Objective To investigate clinical significance of serum VEGF-C level and C-erbB-2 protein expression in patients with breast cancer. Methods Sixty-two female patients with breast invasive ductal cancer and breast benign lesion were respectively selected. Serum VEGF-C level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before operation and at one month after operation, and C-erbB-2 protein expression in tissues of breast cancer was detected by immunohistochemistry. Then, the relationship between serum VEGF-C level and clinicopathologic characteristics and C-erbB-2 protein expressions wereas analyzed. Results The serum VEGF-C level before operation in breast cancer patients〔(279.65±17.34) pg/ml〕 was significantly higher than that in breast benign lesions patients 〔(167.26±12.15) pg/ml〕, P＜0.01. In breast cancer patients, the serum VEGF-C level before operation was higher than that at one month after operation 〔(209.45±15.23) pg/ml〕, P＜0.01. The serum VEGF level was related to tumor stage (P＜0.05) but not to patient age, tumor size, menopause status , lymph node metastasis or not and ER and PR expression (Pgt;0.05). The positive expression rate of C-erbB-2 protein in breast cancer patients (54.84%, 34/62) was significantly higher than that in breast benign lesion patients (11.29%, 7/62), P＜0.01. Moreover, the positive expression rate of C-erbB-2 protein in breast cancer patients with axilla lymph node metastasis (69.44%) was significantly higher than that without axilla lymph node metastases (34.62%), P＜0.05. The serum VEGF level increased with increasing expression intensity of C-erbB-2 protein and there was positive correlation between them (r=0.813，P＜0.05). Conclusions The serum VEGF-C level in breast cancer may be conducted as an assisted marker to differential diagnosis of breast tumor. C-erbB-2 is related to lymph node metastasis of breast cancer patients. There is synergistic effect between VEGF-C and C-erbB-2 in the lymph node metastasis way of breast cancer.
【Abstract】ObjectiveBy using multidetector row spiral CT (MDCT) to investigate the CT imaging findings of gallbladder abnormalities caused by hepatic parenchymal diseases and those of inflammatory cholecystitis. MethodsCT and clinical data of 80 patients with gallbladder abnormalities were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty patients were in hepatic disease group, including 20 chronic hepatitis, 25 liver cirrhosis, and 5 cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. Thirty patients were in inflammatory group, including 19 chronic cholecystitis, 6 acute cholecystitis, 3 cholecystitis with acute pancreatitis, 1 gangrenous cholecystitis, and 1 xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis. All patients underwent MDCT plain scan and contrastenhanced dualphase scanning of upper abdomen. ResultsIn hepatic disease group, 48 cases had evenly thickened gallbladder wall (96%) with mean thickness of (3.67±0.49) mm; 38 cases had clear gallbladder outlines (76%); 38 cases had gallbladder wall enhancement of various degree (76%); 14 cases had gallbladder bed edema and localized nondependant pericholecystic fluid collection (28%). In inflammatory cholecystitis group, 28 cases had obscuring gallbladder outlines (93%) ; 26 cases had gallbladder wall evenly thickened (87%), 4 cases showed unevenly thicked wall (13%), the mean thickness being (4.54±1.14) mm; 30 cases had inhomogenous enhancement of the gallbladder wall (100%); 9 cases had highattenuation bile (30%); 4 cases had dependant pericholecystic fluid collection (13%); 5 cases had transient enhancement of adjacent hepatic bed in arterial phase (17%); microabscess and gas in the gallbladder wall was observed in 1 case respectively. ConclusionMDCT can offer imaging findings useful for differentiating abnormal gallbladder changes caused by hepatic parenchymal diseases from those due to inflammatory cholecystitis.
Objective To assess the significance of multi-detector row CT in differential diagnosis of the inguinal hernia and femoral hernia. Methods CT images which were reconstructed by multi-planer reconstruction （MPR） of 260 patients with inguinal hernia and femoral hernia who treated in our hospital form Oct. 1， 2012 to Oct. 31， 2013 were analyzed retrospectively， for exploring the relationship between sac and anatomic structure in the groin area. Results There were 146 patients with indirect hernia （75 in right， 60 in left， and 11 in bilateralism）， 82 patients with direct hernia（39 in right， 34 in left， and 9 in bilateralism）， and 32 patients with femoral hernia （17 in right and 15 in left）. The 157sacs of patients with indirect hernia originated lateral to the inferior epigastric artery， entered the inguinal canal and through the deep ring， which mainly located anterior （103/157， 65.6%） or anteromedial （36/157， 22.9%） to the spermatic cord or round ligament. The 91 sacs of patients with direct hernia originated medial to the inferior epigastric artery， and mainly located medial to the spermatic cord （70/91， 76.9%）. Sacs of both indirect hernia and direct hernia located anterosuperior to the inguinal ligament. The 32 sacs of patients with femoral hernia located posterior to the inguinal ligament and inside the “radiological femoral triangle” of coronal views. Conclusions The MPR images available from multi-detector row CT permit the accurate diagnosis of groin hernias. By using simple anatomical criteria， direct hernia， indirect hernia， and femoral hernia can be reliably distinguished．
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a neurological disorder characterized by an unexplained increase in intracranial pressure that primarily affects obese women of childbearing age, but individuals of any age, gender, or weight may also be affected. Its signature symptoms include disc edema, headache, visual disturbance, and throbbing tinnitus. Due to potentially serious complications, such as vision loss, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment management are critical to improving patients' quality of life. Ophthalmologists play a key role in the treatment process, as about half of patients first visit the eye department. Diagnosis of IIH depends not only on clinical presentation, but also on the exclusion of other diseases that may cause similar symptoms, and imaging and other tests to ensure an accurate diagnosis. In order to improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficiency, multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and treatment mode is advocated, especially in the face of patients with complex trauma or systemic diseases, which can effectively shorten the treatment time and ensure patient safety. Future research directions include establishing China's IIH epidemiological database, exploring clinical diagnosis and treatment methods and basic scientific research, aiming at forming diagnosis and treatment standards suitable for China's national conditions, improving medical level and improving patient prognosis. At the same time, a deeper understanding of the different forms of IIH will better serve the affected populations.
Abstract： Sarcoidosis is a common systemic disease with noncaseating granulomatous epithelioid nodule and coexisting granulomatous inflammation. Although sarcoidosis can affect any organ of the body， more than 90% of the patients demonstrate thoracic involvement， which is often confusing with lung cancer and other diseases. Therefore, thoracic surgeons must have a clear understanding of sarcoidosis. Moreover， due to the special role of surgery in obtaining pathological specimens， thoracic surgeon plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis. It is not difficult to make diagnosis for patients with typical clinical features of sarcoidosis. However， the majority of patients do not have specific manifestations of sarcoidosis. The cause of sarcoidosis remains unknown， and there is also no specific treatment strategy for it. But recent research has shown that annexin A11 gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF） inhibitor is effective in the treatwent of sarcoidosis.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of analyzing the pattern of gallbladder wall enhancement on MDCT to identify the different causes of acute cholecystitis. Methods In January 2009 to December 2012， 169 patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis caused by various pathologic conditions were performed MDCT scans， the images of portal venous phase and clinical data were retrospectively reviewed by two blinded radiologists. There were 146 cases in non-hepatopathy cholecystitis group and 23 cases in hepatopathy cholecystitis group. The other 5 normal gallbladder cases diagnosed by MDCT scans were retrospectively reviewed as contrast group. Using five patterns according to the enhancement pattern of flat gallbladder wall thickening on MDCT. The study cases were then divided into five patterns and the thickness of the mucous membrane were measured. The occurrence rate of each pattern and the thickness of the mucous membrane between the groups were compared respectively. Results In the non-hepatopathy cholecystitis group， there were typeⅡin 102 cases （69.9%）， typeⅢin 5 cases （3.4%）， typeⅣ in 30 cases （20.5%）， and typeⅤ in 9 cases （6.2%）. In the hepatopathy cholecystitis group， there were typeⅡin 2 cases （8.7%）， typeⅢ in 11 cases （47.9%）， typeⅣin 5 cases （21.7%）， and typeⅤin 5 cases （21.7%）. The occurrence rate of typeⅡin the non-hepatopathy cholecystitis group was significialtly higher than that in the hepatopathy cholecystitis group （P＜0.005）. The occurrence rate of typeⅢ and typeⅤ in the hepatopathy cholecystitis group were significialtly higher than those in the non-hepatopathy cholecystitis group（P＜0.005， P＜0.05）. The occurrence rate of type Ⅳ between the two groups had no significant difference （P＞0.05）. TypeⅠonly present in the contrast group. The non-hepatopathy group’s mean mucous membrane thickness was （2.61±1.30） mm ， which was thicker than the hepatopathy group’s （2.02±0.52） mm（t=2.22， P＜0.05）. Conclusion Analyzing the enhancement pattern of a thickened gallbladder wall on MDCT is helpful in identifying the causes of acute cholecystitis， and the gallbladder perforation or not.
Objective To explore the value of virtual touch tissue quantification(VTQ) of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Methods The ultrasound (US), elastography imaging(EI), and VTQ of ARFI were performed to determine the characteristics and features of 63 thyroid nodules. The pathological diagnosis was the gold standard. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of US, EI, and VTQ, the critical points and diagnostic values of US, EI, and VTQ in diag-nosis of malignant thyroid nodules were achieved. Results Of the 63 nodules, 45 were benign and 18 were malignant. The area under curves of US, EI, and shear wave velocity(SWV) were 0.837(95% CI:0.712-0.962), 0.863(95% CI:0.751-0.974), and 0.900 (95% CI:0.810-0.990) respectively, and all the 3 kinds of technique had diagnostic value(P=0.001), but there were no significant difference among the 3 kinds of technique on the area under curve(P > 0.05). According to the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve, the critical point of US in distinguishing benign nodules with malignant nodules was 3 conventional ultrasonography, which displayed a sensitivity of 83.3%, a specificity of 86.7%, and a accuracy of 85.7%. The critical point of EI grades in distinguishing benign nodules with malignant nodules was gradeⅣ, which displayed a sensitivity of 94.1%, a specificity of 82.6%, and a accuracy of 87.3%. The critical value of SWV in distinguishing benign nodules with malignant nodules was 3.39 m/s, which displayed a sensiti-vity of 88.9%, a specificity of 91.1%, and a accuracy of 90.5%. Conclusion US, EI, and VTQ techniques all have diagnostic values in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, and we should make combination with all of the 3 kinds of technique when performing differential diagnosis.
Objective To investigate the clinicopathologic features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary selerosing pneumocytoma (PSP). Methods A total of 13 cases of PSP were enrolled, and the clinical and imaging findings, pathologic features, and immunophenotype were collected and analyzed, with review of the literatures. Results Thirteen patients were all female, aged from 27 to 69 years old by first discovered, the average age was 53 years old. The maximum diameter ranged from 0.8 - 6 cm. It was mainly discovered accidentally by physical examination. According to the CT findings of 13 cases, all lesions were round or round-like, with a well-circumscribed mass. The “welt vessel sign” was suggestive to the diagnosis of PSP. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of two types of cells (surface epithelial cells and round mesenchymal cells), and four histological patterns (papillary, solid, hemorrhagic and sclerotic zone). Immuophenotype: thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and epithelial membrane antigen were expressed on both epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells. Pan cytokeratin (PCK) and cytokeratin 7 were only expressed on epithelial cells, and vimentin on mesenchymal cells. Conclusion PSP is a rare lung benign tumor, preoperative and intraoperative freezing diagnosis are difficult, the diagnosis depends on the morphologic characteristics of paraffin-embedded tissue sections and immunohistochemical staining. The identification of mesenchymal cells with TTF-1 positive and PCK negative is the key to PSP diagnosis.
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of contrastenhanced ultrasonography in differential diagnosis between benign and malignant breast mass. MethodsTotally 65 patients with 70 breast masses were evaluated by general ultrasonography and contrastenhanced ultrasonography with contrast agent SonoVue. The related indexes, such as the degree and mode of contrast enhancement, the lesion boundaries and dissipation mode, were used to describe the difference between benign and malignant mass, which was also compared with pathological results. ResultsHistopathological examination revealed that benign mass was in 37 cases and malignant in 28 cases. The sensitivity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of contrastenhanced ultrasonography with contrast agent SonoVue were significantly higher than that of general ultrasonography (Plt;0.05), while no significant difference in diagnostic specificity and misdiagnosis rate was observed between them (Pgt;0.05). All tumors showed contrast enhancement in various degrees. Of 28 patients with enhanced mass, hyperenhancement in 22 cases and nodular inhomogeneous enhancement in 21 cases were observed and the boundaries of malignant tumor were irregular with ill-defined and radial enhancement. Most of benign tumors were represented by weak, homogeneous enhancement, and the shape was regular with smooth and tidy boundary and intact capsule except seven cases with unclear boundary. These imaging characteristics of benign and malignant tumors were obviously different (P=0.000). In the resolution phase, both benign and malignant mass showed heterogeneous or homogeneous dissipation, which was not significantly different (P=0.791). ConclusionCompared with general ultrasonography, contrast enhanced ultrasonography may be more helpful for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors.
Objective To systematically review the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET dual time point scan in identifying benign and malignant lung lesions, in order to necessity and clinical value of dual time point scan. Methods We electronically searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, WanFang Data, CNKI and CBM for diagnostic tests on 18F-FDG PET dual time point scan vs. surgery or needle biopsy (gold standard) from January 1990 to November 2013. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. Then statistical analysis was performed to calculate pooled effect sizes of sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE), and area under the curve (AUC) of summary receiver operating characteristics (SROC), followed by sensitive analysis and subgroup analysis. Results A total of 19 domestic and foreign studies were totally included, involving 1 225 lesions. The results of meta-analysis showed SEN 0.82 (95%CI 0.79 to 0.85) and SPE 0.74 (95%CI 0.71 to 0.78) regarding 18F-FDG PET dual time point scan in identifying benign and malignant lung lesions. The results of sensitive analysis showed that: a) after eliminating studies in which tuberculosis in the benign lesions accounted for more than 50%, it showed pooled SEN 0.81 (95%CI 0.77 to 0.84), pooled SPE 0.76 (95%CI 0.72 to 0.80), and AUC 0.850 3; b) after eliminating studies in which sample size was less than 50 cases, it showed pooled SEN 0.78 (95%CI 0.74 to 0.82), pooled SPE 0.78 (95%CI 0.74 to 0.82), and AUC 0.814 1; and c) after eliminating studies in which iSUV was more than 2.5, it showed pooled SEN 0.67 (95%CI 0.55 to 0.78), pooled SPE 0.66 (95%CI 0.54 to 0.77), and AUC 0.779 8. Conclusion 18F-FDG PET dual time point scan has intermediate value in identifying benign and malignant lung lesions, which is almost as good as single time point scan, so it’s unnecessary to apply it as a clinical routine test.