Shear Wave Elastography in Assessing Spongiofibrosis of Urethral Stricture: Is It Clinically Useful?

Rationale And Objectives: To compare urethral stricture shear wave elastography (SWE) with normal areas and assess its association with other explanatory variables.

Subjects And Methods: we recruited all men with urethral stricture disease referred to our center between December 2021 and July 2023. Patients underwent SWE and elasticity in the stricture area, and one and three centimeters distant from the stricture were measured.

Evaluation of gallbladder contractility and Doppler findings in patients with irritable bowel syndrome; a case-control study.

Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder causing abdominal pain, altered bowel habits and bloating without structural issues. Gallbladder dysfunction may be linked to IBS due to disrupted cholecystokinin release. This study aims to assess gallbladder function and related hemodynamic parameters using Doppler ultrasound in IBS before and after meals.

Long and Short-term Metformin Consumption as a Potential Therapy to Prevent Complications of COVID-19.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of metformin in complication improvement of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial that involved 189 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Patients in the intervention group received metformin-500 mg twice daily.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis in a patient with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis: A case report.

Chronic gallbladder disease due to xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis is uncommon, and its symptoms are generally vague. While there is no firm evidence to link xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis to primary sclerosing cholangitis or ulcerative colitis. The patient is a 41-year-old male with a history of ulcerative colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and biliary stenting who complained of symptoms of anorexia, jaundice, and pruritus.

Fast and Accurate U-Net Model for Fetal Ultrasound Image Segmentation.

U-Net based algorithms, due to their complex computations, include limitations when they are used in clinical devices. In this paper, we addressed this problem through a novel U-Net based architecture that called fast and accurate U-Net for medical image segmentation task. The proposed fast and accurate U-Net model contains four tuned 2D-convolutional, 2D-transposed convolutional, and batch normalization layers as its main layers.

Relationship between chest CT scan findings with SOFA score, CRP, comorbidity, and mortality in ICU patients with COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, C-reactive protein (CRP), comorbidity, and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).

Method: Adult patients (≥18 years old) with COVID-19 who were consecutively admitted to the Imam-Reza Hospital, Tabriz, East-Azerbaijan Province, North-West of Iran between March 2020 and August 2020 were screened and total of 168 patients were included. Demographic, clinical, and mortality data were gathered.

Computed tomography imaging findings in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a descriptive study of 81 cases.

Purpose: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has proven to be a diagnostic challenge. Early studies have shown that computed tomography (CT) imaging may be useful in diagnosis of these patients. We aim to report CT findings in a series of hospitalized patients.

Diagnostic value of chest CT in Iranian patients with suspected COVID-19.

Background: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a rising need for a rapid and reliable diagnostic tool. We hypothesized that chest computed tomography (CT) can be a potential alternative for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of chest CT and RT-PCR in Iranian patients with suspected COVID-19.

Diagnostic Value of Elastography, Strain Ratio, and Elasticity to B-Mode Ratio and Color Doppler Ultrasonography in Breast Lesions.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of sonoelastography (SE), strain ratio (SR), elasticity to B-mode (E/B) ratio, and color Doppler ultrasonography (US) in suspected breast lesions.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was conducted on women referred to Alzahra university hospital of Tabriz for annual screening of breast cancer between May 2017 and December 2018. B-mode US, SE, and color Doppler imaging were conducted in females with suspected mammography reports.

Diagnostic performance of 64-MDCT in detecting ERCP-proven periampullary duodenal diverticula.

Aim: To determine the diagnostic performance of 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (64-MDCT) in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula.

Materials And Methods: Medical profiles of 120 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-proven patients with (n = 100) and without (n = 20) periampullary duodenal diverticula who had undergone 64-MDCT were retrospectively reviewed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 64-MDCT in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula were calculated.

Color Doppler imaging evaluation of blood flow parameters in ophthalmic and posterior ciliary arteries and optic nerve diameter in chronic optic neuritis in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background And Purpose: Optic neuritis (ON) is a common clinical manifestation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is associated with reduced visual acuity, blurred vision, blindness and retro-bulbar pain. In several studies, specific relations between optic nerve diameter and hemodynamics of the eye bulb arteries with ON have been reported. However, no consensus has been reached in this regard.

The Relationship between Carotid and Femoral Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Histopathologic Grade of Atherosclerosis in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background/aims: Variability in the grade of atherosclerosis among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) could affect the ultrasound measurements of intima media thickness (IMT). We sought to investigate IMTs of carotid (cIMT) and femoral (fIMT) arteries in CKD patients and assess the degree of their correlation with histopathological atherosclerosis.

Methods: Eighty-nine out of 99 enrolled subjects completed this study.

Renal Collecting System Anatomy in Living Kidney Donors by Computed Tomographic Urography: Protocol Accuracy Compared to Intravenous Pyelographic and Surgical Findings.

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of triple-bolus computed tomography urography (CTU) as a surrogate of intravenous pyelography (IVP) for determining the anatomy of the urinary collecting system in living kidney donors.

Materials And Methods: In an analytic descriptive cross-sectional study, 36 healthy kidney donors were recruited during 12 months. Preoperative IVP and CTU were utilized to evaluate kidneys' anatomy; major and minor calyces and variation were used as anatomical indices to compare the accuracy of CTU and IVP; the images were then compared to surgical findings.

The diagnostic performance of ultrasonographic optic nerve sheath diameter and color Doppler indices of the ophthalmic arteries in detecting elevated intracranial pressure.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement and color Doppler indices of the ophthalmic arteries in detecting elevated intracranial pressure (ICP).

Patients And Methods: A total 60 patients with (cases, n=30) and without (controls, n=30) acute clinical and computed tomographic findings of elevated ICP due to intracranial mass/hemorrhage were recruited from a teaching hospital. The mean binocular and maximum ultrasonographic ONSDs, as well as the mean binocular Doppler ultrasound waveform indices of the ophthalmic arteries including pulsatility index (PI), resistive index (RI), end-systolic velocity (ESV), peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) were compared between the two groups.

The utility of ultrasonographic bone age determination in detecting growth disturbances; a comparative study with the conventional radiographic technique.

Objective: To test whether the conventional radiographic technique in determining bone age abnormalities can be replaced by ultrasonography.

Materials And Methods: A total of 54 Caucasian subjects up to 7 years of age with clinically suspected growth problems underwent left hand and wrist radiographic and ultrasonographic bone age estimations with the use of the Greulich-Pyle atlas. The ultrasonographic scans targeted the ossification centers in the radius and ulna distal epiphysis, carpal bones, epiphyses of the first and third metacarpals, and epiphysis of the middle phalanx, as described in previous reports.

Serum and tissue endothelin-1 are independent from intima-media thickness of peripheral arteries in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Aim: We aimed to study the relationship of peripheral arteries' atherosclerosis with serum and tissue endothelin-1 in chronic kidney disease patients.

Methods: Ninety patients were enrolled, including 35 patients with chronic kidney disease (case group), 31 patients with coronary artery diseases who were candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting (positive control group), and 24 living kidney donors (negative control group). Intima-media thickness of the common carotid and femoral arteries was determined by ultrasonography.

Spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography in patients with acute pulmonary emboli and no pre-existing comorbidity: a prospective prognostic panel study.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic validity of the right ventricular to left ventricular diameter (RVD/LVD) ratio and Qanadli pulmonary artery obstruction score (PAOS) in hemodynamically stable patients with no pre-existing comorbidities.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with no previous comorbidity were recruited for this study. The RVD/LVD ratio was calculated based on axial image measurements obtained from contrast-enhanced non-electrocardiography-gated spiral computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiographic studies.

Hepatic Artery and Portal Vein Doppler Indexes in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Before and After Treatment to Prevent Unnecessary Health Care Costs.

Background: We tested whether hepatic haemodynamics assessed by Doppler ultrasonography can be a predictor of response to therapy in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to prevent further unnecessary diagnostic tests and interventions.

Methods: Forty eight consecutive patients affected by NAFLD, who refered to some clinics in Tabriz, Iran between 2009 and 2011 were included in the study. Response to therapy was assessed by decrease in liver enzyme levels.

Laryngeal ultrasonography versus cuff leak test in predicting postextubation stridor.

Introduction: Although cuff leak test has been proposed as a simple method of predicting the occurrence of postextubation stridor, cut-off point of cuff-leak volume substantially differs between previous studies. In addition, laryngeal ultrasonography including measurement of air column width could predict postextubation stridor. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the value of laryngeal ultrasonography versus cuff leak test in predicting postextubation stridor.

Diagnostic value of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.

Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE). Methods.

Atherosclerotic changes in common carotid artery, common femoral artery, and ascending aorta/aortic arch in candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

We assessed the association between common carotid and common femoral artery intima-media thickness (ccIMT and cfIMT, respectively), histopathologic severity of atherosclerosis in the ascending aorta/aortic arch, and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) in 150 candidates for elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). One-, 2-, and 3-vessel diseases were present in 20%, 25.9%, and 54.

Accuracy of 64-multidetector computed tomography in diagnosis of adnexal tumors.

Background: Adnexal cancers are in fifth place among the tumors with the highest mortality in the female population. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) on a 64-multislice CT scanner in the detection and differentiation of adnexal masses stages.

Methods: During the present prospective study, 95 women with a primary diagnosis of ovarian mass in base of clinical examination and ultrasonographic findings underwent preoperative evaluation by a 64-slice MDCT with a section thickness of 0.

Effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on fracture callus mineral density and flexural strength in rabbit tibial fresh fracture.

Background: Low-intensity ultrasound is a biophysical intervention on a fracture repair process. However, the effect of low-intensity ultrasound therapy on fracture healing is controversial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy on the fracture healing process, including mineral density and strength of callus using a rabbit model.

Remnant kidney function and size in living unrelated kidney donors after nephrectomy.

There are few published reports examining the extended outcome of donors after nephrectomy. The aim of present prospective study was to evaluate the changes of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and ultrasonographic kidney size in unrelated living kidney donors during post-nephrectomy period. Thirty nine unrelated living kidney donors were prospectively followed after nephrectomy.

Postnephrectomy changes in Doppler indexes of remnant kidney in unrelated kidney donors.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the intralobar renal arteries indexes using the Doppler ultrasonography indexes, which have become the established method of kidney monitoring, in living unrelated kidney donors during the postnephrectomy period.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, we evaluated and followed up 34 living unrelated kidney donors. The Doppler ultrasonography indexes, including resistive index, pulsatility index, and peak systolic velocity, along with the grey-scale ultrasonographic indexes of cortical thickness, length, and anteroposterior diameter of the kidney were determined before nephrectomy, and then, 1 week and 3 months after nephrectomy.