BACKGROUND: The ultrasonic scalpel is widely used during surgery. It is safe and effective to close the pulmonary artery branch vessels of 7 mm or below with an ultrasonic energy device as reported. However, there have been no multicenter randomized clinical trial to assess the safety and effectiveness of using ultrasonic scalpel to coagulate 5-7 mm blood vessels in thoracic surgery.
METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, parallel controlled, non-inferiority clinical trial. A total of 144 eligible patients planning to undergo lung or esophageal surgery will be randomly allocated to the experimental group and the control group. The investigational product (Disposable Ultrasonic Shears manufactured by Reach Surgical, Inc.) and the control product (Harmonic Ace + 7, 5 mm Diameter Shears with Advanced Hemostasis) will be used in each group. The primary endpoint is the success rate of coagulating target blood vessels during surgery. Secondary endpoints include postoperative rebleeding, intraoperative bleeding volume, drainage volume, surgical duration, etc. Postoperative follow-up before and after discharge will be performed.
CONCLUSIONS: This clinical trial aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of using the investigational product (Disposable Ultrasonic Shears manufactured by Reach Surgical, Inc.) and that of the control product (Harmonic Ace + 7, 5 mm Diameter Shears with Advanced Hemostasis) to coagulate 5-7 mm blood vessels in thoracic surgery.
BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06002737. The trial was prospectively registered on 16 August 2023, https://www.
RESULTS: gov/study/NCT06002737 .

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of bilateral decompression with minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) assisted by an ultrasonic bone curette (UBC) for treating severe degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) and traditional tool laminectomy decompression MIS-TLIF for treating severe DLSS.
METHODS: The clinical data of 128 patients with single-segment severe DLSS who were admitted between January 2017 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 67 patients were treated with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF using an ultrasonic bone curette (UBC group), whereas 61 patients were treated with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF using traditional tools (traditional group, control). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate back and lower limb pain before the operation,immediate postoperative, and one week, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after the operation. Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Zurich claudication score (ZCQ) were employed to evaluate the improvement in low back and lower limb function. At the last follow-up, the Bridwell bone graft fusion standard was utilized to evaluate bone graft fusion.
RESULTS: The decompression time of laminectomy was significantly shorter in the UBC group than in the traditional group (control group), and the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume were significantly less in those in the control group (P < 0.05). The VAS, ODI, and ZCQ scores of the two groups after the operation were significantly improved compared to those before the operation (P < 0.05). The UBC group had better VAS back scores than the control group immediate postoperative and one week after the operation(P < 0.05). The UBC group had better VAS lower limb scores than the control group immediate postoperative (P < 0.05).The incidence of perioperative complications, hospitalization time, dural sac cross-sectional area (CSA), and dural sac CSA improvement rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). VAS and ODI scores did not differ significantly between the two groups before,three, six months, one year, and two years after surgery (P > 0.05). The ZCQ scores did not differ significantly between the two groups before the operation at one week, six months, one year, and two years after the operation (P > 0.05). According to the Bridwell bone graft fusion standard, bone graft fusion did not occur significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05) at the last follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: UBC unilateral fenestration bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF in treating severe DLSS can achieve clinical efficacy as traditional tool unilateral fenestration bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF and reduce intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage. It can also shorten the operation time, effectively reduce the work intensity of the operator, and reduce the degree of low back pain during short-term follow-ups. Therefore, this is a safe and effective surgical method.

暂无摘要。

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of an ultrasonic fasciotomy for plantar fasciopathy.
METHODS: Prospective observational study.
METHODS: Tertiary care academic medical center.
METHODS: Patients with chronic plantar fasciopathy refractory to standard, conservative treatments were included in this study.
METHODS: Patients underwent ultrasonic fasciotomy of the plantar fascia.
METHODS: The primary outcome measures were change in visual analog scale at 12 and 52 weeks post-procedure compared with baseline as well as patients\' self-reported satisfaction with the procedure.
RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were included. There was a significant improvement in visual analog scale at all follow-up time points, with an average overall improvement of 5.87 ( P < 0.0001). 94% of patients reported satisfaction with the outcomes of their procedure at 12 and 52 weeks. No procedural complications were seen.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that an ultrasonic fasciotomy is a safe and effective treatment option for chronic plantar fasciopathy, with continued symptom improvement and a high degree of patient satisfaction up to 52 weeks post-procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an ultrasonic fasciotomy should be considered for patients with chronic plantar fasciopathy refractory to conservative treatments.

Spinal decompression and osteotomies are conventionally performed using high-speed drills (HSDs) and rongeurs. The ultrasonic bone scalpel (UBS) is a tissue-specific osteotome that preferentially cuts bone while sparing the surrounding soft tissues. There is ongoing investigation into its ability to optimize peri- and postoperative outcomes in spine surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare the intraoperative metrics and complications during a transition period from HSD to UBS.
A single-institution, single-surgeon retrospective analysis was conducted of patients undergoing spine surgery from January 2020 to December 2021. Statistical analyses were performed to detect associations between the surgical technique and outcomes of interest. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
A total of 193 patients met the inclusion criteria (HSD, n = 100; UBS, n = 93). Multivariate logistic regression revealed similar durotomy (P = 0.10), nerve injury (P = 0.20), and reoperation (P = 0.68) rates. Although the estimated blood loss (EBL) and length of stay were similar, the operative time was significantly longer with the UBS (192.81 vs. 204.72 minutes; P = 0.03). Each subsequent surgery using the UBS revealed a 3.1% decrease in the probability of nerve injury (P = 0.026) but had no significant effects on the operative time, EBL, or probability of durotomy or reoperation.
The UBS achieves outcomes on par with conventional tools, with a trend toward a lower incidence of neurologic injury. The expected reductions in EBL and durotomy were not realized in our cohort, perhaps because of a high proportion of revision surgeries, although these might be dependent on surgeon familiarity, among other operative factors. Future prospective studies are needed to validate our results and further refine the optimal application of this device in spine surgery.

BACKGROUND: Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of the head-neck region in children and mainly affect the face, oral mucosa, lips, and tongue. The base of tongue is an extremely rare site of involvement. The incidence is higher in women and occur more frequently in infants and childhood.
METHODS: We present a rare case of cavernous hemangioma of the base of tongue in a 70-year-old male patient surgically removed by Transoral Ultrasonic Surgery (TOUSS). 1-year follow up didn\'t show sign of recurrence.
CONCLUSIONS: Hemangiomas are benign proliferations of endothelial cells common in the head and neck. The etiology is uncertain: an imbalance in angiogenesis related to substances such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) with uncontrolled proliferation of vascular elements is proposed. It can be asymptomatic or, when affecting the tongue, lead to difficulty swallowing, pain, bleeding and dyspnea.
CONCLUSIONS: This case report aims to stress that hemangioma should be considered in differential diagnosis in case of richly vascularized tongue base lesion, also in adult population. It would like to highlight the role of transoral ultrasonic surgery (TOUSS), which is able to achieve the same advantages as TORS with lower costs and shorter learning curve.

The management of cancer with alternative approaches is a matter of clinical interest worldwide. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery is a noninvasive technique performed under US or MRI guidance. The most studied therapeutic uses of HIFU involve thermal tissue ablation, demonstrating both palliative and curative potential. However, concurrent mechanical bioeffects also provide opportunities in terms of augmented drug delivery and immunosensitization. The safety and efficacy of HIFU integration with current cancer treatment strategies are being actively investigated in managing primary and secondary tumors, including cancers of the breast, prostate, pancreas, liver, kidney, and bone. Current primary HIFU indications are pain palliation, complete ablation of localized earlystage tumors, or debulking of unresectable late-stage cancers. This review presents the latest HIFU applications, from investigational to clinically approved, in the field of tumor ablation. Keywords: Ultrasound, Ultrasound-High Intensity Focused (HIFU), Interventional-MSK, Interventional-Body, Oncology, Technology Assessment, Tumor Response, MR Imaging © RSNA, 2023.

Angiofibroma is a non-encapsulated, highly vascular tumor that usually originates in the nasopharynx. Laryngeal cases of extranasopharyngeal angiofibroma (ENA) are a very rare pathology, especially in children. Only eight ENA laryngeal cases have been described in the literature, and only one of them is a pediatric case. In this report we present an 11-year-old child with epiglottic ENA resected with transoral endoscopic ultrasonic surgery (TOUSS) with review of the literature. Because of reccurrence after five months he underwent re-excision with CO2 laser. Recurrences in ENA are infrequent, but as demonstrated in our case, close endoscopic follow-up is mandatory in this location. Endoscopic hemostatic procedures like TOUSS and CO2 laser ensure bloodless surgery for the management of this type of vascular laryngeal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonic scalpel has been reported to be superior to conventional electrocautery in many studies. However, with respect to transaxillary endoscopic breast augmentation, few studies on the effect of ultrasonic scalpel are available in the literature.
METHODS: The medical records of 173 female patients who underwent breast augmentation via endoscopic transaxillary approach from January 2018 to December 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the implant pocket dissection instruments. In group A, the implant pockets were dissected with conventional electrocautery (EC group) on 81 patients, and in group B, ultrasonic scalpel (US group) was used for implant pockets on 92 patients. All operations were performed by the same senior plastic surgeon and the same surgical team. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative total drainage volume, days of drainage, postoperative surgical site pain and hospital stay time of the two groups were compared and analyzed statistically.
RESULTS: The average operation time of the US group (83.82 ± 11.57 min) was significantly shorter than that of the EC group (101.40 ± 14.36 min), intraoperative blood loss in the US group was significantly less than that of the EC group (18.67 ± 6.20 ml vs. 21.59 ± 6.44 ml), the mean hospital stay days (2.96 ± 0.69 vs. 4.30 ± 1.11), total drainage volume (122.24 ± 43.81 vs. 232.37 ± 99.15), and duration of drain (2.52 ± 0.54 vs. 3.77 ± 1.10), mean VAS score for surgical site pain on 3 postoperative days (5.08 ± 1.35 vs. 6.51 ± 1.36, 4.08 ± 1.16 vs. 5.40 ± 1.32, 3.04 ± 0.91 vs. 4.06 ± 1.11) were significantly lower in the US group compared to the EC group.
CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasonic scalpel reduces operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, postoperative pain, hospital stay time, and incidence of complications. The ultrasonic scalpel is safe and reliable for transaxillary endoscopic breast augmentation.
METHODS: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) still remains a blind surgery despite all available tumor localization methods. Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) allows real-time visualization during all resection phases.
METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted at the Veneto Institute of Oncology between January 2021 and June 2022. Patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, T1-2 invasive cancer, or post-neoadjuvant tumors, suitable for BCS, were recruited. All breast cancer lesion types were included, i.e. solid palpable, solid non-palpable, non-solid non-palpable, and post-neoadjuvant treatment residual lesions. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either IOUS or traditional surgery (TS) in a 1:1 ratio. The main outcomes were surgical margin involvement, reoperation rate, closest margin width, main specimen and cavity shaving margin volumes, excess healthy tissue removal, and calculated resection ratio (CRR).
RESULTS: Overall, 160 patients were enrolled: 80 patients were allocated to the TS group and 80 to the IOUS group. IOUS significantly reduced specimen volumes (16.8 cm3 [10.5-28.9] vs. 24.3 cm3 [15.0-41.3]; p = 0.015), with wider closest resection margin width (2.0 mm [1.0-4.0] vs. 1.0 mm [0.5-2.0] after TS; p < 0.001). Tumor volume to specimen volume ratio was significantly higher after IOUS (4.7% [2.5-9.1] vs. 2.9% [0.8-5.2]; p < 0.001). IOUS yielded significantly better CRR (84.5% [46-120.8] vs. 114% [81.8-193.2] after TS; p < 0.001), lower involved margin rate (2.5 vs. 15%; p = 0.009) and reduced re-excision rate (2.5 vs. 12.5%; p = 0.032).
CONCLUSIONS: IOUS allows real-time resection margin visualization and continuous control during BCS. It showed clear superiority over TS in both oncological and surgical outcomes for all breast cancer lesion types. These results disfavor the paradigm of blind breast surgery.