Using Simulation Optimization to Solve Patient Appointment Scheduling and Examination Room Assignment Problems for Patients Undergoing Ultrasound Examination

This study investigates patient appointment scheduling and examination room assignment problems involving patients who undergo ultrasound examination with considerations of multiple examination rooms, multiple types of patients, multiple body parts to be examined, and special restrictions. Following are the recommended time intervals based on the findings of three scenarios in this study: In Scenario 1, the time interval recommended for patients’ arrival at the radiology department on the day of the examination is 18 min. In Scenario 2, it is best to assign patients to examination rooms based on weighted cumulative examination points. In Scenario 3, we recommend that three outpatients come to the radiology department every 18 min to undergo ultrasound examinations; the number of inpatients and emergency patients arriving for ultrasound examination is consistent with the original time interval distribution. Simulation optimization may provide solutions to the problems of appointment scheduling and examination room assignment problems to balance the workload of radiological technologists, maintain high equipment utilization rates, and reduce waiting times for patients undergoing ultrasound examination.

Preliminary Report for the Development of a Multiparameter Protocol for the Identification of Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome including Abdominal Ultrasound before and after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a rare complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) caused by endothelial dysfunction. Previous definitions and diagnostic criteria for the presence of SOS include bilirubinemia, hepatomegaly and weight gain, but histological evaluation is still the only way to prove the diagnosis of SOS. However, biopsy remains an invasive technique and is therefore undesirable in the alloHSCT scenario. Hence, a non-invasive diagnostic strategy is critical. Besides thorough clinical assessment and laboratory values, ultrasound examination remains part of the diagnostic workflow in clinical routine. Previous studies defined sonographic abnormalities, which are associated with the occurrence of SOS, but a standardized protocol to perform reliable abdominal ultrasound has not been finally defined. In this study, we evaluated a multi-parameter protocol including laboratory values as well as ultrasound examination pre- and post-alloHSCT. The application of this protocol was feasible in clinical practice and achieved a high inter- and intra-rater reliability. In our population, no case of SOS was identifiable and, in line with previous studies, no changes known to be associated with SOS were detected by ultrasound examination in our cohort. Additionally, we investigated subgroups of patients partly fulfilling SOS diagnostic criteria analyzing correlations between the fulfilled criteria and aberrances in ultrasound measurements pre- and post-alloHSCT. Although statistical examination may be limited by a small sample size and missing SOS cases, hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia and weight gain showed only a coincidence with selected, enlarged liver dimensions in few patients. This may underline the fact that hepatomegaly occurs as an unspecific finding after alloHSCT. Our protocol, including the ultrasound examination pre- and post-alloHSCT and laboratory parameters, may help to rule out SOS early, but validation in a greater population and different transplantation centers is required to warrant broader appliance. Nevertheless, we aim to contribute to an elaborate and standardized work-flow in peri-alloHSCT patient care.

Intraneural cyst of the peroneal nerve in child

This article presents an observation of an intraneural cyst of the peroneal nerve in a 16-year-old boy after a knee injury. Surgical treatment of an intraneural cyst of the peroneal nerve was performed 9 months after the appearance of peroneal nerve neuropathy. One month after the operation, the peroneal muscle strength increased from 2 to 4 points on the MRC scale; positive dynamics after the operation was also noted according to the data of electroneuromyography and ultrasound examination. Children often observed intraneural cyst of the peroneal nerve at the knee (90% of cases among all sites intraneural cysts). For diff erential diagnosis with compression-ischemic neuropathy and nerve cysts, clinical and neurophysiological data should be supplemented by ultrasound and/or MRI examination. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment are critical to the full recovery of motor and sensory function.

Possibilities of ultrasound methods in the diagnosis of decompression sickness

Aim of the work: to conduct a comparative analysis of methods of ultrasound examination of the right heart with audio and visual indication of intravascular decompression gas formation in divers after diving.Materials and methods. An examination of the right heart in divers after 152 man-descents was carried out. Intravascular decompression gas production was assessed by ultrasound using sound location based on the Doppler effect and transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography.Results and discussion. Both methods make it possible to determine intravascular decompression gas formation after a diving descent, correlate with the clinical picture of acute decompression sickness and should be used in the medical support of diving descents. At the same time, the method of ultrasound examination based on transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography turned out to be more sensitive in determining gas bubbles in the right heart as compared to auditory location with the Doppler effect.

Axillary Lymphadenopathy on Ultrasound after COVID-19 Vaccination and Its Influencing Factors: A Single-Center Study

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the incidence of axillary lymphadenopathy on ultrasound after COVID-19 vaccination and to investigate the factors affecting lymphadenopathy. Methods: We evaluated patients who had received a COVID-19 vaccination within 12 weeks before an ultrasound examination between August and October 2021. The incidence of vaccine-related ipsilateral axillary lymphadenopathy was evaluated using ultrasound. Age, sex, presence of axillary symptoms, injection site, vaccine type, interval from vaccination, and dose were compared between the groups with and without axillary lymphadenopathy. Results: We included 413 patients, 202 (49%) of whom showed axillary lymphadenopathy on ultrasound after COVID-19 vaccination. Age, interval from vaccine, vaccine brand, vaccine type, dose, and symptom were significantly different between the lymphadenopathy and non-lymphadenopathy groups (p < 0.001), while the injection site and sex were not. Receiving an mRNA vaccine was the most important factor for axillary lymphadenopathy (p < 0.001), followed by intervals of 1–14 (p < 0.001) and 15–28 days (p < 0.001), younger age (p = 0.006), and first dose (p = 0.045). Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine-related axillary lymphadenopathy on ultrasound is common. mRNA type, an interval of 4 weeks, younger age, and first dose were the important factors. Breast clinicians should be well aware of these side effects when performing imaging examinations and provide accurate information to patients.

DIAGNOSTIC ROLE OF COMPRESSION SONOELASTOGRAPHY IN MULTIPARAMETRIC ULTRASOUND INVESTIGATION IN THE DETECTION OF BENIGN OVARIAN FORMATION

Properly diagnosed benign ovarian tumors are a condition for optimal treatment tactics. Qualitative assessment of signs detected by multiparametric ultrasound, including compression elastography, is highly effective in the differential diagnosis of benign ovarian tumors. Our study became especially relevant for women in the reproductive period, because the correct diagnosis influenced the choice of surgical treatment in order to preserve the ovarian reserve. A comprehensive radiological study of 51 women with benign ovarian tumors was performed. The age of patients averaged 37.3 ± 8.7 years. In the structure of benign ovarian tumors, the frequency of serous cystadenoma was 31.38%, serous superficial papillomas - 25.49%, mucinous cystadenoma - 17.65%, mature teratomas - 15.68%, fibroma - 9.8%. Ultrasound was performed on a HITACHI ALOCA ARIETTA 70 using a cavitary multifrequency sensor with a frequency of 7.5-10 mHz and a sector sensor with a frequency of 2-5 mHz. The article analyzes the detailed sonographic picture of these formations in B-mode, Doppler mode and compression sonoelastography mode. Color and energy Doppler mapping techniques, as well as pulsed Doppler mode, which gave a quantitative characterization of blood flow, were used to study blood vessels. Vessel localization was determined using color Doppler mapping, and detailed qualitative assessment of blood flow loci was determined using energy Doppler. For all types of benign ovarian formations, a qualitative feature was determined - elastotype on the Ueno scale and stiffness index - Strain Ratio (coefficient of deformation) - a quantitative indicator. It was found that serous and mucinous cystadenomas belong to 0 and I elastotype on the Ueno scale, the papillary component of serous superficial papillomas was mapped with I and II elastotype, fibroids mainly belonged to II and III elastotype, and mature teratomas - to IV end V elastotype. Quantitative deformation rate for all benign ovarian tumors ranged from 0,63 to 24,9. Thus, the cardiac index of stiffness in serous cystadenomas was 0.92 ± 0.46, and in mature teratomas - 16.7 ± 8.4. The increased density of the latter in comparison with other representatives of benign formations can be explained by the presence in their structure of such elements as fibroblasts, bundles of spindle-shaped cells and bundles of collagen fibers (fibroids), bone and cartilage (mature teratoma). In addition to all the above research methods, the mobile application IOTA ADNEX 2014 was used, which helped to calculate the risk of malignancy. This is a simple calculator, which loads the data of the ultrasound examination, the patient's age, the level of CA-125. Our results showed that ultrasound examination of ovarian tumors is an accurate and highly informative method for stratification of risks according to the O-RADS classification. For stratification and the ultrasound risk management system, the O-RADS system was guided by consensus guidance from the American College of Radiology, which reduces or eliminates ambiguity in the interpretation of data in ultrasound protocols and provides a more accurate definition of ovarian malignancy. The O-RADS working group includes 5 categories: O-RADS 0 - incomplete examination score, O-RADS 1 - normal unchanged premenopausal ovary, O-RADS 2 - almost always benign (risk of malignancy - <1%), O-RADS 3 - the presence of education with a low level of malignancy - from 1 to 10%, O-RADS 4 - medium risk of malignancy - from 10 to 50% and O-RADS 5 - education with a high level of malignancy -> 50%.