Abstract
About 92% had an endometrial thickness of less than 5 mm. Of the 1500 women, 101 had transvaginal ultrasound appearances that were suspicious for having an endometrial polyp. In this group, the mean endometrial thickness was 8 mm. This makes me think that evidence from this study supports current advice on what to do with asymptomatic postmenopausal women with endometrial thickening of less than 11 mm.
This study found a strong correlation between anterior cervical lymph node disease and thyroiditis. Therefore, the authors recommend that all patients with suspected thyroiditis should have their anterior cervical lymph nodes evaluated with ultrasound.
Although stroke and death after endarterectomy are unlikely to ever be totally avoided, three preventive strategies help to minimise the risk; antiplatelet therapy the night before surgery, transcranial Doppler ultrasound and completion angioscopy at the time of the procedure, and written guidance for managing hypertension afterwards.
This single centre study, conducted over nearly six years, found that DVTs affected 1.5% of their cohort compared with a reported incidence of between 0% and 5.7%. Results suggested that there may be an increased risk of developing a DVT if more than 10 ml of foam is injected.
In 55 Australian cases of PUV over a five-year period, just over half were suspected prenatally and, of these, 38% had oligohydramnios. Just under half were detected in the neonatal period and UTI was the most common presentation. Most were born to parents of high socioeconomic status.
Still on the subject of posterior urethral valves, two cases are described here involving boys presenting with recurrent fever, abdominal pain and poor urinary stream. Ultrasound revealed abnormal looking kidneys in both cases. In utero, both had oligohydramnios. The authors suggest that key features like poor stream and antenatal oligohydramnios should alert clinicians sooner to the possibility of posterior urethral valves.
Based on three different measurement parameters, this small study of just eight sonographers suggests that the optimum comfortable height of the ultrasound control panel during sitting may be level with the elbow.
By measuring bladder wall thickness and middle lobe protrusion of the prostate gland in 104 men, this team achieved reasonable sensitivity and specificity, thus offering an alternative to invasive pressure flow studies. The title of the study may not be the snappiest but it tells you all you need to know really.
This novel pilot study of 12 healthy pregnant women at between 15 and 33 weeks’ gestation suggests that ultrasound elastography, combined with other maternal factors, may be used to determine if the cervix is softening prematurely. The elastography images of the cervices were analysed using colour coding of red (soft), green (medium hard), and blue (hard).
Using advanced 3D techniques, this team looked at 150 first trimester fetuses and found that an abnormal retronasal triangle was a good indicator for facial clefting. There was a false-positive rate of 1.33%.
This review indicates that ultrasound, particularly when combined with contrast agents, has really come into its own now for examining that often neglected organ, the spleen.
Findings from a study of 59 patients suggest that, compared to phlebography, colour Doppler is a non-invasive, reliable alternative for evaluating superficial and deep venous malformations associated with Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome. It also has the advantage of providing instant results.