A rabbit bone tumor model for high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy.

The incidence of malignant bone tumor increases every year. Because the application of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of bone tumors is still at a nascent stage, it is essential to study the effectiveness of this technique in ideal animal models in order to obtain a beneficial reference for imaging studies. In this study, we established a VX2 malignant bone tumor model and evaluated this model by contrast-enhanced sonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results show that all tumors were enhanced after injection of SonoVue. A contrast-enhanced MRI scan revealed obvious enhancement within the tumors. Histological examination revealed the presence of a large number of tumor cells. The model can serve as an ideal experimental model for the study of HIFU therapy in the treatment of malignant bone tumors and as a reference for imaging studies during follow-ups.

Sonographic imaging of the puborectalis.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to compare the appearance of the normal male puborectalis using transrectal ultrasound with anatomy examinations to enhance the understanding of the relationship of the prostate to the adjacent pelvic floor. This information may help prevent damage to the puborectalis during transperineal ultrasound-guided biopsies and interventional therapies. METHODS: Ten formalin-fixed cadavers were dissected to examine the appearance and structure of the puborectalis and its relationship with the peripheral organs. The puborectalis was also observed in a fresh male cadaver using transrectal ultrasound. In the fresh male cadaver, the puborectalis was located using transrectal sonography, the muscle was confirmed by anatomy, and the thickness was measured. RESULTS: The ultrasonographic observations of the location of the puborectalis were confirmed by anatomy for the fresh cadaver. Bilateral, symmetrical, hypoechoic strips were observed beside the prostate in cross-section, and strip fibers were observed in the longitudinal section. The right and left puborectalis thickness measurements were 6.1 and 6.2 mm, respectively, in the sonographic image, and the measurements were 5.85 and 5.89 mm, respectively, in the formalin-fixed fresh cadaver. CONCLUSIONS: Transrectal ultrasound provides a new imaging method to observe the male puborectalis, establishing a foundation for recognizing pelvic floor abnormalities with ultrasonography in the future.

Early sonographic assessment of Budd-Chiari syndrome after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare vascular complication of liver transplantation that may result in loss of the graft and a high mortality risk. Therefore, early diagnosis is extremely important to allow preservation of the graft and improve the prognosis. We describe the sonographic findings in a patient in whom Budd-Chiari syndrome occurred 2 days after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Noninvasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in children with infant hepatitis syndrome.

AIM: To elucidate the impact of hemodynamic para-meters on ultrasonography and serum fibrosis markers for the assessment of liver fibrosis in the children with infant hepatitis syndrome (IHS). METHODS: Forty-one children with IHS and 46 healthy infants were examined by ultrasonography, and several hemodynamic indices such as peak systolic velocity (PSV) and resistant index (RI) of proper hepatic artery (PHA) were measured. Serum fibrosis markers including hyaluronic acid (HA), pre-collagen type-III (PC-III), collagen type IV (C-IV), and laminin (LN) were assayed by radioimmunoassays. In children with IHS, liver tissues were obtained either by ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (n = 35) or in the course of operation (n = 6). The stages of hepatic fibrosis were scored as mild (S1 and S2), moderate (S3), or severe (S4) according to liver histological diagnosis. Multiple groups comparative and Spearman correlative analyses were carried out. RESULTS: Histopathologically, 39 children (95.1%) were found to have hepatic fibrosis, 12 of them stage S1 or S2, 12 stage S3, and 15 stage S4. PSV, RI of the PHA, and serum HA showed a consecutive increase from mild to severe hepatic fibrosis and a close positive correlation with hepatic fibrosis in IHS group (r = 0.717, 0.745 and 0.712, respectively, P = 0.001). The Doppler waveform of HV was also positively correlated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis in IHS group (r = 0.783, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Combination of ultrasonic studies on the hepatic hemodynamics with the evaluation of serum HA may provide an indicator for hepatic fibrosis in patients with IHS. This may be a useful noninvasive method for the diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis of IHS.