Objective To analysis the spiral CT scan diagnosis value of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal carcinoma and investigate the rules of lymph node metastasis distributions.Methods 117 patients with surgically and pathologically proved esophageal carcinoma underwent CT scans of the chest before the surgical operation to identify the presence of lymph node metastasis and evaluate the diagnosis value of spiral CT in lymph node metastasis.CT imaging which was detected by CT and histopathological analysis performed with attention to the distribution characteristics.Results In 117 cases of esophageal patients,the diagnosis of sensitivity,specific and accuracy degree on lymph node metastasis were 86.0 ％,80.6 ％,84.6 ％.The most lymph node metastasis in the upper thoracic esophagus is the mediastinum group[8/14(57.1％)]and the trachea group[4/14(28.6 ％)].the middle is on the trachea surrounding group[21/41(51.2 ％)],the main pulmonary artery window group[17/41(41.5 ％)]and subcarinal group[15/41(36.6 ％)].the lower thoracic esophagus is around the side of preventriculus[7/19(36.8 ％)]and the left gastric artery[5/19(26.3 ％)]respectively.Conclusion Spiral CT imaging can accurately evaluate the lymph node metastasis of esophageal and distribution characteristics.

Purpose To investigate the CT gemstone spectral imaging features of gastric stromal tumors (GST), so as to discuss the value of CT gemstone spectral imaging in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of GST. Materials and Methods Thirty patients with GST proved pathologically were scanned by gemstone spectral imaging. Their GSI scanning image data and the related clinical data were retrospectively analyzed, and the quantitative analysis based on iodine content of the lesions in both arterial phase and portal phase was carried out. Results The GSI findings showed that the lesions were intra-luminal, extra-luminal or both intra-and extra-luminal soft tissue mass, the sizes were various, and they protruded either toward the inner side of stomach or the opposite or both. Among them, the diameter of 4 tumors in the low risk group ranged from 1 to 5 cm; in the intermediate risk group, 3 tumors had diameters from 1 to 5 cm, and 3 others were from 6 to 19 cm; in high-risk group, 18 tumors' diameter were between 6 to 9 cm, 2 were between 1 to 5 cm, and the rest 1 had multiple lesions in various sizes. Fifteen tumors occurred in gastric body, 10 occurred in gastric antrum, 4 were at the bottom of the stomach, and 1 had multifocal growth. Sixteen patients had internal and external growth of lesions, among whom 14 patients were at high risk; 10 patients' lesions were outside the cavity, including 6 patients at high risk and 1 patient at low risk; and 4 patients had lesions inside the cavity, including 3 patients at low risk. At the arterial phase the foci mildly strengthened, and they strengthened increasingly at the portal phase. The material value based water and iodine figure showed that material value based iodine of the lesions at both arterial phase and portal phase was higher than that in the normal gastric wall tissue, and the material value based iodine of the lesions at portal phase was higher than that at arterial phase (F=378.6 and 296.6, P<0.05). At arterial phase, the iodine content of the lesions in the mucosa was slightly higher than that in the submucosa and muscular layer (t= - 2.245, P<0.05). Conclusion CT gemstone spectral imaging can accurately show the external forms and internal changes of GST lesions and iodine content measurement can provide quantitative diagnostic information, therefore they can provide more effective information for clinical diagnosis.

Objective To explore the value of gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) with single source dual-energy CT in characterizing the benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN).Methods Totally 32 patients with SPN underwent phaseⅢ enhanced CT scan using single source dual-energy CT by GSI mode.Three types of images were reconstructed for analysis:the water concentration (WC),iodine concentration (IC) and normalized iodine concentration (NIC).Results The IC of lung squamous cell carcinoma lung adenocarcinoma,hamartoma,sclerosing hemangioma,inflammatory pseudotumor were (11.66± 2.72) μg/ml,(12.36±2.97) μg/ml,(10.20±3.11) μg/ml,(16.58±3.58) μg/ml,(21.67±3.76) μg/ml,the IC of lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma had no difference (P ＞ 0.05),there were significant differences in the value of iodine material between other nodules (all P ＜ 0.05).The WC of lung adenocarcinoma,lung squamous cell carcinoma,hamartoma,sclerosing hemangioma,inflammatory pseudotumor were (1 021.31±13.83) μg/ml,(1 027.98±12.53) μg/ml,(1 003.42±13.67) μg/ml,(1 029.61±12.06) μg/ml,(1 051.61±13.81) μg/ml,there was no significant difference in the value of water material between nodules (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The spectral CT imaging may be helpful for characterizing the pathological type of SPN.

Objective To analyze the CT and MRI performances of chromophobe cell renal carcinoma,to improve the understanding of the disease.Methods The CT and MRI performances of 16 patients with chromophobe cell renal carcinoma confirmed by post-operation pathology were analyzed retrospectively.Results Among 13 cases examined by CT,8 cases had homogeneous lesion including the homogeneous lesions density of 5 cases higher than that of normal renal parenchyma,and the other 5 cases had inhomogeneous density.After enhanced scan,the uneven essence ingredients were markedly enhanced in homogeneous density and inhomogeneous density cases,and the enhancement degree in arterial phase was lower than that of the renal cortex and higher than that of the renal medulla.Among 8 cases checked by MRI,2 cases had signal homogeneity with long T1 weighted imaging and long T2 weighted imaging signal,of which 5 cases appeared high signal in T1 weighted imaging flat lesions.The enhancement mode were similar with CT.In 5 patients examined by CT and MRI at the same time,their density,signal and the pattern strengthening were similar.Conclusions Chromophobe cell renal carcinoma is a rare malignant renal cell carcinoma,and CT and MRI can reflect the composition and hemodynamic changes.When homogeneity and high density or T1WI appeared high signal,disease was large and necrosis was less,and strengthening belt was appeared in lesions,it is value on diagnosis of chromophobe cell renal carcinoma.

Objective To discuss the feasibility of neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy for chronic posttraumatic hydrocephalus (PTH).Methods Nineteen cases of chronic PTH treated with neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy between October 2010 and October 2014 were analyzed retrospectively.There were 13 males and 6 females, aged 11-57 years (mean, 36.3 years).Trauma resulted from traffic accidents in 14 cases, falls in 4 cases and blunt object hitting in 1 case.Of the 19 cases analyzed, 5 had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13-15, 5 had score of 9-12 and 9 had score of 5-8 at admission.Results of operation were assessed with the Canada multicenter evaluation criteria.Prognosis was analyzed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).Results All cases were followed up for mean 13.6 months (range, 6-26 months).Improvement of symptoms was achieved in 17 cases, but was not seen in 2 cases.Of the 2 cases, one required ventriculoperitoneal shunt two weeks after ineffective ventriculostomy, and one required second ventriculostomy one month after the presence of stoma blockage.No serious complications occurred.At follow-up, 9 cases had GOS score of 5, 8 cases had score of 4 and 2 cases had score of 3.Conclusions Neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy is in line with the physical characteristics in cerebrospinal fluid circulation, which implies no shunt implantation, less operative trauma and less complications.The procedure is an effective approach for chronic PTH.

Objective:The relationship between the effect of early metabolism in 18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional CT based on the RE-CIST standard to evaluate the best objective response after chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Meth-ods:We studied 40 patients with unresectable locally advanced or advanced NSCLC that were confirmed pathologically. The patients were 35 years old to 78 years old and included 31 males and 9 females. Three patients have unresectable stageⅢA, 8 patients have stageⅢB, 29 patients have stageⅣ, 12 patients have squamous cell carcinoma, and 28 patients have adenocarcinoma. The PET/CT for the effect of chemotherapy was evaluated in NSCLC according to the SUV standard (SUVmax reduction>30%of primary lung can-cer after one cycle of chemotherapy), and the CT for the effect of chemotherapy was evaluated on the basis of NSCLC according to the RECIST standard. The objectives of the study are as follows:compare the differences and consistency between 18F-FDG PET/CT metabol-ic response after the first cycle of chemotherapy and the RECIST best objective response after the first or second cycle of chemothera-py with the paired chi-square test and kappa test;calculate the 18F-FDG PET/CT to predict the best objective response of two cycles of chemotherapy according to RECIST on the basis of NSCLC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and neg-ative predictive value;compare the differences in SUVmax reduction between the metabolic remission group and metabolic no relief group with the two-sample t-test. All statistical methods were 0.05 for the inspection level, and P<0.05 was considered statistically sig-nificant difference (SPSS19.0). Results:Differences were found between the first cycle of chemotherapy for the RECIST best objective response and 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic response (χ2=5.063, P=0.021), and the results had bad consistency (Kappa=0.240, P=0.085). No differences were observed between the second cycle of chemotherapy for the RECIST best objective response and 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic response (χ2=2.083, P=0.146);the results had good consistency (Kappa=0.413, P=0.006). The sensitivity, specificity, accura-cy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 82%, 61%, 70%, 61%, and 82%, respectively. The differences in SUV-max reduction between the metabolic remission group and metabolic no relief group with the two-sample t-test were statistically sig-nificant (P<0.001). Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT may predict the best objective response to chemotherapy for NSCLC patients. Com-pared with conventional CT, 18F-FDG PET/CT can be an early and accurate way to evaluate the chemotherapy effect in NSCLC.

Background: Hypoalbuminemia adversely affects the clinical outcomes of various cancers. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prognostic value of hypoalbuminemia 3–5 weeks after treatment in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who received sorafenib or sunitinib as first-line treatment. Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study, we assessed the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall sur-vival (OS) of 184 mRCC patients who received first-line sorafenib or sunitinib treatment. PFS and OS were compared between patients with post-treatment hypoalbuminemia (post-treatment albumin level <36.4 g/L) and those with normal post-treatment albumin level (albumin level ≥36.4 g/L). The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)risk model stratified mRCC patients into three risk categories. Prognostic values of all patient characteristics including MSKCC risk category were determined by using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. Prognostic value was further determined using the Harrell concordance index and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: The median PFS and OS of the 184 patients were 11 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 9–12 months) and 23 months (95% CI 19–33 months), respectively. Patients with post-treatment hypoalbuminemia had significantly shorter median PFS (6 months [95% CI 5–7 months]) and OS (11 months [95% CI 9–15 months]) than patients who had normal post-treatment albumin levels (PFS: 12 months [95% CI 11–16 months], P < 0.001; OS: 31 months [95% CI 24–42 months], P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that post-treatment hypoalbuminemia was an independent predictor of PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 2.113; 95% CI 1.390–3.212; P < 0.001) and OS (HR, 2.388; 95% CI 1.591–3.585; P < 0.001). Post-treatment hypoalbuminemia could also be combined with the MSKCC risk category for better prediction about OS. The model that included post-treatment hypoalbuminemia and MSKCC risk category improved the predictive accuracy for PFS and OS (c-index: 0.68 and 0.73, respectively) compared with the basic MSKCC risk model (c-index: 0.67 and 0.70, respectively). The prognostic values for PFS and OS of the integrated MSKCC risk model involving post-treatment hypoalbuminemia were significantly more accurate than the basic MSKCC risk model using likelihood ratio analysis (both P < 0.001). Conclusions: Post-treatment hypoalbuminemia can be considered an independent prognostic factor for patients with mRCC who undergo first-line treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Additionally, integrating post-treatment serum albumin level into the basic MSKCC risk model can improve the accuracy of this model in predicting patient overall survival and progression-free survival.

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of serum homocysteine (Hcy),galectin-3 (GAL3) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (ACIS).Methods 100 patients with ACIS in our hospital from January 2016 to February 2018 were selected as the observation group,and 64 healthy persons in our hospital were selected as the control group during the same period.The levels of serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 were detected and compared between the two groups.The levels of serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 in patients with different pathological changes,different cerebral infarction areas and different prognosis in the observation group were compared.The correlation between serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 levels and ACIS cerebral infarction area and neurological deficit scale (NIHSS) was analyzed.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of MCP-1 in diagnosing ACIS alone and in combination.Results The levels of serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).There were significant differences in serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 levels between the patients with different pathological degrees of disease (P ＜ 0.05).The level of the above-mentioned indicators in patients with severe injury was higher than that in patients with moderate injury.The patients with moderate injury were higher than those with mild injury (P ＜ 0.05).There were significant differences in serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 levels in patients with different cerebral infarction areas (P ＜ 0.05),and the above-mentioned index leve1 of patients with large-area infarction was higher than that of patients with moderate-area infarction.The patients with moderate-area infarction were higher than those with small-area infarction (P ＜ 0.05).The levels of serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 in the dead patients in the observation group were higher than those in the survivors (P ＜ 0.05);correlation analysis showed that serum Hcy,GAL3,MCP-1 levels were positively correlated with ACIS cerebral infract size and NIHSS score (P ＜0.05);the sensitivity (91.00％) and accuracy (83.54％) of combined diagnosis of ACIS were higher than the single-index diagnosis (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The levels of serum Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 in patients with acute ischemic stroke are highly expressed,and their levels are closely related to the degree of disease,cerebral infarction area and prognosis.The combined detection of Hcy,GAL3 and MCP-1 could improve the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnosis,and could be used as an effective index for clinical diagnosis,condition and prognosis evaluation of acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Sorafenib and sunitinib are widely used as first-line targeted therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in China. This study aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and quality of life (QoL) in Chinese mRCC patients treated with sorafenib and sunitinib as first-line therapy. Methods: Clinical data of patients with mRCC who received sorafenib (400 mg twice daily; 4 weeks) or sunitinib (50 mg twice daily; on a schedule of 4 weeks on treatment followed by 2 weeks off) were retrieved. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), adverse events (AEs), and QoL (SF-36 scores), and secondary outcomes were associations of clinical characteristics with QoL. Results: Medical records of 184 patients (110 in the sorafenib group and 74 in the sunitinib group) were reviewed. PFS and OS were comparable between the sorafenib and sunitinib groups (bothP > 0.05). The occurrence rates of leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and hypothyroidism were higher in the sunitinib group (36.5％ vs. 10.9％, P < 0.001; 40.5％ vs. 10.9％,P < 0.001; 17.6％ vs. 3.6％,P= 0.001), and that of diarrhea was higher in the sorafenib group (62.7％ vs. 35.2％,P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in SF-36 scores between the two groups. Multivariate analysis indicated that role-physical and bodily pain scores were associated with the occurrence rate of grade 3 or 4 AEs (P= 0.017 and 0.005). Conclusions: Sorafenib has comparable efficacy and lower toxicity profile than sunitinib as first-line therapy for mRCC. Both agents showed no significant impact on QoL of patients.

Objective To study the evolution of renal cell carcinoma treated in a single institution over the past 12 years.Methods A total of 1923 patients with renal cell carcinoma surgically treated from 1999 to 2010 were included in this study.Age at diagnosis,gender,symptoms,tumor size,TNM stage,histological subtype,Fuhrman grade and type of treatment were compared among 3 periods (Period 1:1999-2002,Period 2:2003-2006,Period 3:2007-2010).Results The number of patients grew fasty from 267 cases in the Period 1 to 1092 cases in the Period 3.The incidentally diagnosed cases increased significantly from 49.8％ to 73.6％ (P ＜0.01),while the mean age of patients at diagnosis,the male to female ratio and the proportion of young (＜40 years old) patients were not statistically different.The tumor size at diagnosis gradually decreased from 6.1 cm to 4.8 cm (P ＜ 0.01),and the proportion of small tumors less than 4 cm increased remarkably from 30.3％ to 54.4％ (P ＜ 0.01).Concerning the surgical approach,open surgery decreased from 98.5％ to 73.8％ (P ＜ 0.01),and laparoscopic surgery increased from 1.50％ to 26.2％ (P ＜ 0.01).Overall,the rate of nephron-sparing surgery increased from 5.2％ to 34.7％ (P ＜0.01) in all cases.The use of nephron-sparing surgery increased significantly from 17.9％ to 54.7％ in T1a subset and from 0.00％ to 14.8％ in T1b subset respectively (P ＜ 0.01).Furthermore,radiofrequency ablation was applied and the percent of this approach reached 2.47％ in Period 3.Conclusions The evolution of clinical-pathological characteristics and surgical treatment for renal cell carcinoma in a single institution is apparent over the last 12 years.With the increase of incidentally diagnosed cases and small renal tumors,nephron-sparing surgery has been widely performed in T1 subset instead of traditional radical nephrectomy.