Toru Omodani, Michael Khadavi, Yoshifumi Takatsume, Alexandre Lavigne
{"title":"Ultrasound-guided Achilles tendon rupture repair using knotless barbed suture: a cadaveric study.","authors":"Toru Omodani, Michael Khadavi, Yoshifumi Takatsume, Alexandre Lavigne","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01592-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01592-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To describe a novel, minimally invasive, ultrasound-guided Achilles tendon repair technique using a knotless barbed suture and to assess its feasibility in a cadaveric model.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A midportion Achilles tendon rupture was simulated in a Thiel-embalmed cadaver. The tendon was repaired percutaneously under ultrasound guidance using a 0.6-mm USP 1 knotless barbed suture mounted on a 19-gauge, 3.5-inch curved needle. The needle was advanced intratendinously under continuous ultrasound guidance. Tendon reapproximation was assessed with ultrasound and confirmed by anatomical dissection. The resting plantar flexion angle was measured before and after the repair.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Achilles tendon repair technique resulted in successful reapproximation of the tendon ends with anatomic alignment. Post-repair ultrasound and dissection confirmed accurate intratendinous suture placement and full tendon continuity. The resting plantar flexion angle increased from 23° to 50° after the repair.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This is the first report of an ultrasound-guided Achilles tendon repair using a knotless barbed suture. The technique appears feasible in a cadaveric model and may represent a promising minimally invasive option for patients requiring improved tendon approximation. Its office-based approach may reduce surgical risks associated with conventional repair and tendon elongation seen with conservative treatment. Further biomechanical and clinical studies are warranted to evaluate its safety, durability, and functional outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"227-234"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092523/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145309793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diagnostic performance of ultrasound attenuation imaging in detecting hepatic steatosis.","authors":"Hamed Naghibi, Madjid Shakiba, Narges Azizi","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01585-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01585-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Hepatic steatosis is a hallmark of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and increased hepatic fat (or steatosis) is associated with liver inflammation, fibrosis, and adverse outcomes. While MRI-derived proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) is an accurate noninvasive reference standard, ultrasound attenuation imaging (UAI) offers an accessible cost-effective alternative. We herein systematically review and meta-analyze the accuracy of UAI in grading hepatic steatosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched Embase, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science through December 22, 2024, for studies comparing UAI with MRI-PDFF. Data on diagnostic performance were extracted from eligible studies. Pooled diagnostic odds ratios (DOR), sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and areas under the curve (AUCs) were calculated using random-effects models, with heterogeneity assessed through I<sup>2</sup>.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve studies with a total of 3344 patients were included. For differentiating grade 0 from grade ≥ 1 steatosis, the pooled AUC was 0.82 (95% CI 0.78-0.85) and DOR was 21.10 (I<sup>2</sup> = 67.2%), with sensitivity and specificity of 83%. For differentiating grades ≤ 1 from grade ≥ 2, the AUC was 0.80 (95% CI 0.73-0.86), DOR 19.87 (I<sup>2</sup> = 89%), sensitivity 84%, and specificity 80%. For differentiating grades ≤ 2 from grade 3, the AUC was 0.78 (95% CI 0.66-0.87), DOR 19.21 (I<sup>2</sup> = 85.3%), sensitivity 86%, and specificity 80%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>UAI exhibits good diagnostic accuracy for grading hepatic steatosis and offers a practical, noninvasive alternative to MRI-PDFF, being particularly well-suited for screening and patient follow-up. Standardized protocols and further multicenter studies are needed to promote its clinical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"157-168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145642117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Keiko Aihoshi, Munekage Yamaguchi, Jun Sakata, Takeshi Motohara, Eiji Kondoh
{"title":"Spontaneous dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy simultaneously implanted in a cesarean scar.","authors":"Keiko Aihoshi, Munekage Yamaguchi, Jun Sakata, Takeshi Motohara, Eiji Kondoh","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01570-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01570-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"243-244"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145034572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Constructing a predictive model for anti-Müllerian hormone levels in reproductive-age women based on transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound.","authors":"Xing Si, Xuewei He","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01581-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01581-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of transvaginal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging parameters for anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in women of reproductive age.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective study was conducted on 492 patients who underwent ovarian reserve function assessments at Hangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. The patients were randomly divided into a training set (n = 420) and a validation set (n = 72). All participants underwent transvaginal 3D ultrasound to measure antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian volume (OV), peak systolic flow velocity (PSV), and resistance index (RI). Morning fasting venous blood samples were collected for AMH level measurement. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between age, AFC, OV, PSV, RI, and AMH. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to construct a unified regression model and a grouped regression model. The performance of the models was evaluated by comparing the root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) between predicted and actual values.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>AMH showed a strong negative correlation with age and a positive correlation with OV, AFC, and PSV. AMH was significantly correlated with AFC and OV (r = 0.844 and 0.759, respectively; both P < 0.05), but only weakly correlated with PSV (r = 0.176, P < 0.05). The RMSE and MAE of the grouped regression prediction model were lower than those of the unified regression model.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The grouped regression AMH prediction model developed through multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated favorable performance, enabling accurate individualized prediction of AMH levels, thereby assisting clinicians in evaluating the fertility potential of women of reproductive age.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"169-177"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145253441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ultrasound-based prediction model for years to peak height velocity using multiple secondary ossification centers.","authors":"Kosuke Uemura, Mizue Saita, Koji Wagatsuma, Wataru Iwamoto, Daichi Morikawa, Yoshimasa Saigo, Toshio Naito","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01571-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01571-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Determining peak height velocity age (PHVA) is crucial for understanding child growth and development and preventing injuries. Previous studies have used anthropometric measurements or X-ray evaluation to predict the timing of PHV, whereas ultrasound provides a radiation-free and portable alternative. This study aimed to predict the years to PHV by assessing multiple secondary ossification centers using ultrasound.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 12 sites across eight bones were evaluated using ultrasound in 181 children aged 6-12 years between June and December 2019. Height data were tracked from school entry until December 2022, with PHVA calculated using AUXAL software. Multivariable regression analysis was performed using bone maturity as the explanatory variable and the difference between ultrasound measurement age and PHVA as the dependent variable.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 159 participants were included in the final analysis. The hook of the hamate, calcaneus plantar thickness, plantar sesamoid, and tibial tuberosity were identified as significant variables for PHV prediction. The prediction equation was: Years to PHV = 1.206 + (0.562 × calcaneus plantar thickness) - (1.120 × plantar sesamoid) - (0.675 × tibial tuberosity) + (0.229 × hook of the hamate). This model achieved an adjusted R<sup>2</sup> of 0.782.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Ultrasound evaluation of multiple secondary ossification centers may provide a valuable method for predicting years to PHV.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"199-207"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092546/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145368837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Relationship between knee joint angles and infrapatellar fat pad stiffness in patients with knee osteoarthritis.","authors":"Shinya Ogaya, Satoshi Horiguchi, Riona Kaizu, Mai Tomita, Moko Kitahara, Kenta Horiuchi, Satoshi Kido, Takashi Matsuno","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01584-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01584-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is a source of pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Changes in pressure due to knee joint movement may increase IFP stiffness and potentially cause pain. This study aimed to investigate changes in IFP stiffness during knee flexion in knee OA patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sixteen patients with knee OA and 14 healthy elderly controls participated in this study. IFP stiffness was measured with the patient in the supine position at maximum knee extension, 45°, 90°, and maximum flexion using ultrasound elastography. Stiffness was measured at the superficial layer of the IFP, located beneath the patellar tendon. Additionally, the knee pain score for knee OA patients was assessed using the numeric rating scale and the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two-way analysis of variance showed a significant main effect for group and joint angle, as well as an interaction effect. IFP stiffness increased with knee flexion. Knee OA patients exhibited significantly higher IFP stiffness at both maximum knee extension and flexion than the control group. A significant correlation was found between IFP stiffness in knee OA patients at 45°, 90°, and maximum knee flexion and ICOAP intermittent pain.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results suggest that knee movement affects IFP stiffness, with increased stiffness observed in knee OA patients. Increased stiffness in OA patients may contribute to knee pain, particularly at mid-to-deep flexion angles.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"209-215"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microflow visualization and blood flow velocity measurement of carotid intraplaque neovessels using superb microvascular imaging and high frame rate ultrasound confirmed via contrast vector imaging.","authors":"Kozue Saito, Hideyuki Hasegawa, Kana Hamada, Masaaki Omura, Ryo Nagaoka, Toshiko Hirai, Kazuma Sugie","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01560-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01560-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"123-125"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145087992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ya-Qin Zhang, Xi Wang, Lin-Na Liu, Xin-Yuan Hu, Qing Lu, Bo-Yang Zhou, Han-Sheng Xia, Hong Han, Hui-Xiong Xu, Chong-Ke Zhao
{"title":"Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound with quantitative analysis optimizes LI-RADS for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis: a multicenter study.","authors":"Ya-Qin Zhang, Xi Wang, Lin-Na Liu, Xin-Yuan Hu, Qing Lu, Bo-Yang Zhou, Han-Sheng Xia, Hong Han, Hui-Xiong Xu, Chong-Ke Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01572-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01572-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) analysis using the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) to improve the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multicenter study retrospectively enrolled consecutive high-risk patients for HCC who underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) between December 2022 and June 2023. Quantitative CEUS analysis was performed using VueBox<sup>®</sup> to obtain diagnostic parameters for HCC. These parameters were used as auxiliary indicators to reassign the LI-RADS categories. The reference standard was pathologic confirmation or composite criteria. The diagnostic performance of LI-RADS with and without quantitative DCE-US parameters was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>269 patients (median age, 61 years [interquartile range, 52-69]; 206 men, 63 women) with 269 focal liver lesions (FLLs) (median size, 40 mm [interquartile range, 25-62 mm]) were included. Among the 269 FLLs, 227 were HCC, 31 non-HCC malignancies, and 11 benign lesions. DCE-US analysis showed HCC had higher rise time (RT) and fall time (FT) at the lesion margin than non-HCC malignancies (both P < 0.05) but lower RT and FT than benign lesions (both P < 0.05). RT at the lesion margin (range 17.48 s-21.16 s) serves as an auxiliary indicator for HCC diagnosis. Compared to CEUS LI-RADS, the revised LR-5 improved sensitivity (61.7 vs. 52.8%, P < 0.001) without a significant decrease in specificity (76.2 vs. 83.3%, P = 0.25) for diagnosing HCC.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>DCE-US quantitative analysis improved the sensitivity for HCC diagnosis without affecting specificity, thereby optimizing the diagnostic performance of CEUS LI-RADS.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"55-67"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sex differences in the dynamics of the distance between the talus and lateral malleolus during the stance phase of gait.","authors":"Noriaki Maeda, Satoshi Onoue, Yasunari Ikuta, Satoshi Arima, Honoka Ishihara, Ayano Ishida, Andreas Brand, Yuichi Nishikawa, Makoto Asaeda, Tomoyuki Nakasa, Nobuo Adachi, Tsubasa Tashiro","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01577-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01577-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to assess the dynamics of the distance between the talus and lateral malleolus during the stance phase of gait and confirm any sex differences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The distance between the talus and lateral malleolus was quantified during gait in 25 healthy participants. Noninvasive ultrasound with three-dimensional motion analysis was used to assess the kinematic properties during the walking stance phase.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The distance between the talus and lateral malleolus widened immediately after initial contact, narrowed during mid-stance, and widened during the stance cycle in all participants. The distance was significantly wider in females, especially during the early and terminal stance phases, contributing to differences in sagittal mobility.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Quantitative measurement of the anterior talofibular ligament attachment distance may aid in the early detection of ankle abnormalities. The dynamic characteristics observed in females during gait may be associated with chronic ankle instability or osteoarthritis risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"19-26"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12790505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145082312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Applying constraint to minimum variance problem to provide a computationally efficient beamformer for medical ultrasound imaging.","authors":"Masume Sadeghi","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01523-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01523-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Minimum variance (MV) beamforming was introduced in ultrasound imaging to improve image quality. It solves a minimization problem where the closed-form solution imposes huge computational load due to the matrix inversion requirement. The MV problem can be iteratively solved to avoid this requirement.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper shows that the weight vector at the first iteration is proportional to the covariance matrix elements. It is proposed that this proportionality be considered as a constraint in the main MV problem. Inspired by the idea of the exact line search method, solving the proposed constrained MV (CMV) problem leads to an adaptive beamforming with considerably lower computational load. As an interesting point, the unknown coefficients can be directly calculated through entries of a covariance matrix by a simple operation.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>The proposed method was investigated on several simulation and experimental data sets. It was found that it required 93% fewer flops than the MV method, which represents a dramatic computational gain.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed how only two features, the mean and trace of the covariance matrix, are enough to achieve adaptive beamforming. The proposed beamformer provides approximately the same resolution as the MV method.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"3-18"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145304131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}