Safety and Effectiveness of Expandable Intravertebral Implant Use for Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures.

PURPOSE: To determine the safety and effectiveness of an expandable intravertebral implant (Spinejack; Stryker, Kalamazoo, Michigan) as a treatment option for patients with thoracolumbar spine burst fractures without fracture-related neurologic deficit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging studies before and after expandable intravertebral implantation and medical records of 33 patients, 11 (33.3%) men and 22 (66.6%) women with an overall mean age of 71.7 years ± 8.3, were reviewed for 60 thoracolumbar Magerl Type A3 injuries secondary to osteoporosis, trauma, or malignancy. The mean follow-up time was 299 days. RESULTS: Implantation of an expandable intravertebral device resulted in a statistically significant reduction in bone fragment retropulsion (mean ± SD, 0.64 mm ± 16.4; P < .001), reduction in the extent of canal compromise (mean, 5.5%; P < .001), increased central canal diameter (mean ± SD, 0.71 mm ± 1.3; P < .001), and restoration of vertebral body height, with a mean increase of 5.0 mm (P < .001). However, the implantation did not result in a statistically significant kyphosis reduction (mean, 1.38°; P = .10). All patients except for 1 reported improvement in pain after surgery, with a mean improvement of 1.54 on a 4-point pain scale (P < .001). No clinically significant adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that expandable intravertebral device implantation is a safe and effective treatment for thoracolumbar vertebral burst fractures in patients without fracture-related neurologic deficit. Although implantation did not result in a statistically significant reduction in kyphotic angle, it offered significant improvement in pain, vertebral body height, fracture fragment retropulsion, and central canal diameter compromise.

Conjoined right hepatic artery from branches of the common hepatic and gastroduodenal arteries: a rare anatomic variant.

PURPOSE: To describe a previously unreported anatomical variant of the hepatic arterial supply: a conjoined right hepatic artery, formed by branches of the common hepatic artery and gastroduodenal artery. METHOD: A 54-year-old female with oligometastatic colorectal cancer with metastases to the liver presented for planning stage arteriography in preparation for Y90 radioembolization. RESULTS: Arteriography of the common hepatic artery demonstrated bifurcation into a right hepatic artery and gastroduodenal artery. The gastroduodenal artery gave rise to a proximal branch, from which the left hepatic artery originated and then continued to anastomose in the hilum of the liver to the right hepatic artery originating from the common hepatic artery. It was initially identified on visceral artery arteriography and then retrospectively recognized on pre-procedural CT scan. CONCLUSION: Anatomical variants of the hepatic arterial supply are important to recognize during planning stage arteriography in preparation for Y90 radioembolization. Knowledge of these variants is also important for pre-operative planning.

Postpartum hemorrhage caused by uterine artery pseudoaneurysm: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Uterine artery pseudoaneurysms (UAPs) are a rare life-threatening complication presenting as vaginal bleeding. Transvaginal ultrasound doppler scans can diagnose UAPs in the immediate and later postpartum period. This case report highlights UAP management using minimally invasive interventions for fertility preservation. CASE: A 21-year-old woman presented on post-operative day 10 following a primary cesarean section with heavy vaginal bleeding and a UAP was confirmed on doppler sonography. A multidisciplinary approach determined the optimal management taking the patient's fertility into consideration. Initially, the UAP was injected directly with thrombin under ultrasound guidance. However, due to a subsequent hemorrhage, a uterine artery embolization was performed. CONCLUSION: Recognition of UAP is critical in the management of postpartum vaginal bleeding. Patient goals should be balanced with the severity of UAPs to determine optimal management.

Retroperitoneal cystic abdominal lymphangiomatosis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Attributed to congenital malformation of lymphatic ducts, diffuse retroperitoneal cystic abdominal lymphangiomatosis has a distribution that often corresponds to the location of primitive fetal lymphatic sacs. Three recognized types are capillary, cavernous and cystic. Multisystem involvement may occur involving spleen, liver, bone, pancreas, soft tissue, limbs and brain. CASE: A 55-year-old, healthy male with multiple liver lesions and retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy presented for retroperitoneal fine needle aspiration, producing 20 mL of milky liquid. Immediate cytologic evaluation showed a heterologous population of mature lymphocytes with chylomicrons. Flow cytometry revealed a polyclonal population of mature lymphocytes. Chemical analysis demonstrated a normal serum cholesterol level and an elevated triglyceride level. Serum markers were noncontributory. We review the differential diagnostic considerations leading to obstruction or retention of lymphatic fluids (malignancy, surgical, infective and traumatic), with an emphasis on the importance of onsite cytologic evaluation, correlation with clinical history and review of the etiologic considerations. CONCLUSION: The constellation of clinical, radiologic, cytologic and laboratory findings presented in this paper are diagnostic of diffuse retroperitoneal cystic abdominal lynmphangiomatosis. To our knowledge, this entity has not been reported before in the fine needle aspiration literature. To prevent further disruption of lymphatic drainage, no further surgical sampling is planned.

Gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with a continuous-flow biventricular assist device.

The association between continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding from angiodysplasia is well recognized. However, the association between continuous-flow biventricular assist devices (CF-BIVADs) and bleeding angiodysplasia is less understood. We report a case of GI bleeding from a patient with a CF-BIVAD. The location of GI bleeding was identified by nuclear red blood cell bleeding scan. The vascular malformation leading to the bleed was identified and localized on angiography and then by pathology. The intensity of bleeding, reflected by number of units of packed red blood cells needed for normalization of hemoglobin, as well as the time to onset of bleeding after transplantation, are similar to that seen in the literature for CF-LVADs and pulsatile BIVADs. While angiography only detected a dilated late draining vein, pathology demonstrated the presence of both arterial and venous dilation in the submucosa, vascular abnormalities characteristic of a late arteriovenous malformation.