The ambiguous "internal carotid artery"-Ultrasound diagnosis of congenital absence of the internal carotid artery: A case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Congenital anatomical variation of internal carotid artery (ICA) rarely occurs, and congenital absence of the ICA is even rarer. Few reports are available on the diagnosis of congenital absence of the ICA by carotid doppler ultrasound (CDUS), and most cases have been identified by computed tomographic angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 61-year-old male was admitted to our hospital due to dizziness for more than half a month. He was hypertensive and had been drinking and smoking for many years. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed by carotid doppler ultrasound with congenital absence of the right ICA, confirmed by CTA and DSA. A nodular aneurysm in the anterior communicating artery was observed by CTA and DSA. INTERVENTIONS: After relevant preoperative examinations were performed, the patient underwent right craniotomy and clipping of the aneurysm under general anesthesia 8 days after admission. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered well after surgery and no relapses has been observed. LESSONS: Congenital absence of the ICA is rare and usually diagnosed by CTA or DSA in clinical practice. If radiologists do not have adequate knowledge about the associated ultrasonic characteristics, a missed diagnosis may occur. As a noninvasive and rapid screening tool for cervical vascular diseases, carotid doppler ultrasound offers a new approach for the diagnosis of congenital absence of the ICA.

Case report: Multiple epstein-barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumours in a child with IL-2-inducible T-cell kinase mutation of undetermined clinical significance.

Background: EBV-associated smooth muscle tumours (EBV-SMTs) are uncommon neoplasms associated with immunodeficiency. The pathogenesis of EBV-SMTs is poorly understood. IL-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK), a member of the Tec family of tyrosine kinases, is the predominant Tec kinase in T cells. Researchers have shown that ITK is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and carcinogenesis, and the loss of ITK function due to mutation in patients can lead to EBV-associated lymphoproliferation. Multiple Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumours with ITK mutation have rarely been reported. Case presentation: A 6-year-old female child was admitted to the hospital due to recurrent bilateral hip pain for more than one year. Tumours were found in the lung, near the intracranial cavernous sinus and in the lumbar spine and paraspinal soft tissues by CT and MRI. The patient underwent vertebral tumour biopsy, which suggested low-grade myogenic or inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours, so the patient was given three courses of chemotherapy without symptom relief or mass reduction. The patient underwent lumbar mass resection, the pathological results indicated EBV-SMT, and a novel germline homozygous deletion mutation in the ITK gene was detected. The deletion mutation in this gene has not yet been reported and the clinical significance of the pathogenicity of the variant is unknown. Intrabronchial mass resection was performed under fibre bronchoscopy, and the pathological results indicated EBV-SMT. No significant recurrence or progression was observed after more than 2 years of follow-up. Conclusions: We present a rare case of multiple EBV-SMTs combined with ITK gene mutation. Some of the tumours were removed, and some were treated conservatively. There was no significant recurrence or progression after more than two years of follow-up. The optimal treatment regimen still needs to be further explored, and the relationship between ITK gene mutation at this locus and immunodeficiency and EBV-SMT warrants further investigation.

Relapsed primary extraskeletal osteosarcoma of liver: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Extraskeletal osteosarcoma (ESOS) is a highly malignant osteosarcoma that occurs in extraskeletal tissues. It often affects the soft tissues of the limbs. ESOS is classified as primary or secondary. Here, we report a case of primary hepatic osteosarcoma in a 76-year-old male patient, which is very rare. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we report a case of primary hepatic osteosarcoma in a 76-year-old male patient. The patient had a giant cystic-solid mass in the right hepatic lobe that was evident on ultrasound and computed tomography. Postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry of the mass, which was surgically removed, suggested fibroblastic osteosarcoma. Hepatic osteosarcoma reoccurred 48 d after surgery, resulting in significant compression and narrowing of the hepatic segment of the inferior vena cava. Consequently, the patient underwent stent implantation in the inferior vena cava and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Unfortunately, the patient died of multiple organ failure postoperatively. CONCLUSION: ESOS is a rare mesenchymal tumor with a short course and a high likelihood of metastasis and recurrence. The combination of surgical resection and chemotherapy may be the best treatment.

A real-time video-based social network platform for online ultrasound education.

BACKGROUND: In the post-pandemic era, traditional methods of professional development for ultrasound practitioners are insufficient, and it is therefore imperative to explore a new avenue for continuing education. This article explores the role of the real-time video-based social networks for medicine combined with e-enterprise to train ultrasound practitioners. METHODS: We created a live broadcasting room on the real-time video-based social networks for medicine and imparted online education on ultrasound usage with "YiQixiu" as the transmission carrier. We developed a satisfaction questionnaire for the online class in real time, and tested the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was used (P ≤ 0.05 indicates significance). RESULTS: The landing page on YiQixiu was mainly concentrated in the Hunan Province, accounting for 56% of visitors. The total number of people watching online real-time lectures was 32,344; the maximum number of fixed attendance was 17,000, and the minimum number was 3,000. The questionnaire met the needs of this study, with a reliability value of 0.93. The participants were from 18 provinces, 4 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities directly under the central government. CONCLUSION: The real-time video-based social networks for medicine combined with the YiQixiu live platform is a good method for imparting ultrasound medical education online.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD)-mediated miR-150-5p attenuates oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced cardiomyocyte injury by inhibiting TTC5 expression.

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyocyte injury is a typical feature in cardiovascular diseases. Changes in cardiomyocytes strongly affect the progression of cardiovascular diseases. This work aimed to investigate the biological function and potential mechanism of action of miR-150-5p in cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: A myocardial ischemia (MI) injury rat model was constructed to detect miR-150-5p and tetratricopeptide repeat domain 5 (TTC5) expression during heart ischemia injury. Primary cardiomyocytes were isolated for in vitro study. CCK-8 assays were used to detect cardiomyocyte viability. Western blots were used to detect TTC5 and P53 expression. qPCR was utilized to measure RNA expression of miR-150-5p and TTC5. The TUNEL assay was used to determine cell apoptosis. ELISA was used to determine cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-8) levels in heart tissues and cell culture supernatants. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was carried out to verify the binding ability between miR-150-5p and TTC5. Oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treatment significantly inhibited cell viability. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD)-mediated uptake of miR-150-5p inverted these results. Additionally, UTMD-mediated uptake of miR-150-5p retarded the effects of OGD treatment on cell apoptosis. Besides, UTMD-mediated uptake of miR-150-5p counteracted the effects of OGD treatment on the inflammatory response by regulating cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-8) levels. For the mechanism of the protective effect on the heart, we predicted and confirmed that miR-150-5p bound to TTC5 and inhibited TTC5 expression. CONCLUSIONS: UTMD-mediated uptake of miR-150-5p attenuated OGD-induced primary cardiomyocyte injury by inhibiting TTC5 expression. This discovery contributes toward further understanding the progression of primary cardiomyocyte injury.

Repeated chest tightness-A case of double-chambered left ventricle in an adult.

Double-chambered left ventricle (DCLV) is a rare congenital heart disease. A hypertrophic muscle bundle in the left ventricle may cause varying degrees of obstruction in the middle of the left ventricle, resulting in different clinical symptoms. Here, we report a patient with a history of repeated chest tightness who was misdiagnosed with coronary heart disease and ventricular aneurysm. After repeated ultrasound examinations, the patient was eventually diagnosed with DCLV, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and coronary angiography. This case highlights the necessity to improve the accuracy of DCLV diagnosis via echocardiogram.

Evaluation of right ventricular function in fetal hypoplastic left heart syndrome using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC).

BACKGROUND: Postnatal outcome of fetuses with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is mainly determined by right ventricular function. In the present study we used spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) to assess right ventricular function of fetuses with HLHS. METHODS: Three-dimensional ultrasound with STIC technique was used to acquire heart images from fetuses that had HLHS and the normal controls, between 24(+0) and 37(+6) weeks of gestation. Right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV) and right ventricular end-systolic volume (RVESV) were determined using the virtual organ computer-aided analysis software, and the parameters of right ventricular function were calculated. RESULTS: Both RVEDV and RVESV were found to be significantly higher in fetuses with HLHS as compared to that in normal controls (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the parameters between fetuses with and without a visible left ventricular cavity (P > 0.05). Compared to fetuses with HLHS plus mild tricuspid regurgitation (TR), fetuses with HLHS plus severe TR exhibited lower right ventricular stroke volume (RVSV), right ventricular cardiac output (RVCO) and standardized RVCO (P < 0.05). The right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was significantly lower in HLHS fetuses that had severe TR (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: As the right ventricle is solely responsible for maintenance of circulation, the right ventricular systolic function undergoes compensatory enhancement in fetuses with HLHS and mild TR, compared to that in normal controls. Size of the left ventricle does not significantly affect the right ventricular function in HLHS. However, right ventricular systolic function may be impaired prenatally in HLHS fetuses that have severe TR.

[Correlation between the myometrial thickness in the second trimester and preterm delivery in a prospective study].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between preterm delivery and anterior myometrial (MA) thickness measured by ultrasound in the second trimester. METHODS: The general information and pregnancy outcome of singleton pregnant women who had antenatal visit in the Hunan Provincial People's Hospital between Oct 2010 and Sep 2013 were collected prospectively. The MA thickness was measured at 20-27(+6) gestational weeks. The cases were divided into preterm delivery group and term delivery group. RESULTS: (1) A total of 1 031 pregnant women were recruited in this study. 147 pregnant women were in the preterm delivery group (14.26%, 147/1 031) and 884 women were in the term delivery group (85.74% , 884/1 031). The gestation age at delivery of the preterm delivery group was significantly earlier than the term delivery group [(34.57 ± 2.39) vs (39.23 ± 0.92) weeks, P < 0.05]. No significant difference was observed in the age, gravidity, parity, history of preterm delivery, cesarean delivery rate and gestational age at the time of MA measurement between the two groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of premature rupture of membrane (PROM) in the preterm delivery group and in the term delivery group were 49.0% (72/147) and 15.8% (140/884), respectively, with statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). (2) The mean value of MA thickness in the term delivery group was (5.49 ± 1.39) mm, while in the preterm delivery group it was (5.60 ± 0.87) mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P > 0.05). The mean value of MA thickness in the spontaneous preterm delivery group was(5.15 ± 0.75) mm, and was (5.61 ± 1.38 ) mm in the term delivery group, with statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). The mean value of MA thickness in the preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM) cases was( 5.96 ± 0.78 ) mm, and in term delivery group with PROM it was (5.38 ± 1.12) mm. The difference between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.01). (3) Among the 1 031 pregnant women, 212 women had PROM, with the mean value of MA thickness of (5.67 ± 1.32) mm. For those who did not have PROM, the mean value of MA thickness was (5.56 ± 1.10) mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P > 0.05). No correlation was found among PROM and MA thickness(r = 0.058, P > 0.05). However, in the preterm delivery group, the mean value of MA in PPROM was significantly thicker than the spontaneous preterm delivery cases (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between the MA thickness and PPROM (r = 0.457, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The MA thickness had some correlation with spontaneous preterm delivery and PPROM, while the MA thickness should not be considered as an independent factor of preterm delivery.

[Effects of age on left ventricular twist-displacement loop assessed by velocity vector imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To assess effect of age on the characteristic of left ventricular (LV) twist-displacement loop in health volunteers by velocity vector imaging (VVI) and to provide a new method for LV function evaluation in clinic. METHODS: After obtaining basal and apical LV short-axis images in 98 healthy volunteers (18-75 years old) by 2-dimensional echocardiography, we use VVI software to analysis LV twist motion and radial displacement at each plane off-line. The peak LV twist (Ptw), the peak untwist velocity (PutwV), the proportion of untwist in isovolumetric relaxation period (Iutw%) and LV radial displacement (Dis) were measured and calculated. Then we constructed LV twist-displacement loop and compared the characteristic of them among different groups. RESULTS: Ptw increased gradually with the increase in age. The biggest PutwV was in the group of 30-60 years old. Iutw% increased gradually before 60 years old, then decreased after that. Dis was not obviously different among the three groups. The characteristic of LV twist-displacement loop was like the configuration of 8. There was a linear relation between twist and displacement during systole, and the slope increased gradually with the increase in age. During early diastole, the relatively small radial expanding displacement displayed with untwisting, resulting in a much steeper twist-displacement relationship curve occurred in each group, which was getting smooth gradually when the radial expanding displacement increased during mid to late diastole. CONCLUSIONS: VVI can be used to effectively and noninvasively assess LV twist-displacement loop with change in age and provide important information for LV function. The effect of age must take into account when evaluate the LV function by the twist-displacement loop.