regression analysis was applied across the selected parameters to identify risk factors for significant CAS. Results: Of all patients, 36 (21.68%) had CAS ≥50% and 8 (4.81%) had unilateral carotid stenosis ≥70%. Carotid endarterectomy/CABG was performed simultaneously in five (3.01%) patients. None of these patients had cardiac and neurological problems during the postoperative period. The overall incidence of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) after CABG was 1.20% (n=2). Age (P=0.011) and history of CVA (P=0.035) were significantly higher in the CAS ≥50 group than in the CAS <50 group. Significant CAS was identified as a risk factor for postoperative CVA (P=0.013). Conclusion: Age and history of CVA were identified as risk factors for significant CAS. Furthermore, significant CAS was identified as a risk factor for postoperative CVA. For this reason, carotid screening is recommended for patients undergoing CABG even in the absence of associated risk factors.

Ultrasound evaluation of the penis / Avaliação ultrassonográfica do pênis

Abstract Ultrasound is an excellent method for the study of penis. In this article, using a critical review of the literature and teaching files, we present examples of the major findings in the ultrasound routine, focusing on trauma, priapism, Peyronie's disease, and erectile dysfunction.

Resumo A ultrassonografia é um excelente método para a avaliação peniana. Neste artigo, com base em uma análise crítica da literatura e arquivos didáticos, apresentamos exemplos das principais alterações encontradas na rotina ultrassonográfica, destacando-se o traumatismo, o priapismo, a doença de Peyronie e a disfunção erétil.

Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy for severe chronic venous insufficiency / Escleroterapia ecoguiada com espuma para tratamento da insuficiência venosa crônica grave

ABSTRACT Chronic venous insufficiency is characterized by cutaneous alterations caused by venous hypertension; in severe forms, it progresses to lower limb ulcers. Lower limb varicose veins are the main cause of chronic venous insufficiency, and the classic treatment includes surgery and compressive therapy. Minimally invasive alternative treatments for varicose veins include new techniques such as venous thermal ablation using laser or radiofrequency. The use of different methods depends on clinical and anatomical factors. Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy is the venous injection of sclerosing foam controlled by Doppler ultrasound. Sclerotherapy is very useful to treat varicose veins, and probably, is cheaper than other methods. However, until the present, it is the less studied method.

RESUMO A insuficiência venosa crônica é caracterizada por alterações cutâneas decorrentes da hipertensão venosa que, nas formas graves, evoluem com úlceras nos membros inferiores. As varizes dos membros inferiores são a causa mais frequente de insuficiência venosa crônica, que tem como tratamentos clássicos a cirurgia de varizes e a terapia compressiva. Novas técnicas de termo-ablação venosa por laser e radiofrequência são alternativas minimamente invasivas para o tratamento de varizes. A aplicabilidade dos diferentes métodos é limitada por requisitos anatômicos e clínicos. A escleroterapia ecoguiada com espuma consiste na injeção endovenosa da espuma esclerosante monitorada pelo Ultrassom Doppler. A escleroterapia tem grande aplicabilidade para tratamento das varizes e, provavelmente, é mais barato que outros métodos. Entretanto é, até o momento, o método menos estudado.

Comparison of the severity of lower extremity arterial disease in smokers and patients with diabetes using a novel duplex Doppler scoring system

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to validate the diagnostic feasibility of a novel scoring system of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in smokers and patients with diabetes depending on duplex Doppler sonographic features. METHODS: Patients presenting with the symptomatology of PAD were divided into three groups: diabetes only, smoking only, and smokers with diabetes. The patients were clinically examined, a clinical severity score was obtained, and the subjects were categorized into the three extrapolated categories of mild, moderate, and severe. All 106 subjects also underwent a thorough duplex Doppler examination, and various aspects of PAD were assessed and tabulated. These components were used to create a novel duplex Doppler scoring system. Depending on the scores obtained, each individual was categorized as having mild, moderate, or severe illness. The Cohen kappa value was used to assess interobserver agreement between the two scoring systems. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement between the traditional Rutherford clinical scoring system and the newly invented duplex Doppler scoring system showed a kappa value of 0.83, indicating significant agreement between the two scoring systems (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Duplex Doppler imaging is an effective screening investigation for lower extremity arterial disease, as it not only helps in its diagnosis, but also in the staging and grading of the disease, providing information that can be utilized for future management and treatment planning.

Aneurisma venoso primario de la vena safena: presentación de un caso / Primary Venous Aneurysms of the Saphenous Vein: Case Report

Los aneurismas venosos primarios son lesiones infrecuentes, en la mayoría de los casos asintomáticas y subdiagnosticadas, que deben considerarse al plantear el diagnóstico diferencial de masas inguinales. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 41 años de edad con sensación de masa inguinal izquierda de un año de evolución, a la cual se le diagnosticó aneurisma venoso primario con base en los hallazgos de la ecografía Doppler color. El aneurisma venoso primario requiere tratamiento quirúrgico para evitar complicaciones y la ecografía Doppler color es el método de elección para confirmar el diagnóstico y descartar otros procesos patológicos.

Primary venous aneurysms are rare lesions, in most cases asymptomatic and underdiagnosed that must be considered in the differential diagnoses of inguinal masses. We report the case of a 41 year old female patient with a one year history of a left inguinal mass, which was reported with a primary venous aneurysm based in the findings of a duplex ultrasonography. Venous primary aneurysm requires surgical treatment to avoid complications, and the duplex ultrasonography is the method of choice to confirm diagnosis and rule out other diseases.

Correlation betw een the watershed infarction types and cerebrovascular stenosis / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation betw een the cerebral w atershed infarction (WSI) types and cerebrovascular stenosis. Methods Patients w ith WSI diagnosed by MRI and diffusion -w eighted imaging w ere enroled. Color Doppler ultrasound w as used to conduct extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) examination. Magnetic resonance angiography w as used to conduct intracranial vascular examination. The patients w ith WSI w ere divided into cortical w atershed infarction (CWSI), internal w atershed infarction (IWSI), and mixed-type w atershed infarction (MWSI). The correlation betw een the different types of WSI and cerebral vascular stenosis w ere analyzed. Results A total of 120 patients w ith WSI w ere enroled, including 18 w ith CWSI, 48 w ith IWSI, and 54 w ith MWSI. Ipsilateral vascular stenosis: 48 patients w ere in ICA (40.0%, 22 of them in the extracranial segment, 39 in the intracranial segment), 24 (20 .0%) w ere in the anterior cerebral artery, 86 (71.7%) w ere in the middle cerebral artery, 40 (33.3%) w ere in the posterior cerebral artery, 35 (29.2%) w ere in the vertebral basilar artery, and 36 (30.0%) w ere in ICA +MCA. There w ere significant differences in the detection rates of ipsilateral ICA, MCA and ICA + MCA stenosis among different types of WSI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis show ed that CWSI often accompanied by the ipsilateral ICA stenosis (odds ratio [ OR] 0.022; 95% confidence interval [ CI] 0.002 -0.230; P =0.001); IWSI often accompanied by the MCA stenosis ( OR 40.164; 95% CI 3.861 -417.810; P =0.002), w hile MWSI often accompanied by the ipsilateral MCA stenosis ( OR 9.586; 95% CI 2.776 -33.126; P <0.001) and ipsilateral ICA + MCA stenoses ( OR 7.481; 95% CI 2.541 -22.022; P <0.001). Conclusion There w ere significant differences in the incidence of the ipsilateral ICA, MCA, and ICA + MCA stenosis among the different types of WSI. CWSI often accompanied by the ipsilateral ICA stenosis, IWSI often accompanied by the ipsilateral MCA stenosis, and MWSI often accompanied by the ipsilateral ICA + MCA stenosis.

Can Doppler or contrast-enhanced ultrasound analysis add diagnostically important information about the nature of breast lesions?

OBJECTIVES: Despite evidence suggesting that Doppler ultrasonography can help to differentiate between benign and malignant breast lesions, it is rarely applied in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine whether certain vascular features of breast masses observed by duplex Doppler and color Doppler ultrasonography (before and/or after microbubble contrast injection) add information to the gray-scale analysis and support the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification. METHODS: Seventy solid lesions were prospectively evaluated with gray-scale ultrasonography, color Doppler ultrasonography, and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. The morphological analysis and lesion vascularity were correlated with the histological results. RESULTS: Percutaneous core biopsies revealed that 25/70 (17.5%) lesions were malignant, while 45 were benign. Hypervascular lesions with tortuous and central vessels, a resistive index (RI)≥0.73 before contrast injection, and an RI≥0.75 after contrast injection were significantly predictive of malignancy (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The combination of gray-scale ultrasonography data with unenhanced or enhanced duplex Doppler and color Doppler US data can provide diagnostically useful information. These techniques can be easily implemented because Doppler devices are already present in most health centers. .

Synchronous motion assessment of left ventricular myocardium and pericardium in normal adult using dual pulse wave Doppler echocardiography / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To investigate the clinical value , the motive regularity, the temporal and spatial correlation between myocardium and adjacent pericardium of left ventricular short -axis in normal adsults by using dual pulse wave Doppler echocardiography .Methods Tissue dual pulse spectral Doppler images about segmental myocardium and adjacent pericardial of three complete cardiac cycles in 99 normal adults were collected synchronously by using dual pulse wave Doppler techenology ,6 segments were enrolled in this study, including the anterior and posterior wall at mitral valve , papillary muscles, and apex level of left ventricular short-axis view.The motive regularity of myocardium and adjacent pericardium at different levels and segments were observed .Peak speed, onset time and peak time between myocardium and adjacent pericardium in anterior and posterior wall of three valves were measured online in systolic , early diastolic, and late diastolic, and the correlation between segmental myocardium and adjacent pericardium in speed and time were analyzed.Results Dual pulse wave Doppler echocardiography showed that in left ventricular short-axis view, motion between myocardium and adjacent pericardium in the same segment had consistent direction, motions between myocardium and adjacent pericardium in anterior and posterior wall at the same level had opposite directions .Comparison of peak velocity, in anterior wall, the peak velocities of myocardium in systolic and late diastolic at mitral valve level , and the peak velocity of myocardium in systolic at papillary muscle level were lower than that of adjacent pericardium .In posterior wall, the peak velocities of myocardium in early diastolic and late diastolic at mitral valve level , the peak velocities of myocardium in systolic and early diastolic at papillary muscle level , and the peak velocity of myocardium in early diastolic at apex level were higher than that of adjacent pericardium , with statistical significance (t=-4.207, -2.078, 4.575, -2.277, -2.440, -2.292, 5.980, 2.604, all P<0.05).Comparison of onset time, the onset time of myocardium in systolic at papillary muscle level in anterior wall , and the onset time of myocardium in early diastolic at mitral valve level in posterior wall were lower than that of adjacent pericardium, with statistical significance (t =-2.447, -2.020, both P<0.05).Comparison of peak time, except the peak time of myocardium in systolic and early diastolic at mitral valve level in posterior wall was lower than that of adjacent pericardium , the remaining differences were statistically significant ( t =-3.530, -2.411, both P<0.05).Peak velocity, onset times and peak times of each segment measured between myocardium and adjacent pericardium were well correlated (r =0.407 -0.933, all P <0.01). Conclusions Dual pulse wave Doppler echocardiography can provide relativity and accordance between motive velocity and direction of left ventricular myocardium and adjacent pericardium in normal adults .It is a promising new method for the clinical diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis and differentiation with restrictive cardiomyopathy.