The clinical part of these Guidelines and Recommendations produced under the auspices of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology EFSUMB assesses the clinically used applications of all forms of elastography, stressing the evidence from meta-analyses and giving practical advice for their uses and interpretation. Diffuse liver disease forms the largest section, reflecting the wide experience with transient and shear wave elastography . Then follow the breast, thyroid, gastro-intestinal tract, endoscopic elastography, the prostate and the musculo-skeletal system using strain and shear wave elastography as appropriate. The document is intended to form a reference and to guide clinical users in a practical way.

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EFSUMB Guidelines and Recommendations on the Clinical Use of Ultrasound Elastography.Part 2: Clinical Applications

通过复习异位骨化的相关文献,详细介绍了异位骨化的发病机制、分类、发生率、分型、发病因素、临床表现、诊断、预防及治疗方法.异位骨化是指在正常情况下没有骨组织的软组织内形成的新生骨,在组织学上,成熟的异位骨化与骨痂一致.其形成一般需三个条件:①成骨诱导物;②成骨的前体细胞;③允许成骨的组织环境.早期表现包括关节周围疼痛、发热、红肿,逐渐出现关节活动受限.三相核素骨扫描是早期检测异位骨化的最敏感指标,并可以判断病变的活动性和成熟度.非甾体类消炎药(NSAIDs)是目前公认的预防人工髋关节置换和髋臼骨折术后异位骨化形成的最有效的药物.手术切除是异位骨化形成后导致严重关节功能障碍患者的唯一治疗手段。

Heterotopic ossification

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jor.22806

Mechanisms of tendon injury and repair.

Shear wave elastography is a rapidly evolving US imaging technique that allows quantification of mechanical and elastic tissue properties and serves as an adjunct to conventional US techniques, aiding in initial characterization and treatment follow-up of various traumatic and pathologic conditions of the musculoskeletal system.

Shear-Wave Elastography: Basic Physics and Musculoskeletal Applications.

Background —Chronic infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet from an epidemiological perspective, this concept remains controversial. Methods and Results —The Bruneck Study is a prospective population-based survey on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In 826 men and women 40 to 79 years old (1990 baseline), 5-year changes in carotid atherosclerosis were thoroughly assessed by high-resolution duplex scanning. The presence of chronic respiratory, urinary tract, dental, and other infections was ascertained by standard diagnostic criteria. Chronic infections amplified the risk of atherosclerosis development in the carotid arteries. The association was most pronounced in subjects free of carotid atherosclerosis at baseline (age-/sex-adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] for any chronic infection versus none, 4.08 [2.42 to 6.85];P <0.0001) and applied to all types of chronic (bacterial) infections. It remained independently significant after adjustment for classic vascular risk attributes and extended to low-risk individuals free of conventional risk factors. Among subjects with chronic infections, atherosclerosis risk was highest in those with a prominent inflammatory response. Markers of systemic inflammation, such as soluble adhesion molecules and circulating bacterial endotoxin, and levels of soluble human heat-shock protein 60 and antibodies to mycobacterial heat-shock protein 65 were elevated in subjects with chronic infections and predictive of an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Conclusions —The present study provides solid evidence for a role of common chronic infections in human atherogenesis. Induction of systemic inflammation and autoimmunity may be potential pathophysiological links.

Preventive Cardiology AbstractsChronic infections and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis. Prospective results from a large population study

Sonoelastography, with quantitative image analysis, demonstrates age-related softening of the plantar fascia and also softening of the plantar fascia in subjects with plantar fasciitis.

Sonoelastography of the Plantar Fascia

Comparative Effectiveness of Injection Therapies in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review, Pairwise and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Compared with the upper limbs, sonographic tracking of peripheral nerves in the lower limbs is more challenging. The overlying muscles are larger, hindering visualization of the deeply embedded nerves by using a linear transducer. The use of a curvilinear transducer-providing an extended view with better penetration for the field of interest-may be useful for scanning the nerves in the hip and thigh. Application of the Doppler mode helps localization of the target nerve by identifying the accompanying vessels. Aiming to demonstrate the relevant tracking techniques, the present article comprises a series of ultrasound images and videos showing how to scan the nerves in the lower limb, that is, femoral, obturator, pudendal, lateral femoral cutaneous, sciatic, saphenous, sural, tibial, and peroneal nerves.

Sonographic Tracking of the Lower Limb Peripheral Nerves: A Pictorial Essay and Video Demonstration.

Shear-wave US elastography showed that the thickened coracohumeral ligament of patients with clinical findings suggestive of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder is stiffer in the symptomatic shoulder than in the unaffected shoulder.

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/pdf/10.1148/radiol.2015150888

Elasticity of the Coracohumeral Ligament in Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder.

Current clinical evaluations of post-stroke upper limb spasticity are subjective and qualitative. We proposed a quantitative measurement of post-stroke spastic muscle stiffness by using shear-wave ultrasound elastography and tested its reliability. Acoustic radiation force impulse with shear wave velocity (SWV) detection was used to evaluate stiffness of the biceps brachii muscles at 90° and 0° elbow flexion. In 21 control subjects, SWV did not significantly differ between dominant and non-dominant sides at either flexion angle (0°: p = 0.311, 90°: p = 0.436). In 31 patients who had recent stroke, SWV was significantly greater on the paretic side than on the non-paretic side at both 90° (2.23 ± 0.15 m/s vs. 1.88 ± 0.08 m/s, p = 0.036) and 0° (3.28 ± 0.11 m/s vs. 2.93 ± 0.06 m/s, p = 0.002). The physical appearance of arms and forearms of our patients and controls prevented blinding of the rater to paretic or non-paretic side. At 90°, SWV on the paretic side correlated positively with modified Ashworth scale and modified Tardieu scale (spasticity severity) and negatively with Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement score (motor function impairment). The intra-class correlation coefficients of intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for SWV measurements were classified as excellent. In conclusion, high SWV was associated with high spasticity and poor function of the post-stroke upper limb, suggesting possible use as a reliable quantitative measure for disease progression and treatment follow-up.

Chueh-Hung Wu

Papers

Sonoelastography of the Plantar Fascia

Comparative Effectiveness of Injection Therapies in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review, Pairwise and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Sonographic Tracking of the Lower Limb Peripheral Nerves: A Pictorial Essay and Video Demonstration.

Elasticity of the Coracohumeral Ligament in Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder.

Evaluation of Post-Stroke Spastic Muscle Stiffness Using Shear Wave Ultrasound Elastography.