ABSTRACT
The idea of the "metaverse" is a relatively recent technological development. The industries that are most supportive of these developments include finance, entertainment, and communication. In addition to these, the healthcare domain has been added to the list of domains that benefit from the metaverse recently. Within the metaverse, research is being conducted on a wide range of medical topics, including conferences and seminars, surgical simulators, awareness campaigns, research projects, and much more. The metaverse is a flexible and highly customizable virtual digital platform that can be configured to suit specific needs, making it an adaptable instrument for medical advancement. These domains, together with their benefits and drawbacks, are thoroughly covered in this review article, which raises the discussion of the need for medical productivity. These studies have undergone a minimum amount of research and experimentation, and the findings are fair from an investigative standpoint. This review article's major goal is to make a provocative remark about metaverse domains and how they have already been used and might be used as an essential operational tool in the field of medicine in the future. Consequently, the objective of the present study is to review the current literature on post-COVID-19 pandemic development that connected the metaverse with the prevention and treatment of diseases, medical education and training, and expansion of available functionalities in research settings.
ABSTRACT
Plain abdominal radiographs and gastrointestinal contrast studies remain the first line of investigation for the evaluation of several conditions due to their easy availability and ease of use in pediatric patients. A systematic approach to evaluating the plain radiograph for pediatric abdomen can lead the radiologist to a relevant differential diagnosis in most cases. In other cases, it leads the radiologist to the next line of investigation. The plain radiograph of the abdomen is requested for several conditions ranging from abdominal pain, vomiting, failure to pass meconium, abdominal distension, perforation, mass or for suspected obstruction. The radiation dose involved in abdominal radiography, although significant, the diagnostic information provided outweighs the risk. Dose reduction techniques should be employed to reduce the radiation dose to infants and children. Spectrum of atresias and stenosis from the esophagus up to the rectum, Hirschsprung disease, small left colon syndrome, and anorectal malformations can be identified with a detailed and systematic contrast study. They act as an adjunct in the diagnosis of conditions such as intussusception and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Inflammatory conditions such as acute appendicitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and acute conditions such as pneumoperitoneum are also well appreciated on plain abdominal radiographs.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome is complex disorder unifying dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and hyper insulinemia. Rising global epidemic of obesity has tremendous impact on metabolic syndrome. Ultrasound is becoming widely utilized modality for measuring the visceral adiposity. AIM: To determine the usefulness of ultrasonographic measurements in the estimation of regional adiposity and to compare them with anthropometric measurements and to correlate ultrasonographic measurements of regional adiposity and metabolic syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare anthropometry and ultrasonography in assessing the regional adiposity in metabolic syndrome. A total of 105 consecutive participants were included in the study after scrutinizing them for various definable factors of metabolic syndrome. Body Mass Index (BMI) of all participants was calculated and their available serological investigations were gathered. Primarily participants were subjected for anthropometric measurements like waist circumference and hip circumference, further waist/hip ratio was calculated. Following which all participants underwent sonological examination and sonographic indices like intraabdominal fat thickness, preperitoneal fat thickness, minimum and maximum subcutaneous fat thicknesses were measured. Abdominal wall fat index was calculated as ratio of maximum preperitoneal fat thickness to minimum subcutaneous fat thickness. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (Statistical Package Social Science, version-10.0.5) software. A p-value was calculated and values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Significant correlation was established between the BMI and waist and hip circumferences. Mild positive correlation was obtained between BMI and sonographic indices like IAF, SCF and PPF with Pearson correlation (r) values of 0.324, 0.585 and 0.211 respectively. Anthropometric measurements showed higher r-values (WC- 0.624 and HC- 0.825) than sonographic indices; indicating anthropometry is better in assessing the regional adiposity than the sonography. CONCLUSION: Sonography can be considered as one of the reliable imaging modality for assessing the regional adiposity but not as better as waist or hip circumferences.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Minor percentage of wooden foreign bodies is radio-opaque. High Resolution Ultrasonography (HRUSG) though existing is sparsely used as a primary imaging modality for diagnosis and localization of retained foreign body. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of High Resolution Ultrasonography (HRUSG) in diagnoses and localization of retained foreign body. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study with registered 46 patients with history of foreign body injury which were initially imaged with conventional radiography was enrolled. Later patients were subjected for high resolution USG of the diseased part with a linear transducer. Surface marking was done for all subjects to assist the surgical exploration. Ultrasound findings were correlated with surgical exploration and histopathological findings. RESULTS: Out of 46 patients, forty one showed foreign body with foreign body inflammatory reaction in the form of abscess and/or granulation tissue on high resolution ultrasonography. No foreign body was detected in five patients but they showed focal hypoechogenicity which represented abscess and/or haematoma. On surgical exploration, two out of 41 patients did not reveal foreign body where as rest were found to have foreign body with foreign body inflammatory reaction. Sensitivity and negative predictive value of the current study is 100%. CONCLUSION: High resolution USG is not only an efficient modality in diagnosing and localizing the foreign body in soft tissue, but can also be utilized for guiding the foreign body removal.
ABSTRACT
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.
