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Testicular torsion is a urological emergency caused by the loss of testicular tissue due to ischemic damage. Rapid diagnosis and urgent treatment play a crucial role in the management of testicular torsion. Manual detorsion can be performed at the bedside, thereby reducing the duration of ischemia. Recent studies have reported the use of point-of-care ultrasonography for diagnosing testicular torsion; however, no review article has focused on the ultrasonographic findings pertaining to manual detorsion. This review describes the diagnosis of testicular torsion and the ultrasonographic indications for manual detorsion. Spermatic cord twisting or the whirlpool sign, absence of or decreased blood flow within the affected testis, abnormal testicular axis, abnormal echogenicity, and enlargement of the affected testis and epididymis due to ischemia are the sonographic findings associated with testicular torsion. The following findings are considered indications for manual detorsion: direction of testicular torsion, i.e., inner or outer direction (ultrasonographic accuracy of 70%), and the degree of spermatic cord twist. The following sonographic findings are used to determine whether the treatment was successful: presence of the whirlpool sign and the degree and extent of perfusion of the affected testis. Misdiagnosis of the direction of manual detorsion, a high degree of spermatic cord twisting and insufficient detorsion, testicular compartment syndrome, and testicular necrosis were found to result in treatment failure. The success of manual detorsion is determined based on the symptoms and sonographic findings. Subsequent surgical exploration is recommended in all cases, regardless of the success of manual detorsion., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine.)

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound to locate atresia/stenosis and other abdominal anomalies in pediatric patients with duodenal atresia/stenosis, including intestinal malrotation and annular pancreas., Methods: We classified 36 retrospective cases of duodenal atresia/stenosis based on intestinal malrotation status, and evaluated the diagnostic performance of ultrasound/upper gastrointestinal contrast studies to locate atresia/stenosis and intestinal malrotation, as well as ultrasound for detecting additional anomalies such as annular pancreas. The incidence of annular pancreas was compared between groups using Fisher's exact test., Results: Atresia/stenosis was correctly located by ultrasound in 33 (91.7%) cases and by upper gastrointestinal contrast study in 36 (100%) cases. Of the eight cases with intestinal malrotation, five and two were correctly diagnosed by ultrasound and upper gastrointestinal contrast study, respectively. Ultrasound correctly diagnosed annular pancreas in 6/14 cases. The incidence of annular pancreas was significantly different between the groups (present/absent in groups with vs. without intestinal malrotation: 6/2 vs. 8/20, P = 0.036)., Conclusions: Ultrasound has a relatively high capability in locating atresia/stenosis. However, some cases are misdiagnosed. In clinical practice, upper gastrointestinal contrast studies should be used complementarily during diagnosis. Additional anomalies may not be detected by preoperative examinations; therefore, surgeons should carefully evaluate for additional anomalies during surgery, especially coexisting intestinal malrotation and annular pancreas., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine.)

Purpose: To demonstrate the utility of ultrasound for predicting the outcome of pancreatitis in pediatric patients using the Balthazar score., Methods: Twenty-four children diagnosed with pancreatitis, who underwent computed tomography (CT) followed by ultrasound within 24 h, were included. The Balthazar score was calculated using both modalities based on the appearance of the pancreas (score 0-4). The association between the Balthazar scores with CT and ultrasound was evaluated using single linear regression analysis. To evaluate the sonographic accuracy, the ultrasound severity index and findings were compared with those of CT. Presence or absence of abnormal pancreatic parenchymal change on ultrasound was compared to the presence or absence of pancreatic necrosis on CT. The CT and sonographic findings were evaluated in eight intra-abdominal segments., Results: The Balthazar scores yielded by CT (2.2 ± 1.1, range 0-4) and ultrasound (2.0 ± 1.1, range 0-4) showed a significantly strong correlation (r = 0.918, p < 0.001). The accuracy of ultrasound in determining the CT Balthazar scores was 91.7% (95% confidence interval 73.0-99.0%, 22/24 patients). In the two cases with pancreatic necrosis on CT, only one case was detected as abnormal pancreatic parenchymal change. Sonographic diagnostic accuracy in the pancreatic head was lower than that in the body and tail (accuracy of the pancreatic head, body, and tail enlargement/edema = 83.3%/75%, 100%/100%, and 100%/100%, respectively)., Conclusions: The total CT and ultrasound severity indices were significantly correlated. Ultrasound is a useful modality for evaluating not only the initial pancreatic condition but also the severity of pediatric pancreatitis., (© 2021. The Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine.)

Choledochal cyst, which is a congenital dilatation of the bile duct, is a common congenital disease requiring surgical repair. This disease usually occurs in children aged < 10 years, necessitating a relatively long follow-up after repair. The incidence of this congenital disease in Asian countries, including Japan, was reported to be higher than that in other countries. Thus, follow-up of pediatric patients after choledochal cyst surgery is especially important in Japan. Specific or non-specific choledochal cyst repair complications occur in various organs and are categorized as early or late complications. In the liver, biliary obstruction, such as an anastomotic stricture or intrahepatic bile duct stone, may occur. Biliary carcinoma is an important late complication. In the pancreas, pancreatitis, residual bile duct dilation, or pancreatic fistula/leakage may occur. In the intestines, Roux-en-Y reconstruction complications, such as an obstruction at the site of anastomosis or retrograde intussusception, may occur in the early and late phases. Some complications warrant urgent surgical intervention. In this review, we present the sonographic findings of choledochal cyst repair complications to guide clinicians in conducting a careful evaluation of the involved organs in the presence of these complications.

Purpose: To compare the sonographic findings between pediatric patients with/without mediastinitis after cardiovascular surgery., Methods: We included 18 pediatric patients with suspected mediastinitis after cardiovascular surgery who underwent ultrasound. They were divided into two groups according to the presence of mediastinitis, confirmed by positive bacterial culture from the mediastinum (number with/without mediastinitis = 5/13). The following sonographic findings were compared between the groups: (1) increased parasternal fat echogenicity and (2) retrosternal mediastinal fluid collection. Additionally, sex, age, and the interval between surgery and ultrasound examination were also compared. Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical comparisons., Results: A significant difference was observed between patients with and without mediastinitis in the presence of increased fat echogenicity around the sternum (present/absent with mediastinitis vs. present/absent without mediastinitis: 5/0 vs. 3/10, respectively; P = 0.007) and retrosternal mediastinal fluid collection (5/0 vs. 2/11, respectively; P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in sex (male/female; 3/2 vs. 6/7; P > 0.999); age (months; 12.6 ± 9.4 (range, 1-22) vs. 6.9 ± 5.4 (range, 1-21); P = 0.336); and interval between surgery and ultrasound examination (days; 12.8 ± 7.2 (range, 6-20) vs. 19.1 ± 14.9 (range, 1-45); P = 0.443)., Conclusion: Although our cohort was small, none of the patients without increased parasternal fat echogenicity or mediastinal fluid collection was diagnosed with mediastinitis. These sonographic findings may help identify the possible presence of mediastinitis. Ultrasound may be the modality of first choice to evaluate pediatric patients for mediastinitis after cardiovascular surgery.

A lateral cervical sinus, also known as a second pharyngeal or branchial cleft fistula/sinus, occurs when the second pharyngeal arch fails to grow caudally over the third and fourth arches, leaving remnants of the second branchial clefts in contact with the surface of the neck via a narrow canal. This type of sinus is detected on the lateral aspect of the neck directly anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. We report two pediatric cases with lateral cervical sinus, and pathognomonic sonographic findings to confirm the diagnosis. The first case involved a 3-month-old boy with a sinus on the lateral neck and occasional drainage from a cervical sinus opening. Sonography revealed that the sinus tract extended between the external and internal carotid arteries. In case two, a 1-month-old girl presented with a sinus on the lateral neck and signs of acute infection at the site of a pinpoint opening. Sonography revealed an oval-shaped cystic lesion and sinus tract extending between the external and internal carotid arteries. Sonography does not require radiation or sedation for children. The best choice for the first examination for lateral cervical sinus is sonography, rather than CT, MRI, or contrast fistulograms.

Pyriform sinus fistulas are an unusual cause of neck cystic lesions in neonates. A definitive diagnosis requires detection of the fistula, which originates from the pyriform sinus and extends to the cystic lesion. Sonography has been reported to be useful for detecting fistulas. However, there have been no reports of neonatal cases in which sonography could detect fistulas not detected by other modalities, such as barium esophagography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We describe five neonatal patients with pyriform sinus fistula-appearing cervical cystic lesions. All patients were examined by sonography; of these, three patients were also examined by barium esophagography, two by CT, and one by MRI. The fistula was detected by sonography but not CT in one patient and by barium esophagography but not MRI in one. Two patients whose fistulas were detected by sonography had an oval-shaped and relatively small cystic lesion. One patient whose fistula could be detected only by barium esophagography had a relatively large cystic lesion. In two patients, whose fistulas were not detected by sonography or barium esophagography, sonography revealed air bubbles within the cystic lesions, and a pyriform sinus fistula was suspected. Without requiring ionizing radiation, sonography was thus useful in diagnosing pyriform sinus fistula-appearing cervical cystic lesions in neonatal cases. On the other hand, in two patients whose fistulas were not detected by sonography, the shape of the cystic lesion was polygonal or multicystic. In two of three patients with infectious signs, a fistula could not be detected. The shape and size of the cystic lesion and the presence of infectious signs may be important factors for detecting fistulas.