August 3, 2021 — European Journal of Ultrasound – Editorial
Abstract
The paper by Gasser et al in this issue compares the cost-effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a diagnostic option for indeterminate cystic renal lesions [1]. The cost-effectiveness of CEUS has also been investigated and reported recently by Spiesecke at al., adding contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) along with MR imaging, demonstrating the clear cost-effectiveness of CEUS [2]. An EFSUMB 2020 position statement, examining the evidence (read more…)

August 3, 2021 — European Journal of Ultrasound
Abstract
In recent years, the implementation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in clinical practice has opened new horizons in the arterial pathologies research field, since this technique is able to supply new sets of data that can be crucial in patient management. The main applications of CEUS in the arterial system are the detection, characterization, and follow-up of carotid plaques and endoleaks after EVAR. Other situations in which CEUS was demonstrated to be a useful (read more…)

August 2, 2021 — European Journal of Radiology
Abstract
In women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, preoperative staging is required to assess disease extent, enabling us to decide on the most optimal treatment strategy. For locoregional staging, assessment of intramammary tumor extent and presence of axillary and perhaps also internal mammary lymph node metastases is required. Due to the similarity in the underlying principle, contrast-enhanced mammography is increasingly considered instead of breast MRI for this purpose. When considering the combination of CEM (read more…)

August 1, 2021 — Diagnostics
Abstract
A 67-year-old male with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) was diagnosed with postoperative intrahepatic recurrence for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nine sessions of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) proved ineffective, and the patient was diagnosed as having TACE-refractory disease and received seven cycles of atezolizumab–bevacizumab combination therapy. After that, the patient developed hyperglycemia with the HbA1c elevation and the marked fasting serum C-peptide reduction and was diagnosed with developed immune-mediated diabetes (IMD) (T2DM exacerbation with insulin-dependent diabetes development). Subsequently, the (read more…)

August 1, 2021 — Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
Abstract
Intra-operative ultrasound has become a relevant imaging modality in neurosurgical procedures. While B-mode, with its intrinsic limitations, is still considered the primary ultrasound modality, intra-operative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (ioCEUS) has more recently emerged as a powerful tool in neurosurgery. Though still not used on a large scale, ioCEUS has proven its utility in defining tumor boundaries, identifying lesion vascular supply and mapping neurovascular architecture. Here we propose a step-by-step procedure for performing ioCEUS (read more…)

July 31, 2021 — Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management
Abstract
Aim
To compare the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography (CE-IOUS) with Kupffer phase in metastatic liver tumours.
Methods
Twenty-seven consecutive patients with liver metastasis were prospectively recruited from November 2019 to July 2020 in the Department of HPB, Beijing Hospital. MRI and Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) were obtained preoperatively, and the diagnosis was made by radiologists independently and blindly. Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) and CE-IOUS with Sonazoid were done by the same sophisticated surgeon and (read more…)

July 22, 2021 — Clinical Imaging
Abstract
Purpose
To report a new feature of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and its diagnostic performance for the prediction of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).
Methods
This retrospective study was conducted from October 2018 to March 2019, including 276 patients with 308 thyroid nodules who underwent CEUS examinations prior to surgery (90 patients, 122 nodules) or fine needle aspiration (186 patients, 186 nodules). Quantitative analysis of CEUS features was performed using time-intensity curves. After surgery, tissue sections stained with HE and (read more…)

July 21, 2021 — European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
Since the introduction of thrombolysis in the 1990s, significant changes have been made in thrombolytic agents and administration techniques. Numerous methods, such as ultrasound assisted thrombolysis, have been investigated to improve the results of the technique. The efficacy and associated complication rates have, nevertheless, remained unchanged. The aim of this study was to investigate an experimental ultrasound technique combined with microbubbles as a potential accelerator of conventional (read more…)

July 20, 2021 — European Journal of Clinical Investigation
Abstract
Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently recognized viral infective disease which can be complicated by acute respiratory stress syndrome (ARDS) and cardiovascular complications including severe arrhythmias, acute coronary syndromes, myocarditis and pulmonary embolism. The aim of the present study was to identify the clinical conditions and echocardiographic parameters associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19.
Methods
This is a multicentre retrospective observational study including seven Italian centres. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from 1 March (read more…)

July 13, 2021 — Digestive and Liver Disease
Abstract
Background
Standard B-mode EUS assessment and EUS-guided tissue acquisition present sub-optimal diagnostic yield in the differential diagnosis of gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs).
Aims
To evaluate the performances of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH-EUS) to differentiate gastric SMTs and predict malignancy risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed retrieving consecutive patients with gastric SMTs who underwent EUS between 2009 and 2014. Patients with available EUS video recordings and histological diagnosis were included. De-identified videos were (read more…)