Ultrasound
Radiolucent Foreign Body Seen on Point-of-Care Ultrasound but not on X-ray
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J8WS77X-rays of the foot were obtained and no radiopaque foreign body was visualized. Due to high clinical suspicion for retained foreign body, a point-of-care ultrasound was performed by applying a high-frequency linear probe at the area of discomfort. In the long axis an ovoid focus of hypoechogenicity (orange outline) is visualized. Within this finding there is a linear focus (yellow line) of increased echogenicity measuring 1 mm in diameter and 1 cm in length. On short axis view, a rectangle focus (green dot) demonstrating shadowing (blue highlight) is seen.
Brief Review of Intussusception Diagnosis and Management
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J81P7FThe patient’s abdominal ultrasound revealed intussusception in the right upper abdominal quadrant. The transverse ultrasound view showed a “doughnut sign” (dashed yellow line), telescoping bowel (yellow arrow), and invaginated hyperechoic mesenteric fat with crescent configuration (dashed orange line). The sagittal ultrasound view demonstrated the intussusception formed by the outer recipient bowel loop (yellow arrows), invaginated hyperechoic mesenteric fat (orange asterisks), and telescoping bowel centrally (red arrow).
Point-of-care Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Ovarian and Fallopian Tube Torsion
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J8D06KThe ultrasound video clip demonstrates a transverse view of the pelvis using the endocavitary probe. The bladder can be seen on the anterior portion of the scan (yellow arrow), while the uterus with an intrauterine pregnancy is visible posteriorly (blue arrow). The thickened appearance of the uterine wall is also indicative of pregnancy. A large, anechoic cystic structure measuring approximately 5 cm is seen in the vicinity of the patient’s left adnexa (pink arrow), which raises concerns for ovarian torsion.
Bedside Ultrasound of Retinal Detachment in a 19-year-old
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J80W6TThe ocular point of care ultrasound (POCUS) utilizing a high frequency linear probe shows a retinal detachment (RD) with a thick, hyperechoic undulating membrane in the vitreous humor that is anchored at the ora serrata anteriorly and the optic disc posteriorly. Note that the retina is detached all the way to the optic disc making it "mac off." The macula, and more specifically the fovea, is located in the central retina and contains a high concentration of cone photoreceptors responsible for central, high resolution, color vision. In a "mac on" RD, the retina detaches in the periphery but remains intact centrally. This is an ophthalmologic emergency and timely diagnosis and intervention can be vision saving. This patient also has evidence of a posterior vitreous hemorrhage which has a characteristic swirling appearance with kinetic exam on real-time imaging. The detached vitreous body is not as well defined and is not anchored posteriorly to the optic disc.
The Role of Chest X-Ray and Bedside Ultrasound in Diagnosing Pulmonary Bleb versus Pneumothorax
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J8MP7QThe patient was evaluated with bedside ultrasound for concern of possible pneumothorax. Imaging of the left lung with M-mode demonstrated a “sea shore” sign showing a wavy pattern below the pleural line caused by lung sliding as well as “comet tail” artifact caused by from the deep pleura. However, there was no lung sliding on the right shown by a lack of “comet tail” artifact and a “bar code” sign where M-mode shows straight lines throughout the image, this is caused by lack of motion below the pleura. This lack of lung sliding is consistent with possible pneumothorax or bleb.
A two-view chest X-ray (CXR) revealed absent lung parenchyma in the right lung similar to a large pneumothorax (see red outline). Electronic medical record chart review revealed previous CXRs with similar findings. This patient was determined to have an acute COPD exacerbation with chronic blebs, but no pneumothorax.
Fight Bite with Tendon Laceration
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J8MP7QThe video shows a water bath ultrasound of the right 4th digit, demonstrating soft tissue swelling with a hypoechoic region along the tendon consistent with edema and tendon disruption (see video and annotated still image).
A Rare Cause of Pelvic Pain in a Teenage Girl
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J87D0WDue to pain out of proportion to her exam, an ultrasound of her pelvis was obtained and showed a blood-filled distended uterus, or hematometrocolpos (white arrow), with a 4.9 cm right ovarian cyst (blue arrow). A pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) then revealed an obstructed right hemi-vagina, normal left uterus and vagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis (red arrow) with normal left kidney (double arrow) consistent with obstructed hemivagina, ipsilateral renal agenesis (OHVIRA) syndrome. The patient underwent surgical repair with complete resolution of symptoms.
Right Ventricular Dilation in Patient With Submassive Pulmonary Embolism
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21980/J82P84Bedside echocardiography four chamber view revealed enlarged right ventricular (RV) to left ventricular (LV) ratio (greater than 1) on apical four-chamber view (see red and blue outlines respectively). The right atrium is not clearly delineated in this image and therefore is not outlined. One can also rule out a large pericardial effusion as the cause of her dyspnea, since there is no large hypoechoic collection surrounding the heart on either four- chamber view or parasternal long view.