Objective To explore the features of high-frequency ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).Methods The CEUS data and ultrasound data of 147 PTMCS which were reconfirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively,and the CEUS and ultrasonic characteristics of them were summarized.Results Among 147 nodules,144 (97.9％) nodules were hypoechoic,and 3 nodules were isoechoic.Vague edge was found in 136(92.5％) PTMCs,and 126(85.7％) PTMCs were irregular in shape.Totally 92(62.6％) PTMCs were A/T ＞ 1,microcalcifications were found in 81 (55.1％) PTMCs.Besides,26(74.2％) PTMCs were found microcalcification in 35 PTMCs combined with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT),while 55 (49.1％) PTMCs were found microcalcification in 112 PTMCs combined with HT.There were significant differences between them (P ＜ 0.05).The blood distribution of 129 (87.8％) nodules was type Ⅱ.The contrast-enhanced pattern of 147 (100.0％) PTMCs showed in-homogeneous enhancement in 144 (97.9％) nodules,hypoenhancement in 136(92.5％) nodules,and all the nodules without amicula.Conclusions The typical PTMCs are hypoechoic,irregular shapeand vague edge,usually were found as A/T ＞ 1,microcalcification,and type Ⅱ blood distribution.With the method of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography,these nodules usually without amicula showed inhomogeneous and hypoenhancement.The incidence of microcalcification is more common when patients with Hashimoto's disease coexisting PTMC.

Objective To investigate the effect on bioeffects such as sonoporation and cell killing that induced by domestic ultrasound contrast agent(perfluoropropane-albumin microsphere)and diagnostic ultrasound by microbubble concentration.Methods Suspensions of hepatocyte with microbubbules in different concentrations were exposed to diagnostic ultrasound.The study included blank contrast group(no microbubble,no ultrasound),exposed group(no microbubble,exposed to ultrasound)and 6 microbubble groups in different concentration(with different microbubbule/cell ratios for 1,5,10,50,100 and 200,exposed to ultrasound for 10min).The uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanatedextran(FD500)by hepatocyte was observed and the percentages of sonoporation cells were counted,the cell viability was determined by trypan blue stain immediately after exposure,and apoptosis of ceils were detected by flow cytometry,with double staining of fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-labeled Annexin V/propidium iodide(PI).Results Fluorescence stain results:compared with blank contrast group or exposed group,the sonoporatin of groups with microbubble/cell ratio of 5 to 200 increased significantly(P＜0.05).Cell killing effects:compared with the blank contrast group,only the cell death percentages of microbubble groups with microbubble/cell ratio of 50,100 and 200 increased significantly(P＜0.05).Compared with the exposed group,only that of groups with microbubble/cell ratio of 100 and 200 increased significantly(P＜0.05).There was no significant different between blank contrast group and exposed group for all these results.Conclusions Sonoporation and cell killing effect can be induced by diagnostic ultrasound in HL-7702 with domestic ultrasound contrast agent(perfluoropropane-albumin microsphere).For diagnosis,the ratio of microbubbule/cell should better be under 10.While for gene transfection,the ratio should better be 50 and could be 100 if it is necessary.

Objective To evaluate the correlation between left ventricular function and arterial stiffness of left femoral artery in patients with lower extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD).Methods Thirty-three patients with LEAD and 37 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled in this study.The intima-media thickness (IMT),diameter and parameters of arterial stiffness [dispensability coefficient (DC),compliance coefficient (CC),stiffness α,stiffness β,pulse wave velocity (PWVβ) ]were measured by ultrasonography with the technology of QIMT and QAS.The thickness of the interventricular septum (IVSd),end-diastolic left ventricular diameter (LVDd) and left ventricular mass (LVM),and parameters of the left ventriculsr function (EF,E/A,E'/A',E/E' and Tei index) were measured by echocardiography.These parameters were compared between two groups.Correlations between the parameters of the arterial stiffness and those of the cardiac function were evaluated by Pearson correlative analysis.Results ①The IVSd,LVM and E/E' ratio were significantly higher in LEAD group than those in control group ( P ＜0.05).There were no significant differences in EF,E/A,E'/A',and Tei index between two groups ( P ＞0.05).②The IMT,α,β,PWVβ of left femoral artery were significantly higher in LEAD group than those in control group,while DC and CC were significantly lower in LEAD group than those in control group ( P ＜0.05).③The E/E' ratio,one of the parameters representing the left ventricular diastolic function,was correlated negatively with CC and positively with α,β,and PWVβ ( P ＜0.05 or P ＜0.01 ).The E'/A' ratio was correlated positively with DC and CC,and negatively with α,β,and PWVβ ( P ＜0.05 or P ＜0.01 ).Both EF and Tei index were not significantly correlated with the above parameters of arterial stiffness ( P ＞0.05).Conclusions Patients with LEAD have thickened femoral IMT,higher arterial stiffness of left femoral artery,as well as impaired left ventricular function.There is a close correlation between the atherosclerosis of the femoral artery and the early left vcntricular dysfunction.

Objective To evaluate the association between the left carotid arterial stiffness and left ventricular diastolic function in patients with lower extremity atherosclerosis (AS).Methods ①A total of 32 patients with AS and 34 control objects were enrolled.The carotid arterial stiffness parameters:compliance coefficient (CC),distensibility coefficient (DC),stiffness parameter (α,β),pulse wave velocity β (PWVβ) were measured by using quality arterial stiffness(QAS) technology.And the values were compared between the two groups.②The parameters of left ventricular (LV) structure and function:LV end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSd),LV end-diastolic diameter (LVDd),LV end-diastolic wall thickness (PWd),LV ejection fraction (EF),systolic velocity (s'),early-diastolic velocity (e'),Tei index and E/e' ratio were measured by using two-dimensional echocardiography and tissue Doppler.These parameters were compared between the two groups.The association between the carotid arterial stiffness parameters and LV function parameters were analyzed by correlative analysis.Results ①Compared with the control group,the DC and CC were lower,and α,β,PWVβ,IMT were higer than the control group,with statistically significant differences(P ＜0.05).②The IVSd,Tei index and E/e'was significantly higher in the AS group than those in the control group.And the PWd,s',e' were lower than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in EF between the two groups (P ＞0.05).③The e' was correlated positively with DC and CC (r =0.39,0.36,P ＜0.01),and negatively with α,β,and PWVβ (r =-0.42,-0.42,-0.49,P ＜0.01).Tei index was correlated negatively with DC and CC (r =-0.50,-0.52,P ＜0.01),and positively with α,β,and PWVβ (r =0.58,0.58,0.62,P ＜0.01).The E/e' was correlated regatively with CC (r =-0.27,P ＜0.05),and positively with PWVβ (r =0.28,P ＜0.05).There were no significant correlation between s',EF and the stiffness parameters of carotid artery (P＞0.05).Conclusions In patients with AS,the left carotid artery stiffness increases and left ventricular systolic and diastolic function are impaired.The carotid artery stiffness and left ventricular diastolic function is correlated.Changes in carotid artery stiffness reflect the change in left ventricular diastolic function.

Objective To evaluate the value of the real-time tissue elasticity imaging quantitative method in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.MethodsSeventy-three patients with thyroid nodules，including 95 lesions,were included in the study.A total of thyroid nodules were examined with traditional ultrasonography and elastosonography from which the strain ratios(SR)were derived，with pathologic results as the reference standard.And a receiver-operating charaeterisitc(ROC)curve was used to identify the value of optimal operating point for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.Results①The strain ratio of the benign lesions was 2.06 ±1.01，which was significantly different from the value of malignant lesions 5.05±2.23(P＜0.05).②The area under the curve was 0.929，which showed a high statistical significance.③It showed that the optimal operating point of ROC curve was 3.17，with high sensitivity(96.7%)，specificity(90.8%)，postive predictive value (93.3%)and negative predictive value(96.9%).Conclusions The real-time tissue elasticity imaging can provide a quantitative,noninvasive and convenient tool for evaluating the thyroid nodules.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of laparoscopic hepatectomy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods The clinical data of 30 HCC patients who were admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2011 to December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were divided into the laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) group (10 patients) and open hepatectomy (OH) group (20 patients) according to the operation patterns and at the ratio of 1 ∶ 2.The degree of cirrhosis,size and location of tumor of the 2 groups were analyzed using the covariance analysis.The student t test was used for analysing the difference of the 2 groups.Results In the LH group,7 patients received laparoscopic nonanatomical liver resection,3 received anatomical resection of the left lateral lobe,no patient was converted to the hand assisted laparoscopic surgery or open surgery.In the OH group,14 patients received non-anatomical liver resection,and 6 received anatomical liver resection.The volume of blood loss of the LH group was (247 ± 235) ml,which was significantly lower than (408 ± 191)ml of the OH group (t =2.199,P ＜ 0.05).The mean postoperative fasting time,postoperative abdominal drainage time and duration of hospital stay of the LH group were (1.9 ±0.6) days,(3.2 ± 1.2) days and (8.9 ± 2.3) days,which were significantly shorter than (3.0 ± 1.6) days,(4.9±1.6)daysand (11.5±2.3)days of the OH group (t=2.149,2.917,2.921,P＜0.05).The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of the LH group at day 1,3,5 were (228 ± 100)U/L,(143 ± 51)U/L,(85 ±24) U/L,and the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) of the LH group at day 1,3,5 were (196 ± 67)U/L,(90 ± 35) U/L,(46 ± 10) U/L.The levels of ALT of the OH group at day 1,3,5 were (557 ± 401) U/L,(414 ±397)U/L,(217 ± 199)U/L,and the levels of AST of the OH group at day 1,3,5 were (506 ±317)U/L,(178 ± 122) U/L,(71 ± 33) U/L.The time for hepatic function recovery of the LH group was significantly shorter than that of the OH group (t =3.675,3.001,2.073 ; 4.196,2.223,2.272,P ＜ 0.05).All the 30 patients were followed up for 3-15 months.The level of alpha fetoprotein of 1 patient in the LH group was increased at postoperative month 4,and the results of computed tomography showed multiple intrahepatic lesions.The patient was cured by intervention treatment.One patient of the OH group was diagnosed as with tumor recurrence at the resection margins and adjacent hepatic segments.The patient was cured by radiofrequency ablation,with no tumor recurrence.No tumor recurrence or metastasis was observed in the other patients.Conclusion Laparoscopic hepatectomy is a feasible,safe and minimally invasive approach for patients with HCC.

Objective To evaluate the impact of different treatment strategies on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of less than 10 cm but with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT),and to investigate the prognostic factors.Methods Between 2003 and 2008,338 HCC patients with PVTT from the Affiliated Tumor Hospital,Guangxi Medical University,were retrospectively studied.These patients were divided into four groups:the conservative treatment group (n =75),the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) group (n=86),the surgical resection group (n =90) and the surgical resection with postoperative TACE group (n=87).Survival rates were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and differences among groups were compared using the log-rank analysis.The Cox' s proportional hazards model was performed to explore the risk factors of survival.Results The mean survival periods of patients in the four groups were 3.8,7,8.2,15.1 months respectively.There were significant differences in survival rate among the 4 groups.The survival rates at 1-,2-,and 3-year in the surgical resection with postoperative TACE group were 49％,37％ and 19％,which were significantly higher than the other 3 groups (P＜0.05).The 1-,2-,and 3-year survival rates in the surgical resection group were 28％,20％ and 15％ compared with 17.5％,0％ and 0％ in the TACE group.The survival rates were significantly higher after surgical resection than TACE (P＜0.05).The 1-,2-,and 3-year survival rates in the conservative treatment group were 0％.These were the lowest among the four groups (P＜0.05).Univariate analysis indicated that portal vein occlusion by tumor thrombus was a significant predictor of poor prognosis.Multivariate analysis revealed that the strategy of treatment (TACE) and the number of TACE cycles were independent survival predictors for HCC patients with PVTT.Conclusions Surgical resection is the most effective therapeutic strategy for HCC patients with PVTT and with good liver functional reserve.Postoperative TACE is necessary in preventing recurrence and prolonging survival in patients who could tolerate chemoembolization.TACE should be recommended as an effective and safe treatment for unresectable HCC patients with PVTT.The treatment provided a significantly better survival than conservative treatment.

In recent years, ultrasound elastography, as a new technique for evaluating soft tissue elasticity, has been progressively used in musculoskeletal system. Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is considered to be more objective, quantitative, and reproducible than other ultrasonic elastography techniques with increasing applications to the musculoskeletal system. A number of studies have shown that SWE has high application value in determining severity and prognosis of the musculoskeletal tissue diseases (including tendons, muscles, nerves and ligaments). This article describes the applications of SWE in the evaluation of musculoskeletal system.

Transthoracic echocardiographic characteristics of 17 cases of cardiac amyloidosis (CA), a rare disease in China, were analyzed in order to improve the understanding of the disease. Seventeen cases of biopsy-proven CA, admitted to Wuhan Union Hospital from June 1994 to September 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty normal volunteers served as control group. Left atrial and ventricular functions and mitral inflow velocity were measured by two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived peak systolic wall motion velocities (Sv), peak early diastolic wall motion velocities (Ev), and peak late diastolic wall motion (Av) were measured at the septum, lateral, inferior and anterior corners of mitral annulus from the apical 4- and 2 chamber views. Compared with the control group, the interventricular septal thickness (IVSd), the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPWd), right ventricular transverse diameter (RVTDd) near the end of diastole and the interauricular septum thickness (IASs), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (LAADs), right atrial transverse diameter (RATDs) near the end of systole were increased significantly (all P<0.05) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased (P<0.05) in the CA group. Compared with the control group, Sv, Ev at each wall and Av at almost all walls were significantly decreased in the CA group. In the CA group, Myocardial echoes of interventricular septum and free wall of left ventricle were enhanced evidently and distributed unevenly. The echoes presented as ground glass-like images, with some spotty hyper echoes. Both atria were enlarged, and LVEF decreased, with diastolic function impaired, and mild-moderate hydropericardium found in the CA group. It was concluded that echocardiography was a relatively sensitive and highly specific non-invasive method for the diagnosis of CA.
Amyloidosis/*ultrasonography ; Cardiomyopathies/*ultrasonography ; Case-Control Studies ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler/*methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective To explore the association between ratio index of gamma glutamyl transpeptidase/platelet (GPRI) and the prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before liver resection. Methods A total of 368 patients underwent liver resection for HBV-related HCC were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Patients were divided into high GPRI group (n=184, GPRI≥0.38) and low GPRI group (n=184, GPRI<0.38). Clinicopathologic characteristics including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between the two groups. Independent risk factors influencing DFS and OS were determined by Cox multivariate analysis. Results Compared to low GPRI group, there were higher levels of serum total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase, higher proportions of tumor diameter larger than 10 cm, amount of tumou more than 3, and patients with macrovascular invasion and intermediate or advanced HCC in high GPRI group (all P<0.05). Values of DFS at 1, 3, and 5 years were significantly lower in high GPRI group (50.8%, 16.9%and 5.7%) than those in low GPRI group (69.0%, 33.3%, 10.7%;P=0.001). Values of OS at 1, 3, and 5 years were also significantly lower in high GPRI group (75.0%, 51.8%and 36.0%) than those in low GPRI group (89.8%, 72.8%and 63.2%;P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis also demonstrated that GPRI ≥0.38 was an independent risk factor for DFS and OS in patients with HBV-related HCC after liver resection. Conclusion Preoperative GPRI can predict tumor recurrence and long-term survival in patients with HBV-related HCC after liver resection.