Establishing a Methodology for Ultrasound Evaluation of Pharyngeal Residue in the Pyriform Sinus and Epiglottic Vallecula.

Background: Assessing the presence of pharyngeal residue in the pyriform sinus and epiglottic vallecula is important because insufficient pharyngeal clearance is a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia. Improvements in the performance of ultrasound to visualize the pyriform sinus and epiglottic vallecula are needed. The aim of this study was to establish a method to visualize the pyriform sinus and epiglottic vallecula with ultrasound to detect pharyngeal residue.

Development and evaluation of automated ultrasonographic detection of bladder diameter for estimation of bladder urine volume.

Bladder urine volume has been estimated using an ellipsoid method based on triaxial measurements of the bladder extrapolated from two-dimensional ultrasound images. This study aimed to automate this process and to determine the accuracy of the automated estimation method for normal and small amounts of urine. A training set of 81 pairs of transverse and longitudinal ultrasound images were collected from healthy volunteers on a tablet-type ultrasound device, and an automatic detection tool was developed using them.

[The evaluation of stored feces in elderly patients by ultrasonography: Three case studies].

Providing defecation care can be challenging because bowel movements cannot be directly observed in home-care settings, and the objective evaluation of constipation symptoms is difficult, particularly for elderly patients with cognitive impairment. We evaluated the use of rectal ultrasonography (US) to assess the properties and volume of feces in three cases with different fecal properties. Case 1: In a 94-year-old man with normal feces (Bristol stool score: BS type 4), rectal US revealed a crescent-shaped high-echo area without acoustic shadow that was present until the next defecation.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of changes over time in one defecation cycle in adults with functional constipation: A report of two cases.

We described fecal retention during the defecation cycles of adults with functional constipation via ultrasonography (US) of the large intestine. US was performed continuously after the last defecation until the next defecation. We defined the fecal finding level on US as follows: weak fecal retention, a marginally high echo in the colonic lumen; or strong fecal retention, a strongly echoic colon lumen with showing a crescent-shaped acoustic shadow on transverse images and haustrations on longitudinal images.

Assessment of rectal feces storage condition by a point-of-care pocket-size ultrasound device for healthy adult subjects: A preliminary study.

The aim of this study was to assess rectal feces storage condition by a pocket-size ultrasonography (PUS) in healthy adults so as to define normal rectal defecation desire. Participants were first assessed rectum by PUS imaging immediately after defecation desire (pre-defecation). Nurses checked the amount and quality of the participants' feces using King's Stool Chart and Bristol stool scale.