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Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of Color Doppler flowmetry in the prediction of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in high-risk pregnancies.Materials and method: A total of 62 high-risk pregnant women underwent Color Doppler flowmetric umbilical artery pulsatility index (PI), resistive index (RI) and systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio, middle cerebral artery PI, RI and S/D ratio, Ductus venosus S-wave/isovolumetric A-wave index (SIA) and vertebral artery RI at 23-27 weeks, 28-32 weeks and 32-36 weeks of their pregnancy. Cerebral-umbilical C/U PI, RI and S/D were evaluated at the third visit. All the pregnancies were followed up till delivery. Ponderal index <10 was considered to be indicative of IUGR. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 21.0.Results: Thirty-nine (62.9%) deliveries were IUGR. On all the three visits, umbilical artery, mean PI, RI and SD values were significantly higher while MCA PI, RI and SD values were significantly lower in IUGR as compared to non-IUGR cases. Third visit C/U PI, RI and SD ratio values were also significantly lower in IUGR as compared to non-IUGR cases. Ductus venosus SIA values did not show a significant difference between IUGR and non-IUGR groups. The vertebral artery resistive index was significantly higher in non-IUGR as compared to IUGR on all the visits. Umbilical artery PI was the most sensitive and specific for the prediction of IUGR at all the three visits, with the maximum sensitivity and specificity at the third visit (82.1% and 87%). Third visit C/U PI was most sensitive (82.1%) and specific (96.7%) for the prediction of IUGR.Conclusion: This showed that Doppler flowmetry is a useful method for the prediction of IUGR in high-risk pregnancies.

BackgroundDiagnosis of a supraspinatus tear in patients presenting with shoulder pain is a difficult task and often requires the help of an MRI. However, in recent years, high-resolution ultrasonography (USG) has been utilized as a cheaper yet sensitive alternative. The aim of the study is to provide a comparative assessment of supraspinatus tears between USG and MRI in relation to arthroscopic results.MethodsA total of 60 patients with shoulder pain for the last three months or more scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery for their shoulder disorder were enrolled; those having any congenital deformity of the shoulder or having any contradiction to an MRI were excluded from the assessment. All the patients underwent high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUSG) and MRI evaluation. Both the USG and MRI findings were correlated with the arthroscopic findings.ResultsOn ultrasonography, 34 (56.67%) full-thickness tears and 22 (36.67%) partial-thickness tears of the supraspinatus were detected. On MRI, 36 (60.0%) were diagnosed as a full-thickness tear and 20 (33.33%) as a partial-thickness tear. After arthroscopy, 36 (60.00%) were confirmed as a full-thickness tear and 20 (33.33%) as a partial-thickness tear of the supraspinatus. For a full-thickness tear, the sensitivity and specificity of USG and MRI were 95.0% and 92.5%, and 85% and 92.5%, respectively. For a full-thickness tear, the sensitivity and specificity of the modalities were 94.4% and 100%, respectively.ConclusionHRUSG and MRI both had high comparable accuracy for detection of a supraspinatus tear, however, HRUSG had an edge over MRI in the detection of a partial tear.

The objective of this article is to review the mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages of dual energy computed tomography (DECT) over conventional tomography (CT) in musculoskeletal imaging as DECT provides additional information about tissue composition and artifact reduction. This provides clinical utility in detection of urate crystals, bone marrow edema, reduction of beam hardening metallic artifact, and ligament and tendon analysis.