Diagnostic value of combined ultrasound contrast and elastography for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules: a meta-analysis.

The diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with ultrasound elastography for benign and malignant thyroid nodules is still controversial, so we used meta-analysis to seek controversial answers. The PubMed, OVID, and CNKI databases were searched according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The literature was selected from the establishment of each database to February 2024. The QUADAS-2 tool assessed diagnostic test accuracy. SROC curves and Spearman's correlation coefficient were made by Review Manager 5.4 software to assess the presence of threshold effects in the literature. Meta-Disc1.4 software was used for Cochrane-Q and χ2 tests, which be used to evaluate heterogeneity, with P-values and I2 indicating heterogeneity levels. The appropriate effect model was selected based on the results of the heterogeneity test. Stata18.0 software was used to evaluate publication bias. The diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with ultrasound elastography for benign and malignant thyroid nodules was evaluated by calculating the combined sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, DOR, and area under the SROC curve. A total of 31 studies included 3811 patients with 4718 nodules were analyzed. There is no heterogeneity caused by the threshold effect, but there is significant non-threshold heterogeneity. Combined diagnostic metrics were: sensitivity = 0.93, specificity = 0.91, DOR = 168.41, positive likelihood ratio = 10.60, and negative likelihood ratio = 0.07. The SROC curve area was 0.97. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography show high diagnostic accuracy for thyroid nodules, offering a solid foundation for early diagnosis and treatment.Trial registration. CRD42024509462.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastic imaging for predicting the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer: a feasibility study.

Objective: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and elastography are of great value in the diagnosis of cervical cancer (CC). However, there is limited research on the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography in predicting concurrent chemoradiotherapy and disease progression for cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography and tumor prognosis. Methods: MRI was performed on 98 patients with cervical cancer before and after treatment. Before, during, and 1 week after the treatment, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography were conducted, and the alterations of ultrasound-related parameters at each time point of the treatment were compared. The correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastic imaging and oncological outcome was assessed. Results: There was no notable difference in overall clinical data between the complete remission (CR) group and the partial remission (PR) group (P>0.05). Before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in elasticity score, time to peak (TTP), and peak intensity (PI) between the CR group and the PR group. However, there were no statistical differences in elastic strain ratio (SR) and area under the curve (AUC) before and after treatment between the CR group and the PR group, and there were also no statistical differences in the elastic strain ratio (SR) and area under the curve (AUC) of contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters between the CR group and the PR group before and during treatment. There was a statistically significant difference after treatment (P<0.05).At present, the follow-up of patients is about 1 year, 7 patients were excluded due to loss to follow-up, and 91 patients were included in the follow-up study. Through the review of the cases and combined with MRI (version RECIST1.1) and serology and other related examinations, if the patient has a new lesion or the lesion is larger than before, the tumor marker Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) is significantly increased twice in a row, and the patient is divided into progressive disease (PD). Those who did not see significant changes were divided into stable disease (SD) group. The relationship between clinical characteristics, ultrasound parameters and disease progression in 91 patients was compared. There was no significant difference in age and clinical stage between the two groups (P>0.05), but there was a significant difference in the elevation of tumor marker squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) between the two groups (P<0.05).With the growth of tumors, TTP decreased, elasticity score and PI increased, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The AUC of SCC-Ag was 0.655, the sensitivity was 85.3%, and the specificity was 45.6%.The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound parameters combined with SCC-Ag predicted disease progression was 0.959, 91.2% and 94.8%. Conclusions: Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography to predict the efficacy and disease progression of concurrent chemoradiotherapy is feasible. In addition, the combination of SCC-Ag with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography can further enhance the efficiency of predicting disease progression.

Diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound elastography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR in benign and malignant breast masses.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound elastography (UE) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR in benign and malignant breast masses. METHODS: From August 2016 to May 2019, the medical records of 98 patients with breast masses in the Zhuji Sixth People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 45 cases of benign tumor and 53 cases of malignancy diagnosed by pathology. All patients were examined by UE and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. The pathologic results were used as the gold standard, and the detection results of benign and malignant masses under different examinations were observed and compared with pathology to analyze the specificity and sensitivity. RESULTS: The specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis by UE were 94.44% and 86.89% respectively. The specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis by dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging were 96.30% and 91.80%, respectively. The specificity and sensitivity of joint diagnosis were 98.36% and 90.74%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Joint diagnosis can improve the sensitivity in the diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses. This improves the diagnostic value for breast tumors.

Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound Elastography in the Differentiation of Breast Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Ductal Carcinoma In situ.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound elastography (US-E) has been shown superior to the conventional US in diagnosing benign and malignant breast lesions. In contrast, the role of US-E in the differentiation of breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has been poorly described. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to examine the diagnostic value of US-E in the differentiation of IDC and DCIS. METHODS: Medical records of all patients who underwent preoperative US-E evaluation and were diagnosed with IDC or DCIS at our hospital from April-December 2019 were retrieved and analyzed. Those who had prior surgical treatment, chemotherapy or radiotherapy were excluded. RESULTS: Twenty women with DCIS and 111 women with IDC were included in this study. There were no significant differences in age, maximum lesion diameter and tumor volume between the two groups. While shear wave velocity (SWV) inside the lesion and in the surrounding tissue, strain ratio and tumor area ratio were not substantially different between the two groups, SWV at the edge of the lesion was significantly higher in IDC cases, which had an AUC value of 0.66 with a sensitivity of 65.8% and a specificity of 60.0% for the differential diagnosis of IDC and DCIS. CONCLUSION: Edge SWV is significantly higher in IDC than that in DCIS, which had a moderate diagnostic value for the differentiation of IDC and DCIS, similar to the performance of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging as reported in the literature. In terms of cost-effectiveness, US-E could be very useful while waiting for further evaluations to determine whether US-E combined with other diagnostic modalities improves the diagnostic performance.

[The new progress and significance of new ultrasound technology in the diagnosis of azoospermia].

The diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia rely heavily on auxiliary ex-amination technology. Compared with CT and MRI, ultrasound has more practical value in the diagnosis of azoospermia.Currently, the main ultrasonic technologies are contrast-enhanced ultrasound, real-time ultrasound elastography and ultrasound tar-geted puncture. This article aims to summarize and prospect the application of new ultrasound technology in azoospermia.Real-time ultrasound elastography is widely used in breast diseases and is expected to play a greater role in azoospermia. Ultra-sound targeted puncture can greatly reduce the damage of testicular spermatogenic function, but its application is still not widely used.The combined application of new technologies can make up for their respective shortcomings and improve the accuracy of azoospermia diagnosis.Therefore, further research on new ultrasound technology in the diagnosis of azoospermia will play a greater role.

Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer evaluated using strain ultrasonic elastography.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of breast cancer in China is increasing while its mortality rate is decreasing. The annual breast cancer incidence in China is 39.2 million, accounting for two-thirds of the urban population. In China, breast cancer is the fifth most common malignant tumor overall and the most common in women, accounting for 17% of female malignant tumors. AIM: To investigate the accuracy of strain ultrasound elastography (SUE) on the evaluation of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. METHODS: Overall, 90 patients with breast cancer treated at our hospital between January 2018 and February 2019 were selected for this study. The patients received six cycles of NAC with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Surgical treatment was also performed, and pathological reactivity was assessed. The patients were evaluated using conventional ultrasonography and SUE before biopsy. The differences between groups were analyzed to calculate the mean and standard deviation with significance measured using a t-test, while multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the patients analyzed, 20 had a pathological complete remission (pCR) while 70 did not achieve pCR after NAC. The ratio of the elastic strain ratio (SR) and elastic score of 4-5 in patients with pCR were 5.5 ± 1.16 and 15.00%, respectively; these were significantly lower than those in patients without pCR (85%) and significantly higher than in patients without pCR (14%). SR and elastic score 4-5 were independent factors influencing NAC efficacy (OR=0.644, 1.426 and 1.366, respectively, P < 0.05). SR was positively correlated with elasticity score (rs = 0.411, P < 0.05). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of SR and SR combined with elastic score in predicting patients without pCR was 0.822 and 0.891, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Strain ultrasonic elastography may be used to evaluate the effects of preoperative NAC in patients with breast cancer.

Role of dynamic quantitative evaluation in liver transplantation by ultrasonic elastography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the role of combinational elastography in the dynamic quantitative evaluation of liver transplantation.Methods:From April to December 2019 in Tianjin First Central Hospital, 27 cases of the liver transplant patients and donors were examined by shear wave elastography and real-time tissue elastography, respectively on donor preoperative within 24 h and postoperative day 1, day 7, in order to obtain liver elastic modulus E, measured average relative strain value (MEAN), the index activity (A) and acoustic attenuation measurement (ATT), and to obtain pathologic specimens during operation, including: hydropic degeneration, inflammation, necrosis, steatosis. AST, ALT, TB, DB were detected by automatic biochemistry analyzeron postoperative day 1, day 7. Correlation analysis was performed for pathological parameters and ultrasonic parameters, E, MEAN, A, ATT were selected to plot ROC curve, to analyze ultrasonic parameters′ cut-off value and area under the curve(AUC). According to the pathological signs donor liver were divided into no or mildhydropic group and moderate-to-severehydropic group, non-inflammation group and inflammation group, non-steatosis group and steatosis group. Ultrasonic parameters of donor liver were compared between the two groups, and differences in liver function and ultrasonic parameters on postoperative day 7 were analyzed between the two groups. The change trends of ultrasonic parameters were analyzed from preoperative donor liver to postoperative day 1, day 7 of recipient. The changes of liver function were analyzed from the first day to 7th days. Correlation analysis was performed for liver function and ultrasonic parameters respectively on postoperative day 1, day 7.Results:①Correlation of the ultrasonic parameters of donor liver preoperative within 24 h and pathological parameters: E value and hydropic degeneration and inflammation of pathological signs were significantly and positively correlated( rs=0.597, 0.497; all P<0.05); MEAN and hydropic degeneration and inflammation of pathological signs were significantly and negatively correlated( rs=-0.601, -0.584; all P<0.05); A and inflammation of pathological signs was significantly and positively correlated( rs=0.452, P=0.016); ATT and steatosis of pathological signs was significantly and positively correlated ( rs=0.564, P=0.006). ②The differences of ultrasonic parameters of donor liver preoperative within 24h: E value of moderate-to-severehydropic group was significantly higher than that of the no or mild hydropicgroup ( P<0.001), MEAN value of moderate-to-severehydropic group was significantly lower than that of the no or mildhydropicgroup( P<0.001). E value of inflammation group was higher than that of non-inflammation group ( P=0.012), MEAN value of inflammation group was lower than that of non-inflammation group ( P=0.026). ATT of steatosis group was higher than that of non-steatosis group ( P=0.006). ③The ROC curve indicated that AUCs of E and MEAN diagnosing hydropic degeneration were 0.882, 0.875, and the critical value were respectively 8.72 kPa, 106.62; the AUC of diagnosing inflammation was 0.898, the critical values was 1.26; the AUC of diagnosing steatosis liver was 0.868, the critical value was 0.515 dB·cm -1·MHz -1. ④There were no statistically significant differences in liver function and ultrasonic parameters on postoperative day 7 between no or mildhydropic group and moderate-to-severehydropic group(all P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in liver function and ultrasonic parameters on postoperative day 7 between non-inflammation group and inflammation group(all P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in liver function and ultrasonic parameters on postoperative day 7 between non-steatosis and steatosis group (all P>0.05). ⑤E and A values of postoperative day 1 were higher than those of preoperative donor liver and postoperative day 7(all P<0.05), MEAN value of postoperative day 1 was lower than those of preoperative donor liver and postoperative day 7(all P<0.05). ATT of postoperative day 1 was lower than that of preoperative donor liver( P=0.027). ⑥ALT, AST, TB, DB of postoperative day 7 were lower than that of postoperative day 1, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). ⑦On postoperative day 1: E value and ALT, AST, TB, DB were significantly and positively correlated( r=0.641, 0.673, 0.601, 0.575; all P<0.05); MEAN value and ALT, AST were significantly and negatively correlated( r=-0.690, -0.703; all P<0.001); A value and ALT, AST were significantly and positively correlated( r=0.459, 0.442; all P<0.05). On postoperative day 7: E value and ALT, AST, TB, DB were significantly and positively correlated ( r=0.616, 0.729, 0.505, 0.640; all P<0.05); MEAN value and ALT, AST were significantly and negatively correlated( r=-0.602, -0.585; all P<0.05); A value and ALT, AST were significantly and positively correlated( r=0.411, 0.495; all P<0.05). Conclusions:Combinational elastography can dynamically and quantitatively assess the hardness, inflammation, steatosis of liver transplantation, and ultrasonic parameters correlate significantly with pathological and liver function, and provides a certain imaging basis for clinical evaluation of liver quality.

Combined diagnosis of ultrasonic elastography and BI-RADS classification increases diagnostic value in female patients with breast neoplasms.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the clinical value of ultrasonic elastography combined with the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification in patients with breast neoplasms. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted on 89 patients with breast neoplasms hospitalized from June 2017 to June 2018. All the enrolled patients had received ultrasound examinations. The diagnostic value of ultrasonic elastography, BI-RADS classification, and the combined diagnosis for breast neoplasms was analyzed. RESULTS: The postoperative pathological examination showed 51 cases of benign lesions and 38 cases of malignant lesions among the 89 cases. The detection of the focal zone revealed 75 benign and 44 malignant lesions. Ultrasonic elastography misdiagnosed 8 malignant lesions as benign and 17 benign lesions as malignant; BI-RADS classification misdiagnosed 7 malignant lesions as benign and 15 benign lesions as malignant; The combined diagnosis misdiagnosed 2 malignant lesions as benign and 4 benign lesions as malignant. The sensitivity of the combined diagnosis was higher than that of ultrasonic elastography (P<0.05). The specificity and positive- and negative predictive values of the combined diagnosis were all higher than those of ultrasonic elastography and BI-RADS classification (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic elastography combined with BI-RADS classification has high clinical application value in the diagnosis of breast neoplasms, especially the sensitivity to benign and malignant lesions. And compared with the mono-detection of either ultrasonic elastography or BI-RADS classification, the combined detection yields significantly higher diagnostic accuracy.

A Review of Diagnostics Methodologies for Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes and Products.

Additive manufacturing technologies based on metal are evolving into an essential advanced manufacturing tool for constructing prototypes and parts that can lead to complex structures, dissimilar metal-based structures that cannot be constructed using conventional metallurgical techniques. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes, the metal AM processes are unreliable due to variable process parameters and a lack of conventionally acceptable evaluation methods. A thorough understanding of various diagnostic techniques is essential to improve the quality of additively manufactured products and provide reliable feedback on the manufacturing processes for improving the quality of the products. This review summarizes and discusses various ex-situ inspections and in-situ monitoring methods, including electron-based methods, thermal methods, acoustic methods, laser breakdown, and mechanical methods, for metal additive manufacturing.

A Reliable Method for Chin Augmentation by Mechanical Micronization of Lipoaspirates.

BACKGROUND: Desire for improved aesthetic contour of the lower third of the face has resulted in an increase in chin augmentation. Although many fillers, including hyaluronic acid (HA), autologous fat and stromal vascular fraction gel (SVF-gel), have been used to improve facial morphology, chin augmentation requires fillers that provide greater support. METHODS: The elastic and viscous moduli of SVF-gel and Coleman fat were assessed in vitro by rheological testing, whereas their elasticity were evaluated in vivo by ultrasonic elastography. Results in vitro were compared with those of highly elastic HA (HE-HA) and highly viscous HA (HV-HA), whereas results in vivo were compared with HE-HA. Changes in chin volume, SVF-gel retention rate and absorptivity for at least 12 months were measured by 3D white light scanning. Questionnaires were administered to assess patient satisfaction. RESULTS: The elastic and viscous modulus of SVF-gel was, respectively, slightly lower than HE-HA and HV-HA but higher than the other two in vitro, with the elasticity of the three layers of SVF-gel lower than HE-HA but slightly higher than normal control in vivo. The average retention rate was 62.34±3.34% at 12 months. The absorptivity of 90% of the samples was <3% from 6 to 12 months, which was considered stable. Patients expressed satisfaction with their results. CONCLUSION: SVF-gel has ideal rheologic characteristics in vitro, which has slightly higher elasticity than normal fat tissue of chin in vivo, and could keep well retention rate for chin augmentation in clinic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Diagnostic and Predictive Values of Strain Ratios in the Regions of Interests in Reference Tissue for Breast Tumor.

PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic and predictive value of strain ratios in the regions of interests (ROIs) in reference tissue for breast tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 707 lesions in 665 consecutive patients were examined with B-mode Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) and Ultrasonic elastography (UE). Elasticity score (ES) and strain ratio (SR) in each lesion were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic value of BI-RADS, ES, SR1, SR2, BI-RADS combined with ES (BI-RADS+ES), BI-RADS combined with SR1 (BI-RADS+SR1), and BI-RADS combined with SR2 (BI-RADS+SR2). The sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the ROC curves (Az) were obtained. Scatter plots were generated to demonstrate the correlation between SR1 and SR2. Kruskal-Walls H-test, Mann-Whitney U-test and one-way ANOVA were performed to evaluate SRs and tumor-related variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to determine variables independently associated with SRs. RESULTS: BI-RADS had high sensitivity and low specificity in the diagnosis of breast tumor. The specificity of BI-BADS combined with ES or SR was even higher. The Az value of BI-RADS+ES or BI-RADS+SRs was higher than that of BI-RADS (P < 0.001). The Az value of ES was higher than those of SR1 and SR2 (P < 0.001), and those of SR1 and SR2 were similar. SR1 and SR2 were highly positively correlated. There was no statistical difference between Az values of BI-RADS+ES, BI-RADS+SR1, and BI-RADS+SR2. Indistinct margin, high histologic grade, histological type, and negative human epidermal growth factor receptor (Her-2) were associated with SR1 and SR2. Progesterone receptor (PR) status and molecular subtype were associated with SR2. Histologic grade and tumor margin were significantly associated with SR1, and tumor margin was associated with SR2. CONCLUSION: SRs in different ROIs in the reference tissue at the same depth showed no different diagnostic value for breast tumor. Both SR1 and SR2 could be useful in assessing the biological characteristics of invasive breast carcinoma.

Ultrasonic Elastography of the Rectus Femoris, a Potential Tool to Predict Sarcopenia in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: Skeletal muscle dysfunction is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with a poor prognosis. Abnormal muscle quantity of the lower limbs is a manifestation of skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with COPD. Shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWE) is a novel and possible tool to evaluate qualitative muscle parameters. This study explores the feasibility of SWE to measure the stiffness of the rectus femoris and evaluates its value in predicting sarcopenia in patients with COPD. Methods: Ultrasound examination of the rectus femoris was performed to determine the mean elasticity index (SWEmean), cross-sectional area (RFcsa), and thickness (RFthick) using grayscale ultrasonography (US) and SWE in 53 patients with COPD and 23 age-matched non-COPD healthy controls. The serum levels of circulating biomarkers (GDF15, resistin, and TNF-α) were measured using ELISA. The definition of sarcopenia followed the guidelines from the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of the SWEmean, RFthick, and RFcsa was used to evaluate their predictive ability for sarcopenia. Results: The intraobserver and interobserver repeatability of SWE performance was excellent (all correlation coefficients > 0.95; p < 0.05). The SWEmean of the rectus femoris in patients with COPD (8.98 ± 3.12 kPa) was decreased compared with that in healthy controls (17.00 ± 5.14 kPa) and decreased with advanced global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) stage. Furthermore, SWEmean was found to be independent of sex, height, and body mass, and a lower SWEmean in patients with COPD was positively associated with reduced pulmonary function, worse physical function, poor exercise tolerance, decreased muscle strength, and worse dyspnea index score. The correlation between physical function [five-repetition sit-to-stand test (5STST)], muscle function, and SWEmean was higher than those of RFthick and RFcsa. In addition, SWEmean was negatively correlated with serum GDF15 levels (r = -0.472, p < 0.001), serum resistin levels (r = -0.291, p = 0.035), and serum TNF-α levels (r = -0.433, p = 0.001). Finally, the predictive power of SWEmean [area under the curve (AUC): 0.863] in the diagnosis of sarcopenia was higher than that of RFthick (AUC: 0.802) and RFcsa (AUC: 0.816). Conclusion: Compared with grayscale US, SWE was not affected by the patient's height, weight, or BMI and better represented skeletal muscle function and physical function. Furthermore, SWE is a promising potential tool to predict sarcopenia in patients with COPD.

[Effect of Fu's subcutaneous needling on thickness and elasticity of affected muscles in shoulder neck pain based on ultrasonic elastography].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Fu's subcutaneous needling on thickness and elasticity of affected muscles in subjects with shoulder neck pain by ultrasonic elastography. METHODS: A total of 30 subjects with upper trapezius pain and local tenderness, or stiffness and funicular nodules were observed randomly, right shoulders were as observation group and left shoulders were as control group. Simple resistance training was adopted in the control group. At the same time of the resistance training, sweeping technique of Fu's subcutaneous needling was adopted at the local tenderness or the stiffness and funicular nodules of upper trapezius in the observation group. The treatment was given once in both groups. Before and immediately after treatment, thickness and elasticity of bilateral upper trapezius and supraspinatus were observed by ultrasonic elastography, and the variations of visual analogue scale (VAS) score were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the elasticity of upper trapezius and supraspinatus were decreased after treatment in both groups (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the VAS scores after treatment were decreased in both groups (P<0.05), and that in the observation group was lower than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Fu's subcutaneous needling can increase the elasticity and release the muscular tension of affected muscles, and relieve pain in subjects with shoulder neck pain.

Diagnostic performances of the KWAK-TIRADS classification, elasticity score, and Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology of TI-RADS category 4 thyroid nodules.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of the KWAK Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (KWAK-TIRADS), elasticity score (ES), and Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC) in the diagnosis of suspicious thyroid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 392 cases of TI-RADS category 4 thyroid nodules that underwent thyroidectomy between January 2017 and October 2019. All patients underwent ultrasonography, ultrasound elastography, and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) before surgery. The nodules were classified into different categories based on the KWAK-TIRADS, ES, and BSRTC. Patients were divided into two groups based on postoperative pathological characteristics. The sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated. Student's t-test and Pearson chi-square test were used to compare diagnostic performance. RESULTS: There were 159 patients in the benign group and 233 in the malignant group. The percentage of malignant nodules in KWAK-TIRADS categories 4a, 4b, and 4c were 44.3%, 64.8%, and 92.9%, respectively. The percentages of malignant nodules in ES 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 0%, 37.1%, 93.8%, and 100%, respectively. The percentage of malignant nodules in BSRTC levels I, II, III, IV, V and VI were 57.1%, 2.8%, 9.9%, 76.6%, 99.1%, and 100%, respectively. Among those methods, the BSRTC had better diagnostic efficiency than the KWAK-TIRADS and ES (Sp 81.1%, Se 93.6%, and AUC 0.918, P<0.01). Among the combined methods, KWAK-TIRADS+ES+BSRTC was more effective than KWAK-TIRADS+ES, KWAK-TIRADS+BSRTC, and ES+BSRTC (Sp 93.7%, Se 91.4%, and AUC 0.967, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The combination of KWAK-TIRADS, ES, and BSRTC can improve the accuracy of identifying category 4 thyroid nodules.

Effect of 's subcutaneous needling on thickness and elasticity of affected muscles in shoulder neck pain based on ultrasonic elastography / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of 's subcutaneous needling on thickness and elasticity of affected muscles in subjects with shoulder neck pain by ultrasonic elastography.@*METHODS@#A total of 30 subjects with upper trapezius pain and local tenderness, or stiffness and funicular nodules were observed randomly, right shoulders were as observation group and left shoulders were as control group. Simple resistance training was adopted in the control group. At the same time of the resistance training, sweeping technique of 's subcutaneous needling was adopted at the local tenderness or the stiffness and funicular nodules of upper trapezius in the observation group. The treatment was given once in both groups. Before and immediately after treatment, thickness and elasticity of bilateral upper trapezius and supraspinatus were observed by ultrasonic elastography, and the variations of visual analogue scale (VAS) score were observed in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the elasticity of upper trapezius and supraspinatus were decreased after treatment in both groups (<0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (<0.05). Compared before treatment, the VAS scores after treatment were decreased in both groups (<0.05), and that in the observation group was lower than the control group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#'s subcutaneous needling can increase the elasticity and release the muscular tension of affected muscles, and relieve pain in subjects with shoulder neck pain.

Ultrasonic elastography and conventional ultrasound in the diagnosis of thyroid micro-nodules.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical value of conventional ultrasound, ultrasound elastography and conventional ultrasound combined with ultrasound elastography in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid micro-nodules. METHODS: Eighty-six patients who were found with thyroid micro-nodules with the maximum diameter no more than 10 mm in the physical examination in our hospital from June 2015 to December 2017 were selected, and 102 nodules were included. All patients were confirmed with thyroid micro-nodules by puncture or surgical pathology and underwent conventional ultrasound and ultrasound elastography. Taking the surgical pathological results as a control, the value of conventional ultrasound, ultrasound elastography and conventional ultrasound combined with ultrasound elastography in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid micro-nodules were compared. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under the ROC curve was calculated. RESULTS: One hundred and two thyroid nodules were detected by surgical pathology, including 75 benign nodules (73.53%) and 27 malignant nodules (26.47%). The sensitivity and diagnostic accordance rate of ultrasound elastography were significantly higher than those of conventional ultrasound in the diagnosis of thyroid microcarcinoma, and the missed diagnosis rate of ultrasound elastography was significantly lower than that of conventional ultrasound; the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). However, the difference between the two methods was not statistically significant in terms of diagnostic specificity and misdiagnosis rate (P>0.05). The areas under the ROC curve in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules by conventional ultrasound and ultrasound elastography were 0.735 and 0.743 respectively. CONCLUSION: Conventional ultrasound can be used as a routine examination technique in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules, while ultrasound elastography can improve the sensitivity and diagnostic rate in the diagnosis of thyroid micro carcinoma. It can help to reduce the clinical missed diagnosis, which also can be be used as an effective supplement for conventional ultrasound.

Study on value of ultrasonic elastography in diagnosis of clinical staging of cervical cancer and efficacy evaluation of radiotherapy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the application of ultrasonic elastography in the diagnosis of the clinical staging of cervical cancer (CC) and its evaluation value of the treatment effect of CC. A total of 160 suspected CC patients treated in our hospital from September 2016 to March 2018 were collected. Transvaginal conventional ultrasound and ultrasonic elastography were performed on patients to compare the results of the two in the diagnosis of the pathology and clinical staging of CC. Radiotherapy was used for patients confirmed as CC75 in 160 suspected CC patients. The value difference of strain ratio (SR) between conventional ultrasound and elastic ultrasound in the efficacy evaluation of CC patients was compared. The sensitivity (94.67%), specificity (92.94%) and diagnostic accordance rate (93.75%) of ultrasonic elastography for CC were significantly higher than those of conventional ultrasound, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The sensitivity and diagnostic accordance rate of ultrasonic elastography for the pathological diagnosis of CC in stage III and IV were significantly higher than those of conventional ultrasound, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accordance rate of elastic ultrasound SR value in the efficacy evaluation of radiotherapy in CC patients were higher than those of conventional ultrasound. Except for the specificity, the other two P-values were <0.05, with a statistically significant difference. The elastography images of different stages of CC have some characteristic features. Ultrasonic elastography has a certain clinical value for the diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of CC.

[Algorithm for Estimating Tissue Strain Based on Optical Flow].

Because the translation hypothesis of optical flow method can not accurately describe the form of motion after tissue compression, so we proposed a new ultrasonic elastic imaging algorithm. It was assumed that the deformation of the tissue was affine transformation when the probe was pressed to the tissue, and the displacement and strain distribution were estimated simultaneously by the optical flow method combined with the prior estimation. In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm, the imaging quality of the algorithm and the other imaging algorithm were compared with the simulated radio frequency echo signal. The results show that the new algorithm is higher in signal to noise ratio (SNRe), contrast to noise ratio (CNRe) and running speed than the contrast algorithm under 8% compression. The results show that the new proposed algorithm can effectively estimate axial displacement and axial strain in the case of large compression.

Algorithm for Estimating Tissue Strain Based on Optical Flow / 中国医疗器械杂志

Because the translation hypothesis of optical flow method can not accurately describe the form of motion after tissue compression, so we proposed a new ultrasonic elastic imaging algorithm. It was assumed that the deformation of the tissue was affine transformation when the probe was pressed to the tissue, and the displacement and strain distribution were estimated simultaneously by the optical flow method combined with the prior estimation. In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm, the imaging quality of the algorithm and the other imaging algorithm were compared with the simulated radio frequency echo signal. The results show that the new algorithm is higher in signal to noise ratio (SNRe), contrast to noise ratio (CNRe) and running speed than the contrast algorithm under 8% compression. The results show that the new proposed algorithm can effectively estimate axial displacement and axial strain in the case of large compression.

Comparative study of ultrasonic elastography and conventional ultrasound in diagnosis of malignant anus neoplasm.

The application value of conventional ultrasound and ultrasonic elastography (UE) in preoperative diagnosis and combined diagnosis of malignant anus neoplasms was investigated. One hundred and twenty patients, whose mass was detected by digital rectal examination, were examined using UE and conventional ultrasound before operation, and the results were compared with those of histopathological examinations after operation, so that the accuracy and imaging features of UE as well as UE combined with conventional ultrasound in diagnosing malignant anus neoplasm were analyzed. Among the 120 patients, 77 were diagnosed with benign lesions and 43 were diagnosed with malignant lesions via pathological diagnosis for anal canal lesion surgery. Conventional ultrasound before operation showed that 53 patients were diagnosed with benign lesions and 26 with malignant lesions. Compared with that in the pathological diagnosis results, the diagnostic accordance rate in preoperative conventional ultrasound was 65.8%. Through UE diagnosis, 66 patients had benign lesions and 39 patients had malignant lesions. Compared with that in the pathological diagnosis results, the diagnostic accordance rate in preoperative UE was 87.5%. After the examination via UE combined with conventional ultrasound before operation, 71 patients were diagnosed with benign lesions and 40 patients were diagnosed with malignant lesions; compared with that in the pathological diagnosis results, the diagnostic accordance rate was 92.5%. In terms of mass qualitative diagnosis, the sensitivity and specificity of conventional ultrasound were 60.5 and 68.8%, respectively; those of UE were 90.7 and 85.7%, respectively, and those of UE combined with conventional ultrasound were 93.0 and 92.2%, respectively. According to the analysis results of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under curve (AUC) of malignant anus neoplasm diagnosed via UE was 0.732 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.211-2.534], the AUC via conventional ultrasound was 0.695 (95% CI, 0.517-0.932), and that via UE combined with conventional ultrasound was 0.823 (95% CI, 0.146-4.643). In conclusion, examinations utilizing UE combined with conventional ultrasound can increase the preoperative diagnostic accordance rate in malignant anus neoplasm, which can be used as an effective method for preoperative diagnosis of malignant anus neoplasm.