154
ABSTRACT REVIEW
Abdomen and Small
Parts
POWER DOPPLER US: A POTENTIALLY USEFUL
ALTERNATIVE TO MEAN FREQUENCY-BASED
COLOR DOPPLER US
J.M. RUBIN, R.O. BUDE, P.L. CARSON, R.L. BREE, R.S. ADLER
Radiology 1994;190:853-856
(J.M. Rubin, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan
Medical Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor,
MI 48109-0326)
The authors present a preliminary report to demonstrate
a new color Doppler (CD) ultrasonography (US) tech-
nique called power Doppler (PD), which displays the
total integrated Doppler power in color, and to compare
PD with CD imaging, which generally displays an esti-
mate of the mean Doppler frequency shift. Two stan-
dard commercial US scanners that encode the inte-
grated power in the Doppler signal in color were used to
demonstrate PD. A standard non-flow-containing US
phantom, a normal right kidney, and a torsive and nor-
mal contralateral testis were scanned in the power
mode. In the phantom and kidney, results with CD and
PD were directly compared. PD does not alias, is rela-
tively angle independent, and displays background noise
in a way that increases the usable dynamic range of a US
scanner. This extended dynamic range should increase
machine sensitivity and may demonstrate increased flovv
in certain circumstances. PD is a new CD imaging mode
that might be superior to CD in some cases.
SONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS OF UNSUSPECTED
GALLBLADDER CANCER: IMAGING FINDING IN
COMPARISON WITH BENIGN GALLBLADDER CONDITIONS
L.A. WIBBENMEYER, M.J.A. SHARAFUDDIN, M.K. WOLVERSON,
E.V. HEIBERG, T.P. WADE, J.B. SHIELDS
AJR Am J Roentgenol 1995
165:1169-1174
;
(M.J.A. Sharafuddin, Department of Radiology, St. Louis
University Health Sciences Center, 3635 Vista Avenue at Grand
Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110-0250)
Several sonographic findings were analyzed to deter-
mine their significance in distinguishing gallbladder
cancer from benign conditions of the
gallbladder. The
analyzed findings were gallstone number and size; float-
Downloaded from jdm.sagepub.com at UNIV OF MONTANA on April 6, 2015
ing stones; displaced stones; wall thickening, irregular-
ity, and echogenicity; mucosal plaque; intraluminal
mass;
mass;
gallbladder-replacing mass; invasive gallbladder
gallbladder mucosal discontinuity; hyperechoic
gallbladder mucosa; and submucosal or transmural
echolucency. Sonograms of 20 patients with unsus-
pected, pathologically proven gallbladder cancer and 65
patients with benign gallbladder conditions (predomi-
nantly acute or chronic cholecystitis) were retrospec-
tively assessed by two observers who were unaware of
experimental conditions. Gallstone number and size
were assessed, and the presence of floating stone (nei-
ther settling nor wall-adherent), displaced stone (lifted
from the gallbladder wall by mass or focal wall thicken-
ing), wall irregularity, mucosal plaque, intracystic mass,
and gallbladder-replacing or invasive mass was evalu-
ated. The echogenicity pattern of the gallbladder wall
was characterized, and its thickness was measured and
classified normal/mildly thickened (<7 mm) or mod-
as
erately/severely thickened (~!7 mm). In addition, the
gallbladder wall was evaluated for discontinuous muco-
sal echo, hyperechoic mucosa, submucosal or mural
echolucency, and pericholecystic fluid collection. Sono-
graphic findings were compared by the Mann-Whitney
test for nonparametric variables and by Students t test
for continuous variables. Solitary gallstone, displaced
stone, intraluminal mass, gallbladder-replacing or inva-
sive mass, and discontinuity of the mucosal echo were
all statistically significantly more common in patients
with gallbladder cancer (.0011 < p <.05). Mucosal
plaque and wall irregularity were nonspecific findings.
Gallbladder wall thickening by itself wars nonspecific,
although associated echolayering, transmural or submu-
cosal edema, or a distinctly specular mucosal lining
favored benign etiologies. Several sonographic findings
were significantly more common in patients with gall-
bladder cancer compared with patients with benign gall-
bladder conditions. Assessment of these signs may be
helpful in distinguishing gallbladder cancer from benign
conditions of the
gallbladder.
SONOGRAPHY IN THE POSTOPERATIVE EVALUATION OF
LAPAROSCOPIC INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR
A. FURTSCHEGGER, P. SANDBICHLER, W. JUDMAIER, H. GSTIR,
E. STEINER, G. EGENDER
J Ultrasound Med 1995;14:679-684
(A. Furtschegger, MD, Hall Hospital, Department of Radiology,
Milscrstr. 10, 6060 Hall, Tyrol, Austria)
We evaluated the use of sonography as a means of
assessing hernial occlusion and possible postoperative