Initial experiences with dynamic, quality indicator-based multimodal tissue analysis (M-Ref) with parallel assessment of viscosity and shear wave elastography in liver parenchyma alterations1.

Background And Objective: Modern ultrasound technology enables detailed tissue morphology analysis. A novel approach involves measuring viscoelasticity or viscosity. This pilot study investigates the potential of a novel high-end ultrasound system with dynamic quality indicators and the M-Ref tool.

LiMAx test and ultrasound elastography to measure biomarkers of declining liver function in patients with liver fibrosis: A correlation analysis.

Background: Monitoring liver changes is crucial in the management of liver fibrosis. Current diagnostic methods include liver function tests such as the Liver Maximum Capacity (LiMAx) test and measurements of liver stiffness. While the LiMAx test quantifies liver function through 13C-methacetin metabolism, ultrasound (US) elastography noninvasively assesses liver stiffness.

Dynamic Contrast Ultrasound Diagnostics (CEUS) of Liver Lesions and Post-treatment Control with A New High-resolution Examination Technique (HiFR) and Perfusion.

Background And Aims: To evaluate, if high frame rate (HiFR) contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and external perfusion analysis (VueBox®)can give answers on liver tumour diagnostics.

Methods: A multifrequency probe (C1-6 /Resona R9) and 1-2.4 ml ultrasound contrast medium were used for CEUS up to 5-6 min.

Utility of Ultrasound-Guided Attenuation Parameter (UGAP) in Renal Angiomyolipoma (AML): First Results.

Angiomyolipoma (AML) are the most common benign solid renal mass. Differentiation from malignant tumours is essential. Imaging features in ultrasound may overlap between malignant lesions, especially between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and AML.

Handheld ultrasound for portal vein evaluation in pediatric patients.

Objective: To assess diagnostic capabilities of a modern handheld ultrasound device (HUD) for portal vein (PV) evaluation in pediatric patients and to verify if age, body mass index (BMI) and object depth correlate to imagequality.

Methods: 45 patients (3.9 months- 17.

Use of a handheld system for interventional ultrasound with puncture and biopsy in an in vitro liver model.

Background And Objective: Ultrasound-guided interventions (such as biopsies) of unclear lesions are indicated if microcirculatory changes indicate possible malignant lesions. These place high demands on the ultrasound device used. In order to potentially reduce the often associated high technical effort, the wireless ultrasound device Vscan AirTM was examined as a possible ultrasound device for the intervention biopsy.

Performance of Intraoperative Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (Io-CEUS) in the Diagnosis of Primary Lung Cancer.

Background: Suspicious tumors of the lung require specific staging, intraoperative detection, and histological confirmation. We performed an intrathoracic, intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (Io-CEUS) for characterization of lung cancer.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the application of Io-CEUS in thoracic surgery for patients with operable lung cancer.

The impact of V-flow on preoperative diagnosis of thyroid tumors: individually and as part of multimodal sonographic imaging.

V-flow is a dynamic ultrasound technique that visualizes perfusion patterns by displaying dynamic arrows that change in response to the flow of erythrocytes. Furthermore, it provides quantitative values for the maximum and mean velocity of blood flow as well as a percentage value for turbulence. The aim was to enhance the preoperative diagnostic accuracy of thyroid lesions by combining V-flow with established ultrasound modes.

High-resolution Visualization of Intestinal Microcirculation using Ultra-microangiography in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Pilot Study.

Background And Aims: Ultra-microangiography (UMA) is a novel Doppler technique with optimized wall filtering that provides high sensitivity to low-velocity blood flows and optimized visualization of microcirculation. The aim of this pilot study was to compare intestinal vascularization assessed by color Doppler signals (CDS) and UMA.

Methods: We investigated intestinal vascularization using UMA and CDS in 13 patients with confirmed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Smart scanning: automatic detection of superficially located lymph nodes using ultrasound - initial results.

Over the last few years, there has been an increasing focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into existing imaging systems. This also applies to ultrasound. There are already applications for thyroid and breast lesions that enable AI-assisted sonography directly on the device.

Novel high-resolution contrast agent ultrasound techniques HiFR CEUS and SR CEUS in combination with shear wave elastography, fat assessment and viscosity of liver parenchymal changes and tumors.

Background: The continuous development of ultrasound techniques increasingly enables better description and visualization of unclear lesions. New ultrasound systems must be evaluated with regard to all these diagnostic possibilities.

Methods: A multifrequency C1-7 convex probe (SC7-1M) with the new high-end system Resona A20 Series was used.

Intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound has an outcome-relevant impact on surgery of primary and metastatic liver lesions.

Purpose: Complete resection of the affected tissue remains the best curative treatment option for liver-derived tumors and colorectal liver metastases. In addition to preoperative cross-sectional imaging, contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasound (CE-IOUS) plays a crucial role in the detection and localization of all liver lesions. However, its exact role is unclear.

Color Mapping using Ultrasound System-integrated Perfusion Software for Evaluation of Focal Liver Lesions: A Possible First Step for More Independent Reading.

Aims: To assess the value of using integrated parametric ultrasound software for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of liver tumors.

Methods: 107 patients with liver tumors were studied. CEUS were performed to detect focal lesions.

Wireless handheld ultrasound for internal jugular vein assessment in pediatric patients.

Background: Rapid evolution of ultrasound technology has allowed widespread use of handheld ultrasound devices (HHUDs) for many possible applications. Along with the adult population, the use of HHUDs for Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in pediatric medicine has been increasing over the last few years. However, pediatric-specific literature is still scarce on mobile vascular ultrasound.

EFSUMB Technical Review - Update 2023: Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (DCE-CEUS) for the Quantification of Tumor Perfusion.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) is a technique to quantify tissue perfusion based on phase-specific enhancement after the injection of microbubble contrast agents for diagnostic ultrasound. The guidelines of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) published in 2004 and updated in 2008, 2011, and 2020 focused on the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), including essential technical requirements, training, investigational procedures and steps, guidance regarding image interpretation, established and recommended clinical indications, and safety considerations. However, the quantification of phase-specific enhancement patterns acquired with ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) is not discussed here.

Comparison of wireless handheld ultrasound and high-end ultrasound in pediatric patients with venous malformations - First results.

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of handheld ultrasound in comparison with high-end ultrasound for lesion evaluation before and after sclerotherapy in pediatric patients with venous malformations (VMs).

Material And Methods: 10 pediatric patients prior to and after sclerotherapy were scanned by an experienced examiner using handheld ultrasound (Vscan AirTM) and high-end ultrasound (LOGIQ E9/E10) as reference. Patients with associated venous thromboses and intralesional aneurysms had been excluded.

Intraoperative ultrasound in minimally invasive thoracic surgery for the detection of pulmonary tumors: First intrathoracic application of TE9 and laparoscopic probe Lap 13-4cs (Mindray).

Aim: To apply intraoperative ultrasound (IO-US) for the first time using a laparascopic probe to detect malignancy-susceptible solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) and assess macrovascularization using color-coded doppler sonography or power doppler. Description of technical feasibility.

Methods: Technical description on intrathoracic endoscopic ultrasound.

Initial description of the novel handheld wireless ultrasound device TE Air with Doppler and Color Duplex imaging.

Objective: To test and initially describe a new handheld wireless ultrasound technique (TE Air) for clinical use.

Methods: In this pilot study, the new ultrasound device TE Air from Mindray was used to examine the hepatic and renal vessels of healthy volunteers for first impressions. The probe has a sector transducer with a frequency range of 1.

Different Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography Techniques as Novel Imaging-Based Approaches for Quantitative Evaluation of Hepatic Steatosis-Preliminary Findings.

Background: Modern ultrasound (US) shear-wave dispersion (SWD) and attenuation imaging (ATI) can be used to quantify changes in the viscosity and signal attenuation of the liver parenchyma, which are altered in hepatic steatosis. We aimed to evaluate modern shear-wave elastography (SWE), SWD and ATI for the assessment of hepatic steatosis.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the US data of 15 patients who underwent liver USs and MRIs for the evaluation of parenchymal disease/liver lesions.

Wireless handheld focused ultrasound in student teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: Initial results of a pilot study1.

Objective: The study aim was to investigate the use of a novel device, the Vscan Air™, for rapidly and effectively performing ultrasound in student teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material And Methods: As part of the ultrasound practical course with integrated hands-on activity required by the regular medical curriculum, 100 medical students were instructed in the use of the Vscan Air™, including duplex mode. They then evaluated the quality of the ultrasound images obtained by the Vscan Air™ from previously selected organs.

Factors influencing the time-intensity curve analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in kidney transplanted patients: Toward a standardized contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination.

Background: Time-intensity curve analysis (TIC analysis) based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) provides quantifiable information about the microcirculation of different tissues. TIC analysis of kidney transplantations is still a field of research, and standardized study protocols are missing though being mandatory for the interpretation of TIC parameters in the clinical context. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different sizes and forms of regions of interest (ROIs) on the variance of different TIC parameters and the level of interoperator variance between the different ROI methods in kidney transplantations.

Multiparametric Ultrasound of Cervical Lymph Node Metastases in Head and Neck Cancer for Planning Non-Surgical Therapy.

Background: We aimed to evaluate multiparametric ultrasound, to achieve a better understanding of the baseline characteristics of suspected cervical lymph node metastases in head and neck cancer before induction chemotherapy or chemoradiation.

Methods: From February 2020 to April 2021, our complete ultrasound examination protocol was carried out on clinically evident malignant lymph nodes of histologically proven HNSCC in the pre-therapeutic setting.

Results: A total of 13 patients were eligible for analysis.

Using High-Resolution Ultrasound to Assess Post-Facial Paralysis Synkinesis-Machine Settings and Technical Aspects for Facial Surgeons.

Background: Synkinesis of the facial musculature is a detrimental sequalae in post-paralytic facial palsy (PPFP) patients. Detailed knowledge on the technical requirements and device properties in a high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) examination is mandatory for a reliable facial muscle assessment in PPFP patients. We therefore aimed to outline the key steps in a HRUS examination and extract an optimized workflow schema.

Concepts in the Establishment of Interdisciplinary Ultrasound Centers: The Role of Radiology.

Background: Ultrasound (US) is widely used as a fast and cost-efficient first-choice imaging technique without relevant side effects for a variety of diagnostic tasks. Due to technical advances, more complex and sophisticated methods such as color-coded duplex ultrasound, image fusion, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and ultrasound-guided interventions have become increasingly important in diagnostic algorithms.

Method: This study presents an overview of all aspects regarding the establishing of an interdisciplinary US center based on five representative examples in Germany.

Ultrasound features of abdominal thrombosis in COVID 19 patients.

Purpose: Abdominal thromboses are a poorly characterized thrombotic complication of COVID-19. The aim of this paper is to report multimodality ultrasound imaging findings of the abdomen in evaluation of thrombotic lesions in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Patients & Methods: In this retrospective observational study, patients admitted to a single University Hospital from April 1, 2020 to April 30, 2022, who tested positive for COVID-19 and developed acute abdominal pain over the course of hospitalization were included.