Does Quantification of Carotid Plaque Surface Irregularities Better Detect Symptomatic Plaques Compared to the Subjective Classification?

Objectives: To evaluate the interobserver agreement of color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for quantification of carotid plaque surface irregularities and to correlate objective and subjective measures with stroke occurrence.

Methods: This work was an observational study involving 54 patients with 62 internal carotid artery or carotid bulb plaques (31 symptomatic) undergoing CDUS and CEUS between February 2016 and February 2018, with retrospective interpretation of prospectively acquired data. Plaques were included if causing moderate (50%-69%) or severe (70%-99%) stenosis based on velocity criteria, and their surface was classified as smooth, irregular, or ulcerated based on CEUS.

A comparative study of color Doppler imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the detection of ulceration in patients with carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of color Doppler imaging (CDI) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for diagnosing carotid ulceration, having multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) as the reference method.

Methods: Patients with carotid disease referred for ultrasound (US), either due to the occurrence of neurovascular symptoms or for screening purposes, were included in this study if at least one plaque causing moderate (50-69%) or severe (70-99%) internal carotid artery stenosis was detected. Carotid US with CDI technique, CEUS, and MDCTA were performed in all patients, investigating the presence of ulceration.

Fountain's Sign as a Diagnostic Key in Acute Idiopathic Scrotal Edema: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

The acute idiopathic scrotal edema (AISE) is a self-limited disease of unknown etiology, characterized by edema and erythema of the scrotum and the dartos, without expansion to the underlying layers of scrotum's wall or to the endoscrotal structures. Boys younger than 10 years old are usually involved in 60-90% of all cases. Diagnosis is made after exclusion of other causes of acute scrotum.

Multiparametric ultrasound findings in a patient with polyorchidism.

Polyorchidism is a rare condition usually incidentally discovered in young patients investigated with ultrasound for unrelated reasons. It is characterized by the presence of unilateral or, rarely, bilateral supernumerary testes which, depending on the type of polyorchidism, may have their own epididymis and vas deferens. Ultrasound, including B-mode and color Doppler technique, represents the primary imaging modality for the evaluation of scrotal diseases, including the characterization of supernumerary testes, which normally appear identical to the ipsilateral testicular parenchyma on every ultrasonographic technique performed.

Acute primary mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus in a 6 years old child; the contribution of ultrasonographic findings to the prompt diagnosis (a case report and review of the literature).

The aim of the present case study is to raise concern on the proper diagnostic approach of acute gastric volvulus (AGV) cases, in which, the key issue is the timely diagnosis and the prompt therapeutic intervention. After thorough and systematic research of the current literature, it is concluded that early diagnosis remains challenging, while there is no relevant publication with emphasis on the contribution of ultrasonography to the diagnostic documentation of AGV. A 6 years old boy was admitted to our Department due to repeatedly non bilious vomiting and food refusal during the last 72 hours before admission.

Nonobliteration of the Processus Vaginalis: Sonography of Related Abnormalities in Children.

The objective of this pictorial essay is to systematically classify processus vaginalis-related disorders in the light of embryology and present illustrative sonograms with corresponding diagrams. Failure of the processus vaginalis to obliterate during gestation results in a wide spectrum of anomalies, including communicating and noncommunicating hydroceles and inguinal and inguinoscrotal hernias, along with other related disorders of the genital system. There are varying classifications in the literature regarding the aforementioned entities.

Swirling of microbubbles: Demonstration of a new finding of carotid plaque ulceration on contrast-enhanced ultrasound explaining the arterio-arterial embolism mechanism.

Carotid plaque ulceration is a well-established feature of vulnerability, associated with high risk for neurological symptoms. From a pathogenetic point of view, the mechanism responsible for occurrence of symptomatology relies on the aggregation of platelets within the ulcer cavity, activation of coagulation mechanism, formation of thrombus and arterio-arterial embolization of thrombotic material in the central nervous system. Many imaging modalities including unenhanced ultrasound, computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography have been used to image and diagnose carotid plaque ulceration with varying success.

Nonobliteration of the Processus Vaginalis. Sonography of Related Abnormalities in Children.

The objective of this pictorial essay is to systematically classify processus vaginalis– related disorders in the light of embryology and present illustrative sonograms with corresponding diagrams. Failure of the processus vaginalis to obliterate during gestation results in a wide spectrum of anomalies, including communicating and noncommunicating hydroceles and inguinal and inguinoscrotal hernias, along with other related disorders of the genital system. There are varying classifications in the literature regarding the aforementioned entities.

Similarity Search of Flexible 3D Molecules Combining Local and Global Shape Descriptors.

In this paper, a framework for shape-based similarity search of 3D molecular structures is presented. The proposed framework exploits simultaneously the discriminative capabilities of a global, a local, and a hybrid local-global shape feature to produce a geometric descriptor that achieves higher retrieval accuracy than each feature does separately. Global and hybrid features are extracted using pairwise computations of diffusion distances between the points of the molecular surface, while the local feature is based on accumulating pairwise relations among oriented surface points into local histograms.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the carotids.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the carotids has recently emerged as a complementary examination to conventional carotid Doppler ultrasonography. It is an examination providing improved visualization of the vascular lumen, more accurate and detailed delineation of the vascular wall, and identification of atherosclerotic plaques. Moreover, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography has specific advantages over conventional ultrasonography and plays an important role in the diagnosis of the vulnerable carotid plaque, as it can identify intraplaque neovascularization and carotid plaque ulceration.

Sonography of the scrotum: from appendages to scrotolithiasis.

In this pictorial essay, we review and discuss the varying morphologic characteristics of scrotal appendages and calculi. Characteristic sonograms obtained from patients with coexisting hydrocele are presented, and recent literature is included. Hydrocele greatly facilitates the imaging of these intrascrotal structures, as it acts as a "water path".

Ultrasonography of the healing process during a 3-month follow-up after a splenic injury.

We present a 14-year-old boy with a grade III splenic injury due to a bicycle accident, who was treated conservatively. The boy's medical history included splenomegaly due to thalassemia. The splenic lesion was initially investigated with computed tomography (CT) and then, was followed by ultrasonography for 3 months.

Imaging of the malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour with emphasis οn ultrasonography: correlation with MRI.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours affect 0.001 % of the population. The epithelioid subtype accounts for only 5 % of them.

Two congenital anomalies in one: an ectopic gallbladder with phrygian cap deformity.

The gallbladder is affected by a large number of congenital anomalies, which may affect its location, number, size, or form. Some of these malformations are very rare and may lead to misdiagnosis. An ectopic gallbladder can be misinterpreted as agenesis of the organ or as a cystic hepatic mass when intrahepatic.