Endovascular straightening of the internal carotid artery during mechanical thrombectomy: The "tightrope technique".

Mechanical thrombectomy is a standard treatment for acute stroke, but it can be technically challenging in elderly patients with difficult vascular anatomy. To overcome this issue, we propose a new endovascular approach called the "tightrope" technique. This technique uses a stiff guidewire and a standard angiographic catheter to straighten the internal carotid artery (ICA) tortuosity, allowing the guiding catheter to be positioned next to the intracranial level. We retrospectively evaluated all the procedures in which the "tightrope" technique was used. This approach involves advancing a 0.035″ Advantage stiff guidewire and a standard 4 Fr angiographic catheter through the vascular tortuosity. The catheter is twisted over the guide wire in a clockwise direction, gaining tension that gradually straightens the vascular axis, allowing the guiding catheter to pass up to the distal ICA. Between June 2022 and March 2023, we successfully performed consecutive mechanical thrombectomy procedures using the tightrope technique in 11 patients with highly tortuous ICA segments. In all cases, we were able to safely advance the catheter system up to the distal cervical ICA. Although our study included a small cohort of patients, the "tightrope" technique proved to be successful in all patients, allowing for safe advancement of the guiding catheter toward extremely tortuous anatomy. However, further validation in a larger patient population is necessary to determine the technique's effectiveness and safety profile.

Gilteritinib and the risk of intracranial hemorrhage: a case series of a possible, under-reported side effect.

Gilteritinib is currently approved for patients with relapsed/refractory AML with FLT3 mutations, based on the positive results of the pivotal ADMIRAL study. In ADMIRAL trial, no increased risk of bleeding was reported, but in the previous dose finding study, a single event of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was registered after exposure to subtherapeutic doses of gilteritinib. Here, we report the first case series on five ICHs diagnosed in patients with FLT3-mutated AML, occurred within the first month of exposure to gilteritinib. Our cohort included 24 patients treated in three Italian centers. Most of these ICH cases were non-severe and self-limiting, while one was fatal. This link with ICHs remains in any case uncertain for the presence of active AML. We further reported that an analysis of the post-marketing surveillance data (EudraVigilance) retrieved other 11 cases of ICHs present in the database after gilteritinib treatment. A causality assessment was performed according to the Dx3 method to evaluate the possibility that ICHs might be an actual side effect of gilteritinib. In conclusion, further research is needed to elucidate the potential role of gilteritinib in the pathogenesis of ICHs.

PET/CT with 18F-choline or 18F-FDG in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Submitted to 90Y-TARE: A Real-World Study.

Our aim was to assess the role of positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-choline (18F-FCH) or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) submitted to 90Y-radioembolization (90Y-TARE). We retrospectively analyzed clinical records of 21 HCC patients submitted to PET/CT with 18F-fluorocholine (18F-FCH) or 18F-fluodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) before and 8 weeks after 90Y-TARE. On pre-treatment PET/CT, 13 subjects (61.9%) were 18F-FCH-positive, while 8 (38.1%) resulted 18F-FCH-negative and 18F-FDG-positive. At 8-weeks post 90Y-TARE PET/CT, 13 subjects showed partial metabolic response and 8 resulted non-responders, with a higher response rate among 18F-FCH-positive with respect to 18F-FDG-positive patients (i.e., 76.9% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.46). Post-treatment PET/CT influenced patients' clinical management in 10 cases (47.6%); in 8 subjects it provided indication for a second 90Y-TARE targeting metabolically active HCC remnant, while in 2 patients it led to a PET-guided radiotherapy on metastatic nodes. By Kaplan−Meier analysis, patients' age (≤69 y) and post 90Y-TARE PET/CT's impact on clinical management significantly correlated with overall survival (OS). In Cox multivariate analysis, PET/CT's impact on clinical management remained the only predictor of patients' OS (p < 0.001). In our real-world study, PET/CT with 18F-FCH or 18F-FDG influenced clinical management and affected the final outcome for HCC patients treated with 90Y-TARE.

Comparison of the survival and tolerability of radioembolization in elderly vs. younger patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The European Network on Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 resin microspheres study group (ENRY) conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the outcomes among elderly (≥ 70 years) and younger patients (<70 years) with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received radioembolization at 8 European centers. METHODS: Patients with confirmed diagnosis of unresectable HCC who either progressed following resection or locoregional treatment and/or who were considered poor candidates for chemoembolization were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team for radioembolization with (90)Y-resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres; Sirtex Medical). The survival outcome and all adverse events were compared between the two age groups. RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2009, 128 elderly and 197 younger patients received radioembolization. Patients in both groups had similar demographic characteristics. Many elderly and younger patients alike had multinodular, BCLC stage C disease, invading both lobes (p = 0.648). Elderly patients had a lower tumor burden, a smaller median target liver volume (p = 0.016) and appeared more likely to receive segmental treatment (p = 0.054). Radioembolization was equally well tolerated in both cohorts and common procedure-related adverse events were predominantly grade 1-2 and of short duration. No significant differences in survival between the groups were found (p = 0.942) with similar median survival in patients with early, intermediate or advanced BCLC stage disease. CONCLUSIONS: Radioembolization appears to be as well-tolerated and effective for the elderly as it is for younger patients with unresectable HCC. Age alone should not be a discriminating factor for the management of HCC patients.

Pulmonary embolism and acute cytomegalovirus infection in an immunocompetent patient.

A case of an immunocompetent man with acute CMV infection associated with a pulmonary embolism is described. Acute CMV infection could be a risk factor for developing thromboembolism. Pulmonary embolism should be included in differential diagnosis in patients with acute CMV infections and pulmonary opacities.

Selective internal radiation therapy with SIR-spheres for the treatment of unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastasis radioembolization with yttrium-90 (Y90), assessing toxicity and survival rates in patients with no response to chemotherapy through our 3-year experience. From February 2005 to January 2008, we treated 41 patients affected by CRC from a cohort of selective internal radiation therapy patients treated at our institution. All patients examined showed disease progression and arrived for our observation with an abdominal CT, a body PET, and a hepatic angiography followed by gastroduodenal artery coiling previously performed by us. We excluded patients with a bilirubin level>1.8 mg/dl and pulmonary shunt>20% but not patients with minor extrahepatic metastases. On treatment day, under fluoroscopic guidance, we implanted a dose of Y90 microspheres calculated on the basis of liver tumoral involvement and the body surface area formula. All patients were discharged the day after treatment. We obtained, according to Response Evaluation Criteria on Solid Tumors, a complete response in 2 patients, a partial response in 17 patients, stable disease in 14 patients, and progressive disease in 8 patients. In all cases, we obtained a carcinoembryonic antigen level decrease, especially in the week 8 evaluation. Technical success rate was 98% and technical effectiveness estimated at 3 months after treatment was 80.5%. Side effects graded by Common Terminology Criteria on Adverse Events were represented by one grade 4 hepatic failure, two grade 2 gastritis, and one grade 2 cholecystitis. The median survival and the progression-free survival calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis were 354 and 279 days, respectively. In conclusion, according to our 3-year experience, Y90 SIR-Spheres radioembolization is a feasible and safe method to treat CRC liver metastases, with an acceptable level of complications and a good response rate.

A first report of radioembolization for hepatic metastases from ocular melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Ocular melanoma (OM) metastasizes to the liver and is rapidly fatal despite aggressive therapy. Yttrium-90 microspheres (radioembolization) delivered via the hepatic artery is an established and effective approach for primary and metastatic hepatic tumors, although (90)Y use in OM has not been reported previously. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all patients with OM who received radioembolization at 5 centers. RESULTS: 11 patients received 12 treatments with a median activity of 1.55 GBq delivered per treatment. Toxicity was minimal, with PET/CT at 3 months posttreatment showing a response in all patients; 1 patient had a complete response. CONCLUSIONS: Radioembolization can control hepatic metastases of OM with very few side effects.