Bilateral ectopic pheochromocytomas: computed tomographic and sonographic correlation

We describe a case of clinically unsuspected bilateral ectopic pheochromocytomas in a young woman. The bilateral retroperitoneal masses were located in the lower sympathetic ganglia at the level of the organ of Zuckerlandl. Computed tomography (CT) accurately identified the location and vascular characteristics of these neoplasms and provided access for percutaneous biopsy. Sonographic correlation is also presented.     

Bilateral ectopic pheochromocytomas: Computed tomographic and sonographic correlation

We describe a case of clinically unsuspected bilateral ectopic pheochromocytomas in a young woman. The bilateral retroperitoneal masses were located in the lower sympathetic ganglia at the level of the organ of Zuckerkandl. Computed tomography (CT) accurately identified the location and vascular characteristics of these neoplasms and provided access for percutaneous biopsy. Sonographic correlation is also presented.     

Endovaginal sonographic evaluation of ectopic pregnancy: a prospective study

To determine the value of endovaginal sonography for evaluating women with a suspected ectopic gestation, we prospectively studied a group of 84 pregnant women in whom conventional transabdominal sonograms failed to show a living embryo. Of 84 patients studied, 25 had an ectopic gestation, 32 had a normal intrauterine pregnancy, and 27 had an abnormal (nonviable) intrauterine pregnancy. Endovaginal sonography, compared with transabdominal sonography, provided additional information in 50 cases (60%) and less information in only three cases (4%). Of 25 ectopic gestations, endovaginal sonography provided new information in 15 cases (60%) including detection of an extrauterine gestational sac (10 cases), extrauterine embryo (two cases), or adnexal mass (three cases) not observed on transabdominal sonography. Of 32 normal intrauterine pregnancies, endovaginal sonography provided additional information in 26 cases (81%) including detection of a yolk sac (14 cases), living embryo (11 cases), or small gestational sac (one case) not seen on transabdominal sonography. Of 27 abnormal intrauterine pregnancies, endovaginal sonography showed additional information in nine cases (33%) including detection of embryonic demise (three cases), retained intrauterine products (four cases), or a yolk sac (two cases) not seen on transabdominal sonography. Patient acceptance of endovaginal sonography was excellent; 82% of the patients preferred this method to transabdominal sonography, 13% expressed no preference, and 5% preferred transabdominal sonography. We conclude that endovaginal sonography can provide significant additional information in the majority of women who are referred for sonography with a suspected ectopic gestation. We believe that this method should become a integral part of sonographic evaluation in women who are suspected of having an ectopic gestation when conventional transabdominal sonography fails to show a living embryo.     

56例超选择性子宫动脉灌注栓塞治疗异位妊娠的疗效观察

目的 探讨简捷、安全、保留器官完整性的微创手术治疗异位妊娠的方法.方法 对56例异位妊娠患者行右侧股动脉穿刺插管,超选择插入至患侧子宫动脉,造影观察病变的范围、血供来源及有无活动性出血,然后将甲氨蝶呤150 mg粉剂稀释至100 ml经导管缓慢注入子宫动脉,再用05 mm×0.5 mm×0.5 mm的明胶海绵碎粒适量栓塞子宫动脉,至子宫动脉分支不显影为止,随访观察疗效.结果 56例均成功实施了超选择性子宫动脉灌注栓塞术,无相关并发症.33例腹腔活动性出血患者栓塞后出血立即停止.13例胚胎存活患者第2天超声复查存活胚胎全部死亡.56例患者血绒毛膜促性腺激素β亚单位均在术后3-12 d降至5 U/L以下,腹腔积血1周后全部吸收.1个月后混合性包块完全吸收消失.术后3个月行子宫输卵管造影19例,11例显示患侧输卵管通畅.结论 超选择性子宫动脉灌注栓塞治疗异位妊娠,能有效杀灭胚胎组织、栓塞破裂血管,止血效果明显,手术创伤小,且能保留输卵管.     

Testicular microlithiasis: sonographic and clinical features.

Eleven cases of bilateral diffuse microlithiasis of the testes were evaluated sonographically. The presence of testicular microlithiasis was coincidental to the presence of testicular neoplasms (n = 2), nontesticular malignant lesion in the abdomen or chest (n = 2), subfertility (n = 2), varicocele (n = 1), epididymitis (n = 1), testicular maldescent (n = 1), scrotal trauma (n = 1), and transient scrotal pain (n = 1). Clinical follow-up suggested that testicular microlithiasis is an asymptomatic nonprogressive condition. Sonographic examination of testicular microlithiasis shows diffuse hyperechoic nonshadowing foci measuring 1-2 mm in diameter throughout both testes. The diagnosis of testicular microlithiasis was pathologically proved in five cases. In six cases, the diagnosis was made on the basis of the sonographic appearance (n = 6), clinical information and follow-up (n = 6), and radiologic demonstration of testicular microcalcifications (n = 3). The sonographic appearance of testicular microlithiasis is specific, and we believe that biopsy or orchiectomy in these cases is unnecessary.     

Subchorionic hemorrhage: sonographic diagnosis and clinical significance

Twenty-one pregnancies with sonographic evidence of subchorionic hemorrhage were evaluated clinically and sonographically. Clinical evaluation included maternal age, gravidity, parity, gestational age, presence of pain, presence and amount of bleeding, and pregnancy outcome. Sonographic evaluation included the relative and absolute size of the hematoma, its echogenicity and location in relation to the placenta, the presence of marginal placental abruption, and progress on follow-up examinations. The outcome of these pregnancies was unfavorable in 15 cases (71%) and correlated well with the relative and absolute size of the hematoma, severity of vaginal bleeding, change in hematoma size on follow-up examination, and presence of pain. There was no significant correlation between the outcome and the echogenicity of the hematoma, presence of placental margin elevation, gestational and maternal age, gravidity, or parity. All hematomas extended to the margin of the placenta. Subchorionic hemorrhage is a frequent cause of first and second trimester bleeding and has a grave prognosis. Familiarity with the varied sonographic appearances and meticulous sonographic examination with special attention to the placental margins can be helpful in the diagnosis.     

异位妊娠的临床诊治要略及进展

异位妊娠是妇产科常见急腹症,近年来发病率呈逐年上升趋势.目前,异位妊娠的发病因素已有显著变化,临床症状呈现多样化,诊断思路及手段也有明显拓宽及提高,治疗方法个体化,不断出现新的技术和药物,预后及结局也较传统水平有明显改观.本文就异位妊娠的诊治要略及进展作一述评.     

Inflammatory bowel disease in children and young adults: correlation of sonographic and clinical parameters during treatment

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the sonographic findings of inflammatory bowel disease activity in children undergoing treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight sonograms were obtained of 23 bowel segments in 17 children and young adults (age range, 10-21 years; mean, 16 years) with new or recurrent inflammatory bowel disease. Sixteen segments were involved with Crohn's disease and seven with ulcerative colitis. Serial sonography (range, two to eight examinations; mean, four per segment) was performed while patients underwent treatment. Bowel wall thickness measurements and color and power Doppler sonography grading were recorded and compared with clinical data. RESULTS: All 17 patients had at least one abnormal bowel segment on initial sonography. The correlation was significant (p < 0.01). Agreement was 91% on direction of change over time between bowel wall thickness and Doppler grades, with 100% correlation between color and power Doppler sonography grades. In patients with Crohn's disease, the correlation was significant (p < 0.05) between bowel wall thickness and Doppler grades with two of seven and four of seven clinical parameters, respectively. In patients with ulcerative colitis, the correlation was significant (p < 0.05) between bowel wall thickness and Doppler sonography grades with four of seven and three of seven clinical parameters, respectively. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate correlated with all sonographic measurements in both patient groups. Combining bowel wall thickness and Doppler sonography, the percentage of agreement was significant in the direction of change, with five of seven clinical parameters in both patient groups. CONCLUSION: Gray-scale and color or power Doppler sonography can show changes in disease activity in children and young adults undergoing treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.     

Comparison of tuberculous and pyogenic epididymal abscesses: clinical, gray-scale sonographic, and color Doppler sonographic features

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of clinical, gray-scale sonographic, and color Doppler sonographic features for differentiating tuberculous and pyogenic epididymal abscesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed in 10 cases of tuberculous epididymal abscess and in 13 cases of pyogenic epididymal abscess. The following clinical, gray-scale sonographic, and color Doppler sonographic features were analyzed: patient's age; duration of symptoms; scrotal tenderness; presence of sinus tract; concurrent tuberculosis in other organs; location, size, and echogenicity of the abscess; hyperechoic rim; testicular involvement; hydrocele; and blood flow in the epididymal lesion. RESULTS: Tuberculous epididymal abscess had a longer duration of symptoms (p = 0.0001) and a lower frequency of scrotal tenderness (p = 0.0048) than pyogenic epididymal abscess. The size of the abscess was larger in tuberculous epididymal abscess than in pyogenic epididymal abscess (p = 0.0002). The degree of blood flow in the peripheral portion of the abscess was lower in tuberculous epididymal abscess (p = 0.001). The patient's age, location and echogeninicity of the abscess, presence of sinus tract, hyperechoic rim, testicular involvement, and hydrocele did not differ between the tuberculous and pyogenic epididymal abscesses. CONCLUSION: Some clinical findings, gray-scale sonography, and color Doppler sonography were useful in differentiating tuberculous epididymal abscess from pyogenic epididymal abscess. The presence of long-term scrotal swelling without tenderness and a lower degree of blood flow in the peripheral portion of a large abscess are suggestive of tuberculous epididymal abscess.     

Dandy-Walker variant: prenatal sonographic features and clinical outcome.

The Dandy-Walker variant is a less severe posterior fossa anomaly than the classic Dandy-Walker malformation. In 17 consecutive fetuses, the Dandy-Walker variant was diagnosed at sonography, and associated defects, karyotypic anomalies, and outcomes were evaluated. Four of the 17 fetuses (24%) had mild ventriculomegaly. Eight of the 17 (47%) had concurrent non-central nervous system (CNS) anomalies. Five fetuses (29%) had an abnormal karyotype (two with trisomy 18, one each with trisomy 13, 21, and 11q+) and associated sonographic anomalies. Six of the 17 fetuses (35%) died in utero or during the neonatal period, two are severely handicapped, and the other nine are developing normally at ages 4 months to 4 years. Six of the nine normally developing infants (53%) lacked non-CNS sonographic findings. Because the prognosis is uncertain for an infant born with the prenatal diagnosis of Dandy-Walker variant, prenatal recognition of the anomaly allows for the option of fetal karyotyping and for arrangement for postnatal follow-up.     

Meconium peritonitis: prenatal sonographic findings and their clinical significance

Ultrasonographic (US) findings were correlated with clinical outcome in seven cases of meconium peritonitis detected with prenatal US during a 2-year period. Nineteen previously reported cases were also reviewed. US findings included intraabdominal calcifications (n = six cases), fetal ascites (n = 3), echogenic ascites without calcifications (n = 1), bowel dilatation (n = 2), and polyhydramnios (n = 5). Following delivery, six infants were still alive after a mean follow-up of 13 months (range, 6-26 months); the seventh died of hydrocephalus. Of the six, four required surgical correction of a small-bowel perforation and two did not. All six are thriving, and none has yet been found to have cystic fibrosis. In the 19 previously reported cases, there were only two cases of cystic fibrosis, neither with intraabdominal calcifications. The presence of calcifications was significantly associated with causes other than cystic fibrosis. Prenatally diagnosed cases of meconium peritonitis are associated with cystic fibrosis less frequently than previous studies suggest.     

Fetal hydrocephalus: sonographic detection and clinical significance of associated anomalies

Sixty-one cases of fetal hydrocephalus were reviewed to determine the accuracy and clinical significance of prenatal ultrasound (US) for detecting concurrent anomalies. Of 61 fetuses studied, 51 (84%) had one or more major central nervous system (CNS) malformations (38 fetuses with 39 anomalies) and/or extra-CNS anomalies (34 fetuses). Only ten (16%) fetuses had no concurrent anomaly. Anomalies of the CNS were correctly identified with US in 35 of 39 (90%) cases. Of 34 fetuses (56%) with extra-CNS anomalies, 27 had multiple anomalies. One or more extra-CNS abnormality was identified with US in 22 of the 27 (81%) fetuses with multiple anomalies but no anomalies were identified with US in the seven patients with an isolated anomaly. Fetal mortality was directly related to the presence of extra-CNS anomalies (P less than .01). Many important anomalies coexisting with fetal hydrocephalus can be identified with US. Furthermore, sonographic detection of extra-CNS malformations carries a poor prognosis and was associated with a uniformly fatal outcome in this series.     

Preoperative sonographic and Doppler parameters predictors of semen analysis improvement after unilateral varicocelectomy

Objective

To assess the sonographic and Doppler parameters predicting varicocelectomy outcome.

Methods

This study included 86 infertile patients with abnormal semen analysis. All patients had preoperative ultrasound and color Doppler to calculate testicular volume, pampiniform vein caliber and duration of reflux in the dilated veins during sustained valsalva maneuver. The patients underwent unilateral varicocelectomy and had semen analysis 6 months after operation, improvement index of the semen analysis was calculated.

Results

The patients were classified into 2 groups: Group 1: 58 patients with normal-sized testes, and group 2 included 28 patients with subnormal testes (8–12 cm³), in the first group, the patients with improvement index >0.5 were 26 (44.8%), the group with subnormal testicular volume showed improvement in 5 patients (17.8%) , the difference between the two groups was statistically significant <0.05. There was a significant positive correlation between the degree of reflux preoperatively and the improvement index (P < 0.001), also there was a positive correlation between the vein diameter and the improvement index (P = 0.03).

Conclusions

The best preoperative sonographic parameters of success of unilateral varicocele repair are the presence of normal-sized testes, high grade reflux, and to lesser degree large vein diameter.     

Rotator cuff tear: clinical experience with sonographic detection

Between June 1986 and April 1988, 86 sonographic examinations of the shoulder were performed on patients suspected of having rotator cuff tears. Major sonographic diagnostic criteria included (a) a well-defined discontinuity usually visible as a hypoechoic focus within the cuff, (b) nonvisualization of the cuff and (c) an echogenic focus within the cuff. Seventy-five patients underwent both sonography and arthrography. Compared with arthrography alone, ultrasound examinations enabled detection of 92% of rotator cuff tears (24 of 26 tears), with a specificity of 84% and a negative predictive value of 95%. Correlation was obtained in 30 of these patients who underwent surgery for rotator cuff tear or other soft-tissue abnormality. In this group, the sensitivity of sonography for detection of a tear was 93%, with a specificity of 73%, while for arthrography sensitivity was 87% and specificity was 100%. These data indicate that sonography is a useful, noninvasive screening procedure for patients suspected of having rotator cuff injury.     

Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: comparison of sonographic findings in Brazilian and Sudanese patients--correlation of sonographic findings with clinical symptoms.

Twenty-seven Brazilian and 32 Sudanese patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis from areas where the disease is endemic were examined with ultrasound (US). Hyperechoic periportal areas indicating periportal fibrosis (PPF) were present in all patients irrespective of their origin. Nonspecific findings were splenomegaly (all patients), gallbladder wall thickening (81% and 92%, respectively, in Brazilian and Sudanese patients), portal vein (74% and 87%, respectively) and splenic vein (59% and 70%, respectively) enlargement, and portosystemic vascular shunts (62% and 61%, respectively). The hepatic alterations were congruent and the frequency of their occurrence was similar in both patient groups. With a standardized grading system, it was shown that grade of PPF was significantly correlated with a history of bleeding from endoscopically proved esophageal varices and with distention of the portal vein as measured with US. It was concluded that sonographic grading may be used in patients with hepatosplenic Schistosoma mansoni infection who originate from completely different endemic areas.