Enhancing Lung Ultrasound Diagnostics: A Clinical Study on an Artificial Intelligence Tool for the Detection and Quantification of A-Lines and B-Lines.

A-lines and B-lines are key ultrasound markers that differentiate normal from abnormal lung conditions. A-lines are horizontal lines usually seen in normal aerated lungs, while B-lines are linear vertical artifacts associated with lung abnormalities such as pulmonary edema, infection, and COVID-19, where a higher number of B-lines indicates more severe pathology. This paper aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly released lung ultrasound AI tool (ExoLungAI) in the detection of A-lines and quantification/detection of B-lines to help clinicians in assessing pulmonary conditions.

DUETS for Light's in separating exudate from transudate.

Background: Fifty years since its inception, Light's criteria have aided in classifying pleural effusions (PEs) as exudates if 1 or more criteria are met. Thoracic ultrasound (US) emerges as a non-invasive technique for point of care use especially if pleural procedures are contemplated.

Objective: We aimed to develop a score based on radiological and US features that could separate exudates from transudates without serum and pleural fluid biochemical tests necessary for Light's criteria.

ACUE-Net: A novel predict-refine attention network for segmentation of soft-tissue structures in ultrasound images.

Segmentation of anatomical structures in ultrasound images is a challenging task due to existence of artifacts inherit to the modality such as speckle noise, attenuation, shadowing, uneven textures and blurred boundaries. This paper presents a novel attention-based predict-refine network, called ACUE-Net, for segmentation of soft-tissue structures in ultrasound images. The network consists of two modules: a predict module, which is built upon our newly proposed attentive coordinate convolution; and a novel multi-head residual refinement module, which consists of three parallel residual refinement modules.

Interobserver Variability of Hip Dysplasia Indices on Sweep Ultrasound for Novices, Experts, and Artificial Intelligence.

Background: Ultrasound for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is challenging for nonexperts to perform and interpret. Recording "sweep" images allows more complete hip assessment, suitable for automation by artificial intelligence (AI), but reliability has not been established. We assessed agreement between readers of varying experience and a commercial AI algorithm, in DDH detection from infant hip ultrasound sweeps.

Thyroid Nodule Segmentation and Classification Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network and Rule-based Classifiers.

Thyroid cancer has a high prevalence all over the world. Accurate thyroid nodule diagnosis can lead to effective treatment and decrease the mortality rate. Ultrasound imaging is a safe, portable, and inexpensive tool for thyroid nodule monitoring.

Integrating User-Input into Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Thyroid Nodule Segmentation.

Delineation of thyroid nodule boundaries is necessary for cancer risk assessment and accurate categorization of nodules. Clinicians often use manual or bounding-box approach for nodule assessment which leads to subjective results. Consequently, agreement in thyroid nodule categorization is poor even among experts.

Radiation exposure during computerized tomography-based neuroimaging for acute ischemic stroke: a case-control study.

Patients and clinicians often raise concerns about radiation exposure to various organs during computerized tomography-based imaging. We evaluated radiation exposure during standard and low-dose imaging protocols for non-contrast computerized tomography, computerized tomography angiography and computerized tomography perfusion of the head. Whether reducing the radiation dose affected the image quality was also evaluated.

Automated detection of pneumonia in lung ultrasound using deep video classification for COVID-19.

There is a crucial need for quick testing and diagnosis of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lung ultrasound is an imaging modality that is cost-effective, widely accessible, and can be used to diagnose acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with COVID-19. It can be used to find important characteristics in the images, including A-lines, B-lines, consolidation, and pleural effusion, which all inform the clinician in monitoring and diagnosing the disease.

Automated thyroid nodule detection from ultrasound imaging using deep convolutional neural networks.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer and its incidence has continuously increased worldwide. In this paper, we focus on the challenging problem of nodule detection from ultrasound scans. In current clinical practice, this task is performed manually, which is tedious, subjective and highly depends on the clinical experience of radiologists.

Imaging findings on contrast-enhanced ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and hybrid positron emission tomography in Takayasu arteritis: a case report.

This case report demonstrates the potential of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing active arterial wall inflammation in a symptomatic patient with Takayasu arteritis (TA). To our knowledge, this is the first case which demonstrates pictorial correlation of arterial wall neovascularity on CEUS with mural edema on magnetic resonance imaging and metabolic activity on positron emission tomography - computed tomography in the same patient. As TA is a chronic disease which requires long-term follow-up, CEUS could be the potential imaging modality of choice as it is radiation-free, non-nephrotoxic and easily available.

Ultrasound Guided Optoacoustic Tomography in Assessment of Tumor Margins for Lumpectomies.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of a handheld ultrasound-guided optoacoustic tomography (US-OT) probe developed for human deep-tissue imaging in ex vivo assessment of tumor margins postlumpectomy.

Methods: A custom-built two-dimensional (2D) US-OT-handheld probe was used to scan 15 lumpectomy breast specimens. Optoacoustic signals acquired at multiple wavelengths between 700 and 1100 nm were reconstructed using model linear algorithm, followed by spectral unmixing for lipid and deoxyhemoglobin (Hb).

Utilization of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of craniofacial osseous lesions: A case report.

A 14-year-old boy undergoing brain MRI had an incidental avidly enhancing lobulated lesion in the left superolateral orbital rim with associated cortical erosion. Apart from Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computed Tomography (CT), Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) was obtained prior to a biopsy. It provided additional information about the microvasculature and an orbital biopsy was subsequently performed through an upper eyelid crease incision with minimal blood loss and no postoperative complications.

Effect of a Soft Robotic Sock Device on Lower Extremity Rehabilitation Following Stroke: A Preliminary Clinical Study With Focus on Deep Vein Thrombosis Prevention.

Background And Objective: Immobility of the lower extremity due to medical conditions such as stroke can lead to medical complications such as deep vein thrombosis or ankle contracture, and thereafter prolonged recovery process of the patients. In this preliminary clinical study, we aimed to examine the effect of a novel soft robotic sock device, capable of providing assisted ankle exercise, in improving blood flow in the lower limb to prevent the complication of strokes such as deep vein thrombosis and joint contracture.

Methods: Stroke patients were recruited ( = 17) to compare patients using the conventional pneumatic compression device with our robotic sock device on separate days.

Pushing the limits of immune-related response: a case of "extreme pseudoprogression".

The advent of immune checkpoint targeted immunotherapy has seen a spectrum of immune-related phenomena in both tumor responses and toxicities. We describe a case of pseudoprogression that pushes the limits of immune-related response criteria and challenges the boundaries and definitions set by trial protocols. A middle-aged man with conventional clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) had received multiple prior systemic treatments including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as multiple surgeries and radiotherapy treatments.

Developmental Hip Dysplasia Diagnosis at Three-dimensional US: A Multicenter Study.

Purpose To validate accuracy of diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) from geometric properties of acetabular shape extracted from three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography (US). Materials and Methods In this retrospective multi-institutional study, 3D US was added to conventional two-dimensional (2D) US of 1728 infants (mean age, 67 days; age range, 3-238 days) evaluated for DDH from January 2013 to December 2016. Clinical diagnosis after more than 6 months follow-up was normal (n = 1347), borderline (Graf IIa, later normalizing spontaneously; n = 140) or dysplastic (Graf IIb or higher, n = 241).

Association between maternal mid-gestation vitamin D status and neonatal abdominal adiposity.

Objectives: Lower vitamin D status has been associated with adiposity in children through adults. However, the evidence of the impact of maternal vitamin-D status during pregnancy on offspring's adiposity is mixed. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between maternal vitamin-D [25(OH)D] status at mid-gestation and neonatal abdominal adipose tissue (AAT) compartments, particularly the deep subcutaneous adipose tissue linked with metabolic risk.

Establishment of institutional diagnostic reference level for computed tomography with automated dose-tracking software.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to establish institutional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) by summarising doses collected across the five computed tomography (CT) system in our institution.

Methods: CT dose data of 15940 patients were collected retrospectively from May 2015 to October 2015 in five institutional scanners. The mean, 75th percentile and 90th percentile of the dose spread were calculated according to anatomic region.

Abdominal adipose tissue compartments vary with ethnicity in Asian neonates: Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes birth cohort study.

Background: A susceptibility to metabolic diseases is associated with abdominal adipose tissue distribution and varies between ethnic groups. The distribution of abdominal adipose tissue at birth may give insights into whether ethnicity-associated variations in metabolic risk originate partly in utero.

Objective: We assessed the influence of ethnicity on abdominal adipose tissue compartments in Asian neonates in the Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes mother-offspring cohort.

Sonography of the Pediatric Chest.

Traditionally, pediatric chest diseases are evaluated with chest radiography. Due to advancements in technology, the use of sonography has broadened. It has now become an established radiation-free imaging tool that may supplement plain-film findings and, in certain cases, the first-line modality for evaluation of the pediatric chest.

The role of digestive factors in determining glycemic response in a multiethnic Asian population.

Purpose: There are wide inter-individual differences in glycemic response (GR). We aimed to examine key digestive parameters that influence inter-individual and ethnic differences in GR in healthy Asian individuals.

Methods: Seventy-five healthy male subjects (25 Chinese, 25 Malays, and 25 Asian-Indians) were served equivalent available carbohydrate amounts (50 g) of jasmine rice (JR) and basmati rice (BR) on separate occasions.

Peritoneal lymphomatosis mimicking peritoneal carcinomatosis: important imaging clues for correct diagnosis.

Peritoneal lymphomatosis, a rare presentation of lymphoma, can mimic peritoneal carcinomatosis. Computed tomography findings in both conditions include omental caking, as well as peritoneal enhancement, thickening and nodularity. We report three cases of peritoneal lymphomatosis and give an analysis of the salient imaging features that aided in the accurate diagnosis of the condition in each case.

Imaging of cancer predisposition syndromes in children.

The term cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS) encompasses a multitude of familial cancers in which a clear mode of inheritance can be established, although a specific gene defect has not been described in all cases. Advances in genetics and the development of new imaging techniques have led to better understanding and early detection of these syndromes and offer the potential for preclinical diagnosis of any associated tumors. As a result, imaging has become an essential component of the clinical approach to management of CPSs and the care of children suspected of having a CPS or with a confirmed diagnosis.

Neuroblastoma with primary pleural involvement: an unusual presentation.

Neuroblastomas are the most common neoplasms in infants. We report a 10-month-old who was diagnosed with thoracic neuroblastoma, with imaging showing unusual primary extension into the pleura, which might have an adverse staging and prognostic significance.