Soft-Tissue Tumors of the Hand-Imaging Features

Benefit of Using Both Ultrasound Imaging and Clinical Information for Predicting Malignant Soft Tissue Tumors

OBJECTIVE

Ultrasonography (US) is the primary imaging method for soft tissue tumors (STTs), the diagnostic performance of which still requires improvement. To achieve an accurate evaluation of STTs, we built the diagnostic nomogram for STTs using the clinical and US features of patients with STTs.

METHODS

A total of 613 patients with 195 malignant and 418 benign STTs were retrospectively recruited. We used a blend of clinical and ultrasonic features, as well as exclusively US features, to develop two distinct diagnostic models for STTs: the clinical-US model and the US-only model, respectively. The two models were evaluated and compared by measuring their areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and decision curve analysis. The performance of the clinical-US model was also compared with that of two radiologists.

RESULTS

The clinical-US model had better diagnostic performance than the model based on US imaging features alone (AUCs of the clinical-US and US-only models: 0.95 [0.93-0.97] vs. 0.89 [0.87-0.92], p < 0.001; IDI of the two models: 0.15 ± 0.03, p < 0.001). The clinical-US model was also superior to the two radiologists in diagnosing STTs (AUCs of clinical-US model and two radiologists: 0.95 [0.93-0.97] vs. 0.79 [0.75-0.82] and 0.83 [0.80-0.85], p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The diagnostic model based on clinical and US imaging features had high diagnostic performance in STTs, which could help identify malignant STTs for radiologists.

The Difference in Clinical Features between Small-Sized Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Benign Tumors

BACKGROUND

Small-sized tumors tend to be resected without thorough assessment and are often managed in a sarcoma center after a malignancy is diagnosed. The lack of knowledge about the features of smallsized sarcomas may lead to unplanned resection. The features of small-sized soft tissue sarcomas were investigated by comparing them with those of small benign soft tissue tumors.

METHODS

We included 17 soft tissue sarcoma cases (7 on the hands and feet and 10 on the limbs and trunk) with a diameter of under 2 cm. The features of small-sized sarcomas were compared to those of 39 benign soft tissue tumors with a diameter of under 2 cm and non-specific imaging findings (30 on the hands and feet and 9 on the limbs and trunk). The investigated features were age, sex, presence of pain, subjective increasing tumor size, and duration of observation.

RESULTS

When we compared the tumors in the hands and feet, those <40 years of age (5/7 [71%] vs. 8/30 [27%], p=0.03) experiencing pain (7/7 [100%] vs. 13/30 [43%], p=0.007) were more common in patients with sarcomas than in patients with benign tumors. When we compared the tumors in the limbs and trunk, there was no significant difference in all investigated features.

CONCLUSION

Although clinical features were ineffective in distinguishing malignancy in most small-sized soft tissue tumors, we should pay attention to painful tumors of the hands and feet in younger patients.

Diagnosing Schwannoma in the Wrist: a Challenging Case of Intraneural Ganglion Cyst Mimicry and a Review of Literature

Schwannoma can rarely mimic an intraneural ganglion cyst clinically and radiographically. This is a rare case report of a wrist schwannoma mimicking an intraneural ganglion cyst. The surgery was successful, and the histopathological report confirmed the diagnosis of benign schwannoma. After two years of follow-up, the patient is still symptom-free.

Recurrent intramuscular lipoma at extensor pollicis brevis: A case report

BACKGROUND

This report describes and discusses recurrent intramuscular lipoma (IML) of the extensor pollicis brevis (EPB). An IML usually occurs in a large muscle of the limb or torso. Recurrence of IML is rare. Recurrent IMLs, especially those with unclear boundaries, necessitate complete excision. Several cases of IML in the hand have been reported. However, recurrent IML appearing along the muscle and tendon of EPB on wrist and forearm has not been reported yet.

CASE SUMMARY

In this report, the authors describe clinical and histopathological features of recurrent IML at EPB. A 42-year-old Asian woman presented with a slow-growing lump in her right forearm and wrist area six months ago. The patient had a history of surgery for a lipoma of the right forearm one year ago with a scar of 6 cm on the right forearm. magnetic resonance imaging confirmed that the lipomatous mass, which had attenuation similar to subcutaneous fat, had invaded the muscle layer of EPB. Excision and biopsy were performed under general anesthesia. On histological examination, it was identified as an IML showing mature adipocytes and skeletal muscle fibers. Therefore, surgery was terminated without further resection. No recurrence occurred during a follow-up of five years after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Recurrent IML in the wrist must be examined to differentiate it from sarcoma. Damage to surrounding tissues should be minimized during excision.

Management of a rare, giant multicompartmental lipoma of the hand: a case report and review of the literature

Lipomas are the commonest benign tumour, made up exclusively of adipose tissue, and can arise anywhere in the body. However, giant lipomas of the hand, defined as >5 cm in diameter, are rare. They have the potential to invade into surrounding areas and cause a multitude of symptoms due to the compression and proximity of underlying structures. We describe a case of a 64-year-old woman who presents with a swelling of the left thenar eminence, associated with numbness and tingling in all fingers. Magnetic resonance imaging and nerve conduction studies confirmed the diagnosis of a lipoma causing median nerve compression. The patient underwent elective surgical excision with good postoperative recovery. The excised lesion, measuring 12 × 7 × 2.4 cm, is one of the largest giant lipomas of the hand reported in literature, and the first to demonstrate invasion from the mid palmar space into both the dorsal sub-aponeurotic space and carpal tunnel.

Evaluation of the Effects of Folic Acid Combined with Atorvastatin on the Poststroke Cognitive Impairment by Low-Rank Matrix Denoising Algorithm-Based MRI Imaging

This research aimed to study the optimization effects of the low-rank matrix denoising (LRMD) algorithm based on the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) on MRI images of stroke patients, aiming to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin combined with folic acid on poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) in patients with ischemic stroke. First, the GMM-based low-rank matrix denoising (LRMD) algorithm was constructed and applied to process MRI images of 64 patients with ischemic stroke. Then, the MRI images before and after processing were compared for the denoising degree and quality. An image with 5% noise was not as clear as an MRI image with 1% noise, and the effects of atorvastatin combined with folic acid on PSCI in patients with ischemic stroke were discussed. It was found that the denoising degree of MRI images processed by the GMM-based LRMD algorithm was significantly improved, the image quality was significantly enhanced (P < 0.05), and the diagnosis accuracy and efficiency of stroke patients were heightened. Atorvastatin combined with folic acid reduce the homocysteine (HCY) and total cholesterol (TC) levels, as well as Montreal Cognitive Scale (MOCA) scores of PSCI patients (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the MRI images processed by the LRMD algorithm have good quality. Folic acid combined with atorvastatin can effectively reduce HCY and TC levels, thereby alleviating PSCI of stroke patients.

Sonography, My Personal Assistant at Hand Outpatient Clinic

Ultrasonography in hand surgery offers the option of imaging trauma consequences or degenerative problems in the wrist and fingers, involving bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, annular pulley, carpal and digital changes, soft masses, and foreign bodies including dynamic changes during motion. In the hands of the treating surgeon, ultrasonography allows immediately to plan conservative treatment versus surgery, to precisely infiltrate joints or tendon spaces as well as to perform miniinvasive assisted surgery.

Intraarticular injection of the interphalangeal joint for therapy of digital mucoid cysts

Mucoid cysts are associated with osteoarthritis (OA) of the digital joints and frequently recur after needle drainage, injection, or surgical ablation. This study determined whether intraarticular injection of the adjacent interphalangeal joint rather than the cyst itself might be effective in resolving digital mucoid cysts. Using paired case series design and sterile technique, 25 consecutive OA digital joints with an adjacent mucoid cyst underwent dorsal non-transtendinous intraarticular injection with a 25-gauge needle and 20-mg triamcinolone acetonide, followed by puncture and manual expression of cyst fluid. Patient pain was measured with the 10-cm Visual Analogue Pain Scale prior to the procedure and at 6 months. Cyst resolution was determined at 6 months and 3 years. The subjects were 61.0 ± 7.7 years old and 60% (15/25) female. Mucoid cysts were adjacent to 19 distal interphalangeal, 3 metacarpophalangeal, and 3 interphalangeal joints. Pre-procedural pain was 4.7 ± 1.0; procedural pain was 6.2 ± 0.6 cm, and post-procedural pain at 6 months was 1.2 ± 0.8 cm (74.5% reduction, 95% CI of difference: 3.0 < 3.5 < 4.0 (p < 0.0001)). 84% (21/25) of the cysts resolved at 6 months; however, 60% (15/25) of the mucoid cysts recurred within 3 years and required retreatment (14 adjacent joints re-injected and 1 ablative cyst surgery). No complications were noted. Intraarticular corticosteroid injection using a dorsal non-transtendinous approach of the joint adjacent to a mucoid cyst is effective resolving cysts and reducing pain at 6 months; however, 60% of mucoid cysts reoccur within 3 years and may require reinjection or surgery.Trial registration: This was not a clinical trial.

Giant Neurofibroma of the Left Median Nerve Associated With Damage of the Ipsilateral Distal Radius

A 74-year-old Caucasian woman presented with a large mass on her left distal radius, which had previously caused a fracture of the bone at this site and the palmar site that was treated with external fixation a year ago. The patient did not mention tumor-related family history and other neoplasms before the fracture of the distal radius. She noticed that the gradually growing mass had appeared after the fracture treatment. A thorough evaluation of the lesion confirmed the diagnosis of a large benign neurofibroma with distal radius impairment. The diagnostic and therapeutic procedure included the complete excision of the tumor and a six-week cast immobilization of the radius. On the final follow-up two years postoperatively, her clinical situation was satisfactory with no signs of recurrence. Although rare, isolated benign neurofibromas of enormous sizes are associated with bone damage. In our view, immediate surgical excision is crucial and enables total recovery postoperatively.

An Unusual Presentation of Large Glomangioma of the Hand

Glomangiomas are rare and benign hamartomas that commonly occur in the upper extremities. It is not typical for benign glomangiomas to be larger than one centimeter in size, and they usually present as a faint, blue-red subungual papule associated with a triad of symptoms of paroxysmal pain, pain with cold exposure, and tenderness to touch. We herein report a case of a 72-year-old man with multiple comorbidities presented to our clinic as a case of right-hand middle finger swelling for the past five years. Initially, it was not painful. However, the pain became more noticeable when he lowers his hand, and it was relieved when he kept it elevated. There were no skin changes around it with minimal tenderness over the swelling. Hand MRI demonstrated a well-defined small lobulated nodule at the radial aspect of the middle finger, at the level of the middle phalanx with no invasion to an adjacent structure. Surgical excision was done and the patient was diagnosed by histopathology to have glomangioma. Glomangiomas, also known as glomus tumors, are rare and benign hamartomas that commonly occur in the upper extremities. The hand is the most common site for glomus tumors, particularly the subungual area, the lateral aspect of the digits, and the palms. Female patients are the most common to present with subungual glomangioma. Multiple papers reported different presentations, and due to the rarity of the conditions and overlapping in clinical and imaging characteristics with other conditions, it was challenging to diagnose. Such atypical cases must be approached with high clinical suspicion and proper imaging and investigations so as to not delay diagnosis and management.

3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Wrist Tendons

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used in the imaging evaluation of wrist pain. The complex anatomy of the wrist can be demonstrated by MRI. Three tesla (3 T) MRI offers increased signal-to-noise ratio relative to 1.5 T MRI allowing for higher soft tissue contrast and better spatial resolution. The resulting increase in conspicuity of fine anatomic detail may improve the detection and characterization of wrist pathology. In this article, we will review the anatomy, normal variants, and common pathologies of the wrist tendons as evaluated on 3 T MRI.

Synovial sarcoma of the hand-wrist: a case report and review of the literature

Background

Synovial sarcomas are infrequent malignant tumors occurring mostly in adolescents and young adults. The occurrence of synovial sarcoma in the hand-wrist area is rare (4 to 8.5% of all synovial sarcomas in different studies).

Case presentation

This report documents an uncommon case of synovial sarcoma occurring in the hand-wrist of a 69-year-old Caucasian woman. She was subsequently treated with surgical excision and radiotherapy without recurrence after follow up.

Conclusions

This paper aims to characterize the demographic, pathologic, and clinical features with a literature review. The present literature review confirms that hand-wrist synovial sarcomas are more frequent among males and subjects 10 to 40 years old. Most cases in this location are usually not larger than 5 cm in size. The five-year survival rate is higher than that reported in a previous review on hand synovial sarcomas, and this suggests an improved survival in recent decades.

MRI evaluation of solid soft tissue masses of the fingers with pathology correlation

OBJECTIVE

Space occupying lesions of the fingers are commonly encountered in clinical and radiology practice. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of these lesions on MRI and to correlate with surgical pathology results.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This IRB-approved HIPAA-compliant study retrospectively evaluated the clinical, imaging and pathology findings of 100 consecutive patients referred for evaluation of solid soft tissue masses of the fingers. Only solid lesions with MR imaging prior to surgery were included in this study. MR images and when available corresponding radiographs were evaluated by two radiologist in regard to signal characteristics, relation to surrounding structures and enhancement. All masses were classified into different groups based on pathology results.

RESULTS

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TSGCT) and fibroma of the tendon sheath were the most common solid tumors (36 %) and malignant tumors represent only 5% of the cohort. 70 % of masses with low T2 signal were TSGCT and fibroma of tendon sheath; 100 % of masses with peripheral high T2 signal and central low T2 signal/thrombus were vascular lesions, representing 41 % of the total vascular lesions in the cohort. Additionally, 100 % of serpiginous/tubular shaped masses were vascular lesions and 67 % of masses with infiltrative borders were malignant masses. Enhancement was important in identifying solid lesions but there was no statistical difference between groups related to enhancement pattern. There was a good agreement for all analyses between both readers.

CONCLUSION

Typical MR findings can help to narrow the differential diagnosis in the evaluation of finger masses and provide crucial information to guide further management.

Deep HT: A deep neural network for diagnose on MR images of tumors of the hand

Background

There are many types of hand tumors, and it is often difficult for imaging diagnosticians to make a correct diagnosis, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment. Thus in this paper, we propose a deep neural network for diagnose on MR Images of tumors of the hand in order to better define preoperative diagnosis and standardize surgical treatment.

Methods

We collected MRI figures of 221 patients with hand tumors from one medical center from 2016 to 2019, invited medical experts to annotate the images to form the annotation data set. Then the original image is preprocessed to get the image data set. The data set is randomly divided into ten parts, nine for training and one for test. Next, the data set is input into the neural network system for testing. Finally, average the results of ten experiments as an estimate of the accuracy of the algorithm.

Results

This research uses 221 images as dataset and the system shows an average confidence level of 71.6% in segmentation of hand tumors. The segmented tumor regions are validated through ground truth analysis and manual analysis by a radiologist.

Conclusions

With the recent advances in convolutional neural networks, vast improvements have been made for image segmentation, mainly based on the skip-connection-linked encoder decoder deep architectures. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an automatic segmentation method based on DeepLab v3+ and achieved a good diagnostic accuracy rate.