In this prospective study, the diagnostic value of real-time ultrasound elastography (USE) was evaluated in 51 consecutive patients referred for surgical treatment with single solid thyroid nodules < 10 mm in maximum diameter with an indeterminate result on B-mode and colour Doppler ultrasonography. Ultrasonographic results were compared with histopathological data. Nineteen follicular adenomas and 32 papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs) were observed. A real-time USE score of 4 − 5 diagnosed PTMCs with a sensitivity of 90.63%, a specificity of 89.47% and an accuracy of 90.20%. The positive and negative predictive values were 93.55% and 85.00%, respectively. It is concluded that real-time USE is a promising imaging technique that could assist in the differential diagnosis of single solid thyroid nodules < 10 mm in maximum diameter that give indeterminate results on conventional ultrasound.
This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between blood flow, using colour power Doppler flow imaging [CPDI], and protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as measured by optical density (OD), in breast tumours. Breast cancer patients were observed pre-operatively using CPDI and VEGF protein levels were quantified by immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between the two was studied. The relationship between tumour angiogenesis and axillary lymph node (LN) metastasis was also analysed.
Colour Doppler flow imaging was used in this prospective, cross-sectional study to analyse renal haemodynamics in 50 cirrhotic patients and 15 healthy controls. Mean renal arterial resistive index (RI) was higher in cirrhotic patients than in healthy controls. Mean RI was also higher in cirrhotic patients with non-refractory ascites than in those without ascites, suggesting that the degree of renal vasoconstriction varies with the severity of ascites. A gradient of RI values across the main renal artery, interlobar artery and interlobular renal artery was retained in cirrhotic patients even in the decompensatory stage with non-refractory ascites but was not present in the decompensatory stage with refractory ascites. The disappearance of this gradient may be an important prognostic factor in the development of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). An inverse correlation between creatinine clearance and interlobular arterial RI was shown for all cirrhotic patients suggesting that even patients with refractory ascites are in a prophase of HRS.
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