Point-of-care ultrasound has become firmly established in acute and critical care settings, and is now increasingly being used as an important tool in the assessment of the lungs. In this article, we briefly describe the technique of lung ultrasound and the various lines and signs commonly encountered during sonography of the lung, namely the normally visualised A- and T-lines and the bat sign, sliding sign (power slide sign on colour Doppler), sea-shore sign, curtain sign, and the lung pulse. We have also described signs seen in various pathological conditions like B-lines seen in cases of increased lung density; the quad sign, sinusoid sign, thoracic spine sign, plankton sign and the jelly fish sign seen in pleural effusion; the stratosphere sign and the lung point sign seen in pneumothorax; the shred/fractal sign and tissue-like sign in consolidation, and the double lung point sign seen in transient tachypnoea of the newborn. With adequate and appropriate training, lung ultrasound can be effectively utilised as a pointof-care investigation.

SummaryHysterosalpingography is an imaging method to evaluate the endometrial and uterine morphology and fallopian tube patency. Contrast intravasation implies backflow of injected contrast into the adjoining vessels mostly the veins and may be related to factors altering endometrial vascularity and permeability. Radiologists and gynaecologists should be well acquainted with the technique of hysterosalpingography, its interpretation, and intravasation of contrast agents for safer procedure and to minimize the associated complications.

SummaryBackgroundTo evaluate the accuracy of high resolution ultrasound (USG) and MRI in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears (RCT) and to determine if high resolution USG compares favorably in sensitivity and specificity to MRI in the diagnosis of rotator cuff injury.Material/MethodsIn this prospective comparative study, 40 patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff tears underwent both ultrasound and MRI of the shoulder. Out of these 40 patients, 31 patients who had positive findings for rotator cuff tears on ultrasound and/or MRI were finally included in the study while the remaining 9 patients with negative or unrelated findings were excluded. The USG and MRI were interpreted by two radiologists experienced in musculoskeletal radiology and blinded to findings of each other. Comparison was done using MRI as a standard reference.ResultsThe agreement between USG and MRI for diagnosis of RCTs was statistically excellent; USG showed a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 100% for full-thickness tears, and a sensitivity of 89.7% and a specificity of 98.8% for partial-thickness tears; observed accuracy for full thickness tears was 98.4% and 95.9% for partial thickness tears. The Kappa coefficient of association was 0.91 for full thickness tears and 0.90 for partial thickness tears.ConclusionsConsidering the comparable diagnostic accuracy of USG and MRI, the former modality can be used as a first-line investigation for diagnosis of RCT. MRI should be used secondarily as a problem-solving tool either following an equivocal shoulder USG or for delineation of anatomy in cases where surgical correction is needed.

Background: Present study compares basic FESS and septoplasty with FESS alone in DNS with maxillary sinusitis.Methods: Sixty patients of DNS with chronic maxillary sinusitis were divided into two groups alternatively. After pre-operative symptoms score and computerized tomography (CT scan), twenty patients underwent FESS with septoplasty (group A) and other 20 underwent FESS alone (group B) under local anaesthesia and topical 4% lignocaine with 1:1000 adrenaline. At 6 weeks, post-operative symptom score and CT scan findings were documented and compared statistically by using unpaired student t-test.Results: Ninety six percent of patients in group A and 87.6% in group B have shown complete improvement in facial pain/pressure. Ninety three percent of patients in group A and 83.3% in group B have shown complete improvement in headache. Ninety percent patients in group A and 63.3% in group B has shown complete improvement in nasal obstruction. Seventy six percent of patients in group A and 63.3% of patients in group B have shown complete improvement in nasal discharge. Eighty six percent and 63.3% of patients in group A and group B respectively were satisfied from the surgery. Ninety three percent of patients in group A and 70% in group B were found to have normal maxillary sinus mucosa on HRCT nose and PNS after 6 weeks following surgical treatment. Hundred percent patients in group A and 96.7% of patients in group B were found to have normal OMC on HRCT nose and PNS 6 weeks after surgery.Conclusions: It was observed that FESS with septoplasty is effective for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with deviated nasal septum on VAS as well as radiologically (the Lund and Mackay staging system: radiologic staging) than FESS alone.

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