Perirenal hemorrhage secondary to interventional radiology operation against head and neck vessels: two cases report and review of the literature.

Due to the hidden hemorrhage and a lack of specificity in its manifestations, perirenal hemorrhage as a complication of interventional radiology procedures is not always diagnosed in a timely manner; furthermore, the cause of hemorrhage is often misidentified or uncertain. In this report, two cases of elderly male patients who each had a perirenal hemorrhage on the same side after an interventional radiology operation against head and neck vessels by the same operator on the same day are described. This study demonstrated that the perirenal hemorrhages in both patients were related to the interventional radiology operations, providing a reminder that operating gently and always keeping the guide wire in sight during the insertion are critical for reducing the incidence rate of perirenal hemorrhage.

Efficacy of microwave versus radiofrequency ablation for treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma: experimental and clinical studies.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively compare microwave (MW) ablation using a modified internal cooled-shaft antenna with radiofrequency (RF) ablation in in vivo porcine liver and in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC). METHODS: In an animal study, MW and RF ablations using a cooled-shaft antenna or internally cooled electrode were performed in in vivo porcine liver. Coagulation diameters of both ablations were compared. For clinical study, 42 patients with sHCC were treated with MW or RF ablation. Complete ablation (CA) and local tumour progression (LTP) were compared. RESULTS: MW ablation produced significantly larger ablation zones than RF ablation in both porcine liver and sHCC with an ablated volume of 33.3 ± 15.6 cm(3) vs. 18.9 ± 9.1 cm(3) and 109.3 ± 58.3 cm(3) vs. 48.7 ± 30.5 cm(3), respectively. The CA rate was 95.5 % (21/22) for MW ablation and 95.0 % (19/20) for RF ablation. In a 5.1-month follow-up, the LTP rate was 18.2 % (4/22) in the MW ablation group and 15.0 % (3/20) in the RF ablation group. CONCLUSION: MW ablation using a modified cooled-shaft antenna produces a larger ablation zone than RF ablation, with an efficacy similar to RF ablation in local tumour control. MW ablation is a safe and promising treatment of sHCC.

Systematic assessment and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of fasudil in the treatment of cerebral vasospasm in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Cerebral vasospasm (CVS) is a frequent and unpredictable complication in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and often leads to poor outcomes. This study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of fasudil in the treatment of CVS in patients with SAH. METHODS: A search was conducted using the full-text database of Chinese scientific journals, the Wanfang Database (January 1999 to November 2010), the Chinese Medical Association Digital Journal Database, PubMed, the Cochrane library, OVID, and EMBase (searching through November 2010). RESULTS: A total of 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. The incidence rates of symptomatic CVS and CVS confirmed by angiography among the patients in the fasudil group were only 48% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32-0.72, P = 0.0005) and 40% (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.24-0-67, P = 0.0004) respectively of that of the control group. The odds ratios of cerebral infarction for all cases and cerebral infarction for CVS cases in the fasudil group were only 50% (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.34-0.76, P = 0.0009) and 43% (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.26-0.70, P = 0.0008) respectively of that of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Fasudil greatly reduces the occurrence of CVS and cerebral infarction in SAH patients, significantly improves the clinical outcomes of the patients (as assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale). Because of the limited number of trials and samples available for analysis, the conclusions from the present study still need to be validated with results from large randomized, controlled clinical trials.

Ethanol ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma Up to 5.0 cm by using a multipronged injection needle with high-dose strategy.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether ethanol ablation by using a multipronged needle delivery system (multipronged ethanol ablation) could eradicate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) up to 5.0 cm in diameter with a single-session high-dose strategy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hospital ethics committee approved the prospective study, and each patient provided written informed consent. One hundred forty-one patients (125 men, 16 women; mean age, 53 years; range, 27-76 years) with 164 primary or recurrent HCC ranging from 1.3 to 5.0 cm in diameter (mean, 2.9 cm +/- 0.9) were treated with high-dose multipronged ethanol ablation. Patients were unsuitable for surgery, declined surgery and radiofrequency ablation, or had tumors located at unfavorable sites. Primary technique effectiveness (PTE) (complete ablation within two sessions), local tumor progression (LTP), and complications after the treatment were observed. Twenty risk factors of local effectiveness and complications were analyzed by means of univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Mean number of treatment sessions was 1.1. The mean volume of ethanol per tumor was 31 mL (range, 8-68 mL). PTE was achieved in 134 (95%) of 141 patients and was significantly associated with tumor pattern (capsulated vs noncapsulated, P = .018). After a mean follow-up period of 25 months, LTP was observed in 16 (12%) of 134 patients, and in nine (56%) patients, LTP occurred in tumors 3.1-5.0 cm in diameter. Alanine aminotransferase level (P = .023) was the independent risk factor for LTP. Three (2%) of 141 patients had major complications. CONCLUSION: Multipronged ethanol ablation with a high-dose strategy can be used to treat HCC up to 5.0 cm in diameter effectively and safely, often in a single session.

Role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in follow-up assessment after ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To assess the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) during follow-up after percutaneous ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of 141 patients with HCCs who received percutaneous ablation therapy were assessed by paired follow-up CEUS and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). The follow-up scheme was designed prospectively and the intervals between CEUS and CECT examinations were less than 14 d. Both images of follow-up CEUS and CECT were reviewed by radiologists. The ablated lesions were evaluated and classified as local tumor progression (LTP) and LTP-free. LTP was defined as regrowth of tumor inside or adjacent to the successfully treated nodule. The detected new intrahepatic recurrences were also evaluated and defined as presence of intrahepatic new foci. On CEUS and CECT, LTP and new intrahepatic recurrence both were displayed as typical enhancement pattern of HCC (i.e., hyper-enhancing during the arterial phase and washout in the late phase). With CECT as the reference standard, the ability of CEUS in detecting LTP or new intrahepatic recurrence during follow-up was evaluated. RESULTS: During a follow-up period of 1-31 mo (median, 4 mo), 169 paired CEUS and CECT examinations were carried out for the 141 patients. For a total of 221 ablated lesions, 266 comparisons between CEUS and CECT findings were performed. Thirty-three LTPs were detected on CEUS whereas 40 LTPs were detected on CECT, there was significant difference (P < 0.001). In comparison with CECT, the numbers of false positive and false negative LTPs detected on CEUS were 6 and 13, respectively; the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and overall accuracy of CEUS in detecting LTPs were 67.5%, 97.4%, 81.8%, 94.4% and 92.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, 131 new intrahepatic recurrent foci were detected on CEUS whereas 183 were detected on CECT, there was also significant difference (P < 0.05). In comparison with CECT, the numbers of false positive and false negative intrahepatic recurrences detected on CEUS were 13 and 65, respectively; the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and overall accuracy of CEUS in detecting new intrahepatic recurrent foci were 77.7%, 92.0%, 92.4%, 76.7% and 84.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of CEUS in detecting LTP and new intrahepatic recurrence after percutaneous ablation therapy is relatively low in comparison with CECT.