title: Diagnostic value of an automated breast volume scanner for abdominal hernias.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explored the diagnostic values of an automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) for abdominal external hernias.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional sonograms and ABVS images from 128 abdominal external hernias in 104 patients (98 male and 6 female; age range, 41-79 years; mean age ± SD, 68.0 ± 14.6 years) were analyzed. The results were identified by surgical outcomes. The hernia type, hernial ring position, hernial sac size, hernia content, and hernia structure were evaluated by both sonographic modalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and accuracy differences between the ABVS and conventional sonography for diagnosis of abdominal hernias and hernia size measurements were compared. The hernia types, as confirmed by surgery, included 45 indirect inguinal hernias (30 reducible and 15 irreducible), 12 reducible direct inguinal hernias, 5 femoral hernias, 62 incisional hernias (42 isolated and 20 multiple), and 4 umbilical hernias. The sensitivity of the ABVS was higher than that of conventional sonography for incisional hernias (P < .01), whereas there were no statistical differences in sensitivity for other types of hernias. The ABVS hernial sac number detection rate for both isolated and multiple incisional hernias was significantly higher compared with that of conventional sonography (both P < .01). The ABVS measurements correlated well with surgical results (length, P = .47; width, P = .31).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Automated breast volume scanner images have the outstanding advantage of displaying the entire scope of the internal structure and the relationship with adjacent tissues of abdominal hernias. Therefore, an ABVS has good application prospects for diagnosis of abdominal external hernias and merits further research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University, 221 Yanan Xi Rd, 200040 Shanghai, China. ultrasound_drchen@163.com.
authors.forename: Xuehong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhiying
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D046449:Hernia, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: abdominal hernias; automated breast volume scanner; point-of-care ultrasound; sonography