[Biopsy cannula as diagnostic alternative to puncture-aspiration biopsy with fine needle in head and neck tumors]. / La cánula de biopsia: alternativa diagnóstica de la punción-aspiración con aguja fina en tumores de cabeza y cuello.

Biopsy cannula is a diagnostic tool allowing anatomopathological examination of tissue samples, achieved through a percutaneous perforation. Unlike puncture-aspiration with fine needle method that only permits a cytologic study, this technique eases the removal of pieces big enough to provide the knowledge of the whole architecture of the lesion. At length in other specialities in our has been forgotten perhaps for the great efficiency of PAFN on neck masses or as complement of traditional surgery. We present one case in which the biopsy-cannula showed its diagnostic usefulness. We also discuss on the technique and made a bibliographic perusal about the published literature.

[Focal nodular hyperplasia: characterization with Doppler ultrasonography]. / Hiperplasia nodular focal: caracterización con ultrasonografía Doppler.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is an hepatic pseudotumoral lesion which is usually detected accidentally in subjects of any age. Definitive diagnosis requires histologic study, prior to analysis with imaging techniques. Three casos of FHN are presented characterized with Doppler ultrasonography in whom high frequency and low resistance central pulse flow were observed in contrast with the findings obtained in other benign hepatic lesions.

[Usefulness of ultrasonography in the early diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis]. / Utilidad de la ecografía en el diagnóstico precoz del hepatocarcinoma en pacientes con cirrosis hepática.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a screening program of ultrasonography (U.S.) every six months in the early diagnosis of HCC in liver cirrhosis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We review retrospectively the 99 HCC detected by U.S. in our service from January 1991 to July 1994. We compared patients in the ultrasonography screening program (Group I) with patients who did not (Group II) and, also with, patients with a previous diagnosis of cirrhosis (Group IIa) and patients with simultaneous HCC diagnosis of and cirrhosis (Group IIb). Liver function, the tumor size and extension, and the chance of treatment at the time of diagnosis were analyzed in each group. RESULTS: Twenty (58%) HCC out of 34 from group I single nodules < 5 cm in diameter vs seven (11%) out of 65 from group II (p < 0.001) were detected and this difference persisted between group I and groups IIa and IIb (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001). Most patients with grade C Child-Pugh's score (24 from 27) in each group showed a > 5 cm or multinodular HCC. Ten patients from group I were treated vs 4 from group II (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography screening program is useful in the early diagnosis of HCC in liver cirrhosis patients and increases the chances of treatment.