Exploring the Performance of Ultrasound Risk Stratification Systems in Thyroid Nodules of Pediatric Patients

Neck ultrasound (nUS) is the cornerstone of clinical management of thyroid nodules in pediatric patients, as well as adults. The current study was carried out to explore and compare the diagnostic performance of the main US-based risk stratification systems (RSSs) (i.e., the American College of Radiology (ACR), European (EU), Korean (K) TI-RADSs and ATA US RSS criteria) for detecting malignant thyroid lesions in pediatric patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive children and adolescents who received a diagnosis of thyroid nodule. We included subjects with age <19 years having thyroid nodules with benign cytology/histology or final histological diagnosis. We excluded subjects with (a) a previous malignancy, (b) a history of radiation exposure, (c) cancer genetic susceptibility syndromes, (d) lymph nodes suspicious for metastases of thyroid cancer at nUS, (e) a family history of thyroid cancer, or (f) cytologically indeterminate nodules without histology and nodules with inadequate cytology. We included 41 nodules in 36 patients with median age 15 years (11–17 years). Of the 41 thyroid nodules, 29 (70.7%) were benign and 12 (29.3%) were malignant. For both ACR TI-RADS and EU-TIRADS, we found a sensitivity of 41.7%. Instead, for both K-TIRADS and ATA US RSS, we found a sensitivity of 50%. The missed malignancy rate for ACR-TIRADS and EU-TIRADS was 58.3%, while that for K-TIRADS and ATA US RSS was 50%. The unnecessary FNA prevalence for ACR TI-RADS and EU-TIRADS was 58.3%, while that for K-TIRADS and ATA US RSS was 76%. Our findings suggest that the four US-based RSSs (i.e., ACR-TIRADS, EU-TIRADS, K-TIRADS, and ATA US RSS) have suboptimal performance in managing pediatric patients with thyroid nodules, with one-half of cancers without indication for FNA according to their recommendations.

Long-term experience with percutaneous biopsies of pelvic lesions using CT guidance

To evaluate the accuracy, efficiency, complication rate, technical features, and relations among followed parameters of CT-guided percutaneous biopsies of the pelvic lesions. 140 biopsies in 136 patients for tumors, sizes 17–160 mm in largest diameter, were carried out in patients with probable tumorous pelvic process within ten years period. The patients were women in 77 cases and men in 59 cases, aged 21 to 87 years. The lesions´ size varied from 17 mm to 160 mm in largest diameter. In 135 biopsies (96.4%) results were true positive or true negative; only 5 procedures (3.6%) were histologically false negative and had to be verified surgically. Metastatic affection was the most common diagnosis (26.4%). Lymphomas were diagnosed in 25%; serous adenocarcinoma of ovary or uterine tube was verified in 15.7% of cases. Totally 7 complications (5%) were confirmed, all were minor hemorrhages. A statistically significant relation between the complication rate and hypervascular character ( p = 0.00004), and between needle gauge and histological accuracy ( p = 0.00429) was revealed. Core needle biopsy using percutaneous approach and CT guidance had a high overall accuracy in determining the final histological diagnosis including subtyping. Concurrently, the complication incidence was low.

A comparison of intra-operative diagnosis to histopathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis in paediatric and adult cohorts: an analysis of over 1000 patients

Background Appendicitis is a common general surgical emergency. The role of removing a normal appendix is debated. However, this relies on accurate intra-operative diagnosis of a normal appendix by the operating surgeon. This study aimed to compare surgeon’s intra-operative assessment to final histological result acute appendicitis in paediatric and adult patients. Methods All patients who underwent appendicectomy over a 14-year period in a general surgical department were identified using the prospective Lothian Surgical Audit system and pathology reports retrieved to identify final histological diagnosis. Open appendicectomy was selected to examine, as the routine practise at our institution is to remove a normal appendix at open appendicectomy. Results A total of 1035 open appendicectomies were performed for clinically suspected appendicitis. Sensitivity of intra-operative diagnosis of appendicitis with operating surgeon was high at 95.13% with no difference between trainee and consultant surgeon or between adult and paediatric cases. Specificity of intra-operative diagnosis was lower in the paediatric group (32.58%) than in the adult group (40.58%). Women had a higher rate of negative appendicectomy than men. Conclusion The results of this study highlight some discordance between histological evidence of acute appendicitis and intra-operative impression. Therefore other clinical variables and not just macroscopic appearance alone should be used when deciding to perform appendicectomy.

1108 Comparing the Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Nuclear Imaging Scan in Preoperative Localisation of Parathyroid Lesions in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Aim Parathyroidectomy remains the only method to cure Primary Hyperparathyroidism. Preoperative localisation of the lesion is vital for successful surgical management. The preferred initial preoperative imaging is an ultrasound scan (USS) of the neck. NICE recommends a second preoperative imaging modality to guide the surgical management. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of USS of the neck and SPECT scan in the preoperative localisation of parathyroid lesions in a single Teaching Hospital. Method A retrospective study performed included a cohort of patients between 2018 and 2020. 31 patients that underwent elective focussed parathyroidectomy were followed up. Data on preoperative investigations including USS of the neck and SPECT and final histological diagnosis of the specimen was captured using the hospital’s electronic medical records Quadramed. Results Both USS and SPECT scan correctly identified the nature and location of the lesion in only 35.4% patients. USS alone correctly identified the nature and location of the lesion in 50.0% patients whereas SPECT was 46.7%. USS incorrectly identified the nature or the location of the lesion in 33.3% patients whereas SPECT was 40.0%. Interestingly, the USS did not identify any abnormal pathology in 5 patients and SPECT in 4 patients, although all 9 showed pathological histology findings. Conclusions Data collected shows that either scan alone would not be sufficient to confirm the absence of parathyroid pathology. A second scan decreases the likelihood of missing any abnormal pathology. However, in patients with a high clinical suspicion abnormality cannot be ruled out despite having two negative scan results.

Retrosternal goitre and its management

Retrosternal goiter (RSG) is a term that has been used to describe a goiter that extends beyond the thoracic inlet. Retrosternal goitre is defined as a goitre with a portion of its mass ≥ 50% located in the mediastinum. Surgical removal is the treatment of choice and, in most cases, the goitre can be removed via a cervical approach. Aim of this retrospective study was to analyse personal experience in the surgical management of retrosternal goitres, defining, in particular, the features requiring sternotomy. Retrospective study, teaching hospital-based. Retrospective analysis of 687 thyroidectomies performed between 2008 and 2019. The 47 (6.84 %) patients with RSG were analyzed further, with regard to demographics, presentation, indications, and outcome of surgical treatment. There were 47 patients (6.84 %) with RSG, [ 34 females (72.34%), 13 males (27.66%)] (mean age: 52 years, range: 34-76)], out of 687 thyroidectomies, in a 14 -year period. The most common presentation was neck swelling (68%), followed by respiratory symptoms (46.8%) and the surgical procedure predominantly used was total thyroidectomy. The RSGs were removed by collar incision in 43 (91.5 %) of the cases, only 4 cases (8.5 %) required sternotomy, (residual thyroid in mediastinum after cervical approach in one case and due to very large thyroid reaching the main bronchial bifurcation in the other three). The final histological diagnosis revealed malignancy in 8.5 % of the thyroid specimens. There was no mortality and minor complications occurred in nine patients (19.1%). The presence of an RSG is an indication for surgery owing to the lack of effective medical treatment, the higher incidence of symptoms related to compression, low surgical morbidity, and the risk of malignancy. Surgical removal of a retrosternal goitre is a challenging procedure; it can be performed safely, in most cases, via a cervical approach, with a complication rate slightly higher than the average rate for cervical goitre thyroidectomy, especially concerning hypoparathyroidism and post-operative bleeding. The most significant criteria for selecting patients requiring sternotomy are computed tomography features, in particular the presence of an ectopic goitre, the extent of the goitre to or below the tracheae carina. If retrosternal goitre thyroidectomy is performed by a skilled surgical team, familiar with its unique pitfalls, the assistance of a thoracic surgeon may be required only in a few selected cases

The Histopathological Analysis of 122 Cases of Ovarian Lesions

Aim: To outline various histopathological types of ovarian cysts received in our teaching hospital along with their prevalence and mode of presentation and to assess the proportion of physiologic versus pathological cysts and benign versus malignant ovarian cysts. Duration of study: From Jan 2019 to March 2021. Methods: Histopathology Department of Bakhtawar Amin Medical & Dental College & Hospital, Multan. A retrospective review of 122 ovarian lesions including physiological/functional cysts, pathological non neoplastic cysts as well as benign, borderline and malignant neoplasm. Histopathology reports of all ovarian specimens were reviewed and counted. Details like age, marital status, parity, presenting complaints, procedure opted, laterality, size, gross and microscopic details and final histological diagnosis etc were recorded. H&E stained slides of all cases were reviewed. In difficult suspicious cases, immunohistochemistry was also carried out. Percentage and proportions were calculated for all the variables. Relevant tables and charts were computed. Results: A total of 122 ovarian specimens with some lesion were segregated in histopathology department of Bakhtawar Amin Hospital from 117 patients with 5 patients having bilateral lesions. The mean age was 33.2 years (ranging from 13-71 years). Most ladies presented between 25-45 years of age. Out of these 117 patients, 18 ladies were unmarried. Out of the 99 married, 12 were nulliparous. Sixty four ladies (54.7%) found to have cysts/neoplasm in right sided ovary, forty eight (41%) presented with left sided ovarian involvement and 5 (4.3 %) presented with bilateral ovarian lesions. Conclusion: Non neoplastic ovarian cysts are more frequent as compared to neoplastic masses. Histopathological diagnosis is mandatory for final confirmatory diagnosis. Keywords: Ovarian lesions, reproductive cells, cyst

The incidence and relevance of Non-Fatty components in trunk and extremity lipomatous soft tissue masses

Objectives: To determine the incidence and diagnostic relevance of non-fatty ‘solid appearing’ components within lipomatous tumours of the trunk and extremity. Methods and materials: Retrospective review of patients referred to a specialist musculoskeletal oncology service over a 12 month period with a lipomatous trunk or extremity soft tissue tumour. The presence and morphology (solitary/multifocal; homogeneous/heterogeneous; well-defined/poorly-defined) of non-fatty components was recorded based on MRI, and compared with the final histological diagnosis. Results: 213 patients with 217 lipomatous tumours were included, 119 (55.9%) males and 94 (44.1%) females with mean age of 54.6 years (range 7–93 years). Seventy-seven (35.5%) lesions arose superficial to the fascia and 139 (64.1%) deep, while a single case involved both compartments. Mean maximal tumour dimension was 94.9 mm (range 12–288 mm). Non-fatty ‘solid appearing’ components were identified in 28 (12.9%) cases, of which eight were solitary and 20 were multifocal, six had homogeneous SI and 22 had heterogeneous SI, and eight had well-defined margins while 20 had poorly-defined margins. Histological diagnosis was available in 20 of the tumours containing non-fatty components, 16 of which were benign, two intermediate grade and two malignant (a dedifferentiated liposarcoma and a myxoid liposarcoma). The commonest diagnosis was spindle cell lipoma, which accounted for 10 of 20 (50%) cases with confirmed histology. Conclusions: Non-fatty components are identified in ~13% of trunk and extremity lipomatous tumours. The majority of such lesions are benign lipoma variants, most commonly spindle cell lipoma. Advances in knowledge: Solid non-fatty components are identified in approximately 13% of lipomatous tumours referred to a specialist sarcoma service. Despite the concern that these may represent dedifferentiated liposarcomas, high-grade tumours were seen in only two cases, the commonest diagnosis being a spindle cell lipoma.

Frozen Section Diagnosis: Accuracy and Errors; with Emphasis on Reasons for Discordance

Background: Frozen section is a multistep process involving surgical resection, intraoperative preparation of slides and their microscopic examination. It is important to assess concordant, discordant and deferred diagnosis rates from intra-operative frozen section diagnosis with final diagnosis on paraffin section and to determine the reasons for discordance. An integral part of quality assurance in surgical pathology entails the correlation of intra-operative frozen section diagnosis with final diagnosis on permanent section. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 117 cases of frozen section biopsy was carried out which were reported in the Histopathology department between July 2007 to June 2012. The correlation between the frozen section diagnosis with final histological diagnosis was performed in order to check the accuracy of the technique. The number and type of discrepancies were compared, causes for the discrepancies were analyzed in order to decrease the avoidable errors and improve on the frozen section diagnoses. Results: The overall accuracy of frozen section diagnoses over 5years was 90.60% with false positive rate of 0.85%, false negative rate of 6.84% and 1.71% of deferred diagnosis. Sensitivity was 87.69% and Specificity was 98%. The discrepancies were mainly due to the interpretation error, sampling error and technical artefacts. Conclusions: Gross inspection, sampling by pathologist, frozen section complemented with cytological and histological review and cooperation between consultants can avoid certain limitations and provide rapid, reliable, cost effective information necessary for optimum patient care.

Can the dynamic spectral imaging (DSI) color map improve colposcopy examination for precancerous cervical lesions? A prospective evaluation of the DSI color map in a multi-biopsy clinical setting

Background Colposcopy serves as a subjective examination of the cervix with low sensitivity to detect cervical intraepithelial dysplasia (CIN) grade 2 or worse (CIN2 +). Dynamic spectral imaging (DSI) colposcopy has been developed to provide an objective element to cervix examinations and has been proven to increase sensitivity of detecting CIN2 + . We aimed to assess the performance of the DSI color map and compared it to histological diagnoses of cervical biopsies in determining the CIN grade present. Methods Women were included in a consecutive, prospective manner at Randers Regional Hospital, Denmark. Women were eligible to participate if they were referred for colposcopy due to abnormal cervical smear (threshold: ≥ ASCUS) or follow-up after previously diagnosed CIN. All women had four biopsies taken, one directed by colposcopists alone prior to viewing the DSI color map, one directed by the worst color on the respective DSI color map, and two additional biopsies. All biopsies were analyzed separately. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values (NPVs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results A total of 800 women were recruited. Of these, 529 (66.1%) were eligible for inclusion. The sensitivity of the DSI color map was found to be 48.1% (95% CI 41.1–55.1) in finding CIN grade 2 or worse (CIN2 +) when compared to the histological diagnosis of the DSI directed biopsy. This was 42.5% (95% CI 36.7–48.5) when compared to the final histological diagnosis of all four cervical biopsies and with an NPV of 53.5% (95% CI 50.5–56.5). Conclusion The worst color indicated by the DSI map might not consistently reflect the true grade of cervical dysplasia present. Thus, even though the DSI color map indicates low-grade changes, colposcopists should still consider taking biopsies from the area as high-grade changes might be present. Trial registration: NCT04249856, January 31 2020 (retrospectively registered).

Spontaneous subcapsular and perirenal haemorrhage with retroperitoneal haematoma in a patient with ovarian melanoma metastases

A 47-year-old woman was admitted to our clinic for intensive pain in the left flank region. The transvaginal ultrasound showed a left adnexal solid mass with ascites. She had undergone surgical removal of skin melanoma in 2008, but in September 2019, intracardiac metastasis resulting from it had been discovered. CT performed in March 2020 had been negative for other metastases. A full abdomen ultrasound was not performed. During the night, the patient began to show signs and symptoms of hypovolaemic shock. The patient was urgently transferred to the operating room for a video laparoscopy. A vast left retroperitoneal haematoma was diagnosed along with voluminous enlargement of the left ovary. We proceeded with a left adnexectomy and blood transfusion. Subsequent contrast-enhanced CT revealed a left subcapsular, perirenal haematoma and a voluminous retroperitoneal haematoma. Kidney metastasis was also seen. The final histological diagnosis was metastatic amelanotic malignant melanoma of the ovary.