Efficient Fuzzy Image Stretching for Automatic Ganglion Cyst Extraction Using Fuzzy C-Means Quantization

Ganglion cysts are commonly observed in association with the joints and tendons of the appendicular skeleton. Ultrasonography is the favored modality used to manage such benign tumors, but it may suffer from operator subjectivity. In the treatment phase, ultrasonography also provides guidance for aspiration and injection, and the information regarding the accurate location of the pedicle of the ganglion. Thus, in this paper, we propose an automatic ganglion cyst extracting method based on fuzzy stretching and fuzzy C-means quantization. The proposed method, with its carefully designed image-enhancement policy, successfully detects ganglion cysts in 86 out of 90 cases (95.6%) without requiring human intervention.

Intelligent Automatic Segmentation of Wrist Ganglion Cysts Using DBSCAN and Fuzzy C-Means

Ganglion cysts are common soft tissue masses of the hand and wrist, and small size cysts are often hypoechoic. Thus, identifying them from ultrasonography is not an easy problem. In this paper, we propose an automatic segmentation method using two artificial intelligence algorithms in sequence. A density based unsupervised learning algorithm called DBSCAN is performed as a front-end and its result determines the number of clusters used in the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm for quantification of ganglion cyst object. In an experiment using 120 images, the proposed method shows a higher extraction rate (89.2%) and lower false positive rate compared with FCM when the ground truth is set as the human expert’s decision. Such human-like behavior is more apparent when the size of the ganglion cyst is small that the quality of ultrasonography is often not very high. With this fully automatic segmentation method, the operator subjectivity that is highly dependent on the experience of the ultrasound examiner can be mitigated with high reliability.

A Case Series of Intraneural Ganglion Cyst Involving the Common Peroneal Nerve: Potential Cause for Foot Drop

Background: Intraneural ganglion cysts (IGC) are non-neoplastic mucinous cysts that form when thick mucinous fluid accumulates in the epineurium of peripheral nerves, with the majority of cases occurring in the para-articular or articular areas. Case Presentation: The two cases of a 69-year-old man and a 59-year-old man who acquired peroneal nerve neuropathy as a result of an intraneural ganglion cyst are presented here. The L.L.R.M. Medical College Department of Orthopedics provided care for them. There was complete nerve recovery in all patients after substantial cyst wall dissection and secretion removal. Conclusion: An intraneural ganglion cyst and trauma may exacerbate nerve damage, despite the fact that it is difficult to detect the cyst before surgery. An early diagnosis and prophylactic actions are typically associated with better outcomes. KEY WORDS: Intraneural ganglion, Common peroneal nerve, Foot drop.

Cystic Ganglionosis in a 3-year-old Mimicking Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Ganglion cysts are common periarticular/peritendinous masses, which are thought to form from myxoid degeneration of collagen that becomes encased by connective tissue.1 This differentiates them from synovial cysts, which are lined by synovium.2,3 The presence of numerous ganglion cysts in multiple locations is very rare and has been termed cystic ganglionosis.4

Review of Histology Results of Hand Masses: A South African Audit

Background: Patients with hand masses present for consultation either for pain, loss of function, or cosmetic embarrassment caused by the mass. The majority of hand masses are benign soft tissue tumors. The aim was to review the histology results of hand masses operated on at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Hand Unit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to explore the relationship of the types of masses according to age, sex, side, and compare the findings with what is in the current literature. Methods: Patients operated on in the hand unit, for hand masses between April 2016 and April 2019 with histology results were included in the study for statistical analysis. Results: There were 64 males and 105 females with a mean age of 41.03 ± 18.81 years. The most frequent masses were ganglion cysts. Females appeared to be more affected than males by the different hand masses, but there were no statistically significant differences. Of the 21 giant cell tumors, 15 occurred on the right hand (p-value = 0.021). Conclusion: The profile of hand masses at a high-volume hand unit in Johannesburg, were comparable to the reported literature. There were no significant differences between sex and diagnosis, however, there was a relationship between diagnosis and side for giant cell tumors of tendon sheaths, requiring further exploration.