Purpose
To investigate the accuracy of ultrasound in characterising the type of mass and likelihood of malignancy in deep soft tissue masses.
Methods
Five hundred seventy-nine deep soft tissue masses ...were prospectively studied by ultrasound. Masses (
n
= 137) with prior MRI or CT were not included. Following ultrasound examination, the likely nature of the mass as well as the confidence of the reporting radiologist (‘fully confident’ versus ‘not fully confident’) about the ultrasound diagnosis was recorded. Clinical and ultrasound diagnoses were compared with the histological diagnosis which was available in 134 (23%) of the 579 masses.
Results
Compared with histology, clinical and ultrasound accuracy for characterising the type of mass were 47% and 88% respectively when all differential diagnoses were considered. The radiologist was fully confident regarding the type of 436 (75%) of 579 masses and, in this setting, for those cases that could be compared with histology, diagnostic accuracy was 96%. For the remaining masses, where the radiologist was not fully confident, accuracy compared with histology was 58% for the first differential diagnosis and 80% for all differential diagnoses. For identifying malignancy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of ultrasound were 97%, 58%, 67%, and 99% respectively. Ultrasound alone was considered sufficient for diagnostic workup in over half of all deep soft tissue masses.
Conclusion
Ultrasound is useful at characterising and recognising malignancy in deep soft tissue masses. Provided local practice patterns are favourable, ultrasound may be considered a first-line investigation in the diagnostic workup of deep soft tissue masses.
Key Points
• In three-quarters of cases, one can be fully confident about characterising the nature of deep soft tissue masses on ultrasound and, for those fully confident cases that could be compared with histology, the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 96%.
• Ultrasound can correctly recognise nearly all malignant deep soft tissue masses but some benign masses will also be considered possibly malignant.
• Ultrasound alone was considered sufficient for imaging workup in over half of deep soft tissue masses.
The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) proposed the flow test (FT) as a simple method for measuring the viscosity of thickened liquids. However, the FT specifies the use ...of a particular syringe type (BD‐Slip), which is unfortunately not easily available in Japan. Therefore, the current study primarily aimed to investigate the effects of the internal syringe shape on IDDSI FT and identify the most suitable syringe available in Japan for xanthan gum‐based thickened liquids. Accordingly, four syringes, namely, Luer slip tip, Luer‐Lok tip, TERUMO, and NIPRO syringes, were used to examine FT value with water and nine different water viscosity levels. The correlation and systematic errors on residual FT values between the BD‐Slip syringe and the other three syringes were analyzed. The two‐dimensional internal shapes of the four syringes were measured using industrial computed tomography (CT) scanning. Based on the results of our FT, TERUMO had the smallest error range among the three syringes, without systematic errors. On a CT scan, three of five tip‐shape parameters showed the smallest difference between BD‐Slip and TERUMO syringe. Therefore, TERUMO had the smallest FT error range compared with that in BD‐Slip tip syringe, indicating that TERUMO could be used as a substitute for BD‐Slip when performing IDDSI FT with xanthan gum‐based thickened water in Japan.
Dysphagia is a common sequela post chemo/radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), with cricopharyngeal dysfunction often a contributing factor. This study examined the impact of balloon ...dilation of the cricopharyngeus and cervical oesophagus on swallow competence for dysphagic patients with cricopharyngeal dysfunction post NPC. Patients with NPC were screened for dysphagia and cricopharyngeal dysfunction using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation. Thirteen symptomatic patients, median 14.1 years post chemoradiotherapy for NPC, then underwent balloon dilation under local anesthesia. Before and 1 month post dilation, swallow function was assessed with fluoroscopy, and rated using the penetration–aspiration scale, temporal swallowing measures, and MBSImP pharyngoesophageal segment opening and esophageal clearance parameter. The MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI; Chinese version) and the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) were collected pre-, 1 month, and approximately 3 months post dilation. Post-dilation, significant improvements were noted in mean FOIS scores (5.00 to 5.62), duration of cricopharyngeus opening (0.42 s to 0.53 s), MBSImP pharyngoesophageal opening scores (1.61 to 1.08), penetration-aspiration scale scores (4.85 to 3.92) and MDADI Composite score (46.48 to 52.43). At 3 months post dilation, the MDADI Composite Score showed sustained benefit. The procedure was well tolerated and without complication. In patients with cricopharyngeal dysfunction post NPC, balloon dilation significantly improved swallow function, reduced aspiration risk and improved quality of life. Evidence from a larger cohort with long-term follow-up is warranted to determine sustained benefit.
To investigate changes in the median nerve, retinaculum, and carpal tunnel on ultrasound after successful endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR).
This prospective study involved 37 wrists in 35 ...patients (5 male, 30 female; mean age ± standard deviation SD, 56.9 ± 6.7 years) with primary carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). An in-house developed scoring system (0-3) was used to gauge the clinical improvement after ECTR. Ultrasound was performed before ECTR, and at 1, 3, and 12 months post-ECTR. Changes in the median nerve, flexor retinaculum, and carpal tunnel morphology on ultrasound after ECTR were analyzed. Ultrasound parameters for different clinical improvement groups were compared.
All patients improved clinically after ECTR. The average clinical improvement score ± SD at 12 months post-ECTR was 2.2 ± 0.7. The median nerve cross-sectional area proximal and distal to the tunnel decreased at all time intervals post-ECTR but remained swollen compared to normal values. Serial changes in the median nerve caliber and retinacular bowing after ECTR were more pronounced at the tunnel outlet than at the tunnel inlet. The flexor retinaculum had reformed in 25 (68%) of 37 wrists after 12 months.
Postoperative changes in median nerve and retinaculum parameters were most pronounced at the tunnel outlet. Even in patients with clinical improvement after ECTR, nearly all ultrasound parameters remain abnormal at one year post-ECTR. These ultrasound parameters should not necessarily be relied upon to diagnose persistent CTS after ECTR.
Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) has distinct characteristics regarding its global prevalence, initial presentation, management and patient outcomes compared to other subtypes of head and neck cancer ...(HNC). The mainstay of NPC treatment is chemo-radiation (C/RT) and while dysphagia is a known early and late toxicity of C/RT treatment, the nature of dysphagia post NPC treatment has had limited investigation. The objective of this review is to summarise the existing evidence regarding dysphagia following NPC to inform the future research agenda for this population. Dysphagia incidence, characteristic deficits observed across the phases of swallowing, efficacy of current dysphagia interventions, and effect on quality of life will be explored.
Databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were included.
A scoping review was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Two independent reviewers screened selected full text articles.
Of the initial 2495 articles found, 28 articles were included. Reports of penetration and aspiration varied widely (0%–91.6%), with high rates of silent aspiration identified in 2 studies (42%, 66%). Oral, pharyngeal and upper esophageal phase impairments were reported. Of these, upper esophageal stasis and multiple pharyngeal stage deficits were most prevalent. The pharyngeal constrictors were found to have a significant dose–effect relationship and shielding to the anterior neck field was effective to preserve swallowing function. Six treatment studies were identified with limited evidence supporting the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, dilatation and swallowing exercises. Quality of life was adversely affected.
Dysphagia is a prevalent early and late problem post NPC treatment, with impairments across all phases of the swallow. Studies on preventing dysphagia and treatment efficacy remain limited. More systematic study of the nature of dysphagia and the efficacy of treatment in this population is warranted.
Background
Problems with pharyngo‐esophageal bolus flow have been reported following nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) treatment. While studies using videofluoroscopic assessment have shown balloon ...dilation can help address this impairment, the impact of dilation on pressure and bolus flow characteristics incorporating high‐resolution pharyngeal manometry (HRPM) has not been reported.
Methods
Five cases with pharyngo‐esophageal dysphagia post NPC underwent balloon dilation. Videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and HRPM were completed before and 1 month post dilation. Oral intake and dysphagia related quality of life were reported to 3 months.
Results
VFSS, manometry and functional outcomes revealed positive benefits from dilation in two cases. In the other three cases, two showed improvements on VFSS only. These three failed to make functional swallowing gains.
Conclusions
Where there was functional gain, both fluoroscopy and HRPM recorded improvement to UES function. Across the cases, response to dilation was variable and further work is needed to determine which patients would receive most benefit.
Level of Evidence
4.
The article is the report of a case series on 5 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer with balloon dilation performed. The article presents the outcomes from high resolution manometry (HRM), videofluoroscopic swallow study and functional swallow outcomes. This was the first study using HRM in the clinical population of nasopharyngeal cancer and as an outcome tool for dysphagia treatment and one of the very few treatment studies for dysphagia after chemo‐radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer.
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) infection control practices are based on the paradigm that detected carriers in the hospital transmit to other patients who stay in the same ward. The ...role of plasmid-mediated transmission at population level remains largely unknown. In this retrospective cohort study over 4.7 years involving all multi-disciplinary public hospitals in Singapore, we analysed 779 patients who acquired CPE (1215 CPE isolates) detected by clinical or surveillance cultures. 42.0% met putative clonal transmission criteria, 44.8% met putative plasmid-mediated transmission criteria and 13.2% were unlinked. Only putative clonal transmissions associated with direct ward contact decreased in the second half of the study. Both putative clonal and plasmid-mediated transmission associated with indirect (no temporal overlap in patients' admission period) ward and hospital contact did not decrease during the study period. Indirect ward and hospital contact were identified as independent risk factors associated with clonal transmission. In conclusion, undetected CPE reservoirs continue to evade hospital infection prevention measures. New measures are needed to address plasmid-mediated transmission, which accounted for 50% of CPE dissemination.
To evaluate once-daily nepafenac 0.3% to prevent and treat ocular pain and inflammation after cataract surgery.
Sixty-five centers in the United States and Europe.
Randomized double-masked vehicle- ...and active-controlled phase 3 study.
Patients received nepafenac 0.3% once daily, nepafenac 0.1% 3 times daily, or their respective vehicles from day −1 to day 14 after cataract extraction. An additional drop of study drug was administered 30 to 120 minutes preoperatively. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with a cure for inflammation (score of 0 for both aqueous cells and flare) at day 14.
Of randomized patients, 817 received nepafenac 0.3%, 819 received nepafenac 0.1%, and 200 and 206 received the respective vehicles. Significantly more nepafenac 0.3% patients had no inflammation (68.4% versus 34.0%) and were pain free (91.0% versus 49.7%) at day 14 than vehicle patients (both P<.0001). Nepafenac 0.3% was noninferior to nepafenac 0.1% for inflammation (95% confidence interval CI, −5.73% to 3.17%) and pain-free rates (95% CI, −3.08% to 2.70%). At all postoperative visits, fewer treatment failures (P≤.0012) and more clinical successes (P≤.0264) were observed with nepafenac 0.3% versus vehicle. Nepafenac 0.3% was well tolerated and had a safety profile comparable to that of nepafenac 0.1%.
Once-daily nepafenac 0.3% was noninferior to nepafenac 0.1% 3 times daily for prevention and treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following cataract surgery. The safety of nepafenac 0.3% was comparable to that of nepafenac 0.1%, with the added convenience of once-daily dosing.
Drs. Modi, Lehmann, Walters, Fong, Christie, Roel, Nethery, and Reiser have been paid consultants to Alcon Research, Ltd. Ms. Sager is an employee of Alcon Research, Ltd. Drs. Tsorbatzoglou, Philipson, and Traverso have no financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
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