Comparison between Histological Features and Strain Elastographic Characteristics in Canine Mammary Carcinomas

Elastography is a sonographic technique that provides a noninvasive evaluation of the stiffness of a lesion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of strain elastography, the most accessible modality in clinical practice, to discriminate between different histological types of malignant mammary neoplasms in the canine species, which can provide complementary information in real time to the diagnosis and thus help in the choice of surgical technique. A total of 34 females with 56 mammary carcinomas were selected and classified into three histological groups according to their aggressiveness. The histological and elastographic characteristics of these malignant tumors were analyzed and compared to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of strain elastography. Visual score presented a sensitivity of 88.0%, specificity of 58.1%, and accuracy of 71.43% in distinguishing the most aggressive group of carcinomas. The strain ratio had a sensitivity of 84.0%, specificity of 61.1%, and accuracy of 69.64%. On the other hand, intratumoral strain ratio obtained a sensitivity of 71.40% and specificity of 61.90% when intratumoral fibrosis was taken as reference, with an accuracy of 66.07%. Similarly, peritumoral strain ratio was also positively related to fibrosis in the periphery of lesions (p ≤ 0.001), with a sensitivity of 93.80%, specificity of 77.50% and an accuracy of 92.87%. In conclusion, accuracy of this elastographic modality can be a useful method to differentiate more aggressive histological types. Therefore, it represents an additional diagnostic technique useful in the daily clinic thanks to the short time required for the examination, which allows real-time visualization and immediate interpretation of the results.

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Can Strain Elastography Predict Malignancy of Soft Tissue Tumors in a Tertiary Sarcoma Center?

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics10030148 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 148

Author(s):

Jonathan Cohen ◽

Iben Riishede ◽

Jonathan Frederik Carlsen ◽

Trine-Lise Lambine ◽

Mikkel Seidelin Dam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soft Tissue ◽

Malignant Tumors ◽

Tumor Resection ◽

Strain Ratio ◽

Soft Tissue Tumors ◽

Current Data ◽

Strain Elastography ◽

Valuable Adjunct ◽

Malignant Soft Tissue Tumor ◽

Significant Difference

This study aims to investigate the ability of ultrasound strain elastography as an adjunct to predict malignancy in soft tissue tumors suspect of sarcoma or metastasis in a tertiary reference center for sarcoma. A total of 137 patients were included prospectively. Patients were referred on the basis of clinical or radiological suspicion of malignant soft tissue tumor. All patients had previously undergone diagnostic imaging (MRI, CT or PET-CT). After recording strain elastography cine loops, ultrasound guided biopsy was performed. Three investigators, who were blinded to final diagnosis, reviewed all elastograms retrospectively. For each elastogram, a qualitative, visual 5-point score was decided in consensus and a strain ratio was calculated. Final pathology obtained from biopsy or tumor resection served as gold standard. Eighty-one tumors were benign, and 56 were malignant. t-tests showed a significant difference in mean visual score between benign and malignant tumors. There was no significant difference in mean strain ratio between the two groups. Strain elastography may be a valuable adjunct to conventional B-mode ultrasound, perhaps primarily in primary care, when considering whether to refer to a sarcoma center or to biopsy, although biopsies cannot reliably be ruled out based on the current data.

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Development of Automatic Analysis and Data Visualization System for Volcano Muography

Journal of Disaster Research ◽

10.20965/jdr.2020.p0203 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 203-211

Author(s):

Hiroyuki K. M. Tanaka ◽

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Data Visualization ◽

Automatic Analysis ◽

Visualization System ◽

Technological Developments ◽

Real Time Visualization ◽

Time Required

Technological developments in muography have evolved since the first volcano was imaged with muography in 2007. In order to improve the muography technique as a more useful aid to volcano studies, there is a need for the time required to show the resultant images to be shortened. To expedite this process, an automatic real-time visualization system was developed and tested. In conjunction with future scaled-up detectors that will collect muons faster, this visualization system can also offer more practical and efficient tools for volcano muography.

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Intraoperative Real-Time Visualization of the Lymphatic Vessels Using Microscope-Integrated Laser Tomography

Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1718549 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Akitatsu Hayashi ◽

Hidehiko Yoshimatsu ◽

Giuseppe Visconti ◽

Sasithorn Sujarittanakarn ◽

Guido Giacalone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Vessel Wall ◽

Lymphatic Vessel ◽

Lymphatic Vessels ◽

Tomography Imaging ◽

Laser Tomography ◽

Real Time Visualization ◽

Time Required ◽

Selection Of

Abstract Background Detection and selection of the lymphatic vessels are important for maximizing therapeutic efficacy of lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA). Some imaging modalities have been reported to be useful for intraoperative identification of the lymphatic vessels, but they have limitations. In this article, we present new capabilities of intraoperative laser tomography, which was used to evaluate the lumen of the lymphatic vessel and to validate the patency of anastomosis. Patients and Methods Fifty-two patients with upper extremity lymphedema secondary to breast cancer treatment underwent indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography and real-time laser tomography imaging of ICG-enhanced lymphatic vessels intraoperatively before transecting the vessels during LVA. The imaging findings of the lymphatic vessels in laser tomography were investigated. Time required for scanning of the lymphatic vessels was compared between laser tomography and ultrasonography. The correlation between the thickness of the lymphatic vessel wall measured with laser tomographic imaging and the histologically measured thickness of the lymphatic vessel wall was examined. The patency of anastomosis sites was determined based on the image using laser tomography immediately after establishment of LVA. Results A total of 132 ICG-enhanced lymphatic vessels were scanned with laser tomography showing clear lumen with surrounding vessel wall. The required time for lymphatic vessel scanning was significantly shorter with laser tomography than with ultrasonography (1.6 ± 0.3 vs. 4.8 ± 1.2 minutes; p = 0.016). Strong correlation was seen between the thickness of the lymphatic vessels wall measured using laser tomography and the histologically measured thickness of the lymphatic vessel wall (r = 0.977, 95% confidence interval: 0.897–0.992, p < 0.001). The quality of patency was evaluated immediately after anastomosis, which assisted in deciding whether reanastomosis was needed. Conclusion Microscope-integrated laser tomography provides real-time images of the lymphatic vessels in extremely high resolution and enables evaluation of lymphatic lumen condition and objective post-LVA anastomosis status.

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