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Purpose@#The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of elastography in the differential diagnosis of benign versus malignant testicular lesions. @*Methods@#The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies. The diagnostic accuracy of elastography was evaluated using pooled sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, post-test probability, diagnostic odds ratio, and by summarizing the area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curve. @*Results@#Seven studies with 568 lesions were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81% to 92%) and 81% (95% CI, 65% to 90%), respectively. The pooled estimates of the positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were 4.48 (95% CI, 2.37 to 8.47), 0.16 (95% CI, 0.10 to 0.25), and 28.11 (95% CI, 11.39 to 69.36), respectively. The area under the HSROC curve was 90% (95% CI, 88% to 93%). @*Conclusion@#Elastography is useful for assessing the stiffness of testicular lesions and for differentiating benign from malignant lesions. Elastography can be an effective supplement to conventional ultrasonography.
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Purpose To evaluate the correlation between neovascularization in femoral artery plaque and cerebral infarction by using contrast enhanced ultrasound,and to assess the predictive value of femoral artery plaque stability in cerebral infarction and its clinical significance.Materials and Methods Sixty-two patients with femoral artery hypoechoic plaques were retrospectively studied.The patients were divided into cerebral infarction group and control group,and all of them underwent two-dimensional ultrasound and contrast enhanced ultrasound.The parameters such as the maximum thickness,the stenosis rate of cross-sectional area,the enhanced intensity (EI),the area under the curve (AUC) and the grading of the neovascularization in the plaque were detected and compared.Results The EI and AUC of the cerebral infarction group were higher than those of the control group,the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).Many grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ neovascularizations were found in cerebral infarction group,while the grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ neovascularizations were mostly in the control group,the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the maximum thickness and stenosis rate of cross-sectional area between the two groups (P＞0.05).The neovascularization grade,EI and AUC in the plaque were positively correlated with cerebral infarction (r=0.331,0.416 and 0.410,P＜0.05).Conclusion ① The chara-cteristics of femoral artery hypoechoic plaques in patients with cerebral infarction are rich of neovascularization and instable by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonic imaging.② The neovascularization of femoral artery hypoechoic plaque has positive correlation with cerebral infarction,which may provide a new method for clinical prediction and prevention of intracranial atherosclerosis.
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Objective To explore correlation between ultrasonic characteristics of femoral artery atherosclerotic plaques and non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).Methods Seventy-two patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) coexisting carotid artery and femoral artery plaques were divided into NSTE-ACS group (n=42) and chronic ischemic syndrome (CIS) group (n=30).The enhanced intensity (EI),volume,shape and internal echo level (EL) of plaques were detected with contrast-enhanced ultrasonic imaging and three-dimensional ultrasound combined with ultrasonic greyscale intensity quantitative analysis,and all parameters were analyzed between the two groups.Results EI and the proportion of irregular artery plaques were higher,and EL was lower in NSTE-ACS group than those in CIS group (all P＜0.05).EI,EL and shape of carotid artery and femoral artery plaques were correlated with NSTE-ACS (all P＜0.05).EI and EL of femoral artery plaques were risk factors for NSTE-ACS (OR=1.222,1.177,P＜0.05).Areas under ROC curve of EI and EL of carotid artery plaques were 0.801 and 0.757 (both P＜0.001),and those of femoral artery plaques were 0.814 and 0.774,respectively (both P＜0.001).Conclusion Neovascularization,shape and internal echo are correlated with NSTE-ACS,and the correlation of femoral artery plaques with NSTE-ACS is more significant than that of carotid artery plaques.Detecting ultrasonic characteristics of femoral artery atherosclerotic plaque can provide references to early identify unstable plaque and screening high-risk patients with CHD.