Endoscopic ultrasonography-related diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance on small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms

This research aimed to examine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)in the context of small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms(NENs).A total of 108 patients with rectal subepithelial lesions(SELs)with a diameter of<20 mm were included in the analysis.The diagnosis and depth assessment of EUS was compared to the histology findings.The prevalence of NENs in rectal SELs was 78.7%(85/108).The sensitivity of EUS in detecting rectal NENs was 98.9%(84/85),while the specificity was 52.2%(12/23).Overall,the diagnostic accuracy of EUS in identifying rectal NENs was 88.9%(96/108).The overall accuracy rate for EUS in assessing the depth of invasion in rectal NENs was 92.9%(78/84).Therefore,EUS demonstrates reasonable diagnostic accuracy in detecting small rectal NENs,with good sensitivity but inferior specificity.EUS may also assist physicians in assessing the depth of invasion in small rectal NENs before endoscopic excision.

Diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) and the differential diagnosis of rectal NENs from other subepithelial lesions (SELs).

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic findings of serum amyloid A-positive hepatocellular neoplasm: Does hepatocellular adenoma arise in cirrhotic liver?

Hepatocellular adenoma(HCA) was recently classified into four pathological subtypes. There have been few studies describing the findings of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS) of each type. Our case concerns a 78-year-old man who had undergone routine medical check-ups for hepatitis C for 11 years. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a 28 mm, hypo-echoic mass in the segment 4 of the liver. His integrating amount of drinking was 670 kg convert into ethanol. CEUS with Sonazoid demonstrated mild uniform hypo-enhancement with inflow of microbubbles from the periphery of the tumor in the arterial phase, and heterogeneously hypo-enhancement in the post vascular phase. Because the mass increased in size within 3 mo, a well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma was suspected, and hepatic resection was performed. Microscopic findings showed homogeneous cell proliferation with low grade atypia, infiltration of inflammatory cells, ductular reactions, fatty deposit in part, and sinusoidal dilation. Immunohistochemistry revealed geographic positive for serum amyloid A(SAA), focal positive for glutaminesynthetase, diffuse and strong positive for C-reactive protein, and positive for liver-type fatty acid binding protein. These pathological features corresponded to that of an inflammatory HCA. However, we could not make a clear diagnosis, because HCAs were defined as not to arise in cirrhotic liver. Finally, this tumor was diagnosed as a SAA positive hepatocellular neoplasm.

Systematic review of ablative therapy for the treatment of renal allograft neoplasms

BACKGROUND To date,there are no guidelines on the treatment of solid neoplasms in the transplanted kidney.Historically,allograft nephrectomy has been considered the only reasonable option.More recently,nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) and ablative therapy (AT) have been proposed as alternative procedures in selected cases.AIM To review outcomes of AT for the treatment of renal allograft tumours.METHODS We conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2009 Checklist.PubMed was searched in March 2019 without time restrictions for all papers reporting on radiofrequency ablation (RFA),cryoablation (CA),microwave ablation (MWA),high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU),and irreversible electroporation (IRE) of solid tumours of the kidney allograft.Only original manuscripts describing actual cases and edited in English were considered.All relevant articles were accessed in full text.Additional searches included all pertinent references.Selected studies were also assessed for methodological quality using a tool based on a modification of the Newcastle Ottawa scale.Data on recipient characteristics,transplant characteristics,disease characteristics,treatment protocols,and treatment outcomes were extracted and analysed.Given the nature and the quality of the studies available (mostly retrospective case reports and small retrospective uncontrolled case series),a descriptive summary was provided.RESULTS Twenty-eight relevant studies were selected describing a total of 100 AT procedures in 92 patients.Recipient age at diagnosis ranged from 21 to 71 years whereas time from transplant to diagnosis ranged from 0.1 to 312 mo.Most of the neoplasms were asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally during imaging carried out for screening purposes or for other clinical reasons.Preferred diagnostic modality was Doppler-ultrasound scan followed by computed tomography scan,and magnetic resonance imaging.Main tumour types were: papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and clear cell RCC.Maximal tumour diameter ranged from 5 to 55 mm.The vast majority of neoplasms were T1a N0 M0 with only 2 lesions staged T1b N0 M0.Neoplasms were managed by RFA (n = 78),CA (n = 15),MWA (n = 3),HIFU (n = 3),and IRE (n = 1).Overall,3 episodes of primary treatment failure were reported.A single case of recurrence was identified.Follow-up ranged from 1 to 81 mo.No cancer-related deaths were observed.Complication rate was extremely low (mostly < 10%).Graft function remained stable in the majority of recipients.Due to the limited sample size,no clear benefit of a single procedure over the other ones could be demonstrated.CONCLUSION AT for renal allograft neoplasms represents a promising alternative to radical nephrectomy and NSS in carefully selected patients.Properly designed clinical trials are needed to validate this therapeutic approach.

Localized type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis superimposed upon preexisting intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms

A 70-year-old woman was found to have 2 cystic lesions in the head of the pancreas on abdominal ultrasonography during a routine medical examination.Endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed multilocular cysts in the head of the pancreas without dilation of the main pancreatic duct.The patient was followed-up semiannually with imaging studies for suspected branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(IPMN).At 3 years after initial presentation,hypoechoic lesions were observed around each pancreatic cyst by EUS.Diffusion-weighted imaging showed high-intensity regions corresponding to these lesions.Therefore,a diagnosis of invasive carcinoma derived from IPMN could not be excluded,and subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed.The macroscopic examination of the surgical specimen showed whitish solid masses in the head of the pancreas,with multilocular cysts within each mass.Microscopically,each solid mass consisted of inflammatory cells such as lymphocytes and plasma cells.Furthermore,immunochemical staining revealed immunoglobulin G4-positive cells,and many obliterating phlebitides were observed.The cysts consisted of mucus-producing epithelial cells and showed a papillary growth pattern.Based on these findings,we diagnosed multiple localized type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis occurring only in the vicinity of the branch ducttype IPMN.

Differential diagnosis of benign and malignant branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm using contrastenhanced endoscopic ultrasonography

AIM: To elucidate the role of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography(CE-EUS) in the diagnosis of branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(BD-IPMN).METHODS: A total of 50 patients diagnosed with BDIPMN by computed tomography(CT) and endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) at our institute were included in this study. CE-EUS was performed when mural lesions were detected by EUS. The diagnostic accuracy for identifying mural nodules(MNs) was evaluated by CT, EUS, and EUS combined with CE-EUS. In the patients who underwent resection, the accuracy of measuring MN height with each imaging modality was compared. The cut-off values to diagnose malignant BD-IPMNs based on MN height for each imaging modality were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.RESULTS: Fifteen patients were diagnosed with BD-IPMN with MNs and underwent resection. The remaining 35 patients were diagnosed with BD-IPMN without MNs and underwent follow-up monitoring. The pathological findings revealed 14 cases with MNs and one case without. The accuracy for diagnosing MNs was 92% using CT and 72% using EUS; the diagnostic accuracy increased to 98% when EUS and CE-EUS were combined. The accuracy for measuring MN height significantly improved when using CE-EUS compared with using CT or EUS(median measurement error value, CT: 3.3 mm vs CE-EUS: 0.6 mm, P < 0.05; EUS: 2.1 mm vs CE-EUS: 0.6 mm, P < 0.01). A cut-off value of 8.8 mm for MN height as measured by CE-EUS improved the accuracy of diagnosing malignant BDIPMN to 93%. CONCLUSION: Using CE-EUS to measure MN height provides a highly accurate method for differentiating benign from malignant BD-IPMN.

Long-term growth of intrahepatic papillary neoplasms: A case report

BACKGROUND Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a type of tumor that presents in the intra- or extrahepatic bile ducts. Cystic-type intrahepatic IPNB often mimics simple liver cysts, making the diagnosis difficult. Because the growth of IPNB is slow, careful follow-up and timely therapeutic intervention is recommended. There are few reports with a follow-up period longer than a decade;thus, we report the case of a patient with an IPNB that grew for over 13 years. CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old man was diagnosed, 13 years prior with a cystic hepatic tumor with abnormal imaging findings. The targeted tumor biopsy results showed no malignancy. Biannual follow-up examinations were performed because of the potential for malignancy. The cystic lesions showed gradual enlargement over 11 years and a 4 mm papillary proliferation appeared on the cyst wall, which is compatible with IPNB. The tumor was observed for another 2 years because of the patient’s wishes. The imaging findings showed enlargement to 8 mm and a new 9 mm papillary proliferation of the cystic tumor. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography showed hyperenhancement during the arterial phase in both cyst walls, indicating intraductal tumor progression in both tumors. Thus, liver segment 8 subsegmentectomy was performed. The pathological findings indicated that the tumors contained mucin, and high-grade atypia was observed in the papillary lesions, showing IPNB.CONCLUSION The development of IPNB should be monitored in patients with cystic lesions and ultrasonography are useful tool for the evaluation.

Pancreatic cancer screening in patients with presumed branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms

Because delayed diagnosis is one of the causes of poor prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC), early detection is a key for overall improvement of prognosis. Towards this end, periodic screening is recommended for individuals considered high-risk for PDAC. Advances in diagnostic imaging modalities have increased the frequency of incidental findings of pancreatic cysts,including the intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(IPMN)-a major risk factor of PDAC, having 1% annual prevalence of concomitance with IPMN.Proper retainment of patients with IPMN and regular follow-up by routine imaging examination will likely improve early detection and better prognosis of PDAC. Unfortunately, current guidelines only address management of PDAC derived from IPMN and overlook PDAC concomitant with IPMN. Screening of patients with IPMN, by endoscopic ultrasonography(currently the most reliable modality for detecting small PDAC), may facilitate early detection of both IPMNderived and-concomitant PDAC. Prospective studies to evaluate the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in screening of IPMN-concomitant PDAC will also help in determining the optimal surveillance strategy for more widespread applications.

Ultrasonographic Characteristics of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas

Objective To analyze the clinical and ultrasonographic imaging features of intraductal papillary mutinous neoplasm （1PMN） of the pancreas. Methods Twelve patients with IPMN underwent surgery between May 2005 and December 2008, including 4 （33.3%） with adenoma and 8 （66.7%） with adenocarcinoma. IPMN was classified preoperatively into 3 types based on sonographic findings of different sites： main duct, branch duct, and combined type. All clinical presentations and ultrasonographic findings of those paticnts were reviewed and the correlation be- tween ultrasonographic hndings and histopathological results was analyzed. Results There were 9 men and 3 women with a mean age of 60.1±9.6 years （range, 32-73）. OF all the 12 patients with IPMN, 9 （75.0%） had experienced some symptoms of epigastric discomfort and/or pain as cell as backache; 7 cases were with medical history of acute pancreatitis, 5 cases with diabetes, 4 cases with elevated CA19-9, and 2 cases with steatorrhea. All lesions of IPMN have been revealed by transabdominal ul- trasonography. The mean diameters of the lesions were 1.4±0.8 cm （range, 0.5-2.0） and 6.3±6.0 cm （range, 2.0-20.0） in adenomas and adenocarcinomas, respectively. And the mean diameters of the main duct in adelnomas and adenocarcinomas were 1.0±0.8 cm and 1.6±1.0 cm, respectively. Among the 4 adnomas, 3 （75.0%） cases were classified as branch type based on sonographic findings, and 2 were demonstrated as mural nodules in which no color signals was detected. Among the 8 adenocarcinomas, 5 （62.5%） cases were classifled as main duct type, and 3 （37.5%） as combined type. In 7 of the 8 adcnocarcinomas, mural nodules were detected within the dilated ducts or cysts of the lesions in which color flow signals were detected. Conclusions Transabdominal ultrasonography can reveal the pancreatic cystic lesions of IPMN as well as dilated pancreatic： ducts. Some characteristics should be noticed as suggesting the possibility of malignancy： clinical symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency, large tumor size, and mural nodules with color Doppler flow signals. Transabdominal ultrasonography could be a useful tool to help diagnose and make appropriate management of IPMN.

更多〉〉相关学者姜玉新严昆华扬张青萍陈敏华段云友刘东戴晴吴瑛蔡胜相关检索词乳腺癌 新辅助化疗 ultrasonography 免疫组化 导管 breast cancer 造影剂 胎儿 乳腺肿块 ultrasound 检出率 改良根治术 多普勒 保乳手术 免疫组织化学 磁共振成像 彩色 肿块 病理检查 准确率 自动乳腺全容积成像在乳腺癌术前测量评估中的应用

目的评价运用自动乳腺全容积成像（ABVS）对乳腺癌术前大小测量的准确率.方法选取经手术病理证实的乳腺癌患者105例（118个病灶,其中导管原位癌病灶36个,非导管原位癌病灶82个）,术前均行常规超声、ABVS 检查,测量病灶最大径并与手术病理测量结果进行对比,比较常规超声与 ABVS 对两类病灶的检测情况.结果病理检查：病灶大小0.2~5.5（2.45±1.18）cm;ABVS 检查：病灶大小0.3~5.8（2.50±1.21）cm;常规超声检查：病灶大小0.8~5.2（2.16±1.12）cm.乳腺癌患者 ABVS 及常规超声检查结果与病理检查结果均呈显著正相关（r=0.906、0.990,均 P〈0.01）.ABVS 对导管原位癌病灶的检出率明显高于常规超声（P〈0.05）,而两种方法对非导管原位癌病灶检出率的差异无统计学意义（P 〉0.05）.结论 ABVS 对乳腺肿块的测量优于常规超声,尤其对于导管原位癌的测量有明显优势.

Differentiation of focal liver lesions using three-dimensional ultrasonography: Retrospective and prospective studies

AIM: To differentiate focal liver lesions based on enhancement patterns using three-dimensional ultrasonography (3D US) with perflubutane-based contrast agent.METHODS: Two hundred and eighty two patients with focal liver lesions,including 168 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs),63 metastases,40 hemangiomas and 11 focal nodular hyperplasias (FNHs),were examined by 3D US with perflubutane-based contrast agent.Tomographic ultrasound images and sonographic angiograms were reconstructed.Among 282 lesions,enhancement patterns of 163 lesions between January 2007 and October 2007 were analyzed retrospectively.Then from November 2007 to May 2008,compared with contrast-enhanced (CE) 2D US,CE 3D US was performed on 119 lesions for prospective differential diagnosis.Sensitivity,specificity,area under receiver operating characteristic curve (Az) and inter-reader agreement were assessed.RESULTS: With the tridimensional view,dominant enhancement patterns were revealed as diffuse enhancement or peripheral ring-like enhancement,followed with washout change for HCCs or metastases,respectively,and peripheral nodular enhancement or diffuse enhancement with spoke-wheel arteries,followed by persistent enhancement for hemangiomas or FNHs,respectively.At CE 3D US,the prospective differentiation of lesions showed sensitivity 92% (mean for two readers),specificity 91% and Az value 0.95 for HCCs,84%,97%,and 0.95 for metastases,91%,98%,and 0.98 for hemangiomas and 80%,99%,and 0.99 for FNHs,respectively,while good to excellent inter-reader agreement was achieved.No significant difference exists between prospective diagnosis accuracy at CE 3D US and that at CE 2D US.CONCLUSION: CE 3D US provides a spatial perspective for liver tumor enhancement,and could help in differentiating focal liver lesions.

Mass-forming pancreatitis: Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

AIM： To assess the utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography （CEUS） with a second-generation contrast medium in the differential diagnosis between mass-forming pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS： From our radio-pathology database, we retrieved all the patients affected by mass-forming pancreatitis or pancreatic carcinoma who underwent CEUS. We evaluated the results of CEUS in the study of the 173 pancreatic masses considering the possibilities of a differential diagnosis between mass-forming pancreatitis and pancreatic tumor by identifying the ＂parenchymographic＂ enhancement during the dynamic phase of CEUS, which was considered diagnostic for mass-forming pancreatitis. RESULTS： At CEUS, 94% of the mass-forming pancreatitis showed intralesional parenchymography. CEUS allowed diagnosis of mass-forming pancreatitis with sensitivity of 88.6%, specificity of 97.8%, positive predictive value of 91.2%, negative predictive value of 97.1%, and overall accuracy of 96%. CEUS significantly increased the diagnostic confidence in the differential diagnosis between mass-forming pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma, with receiver operating characteristic curve areas from 0.557 （P = 0.1608） for baseline US to 0.956 （P 〈 0.0001） for CEUS. CONCLUSION： CEUS allowed diagnosis of massforming pancreatitis with diagnostic accuracy of 96%. CEUS significantly increases the diagnostic confidence with respect to basal US in discerning mass-forming pancreatitis from pancreatic neoplasm.

Comparison of preoperative TN staging of gastric carcinoma by endoscopic ultrasonography with CT examination

IM To assess the accuracy and limitations of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the preoperative staging of gastric carcinoma in comparison with computed tomography (CT).METHODS According to the new (1987) TN staging, 62 patients with gastric carcinomas were examined preoperatively by EUS and compared with the postoperative pathological TN staging. CT of abdomen was performed before surgery in 32 of the patients.RESULTS The overall accuracy of T staging was 839% for EUS and 281% for CT. For the detection of regional lymph node metastases, EUS accuracy was 790%, sensitivity 800% and specificity 875%, versus 500% accuracy for CT. The coincidence of perigastric infiltration was 900% for EUS and 412% for CT. The most frequent causes of misdiagnosis by EUS were microscopic tumor invasion and peritumorous inflammatory or fibrous changes.CONCLUSION EUS is a reliable method for the clinical evaluation of locoregional extension of gastric cancer and more accurate than CT in the preoperative staging of gastric carcinoma.

Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography

Contrast agents are increasingly being used to characterize the vasculature in an organ of interest,to better delineate benign from malignant pathology and to aid in staging and directing therapeutic procedures.We review the mechanisms of action of first,second and third generation contrast agents and their use in various endoscopic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract.Various applications of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography include differentiating benign from malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathy,assessment of depth of invasion of esophageal,gastric and gall bladder cancers and visualization of the portal venous system and esophageal varices.In addition,contrast agents can be used to differentiate pancreatic lesions.The use of color Doppler further increases the ability to diagnose and differentiate various pancreatic malignancies.The sensitivity of power Doppler sonography to depict tumor neovascularization can be increased by contrast agents.Contrast-enhanced harmonic imaging is a useful aid in identifying the tumor vasculature and studying pancreatic microperfusion.In the future,these techniques could potentially be used to quantify tumor perfusion,to assess and monitor the efficacy of antiangiogenic agents,to assist targeted drug delivery and allow molecular imaging.

New horizons in the endoscopic ultrasonography-based diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions

Pancreatic cystic lesions(PCLs) are increasingly being identified because of the widespread use of highresolution abdominal imaging. These cysts encompass a spectrum from malignant disease to benign lesions, and therefore, accurate diagnosis is crucial to determine the best management strategy, either surgical resection or surveillance. However, the current standard of diagnosis is not accurate enough due to limitations of imaging and tissue sampling techniques, which entail the risk of unnecessary burdensome surgery for benign lesions or missed opportunities of prophylactic surgery for potentially malignant PCLs. In the last decade, endoscopic innovations based on endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) imaging have emerged, aiming to overcome the present limitations. These new EUS-based technologies are contrast harmonic EUS, needle-based confocal endomicroscopy, through-the-needle cystoscopy and through-the needle intracystic biopsy. Here, we present a comprehensive and critical review of these emerging endoscopic tools for the diagnosis of PCLs, with a special emphasis on feasibility, safety and diagnostic performance.

Relationship between preoperative staging by endoscopic ultrasonography and MMP-9 expression in gastric carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the relationship between the staging by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and the expression of carcinoma metastasis associated gene in the patients with gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with gastric cancer were diagnosed by electric gastroscopy and EUS. The preoperative staging of gastric cancer was measured by EUS and compared with pathologic staging and MMP-9 expression. Peripheral serum level of MMP-9 was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while the expression of MMP-9 protein was tested with immunohistochemistry and hybridization in situ in the gastric carcinoma tissues. RESULTS: The total accuracy of EUS in estimating invasive depth of gastric cancer was 80.95%, while that in estimating lymphatic metastasis was 73.02%. Serum MMP-9 levels were consistent with the expression of MMP-9 protein and MMP-9 mRNA in tissue, a result closely correlated with invasive degree, staging with EUS and lymphatic metastasis in gastric cancer (P < 0.05). The total accuracy of estimating invasive depth in gastric cancer was 95.22% using both EUS and MMP-9. CONCLUSION: The MMP-9 level of preoperative serum presents the reference value for preoperative staging by EUS in the patients with gastric cancer. When serum MMP-9 level in gastric cancer is significantly high, physicians should pay closer attention to the metastasis which reaches the serosa or beyond. Combining EUS and MMP-9 improves the accuracy in deciding the invasion and metastasis in the patients with gastric carcinoma.

Biliary cystadenocarcinoma diagnosed with real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography:Report of a case with diagnostic features

Biliary cystadenocarcinoma is a very rare malignant cystic tumor of the liver,which is often misdiagnosed due to a poor recognition of it.We report a case of a 60-year-old man with biliary cystadenocarcinoma with his real time contrast enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)characteristics compared to those of computed tomography(CT)and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),which were correlated with the surgical and pathologic findings.Cystic wall enhancement,internal septations and intra-cystic solid portions in the arterial phase were observed on CEUS after contrast agent injection.The enhancement was washed out progressively and depicted as hypo-enhancement in the portal and late phases.CT revealed a large irregular cystic lesion in the left liver lobe with no clear septations and solid components.MRI showed an irregular cystic occupying lesion with septations.

Ultra-Cut biopsy guided by ultrasonography for liver lesions：experience of 392 clinical cases

We conducted a retrospective study of the accuracy of liver biopsies in 392 patients with liver lesions. Postbiopsy diagnosis was 297 cases of primary liver cancers, 79 cases of secondary malignant tumors, 2 cases of non Hodgkin's lymphoma, 10 cases of focal nodular hyperplasia, 2 cases of chronic inflammation, 1 tuberculosis case and 1 schistosomiasis case. Biopsy provided histological diagnosis in 100% of cases, sensibility and specificity of Ultra Cut biopsy was 98.95% and 100% for the diagnosis of malignancy respectively; positive predictive value, 100%; negative predictive value, 71.43%; and accuracy, 98.98%. We identified no major procedure related complications despite the presence of thrombocytopenia in 37.5% of cases. Pain was the only reported adverse effect of liver biopsy (10.97%), and 11 patients required analgesics. We concluded that Ultra Cut liver biopsy was a safe and effective technique, and was invaluable in the investigation and management of patients with liver lesions.

Focal liver lesions in cirrhosis:Role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)represents a great innovation for the evaluation of focal liver lesions(FLLs).The main advantage of CEUS is the realtime imaging examination and the very low toxicity in patients with renal failure.Liver cirrhosis has been recognized as a major risk factor for the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC).HCC in liver cirrhosis develops as the last step of a complex that leads to the gradual transformation from regenerative nodule through dysplastic nodule to HCC.In patients with liver cirrhosis,a surveillance program is recommended consisting of ultrasound(US)for detecting small focal lesions.A wide spectrum of benign and malignant lesions other than HCC may be found in the cirrhotic liver and their differentiation is important to avoid errors in staging diseases that may preclude potentially curative therapies.Several published studies have explored the value of CEUS in liver cirrhosis and they have been shown to have excellent diagnostic and prognostic performances for the evaluation of non-invasive and efficient diagnosis of FLLs in patients at high risk for liver malignancies.The purpose of this article is to describe and discuss CEUS imaging findings of FLLs including HCC and ICC,all of which occur in cirrhotic livers with varying prevalence.

Transesophageal ultrasonography in assessment of operability for advanced esophageal carcinoma

Sixty-one intermediate and advanced esophageal carcinoma patients were examined by transesophageal ultrasonography(TEUS),including 53 squamous carcinomas and 8 adenocarcinomas. The ultrasonic images showed that there were clearly demarcated spaces between the tumours and the important adjacent structures in 42 out of 48 patients having undergone esophagectomy,while in 10 non-resectable patients,the ultrasonic images displayed an unclear demarcation between the tumours and thoracic aorta,pulmonary vein and pericardium. The study discovered that the regional echo of thoracic aortic wall was interrupted and replaced by tumour hypoecho, and the aorta pressed,indicating carcinoma's serious invasion of the aorta. The non-resectability of carcinoma of this kind was later confirmed in operation. On 3 cases,operations couldn't be performed due to metastasis of liver.Six cases failed to be accurately assessed owing to the impassability for probe caused by esophageal stenosis or other factors. Accuracy of assessment was 85. 2%. So we believe TEUS is a useful,simple,reliable and secure method for assessing operability of esophageal carcinoma.