Sonographic gallbladder wall thickness measurement and the prediction of esophageal varices among cirrhotics

Acute variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension(PHT) is the most serious emergency complication among those patients and could have catastrophic outcomes if not timely managed. Early screening by esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy(EGD) for the presence of esophageal varices(EVs) is currently recommended by the practice guidelines for all cirrhotic patients. Meanwhile, EGD is not readily accepted or preferred by many patients. The literature is rich in studies to investigate and validate non-invasive markers of EVs prediction aiming at reducing the unneeded endoscopic procedures. Gallbladder(GB) wall thickness(GBWT) measurement has been found promising in many published research articles. We aim to highlight the validity of sonographic GBWT measurement in the prediction of EVs based on the available evidence. We searched databases including Cochrane library, Pub Med, Web of Science and many others for relevant articles. GBWT is associated with the presence of EVs in cirrhotic patients with PHT of different etiologies. The cut-off of GBWT that can predict the presence of EVs varied in the literature and ranges from 3.1 mm to 4.35 mm with variable sensitivities of 46%-90.9% and lower cutoffs in viral cirrhosis compared to non-viral, however GBWT > 4 mm in many studies is associated with acceptable sensitivity up to 90%. Furthermore, a relation was also noticed with the degree of varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy.Among cirrhotics, GBWT > 3.5 mm predicts the presence of advanced(grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ) EVs with a sensitivity of 45%, the sensitivity increased to 92% when a cut-off ≥ 3.95 mm was used in another cohort. Analysis of these results should carefully be revised in the context of ascites, hypoalbuminemia and other intrinsic GB diseases among cirrhotic patients. The sensitivity for prediction of EVs improved upon combining GBWT measurement with other non-invasive predictors, e.g., platelets/GBWT.

Medical Ultrasound Practice in Developing Countries: Example of Togo

Background: Ultrasound has become the most widely practiced medical imaging examination even in developing countries because of its non-irradiating, non-invasive nature and its relatively affordable cost. Objective: The objective of this study was to review the practice of medical ultrasound in Lomé city. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study using the pre-established fact sheets. It took place from 16 August to 30 November 2013 in the healthcare facilities of the city of Lomé. Results: A total of 47 centers were surveyed, including 14 public centers and 33 private centers. The ultrasound scanners were mostly acquired in the new state (59.6%) with only 34.1% of these ultrasound scanners equipped with the Doppler mode. There were 3 ultrasound scanners (6.4%) that had a 3D probe. Radiologists were the ones who carried out most of the ultrasound examinations in public centers, while in private they accounted for half of the performers (45.5%). Physicians enrolled in a specialty in radiology played a significant role in these private structures, accounting for 24.2% of performers. Cardiac ultrasound was performed only in 2 centers (4.2%). The ultrasound report was available in all public centers using the pre-established and standardized forms. The qualification of sonographers and the status of ultrasound scanners are relatively acceptable. Conclusion: Ultrasound scanners were mostly acquired in new condition. Radiologists remained the ones who carried out the largest number of ultrasound examination in Lomé.

Clinical and Sonographic Assessment of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in clinical and sonographic features of papillary thyroid carcinoma（PTC） between cervical lymph node metastatic（CLNM） and nonmetastatic groups.Clinical data of PTC patients（414 patients with 624 malignant nodules） who underwent a preoperative ultrasonography and surgery between June 2010 and March 2015 at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were retrospectively analyzed.Clinical factors,preoperative ultrasound features and the final pathological findings were obtained.The differences in the sonographic features of PTC between the CLNM group and the non-CLNM group were analyzed.There were 187 CLNM and 227 non-CLNM patients.The median age at the diagnosis of this cohort was 45.4 years old（ranging from 18 to 77 years）.Ultrasonographic parameters that were significantly associated with CLNM [OR=2.569（1.502,4.393）,P〈0.001）] were as follows：the mulifocality of the nodules,size over 2 cm,the presence of microcalcifications,the distance ratio（DR） pattern showing the contact of the nodules with the thyroid capsule,and the extracapsular spread of the nodules.No significant differences in age,gender,thyroid stimulating hormone（TSH） levels and other ultrasonography parameters were found between the CLNM and the non-CLNM groups.Therefore,our results suggest that a larger size,microcalcifications,mulifocality,and the DR pattern showing the contact of the nodules with the thyroid capsule and extracapsular spread are significantly more indicative of CLNM in PTC.

Improved diagnosis of thyroid cancer aided with deep learning applied to sonographic text reports:a retrospective,multi-cohort,diagnostic study

Objective:Large volume radiological text data have been accumulated since the incorporation of electronic health record(EHR)systems in clinical practice.We aimed to determine whether deep natural language processing algorithms could aid radiologists in improving thyroid cancer diagnosis.Methods:Sonographic EHR data were obtained from the EHR database.Pathological reports were used as the gold standard for diagnosing thyroid cancer.We developed thyroid cancer diagnosis based on natural language processing(THCaDxNLP)to interpret unstructured sonographic text reports for thyroid cancer diagnosis.We used the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUROC)as the primary metric to measure the performance of the THCaDxNLP.We compared the performance of thyroid ultrasound radiologists aided with THCaDxNLP vs.those without THCaDxNLP using 5 independent test sets.Results:We obtained a total number of 788,129 sonographic radiological reports.The number of thyroid sonographic data points was 132,277,18,400 of which were thyroid cancer patients.Among the 5 test sets,the numbers of patients per set were 439,186,82,343,and 171.THCaDxNLP achieved high performance in identifying thyroid cancer patients(the AUROC ranged from 0.857–0.932).Thyroid ultrasound radiologists aided with THCaDxNLP achieved significantly higher performances than those without THCaDxNLP in terms of accuracy(93.8%vs.87.2%;one-sided t-test,adjusted P=0.003),precision(92.5%vs.86.0%;P=0.018),and F1 metric(94.2%vs.86.4%;P=0.007).Conclusions:THCaDxNLP achieved a high AUROC for the identification of thyroid cancer,and improved the accuracy,sensitivity,and precision of thyroid ultrasound radiologists.This warrants further investigation of THCaDxNLP in prospective clinical trials.

Sonographic Evaluation of Normal Anatomy of Fetal Central Nervous System in Mid-Trimester

The central nervous system is a common site for congenital anomalies. Neural tube defects (NTDs) such as anencephaly, encephalocele and spina bifida are among the most common central nervous system congenital anomalies. They result from failure of closure of the neural tube during embryonic development. The neural tube formation starts during the fourth week (22 - 23 days) after fertilization and fuses approximately between the days 25th and 27th. Most of NTDs result from genetic factors and environmental factors which are poorly understood. Diagnostic sonography can show a detailed visualization of the fetal intracranial anatomy such as the cerebral hemispheres, midbrain, thalami, and lateral ventricles. They also can measure the ratio between lateral ventricular and cerebral hemispheric width. It might show as well, the ratio between gestation, the rapid growth of the cerebral hemispheres and the expansion of the cerebral ventricles. The ultrasound during pregnancy plays a prominent and influential role in the prenatal evaluation of the central nervous system. It gives an excellent window for viewing and evaluating the fetal central nervous system during the second trimester through the lateral ventricles and transthalamic view, thus effectively contributing in the diagnosis and treatment of its congenital anomalies.

Sonographic findings in renal parenchymal diseases at Sudanese

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the sonographic findings in renal parenchymal diseases using gray-scale ultrasound in order to classify these diseases. The study design was a cross-sectional one. There were 204 patients who were suspected with renal diseases. They had been scanned with ultrasound to assess the kidneys. The echogenicity, renal cortex and paren-chyma, and cortico-medullary differentiation had been evaluated. Results: The study revealed that the echogenicity of renal parenchyma and cortex increased in all types of renal parenchymal diseases. The cortico-medullary differentiation was mainly disturbed in acute parenchymal disease (69.04%), loss in chronic end-stage parenchymal disease (85%);and there was significant difference (p-value = 0.0001). Conclusion: Ultrasound provided useful and accurate diagnosis of renal parenchymal diseases. In this study, renal parenchymal diseases had been classified into acute, chronic and end-stage renal parenchymal diseases.

Measurements of the Lower Uterine Segment at Term in Women with Previous Cesarean Delivery

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of sonographic measurements of the lower uterine segment (LUS) thickness at term in predicting uterine scar defects in women with previous Cesarean delivery (CD). Methods: Eighty-nine pregnant women who underwent CD between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation from 2013 to 2015 were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups. Group A consisted of women with previous CD, and Group B consisted of women with previous vaginal deliveries. We performed an ultrasound evaluation of the myometrial and full thickness of LUS (mLUS and fLUS) transvaginally before a CD and evaluated the appearance of LUS during surgery, which was defined as follows: grade I, well-developed;grade II, thin without visible content;grade III, translucent with visible content;and grade IV, either dehiscence or rupture. Results: The median mLUS and fLUS were 1.50 and 4.07 mm in the group A, and 2.75 and 5.37 mm in the group B. We observed significant differences in the median mLUS and fLUS between grades I/II (2.07 and 4.37 mm) and grades III/IV (0.67 and 2.52 mm). Both mLUS and fLUS were predictive factors for grades III/IV and cutoff values were 0.97 mm of mLUS and 3.13 mm of fLUS, having a sensitivity of 87.5% and 75.0%, and a specificity of 87.7% and 91.4% in mLUS and fLUS measurement, respectively. Conclusion: Sonographic measurements of LUS at term may be a feasible and reliable method to predict uterine rupture or uterine dehiscence in women with prior CD.

Risk Factors for Preterm Delivery in Asymptomatic Singleton Pregnant Women with a Sonographic Short Cervix

Objectives: Although an asymptomatic short cervix is a risk factor for spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), the risk factors for SPTB among those with short cervix remain unknown. We herein investigated risk factors for preterm delivery (PTD) at <34 weeks of gestation in pregnant women with a short cervix. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Seventy-three asymptomatic pregnant women with a sonographic short cervix (excluding visible bulging fetal membranes) were selected, and the relationship between clinical or biochemical risk factors and preterm delivery (PTD) at <34 weeks was examined. Results: Thirteen cases (17.8%) had PTD at <34 weeks. A univariate analysis showed that a history of SPTD, gestational weeks on admission, cervical length, cervical mucus interleukin (CM-IL)-8 and amniotic fluid interleukin (AF-IL)-8 in PTD at <34 weeks significantly differed from those in delivery at ≥34 weeks (p < 0.05, respectively). A multiple logistic regression analysis identified CM-IL-8 ≥ 803.5 ng/mL [21.3 (3.0 - 260), p = 0.002] and cervical length ≤15 mm [17.1 (1.9 - 517), p = 0.008] as independent risk factors for PTD at <34 weeks. Conclusions: Evaluation for cervical inflammation may be necessary for appropriate treatment strategies in asymptomatic pregnant women with a short cervix. Cervical inflammation warrants further study.