Videofluorography swallow study of patients with systemic sclerosis

Clinical Risk Factors for Dysphagia and Esophageal Dysmotility in Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is often associated with dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility; however, only a few clinical studies on this topic have been conducted. Patients with SSc who underwent swallowing examinations and esophagography at our institution between 2010 and 2022 were included. A retrospective evaluation of the patients' backgrounds, autoantibody positivity, swallowing function, and esophageal motility was performed using medical charts. The association between dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility in patients with SSc and respective risk factors was investigated. Data were collected from 50 patients. Anti-topoisomerase I antibodies (ATA) and anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) were detected in 21 (42%) and 11 (22%) patients, respectively. Dysphagia was present in 13 patients (26%), and esophageal dysmotility in 34 patients (68%). ATA-positive patients had a higher risk for dysphagia (p = 0.027); ACA-positive patients had a significantly lower risk (p = 0.046). Older age and laryngeal sensory deficits were identified as risk factors for dysphagia; however, no risk factors for esophageal dysmotility were identified. No correlation was found between dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility. Esophageal dysmotility is more common in patients with SSc than in those with dysphagia. Autoantibodies can be predictors of dysphagia, and dysphagia must be carefully considered in ATA-positive and elderly patients with SSc.

Upper dysphagia in patients affected by systemic sclerosis: prevalence and features

Herein, we describe the prevalence and features of dysphagia in patients affected by systemic sclerosis (SS). We analysed the data of 19 patients obtained by administering the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) scale that measures dysphagia symptoms and by physical assessment consisting of judging specific lip, mandible and tongue performances (scale 0-3) and diadochokinesis, respiratory and phonatory functions (scale “poor”, “fair”, “good”, “normal”) according to Robertson’s method. Subjects also underwent flexible endoscopic examination of swallowing. MDADI showed that 74% of answers were included in “mild” class of disability, 21% as “moderate” and 5% as “severe”. The performance of lips, mandible and tongue that most frequently scored 1 were the opening (52.6% for the lips and 47.4% for the mandible) and the pop of the tongue (52.7%). The percentage of compromised respiratory, phonatory and diadochokinesis tests (“poor” or “fair”) was 81%, 70.1% and 74%, respectively. Flexible endoscopic examination of swallowing revealed pharyngolaryngeal sensory deficit and signs of oropharyngeal dysphagia in more than half of cases (58% and 53%, respectively). This study highlights the presence of dysphagia in SS patients and demonstrates the importance of a multidimensional approach that includes subjective and objective evaluation to characterise specific features of swallowing alterations that have a high-impact on upper dysphagia.

Elastography for the differential diagnosis of malignant versus benign testicular lesions: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of elastography in the differential diagnosis of benign versus malignant testicular lesions.

METHODS

The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies. The diagnostic accuracy of elastography was evaluated using pooled sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, post-test probability, diagnostic odds ratio, and by summarizing the area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curve.

RESULTS

Seven studies with 568 lesions were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81% to 92%) and 81% (95% CI, 65% to 90%), respectively. The pooled estimates of the positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were 4.48 (95% CI, 2.37 to 8.47), 0.16 (95% CI, 0.10 to 0.25), and 28.11 (95% CI, 11.39 to 69.36), respectively. The area under the HSROC curve was 90% (95% CI, 88% to 93%).

CONCLUSION

Elastography is useful for assessing the stiffness of testicular lesions and for differentiating benign from malignant lesions. Elastography can be an effective supplement to conventional ultrasonography.

Imaging in Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by fibrosis in skin and internal organs, progressive vascular obliteration, and the production of autoantibodies. Diagnostic imaging is irreplaceable in both diagnosing and monitoring patients suffering from systemic sclerosis. In addition to routinely used methods, such as comparative X-ray of the hands or a contrast-enhanced examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract or chest, there is an array of less widespread examinations, with an emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography, not only in the evaluation of the musculoskeletal system. This article will review the various imaging modalities available for SSc imaging and assessment, focusing on their utility as tissue-specific diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

Anterior chest wall non-traumatic diseases: a road map for the radiologist

The anterior chest wall (AWC) non-traumatic pathologies are largely underestimated, and early detection through imaging is becoming increasingly important. This paper aims to review the major non-traumatic ACW pathologies, with a particular interest in imaging features and differential diagnosis. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Clinical utility of Dual Energy Computed Tomography in gout: current concepts and applications

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis and is increasing in prevalence and incidence in many countries worldwide. Dual Energy Computed Tomography (DECT) has a high diagnostic accuracy in established gout, but its diagnostic sensitivity is low in subjects with recent-onset gout. A meta-analysis of 17 studies showed a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 and 0.88, respectively. DECT is a useful diagnostic tool for patients with contraindications for joint aspiration or for those who refuse joint aspiration. This article aims to give an up to date review and summary of existing literature on the role and accuracy of DECT in the imaging of gout. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Delayed enhancement in differential diagnosis of salivary gland neoplasm

Background

Multi-phasic Computed Tomography (CT) evaluation allows to study the enhancement features of parotid gland masses. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of delayed enhancement in the characterization of different histologic types of parotid tumours.

Methods

Forty-eight patients (22 male and 26 female) with at least one parotid gland tumor, were included in our study. Multi-phase CT images were obtained before and 30, 120 s and 8 minutes after intravenous contrast injection. The images were evaluated by two radiologists for lesion enhancement degree. A quantitative assessment was performed using a region of interest on each lesion and density changes between different phases were compared. The tumoral enhancement ratio was calculated between the 8 minutes delayed and the early (30 s) phase. The pathological diagnosis was confirmed in all patients after surgery.

Results

All patients had unilateral lesion for a total of 48 lesions. Twenty-eight were pleomorphic adenomas, 15 Warthin's tumours and 5 carcinomas. All Warthin tumours showed a rapid contrast enhancement at the early phase (30 sec) followed by a progressive wash-out during the delayed scans. Most of pleomorphic adenomas (89.2%) showed the highest density at the 8-minutes delayed phase. Malignant tumours showed slower contrast enhancement and 3 out of 5 (60%) showed a marked decrease at the 8 minutes delayed phase while the remaining 2 (40%), did not show any density reduction. The tumoral enhancement ratio was significantly different between Warthin tumours and pleomorphic adenomas and between Warthin's and malignant tumours.

Conclusions

Multi-phasic CT examination with 8 minutes delayed acquisition has shown to be useful in parotid gland lesion differentiation.

Does multiparametric US improve diagnostic accuracy in the characterization of small testicular masses?

Background

Recent advances in ultrasonography (US) have produced new innovative techniques for the non-invasive assessment of testicular masses. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of multiparametric US, including gray-scale, Color-power Doppler and real-time elastography (RTE) analysis, in the characterization of testicular lesions.

Methods

Fifty-four patients (median 42.2 years; range, 10-64 years) with testicular lesions detected with gray-scale US and power Doppler US were evaluated with RTE. The tissue elasticity was assessed in all lesions. Hard lesions were suspected of being malignant while testicular lesions with normal or decreased tissue stiffness (soft lesions) were considered benign. Intraoperative findings were the standard of reference. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated for each US method and in combination.

Results

Forty-six of the 54 lesions (85.2%) were testicular malignant tumors. Thirty-five out of 46 (76%) were ≥2 cm [seminomas (n=18), mixed seminomatous and/or nonseminomatous tumors (n=9), embryonal carcinomas (n=2), immature teratomas (n=3) and Leydig cell tumors (n=3)] while the remaining 11 tumors were <2 cm [seminomas (n=5), mixed germinal cells tumors (n=2), immature teratomas (n=2) and Leydig cell tumors (n=2)]. Eight out of 54 lesions (14.8%) were benign lesions (orchitis n=2, dermoid cyst n=1, adrenal rest n=1, papillary cystadenoma n=1, sclero-hyaline nodule n=1, focal fibrosis n=1 and post-traumatic focal fibrosis n=1). RTE showed the presence of hard pattern in 40 out of 46 (87%) malignant tumors and in 2 out of 8 (25%) of benign lesions. The combination of gray-scale US, Color-power Doppler and RTE aided a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 83%, a negative predictive value of 100%, a positive predictive value of 91% and accuracy of 90%.

Conclusions

RTE demonstrated to increase the diagnostic accuracy of conventional US in the characterization of testicular lesions providing additional information on tissue stiffness. The multiparametric US evaluation has proven to increase the diagnostic performance in the characterization of testicular lesions.

Swallowing impairment in neurologic disorders: the role of videofluorographic swallowing study

Patients with neurologic diseases almost inevitably develop various degrees of swallowing disorders during their life. Dysphagia is one of the main negative prognostic factors in this class of patients, leading to severe morbidity (i.e. aspiration pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition, and life quality deterioration) and to a noticeable increase in public health spending. Videofluorographic swallowing study is considered the gold standard technique for swallowing impairment assessment. It is aimed at early identification of the risk of aspiration, definition of the kind and grade of dysphagia, and an indication to suspend oral nutrition and adopt other feeding strategies, and define when the patient is able to return to physiological nutrition. Every radiologist should be familiar with the main videofluorographic swallowing features in neurological patients, not only because early diagnosis of deglutition disorders widely improves their prognosis, but also because customising feeding strategies has a great impact on patients' quality of life.

Posterior surgical treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with spinal tuberculosis: A case series and long-term follow-up

This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of posterior surgical treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with spinal tuberculosis (STB). This was a retrospective study including 12 patients treated between January 2004 and April 2014 for AS with STB at our department. All patients underwent 1-stage posterior internal fixation, debridement, and bone fusion. The patients were evaluated based on the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), kyphotic Cobb angle, and the visual analog score (VAS). All patients were followed up for an average of 42.7 ± 13.2 months after surgery and bone fusion was achieved 6.8 ± 1.3 months. According to ASIA, 2 cases were rated as Grade D, 10 cases were Grade E at last follow-up. The average preoperative Cobb angle was 26.7 ± 7.6° (range 15-36) and the average postoperative Cobb angle was 7.8 ± 1.2° (range 6-9). The mean latest follow-up Cobb angle was 9.1 ± 1.0° (range 6-10). Compared with the average preoperative Cobb angle, there were significant differences regarding the kyphotic Cobb angle measured postoperatively and at final follow-up (P < .05). The VAS significantly was considerably improved between the preoperative and the last clinical visits. These positive results demonstrate that 1-stage surgical treatment for AS with STB by posterior debridement, fusion, and instrumentation can be an effective and feasible treatment method for this specific condition. It should be noted that it is necessary to carry out antiosteoporosis treatment and perform long-segmental instrumentation in order to obtain spinal stabilization.

Imaging assessment of gunshot wounds

Gunshot injuries occur when someone is shot by a bullet or other sort of projectile from a firearm. Wounds are generally classified as low velocity (less than 609.6m/s) or high velocity (more than 609.6m/s). Those with higher velocity may be expected, on this basis, to dissipate more energy into surrounding tissue as they are slow and cause more tissue damage, but this is only a very approximate guide. However, these terms can be misleading; more important than velocity is the efficiency of energy transfer, which is dependent on the physical characteristics of the projectile, as well as the kinetic energy, stability, entrance profile and path traveled through the body, and the biological characteristics of the tissues injured. Hemodynamically stable patients and patients who stabilized after simple immediate resuscitation were evaluated with a careful history and physical examination. A routine x-ray is performed in patients with gunshot wounds. Indication for total body computed tomography (CT) is based on the presence of signs and symptoms of vascular damage at clinical examination. Patients are immediately transferred in the operating room for surgery if more serious injuries that require immediate surgical care are not diagnosed, or hemostasis may be preliminary reached in the emergency room. Hemodynamically stable patients with no history and clinical examination showing suspected vascular damage are allowed in the radiology department for obtaining a total body CT scan with intravenous contrast medium and then transferred to the surgical ward trauma for observation. After 24 hours without the complications, patient can be discharged. CT is the procedure of choice to identify hemorrhage, air, bullet, bone fragments, hemothorax, nerve lesion, musculoskeletal lesions, and vessels injuries and is useful for assessing medicolegal aspects as trajectory and the anatomical structures at risk.

Role of conventional radiology and MRi defecography of pelvic floor hernias

Background

Purpose of the study is to define the role of conventional radiology and MRI in the evaluation of pelvic floor hernias in female pelvic floor disorders.

Methods

A MEDLINE and PubMed search was performed for journals before March 2013 with MeSH major terms 'MR Defecography' and 'pelvic floor hernias'.

Results

The prevalence of pelvic floor hernias at conventional radiology was higher if compared with that at MRI. Concerning the hernia content, there were significantly more enteroceles and sigmoidoceles on conventional radiology than on MRI, whereas, in relation to the hernia development modalities, the prevalence of elytroceles, edroceles, and Douglas' hernias at conventional radiology was significantly higher than that at MRI.

Conclusions

MRI shows lower sensitivity than conventional radiology in the detection of pelvic floor hernias development. The less-invasive MRI may have a role in a better evaluation of the entire pelvic anatomy and pelvic organ interaction especially in patients with multicompartmental defects, planned for surgery.

VFMSS findings in elderly dysphagic patients: our experience

Background

Dysphagia consists in alteration of the swallowing mechanism, due to different pathological conditions, which can occur at different levels. The exact prevalence of dysphagia is unclear, even if some AA suggest that 15% of the elderly population is affected. Aim of this study is to analyze the main VFMSS findings in elderly dysphagic patients.

Materials and methods

The VFMSS of 59 elderly dysphagic patients (32 women, 27 men, ranging in age from 68 to 89 years, mean 81 years) who undergone speech therapy assessment and videofluoromanometric (VFM) investigation of the swallowing process at our institution from January 2011 and December 2012, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

In the oral phase the preparation and the initial stage of swallowing should be explored by videofluoroscopy evaluating the ability to contain food in mouth and to form a bolus and whether there is an inadequate convergence of Passavant's ridge with preswallowing aspiration. In the pharyngeal phase is necessary to evaluate at videofluoroscopy if there is penetration and/or aspiration and the efficacy of laryngeal closure should be assessed too.

The major manometric indicators are: proximal pharyngeal pressure (mmHg), distal pharyngeal pressure (mmHg), relaxation and coordination of upper esophageal sphincter (UES). In the esophageal phase is important to evaluate the esophageal motility and the presence of peristalsis.

The manometric parameters used for LES were resting pressure, total length and percentage of post-deglutitive relaxation.

Conclusion

The VFSS represents a fundamental examination in the management of the dysphagic patient; this investigation may be associated with manometry providing anatomical and functional informations.

How the preoperative ultrasound examination and BFI of the cervical lymph nodes modify the therapeutic treatment in patients with papillary thyroid cancer

Background

Ultrasound is considered the best diagnostic method for the detection of metastatic cervical lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). According to current guidelines, all patients undergoing thyroidectomy for malignancy should undergo preoperative neck ultrasound of the thyroid and central and lateral neck LNs, followed by fine needle aspiration of suspicious LNs. Cervical LN involvement determenes the extent of surgery. Complete surgical resection disease at the initial operation decreases likelihood of future surgery for recurrent disease and may impact survival. We use a new technique, B-flow imaging (BFI), recently used for evaluation of thyroid nodules, to estimate the presence of BFI twinkling signs (BFI-TS), within metastatic LNs in patients with PTC.

Methods

Between September 2006 and December 2012, 304 patients with known PTC were examined for preoperative sonographic evaluation with gray-scale US, color Doppler US and BFI. Only 157 with at least one metastatic LN were included in our study. All patients included underwent surgery, and the final diagnosis was based on the results of histologic examination of the resected specimens. The following LN characteristics were evaluated: LN shape, abnormal echogenicity, the absent of hilum, calcifications, cystic appearance, peripheral vascularization and the presence of BFI-TS.

Results

A total of 767 LNs were analyzed. 329 out of 767 were metastatic, according to the histopathologic findings. BFI-TS, showed 99.5% specificity and 81,5% sensitivity. We detected BFI-TS in 6 metastatic LNs that were negative to the other conventional US features.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that the BFI-TS has a diagnostic accuracy higher than the other conventional sonographic signs. Our findings suggest that BFI can be helpful in the selection of suspicious neck LNs that should be examined at cytologic examination or open biopsy for accurate preoperative staging and individual therapy selection.

Magnetic resonance imaging in brachial plexus injury

Brachial plexus injury represents the most severe nerve injury of the extremities. While obstetric brachial plexus injury has showed a reduction in the number of cases due to the improvements in obstetric care, brachial plexus injury in the adult is an increasingly common clinical problem. The therapeutic measures depend on the pathologic condition and the location of the injury: Preganglionic avulsions are usually not amenable to surgical repair; function of some denervated muscles can be restored with nerve transfers from intercostals or accessory nerves and contralateral C7 transfer. Postganglionic avulsions are repaired with excision of the damaged segment and nerve autograft between nerve ends or followed up conservatively. Magnetic resonance imaging is the modality of choice for depicting the anatomy and pathology of the brachial plexus: It demonstrates the location of the nerve damage (crucial for optimal treatment planning), depicts the nerve continuity (with or without neuroma formation), or may show a completely disrupted/avulsed nerve, thereby aiding in nerve-injury grading for preoperative planning. Computed tomography myelography has the advantage of a higher spatial resolution in demonstration of nerve roots compared with MR myelography; however, it is invasive and shows some difficulties in the depiction of some pseudomeningoceles with little or no communication with the dural sac.

Rehabilitation and surgical management of ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease which, if untreated, may progress to severe damage of the spine with functional impairment, disability and poor quality of life. An increased mortality has been reported in AS patients compared to the general population. AS requires combined management (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) and advice by different health professionals. Even the pharmacological treatment in the last decade has dramatically changed the outcome, the severity of the disease might require a surgical approach for the hip involvement with total hip replacement, or the corrective spinal surgery. However, this surgery deserves some careful approaches since the complexity of the disease. Rehabilitation still represents a cornerstone of the global management of AS patients. The present review summarizes the state of art of surgical management of these two diseases.