超声弹性成像诊断乳腺局灶性病变价值的初步探讨

目的探讨超声弹性成像对乳腺局灶性病变鉴别诊断的价值。方法应用超声弹性成像对219例患者共290个乳腺结节进行检查,采用5分评分法进行评价。所有患者均行手术经病理证实。结果良性153例共218个结节,恶性66例共72个结节,超声弹性成像诊断恶性病变敏感性为81．9％,特异性为95．0％,准确性为91．7％。结论超声弹性成像有助于乳腺肿瘤良恶性鉴别。     

超声弹性成像对乳腺实性肿瘤的初步研究

目的评价超声弹性成像新技术对乳腺实性肿瘤定性诊断的意义。方法对2005年3月～2005年5月34例（共37个病灶）乳腺实性肿瘤患者进行超声扫查，同时进行弹性成像。对照术后病理结果回顾性分析乳腺实性肿瘤超声弹性成像的特点。结果（1）乳腺癌弹性成像评分多为4、5分，纤维腺瘤多为1、2分，评分分布具有极其显著的统计学意义（P〈0．001）；（2）超声弹性成像中乳腺癌病灶前方出现较宽红晕，纤维腺瘤红晕较细，部分沿着包膜分布。红晕宽度在乳腺癌和纤维腺瘤两组病例中具有统计学意义（P〈0．001），可以作为乳腺良恶性肿瘤鉴别的要点之一。结论超声弹性成像在乳腺实性肿瘤的诊断中具有独特优势和广阔的应用前景。     

Simplified follow-up of patients with mild chronic hepatitis C in areas with limited access to antiviral therapy

Background and aimsIn some areas of the world, antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is not available for all patients. The optimal interval for liver stiffness measures (LSM) and noninvasive scores to assess fibrosis progression has not been studied. We evaluated the usefulness of consecutive LSM, APRI, FIB-4 and Forns scores to predict disease progression.MethodsPatients with CHC and at least two annual LSM within 3 years were followed for a minimum of 5 years. Noninvasive scores were assessed. Evolution of LSM and scores were expressed as change/year (Delta).Results623 non-cirrhotic patients were included. Median baseline LSM was 6.6 kPa (IQR 5.4–8.4). During a median follow-up of 6 years, 61(9.7%) patients developed cirrhosis. Baseline LSM ≥ F2 and Forns ≥ 6.9 were the main predictors of cirrhosis (C-index 0.97). The addition of Delta variables did not improve its prediction. In patients with mild fibrosis (F0-1), progression to ≥F2 occurred in 80 (23%) within the first 3 years. Baseline BMI ≥ 24 kg/m² and LSM ≥ 5.9 kPa were associated to progression.ConclusionsBaseline LSM and Forns are highly predictive of cirrhosis development. In patients with mild CHC, BMI < 24 and LSM < 5.9, the likelihood of progression is very low, allowing for a significant spacing of noninvasive assessments over time.     

声速测算与压迫式弹性成像对乳腺肿物诊断价值的比较

目的 通过声速匹配技术测定乳腺肿物的声速(sound velocity,SV),比较声速与压迫式弹性成像对乳腺良恶性肿物鉴别诊断的价值.方法 对75例女性患者共99个乳腺肿物进行声速匹配技术检查,获得相应的声速匹配值(zone speed index,ZSI),进而得到病灶的SV.并对乳腺肿物进行压迫式弹性成像检查,获得相应的弹性图,用5分法判断良恶性.以病理结果作为金标准,构建ROC曲线,判断两种方法对乳腺病灶的诊断价值.结果 乳腺肿物的SV在良恶性组之间的差异具有统计学意义(P=0.0001).SV判断乳腺良恶性肿物的最佳临界点为1561 m/s,ROC曲线下面积为0.842,与压迫式弹性成像技术之间的差异有统计学意义(P=0.023).SV判断乳腺恶性病变的敏感性、特异性、准确性分别为81.5％、91.7％、88.9％,与压迫式弹性成像技术之间的差异无统计学意义(P=1.0,P=0.125,P=0.146).结论 SV法与压迫式弹性成像技术均对乳腺肿物良恶性判断有较高的诊断价值.     

组织弹性成像鉴别乳腺良恶性肿块的价值评估

目的评价组织弹性成像技术在鉴别诊断乳腺良恶性肿块中的价值.方法用组织弹性成像技术对175名患者的184个乳腺肿块进行良恶性的鉴别诊断,并与术后的病理结果进行对照.结果组织弹性成像技术对乳腺肿块的良恶性鉴别诊断准确性、灵敏度和特异度分别为78.8%(145/184),76.1%(51/67)和80.3%(94/117).结论组织弹性成像为超声鉴别诊断良恶性乳腺肿块提供了一个新的手段.尽管可能会增加一定数量的假阳性,但更重要的是弹性成像能有效地减少假阴性的发生.     

Non-Rigid Image Registration Based Strain Estimator for Intravascular Ultrasound Elastography

Intravascular ultrasound elastography (IVUSe) could improve the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease by revealing vulnerable plaques through their mechanical tissue properties. To improve the performance of IVUSe, we developed and implemented a non-rigid image-registration method to visualize the radial and circumferential component of strain within vascular tissues. We evaluated the algorithm's performance with four initialization schemes using simulated and experimentally acquired ultrasound images. Applying the registration method to radio-frequency (RF) echo frames improved the accuracy of displacements compared to when B-mode images were employed. However, strain elastograms measured from RF echo frames produce erroneous results when both the zero-initialization method and the mesh-refinement scheme were employed. For most strain levels, the cross-correlation-initialization method produced the best performance. The simulation study predicted that elastograms obtained from vessels with average strains in the range of 3%–5% should have high elastographic signal-to-noise ratio (SNRe)–on the order of 4.5 and 7.5 for the radial and circumferential components of strain, respectively. The preliminary in vivo validation study (phantom and an atherosclerotic rabbit) demonstrated that the non-rigid registration method could produce useful radial and circumferential strain elastograms under realistic physiologic conditions. The results of this investigation were sufficiently encouraging to warrant a more comprehensive in vivo validation.     

Renal Transplant Elasticity Ultrasound Imaging: Correlation Between Normalized Strain and Renal Cortical Fibrosis

After transplantation, over a widely variable time course, the cortex of the transplanted kidney becomes stiffer as interstitial fibrosis develops and renal function declines. Elasticity ultrasound imaging (EUI) has been used to assess biomechanical properties of tissue that change in hardness as a result of pathologic damage. We prospectively assessed the hardness of the renal cortex in renal transplant allograft patients using a normalized ultrasound strain procedure measuring quasi-static deformation, which was correlated with the grade of renal cortical fibrosis. To determine cortical strain, we used 2-D speckle-tracking software (EchoInsight, Epsilon Imaging, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) to perform offline analysis of stored ultrasound loops capturing deformation of renal cortex and its adjacent soft tissue produced by pressure applied using the scanning transducer. Normalized strain is defined as the mean developed strain in the renal cortex divided by the overall mean strain measured in the soft tissues from the abdominal wall to pelvic muscles. Using the Banff scoring criteria for renal cortical fibrosis as the gold standard, we classified 20 renal transplant allograft biopsy tissue samples into two groups: group 1 (n = 10) with mild (<25%) renal cortical fibrosis and group 2 (n = 10) with moderate (26%–50%) renal cortical fibrosis. An unpaired two-tailed t-test was used to determine the statistical difference in strains between patients with mild and those with moderate renal cortical fibrosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of developed strain and normalized strain in predicting moderate renal cortical fibrosis. The reference strain did not significantly differ between the two groups (p = 0.10). However, the developed renal cortical strain in group 1 with mild fibrosis was higher than that in group 2 with moderate fibrosis (p = 0.025). The normalized strain in group 1 was also higher than that in group 2 (p = 0.0014). The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for developed strain and normalized strain were 0.78 and 0.95, respectively. The optimal cutoff for distinguishing moderate renal cortical fibrosis was −0.08 for developed strain (sensitivity = 0.50, specificity = 1.0) and 2.5 for normalized strain (sensitivity = 0.80, specificity = 1.0). In summary, renal cortex strain is strongly correlated with grade of renal cortical fibrosis. Normalized strain is superior to developed strain in distinguishing moderate from mild renal cortical fibrosis. We conclude that free-hand real-time strain EUI may be useful in assessing the progression of cortical fibrosis in renal transplant allografts. Further prospective study using this method is warranted.     

超声弹性成像技术评估肝纤维化的临床价值

超声弹性成像技术已用于临床多种疾病的诊断与鉴别诊断,针对肝纤维化的定性及定量研究也已取得一定进展。本文就三种弹性成像技术:实时弹性成像、Fibroscan仪成像及脉冲声辐射力弹性成像在肝纤维化评估中的应用及新进展综述如下。     

Role of Bowel Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Follow-up of Patients with Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory chronic bowel disorder; it can involve the whole gastrointestinal tract, but its localization in the ileum or colon is most common. The reference standard for the diagnosis of CD is ileocolonoscopy with histologic assessment. The reference standard for the detection of any complications is surgery. However, imaging techniques have an important role both in the detection/localization of CD and in the follow-up of CD patients. In the last few years, the technical development of ultrasound equipment, the advent of new technologies such as elastography and mostly the increased expertise of sonographers have boosted the role of bowel ultrasound in assessment of the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, bowel ultrasound is particularly attractive thanks to its widespread availability, non-invasiveness, low cost and good reproducibility, as it can be easily repeated during follow-up. The aim of this article is to provide an extensive overview of the actual role of bowel ultrasound in the detection and follow-up of patients with CD.