Precisão dos escaneamentos intraorais e modelos 3D, com diferentes escâneres e softwares: revisão sistemática / Accuracy of intraoral scanning and 3D models, with different scanners and software: systematic review

Objetivo: Esta revisão sistemática investigou se a precisão dos escaneamentos intraorais e modelos 3D com diferentes escâneres e softwares, é suficiente para os clínicos aceitarem e implementarem as novas tecnologias como critério de diagnóstico e planejamentos dos tratamentos. Material e métodos: Protocolo PROSPERO número CRD42020218151. Duas revisoras realizaram uma pesquisa avançada de banco de dados eletrônico, sem restrição de idioma ou data, no MEDLINE/PubMed; Embase; BVS/LILACS; Scopus; Cochrane Library; Google Scholar e Web of Science até janeiro de 2021. Os estudos foram escolhidos por título e resumo para triagem, de acordo com os seguintes critérios de inclusão: Estudos Clínicos in vivo e in vitro (pacientes, modelos de gesso de pacientes e manequins simulando bocas humanas) com os diferentes softwares e técnicas de escaneamento intraoral comparando a acurácia, fidelidade e/ou precisão como desfecho dos escaneamentos intraorais, dos modelos virtuais em 3D com modelos de gesso; com um mínimo de 5 pacientes escaneados sem limite de idade ou gênero; texto completo acessível; nos estudos de coorte, transversais e caso-controle. Após a leitura do texto completo os artigos foram excluídos de acordo com os seguintes critérios: 1) estudos com menos de 5 pacientes; 2) estudos em animais; 3) revisão sistemática, descrição de técnica, intervenções, protocolos; 4) escaneamentos por Ressonância Magnética ou Tomografia computadorizada; 5) estudos em que não foram utilizados scanners intraorais. Resultados. Dos 4410 estudos inicialmente identificados, 16 preencheram os critérios de inclusão. O guia PRISMA foi utilizado para redação da revisão e a ferramenta ROBINS-1 da Cochrane foi utilizada para análise de viés. Os estudos incluídos na sua maioria mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os resultados das moldagens convencionais e digitais, porém também demonstraram que as diferenças não têm significância clínica. Conclusões: Esta revisão sistemática permitiu levantar dados que demonstraram que os escaneamentos intraorais não são superiores às moldagens convencionais, mas de acurácia equivalente com confiabilidade para o uso das imagens digitais conseguidas por escaneamento intraoral e dos modelos digitais provenientes destes escaneamentos.

Prevalência de periodontites apicais e classificação do índice do complexo periapical em brasileiros por meio de tomografia computadorizada de feixe cônico / Prevalence of apical periodontitis and classification of the periapical complex index in Brazilians using cone beam computed tomography

A Periodontite Apical (PA), por ser comumente assintomática, é considerada um achado radiográfico, frequentemente encontrada em pacientes que efetuam radiografias para início ou durante tratamentos odontológicos. Entretanto, tais radiografias apresentam limitações para identificar a real extensão e destruição óssea causada pela lesão. Por isso, é indicada a realização de Tomografia Computadorizada de Feixe Cônico (TCFC). O presente estudo tem como propósito avaliar a prevalência das PA, correlacioná-las de acordo com a idade, sexo, local afetado na estrutura óssea e classificá-las de acordo como parâmetro do índice do complexo apical apresentadas em uma amostra de brasileiros, através de imagens de TCFC do banco de dados do Laboratório de Análises e Processamento de Imagens (LAPI) da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de São Paulo (FOUSP). Foram analisadas 250 TCFC, utilizando o software Ondemand 3D Dental. A PA mostrou-se com prevalência maior no sexo feminino (64,53%). Em relação à localização, 232 dentes possuiam PA na maxila sendo que 140 apresentavam tratamento endodôntico satisfatório (60,34%). Na mandíbula, 96 dentes com PA, 68 apresentavam tratamento endodôntico satisfatório (70,83%). O dente mais acometido na maxila foi o 16 e na mandíbula o 46. Na comparação por sexo e condições de dentes da maxila e mandíbula, houve diferença significativa do índice R0 do dente 17, e na presença de PA no dente 25. Na mandíbula houve diferenças significativas na ausência de tratamento endodôntico do dente 42, presença de PA e índices SRD. Na análise feita por faixas etárias, não houveram diferenças significantes estatisticamente. Concluiu-se que a TCFC proporciona precisão de diagnóstico e mensurações, além de oferecer maior segurança ao cirurgião dentista.

Sarcoma folicular de células dendríticas mediastinal: primer reporte de caso en Costa Rica / Mediastinal Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma: First Case Report in Costa Rica

El sarcoma folicular de células dendríticas (SFCD) es una neoplasia maligna rara derivada de las células dendríticas foliculares. Ha sido clasificado, dadas sus características inmunohistoquímicas, como parte del grupo de los sarcomas, donde representa un porcentaje menor al 1%. Actualmente, existen menos de 1.000 reportes en la literatura a nivel mundial, lo cual plantea una dificultad no sólo diagnóstica, siendo confundido frecuentemente con neoplasias de tipo linfoide; sino también terapéutica al no existir un claro consenso sobre su manejo definitivo. Esta revisión de caso clínico describe el primer caso reportado de SFCD en Costa Rica.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (SFCD) is a rare malignant neoplasm derived from follicular dendritic cells, which has been classified, given its immunohistochemical characteristics, as part of the group of sarcomas, where it represents less than 1%. Currently, there are less than 1000 reports in the literature worldwide, which generates a difficulty not only in diagnosis, being frequently confused with lymphoid type neoplasms; but also, as therapeutic as there is no clear consensus on its definitive management. This clinical case review describes the first reported case of SFCD in Costa Rica.

Avaliação da acurácia de exames de imagem para o diagnóstico de defeitos ósseos peri-implantares em implantes de titânio e dióxido de zircônia: uma revisão sistemática e metanálise / Assessment of the accuracy of imaging exams for the diagnosis of peri-implant bone defects in titanium and zirconia dioxide implants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar uma revisão sistemática (RS) e metanálise para avaliar a acurácia de exames de imagem para o diagnóstico de defeitos ósseos peri-implantares em implantes de titânio (Ti) e dióxido de zircônia (ZrO2). Material e método: Seis bancos de dados online foram pesquisados. Todos os estudos selecionados foram submetidos a critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Os estudos incluídos na RS foram submetidos a avaliação de viés e aplicabilidade por meio da ferramenta QUADAS-2 e metanálise de efeito aleatório. As curvas sumárias de características de operação do receptor (sROC) foram construídas para comparar o efeito das diferenças metodológicas em relação às variáveis de cada grupo. Resultados: A estratégia de busca resultou em 719 artigos, seguindo os critérios de elegibilidade, títulos e resumos foram lidos e 61 estudos foram selecionados para leitura na íntegra, 24 dos 61 estudos foram incluídos nesta RS. A tomografia computadorizada de feixe cônico (TCFC) apresentou dados suficientes para análise quantitativa (metanálise) em implantes de ZrO2 e Ti. A metanálise revelou altos níveis de inconsistência no último grupo. Em relação às curvas sROC, a área sob a curva (AUC) foi maior para o grupo Ti global (AUC = 0,79) do que para o ZrO2 global (AUC = 0,69), mas sem diferença estatisticamente significativa entre elas. A comparação de AUCs de deiscências e defeitos de fenestração em implantes de Ti (AUC de deiscência em Ti = 0,73 e AUC de fenestração em Ti = 0,87) resultou em uma diferença estatisticamente significativa. Conclusão: A acurácia diagnóstica da TCFC na avaliação de defeitos ósseos peri-implantares ao comparar os implantes de Ti e ZrO2 foi semelhante, e o defeito de fenestração foi diagnosticado com mais precisão do que a deiscência nos implantes de Ti. Os dados coletados para analisar quantitativamente o desempenho diagnóstico de defeitos ósseos peri-implantares dos métodos de imagem RP, PAN, IRM e TC em implantes de Ti e ZrO2 não foram suficientes. Número do protocolo PROSPERO: CRD42020149678.

Evaluación de la agudeza diagnóstica de la Ecografía Translaríngea Transcutánea (ETLTC) en la valoración de la movilidad de las cuerdas vocales en cirugía de tiroides y paratiroides / Evaluation of the diagnostic acuity of the Transcutaneous Translaryngeal Ultrasound (TCTLUS) in the assessment of the vocal cords mobility in thyroid and parathyroid surgery

Introducción. La evaluación de la movilidad de las cuerdas vocales en cirugía de tiroides y paratiroides hace parte de la adecuada valoración integral. Aunque la laringoscopia directa es prueba de referencia, su uso real no es rutinario por lo que se propone la ecografía translaríngea como alternativa de evaluación. Métodos. Estudio prospectivo de evaluación de una prueba diagnóstica de la movilidad de las cuerdas vocales pre y posoperatoria, comparando la ecografía translaríngea con la video laringoscopia, en pacientes con cirugía de tiroides y paratiroides, de febrero 1° a noviembre 30 de 2022. Se describieron las variables usando frecuencias absolutas y relativas. En el análisis univariado se calcularon Chi cuadrado y T de Student y en el bivariado, regresión logística binaria. La agudeza diagnóstica se determinó con sensibilidad, especificidad y valores predictivos; se consideró la significancia estadística con p < 0,05. Resultados. Se incluyeron 267 pacientes, 219 mujeres y 48 hombres; 196 pacientes (73,4%) tenían malignidad. Se encontró en el preoperatorio, sensibilidad 100 %, especificidad 99,6 %, VPP 83,3 %, VPN 100 %, odds de probabilidad positiva 83 % y Odds de probabilidad negativa 0,004 %. En el posoperatorio, sensibilidad 82,8 %, especificidad 99,2 %, VPP 92,3 % VPN 97,9 %, odds de probabilidad positiva 92 % y odds de probabilidad negativa 0,2 %. Conclusiones. La ecografía translaríngea en nuestro medio tiene alta agudeza diagnóstica. Podría ser usada en el abordaje inicial de la evaluación de la movilidad de las cuerdas vocales y reemplazar la laringoscopia directa, dejando ésta para cuando la visualización ecográfica no sea adecuada, o en casos de afectación o sospecha de invasión, para su confirmación.

Introduction. The evaluation of the mobility of the vocal cords in thyroid and parathyroid surgery is part of the adequate comprehensive assessment. Altough, direct laryngoscopy is the gold standard, its real use is not routine, so translaryngeal ultrasound approach is proposed as an alternative. Methods. A prospective diagnostic test study was carried out to evaluate the translaryngeal ultrasound compared with video laryngoscopy in visualizing vocal mobility in patients with thyroid and parathyroid surgery from February 1 to November 30, 2022. Patients were described using absolute and relative frequencies. Univariate statistical analysis with Chi-square and Student's t tests. T. Bivariate analysis using binary logistic regression. Diagnostic acuity was calculated with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV. Statistical significance with p< 0.05, 95% confidence interval. Results. 267 patients undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery were included, 219 women and 48 men. Malignant: thyroid neoplasm 196 patients (73.4%). The findings were for the preoperative period, 100% sensitivity, 99.6% specificity, PPV 83.33%, NPV 100%, 83% positive probability odds, and 0.004% negative probability odds. For the postoperative period, 82.8% sensitivity, 99.2% specificity, 92.3% PPV, 97.9% NPV, 92% positive probability odds, and 0.2% negative probability odds were found.Conclusions. Translaryngeal ultrasound in our series has high diagnostic acuity. It could be used as the initial approach to evaluate vocal mobility and might replace direct laryngoscopy, leaving it when its visualization is not adequate or in cases of involvement or suspected invasion for confirmation.

Hemoptisis secundaria a tuberculosis pulmonar complicada con pseudoaneurisma de Rasmussen. Reporte de un caso en pediatría. / Hemoptysis in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Complicated by Rasmussen's Pseudoaneurysm. A Pediatric Case Report.

Presentamos el caso de un niño de 12 años que consultó por hemoptisis, sin otros sín- tomas asociados. Se realizó radiografía de tórax (patológica), laboratorio con aumen- to moderado de reactantes de fase aguda, PPD (negativa), esputos x 3 con bacilosco- pias negativas y tomografía de tórax con contraste i.v. que mostró imágenes de árbol en brote en todos los lóbulos y una imagen de dilatación vascular de una rama de la ar- teria pulmonar en lóbulo superior izquierdo. Se plantearon diagnósticos diferenciales: malformación vascular primaria o lesión secundaria a infección. La angiografía digital permitió confirmar el pseudoaneurisma y embolizarlo. Luego de 17 días, 2/3 cultivos de esputo fueron positivos para Mycobacterium tuberculosis. El niño realizó tratamiento antituberculoso con drogas de primera línea con evolución clínica favorable. Este caso resalta la importancia de considerar el pseudoaneurisma de Rasmussen en- tre las posibles complicaciones de un paciente con tuberculosis y hemoptisis recurren- te o masiva.

We present the case of a 12-year-old boy admitted to the hospital due to hemoptysis without other symptoms. We performed a Thorax X-Ray (pathological), laboratory with elevated acute phase reactants, TST (negative), sputum x 3 with negative smear and computed tomography angiography showing a tree-in-bud pattern in all lobes, and di-latation of a brunch of the pulmonary artery in the upper left lobe. We considered pri-mary vascular anomaly or lesion due to infection as a differential diagnosis. The patient underwent digital angiography and therapeutic embolization of this pseudoaneurysm. After seventeen days, 2/3 of the sputum cultures were positive for Mycobacterium tu-berculosis. The patient received standard anti-TB therapy with favorable evolution. This case highlights the importance of considering complications such as Rasmussen's pseudoaneurysm in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and recurrent or massive hemoptysis.

¿Plastrón o tumor apendicular? / Plastron appendicitis or appendiceal tumor?

Un plastrón apendicular es una masa apendicular palpable que contiene el apéndice inflamado, vísceras adyacentes y el omento mayor, asociado a o no a la presencia de pus. El manejo del plastrón apendicular abscedado es controvertido. Cuando hay signos de sepsis asociados, la indicación es una intervención quirúrgica de urgencia, de lo contrario puede optarse por un tratamiento conservador. La utilización de drenaje percutáneo tiene una alta tasa de efectividad, aunque la tasa de neoplasias no detectadas presenta un porcentaje no despreciable, especialmente en los pacientes mayores de 40 años. El objetivo de esta presentación es comunicar una paciente de 65 años con diagnóstico presuntivo de plastrón apendicular abscedado quien luego del fracaso de los drenajes percutáneos fue sometida a una laparotomía exploratoria y hemicolectomía derecha. El diagnóstico histopatológico fue de adenocarcinoma mucinoso del apéndice. (AU)

A palpable inflammatory appendiceal mass may contain the inflamed appendix, adjacent viscera, and the greater omentum, associated or not with the presence of pus. The management of an inflammatory appendiceal mass is controversial. When there are associated signs of sepsis, the indication is emergency surgery, otherwise, you can opt for a conservative treatment. The use of percutaneous drainage has a high rate of effectiveness, although the rate of undetected neoplasia is not negligible, especially in patients older than 40 years. We present the case of a 65-year-old female patient with a presumptive diagnosis of an appendiceal mass with abscess, who underwent exploratory laparotomy and right hemicolectomy after percutaneous drainage failure. The histopathological diagnosis was mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix. (AU)

Malformação arteriovenosa uterina: um relato de caso / Uterine arteriovenous malformation: a case report

O presente estudo tem como objetivo relatar o caso de uma paciente com malformação arteriovenosa uterina, efetivamente tratada com embolização seletiva e com fertilidade preservada. A malformação arteriovenosa uterina é uma alteração vascular rara até então pouco descrita na literatura. A paciente do sexo feminino apresentou quadro de sangramento uterino anormal, com início 30 dias após um abortamento, sem realização de curetagem, de uma gestação resultante de fertilização in vitro. Foram, então, realizados exames de imagem, que levaram ao diagnóstico de malformação arteriovenosa uterina. O tratamento de escolha foi a embolização arterial seletiva, com resolução do caso. Após sete meses, nova fertilização in vitro foi realizada, encontrando-se na 36a semana de gestação. São necessários mais estudos sobre essa malformação a fim de que sejam estabelecidos os métodos mais eficazes para o manejo de casos futuros, especialmente quando há desejo de gestar.

The present study aims to report the case of a patient with uterine arteriovenous malformation, effectively treated with selective embolization and with preserved fertility. Uterine arteriovenous malformation is a rare vascular disorder that has so far been rarely described in the literature. Female patient presented with abnormal uterine bleeding, starting 30 days after an abortion without subsequent curettage, of a pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization. Imaging tests were then performed that led to the diagnosis of uterine arteriovenous malformation. The treatment of choice was selective arterial embolization, with successful results. After seven months, a new in vitro fertilization was performed, being in the 36th week of pregnancy. Further studies on this pathology are needed in order to establish the most effective methods for the management of future cases, especially when there is a desire to become pregnant.

Update in Imaging Evaluation of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas / Atualização na avaliação por imagens dos sarcomas ósseos e das partes moles

Abstract The evolution in imaging evaluation of musculoskeletal sarcomas contributed to a significant improvement in the prognosis and survival of patients with these neoplasms. The precise characterization of these lesions, using the most appropriate imaging modalities to each clinical condition presented, is of paramount importance in the design of the therapeutic approach to be instituted, with a direct impact on clinical outcomes. The present article seeks to update the reader regarding imaging methodologies in the context of local and systemic evaluation of bone sarcomas and soft tissues.

Resumo A evolução na avaliação por imagens dos sarcomas musculoesqueléticos contribuiu para melhora significativa no prognóstico e na sobrevida dos portadores destas neoplasias. A caracterização precisa destas lesões, mediante utilização das modalidades de imagem mais adequadas a cada condição clínica apresentada, é de suma importância no delineamento da abordagem terapêutica a ser instituída, com impacto direto sobre os desfechos clínicos. O presente artigo busca atualizar o leitor a propósito das metodologias de imagem no contexto da avaliação local e sistêmica dos sarcomas ósseos e das partes moles.

Research status and outlook of deep learning in oral and maxillofacial medical imaging / 中华口腔医学杂志

Artificial intelligence, represented by deep learning, has received increasing attention in the field of oral and maxillofacial medical imaging, which has been widely studied in image analysis and image quality improvement. This narrative review provides an insight into the following applications of deep learning in oral and maxillofacial imaging: detection, recognition and segmentation of teeth and other anatomical structures, detection and diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases, and forensic personal identification. In addition, the limitations of the studies and the directions for future development are summarized.

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.

Development and Application of Medical Imaging Analysis Platform Based on Radiomics and Machine Learning Technologies / 中国医疗器械杂志

OBJECTIVE@#In order to solve the technical problems, clinical researchers face the process of medical imaging analysis such as data labeling, feature extraction and algorithm selection, a medical imaging oriented multi-disease research platform based on radiomics and machine learning technology was designed and constructed.@*METHODS@#Five aspects including data acquisition, data management, data analysis, modeling and data management were considered. This platform provides comprehensive functions such as data retrieve and data annotation, image feature extraction and dimension reduction, machine learning model running, results validation, visual analysis and automatic generation of analysis reports, thus an integrated solution for the whole process of radiomics analysis has been generated.@*RESULTS@#Clinical researchers can use this platform for the whole process of radiomics and machine learning analysis for medical images, and quickly produce research results.@*CONCLUSIONS@#This platform greatly shortens the time for medical image analysis research, decreasing the work difficulty of clinical researchers, as well as significantly promoting their working efficiency.

Advances in heart failure clinical research based on deep learning / 生物医学工程学杂志

Heart failure is a disease that seriously threatens human health and has become a global public health problem. Diagnostic and prognostic analysis of heart failure based on medical imaging and clinical data can reveal the progression of heart failure and reduce the risk of death of patients, which has important research value. The traditional analysis methods based on statistics and machine learning have some problems, such as insufficient model capability, poor accuracy due to prior dependence, and poor model adaptability. In recent years, with the development of artificial intelligence technology, deep learning has been gradually applied to clinical data analysis in the field of heart failure, showing a new perspective. This paper reviews the main progress, application methods and major achievements of deep learning in heart failure diagnosis, heart failure mortality and heart failure readmission, summarizes the existing problems and presents the prospects of related research to promote the clinical application of deep learning in heart failure clinical research.

Application and Progress of Digital Navigation Technology in Micro-apical Surgery / 中国医疗器械杂志

As imaging technology develops rapidly, dynamic and static guided technology is widely used in many medical fields now. In order to improve the success rate, reduce surgical complications and improve future prognosis, domestic and foreign experts have introduced digital navigation technology into apical surgery. With the help of digital navigation technology, apical lesions can be easily located and the scope of osteotomy can be limited, which can make the surgery be completed accurately, especially in complex clinical cases. This study overviews the clinical use and research progress of dynamic and static guided technology in apical surgery, summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of this technique as well as looks forward to its future.

Research Progress in Imaging-based Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Enlarged Lymph Nodes in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be detected with enlarged lymph nodes on imaging, but their benignity and malignancy are difficult to determine directly, making it difficult to stage the tumor and design radiotherapy target volumes. The clinical diagnosis of malignant lymph nodes is often based on the short diameter of lymph nodes ≥1 cm or the maximum standard uptake value ≥2.5, but the sensitivity and specificity of these criteria are too low to meet the clinical needs. In recent years, many advances have been made in diagnosing benign and malignant lymph nodes using other imaging parameters, and with the development of radiomics, deep learning and other technologies, models of mining the image information of enlarged lymph node regions further improve the diagnostic accuracy. The purpose of this paper is to review recent advances in imaging-based diagnosis of benign and malignant enlarged lymph nodes in NSCLC for more accurate and noninvasive assessment of lymph node status in clinical practice.
.

Research progress on medical image dataset expansion methods / 生物医学工程学杂志

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems play a very important role in modern medical diagnosis and treatment systems, but their performance is limited by training samples. However, the training samples are affected by factors such as imaging cost, labeling cost and involving patient privacy, resulting in insufficient diversity of training images and difficulty in data obtaining. Therefore, how to efficiently and cost-effectively augment existing medical image datasets has become a research hotspot. In this paper, the research progress on medical image dataset expansion methods is reviewed based on relevant literatures at home and abroad. First, the expansion methods based on geometric transformation and generative adversarial networks are compared and analyzed, and then improvement of the augmentation methods based on generative adversarial networks are emphasized. Finally, some urgent problems in the field of medical image dataset expansion are discussed and the future development trend is prospected.

Performance of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System LR-5 in the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma:A Meta-analysis / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To evaluate the performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) liver imaging reporting and data system (LI-RADS) LR-5 in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The clinical research reports with the application of CEUS LI-RADS in the diagnosis of HCC were collected from PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library,CNKI,and Wanfang Data from inception to November 14,2021.Two researchers respectively screened the literature and extracted relevant information.The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) was used to evaluate the quality of all the included articles.RevMan 5.4,Meta disc 1.4,and Stata 16.0 were employed to analyze the diagnostic performance of LR-5 for HCC in high-risk patients. Results Twenty original studies were included,involving a total of 6131 lesions,of which 5142 were HCC.The results of meta-analysis showed that the LR-5 in CEUS LI-RADS for diagnosing HCC in the high-risk population had the overall sensitivity of 0.72 (95%CI=0.66-0.77),the overall specificity of 0.93 (95%CI=0.87-0.96),the overall positive likelihood ratio of 9.89 (95%CI=5.31-18.41),the overall negative likelihood ratio of 0.30 (95%CI=0.25-0.37),and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88 (95%CI=0.85-0.91).There was heterogeneity among the included studies (I2=95.31,P<0.001).The funnel plot indicated the existence of publication bias (P=0.04). Conclusion The CEUS LI-RADS can effectively diagnose HCC in high-risk patients based on the LR-5 criteria.

Prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in the maxillofacial region: a radiographic study

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in orofacial region and their panoramic radiographic characteristics using digital panoramic radiographs among patients reporting to a tertiary dental hospital. Methods: 1,578 digital panoramic radiographs were retrieved from the archives and scrutinized for the presence of calcifications. Soft tissue calcifications were recorded according to age, gender, site (left or right). Data were analysed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact test using SPSS software and a p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the total number of radiographs, calcified carotid artery (34.3%), calcified stylohyoid ligament (21%), tonsillolith (10.3%), phlebolith (17.6%), antrolith (6.3%), sialolith (5.9%), rhinolith (2.5%) and calcified lymph nodes (1.9%) were identified. The most commonly observed calcifications were calcification of carotid artery and stylohyoid ligament and the least commonly observed calcifications were rhinolith and calcified lymph node. A statistically significant association of the presence of calcifications of carotid artery and stylohyoid ligament on the left and right side was observed in females and tonsillolith on the right side in males (p-value < 0.05). Considering the gender and age group, the occurrence of antrolith among males and rhinolith among females of young-adult population, tonsillolith among the males, calcified carotid artery and stylohyoid ligament among the females of middle-aged population was found to be significant. Conclusion: Soft tissue calcifications are often encountered in dental panoramic radiographs. Our study revealed that the soft tissue calcifications in orofacial region were more common in women and were found to be increased above 40 years of age