Advances in Molecular Targeted Ultrasound Contrast Agents / 中国医学科学院学报

In real-time ultrasound,molecular targeted contrast agent is introduced into the blood circulation through peripheral intravenous injection to enhance the imaging signal of target lesions after binding to the corresponding intravascular receptors,which can realize early diagnosis,staging of diseases,assessment of treatment response,and targeted treatment.In addition,molecular targeted ultrasound contrast agents provide a platform for the delivery of drugs and genes via microbubbles,and nanoscale contrast agents can be infiltrated through vascular endothelium into the interstitial space of the lesion for imaging or treatment.The available studies of molecular targeted ultrasound contrast agents mainly focus on the preclinical trials.Some clinical trials have been conducted in humans and preliminarily confirm the safety and feasibility of targeted ultrasound contrast agents.The molecular targeted ultrasound contrast agents enjoy a broad prospect in clinical application.

Research Progress in the Application of Ultrasound-Guided Robot in Minimally Invasive Surgery / 中国医学科学院学报

With the continuous advances in modern medical technology and equipment,minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is widely applied in clinical practice.Ultrasound (US) as a real-time,portable,and radiation-free medical imaging method can be used for the intraoperative guidance in MIS to ensure safe and effective surgery.However,the physical characteristics of conventional US fail to display some tissue structures of the human body due to the existence of gas and bone.US-based navigation can make up for the deficiencies by advanced imaging technologies including spatial orientation,image reconstruction,and multi-modality image fusion,being real-time,accurate,and radiation-free.Therefore,US-guided robots can achieve safe,effective,and minimally invasive operation in MIS.This paper reviews the studies of US-guided robots in MIS and prospects the development of this field.

Effect of Calcification on the Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the effect of calcification on the ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation(RFA)of papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods We retrospectively analyzed the preoperative and follow-up data of 164 patients(182 nodules)with PTC treated by percutaneous ultrasound-guided RFA in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 1,2018 to December 31,2021.The tumor status 12 months after RFA was taken as the endpoint event.The univariate Logistic regression analysis was employed to predict the influencing factors of incomplete ablation.The factors were then included in the multivariate Logistic regression analysis for prediction of the independent risk factors of incomplete ablation.Results The maximum nodule diameter(OR=1.16,95%CI=1.04-1.29,P=0.009)and calcification ratio >2/3(OR=19.27,95%CI=4.02-92.28,P<0.001)were the factors influencing the disappearance of lesion 12 months after RFA.Conclusions PTC with calcification can be treated with ultrasound-guided RFA.In the case of calcification ratio ≤ 2/3,this therapy demonstrates the effect equivalent to that of no calcification.

Research Status and Prospect of New Ultrasound Technology in Predicting Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common pathological type of thyroid cancer,accounting for 90%.Most cases of PTC are inert tumors,while a few are invasive.Cervical lymph node metastasis is one of the major manifestations of invasive PTC.Preoperative accurate prediction of cervical lymph node metastasis is of great significance for the selection of therapeutic regimen and the evaluation of prognosis.New ultrasound technology is a non-invasive,convenient,and radiation-free examination method,playing a key role in predicting the cervical lymph node metastasis of PTC.This paper reviews the research status and makes an outlook on new ultrasound technology in predicting cervical lymph node metastasis of PTC.

Comparison of Quality of Life of Patients with Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma Treated by Different Modalities / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To compare the health-related quality of life(HRQoL)of patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC)treated by different modalities. Methods The PTMC patients after treatment who came to our department for follow-up from October to December in 2019 were enrolled and assigned into three groups according to treatment modalities:radiofrequency ablation(RFA)group(

A Thyroid Ultrasound Image-based Artificial Intelligence Model for Diagnosis of Central Compartment Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To establish an artificial intelligence model based on B-mode thyroid ultrasound images to predict central compartment lymph node metastasis(CLNM)in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC). Methods We retrieved the clinical manifestations and ultrasound images of the tumors in 309 patients with surgical histologically confirmed PTC and treated in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January to December in 2018.The datasets were split into the training set and the test set.We established a deep learning-based computer-aided model for the diagnosis of CLNM in patients with PTC and then evaluated the diagnosis performance of this model with the test set. Result The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,and area under receiver operating characteristic curve of our model for predicting CLNM were 80%,76%,83%,and 0.794,respectively. Conclusion Deep learning-based radiomics can be applied in predicting CLNM in patients with PTC and provide a basis for therapeutic regimen selection in clinical practice.

Application Value of Transrectal Shear Wave Elastography Mode Combined with Elastic Modulus in the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

To explore the value of trans-rectal shear wave elastic mode combined with elastic modulus in the diagnosis of prostate cancer and establish a new method for the evaluation of prostate with trans-rectal shear wave elastography(SWE). The typical findings of trans-rectal ultrasound(US)and SWE in 79 patients with prostate cancer(=41)and benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)(=38)confirmed by surgery or US-guided biopsy were analyzed retrospectively.Their diagnostic value were evaluated with the pathological results as the golden standards. Three or more malignant features detected by conventional trans-rectal US(=42.5,<0.001)and asymmetrical SWE mode(=54.2,<0.001)showed statistically significant difference in prostate cancer and BPH groups.The elastic modulus of Emean and Emax in the prostate cancer group were(92.8±21.5)and(114.2±29.8)kPa,which were significantly higher than those in the BPH group [(56.7±14.0)(=-8.8,<0.001)and(68.4±17.2)kPa(=-8.3,<0.001)].The receiver-operating characteristic(ROC)curve with Logistic regression showed that the elastic model combined elastic modulus had the largest area under ROC curve and the highest diagnosis efficiency of prostate cancer,with the cutoff value of 0.45.The diagnosis sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and accuracy of the combination were 95.1%,89.5%,90.7%,94.4%,and 92.4%,respectively. Combination of SWE mode and elastic modulus is more valuable than elastic modulus alone in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Short-term Outcome of T1bN0M0 Papillary Thyroid Cancer after Ultrasonography-guided Radiofrequency Ablation / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the short-term outcome of T1bN0M0 papillary thyroid cancer after ultrasonography-guided radiofrequency ablation(RFA). Methods Eighty-nine patients with T1bN0M0 papillary thyroid cancer who were treated with ultrasonography-guided RFA in our center from April 2014 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Trans-isthmus approach and moving shot technique were used during the RFA procedure.Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were performed before ablation,and immediately,1,3,6 and 12 months after ablation and then every 6 months thereafter. Results RFA was performed in 89 cases of papillary thyroid cancer,and no major complications were observed during the RFA.The mean follow-up was(18.8±7.3)months.The ablation zones decreased gradually during follow-up,and 38 ablation zones(42.7%)completely disappeared.The volume reduction rate was(99.2±2.3)% 30 months after ablation.During follow-up,2 patients(2.2%)developed tumor recurrence and 1 patient(1.1%)developed cervical lymph node metastasis. Conclusion Ultrasonography-guided RFA may be a safe and effective method for patients with T1bN0M0 papillary thyroid cancer.

Correlation between Ultrasound-guided Fine-needle Aspiration Combined with BRAF Detection and Invasive Pathological Features of Papillary Thyroid Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

To analyze the potential associations of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration(FNA),BRAF gene mutation detection,and the combination of these two techniques with the clinicopathological features of papillary thyroid cancer(PTC). Methods Patients with PTC confirmed by surgery from April 2016 to July 2017 were included in this study.The relationship between clinicopathological features and BRAF mutation,FNA results,and the combination of them were explored. Results The sensitivity of FNA was 86.3%(227/263)and the mutation rate of BRAF was 85.9%(226/263)in 263 patients with PTC.The mutation rate of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC)was 91.1%(153/168)and that of non-PTMC was 76.8%(73/95).A total of 225 patients underwent lymph node dissection.The lymph node metastasis rate was 35.6%(80/225),and it was 23.8%(34/143)in PTMC,56.1%(46/82)in non-PTMC;in addition,9.9%(26/263)of PTC patients had extracapsular invasion.BRAF mutation rate was higher in patients with the following features:aged over 45 years(=0.043);the tumor was FNA diagnosed as malignant or suspected malignant(=0.011);the tumor had a maximum diameter of ≤1 cm(=0.001);and the primary tumor was in stage T(=0.039);however,there was no significant difference in BRAF mutation rate among patients with different sex,capsule invasion,or lymph node metastasis.The diagnostic sensitivity of FNA was not statistically different under different clinical and pathological characteristics.The clinicopathologic features of FNA and BRAF double-positive patients were not significantly different from those of other patients. Conclusion FNA-confirmed malignancy,BRAF gene mutation,and their double-positive results are not correlated with the invasive pathological features of PTC,and thus their roles in guiding an extended operation(or not)are limited.

Ultrasound-guided Radiofrequency Ablation for Cervical Lymph Nodes Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for nonsurgical treatment of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) in the neck from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods Totally 45 PTC patients who had been treated with total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy were enrolled in this retrospective study. A total of 71 metastatic LNs in the neck from PTC were confirmed by percutaneous biopsy. Follow-up consisted of conventional ultrasound,contrast-enhanced ultrasound,and thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement 1,3 and 6 months after RFA and then every 6 months. Results All 45 patients were successfully treated,without immediate or later major complications occurred. During the follow-up [(23±5) months;range:12-30 months)],there was no evidence of recurrence at ablated sites. The mean volume reduction ratio (VRR) was significantly reduced during the follow-up. Significant differences in the VRR were found between every two follow-up visits (P<0.001). Furthermore,46 metastatic LNs (64.8%) completely disappeared and 25 metastatic lymph nodes (35.2%) remained as small scar-like lesions at the last follow-up visit. After RFA,mean serum Tg level decreased from (11.3±6.3)ng/ml (range:0.8-19.4 ng/ml) to (1.3±0.9)ng/ml (range:0.2-3.9 ng/ml) at the last follow-up visit (P<0.001). Conclusion Ultrasound-guided percutaneous RFA is a safe and effective therapy for patients with cervical LNs metastasis from PTC.

A multiple regression formula for the prediction of thyroid microcarcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a quantitative analysis formula for the prediction of thyroid microcarcinoma and decide the cut-off values for the recommendation of ultrasound-guided biopsy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The ultrasound characteristics of 830 subcentimeter thyroid nodules were retrospectively analyzed based on pathological results in this study. A diagnostic formula was developed using multivariate binary Logistic regression with the cut-off values for the recommendation of biopsy. The diagnostic values of each feature and the formula were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The most suspicious ultrasound characteristics for subcentimeter thyroid nodules were solid echostructure (OR=41.97), microlobulated margin (OR=25.89), hypoechoic echogenicity(OR=10.36), no halo (OR=8.38), irregular margin (OR=4.26), taller than wide (OR=2.71), microcalcification (OR=1.92), and macrocalcification (OR=1.28). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the formula were 90.9%, 54.0%, and 72.5%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This multiple regression formula is an objective tool for the evaluation of thyroid microcarcinoma, which can provide the cutoff values for the ultrasound guided biopsy.</p>