Background: Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) has been applied as a routine procedure for the diagnostic\nof hiliar and mediastinal nodes. The authors assessed the relationship between the echographic appearance of\nmediastinal nodes, based on endobronchial ultrasound images, and the likelihood of malignancy.\nMethods: The images of twelve malignant and eleven benign nodes were evaluated. A previous processing\nmethod was applied to improve the quality of the images and to enhance the details. Texture and morphology\nparameters analyzed were: the image texture of the echographies and a fractal dimension that expressed the\nrelationship between area and perimeter of the structures that appear in the image, and characterizes the\nconvoluted inner structure of the hiliar and mediastinal nodes.\nResults: Processed images showed that relationship between log perimeter and log area of hilar nodes was lineal\n(i.e. perimeter vs. area follow a power law). Fractal dimension was lower in the malignant nodes compared with\nnon-malignant nodes (1.47(0.09), 1.53(0.10) mean(SD), Mannââ?¬â??Whitney U test p < 0.05)).\nConclusion: Fractal dimension of ultrasonographic images of mediastinal nodes obtained through endobronchial\nultrasound differ in malignant nodes from non-malignant. This parameter could differentiate malignat and\nnon-malignat mediastinic and hiliar nodes.
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