Prospective cohort study on mesh shrinkage measured with MRI after robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus ventral hernia repair using an iron-oxide-loaded polyvinylidene fluoride mesh.

BACKGROUND: Mesh-reinforced ventral hernia repair is considered the gold standard treatment for all but the smallest of hernias. Human data on mesh shrinkage in the retrorectus mesh position is lacking. A prospective observational cohort study was performed to measure mesh shrinkage in robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus repair of ventral hernias. METHODS: A cohort of 20 patients underwent a robot-assisted minimal invasive retrorectus repair of their ventral hernia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging was performed one month and thirteen months after implantation of an iron-oxide-impregnated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mesh to assess the decrease in mesh surface area. Inter-rater reliability among three radiologists regarding measurement of the mesh dimensions was analyzed. Quality of Life scoring was evaluated. RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability between the radiologists reported as the intra-class correlations proved to be excellent for mesh width (ICC 0.95), length (ICC 0.98) and surface area (ICC 0.99). Between MRI measurements at one month and thirteen months postoperatively, there was a significant increase in mesh surface area (+ 12.0 cm2, p = 0.0013) and mesh width (+ 0.8 cm, p < 0.001), while the length of the mesh remained unchanged (-0.1 cm, p = 0.754). Quality of Life Scoring showed a significant improvement in Quality of Life after one month and a further improvement at thirteen months (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There was an excellent inter-rater reliability between three radiologists when measuring width, length, and surface area of an iron-oxide-impregnated PVDF mesh using MRI visualization. Mesh shrinkage was not observed, instead the effective mesh surface area and width of the mesh increased.

Prospective cohort study on mesh shrinkage measured with MRI after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with an intraperitoneal iron oxide-loaded PVDF mesh.

BACKGROUND: Current data on shrinkage of intraperitoneal meshes come mainly from animal studies. High-quality human data in prospective studies are scarce. METHODS: We used the ability to visualize intraperitoneal PVDF meshes enhanced with iron particles (DynaMesh IPOM visible) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the amount of shrinkage between 1 and 13 months postoperatively. All measurements of the width, length, and surface area of the mesh were performed with a standardized methodology independently by four radiologists blinded for the timing of the MRI. RESULTS: Of the 15 patients undergoing laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, 13 patients received an MRI both at 1 and at 13 months. Evaluation of inter-rater reliability between the radiologists showed intra-class correlations of 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.98) for the width, 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-0.98) for the length, and 0.99 (90% CI 0.99-1.00) for the surface area of the mesh. The change between measurement at implantation and 1-month MRI was - 0.7 cm (P = 0.023; - 3.6%) for the width and - 1.9 cm (P = 0.001; - 7.2%) for the length. The change between 1 and 13 months was - 0.06 cm (P = 0.74; shrinkage = 0.3%) for the width, - 0.12 cm (P = 0.56; shrinkage = 0.5%) for the length, and - 4.0 cm2 (P = 0.20; shrinkage = 1.0%) for the surface area of the mesh. CONCLUSION: There is excellent inter-rater reliability between radiologists when measuring width, length, and surface area of visible intraperitoneal PVDF mesh with MRI. There is no significant shrinkage between 1 and 13 months of intraperitoneal PVDF mesh after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

Descriptive Anatomy of the Porcine Ventral Abdominal Wall as a Basis for Training Ventral Hernia Repair Techniques.

Background: In recent times there has been a surge in innovative techniques concerning complex abdominal wall surgery. The availability of simulation models for comprehensive training and skill set development remains limited. Methods: Cadaveric dissections of the porcine abdominal wall were conducted to assess the suitability of anesthetized porcine models for training in both minimally invasive and open surgical procedures. Results: The panniculus carnosus, a typical muscular layer in mammals, is the outermost layer covering the anterolateral abdominal wall. Beneath it, there are four main pairs of abdominal wall muscles, mirroring the human anatomy. The rectus abdominis muscle runs straight along the linea alba and is surrounded by the rectus sheath, which is formed by the fusion of the lateral abdominal wall muscles and differs along the different regions of abdominal wall. The orientation of the muscle fibers in the lateral abdominal wall muscles, i.e., musculus obliquus externus, internus and transversus, is comparable to human anatomy. Although the transition lines between their muscular and aponeurotic part differ to some extent. Relevant for the adoption of surgical techniques, the transversus abdominis muscle is well-developed and resembles a bell curve shape as it transitions from its muscular to aponeurotic part. Conclusion: Despite minor differences in abdominal wall anatomy between pigs and humans, the porcine model provides a high level of fidelity in terms of both anatomical features and the development of skill sets relevant to hernia surgery.

Acute interstitial nephritis manifesting as a persistent nephogram.

We report a case of a 61-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with high inflammatory parameters and acute renal failure. Marked enlarged kidneys with persistent nephrogram were found on contrast-enhanced computed tomography . Renal biopsy showed acute interstitial nephritis. Acute interstitial nephritis must be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a persistent nephrogram.

SPECT-CCTA: guiding treatment in ischaemic heart disease.

Combining myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-MPI) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is an interesting hybrid imaging option in modern cardiovascular medicine. The integrated hybrid technique has a number of advantages compared to visual side-by-side analysis of the separate modalities. CT attenuation map can correct for attenuation artefacts and thus improve the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT-MPI. Moreover, the anatomical information of the CCTA and the perfusion map of SPECT-MPI allow for vessel-based correlation and culprit vessel identification. Combining SPECT-MPI with CCTA is an appealing tool in the work-up of complex ischaemic heart disease and might help determine the optimal treatment strategy. This case series illustrates the role of SPECT-CCTA in decision-making of revascularization strategy in complex ischaemic heart disease.

Ipilimumab- and nivolumab-induced myocarditis in a patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Myocarditis in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors has previously been reported to be rare, though it has most likely been underreported owing to misdiagnosis in the absence of overt clinical presentation. Early detection and characterization of this potentially life-threatening immune-related adverse event is of major importance. Herein we report a case of early-onset myocarditis in an asymptomatic patient treated with dual checkpoint inhibition for metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old male Caucasian patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma presented with mild epigastric pain and troponinemia prior to the third dose of dual checkpoint inhibition (ipilimumab 1 mg/kg body weight and nivolumab 3 mg/kg body weight). Initial workup showed no significant abnormalities (physical/neurological examination, electrocardiogram, 72-hour Holter monitoring, and a transthoracic echocardiogram). However, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed a zone of contrast enhancement in the inferior segment of the left ventricular wall indicating a recent episode of myocarditis. Despite steroid initiation (0.5 mg/kg oral prednisolone per day), troponin levels kept increasing, in the absence of coronary disease, for which steroids were increased to 1.5 mg/kg/day. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, 28 days after detecting elevated troponin levels, depicted multiple zones of active myocardial inflammation (basal septal, mid-anterior, and apical inferior). The patient is currently stable, and troponinemia is slowly decreasing while steroids are steadily being tapered. CONCLUSION: As the number of cancers treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors is expanding, the incidence of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myocarditis is likely to increase. Moreover, the emerging combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors with non-immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies with potential synergistic cardiotoxic side effects (for example, tyrosine kinase inhibitors) will further complicate the diagnosis of immune-related cardiotoxicity. This case highlights the urgent need for predictive biomarkers to stratify patients at risk and to develop a standardized and multidisciplinary management approach for early diagnosis and treatment of this severe immune-related adverse event.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia presenting with low back pain.

We report a 13-year-old boy with a 3-month history of low back pain following a mild trauma. Extensive osteoporosis and vertebral collapses were seen on conventional X-ray and computed tomography scan. Laboratory findings were non-specific. Bone marrow infiltration was observed on magnetic resonance imaging, suggesting a myeloproliferative disorder. Although not diagnostic, marrow infiltration in a child with osteoporosis should raise the suspicion of leukaemia.

Coronary artery imaging with real-time navigator three-dimensional turbo-field-echo MR coronary angiography: initial experience.

PURPOSE: To examine the value of a commercially available three-dimensional (3D) real-time navigator magnetic resonance (MR) coronary angiographic examination for detection of significant coronary artery stenoses, with conventional coronary angiography as the standard of reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients underwent 3D navigator MR coronary angiography immediately before catheterization. Two observers independently graded image quality on a scale from 1 (unreadable) to 5 (excellent), quantified coronary artery visualization, and evaluated the presence of significant (ie, >50% narrowing) stenoses. kappa statistics were used to assess interobserver agreement, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess stenosis detection. RESULTS: For two of 21 patients, MR coronary angiogram quality was insufficient for analysis (mean score < 2). For the remaining 19 patients, the mean image quality scores assigned by observers 1 and 2 were 3.3 +/- 1.0 (SD) and 3.2 +/- 0.9, respectively. A mean of 71% of all coronary artery segments were visible at MR coronary angiography, and there was 91% agreement between the observers (kappa = 0.78). Observers 1 and 2 detected significant stenoses (n = 29) at MR coronary angiography with sensitivities of 44.4% and 55.5%, respectively; specificities of 95.1% and 83.7%, respectively; and 80% agreement (kappa = 0.35). Areas under the ROC curve were 0.817 and 0.795 for observers 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Large portions of the coronary arteries can be visualized with MR coronary angiography. Imaging results are not consistently reliable, however. The examination is premature for routine clinical assessment of significant coronary artery stenosis owing to low sensitivity and large observer variability.