Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Tissue Doppler imaging of the diaphragm and outcome of weaning from mechanical ventilation","authors":"Shaobo Xin,&nbsp;Yingjia Li,&nbsp;Rui Liu,&nbsp;Xiaozhen Liu,&nbsp;Shaoqing Cai","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12389","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12389","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Purpose</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to employ tissue Doppler imaging to monitor diaphragmatic peak velocity and acceleration during contraction and relaxation in mechanically ventilated patients, with the objective of assessing the potential utility of this technique in predicting weaning outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 89 adult subjects were recruited in this study. After 30 min of spontaneous breathing trial, the diaphragm motion parameters, including peak contraction velocity, peak relaxation velocity, contraction acceleration and relaxation acceleration, were measured in real time using tissue Doppler imaging. According to the results of weaning, the patients were divided into successful weaning group and failed weaning group. The differences of diaphragmatic tissue Doppler imaging monitoring indicators between the two groups were analysed, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to analyse the value of each ultrasound parameter in predicting weaning.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the successful weaning group, there were 61 subjects, while in the failed weaning group, there were 28 subjects. The peak contraction velocity, peak relaxation velocity, contraction acceleration and relaxation acceleration of the diaphragm were significantly higher in the failed weaning group compared to the successful weaning group (P &lt; 0.05). The area under the curve of diaphragmatic peak contraction velocity, peak relaxation velocity, diaphragmatic contraction acceleration and diaphragmatic relaxation acceleration were 0.81 (0.72–0.91), 0.85 (0.77–0.93), 0.74 (0.63–0.86) and 0.86 (0.78–0.94), respectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The diaphragm ultrasonic tissue Doppler imaging variables can serve as predictive indicators for weaning mechanical ventilation in patients, thus providing an effective tool to assist critical care physicians in determining the optimal timing for weaning mechanical ventilation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 3","pages":"159-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12389","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141007245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of the liver with two-dimensional shear wave elastography following COVID-19 infection: A pilot study","authors":"Joyce Yea See Lau,&nbsp;Sandra O'Hara,&nbsp;Paul Lombardo,&nbsp;Melinda Goodyear","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12390","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12390","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Introduction/Purpose&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a widely spread viral infectious disease, which can impact multiple organs, including the liver. Elevated liver enzymes have been reported in COVID-19 patients; however, potential changes in liver stiffness following the viral infection remain uncertain. The main aim of this pilot study was to determine if there is a significant difference in liver stiffness between individuals who have never been infected with COVID-19 and those who had been infected with COVID-19 &lt;6 months, experiencing only mild symptoms. The secondary aim was to compare the liver stiffness between participants infected with COVID-19 depending on the elapsed time since infection.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) was performed prospectively on 68 participants. Thirty-four participants had been infected with COVID-19 (all for &lt;6 months) (COVID-19 group), and another 34 had never been infected with COVID-19 (control group). The mean 2D-SWE measurements of both the COVID-19 group and the control group were compared using an independent &lt;i&gt;t&lt;/i&gt;-test. The mean 2D-SWE measurements of the COVID-19 subgroups A (&lt;2 months), B (2 to &lt;4 months) and C (4 to &lt;6 months) were compared using a one-way ANOVA test (P &lt; 0.05).&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The (mean ± standard deviation) liver stiffness (kPa) of the COVID-19 group (5.26 ± 1.63 kPa) was significantly higher than the control group (4.30 ± 0.96 kPa) (P = 0.005). There was no significant difference in liver stiffness among subgroups A (5.20 ± 1.79 kPa), B (4.70 ± 1.53 kPa) and C (5.96 ± 1.48 kPa) (P = 0.143) respectively.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Discussion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The mean liver stiffness of 4.30  ±  0.96k Pa in the control group showed a high probability of being normal as per guidelines. Conversely, the mean liver stiffness of 5.26  ±  1.63 kPa in the COVID-19 group exhibited a statistically significant increase compared to the control group. However, compensated advanced chronic liver disease was ruled out without other known clinical signs, as per guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;A statistically significant increase in liver stiffness value was observed in the post-COVID-19 infection group compared to the group who had never been infected. This highlights the potential for short-term impact on liver stiffness associa","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 3","pages":"167-173"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12390","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141010492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing short-axis versus long-axis ultrasound-guided techniques for internal jugular vein cannulation: A meta-analysis of clinical outcomes and safety","authors":"Faisal AlGhamdi,&nbsp;Nasser AlJoaib,&nbsp;Ali Aldawood,&nbsp;Mohammed AlGhamdi,&nbsp;Abdullah AlMulhim","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12385","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajum.12385","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Central venous access plays a crucial role in various clinical settings, and ultrasound guidance has become increasingly popular for improving its safety and success rates. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the short-axis (SAX) and long-axis (LAX) ultrasound-guided techniques for internal jugular vein (IJV) cannulation in terms of first needle pass success rate, number of cannulation attempts, access time, guidewire insertion time, posterior IJV wall puncture, arterial puncture, haematoma and catheter-related bloodstream infection.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A comprehensive literature search was conducted, and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SAX and LAX techniques for IJV cannulation on adults were included.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 11 RCTs involving 1183 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The SAX technique demonstrated a significantly greater first needle pass success rate and faster IJV access time compared to the LAX technique. However, more posterior IJV wall puncture was significantly associated with the SAX technique. There was no significant difference between the two techniques in terms of number of cannulation attempts, guidewire insertion time, arterial puncture, haematoma and catheter-related bloodstream infection.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This meta-analysis suggests that the SAX technique may have advantages over the LAX technique in terms of first needle pass success rate and potentially reducing cannulation attempts and access time. However, the occurrence of posterior IJV wall puncture raises concerns. The decision on the choice of technique should be based on individual patient factors and operator proficiency.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 3","pages":"149-158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatic steatosis: Qualitative and quantitative sonographic assessment in comparison to histology","authors":"Zhi Xin Tan,&nbsp;Bryan Mehta,&nbsp;Kieran Kusel,&nbsp;James Seow,&nbsp;Marilyn Zelesco,&nbsp;Steven Abbott,&nbsp;Rebecca Simons,&nbsp;Glenn Boardman,&nbsp;Christopher J. Welman,&nbsp;Oyekoya T. Ayonrinde","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12381","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajum.12381","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Globally, B-mode ultrasound is the most common modality used for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis. We aimed to assess the correlation between qualitative liver ultrasound parameters, attenuation imaging (ATI) and histopathology-diagnosed steatosis grade obtained from liver biopsy. Our secondary aim was to examine the interobserver variability of qualitative ultrasound features.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A retrospective cohort study was performed which included adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) who had same-day liver ultrasound, ATI and liver biopsy for grading hepatic steatosis severity between 2018 and 2022. The qualitative US features for hepatic steatosis were independently scored by three radiologists and interobserver variability was examined. Histologic steatosis grade, ATI and qualitative ultrasound parameters were compared.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ninety patients were included; 67% female with a median age of 54 (IQR 39–65) years. The radiologist's overall impression had the highest correlation (very strongly correlated) with histologic steatosis grade (r = 0.82, P &lt; 0.001). ATI coefficient and all qualitative ultrasound B-mode features except for liver echotexture and focal fat sparing were strongly correlated with histologic steatosis grade (r ≥ 0.70, P &lt; 0.001). Most qualitative ultrasound features had good agreement between observers (Kappa statistic 0.61–1.0, P &lt; 0.001), (Kendall coefficient 0.92, P &lt; 0.001).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The examined qualitative ultrasound parameters and ATI had good-excellent performance for diagnosing clinically significant hepatic steatosis; however, the radiologist's overall impression had the best correlation with histologic steatosis grade. Our findings suggest an ongoing role for qualitative liver ultrasound assessment of hepatic steatosis despite the emergence of newer quantitative measures.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 3","pages":"179-188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12381","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of ultrasound guidance with landmark guidance for symptomatic benefits in knee, hip and hand osteoarthritis: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials","authors":"Win Min Oo,&nbsp;James Linklater,&nbsp;Md Abu Bakar Siddiq,&nbsp;Kai Fu,&nbsp;David J. Hunter","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12386","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12386","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>More than half of the patients with moderate and severe osteoarthritis (OA) report unsatisfactory pain relief, requiring consideration of intra-articular (IA) injections as the second-line management. Ultrasound-guided IA injection has proven evidence of higher accuracy in administering IA injectates into the joints than landmark-guided or blind IA injections. However, questions remain about translating higher accuracy rates of ultrasound-guided injection into better clinical improvements. Therefore, we examined the symptomatic benefits (pain, function and patient satisfaction) of ultrasound-guided injection in knee, hip and hand OA compared with blind injections by synthesising a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>PubMed, Medline and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies from their inception to August 28, 2023.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Out of 295 records, our meta-analysis included four RCTs (338 patients with knee OA), demonstrating significant improvement in procedural pain [−0.89 (95% CI −1.25, −0.53)], pain at follow-up [−0.51 (95% CI −0.98, −0.04)] and function [1.30 (95% CI 0.86, 1.73)], favouring ultrasound guidance. One single study showed higher patient satisfaction with ultrasound guidance.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ultrasound-guided IA injection provided superior clinical outcomes compared with landmark-guided IA injection.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"97-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12386","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140685620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasound assessment of acute Achilles tendon rupture and measurement of the tendon gap","authors":"Michelle Fenech,&nbsp;Aiyapa Ajjikuttira,&nbsp;Heath Edwards","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12384","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12384","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Achilles tendon rupture is a common sports-related injury which can carry significant morbidity to patients. Ultrasound remains the workhorse of imaging as it can confirm and localise the extent of Achilles tendon injury. The sonographic anatomy, both normal and ruptured sonographic appearances, as well as sonographic technique must be appreciated to accurately image and report findings, critical to patient management. Particular attention should be applied to the measurement of the diastasis between acutely ruptured tendon ends as this information can assist with informing the decision of conservative vs. operative management. Further work is necessary to standardise the measurement technique including correlating the degree of plantarflexion of the foot with the sonographic tendon gap measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"106-119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12384","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140691671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy and histologic frequencies of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided tissue acquisition using conventional fine-needle aspiration needles for gastric subepithelial hypoechoic mass","authors":"Kazuya Akahoshi,&nbsp;Shinichi Tamura,&nbsp;Kazuaki Akahoshi,&nbsp;Yuki Shiratsuchi,&nbsp;Hidenobu Koga,&nbsp;Masafumi Oya,&nbsp;Yoshihiro Ohishi,&nbsp;Tadashi Koga","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12382","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12382","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction/Purpose</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>For gastric subepithelial lesions (GSELs) showing a hypoechoic mass (HM) on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) imaging, the utility of EUS-guided tissue acquisition using conventional fine-needle aspiration needles (EUS-TA-CFNAN) and the frequency of histological types remain unclear. This study aimed to examine this issue.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This prospective observational study enrolled 291 consecutive patients who underwent EUS-TA-CFNAN for GSELs showing an HM (GSELHM) on EUS imaging. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed for all EUS-TA-CFNAN and surgically resected specimens. The main outcome measures were the technical results of EUS-TA-CFNAN and the frequency of histological types in GSELHM.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition using conventional fine-needle aspiration needle diagnosis rate for GSELHM was 80.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 75.0–84.5, 233/291). It was significantly lower for antrum (P = 0.004) and lesions smaller than 2 cm (P = 0.003). There were no adverse events. The immunohistochemical diagnoses of EUS-TA-CFNAN included 149 cases of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) (51.2%), 48 cases of leiomyoma (16.5%), 11 cases of schwannoma (3.8%), 8 cases of the ectopic pancreas (2.7%), 5 cases of subepithelial lesion like cancer (1.7%), 12 cases of other lesions (4.1%), and 58 cases of undiagnosable lesions (19.9%). The frequency of malignant or potentially malignant tumour in GSELHM was 55.0% (95% CI: 49.1–60.8, 160/291). Surgery was performed in 149 patients according to the conclusive EUS-TA-CFNAN results, in which the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-TA-CFNAN was 97.3% (95% CI: 94.7–99.9, 145/149).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The use of EUS-TA-CFNAN for GSELHMs is safe and accurate. Gastric subepithelial lesions showing a hypoechoic mass have a reasonably high possibility of containing malignant or potentially malignant tumours, including GISTs.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"89-96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140699649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to ‘Review: Detection of patient foramen ovale using transcranial Doppler or standard echocardiography’","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12380","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajum.12380","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Van der Giessen, H., Wilson, L.C., Coffey, S. and Whalley, G.A. (2020). Review: Detection of patient foramen ovale using transcranial Doppler or standard echocardiography. Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine 23: 210–219. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajum.12232</p><p>The article title should be ‘Review: Detection of patent foramen ovale using transcranial Doppler or standard echocardiography’.</p>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12380","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140373981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ‘onion skin’ sign of a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm: An incidental finding during early pregnancy assessment","authors":"Hanine Fourie,&nbsp;Maya Al Memar,&nbsp;Maeve Tuomey,&nbsp;Catriona Stalder,&nbsp;Paul Ziprin,&nbsp;Tom Bourne","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajum.12377","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN) is a cystic dilatation of the appendix resulting from the accumulation of mucinous secretions caused by a luminal obstruction. Although usually benign, pseudomyxoma peritonei may occur in the event of rupture, and 10% of cases may be secondary to appendiceal cystadenocarcinoma. A LAMN is both more common and more likely to have a malignant association in women, making it an entity with which practitioners of gynaecological ultrasound should be familiar. Although not the primary aim, early pregnancy ultrasound assessments can offer the diagnostic opportunity to identify pelvic pathology. A LAMN can be identified on ultrasonography by visualisation of an adnexal mass separate to the ovary, which due to the layers of secretions has a distinctive appearance previously likened to ‘onion-skin’ or ‘whipped-cream’. Here, we describe an incidental finding of a LAMN during an early pregnancy assessment. Practitioners of early pregnancy ultrasound should be familiar with the characteristic morphology of this rare but important finding.</p>","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"131-135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12377","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141078928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is research one of your New Year's resolutions?","authors":"Gillian Whalley","doi":"10.1002/ajum.12378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajum.12378","url":null,"abstract":"<p>I am reflecting on my own plans for 2024, and research is definitely on my ‘resolution list’, is it on yours? Perhaps you are thinking of enrolling in a higher research degree? Or you have an idea for a project you've been wanting to get off the ground? Maybe you are sitting on a database that is just waiting to be transformed into a paper that has the potential to explain, inform or, indeed, change practice? If any of these resonate with you, then I encourage you to begin your next, or indeed first, research project.</p><p>Every research project starts with a research question, but the methods used vary depending on that question. The study design and approach will be defined by the question, and it is important to remember that there is no one way to undertake ultrasound research. There are many different study approaches: from audits and educational research to outcomes research.</p><p>All research starts with data. In this issue of AJUM, Moore <i>et al</i>.<span>¹</span> take you through the steps needed to mine data from an imaging archive. Most of us have a digital database of images, measurements and reports, but extracting those data in a consistent way, especially when there are free text fields, is not as straightforward as one would think.</p><p>When little is known about a condition, research often takes the form of clinical audit of cases or case series. We have three distinct examples of this in this AJUM issue: Hosokawa <i>et al</i>.<span>²</span> compare the detection of submandibular sialoliths by ultrasound with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), while Boman <i>et al</i>.<span>³</span> present a small case series demonstrating a potential role for ultrasound to detect small vessel inflammation as a pre-curser to rheumatic vasculitis. Lastly, Walsh and Lees<span>⁴</span> present a clinical audit of over 3000 consecutive routine mid-semester obstetric scans and report the proportion of major and minor abnormalities. There are two important points to note within this study, which speak to the veracity of the data: this is a single operator clinic such that the ultrasound approach was likely consistent over the time period, and they included consecutive patients. Clinical research should be undertaken using consecutive patients, which ensures all eligible patients are recruited. When non-consecutive, or convenience, sampling is used, I often wonder why they were excluded. Because of image quality? Because their results were outliers—not aligned to the researchers' bias?</p><p>It is often said that the strongest form of evidence, after the randomised clinical trial, is meta-analysis or systematic review because all the available evidence is presented in a summative and unbiased manner. One such review by Giri <i>et al</i>.<span>⁵</span> considered the data related to contrast-enhanced ultrasound for differentiation of benign and malignant portal vei","PeriodicalId":36517,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"3-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajum.12378","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139993994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}