Dermatologic ultrasonography applications are rapidly growing in all skin fields. Thanks to very high spatial resolution, high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency ultrasound can evaluate smaller structures, allowing us to improve diagnosis accuracy and disease activity. Moreover, they can guide treatment, such as drug injection, and assess therapy efficacy and complications. In this narrative review, we evaluated high-frequency ultrasound and ultra-high-frequency ultrasound in infections, inflammatory dermatoses, metabolic and genetic disorders, specific cutaneous structure skin disorders, vascular and external-agent-associated disorders, neoplastic diseases, and aesthetics.
The relation between thyroid ultrasonography and laboratory, and the relationship of thyroid volume with clinical and anthropometric parameters, are not well clarified. Aim of the study was to investigate normal and hypoechoic-inhomogeneous not nodular thyroid gland in predicting thyroid tests, and to assess the correlation of thyroid volume with several clinical parameters. The series included 434 subjects (244 with normal thyroid ultrasonography, and 190 with hypoechoic-inhomogeneous thyroid) at their first evaluation. Subjects with normal ultrasonography and skewed tests were re-evaluated after one year. All subjects with normal ultrasound showed normal free-T4, while TSH was elevated in 9.8% of cases and thyroid antibodies were positive in another 9.8%. In patients with hypoechoic-inhomogeneous thyroid, free-T4 was low in 33.2%, TSH was elevated in 78.4% and thyroid antibodies were positive in 76.3%. Normal ultrasonography matched with normal tests in 81.1% of cases while hypoechoic-inhomogeneous thyroid in 9.5% (p<0.001). The re-evaluation of tests showed no significant difference. In subjects with both normal ultrasonography and tests, thyroid volume was correlated with age (p=0.001), weight (p=0.003), BMI (p=0.04), body surface area (p=0.002). Thyroid laboratory assessment was different between subjects with ultrasonographically normal or hypoechoic-inhomogeneous thyroid. Thyroid volume of thyroid diseases-free subjects was correlated with age, weight, BMI and body surface area, and this should be of interest to investigate the references of normality of thyroid size.
(1) Background: We describe our experience with cystic fibrosis (CF) patients treated with bronchial artery embolization (BAE) for sub-massive hemoptysis to understand if early treatment of sub-massive hemoptysis can reduce the volume of any subsequent bleedings. (2) Materials: We performed a retrospective study including CF patients who underwent angiographic procedures for BAE following sub-massive hemoptysis, from March 2016 to December 2021. All patients underwent an initial chest angio-CT study. BAE was realized with microspheres or coils. (3) Results: Thirteen patients were included, subjected to at least one BAE after sub-massive hemoptysis, for a total of 19 procedures. Technical success was 94.7%; in a single case, the catheterization of the bronchial arterial feeder was not achievable and the procedure was repeated. Primary clinical success was 92.3%; secondary clinical success was 69.2%. Relative clinical success was 85%. A higher incidence of recurrent hemoptysis following treatment with coils was observed (100% of cases) compared to treatment with microspheres (54.5% of cases) χ2 = 5.43 (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: BAE is a safe and effective method for the treatment of hemoptysis in CF patients; it should be practiced not only after massive or recurrent hemoptysis but also in patients with sub-massive bleeding to improve their life expectancy and quality of life.
Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) combines morphological and functional imaging, enhancing breast cancer (BC) diagnosis. This study investigates the relationship between CEM morphodynamic features and histopathological characteristics of BC. In this prospective study, 50 female patients (mean age: 57.2 ± 13.7 years) with BI-RADS 4–5 lesions underwent CEM followed by surgical excision between December 2022 and May 2024. Low-energy and recombined CEM images were analyzed for breast composition, lesion characteristics, and enhancement patterns, while histopathological evaluation included tumor size, histotype, grade, lymphovascular invasion, and immunophenotype. Spearman rank correlation and multivariable regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between CEM findings and histopathological characteristics. Tumor size on CEM strongly correlated with histopathological tumor size (ρ = 0.788, p < 0.001) and was associated with high-grade lesions (p = 0.017). Non-circumscribed margins were linked to a Luminal-B subtype (p = 0.001), while high lesion conspicuity was associated with Luminal-B and triple-negative BC (p = 0.001) and correlated with larger tumors (ρ = 0.517, p < 0.001). Background parenchymal enhancement was negatively correlated with age (ρ = −0.286, p = 0.049). CEM provides critical insights into BC, demonstrating significant relationship between imaging features and histopathological characteristics. These findings highlight CEM’s potential as a reliable tool for tumor size estimation, subtype characterization, and prognostic assessment, suggesting its role as an alternative to MRI, particularly for patients with contraindications.