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Objectives This study aimed to clarify the accuracy of intraoral ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preoperative image depth of invasion (DOI) measurement of T1/T2 tongue cancer through comparison with histopathological measurements. Methods Imaging of the primary lesions was performed at our hospital; the lesions were classified into T1 and T2 based on the 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC, and surgery performed. There was histopathological confirmation of lesions as squamous cell carcinoma in 48 patients with tongue cancer. T3 and T4 cases, cases in which preoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapy were performed, and cases where biopsy was performed before imaging were excluded. The radiological DOI in US, CT, and MRI and the histopathological DOI as base were comparatively investigated and statistical analyses were performed by Bland–Altman analysis and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results Bland–Altman analysis showed that the US radiological DOI was overestimated by an average of 0.2 mm compared to the histopathological DOI, while CT and MRI radiological DOI were overestimated by an average of 2–3 mm. The comparison of CT and MRI revealed that the difference between the MRI and histopathological DOI, as well as the 95% limit of agreement, were smaller than those of the CT radiological DOI. Conclusions US is the most accurate preoperative diagnostic tool for T1 and T2 squamous cell carcinoma; CT and MRI tend to have an overestimation of about 2–3 mm and so caution is required.

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ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of PRP on Achilles tendon healing in rabbits during the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases by histological examination and quantitative assessments.MethodsFifty mature male Japanese albino rabbits with severed Achilles tendons were divided into two equal groups and treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or left untreated. Tendon tissue was harvested at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment, and sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and monoclonal antibodies against CD31 and type I collagen.ResultsCollagen fibers proliferated more densely early after severance, and subsequent remodeling of the collagen fibers and approximation of normal tendinous tissue occurred earlier in the PRP group than in the control group. The fibroblast number was significantly higher in the PRP group than in the control group at 1 and 2 weeks. Similarly, the area ratio of CD31-positive cells was significantly higher in the PRP group than in the control group at 1 and 2 weeks. Positive staining for type I collagen was more intense in the PRP group than in the control group after 3 weeks, indicating tendon maturation.ConclusionAdministration of PRP shortened the inflammatory phase and promoted tendon healing during the proliferative phase.

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In an evaluation of the diagnostic criteria for ultrasonography (US) of transient synovitis in children, in a prospective study, 34 consecutive children with a painful hip underwent US. The ultrasonographic joint space (UJS) and the effusion space were measured in both hips, and the width of the UJS thickness in the asymptomatic hips was compared with that in the symptomatic hips. US showed the presence of a joint effusion in 31 of the 34 children and a bilateral effusion in 3. The US diagnostic criterion for hip effusion consists of a UJS thickness difference >2.0 mm between asymptomatic and symptomatic hips. However, we found that 8 of the 31 UJS measurements compared between symptomatic hips and asymptomatic hips exhibited differences of <2 mm. We suggest that effusion space measurements are possible for accurate visualization of synovitis, rather than the recording of differences in UJS measurements between hips.

(1) Background: The impacts of metal artifacts (MAs) on the contouring workload for head and neck radiotherapy have not yet been clarified. Therefore, this study evaluated the relationship between the contouring time of the MAs area and MAs on head and neck radiotherapy treatment planning. (2) Methods: We used treatment planning computed tomography (CT) images for head and neck radiotherapy. MAs were classified into three severities by the percentage of CT images containing MAs: mild (<25%), moderate (25–75%), and severe (>75%). We randomly selected nine patients to evaluate the relationship between MAs and the contouring time of the MAs area. (3) Results: The contouring time of MAs showed moderate positive correlations with the MAs volume and the number of CT images containing MAs. Interobserver reliability of the extracted MAs volume and contouring time were excellent and poor, respectively. (4) Conclusions: Our study suggests that the contouring time of MAs areas is related to individual commitment rather than clinical experience. Therefore, the development of software combining metal artifact reduction methods with automatic contouring methods is necessary to reducing interobserver variability and contouring workload.