Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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This report describes the preparation of a gelatin-agar spine phantom that was used for spinal sonography and to practice the hand-eye coordination skills required to perform sonographically guided central neuraxial blocks. The phantom was prepared by embedding a lumbosacral spine model into a mixture of gelatin and agar in a plastic box. Cellulose powder and chlorhexidine were also added to the mixture, after which it was allowed to solidify. ⋯ During the simulated sonographically guided spinal injections, the needle could be clearly visualized, but the phantom provided little tactile feedback. In conclusion, the gelatin-agar spine phantom is a simple and inexpensive sonographic spine model that has a tissuelike texture and echogenicity. It can be used to study the osseous anatomy of the lumbar spine and practice the skills required to perform sonographically guided central neuraxial blocks.
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Trigger finger is frequently treated with tendon sheath injections. This cadaveric study evaluated the accuracy and safety of blind and sonographically guided tendon sheath injections. To our knowledge, a study that precisely mapped the locations of material injected into the tendon sheath has not been reported previously. ⋯ We found that sonographically guided tendon sheath injections were more accurate and may be potentially safer than blind injections. These findings suggest that sonographically guided injections should be considered over blind injections when treating trigger finger.
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The goal of this study was to compare internal carotid artery (ICA) intima-media thickness (IMT) with common carotid artery (CCA) IMT as global markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). ⋯ Associations of risk factors with CCA and ICA IMT are slightly different, and both are independently associated with prevalent CVD. Their value for predicting incident cardiovascular events needs to be compared in outcome studies.
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The purpose of this study was to describe the sonographic findings of acute vasitis. ⋯ Acute vasitis usually presents with infection combined with acute epididymitis, and it usually appears as a heterogeneously hypoechoic lesion in the scrotal segment, suprascrotal segment, or both.