The Role of the Carotid Doppler Examination in the Evaluation of Atherosclerotic Changes in β-Thalassemia Patients.

Background: Iron overload in patients with beta-thalassemia major (BTM) lead to alterations in the arterial structures and the thickness of the carotid arteries. Doppler ultrasound scanning of extra-cranial internal carotid arteries is non-invasive and relatively quick to perform and may identify children at increased risk of stroke that would otherwise be missed. Increased carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT) is a structural marker for early atherosclerosis and correlates with the vascular risk factors and to the severity and extent of coronary artery disease.

Ultrasonographic findings of Achilles tendon and plantar fascia in patients with calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease.

The aims of the study were to detect the frequency of involvement of the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia in patients with calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) by high-frequency gray-scale ultrasonography (US) and power Doppler sonography (PDS) and to correlate these findings with demographic and clinical data. Two groups of patients were enrolled: group I (38 patients with CPPD) and group II (22 patients with knee OA). US/PDS examination of the heels was performed to both groups.

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of articular chondrocalcinosis.

To investigate the role of high-frequency ultrasonography in the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) calcifications, in the most commonly affected joints in CPPD disease. Sixty patients with knee effusion were included in the study. All patients underwent musculoskeletal ultrasonography (on the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and knee joints), radiological examination of the sites examined by US, and synovial fluid analysis (using polarized light microscopy).