Comparison of Acute Lobar Nephronia and Acute Pyelonephritis in Children: A Single-Center Clinical Analysis in Southern Taiwan

BackgroundPatients with acute lobar nephronia (ALN) require a longer duration of antimicrobial treatment than those with acute pyelonephritis (APN), and ALN is associated with renal scarring. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of ALN by comparing the clinical features of pediatric patients with ALN and APN.MethodsWe enrolled all of the patients with ALN (confirmed by computed tomography) admitted to our hospital from 1999 to 2012 in the ALN group. In addition, each patient diagnosed with APN who was matched for sex, age, and admission date to each ALN patient was enrolled in the APN group. The medical charts of patients in these two groups were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed for comparison.ResultsThe fever duration after hospitalization in the ALN group and the APN group were 4.85 ± 2.33 days and 2.30 ± 1.47 days respectively. The microbiological distributions and the majority of susceptibilities were similar in the ALN and APN groups. The majority of clinical manifestations are nonspecific and unreliable for the differentiation of ALN and APN. The patients with ALN were febrile for longer after antimicrobial treatment, had more nausea/vomiting symptoms, higher neutrophil count, bandemia, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and lower platelet count (all p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, initial CRP levels, nausea/vomiting symptoms, and fever duration after admission were independent variables with statistical significance to predict ALN. Severe nephromegaly occurred significantly more in the ALN group than in the APN group (p = 0.022).ConclusionThe majority of clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and microbiological features are similar between patients with ALN and APN. Clinicians should keep a high index of suspicion regarding ALN, particularly for those with ultrasonographic nephromegaly, initial higher CRP, nausea/vomiting, and fever for > 5 days after antimicrobial treatment

Imaging findings of primary urachal actinomycosis

Primary actinomycosis in urachal remnant is documented rarely in the English literature. The disease is usually misdiagnosed as urachal carcinoma because of its infiltrating and enhancing natures. We illustrate a case of urachal actinomycosis with ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images. The clinical, radiological, and pathological findings are reviewed. Some imaging findings may help us to differentiate an inflammatory process from malignancy

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome – Findings on Multi-Detector Row Computerized Tomography: A Case Report

Chronic pelvic pain is a common gynecologic complaint, sometimes without any obvious etiology. We report a case of pelvic congestion syndrome with chronic pelvic pain. The diagnosis can be overlooked by clinical physicians but diagnosed using multi-detector row computerized tomography. This method seems to be an effective and non-invasive imaging modality

The Adjunctive Digital Breast Tomosynthesis in Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Purpose. To compare the diagnostic performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and digital mammography (DM) for breast cancers. Materials and Methods. Fifty-seven female patients with pathologically proved breast cancer were enrolled. Three readers gave a subjective assessment superiority of the index lesions (mass, focal asymmetry, architectural distortion, or calcifications) and a forced BIRADS score, based on DM reading alone and with additional DBT information. The relevance between BIRADS category and index lesions of breast cancer was compared by chi-square test. Result. A total of 59 breast cancers were reviewed, including 17 (28.8%) mass lesions, 12 (20.3%) focal asymmetry/density, 6 (10.2%) architecture distortion, 23 (39.0%) calcifications, and 1 (1.7%) intracystic tumor. Combo DBT was perceived to be more informative in 58.8% mass lesions, 83.3% density, 94.4% architecture distortion, and only 11.6% calcifications. As to the forced BIRADS score, 84.4% BIRADS 0 on DM was upgraded to BIRADS 4 or 5 on DBT, whereas only 27.3% BIRADS 4A on DM was upgraded on DBT, as BIRADS 4A lesions were mostly calcifications. A significant P value (<0.001) between the BIRADS category and index lesions was noted. Conclusion. Adjunctive DBT gives exquisite information for mass lesion, focal asymmetry, and/or architecture distortion to improve the diagnostic performance in mammography

Assessment of Blood Flow in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Correlations of Computed Tomography Perfusion Imaging and Circulating Angiogenic Factors

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascular tumor through the process of angiogenesis. To evaluate more non-invasive techniques for assessment of blood flow (BF) in HCC, this study examined the relationships between BF of HCC measured by computer tomography (CT) perfusion imaging and four circulating angiogenic factors in HCC patients. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) in plasma were measured using Bio-Plex multiplex immunoassay in 21 HCC patients and eight healthy controls. Circulating IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF showed higher concentrations in HCC patients than in controls (p &lt; 0.05), and predicted HCC occurrence better than chance (p &lt; 0.01). Twenty-one patients with HCC received 21-phase liver imaging using a 64-slice CT. Total BF, arterial BF, portal BF, arterial fraction (arterial BF/total BF) of the HCC and surrounding liver parenchyma, and HCC-parenchyma ratio were measured using a dual-vessel model. After analyzing the correlations between BF in HCC and four circulating angiogenic factors, we found that the HCC-parenchyma ratio of arterial BF showed a significantly positive correlation with the level of circulating IL-8 (p &lt; 0.05). This circulating biomarker, IL-8, provides a non-invasive tool for assessment of BF in HCC

Ultrasound-guided compression repair of peripheral artery pseudoaneurysm: 8 years’ experience of a single institute

Background: Femoral artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication but with increasing frequency nowadays due to the advances of endovascular intervention. Rare cases of brachial orpopliteal artery pseudoaneurysms had ever been reported and the predictive factors of failed ultrasound-guided compression repair (UGCR) are controversial. Methods: During the past 8 years, 21 patients (12 males and nine females; median age, 64 years) with peripheral pseudoaneurysms (femoral artery, n = 17; brachial artery, n = 3; popliteal artery, n = 1) were enrolled. A high frequency of 10–12 MHz color ultrasound was used to evaluate the presence of a pseudoaneurysm. The area of the pseudoaneurysm sac and the width and length of the pseudoaneurysm neck were recorded. Under real-time ultrasound guiding, gradual pressure was applied with the probe to obliterate flow in the pseudoaneurysm neck while still allowing flow through the supplying artery for approximately 10–15 minutes with at most three times (45 minutes’ compression). Follow-up color sonography was obtained at 24 hours to detect any recurrence. Results: The mean area and the largest dimension of the 21 pseudoaneurysms were 7.3 ± 6.5 cm2 and 3.6 ± 1.8 cm, respectively. The mean width and the mean length of the pseudoaneurysm neck were 2.1 ± 0.9 and 3.3 ± 2.0 mm, respectively. Successful thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm was achieved in 19(90.5%) patients. The mean compression time of the 19 successful UGCR was 21.2 ± 11.0 minutes. Two patients failed the UGCR procedure after a 45-minute compression. Both of the two pseudoaneurysms were located in the femoral artery with a large width of the pseudoaneurysm neck (4 and 5 mm, respectively). Conclusion: UGCR is a safe and cost-effective therapy for treating peripheral pseudoaneurysms of not only femoral artery, but also brachial artery and popliteal artery. We considered the width of the pseudoaneurysm neck to be the predictive factor of technical success

Easily recognizable sonographic patterns of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a malignant proliferation of ductal epithelium confined by the basement membrane of the involved breast ducts. The aim of this study was to categorize positive findings of DCIS of the breast on sonography. Methods: From 2007 to 2011, 100 pathologically proven DCIS lesions were evaluated. Four sonographic patterns used to identify DCIS have been characterized as cumulus-type, coral-type, pipe-type, and miscellaneous lesions. Results: The lesion numbers of nonhigh-grade and high-grade DCIS were 44 and 56, respectively. The coral type (42%) was the most commonly found lesion, followed by cumulus-type (38%), pipe-type (17%), and miscellaneous (3%) lesions. There was no significant difference between the sonographic pattern and nuclear grades. However, the coral-type group was composed of significantly more high-grade DCIS cases than the other three types (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Coral-, cumulus-, and pipe-type lesions are three easily recognizable sonographic findings of DCIS. Improving the breast ultrasound technique to better demonstrate the sonographic pattern is necessary to facilitate breast lesion interpretation

Kinetic patterns of benign and malignant breast lesions on contrast enhanced digital mammogram.

PurposeTo evaluate the kinetic patterns of benign and malignant breast lesions using contrast-enhanced digital mammogram (CEDM).MethodsWomen with suspicious breast lesions on mammography or ultrasound were enrolled. Single-view mediolateral oblique (MLO) CEDM of an affected breast was acquired at 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10 min after injection of contrast agent. Three readers visually and semi-quantitatively analyzed the enhancement of suspicious lesions. The kinetic pattern of each lesion was classified as persistent, plateau, or washout over two time intervals, 2-4 min and 2-10 min, by comparing the signal intensity at the first time interval with that at the second.ResultsThere were 73 malignant and 75 benign lesions in 148 patients (mean age: 52 years). Benign and malignant breast lesions showed the highest signal intensity at 3 min and 2 min, respectively. Average areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for diagnostic accuracy based on lesion enhancement at different time points were 0.73 at 2 min, 0.72 at 3 min, 0.69 at 4 min, 0.67 at 7 min, and 0.64 at 10 min. Diagnostic performance was significantly better at 2, 3, and 4 min than at 7 and 10 min (all p ConclusionApplications of optimal time intervals and kinetic patterns show promise in differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions on CEDM