Abstract
Adnexal masses during pregnancy: diagnosis, treatment and prognosis
Cathcart AM, Nezhat FR, Emerson J, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022. DOI: 10.1016/J.AJOG.2022.11.1291.
An article for obstetric sonographers and students, this review discusses ovarian and adnexal masses which are commonly found during early pregnancy and first-trimester screening scans. The masses are often followed up with ultrasound, as 70% will resolve naturally and to assess growth or signs of malignancy. Further imaging with magnetic resonance (MR), the surgical outcomes and the risks involved for the pregnancy are explored.
Curriculum and competency assessment program for training maternal–fetal medicine fellows in the performance of the detailed obstetric ultrasound examination
Stone J, Abu-Rustum RS, Bromley B, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023;228:B2–B9.
A joint publication from the Society for Maternal–fetal Medicine and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, setting out the minimum standards for training and assessing competency in the ultrasound for training fellows. Useful if you are involved in the training of registrars and could also be adapted and used for sonographers working in fetal medicine units.
International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology Practice Guidelines (updated): performance of 11–14-week ultrasound scan
Bilardo CM, Chaoui R, Hyett JA, et al. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2023. DOI: 10.1002/uog.26106.
Excellent ultrasound images demonstrating the normal anatomy that can be seen in the first trimester are presented within these guidelines. Pre-test counselling is covered briefly. There is also discussion on performing cervical measurements and screening for pre-eclampsia. There is no mention of how long the scan should take, which would be useful for departments if considering extending the first-trimester screening ultrasound to cover all of the anatomy mentioned.
AIUM practice principles for work-related musculoskeletal disorder
Henningsen C, Sayeed Y, Bagley J, et al. J Ultrasound Med 2023. DOI: 10/1002/jum.16124.
This comprehensive guidance covers the risks associated with WRMSDs, some solutions and best practice advice for departments and sonographers. There are diagrams to demonstrate how to hold the ultrasound probe and suggestions for the times needed to perform each type of ultrasound examination. There are individual sections to highlight specific areas of practice and the risks related to performing that type of scan.
Radiology and surgical correlation of pelviureteric junction obstruction in positional anomalies of the kidney in children
Meshaka R, Biassoni L, Leung G, et al. Pediatr Radiol 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s00247-022-05557-7.
A pictorial review of how important it is to identify if a kidney is malrotated, when assessing patients with pelviureteric junction obstruction (PUJO), as surgery can be individualized. This article will be useful for ultrasound practitioners carrying out those initial post-delivery paediatric renal ultrasound and those performing obstetric examinations to help identify a cause for a dilated renal pelvis.
Screening for subclinical synovial proliferation in haemophilia: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing physical examination and ultrasound
van Leeuwen FHP, Timmer MA, de Jong PA, et al. Haemophilia 2022. DOI: 10.1111/hae.14737.
Patients with haemophilia are at risk of arthropathy and early identification of synovial proliferation is important for treatment options. Clinical examination alone missed some cases of synovial proliferation which ultrasound detected. Although MR is the gold standard for imaging of haemophilia arthropathy, ultrasound is a useful addition to the clinical examination.
Predicting spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic high-risk women with cervical cerclage
Ridout AE, Ross G, Saeed PT, et al. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2023. DOI: 10.1002/uog.26161.
Results were from pregnancy outcomes in women who had cervical cerclage, either due to previous preterm delivery or because of a shortened cervix found on a routine ultrasound examination. The women had been recruited to another research study, that is, evaluation of fetal fibronectin for the prediction of preterm birth (EQUIPP) or investigation into biomarkers to predict spontaneous preterm birth (INSIGHT). A comparison of the results from ultrasound cervical length (CL) measurement and quantitative fetal fibronectin (qfFN) values could be made as all patients had regular CL measurements and qfFN test as part of the primary research. Both CL and qfFN were found to be useful markers for spontaneous preterm birth in patients who had cervical cerclage.
Emergency department point-of-care echocardiography and lung ultrasound in predicting COVID-19 severity
Baloescu C, Weingart GE and Moore CL. J Ultrasound Med 2023. DOI: 10.1002/jum.16205.
This was a retrospective study using an expert (ultrasound trained emergency physician), who was blinded to the patients’ clinical outcome. A total of 155 patients met the inclusion criteria, as they had tested positive for COVID-19 and had a point of care ultrasound (POCUS) of at least one area (heart or lung). Patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and pleural line abnormalities were more likely to progress to a severe form of COVID-19 with poorer outcomes. In the future, this could be used to identify patients most at risk.
Imaging before operation for undescended testes: is it necessary?
Hung JWS, Chung KLY, Yam FSD, et al. Hong Kong J Paediatr 2023;28:13–19.
This was a retrospective review over 5 years, looking at imaging for patients that had orchidopexies or diagnostic laparoscopy for clinically undetected testes. Out of 254 patients, there were 89 ultrasound studies and 4 MRI studies performed pre-op. A wide range of referrers had requested the examinations, with most requests (55%) from the neonatologists. Ultrasound correctly located the testes in 26% of the cases. Current guidelines are that ultrasound is not useful for locating undescended testes and the results of this research agree with that.
Relationships between intestinal ultrasound parameters and histopathologic findings in a prospective cohort of patients with Crohn’s Disease undergoing surgery
Allocca M, Dal Buono A, D’Alessio S, et al. J Ultrasound Med 2023. DOI: 10.1002/jum.116191.
All the ultrasound scans were performed by one gastroenterologist for a group of 17 adults who needed surgical resection of the bowel for Crohn’s Disease (CD). The ultrasound was performed within the month before surgery. There was good correlation of the ultrasound findings, diagnosing fibrosis, active inflammation and bowel wall thickness when compared to the histopathological results.