PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of shear wave ultrasound elastography for differentiating superficial benign soft tissue masses through a comparison of their shear moduli. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 48 masses from 46 patients from February 2014 to May 2016. Surgical excision, fine-needle aspiration, and clinical findings were used for the differential diagnosis. The ultrasonographic examinations were conducted by a single musculoskeletal radiologist, and the ultrasonographic findings were reviewed by two other radiologists who were blinded to the final diagnosis. Conventional ultrasonographic features and the median shear modulus were evaluated. We compared the median shear moduli of epidermoid cysts, ganglion cysts, and lipomatous tumors using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Additionally, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare two distinct groups. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the median shear moduli of epidermoid cysts, ganglion cysts, and lipomatous tumors (23.7, 5.8, and 9.2 kPa, respectively; P=0.019). Epidermoid cysts showed a greater median shear modulus than ganglion cysts (P=0.014) and lipomatous tumors (P=0.049). CONCLUSION: Shear wave elastography may contribute to the differential diagnosis of superficial benign soft tissue masses through a direct quantitative analysis.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Elastic Modulus ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques* ; Epidermal Cyst ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Retrospective Studies ; Shear Strength ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of enhancement features and quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in differentiating solid hypoechoic renal angiomyolipomas (AMLs) from clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the enhancement features and quantitative parameters of CEUS in 174 hypoechoic renal masses (32 AMLs and 142 ccRCCs) included in the study. RESULTS: Centripetal enhancement pattern was more common in AMLs than in ccRCCs on CEUS (71.9% vs. 23.2%, p < 0.001). At peak enhancement, all AMLs showed homogeneous enhancement (100% in AML, 27.5% in ccRCCs; p < 0.001). Quantitative analysis showed no significant difference between rise time and time to peak. Tumor-to-cortex (TOC) enhancement ratio in AMLs was significantly lower than that in ccRCCs (p < 0.001). The criteria of centripetal enhancement and homogeneous peak enhancement together with TOC ratio < 91.0% used to differentiate hypoechoic AMLs from ccRCCs resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 68.9% and 95.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both qualitative and quantitative analysis with CEUS are valuable in the differential diagnosis of hypoechoic renal AMLs from ccRCCs.
Adult ; Aged ; Angiomyolipoma/*diagnosis/pathology/*ultrasonography ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/*diagnosis/pathology/*ultrasonography ; Contrast Media ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology/*ultrasonography ; Language ; Lipoma/ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Button osteoma presents as small circumscribed ivory-like lumps on the skull vault. Although not rare, its diagnosis can be challenging for dermatologists. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the clinical characteristics of button osteoma by reviewing 10 cases. METHODS: Ten patients diagnosed with button osteoma at the Department of Dermatology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, between January 2011 and August 2014 were enrolled. We retrospectively reviewed medical records and analyzed demographic and clinical characteristics including sex, age, sites, number of lesions, symptoms, duration, histopathological finding, radiological findings, and treatment. RESULTS: All patients presented with an asymptomatic small circumscribed hard lump fixed to a bony structure. There were 9 female and 1 male patient, and the mean age was 54 years (range, 28approximately61 years). The most common site was the forehead, and disease duration ranged from 2 weeks to more than 20 years. The differential diagnosis included cranial exostosis, ballooned osteoma, epidermal cyst, and lipoma. Simple radiography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT) were used to make a confirmative diagnosis. Histopathological findings showed lamellated bony structures with poor vascularization. Ostectomy was performed for 5 patients, and no recurrence was detected within an average of 13.4 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: This review characterized button osteoma. Surgical excision is a useful therapeutic modality after CT-based diagnosis. Further studies with more patients are required to confirm the findings.
Dermatology ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epidermal Cyst ; Exostoses ; Female ; Forehead ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Male ; Medical Records ; Osteoma* ; Radiography ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull ; Ultrasonography

Sparganosis is a kind of parasitic skin disease caused by sparganum, the plerocercoid larvae of the taper worm of the genus Spirometra. Sparganosis usually manifests as migrating or fixed subcutaneous nodules; therefore, it should be differentiated from lipoma, cysts, and cutaneous malignancies. Although the final diagnosis of sparganosis in humans depends on the identification of the worm in an infected tissue, suspicion for the presence of the parasite and careful history taking are important before making the diagnosis. However, it might be difficult for a clinician to suspect the existence of sparganosis because the incidence of this disease is extremely low. Therefore, an effective method for differentiating sparganosis from other skin disorders is needed. We suggest that ultrasonography could be an answer to this problem, on the basis of our experience of a case of cutaneous sparganosis in a 65-year-old woman showing very characteristic ultrasonographic findings.
Aged ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lipoma ; Parasites ; Skin ; Skin Diseases, Parasitic ; Sparganosis* ; Sparganum ; Spirometra ; Ultrasonography*

The tarsal tunnel is located beneath the flexor retinaculum, which connects the medial malleolus and calacaneus. The tarsal tunnel contains the posterior tibialis tendon, flexor digitorum longus tendon, posterior tibial artery and vein, posterior tibial nerve, and flexor halluces longus tendon. Tarsal tunnel syndrome is a compressive neuropathy of posterior tibial nerve and its branches under the flexor retinaculum. The etiologies of tarsal tunnel syndrome are space-occupying lesion, hypertrophied flexor retinaculum, osteophytes, tarsal coalition, varicose vein, and trauma. The symptoms are foot pain and hypoesthesia or paresthesia at dermatome according to involving nerve branches. Clinical diagnosis can be obtained from a detailed history and physical examination such as compressive test at the tarsal tunnel area. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging can reveal the space-occupying lesion, such as ganglion, lipoma, and neuroma. The initial treatments of tarsal tunnel syndrome are conservative management, such as physical therapy, night splint, and steroid injection. Surgical decompression is indicated after failure of conservative managements. Variable results of surgical treatment have been reported. Favorable result after decompression could be obtained from young patients, early onset symptoms, and space-occupying lesion.
Decompression ; Decompression, Surgical ; Diagnosis ; Foot ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Lipoma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neuroma ; Osteophyte ; Paresthesia ; Physical Examination ; Splints ; Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Tendons ; Tibial Arteries ; Tibial Nerve ; Ultrasonography ; Varicose Veins ; Veins

A 58-year-old Chinese woman presented with deranged liver function tests, which was discovered incidentally during surveillance for statins therapy. Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a large lipoma originating from the greater omentum, which was treated with surgical resection. This case is reported due to the rare occurrence of omental lipomas.
Abdomen ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lipoma ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Liver ; physiopathology ; Liver Function Tests ; Middle Aged ; Omentum ; pathology ; surgery ; Peritoneal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Radiography, Abdominal ; methods ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography

We report a case of prenatally diagnosed congenital perineal mass which was combined with anorectal malformation. The mass was successfully treated with posterior sagittal anorectoplasty postnatally. On ultrasound examination at a gestational age of 23 weeks the fetal perineal mass were found on the right side. Any other defects were not visible on ultrasonography during whole gestation. Amniocentesis was performed to evaluate the fetal karyotyping and acetylcholinesterase which were also normal. As the fetus grew up, the mass size was slowly increased more and more. At birth, a female neonate had a perineal mass on the right side as expected. During operation, the anal sphincteric displacement was found near the mass and reconstructed through posterior sagittal incision. This is the first reported case of prenatally diagnosed congenital perineal mass, after birth which was diagnosed as lipoblastoma and even combined with anorectal malformation. This case shows that it can be of clinical importance to be aware of this rare fetal perineal mass in prenatal diagnosis and counseling.
Adult ; Amniocentesis ; *Anal Canal/abnormalities/pathology/ultrasonography ; *Digestive System Abnormalities/diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; *Lipoma/diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Male ; *Perineum/pathology/ultrasonography ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; *Rectal Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; *Rectum/abnormalities/pathology/ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal/*methods

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonographic imaging is very useful tool to determine various neoplasms and inflammatory changes of the human body. In addition, thanks to the use of various frequencies in ultrasonography, subcutaneous and some dermal lesions can be evaluated without invasive procedures such as a biopsy. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 29 patients with subcutaneous nodules and analyzed the correlation between ultrasonographic findings and final biopsy findings. The HDI-5000 ultrasonography system (Philips, Eindhoven, Netherlands) with variable probes (from 5 to 12 MHz) was used in this study. RESULTS: In 27 patients, ultrasonographic findings were matched with final biopsy findings. One pilomatricoma was misdiagnosed as a cyst and one hemangioma as lipoma. It was very interesting to find that two malignant tumors and one subcutaneous granuloma annulare were detected by ultrasonographic examination in the absence of any clinical clues. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is a very useful, noninvasive, easy to apply, and relatively predictive tool for the evaluation of subcutaneous nodules. Although a skin biopsy is necessary for final diagnosis, ultrasonography would be a good substitute in the diagnosis of subcutaneous nodules when the patient refuses a skin biopsy and the nodule is located in a highly cosmetic area.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Granuloma Annulare ; Hemangioma ; Human Body ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Medical Records ; Pilomatrixoma ; Skin ; Ultrasonography*

Schwannomas or neurilemmomas are the most often found as solitary, slow-growing, asymptomatic, well-encapsulated, firm yet transversely mobile benign mass in head and neck region. Most of Schwannomas appear in the cranial nerve, especially vestibular nerve, but must always be considered to be able to appear in any parts where the nerve tissues are distributed. Sometimes, inaccurate preoperative clinical diagnosis leads to accidentally resecting the affected nerve and produces permanent neurological deficits. We experienced a extremely rare schwannoma being confused with lipoma in upper left postauricular sulcus. After simple mass excision without considering possibility of schwannoma, the patient complained of dull sensation and pinprick pain in the superior part of the ipsilateral postauricular area. When clinical symptom and physical examinations are insufficient to distinguish schwannoma from other benign soft masses, and the mass along the critical nerve pathway can possibly be originated from the designated nerves, we would like to recommend radiologic examinations such as ultrasonography and/or MRI for correct diagnosis prior to operation. Moreover, when it is adjacent the neurovascular structures, meticulous microscopic surgery must always be performed so as not to impair the important structures.
Cranial Nerves ; Diagnosis ; Head ; Humans ; Lipoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Nerve Tissue ; Neurilemmoma* ; Physical Examination ; Sensation ; Ultrasonography ; Vestibular Nerve

Endometriosis is a condition where uterine mucosal tissue is located outside of the uterus, which may be pelvic or extrapelvic. The term endometrioma is used when extrapelvic endometriosis appears as a discrete mass. A 34-year-old female, with an abdominal mass along the scar site of a cesarean section, was transferred from her local hospital following the diagnosis of a foreign body granuloma or infected lipoma. The patient had history of two cesarean sections, 5 and 7.5 years previously. The abdominal mass was associated with abdominal pain, which increased in severity during her menstrual cycle. The ultrasonography showed a solid irregular, ill defined mass, with heterogeneous echogenicity. The cytological findings showed epithelial and stromal cells. A mass excision was performed under local anesthesia. The final pathology results confirmed an endometrioma in the abdominal wall, and the microscopic findings indicated benign endometrial glands, with surrounding spindled endometrial cells in the soft tissue of the abdominal wall. The treatment of choice is wide local excision of endometrial tissue, with a clear margin. An endometrioma in the abdominal scar, following a cesarean section, is a rare event, but may be more frequent than estimated from the literature. This case was reported with a brief review of the literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Abdominal Wall ; Adult ; Anesthesia, Local ; Cesarean Section ; Cicatrix* ; Diagnosis ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Granuloma, Foreign-Body ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Menstrual Cycle ; Mucous Membrane ; Pathology ; Pregnancy ; Stromal Cells ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus