All newborns (n=8,896) sequentially delivered in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Milan underwent US examination in the first week of life and, when findings were within normal limits, in the third month of life. Subjects categorised at birth as Graf type 2a with alpha angle between 50 degrees and 52 degrees, underwent a further US examination at the end of the first month of life. Subjects with ambiguous findings at the 3-month examination were re-examined at the end of the fourth month of life. All infants with abnormal hips abandoned the screening process and underwent treatment. RESULTS. Overall, 56 cases of DDH were identified: 34 in the first week of life examination, 10 at 1 month; 10 at 3 months and 2 at 4 months. CONCLUSIONS. A two-step US screening of newborns is recommended: at the end of the first month and within the fourth month of life.

Three-dimensional US is a valuable technique for monitoring renal volume, whereas MSCT may be reserved for assessing renal anatomy and relationships with neighbouring organs.

We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with persistent pain at the right hypochondrium, relapsing fever, and normal serum tests. Ultrasound showed a hyperechoic inhomogeneous mass; following sulfur hexafluoride injection, uniform enhancement at 14-16 s and rapid wash-out at 26 s was found. Multidetector computed tomography showed an inhomogeneously hypodense mass, with no detectable negative density values, characterized by inhomogeneous enhancement at the arterial phase and wash-out at the portal phase. Histopathology demonstrated a hepithelioid angiomyolipoma with a poor fatty component. This diagnosis should always be considered in the presence of a very rapid wash-out after intravenous contrast injection. However, a hepatocellular carcinoma cannot be excluded and the final diagnosis of low-fat angiomyolipoma must be pathologically proved based on immunohistochemistry.

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