Journal of Medical Ultrasonics最新文献

{"title":"Sinus of Valsalva-left atrial fistula after mitral annuloplasty.","authors":"Liu Zhang, Xiujuan Zhou, Xuejie Li","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01607-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01607-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"369-370"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897126","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":"Prenatal detection of a thrombus within a giant extra-abdominal umbilical vein varix.","authors":"Takashi Shimokawa, Ayumi Okuyama, Ruiko Miura, Tatsuya Izdebski, Minako Goto, Kohei Seo, Kiyotake Ichizuka","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01608-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01608-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"371-372"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145994720","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":"Explorative research on image quantification methods for setup conditions and quality control of ultrasound devices in thyroid ultrasonography.","authors":"Chisato Takahashi, Yukio Kimura, Shoko Nishiyama, Yumiko Kurosu, Haruka Ejiri, Mahiro Asano, Satoshi Suzuki, Shinichi Suzuki, Hiroki Shimura","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01606-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01606-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study explored the quantitative analysis of portable ultrasound devices using target images from Multipurpose Phantom N-365. It focused on identifying inter-device variability and time-dependent degradation of the devices and their probes to support standardization and quality control of ultrasound devices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Three ultrasound device models were assessed, with two different setup conditions for each model. Three types of phantom targets, i.e., cyst-like, colloid cyst-like, and nodule-like, were collected from circular grayscale targets. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of brightness were calculated for each target type.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Quantification of the mean and SD values of target brightness effectively distinguished between ultrasound devices due to the aging of the ultrasound equipment. Multivariate analysis further revealed that both the probes and the main unit independently contributed to time-related changes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This article presents a novel method for ensuring rigorous quality control and promoting standardization in ultrasound examinations by quantifying phantom image characteristics.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"267-277"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146228662","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":"Differentiation of focal liver lesions in contrast-enhanced ultrasound using a heuristic-guided hybrid machine-learning framework.","authors":"Keisuke Nakajima, Naohisa Kamiyama, Katsutoshi Sugimoto, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Takao Itoi","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01598-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01598-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) offers valuable diagnostic information on hepatic lesions, but it is time-consuming. In this study, we investigated a novel composite machine-learning framework that integrates heuristic knowledge and model-specific classification to differentiate liver lesions using only the first 2 min of CEUS imaging.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CEUS images from 232 patients with 232 focal liver lesions (benign: 61, hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]: 104, non-HCC malignancies [ML]: 67) were analyzed. For each case, six frames from injection to peak enhancement and static images at 1 and 2 min post-injection were used. Two deep learning models were developed: Model 1 classified heterogeneous enhancement patterns into \"benign,\" \"HCC,\" \"ML,\" or \"Uniform\" (homogeneous). Model 2 further classified \"Uniform\" cases into three diagnostic categories. Lesion brightness values were incorporated as input features. The artificial intelligence (AI) mode was also evaluated by observer study of three hepatologists using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The composite model was evaluated on 58 independent test cases, achieving classification accuracy of 81.8% for benign, 93.5% for HCC, and 68.8% for ML, with an overall accuracy of 84.5%. Binary classification (benign vs. malignant) yielded 97.9% sensitivity, 94.8% specificity, and 94.8% overall accuracy. For discrimination between benign and malignant, the mean AUC for the three observers was significantly improved with AI output, where the difference in AUC (95% confidence interval) was 0.095 (0.0197, 0.1703) (P = 0.013).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The proposed AI-based framework enables accurate liver lesion classification using early phase CEUS, eliminating the need for Kupffer-phase imaging in many cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"279-287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087863","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":"Quantitative dynamic evaluation of the talus-lateral malleolus distance during forward single-leg drop landing in individuals with chronic ankle instability: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Ayano Ishida, Satoshi Onoue, Yasunari Ikuta, Tsubasa Tashiro, Satoshi Arima, Makoto Komiya, Rami Mizuta, Honoka Ishihara, Toshiki Kobayashi, Fan Gao, Andreas Brand, Takashi Yamada, Noriaki Maeda","doi":"10.1007/s10396-026-01617-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-026-01617-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To evaluate the dynamics of the talus-lateral malleolus distance during landing and compare the results between individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and healthy adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were divided into the healthy (12 adults, 12 feet) and CAI (12 adults, 12 feet) groups. Participants performed forward single-leg drop landing from a 30-cm-high box. Through the synchronization of ultrasound with a motion capture system, measurements of the talus-lateral malleolus distance and ankle joint angles were obtained during forward single-leg drop landing. The analysis interval was from 200 ms before to 200 ms after initial contact; the time was normalized to 100%. Statistical parametric mapping was employed to investigate differences in the temporal changes of the talus-lateral malleolus distances and ankle joint angles during landing between groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A significantly longer talus-lateral malleolus distance was observed before initial contact in the CAI group (1-49%) as compared with the healthy group (p = 0.000). In addition, the ankle adduction angle before initial contact (12-61%) was larger in the CAI group than in the healthy group (p = 0.005).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings suggest that the talus-lateral malleolus distance increases along with the ankle adduction movement in individuals with CAI, especially before initial contact, potentially indicating high mechanical ankle instability. This study established an innovative measurement system for quantitative evaluation of the dynamics of the talus and lateral malleolus during landing. The findings of this study may contribute to a more detailed understanding of pathology and features of movement in patients with CAI.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"329-337"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146040940","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":"Phantom experiment for thoracic spine gap delineation using steering-transmitted ultrasound to assist epidural anesthesia.","authors":"Yusuke Soejima, Eiko Onishi, Masanori Yamauchi, Mototaka Arakawa","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01615-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01615-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Epidural anesthesia under real-time ultrasound guidance has been studied to enhance puncture safety. However, in the thoracic spine, where the anatomy is complex and the interlaminar space is narrow, improved image quality is necessary. Because imaging quality is degraded in bones that are greatly tilted relative to the probe, we aimed to improve the imaging quality by steering the transmitted ultrasonic beam.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We investigated a method to improve bone visibility by selecting appropriate transmit steering angles and receiving aperture ranges for each of the two bones forming the interlaminar space, and by compensating for the directivity of the receiving elements.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The proposed method emphasized the delineation of a bone phantom near the gap corresponding to the puncture site. Furthermore, when comparing the contrast ratio in the region of interest of the bone and gap areas, the proposed method showed an improvement of 24.2 dB on the left side and 4.2 dB on the right side compared to the conventional B-mode image.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The proposed method was confirmed to emphasize the bones and is expected to improve the image quality of the thoracic spine gap.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"259-266"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020483","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":"Intrasheath snapping of the flexor tendons of the index finger in a pediatric patient.","authors":"Marco Becciolini, Giorgio Tamborrini, Andrea Poggetti","doi":"10.1007/s10396-026-01616-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-026-01616-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"365-367"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146068476","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":"Effect of region of interest settings on diagnostic performance of attenuation imaging in hepatic steatosis.","authors":"Shingo Tanaka, Noboru Ohba, Nagomi Saito, Kanna Tanaka, Yuka Ishimoto, Kayoko Ochi, Kenji Yasui, Minori Fujita, Kiyoshi Abe, Satoshi Takahashi","doi":"10.1007/s10396-025-01612-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-025-01612-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Attenuation techniques have been developed to quantify liver fat, improving diagnostic accuracy. However, the standardization of measurement methods remains undefined, limiting clinical application. This study evaluated the effect of different region of interest (ROI) settings on the attenuation coefficient (AC) and coefficient of determination (R²) in attenuation imaging (ATI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed 5212 ultrasound examinations performed at our institution. Two periods were compared: early [ROI positioned at twice the subcutaneous thickness; double positioning (DP), 2 × 3 cm] and late [ROI placed beneath the multireflection layer; color positioning (CP), 2 × 4 cm]. Additionally, AC and R² were analyzed in 331 patients with stored raw data across four conditions: DP and CP for positioning, and 2 × 3 cm and 2 × 4 cm for size, respectively, using Bland-Altman analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The early and late periods included 2881 and 2331 examinations, respectively. Patient characteristics were comparable. Significant differences were observed in the AC (median, 0.58 vs. 0.56 dB/cm/MHz), steatotic liver diagnostic rates based on AC, R² (median, 0.87 vs. 0.93), and proportion of R² ≥ 0.90. Raw data analysis showed slight differences in AC and R² according to ROI position; however, there were significant differences in ROI size (AC: 2 × 3 > 2 × 4; R²: 2 × 4 > 2 × 3).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In ATI, the larger ROI improved R², whereas the smaller ROI yielded higher AC values, suggesting that ROI size affects diagnostic reliability. Standardizing ATI protocols is essential, with uniformity in ROI size being a priority.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"289-299"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146068444","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":"Recent trends in therapeutic ultrasound: focusing on technologies that utilize non-thermal effects.","authors":"Kenji Yoshida","doi":"10.1007/s10396-026-01670-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10396-026-01670-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":"257-258"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148425437","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":"Contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings are associated with tumor viability and depth of response in selected patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immunotherapy-based combination therapy.","authors":"Naoki Matsumoto, Masahiro Ogawa, Aya Konishi, Mai Totsuka, Tomohiro Kaneko, Masayuki Honda, Shuhei Arima, Yukinobu Watanabe, Ryota Masuzaki, Hirofumi Kogure","doi":"10.1007/s10396-026-01665-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-026-01665-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Accurate evaluation of tumor viability during immunotherapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains challenging using contrast-enhanced computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (CECT/CEMRI), particularly after treatment-induced vascular changes. This exploratory study investigated whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) detects residual intratumoral perfusion differently from CECT/CEMRI and whether CEUS perfusion patterns are associated with depth of response (DpR) in selected patients receiving immunotherapy-based combination therapy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-five patients with unresectable HCC treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, or nivolumab plus ipilimumab who underwent both CEUS and CECT/CEMRI within a 3-month interval were retrospectively analyzed. CEUS was performed at a median of 33 days after treatment initiation. Arterial-phase enhancement patterns were classified as hyper-, iso-, or hypoenhancement relative to surrounding liver parenchyma. Tumor response was evaluated using RECIST version 1.1 and modified RECIST. DpR was defined as the maximum percentage reduction in tumor size from baseline.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CEUS demonstrated hyperenhancement in 14 lesions compared with six lesions on CECT/CEMRI. Enhancement patterns were discordant in 13 cases, with CEUS demonstrating hyperenhancement in 10 lesions classified as iso- or hypoenhancement on CECT/CEMRI (p = 0.049). Tumor size reduction did not differ significantly among enhancement categories on CECT/CEMRI (p = 0.325), whereas CEUS enhancement patterns were significantly associated with DpR (p = 0.008).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In selected patients with unresectable HCC undergoing immunotherapy-based therapy, CEUS detected residual intratumoral perfusion more frequently than CECT/CEMRI and was significantly associated with DpR. CEUS may provide complementary information for exploratory assessment of tumor viability in this setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":50130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Ultrasonics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148354611","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}