Cadaveric and radiologic study of the anatomical variations of the prostatic arteries: A review of the literature and a new classification proposal with application to prostatectomy.

Development of prostatic arterial embolization (PAE) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has raised interest in the variations of the prostatic arteries (PA). The aim of this study is to identify these vascular variations, to compare them with previous data, and to propose a simple classification. Ten adult male pelvis sides from embalmed cadavers were dissected, ages 69 to 92 years, and 10 PA were examined. In a retrospective analysis of 34 DSA pelvic angiographies on 28 patients aged 50 to 90 years, 48 PA were identified. A total of 58 PA were therefore analyzed. Six types are defined. Type I: PA originates from the anterior division (AD) of the internal iliac artery (IIA), 20.7%; Type II: PA emerges from the obturator artery (OA), 5.2%; type III: PA arises from the gluteal-pudendal trunk (GPT), 27.5%; Type IV: PA originates from the internal pudendal artery (IPA), 29.3%; Type V: PA comes from the middle rectal artery (MRA), 15.5%. Other origins, not observed in our sample but described in the literature, were amalgamated under Type VI. The AD/GPT/IPA stem is the main source of the PA. Analysis of the definitions of IIA branches and the associated terminology is necessary for interpreting the results reported by several authors on different samples, but in general the results fit the meta-analysis well. A new, simple, and complete classification for vascular variations of the PA is proposed. Clin. Anat. 30:71-80, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multicentre prospective study of drug-eluting bead chemoembolisation safety using tightly calibrated small microspheres in non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and tolerability of transarterial drug-eluting bead chemoembolisation (DEB-TACE) using tightly calibrated 100-µm microspheres in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHOD: This multicentre prospective study included 131 patients with a 2-year follow-up. All patients had Child-Pugh scores ≤ B7, a good performance status, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A or B. Beads were loaded with 50 mg of doxorubicin per millilitre. Overall, 223 nodules were treated (mean size: 27.6 mm, average number of nodules per patient: 1.7). Toxicity was assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 4.03 and response according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints included technical success, post-embolisation syndrome (PES), local tumour response, and 2-year survival. RESULTS: A total of 214 DEB-TACE procedures were performed (mean per patient: 1.64), with a technical success rate of 97.6 % and a PES rate of 9.3 %. Major complications occurred in 6.8 % of patients and 4.1 % of procedures. There were no treatment-related deaths. Doxorubicin dose was an independent predictor of complications (p = 0.01). Four patients were lost to follow-up and 18 received liver transplants. Objective response rates were 74.6 %, 45.7 %, and 44.1 % at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. The cumulative 24-month overall survival rate was 55.96 %. Median survival was 22 months (interquartile range = 13-24). Co-morbidities and tumour response were independent predictors of survival (p = 0.0012 and 0.0052, respectively). Complications did not affect survival (p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: DEB-TACE with tightly calibrated 100-µm beads is safe and not associated with increases in biliary toxicity or complications. Tumour response and survival are in the expected range for chemoembolisation therapy. (Clinical trials ID: NCT02670122).

In vitro and in vivo evaluations of increased effective beam width for heat deposition using a split focus high intensity ultrasound (HIFU) transducer.

PURPOSE: To develop a novel and efficient, in vitro method for characterizing temporal and spatial heat generation of focused ultrasound exposures, and evaluate this method to compare a split focus and conventional single focus high intensity focused ultrasound transducer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A HIFU tissue-mimicking phantom was validated by comparing respective temperature elevations generated in the phantoms and in murine tumors in vivo. The phantom was then used in combination with IR thermography to spatially and temporally characterize differences in low-level temperature elevation (e.g. 3-5 degrees C) produced by a single focus and split focus HIFU transducer, where the latter produces four simultaneous foci. In vivo experiments with heat sensitive liposomes containing doxorubicin were then carried out to determine if the larger beam width of the split focus transducer, compared to the single focus, could increase overall deployment of the drug from the liposome. RESULTS: Temperature elevations generated in the HIFU phantom were not found to be different from those measured in vivo when compensating for disparities in attenuation coefficient and specific heat, and between the two transducers by increasing the energy deposition. Exposures with the split focus transducer provided significant increases in the area treated compared to the single focus, which then translated to significant increases in drug deposition in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence was provided indicating the potential for using this novel technique for characterizing hyperthermia produced by focused ultrasound devices. Further development will be required for its suitability for correlating in vitro and in vivo outcomes.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of the normal kidney: A cyto-histological and immunocytochemical correlation study.

BACKGROUND: Differentiation between normal renal cellular structures and renal tumors can be a diagnostic challenge during fine needle aspiration. It is of particular relevance during percutaneous thermal ablation because of the small size of tumors and when performing rapid on-site evaluation. METHODS: A cyto-histological correlation study assisted by immunocytochemistry was performed. The study was based on 10 nephrectomy specimens. For the identification of proximal tubular cells we used CD10 and α-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase (AMACR). PAX8 and GATA3 were used for the recognition of distal and collecting duct cells. For a precise correlation representative cytologic groups were photographed before and after immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: All cases showed: (a) glomeruli; (b) presence of at least 2 different epithelial cell populations that distribute separately, one representing the proximal tubule and the other more distal segments; and (c) existence of isolated, laminar basement fragments and slender, intact tubular structures. Proximal tubular cells were large with granular cytoplasm, indistinct cell borders, moderate anisonucleosis, and variable presence of pigment. Their immunophenotype was CD10+, AMACR+, PAX8-, and GATA3-. In all cases, cellular aggregates different of nonproximal tubular cells were present. They were smaller than proximal tubular cells with less cytoplasm, better-defined cell borders and uniform nuclei. Their immunophenotype was CD10-, AMACR-, PAX8+, and GATA3+ CONCLUSION: Aspirates from the normal kidney show characteristic features that permit a specific recognition. Different segments of the tubular system can be specifically recognized avoiding confusion with renal tumors. In difficult cases immunocytochemistry is a very helpful aid.

Asociación de disección coronaria espontánea con displasia fibromuscular / Association of spontaneous coronary artery dissection with fibromuscular dysplasia

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Investigations into pulsed high-intensity focused ultrasound-enhanced delivery: preliminary evidence for a novel mechanism.

Pulsed high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) exposures without ultrasound contrast agents have been used for noninvasively enhancing the delivery of various agents to improve their therapeutic efficacy in a variety of tissue models in a nondestructive manner. Despite the versatility of these exposures, little is known about the mechanisms by which their effects are produced. In this study, pulsed-HIFU exposures were given in the calf muscle of mice, followed by the administration of a variety of fluorophores, both soluble and particulate, by local or systemic injection. In vivo imaging (whole animal and microscopic) was used to quantify observations of increased extravasation and interstitial transport of the fluorophores as a result of the exposures. Histological analysis indicated that the exposures caused some structural alterations such as enlarged gaps between muscle fiber bundles. These effects were consistent with increasing the permeability of the tissues; however, they were found to be transient and reversed themselves gradually within 72 h. Simulations of radiation force-induced displacements and the resulting local shear strain they produced were carried out to potentially explain the manner by which these effects occurred. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved with pulsed HIFU exposures for noninvasively enhancing delivery will facilitate the process for optimizing their use.