The histologic grade of HCC is an important factor influencing therapeutic results with survival after radiofrequency ablation.

ObjectiveTo assess the utility of hysterosonography (HS) as a screening method in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) and HS for 105 patients whose diagnosis was confirmed pathologically. All 105 patients were initially evaluated on the same day with both TVS and HS. On TVS and HS examination, endometrial cavitary lesions were classified as diffuse hyperplasia, endometrial polyp, endometrial cancer, uterine synechia and submucosal leiomyoma. Hysteroscopy with biopsy (n=35), curettage (n=60) or hysterectomy (n=10) was performed, and the results of TVS and HS examination were correlated with the pathological findings.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity were 79.0% and 45.8% for TVS, and 95.1% and 83.3% for HS, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 83.0% and 39.3% for TVS, and 95.1% and 83.3% for HS, respectively. Twenty-seven showed a discrepancy between the TVS and HS, and eight cases showed a discrepancy between HS and the pathologic diagnosis.ConclusionTVS is a sensitive method to evaluate the endometrial cavitary lesions, but it often does not provide the physician with sufficient diagnostic information. With its higher sensitivities, specificities and positive and negative predictive values, HS can be better used than TVS in evaluating those patients with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Necrotizing pancreatitis is one of the rare complications of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Necrotizing pancreatitis after TACE may result from the development of ischemia caused by regurgitation of embolic materials into the vessels supplying the pancreas. We report a case of post-TACE necrotizing pancreatitis with abscess formation in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient had suffered hepatic artery injury due to repetitive TACE; during his 25th TACE procedure he had submitted to selective catheterization of the feeding vessel from the dorsal pancreatic artery with a cytotoxic agent and Gelfoam particles. The patient complained of abdominal pain after the TACE procedure, and a CT scan led to a diagnosis of necrotizing pancreatitis with abscess formation. The pancreatic abscess progressed despite general management of the pancreatitis, including antibiotics. Percutaneous catheter drainage was performed, and the symptoms of the patient improved.