Objective To analyze the diagnostic value of shear wave elastography (SWE) combined with vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in early diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Methods A total of 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) admitted to Mianyang Central Hospital between October 2020 and October 2023 were selected and divided into a T2DM with DPN group (n=31) and a T2DM without DPN group (n=69) based on the presence or absence of DPN. Additionally, 50 healthy individuals from the same hospital’s health examination center were included as a healthy control group. The basic clinical characteristics, mean elasticity (Emean) values of the left and right median and tibial nerves, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels were compared among the three groups. The diagnostic efficacy of SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c for DPN was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationships between median/tibial nerve Emean and VEGF-B/HbA1c. Results The Emean values of the left and right median nerves, Emean values of the left and right tibial nerves, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels in the T2DM with DPN group were significantly higher than those in the T2DM without DPN group and the healthy control group (P<0.05). The Emean values of the left and right median and tibial nerves, Emean values of the left and right tibial nerves, and HbA1c level in the T2DM without DPN group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed in serum VEGF-B level between the T2DM without DPN group and the healthy control group (P>0.05). The area under the ROC curve for the combined diagnosis of DPN using SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c was 0.859 [95% confidence interval (0.828, 0.955)]. The sensitivity of the combined diagnosis (93.72%) was significantly higher than that of individual diagnoses (78.82%, 75.39%, and 71.05%, respectively; P<0.05), while the specificity (88.64%) showed no significant difference compared to individual diagnoses (80.18%, 78.96%, and 82.88%, respectively; P>0.05). Positive correlations were observed between median/tibial nerve Emean and VEGF-B/HbA1c levels (r=0.428, 0.395, 0.416, and 0.416, respectively; P<0.05). Conclusions Elevated median/tibial nerve Emean, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels are closely associated with DPN. The combination of SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c improves diagnostic sensitivity for DPN, demonstrating significant clinical value.
Objective To explore the application value of shear wave elastography (SWE) combined with diaphragmatic thickening fraction (DTF) and rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) in predicting the results of weaning of patients with mechanical ventilation. Methods Fifty-two patients with severe illness who were hospitalized in this hospital from January 2022 to September 2022 were treated with mechanical ventilation. After meeting the conditions for weaning, they underwent spontaneous breathing test, and the diaphragm function of patients was evaluated by measuring DTF using ultrasound technology and shear modulus (SM) using SWE technology. According to the weaning results, they were divided into weaning success group and weaning failure group, The differences of mechanical ventilation time, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, respiratory rate, RSBI, oxygenation index, DTF, SM and other parameters between the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the factors affecting the withdrawal results. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of potential influencing factors on the withdrawal results. Results There were 39 cases of successful withdrawal and 13 cases of failure. There were significant differences in mechanical ventilation time, respiratory rate, RSBI, DTF and SM between the successful weaning group and the failure group (P<0.05). Through multivariate logistic regression analysis, RSBI [area under the ROC curve (AUC)=0.771, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.589 - 0.953], DTF (AUC=0.806, 95%CI 0.661 - 0.951), SM (AUC=0.838, 95%CI 0.695 - 0.981) were independent factors that affected the results of withdrawal. The single parameter AUC was smaller than the combined index with RSBI≤70.48 times·min–1L–1, DTF≥30.0%, SM≥10.0 kPa as the cutoff value (AUC=0.937, 95%CI 0.714 - 1.0, diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 94.9%, 84.6% and 92.3% respectively). Conclusions SWE technology provides a new quantitative index for evaluating diaphragm function by evaluating diaphragm stiffness. Diaphragm stiffness combined with DTF and RSBI can better predict the successful withdrawal in patients with mechanical ventilation.
ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES, 130/0.4)on blood coagulation of patients after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (opCAB)by thromboelastography (TEG). MethodsOne hundred patients undergoing elective opCAB in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command between May and July 2013 were enrolled in this study. All the patients were randomly divided into 2 groups using random number table method with 50 patients in each group. In the experimental group (G1 group), there were 27 males and 23 females with their age of 64.9±4.4 years, who received intravenous 6% HES (130/0.4)20 ml/kg in 4 hours postoperatively. In the control group (G2 group), there were 31 males and 19 females with their age of 63.1±5.8 years, who received intravenous lactated ringers 20 ml/kg in 4 hours postoperatively. After postoperative ICU admission, full blood count, coagulation tests and TEG were examined. Chest and mediastinal drainage was recorded at 6 hours and 24 hours postoperatively. ResultsThere was no statistical difference in chest and mediastinal drainage 24 hours postoperatively between the 2 groups (591.7±171.7 ml vs. 542.4±174.0 ml, P > 0.05). None of the patients received reexploration for bleeding. There was no statistical difference in hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet count or traditional coagulation index between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). TEG showed no significant change in coagulation time after intravenous fluid infusion in either group. Reaction time was slightly extended in both groups, but there was no statistical difference in reaction time between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Maximum amplitude (MA)of G1 group was significantly decreased after intravenous fluid infusion (55.9±10.0 mm vs. 62.8±7.9 mm, P < 0.05), but still within the normal range. There was no significant change in MA after intravenous fluid infusion in G2 group. ConclusionIntravenous infusion of 6% HES (130/0.4)20 ml/kg can reduce platelet function and clot strength, but does not significantly increase postoperative chest or mediastinal drainage, or the incidence of postoperative reexploration for bleeding. It's safe to administer 6% HES (130/0.4)for patients after OPCAB.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the changes in thrombelastography(TEG) during orthotopic liver transplantation （OLT） in Chinese. MethodsTwentyfive patients with cirrhosis of liver undergoing OLT were studied. They were composed of two groups: cirrhosis group （n=15） and liver neoplasm group （n=10）. Anesthesia was induced with propofol 1.5-2 mg/kg,fentanyl 3-5 μg/kg and vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg and maintained with isoflurane or enflurane inhalation.The operation was divided into three phases: ① before operation and preanhepatic phase （120 min after operation was started）, ② 30 min after liver was removed,③ 5 min before reperfusion and 5 min,15 min,30 min,60 min and 120 min after reperfusion.In 8 patients among the 25 patients heparinasecelite TEG was measured 5 min after reperfusion in addition to celite TEG.If there was significant differences in traces between the two TEG measurements,an intravenous bolus of 50-75 mg protamine was given and the heparinasecelite TEG was repeated.The measured variables included the r （reaction） time,representing the rate of initial fibrin formation K （coagulation） time, alpha angles （α） reflecting fibrinplatelet interaction, MA （maximal amplitude） indicating qualitative platelet function and percent fibrinolysis at 60 min. ResultsIn cirrhosis group changes in TEG occurred after liver was removed and in earlier period after reperfusion, while in liver neoplasm group changes in TEG were found in earlier period after reperfusion as compared with preoperative value.At 5 min after reperfusion there were significant differences in TEG （r，K，α and MA） values between celite and heparincelite TEG （P＜0.01）. ConclusionDuring OLT coagulation disorder occurs mainly at anhepatic and early reperfusion phase.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of conventional ultrasound, ultrasound elastography and their combination in benign and malignant breast nodules using meta-analysis. Methods The English databases (EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (China Biomedical Literature Database, China HowNet, VIP, Wanfang Database) were searched to collect the Chinese and English literatures about the diagnostic value of conventional ultrasound and elastography in differentiating the benign and malignant breast lesions up to April 20, 2021, the reviewers strictly followed the inclusion and exclusion criteria to screen the literature, extract the data and conduct quality assessment. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and 95%CI were calculated by using meta-DiSc1.4 software for heterogeneity analysis and data combining analysis. The forest map and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drew, and the area under the ROC curve was calculated. StataSE14.0 software was used to draw deek funnel plot to evaluate publication bias, and Fagan’s nomogram was used to evaluate the clinical utility of each test method. Results A final selection of 42 articles involving 6 009 nodules in 5 118 patients was included. The sensitivity for conventional ultrasound, elastosonography and two techniques combination was 0.80 [95%CI (0.79, 0.82)], 0.87 [95%CI (0.86, 0.89)] and 0.93 [95%CI (0.91, 0.94)], respectively; with specificity of 0.75 [95%CI (0.73, 0.76)], 0.85 [95%CI (0.84, 0.86)] and 0.94 [95%CI (0.93, 0.95)]. The summery area under curve was 0.86, 0.94 and 0.98, respectively. There were significant differences in the diagnostic efficiency among the three groups（all P<0.05）. The Deek’s funnel plot showed no significant publication bias (all P>0.05). The pre-testprobability of conventional ultrasound, elastosonography and two techniques combination were both 20%, and the post-testprobability were 49%, 66%, and 82%, respectively. Conclusions The accuracy of elastography in distinguishing benign from malignant breast nodule is relatively high, while the accuracy of benign and malignant nodules in conventional ultrasound is generally acceptable. However, the accuracy of the combination of the two is higher, which is worthy of clinical application.
ObjectiveTo explore value of ultrasound real-time elastography (RTE) technology for identification of benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 125 patients with thyroid nodules who underwent ultrasound RTE in this hospital from February 2018 to August 2019. All patients underwent RTE on the basis of conventional ultrasound. The ultrasound elasticity contrast index (ECI) was used as the evaluation index and the pathological examination result was used as the gold standard. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the value of ECI in the identification of benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of ECI.ResultsAmong the 125 patients with solid thyroid nodules, 51 were malignant nodules, 74 were benign nodules. The ECI value of patients with benign thyroid nodules was lower than that of patients with malignant nodules (2.71±0.83 versus 3.42±1.14, t=–4.030, P<0.001). The result of ROC analysis showed that the cutoff value of ECI to distinguish benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules was 3.07, area under curve of ROC was 0.806 [95%CI (0.717, 0.894), P<0.001], sensitivity was 80.3%, specificity was 70.4%. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the thyroid nodules with diffuse lesions, calcification, and maximum nodule diameter ≥1 cm were the risk factors for elevated ECI values (P<0.05). For the solid thyroid nodules without diffuse lesions, without calcification, and maximum nodule diameter <1 cm, ECI had the higher sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules (all exceed 80%), but these indexes were lower (under 60%) for the differential diagnosis of solid thyroid nodules with diffuse diseases, with calcification, and maximum nodule diameter ≥1 cm.ConclusionsECI obtained by ultrasound RTE can be used to differentiate solid thyroid nodules from benign ones. The presence or absence of diffuse lesions, calcification, and maximum nodule diameter are the influencing factors for ECI to differentiate solid thyroid nodules. In clinical diagnosis, it should be paid attention to the comprehensive analysis of the above factors.
Objective To understand and analyze technique development of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and its application in chronic liver disease. Method The relevant literatures about the application of MRE in the field of chronic liver disease were reviewed. Results The liver fibrosis was a common pathway of chronic liver disease, which would progress to cirrhosis of the liver if untreated. The diagnosis and assessment of fibrosis was important in the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease. The liver biopsy was considered to be the reference standard for clinical assessment of liver fibrosis. However, this technique was invasive and still had inevitable drawbacks in the clinical practice. With the update of the imaging technology and equipment, the MRE had been developed as a safe and noninvasive examination method for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in the chronic liver disease, early diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, evaluation of focal liver lesions, and other clinical applications. Conclusion MRE is currently regarded as an attractive noninvasive technique in management of chronic liver disease.
Objective To evaluate the significance of the ultrasound elastography (UE) strain ratio (SR) in the diagnosis of breast nodule by meta-analysis. Methods A computer-based online search was conducted in PubMed, The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2017), EMbase, CNKI, VIP, CBM, WanFang data databases, and so on (establishment time to June 2017), to collect the relevant diagnostic trials of the SR for breast nodules. Two reviewers independently screened literatures, extracted data, and evaluated the methodological quality of included studies. The meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0 and Meta-Disc 1.4 software, and the combined indexes included sensitivity (Sen), specificity (Spe), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR–), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Results A total of 26 studies were finally included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, the pooled Sen, Spe, LR+, LR–, and DOR was 0.88 (95% CI was 0.87 to 0.90), 0.85 (95% CI was 0.84 to 0.86), 6.66 (95% CI was 5.26 to 8.43), 0.14 (95% CI was 0.11 to 0.17), and 53.37 (95% CI was 34.96 to 81.49), respectively, P<0.000 1. Conclusion SR has high diagnostic accuracy in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast nodules, it is worthy of widely utilized in the clinic.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical value of ultrasonographic elastography (UE) for the differential diagnosis of benign/malignant thyroid nodules. MethodsWe comprehensively searched the databases including The Cochrane Library (Issue2, 2013), PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang Data, Medalink, VIP and CBM from inception to the December of 2013, for including clinical research reports of determining thyroid nodules using ultrasonographic elastography. Literature screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction and methodological quality assessment were completed by two reviewers independently. Then Meta-DiSc software (version 1.4) was used for pooling analysis. ResultsA total of 35 studies including 4 127 patients were included. The results of metaanalysis showed that, specificity, sensitivity, positive likelihood radio, negative likelihood radio and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 0.89 (0.88 to 0.90), 0.88 (0.86 to 0.90), 6.37 (5.44 to7.47), 0.13 (0.11 to 0.16) and 58.72 (43.12 to 79.98), respectively; and the area under SROC curve (AUC) was 0.936 9. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that ultrasonographic elastography has fairly high sensitivity (88%) and specificity (89%) in differential diagnosis of benign/malignant thyroid nodules. The positive rate in the malignant thyroid group is 58.72 times higher that in benign thyroid cancer with better efficacy in differential diagnosis, so ultrasonographic elastography is of effective and feasible diagnostic value for thyroid benign/malignant nodules.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the diagnostic value of the ultrasonographic elastography in the differential diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer.MethodsWe electronically searched the databases including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, MedaLink and CBM for studies about diagnostic value of the ultrasonographic elastography in the differential diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer from inception to October 2016. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using MetaDisc 1.4 software.ResultsA total of 9 studies involving 735 lymph nodes were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, the pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled positive likelihood ratio, pooled negative likelihood ratio and DOR were 0.82 (95%CI 0.78 to 0.86), 0.76 (95%CI 0.72 to 0.81), 3.32 (95%CI 2.57 to 4.27), 0.25 (95%CI 0.20 to 0.31), and 14.77 (95%CI 10.20 to 21.38), respectively. The AUC of the SROC curve was 0.8741.ConclusionUltrasonographic elastography has high sensitivity and specificity in the differential diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer, which indicates that it can be used to diagnosis axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer.