Image guidance to improve reliability and data integrity of transcranial Doppler sonography

Background

Principles and accuracy of image-guided transcranial Doppler (IG TCD) sonography have been published recently. However, it remains open whether combination of image guidance and TCD offers an additional clinical advantage. This study scores the accuracy of conventional TCD examinations and investigates the potential improvement of TCD data integrity and reliability regarding the additional use of IG.

Methods

Conventional TCD was performed by a group of experienced investigators, who were blinded to images of a navigation system tracking the Doppler probe, whereas an independent observer documented the TCD findings, acquired by the investigators, due to saving spatial data of the TCD sample volume using IG for subsequent analysis. In a second set of experiments, image guidance was available to investigators without any previous TCD experience.

Results

The analysis of 3D data of vessels (n = 173) labeled by experienced investigators in conventional TCD, revealed a rate of 37% misinterpreted Doppler signals regarding the target vessel. Correctness of labeling was comparable between the different vascular segments. The rate of correct labeling was higher for right- (69%) than for left-sided vessels (57%). In comparison, by using IG, TCD investigators without any previous TCD experience achieved a significantly lower rate of 10% (n = 39) mislabeled vessels.

Conclusions

Our data suggest, that misinterpretation of the vascular source of the Doppler signal is a common source of errors in conventional TCD. Visualization of the vascular anatomy by image guidance offers improved accuracy and reliability of TCD results and may positively influence the learning curve for inexperienced investigators.     

超声心动图结合右心声学造影在卵圆孔未闭中应用价值

目的探讨超声心动图(UCG)结合右心声学造影(c TTE)在卵圆孔未闭(PFO)中的应用价值,为临床诊断和治疗提供早期参考依据。方法选取沈阳军区总医院自2015年1月至2015年12月住院治疗的怀疑存在PFO的患者51例,行经胸超声心动图(TTE)检查明确是否存在房水平分流,存在者测量分流的大小;对于TTE显示房水平分流不明显的患者行经食管超声心动图(TEE)检查,观察房间隔卵圆孔的形态以及是否存在房水平分流,存在者测量分流的大小;对于存在房水平分流的患者行c TTE检查,观察左心内显示微气泡的数量及出现微气泡的时间,根据分流量分成0、Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ级。结果 TTE检出存在房水平分流27例,TEE检出存在房水平分流11例,无分流13例;c TTE检测存在房水平分流38例中,分流量0级3例、Ⅰ级5例、Ⅱ级21例、Ⅲ级9例。TTE、TEE测量的PFO直径与c TTE检测PFO分流等级间存在明显的相关性(r=0.876,P<0.05)。结论 UCG结合c TTE的应用,可以明确PFO的大小、分流量以及微气泡出现的时间,为临床的诊断和治疗提供参考依据。     

Clinical Features of Adult/Adolescent Atopic Dermatitis and Chinese Criteria for Atopic Dermatitis

Background:

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by chronic recurrent dermatitis with profound itching. Most patients have personal and/or family history of atopic diseases. Several criteria have been proposed for the diagnosis of AD. Although the clinical features of childhood AD have been widely studied, there has been less large-scale study on adult/adolescent AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features of adult/adolescent patients with chronic symmetrical eczema/AD and to propose Chinese diagnostic criteria for adult/adolescent AD.

Methods:

A hospital-based study was performed. Forty-two dermatological centers participated in this study. Adult and adolescent patients (12 years and over) with chronic symmetrical eczema or AD were included in this study. Questionnaires were completed by both patients and investigators. The valid questionnaires were analyzed using EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 17.0 software.

Results:

A total of 2662 valid questionnaires were collected (1369 male and 1293 female). Of all 2662 patients, 2062 (77.5%) patients had the disease after 12 years old, while only 600 (22.5%) patients had the disease before 12 years old, suggesting late-onset eczema/AD is common. Two thousand one hundred and thirty-nine (80.4%) patients had the disease for more than 6 months. One thousand one hundred and forty-four (43.0%) patients had a personal and/or family history of atopic diseases. One thousand five hundred and forty-eight (58.2%) patients had an elevated total serum IgE and/or eosinophilia and/or positive allergen-specific IgE. Based on these clinical and laboratory features, we proposed Chinese criteria for adult/adolescent AD. Of all 2662 patients, 60.3% were satisfied with our criteria, while only 48.2% satisfied with Hanifin Rajka criteria and 32.7% satisfied with Williams criteria, suggesting a good sensitivity of our criteria in adult/adolescent AD patients.

Conclusion:

Late-onset of eczema or AD is common. The clinical manifestations of AD are heterogeneous. We have proposed Chinese diagnostic criteria for adolescent and adult AD, which are simple and sensitive for diagnosis of adult/adolescent AD.     

良、恶性肺磨玻璃结节MSCT影像学特征及诊断价值

目的分析良、恶性肺磨玻璃结节MSCT影像学特征及诊断价值。方法回顾性分析,本院2017年2月至2019年8月在本院收治的100例肺部GGN患者,所有患者均进行MSCT检查。对患者所得图像进行分析,对患者临床资料进行收集分析,并以病理结果为基准比较MSCT检查对良、恶性肺磨玻璃结节诊断符合率。结果良恶性肺GGN患者在吸烟史、年龄、肿瘤直径,有MSCT征象(毛刺、空泡、分叶、胸膜凹陷、血管集束、支气管充气)、以及CT值比中差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。多元Logistic回归分析:年龄偏大、CT值高、有毛刺、空泡、分叶、胸膜凹陷、支气管充气征为影响恶性肺GGN的危险因素(P<0.05)。与病理结果比较,MSCT对良性肺GGN诊断符合率不一致(P<0.05)。但对恶性肺GGN诊断符合率一致(P>0.05)。结论对存在危险因素的患者需怀疑是否为恶性肺GGN,对肺GGN性质诊断中需结合患者基本情况、临床表现、影像学检查进行诊断鉴别。     

伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤失败后再手术的方法及疗效分析

目的探讨伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤失败后再行手术治疗的方法及其效果。方法 20例听神经瘤患者接受伽玛刀治疗后不同时期复查MRI发现肿瘤继续生长或临床症状加重,采用枕下乙状窦后入路行听神经瘤切除术。结果术中发现肿瘤与面神经及周围结构粘连明显。肿瘤全切及近全切除共18例(占90%),次全切除共2例(占10%)。面神经解剖保留18例(占90%),功能保留16例(占80%)。结论采用枕下乙状窦后入路肿瘤切除术是挽救伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤失败后的有效方法,面神经功能保护满意。     

Kaolin-induced ventriculomegaly at weaning produces long-term learning,memory, and motor deficits in rats

Ventriculomegaly occurs when there is imbalance between creation and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); even when treated, long-term behavioral changes occur. Kaolin injection in the cisterna magna of rats produces an obstruction of CSF outflow and models one type of hydrocephalus. Previous research with this model shows that neonatal onset has mixed effects on Morris water maze (MWM) and motoric performance; we hypothesized that this might be because the severity of ventricular enlargement was not taken into consideration. In the present experiment, rats were injected with kaolin or saline on postnatal day (P)21 and analyzed in subgroups based on Evan's ratios (ERs) of the severity of ventricular enlargement at the end of testing to create 4 subgroups from least to most severe: ER0.4–0.5, ER0.51–0.6, ER0.61–0.7, and ER0.71–0.82, respectively. Locomotor activity (dry land and swimming), acoustic startle with prepulse inhibition (PPI), and MWM performance were tested starting on P28 (122 cm maze) and again on P42 (244 cm maze). Kaolin-treated animals weighed significantly less than controls at all times. Differences in locomotor activity were seen at P42 but not P28. On P28 there was an increase in PPI for all but the least severe kaolin-treated group, but no difference at P42 compared with controls. In the MWM at P28, all kaolin-treated groups had longer path lengths than controls, but comparable swim speeds. With the exception of the least severe group, probe trial performance was worse in the kaolin-treated animals. On P42, only the most severely affected kaolin-treated group showed deficits compared with control animals. This group showed no MWM learning and no memory for the platform position during probe trial testing. Swim speed was unaffected, indicating motor deficits were not responsible for impaired learning and memory. These findings indicate that kaolin-induced ventriculomegaly in rats interferes with cognition regardless of the final enlargement of the cerebral ventricles, but final size critically determines whether lasting locomotor, learning, and memory impairments occur.     

伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤疗效观察

目的探讨伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤的疗效。方法应用玛西普伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤152例,其中84例获得完整随访资料,随访时间为12～89个月。结果肿瘤体积缩小57例（67．9％）、不变23例（27．3％）、增大4例。听力保留率为70．6％（36／51）,出现患侧面神经一过性受损4例（5．3％）,出现三叉神经功能受损症状3例（2例为一过性,1例经治疗后缓解）。结论伽玛刀治疗听神经瘤有较高的肿瘤生长控制率,对相关颅神经损伤小,并发症少,是一种安全有效的治疗方法。     

Acoustic radiation force impulse to measure liver stiffness and predict hepatic decompensation in pregnancy with cirrhosis: A cohort study

Background and study aimsPregnancy in association with cirrhosis is a rather uncommon and highly risky situation for both mother and child. We aim to study all factors and the utility of liver stiffness (LS) measurement by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse elastography (ARFI) to predict hepatic decompensation in pregnant cirrhotic patients.Patients and methodsWe prospectively recruited 224 pregnant women at the multidisciplinary clinic of liver disease with pregnancy, Cairo University. LS was measured using ARFI (Siemens ACUSON S3000 ultrasound system) during the second trimester and 8–12 weeks post-delivery. The outcome of pregnancy and the incidence of hepatic decompensation were assessed.ResultsOur cohort comprised 128 normal pregnancies, 37 patients with pregnancy-related liver disease (Intrahepatic cholestasis (n = 6), preeclampsia (n = 23), and hyperemesis gravidarum (n = 8)) and 59 patients with an established chronic liver disease not related to pregnancy. In all patients, LS significantly decreased after delivery from 1.19 m/s to 0.94 m/s (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, LS was an independent predictor for the outcome of pregnancy in all patients (odds ratio (OR) = 5.442 (3.01–6.82), cut-off = 1.21 m/s). Patients with cirrhosis, mean LS was 1.57 ± 0.66 m/s and 26 (44%) patients had hepatic decompensation (hepatocellular jaundice (n = 8), ascites (n = 9) and variceal bleeding (n = 6)). In multivariate analysis; LS, platelets, albumin, and bilirubin were independent predictors of decompensation post-delivery and the OR for LS was 6.141(4.32–7.98). The optimal cut off value of LS to predict decompensation was 1.46 m/s (8.4 kPa) with AUROC of 0.827.ConclusionLS can be used to predict hepatic decompensation after delivery in pregnant women with manifest cirrhosis.     

听神经瘤枕下乙状窦后入路显微切除术后面神经功能损伤的危险因素分析

目的研究听神经瘤（AN）显微镜外科切除后面神经功能损伤的危险因素。 方法回顾性分析绵阳市中心医院神经外科自2017年1月至2020年1月行枕下乙状窦后入路显微切除术治疗的140例AN患者的临床资料,随访6个月,采用H-B面神经功能受损量表（HBFGS）评估患者术后6个月的面神经受损程度,并将年龄、性别、肿瘤直径、肿瘤切除范围、手术时间、术中是否行面神经监测、面神经位置、面神经与肿瘤的黏连严重程度等作为分析因素,分析影响患者术后面神经功能受损的独立危险因素。 结果按照术后6个月面神经HBFGS分级结果将患者分为2组,HBFGS分级Ⅰ~Ⅲ级为轻中度障碍组（78例）,Ⅳ~Ⅵ级为重度障碍组（62例）。轻中度障碍组患者的肿瘤最大直径显著小于重度障碍组,手术时间显著短于重度障碍组,差异均具有统计学意义（P<0.05）;肿瘤切除程度、术中行面神经监测情况以及面神经与肿瘤的黏连程度与重度障碍组比较,差异均具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析结果提示,肿瘤最大直径>3.13 cm、肿瘤部分切除与次全切除、面神经与肿瘤中、重度黏连均是导致术后面神经功能严重障碍的独立危险因素（OR>1,P<0.05）,而术中行面神经监测是术后面神经严重障碍的保护因素（OR<1,P<0.05）。 结论AN瘤体大小、肿瘤切除程度、术中是否行面神经监测以及面神经与肿瘤的黏连程度是影响患者乙状窦后入路显微切除AN术后面神经功能受损程度的独立因素。     

声频共振辅助治疗突发性耳聋的临床观察

目的探讨声频共振辅助治疗突发性耳聋中的效果。方法我科住院治疗的突发性耳聋患者136例,随机分为两组,每组68例。对照组采用常规药物治疗及心理护理;治疗组在对照组治疗基础上加用患耳声频共振治疗。治疗1、2 w后评定疗效。结果治疗1 w后,治疗组总有效率73.8%,对照组总有效率66.2%,治疗组疗效优于对照组,差异有统计学意义(p<0.05);治疗2 w后,治疗组总有效率92.6%,对照组总有效率80.9%,治疗组疗效优于对照组,差异有统计学意义(p<0.05)。结论声频共振治疗的应用可提高突发性耳聋的治疗效果,总有效率有明显提高。