Objective To explore the effectiveness of minimally invasive targeted Argon-Helium cryoablation in the treatment of hepatic carcinoma. Methods Ultrasound-guided Argon-Helium targeted cryoablation using the Cryo-Hit system was performed percutaneously or through laparotomy in 27 cases of hepatic neoplasms, including 10 cases of primary hepatic carcinoma, 11 cases of recurrent hepatic carcinoma, and 6 cases of metastatic carcinoma. Results No surgical death was found. There were no complications such as hepatic rupture, hemorrhage, or bile leakage. In 12 cases that had an increased AFP levels before the treatment (36.5~1200 ?g/L), a decrease was observed (8.0~254 ?g/L) and a recovery below the normal levels was noted in 6 cases. In 3 cases that had an increased CEA levels before the treatment, the levels reduced after the treatment and went down to the normal ranges in 2 cases. A follow-up survey was carried out for 1~3 months. CT scannings or MRI examinations found a complete tumor necrosis in 59.2% (16/27) of cases and a reduction of tumor size with various degrees in 25.9% (7/27) of patients. Conclusions Ultrasound-guided targeted Argon-Helium cryoablation using the fine-probe Cryo-Hit system is a safe, effective, and simple procedure for the treatment of hepatic carcinoma, although its effectiveness still needs further verification.

Objective To observe the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the evaluation of efficacy of Argon-Helium cryoablation therapy for liver malignancies.Methods A total of 27 patients with 27 lesions of liver malignancies underwent ultrasound-guided Argon-Helium cryoablation therapy.CEUS was used to evaluate the local response and compared with contrast-enhanced CT (CECT).Results One month after Argon-Helium cryoablation therapy,21 lesions (77.78%) were diagnosed as complete ablation with CEUS and 22 (81.48%) with CECT.Contrast enhancement within lesions was demonstrated in 6 lesions (22.22%) with CEUS and 5 (18.52%) with CECT.As compared to CECT,the sensitivity,specificity,positive and negative predictive value,and accuracy of CEUS in diagnosing tumor residue 1 month after treatment was 80.00% (4/5),90.91% (20/22),66.67% (4/6),95.24% (20/21),and 88.89% (24/27) .respectively.Conclusion CEUS is an effective alternative for the evaluation of efficacy of Argon-Helium cryoablation in the treatment of liver malignancies.

OBJECTIVETo assess the diagnostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with acute viral myocarditis.

METHODSThirty patients with suspected acute viral myocarditis admitted in first people's hospital of Shunde from June 2011 to June 2013 were included in this prospective study. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of acute viral myocarditis were evaluated by clinical diagnosis. Diagnostic value among different scan methods and Lake Louise criteria were compared.

RESULTSAcute viral myocarditis was diagnosed in 63.33% (19/30) patients.Values for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy within the overall cohort were 57.89%, 72.73%, 78.57%, 50.00%, 63.33%, respectively by edema imaging (ER).Values for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy within the overall cohort were 78.95%, 63.64%, 78.95%, 63.64%, 73.33%, respectively using global relative enhancement (gRE).Values for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy within the overall cohort were 78.95%, 54.55%, 75.00%, 60.00%, 70.00%, respectively using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) criteria.Values for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy within the overall cohort were 84.21%, 81.82%, 88.89%, 75.00%, 83.33% using Lake Louise criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy using Lake Louise criteria were significantly higher than using ER, gRE, LGE alone(all P < 0.05).Specificity was higher using ER than using gRE and LGE (both P < 0.05). The sensitivity, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy were significantly higher using gRE than using ER (all P < 0.05) and was similar as using LGE (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCardiac magnetic resonance is an excellent imaging modality for the diagnosis of acute viral myocarditis.

Acute Disease ; Contrast Media ; Gadolinium ; Heart ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Myocarditis ; diagnosis ; virology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived parameters on the improvement of left ventricular function in patients with acute viral myocarditis. Methods: Forty patients, who referred for acute viral myocarditis in our hospital from September 2011 to September 2015, were prospectively enrolled in this study.All patients were examined by CMR during hospitalization for acute viral myocarditis (baseline) and after 12 months.The CMR sequences include: two dimension steady state free precession, 2D SSFP; triple inversion recovery, triple IR; early gadolinium enhancement; phase sensitive inversion recovery turbo field echo, PSIR TFE. Results: Thirty out of 40 patients with susceptive acute viral myocarditis met the CMR criteria of acute viral myocarditis (Lake Louise Criteria) (LL+ ) and the other 10 patients did not meet the diagnostic criteria (LL-). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values were significantly lower in LL+ group than in LL- group at baseline and at 12 months after discharge (P<0.01 or 0.05, respectively). The baseline left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI) was significantly higher in LL+ group than in LL- group (P<0.05) and was similar between the groups at 12 months follow up.Left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI )was similar between the two groups at baseline and at 12 months follow up.LVEF was significantly higher during 12 months follow up compared to baseline in LL+ group and remained unchanged in LL- group during the two time points.LVESVI and LVEDVI remained unchanged at baseline and during 12 months follow up both in LL+ and LL- groups (P>0.05). Results showed that LL+ , edema ratio (ER) positive and global relative enhancement (gRE) positive were associated with significant increase of LVEF at 12 months follow up.However, LL-, ER negative, gRE negative, late gadolinium enhancement(LGE) negative and LGE positive linked with unchanged LVEF at 12 months follow up (P>0.05). Patients were further divided into LVEF increase (ΔLVEF≥5%) group and non LVEF increase group (ΔLVEF<5%), the results of Chi-square test showed that LL+ and ER positive were related to the improvement of LVEF (P<0.05), while gRE and LGE were not associated with improvement of cardiac function (P>0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis, using ER, gRE and LGE as independent variables and LVEF as dependent variables, showed that the presence of myocardial edema was the strongest independent predictor of an increase in LVEF at follow up (full model: non-standardized coefficient 0.445, P=0.043; reduced model: non-standardized coefficient 0.442, P=0.12). Conclusion Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging monitoring is valuable to observe the cardiac function and morphology changes in patients with acute viral myocarditis, and myocardial edema imaging is the most powerful parameter to predict the improvement of LVEF in this patient cohort.