Progression toward Vertebral Collapse of Vertebral Metastases Treated with Percutaneous Vertebroplasty: Rate and Risk Factors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate of the rate of and risks for progression toward collapse in vertebral metastases (VMs) treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 151 PVs were performed in 81 patients with vertebral metastases and were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up imaging was performed at 12 months to measure vertebral body height and to report vertebral collapse at the level of the treated vertebrae. Vertebral characteristics (spine instability neoplastic score [SINS], number of lysed cortices, and prior radiotherapy) and procedural parameters (Saliou score, cortical contact with cement, and intradiscal cement leakage) were compared between the group of patients with and without collapse of the treated vertebrae. RESULTS: Of the vertebrae treated with PV, 41 of 151 (27%) progressed toward collapse. Vertebral collapse was influenced by a high SINS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27, P = .004), SINS value > 9 (OR = 2.96, P = .004), intradiscal cement leakage (OR = 2.18, P = .048), pre-existing spinal deformity (OR = 2.65, P = .020), and pre-existing vertebral fracture (OR = 3.93, P = .045). A high Saliou score (OR = 0.82, P = .011), more than 3 cortices in contact with the cement (OR = 0.38, P = .014), and preserved spinal alignment (OR = 0.38, P = .020) were associated with a lower incidence of collapse. CONCLUSIONS: Rate of vertebral collapse despite PV was influenced by vertebra-specific characteristics and by cement injection quality. Vertebrae with a SINS of ≤9 and with homogeneous cement filling had a lower incidence of collapse.

Pulmonary Artery Embolization in the Management of Hemoptysis Related to Lung Tumors.

(1) Background: Bronchial artery embolization has been shown to be effective in the management of neoplastic hemoptysis. However, knowledge of pulmonary artery embolization is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pulmonary artery embolization in patients presenting with hemoptysis related to lung tumors. (2) Methods: This retrospective study reviewed all consecutive patients with cancer and at least one episode of hemoptysis that required pulmonary artery embolization from December 2008 to December 2020. The endpoints of the study were technical success, clinical success, recurrence of hemoptysis and complications. (3) Results: A total of 92 patients were treated with pulmonary artery embolization (63.1 years ± 9.9; 70 men). Most patients had stage III or IV advanced disease. Pulmonary artery embolization was technically successful in 82 (89%) patients and clinically successful in 77 (84%) patients. Recurrence occurred in 49% of patients. Infectious complications occurred in 15 patients (16%). The 30-day mortality rate was 31%. At 3 years, the survival rate was 3.6%. Tumor size, tumor cavitation and necrosis and pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm were significantly associated with recurrence and higher mortality. (4) Conclusions: Pulmonary artery embolization is an effective treatment to initially control hemoptysis in patients with lung carcinoma, but the recurrence rate remains high and overall survival remains poor.

TACE and conformal radiotherapy vs. TACE alone for hepatocellular carcinoma: A randomised controlled trial.

Background & Aims: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is recommended for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma devoid of macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread but not eligible for curative therapies. We compared the efficacy and safety of the combination of a single TACE and external conformal radiotherapy (CRT) vs. classical TACE. Methods: TACERTE was an open-labelled, randomised controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation rate to two or three TACE (arm A) or one TACE + CRT (arm B). Participants had a mean age of 70 years, and 86% were male. The aetiology was alcohol in 85%. The primary endpoint was liver progression-free survival (PFS) in the intention-to-treat population. The typical CRT schedule was 54 Gy in 18 sessions of 3 Gy. Results: Of the 120 participants randomised, 64 were in arm A and 56 in arm B; 100 participants underwent the planned schedule and defined the 'per-protocol' group. In intention-to-treat participants, the liver PFS at 12 and 18 months were 59% and 19% in arm A and 61% and 36% in arm B (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69; 95% CI 0.40-1.18; p = 0.17), respectively. In the per-protocol population, treated liver PFS tended to be better in arm B (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.34-1.06; p = 0.081) than in arm A. Liver-related grade III-IV adverse events were more frequent in arm B than in arm A. Median overall survival reached 30 months (95% CI 23-35) in arm A and 22 months (95% CI 15.7-26.2) in arm B. Conclusions: Although TACE + CRT tended to improve local control, this first Western randomised controlled trial showed that the combined strategy failed to increase PFS or overall survival and led more frequently to liver-related adverse effects. Impact and implications: Hepatocellular carcinoma is frequently treated by arterial embolisation of the tumour and more recently by external radiotherapy. We tried to determine whether combination of the two treatments (irradiation after embolisation) might produce interesting results. Our results in this prospective randomised study were not able to demonstrate a beneficial effect of combining embolisation and irradiation in these patients. On the contrary, we observed more adverse effects with the combined treatment. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01300143.

Cryoablation of Soft Tissues Low-Flow Vascular Malformations: Clinical Outcomes and Safety.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical effectiveness and the safety of cryoablation in first or second-line therapy in symptomatic soft tissues vascular malformation, a mini-invasive therapeutic alternative to sclerotherapy or surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective and monocentric study included patients with symptomatic low-flow vascular malformation. The interventions were carried out under computed tomography (CT) scan, Cone-beam CT (CBCT) and/or USA guidance. Clinical response was evaluated by collecting the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for symptoms before and after the ablation. Safety was assessed based on criteria proposed by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe. Imaging response was evaluated with post-ablation Magnetic Resonance Imaging. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included. Cryoablation was the first operative treatment for 12 patients (12/21, 57%). The remaining patients had already undergone surgery (2/21, 9%) or one or more sclerotherapy procedures (7/21, 33%).Symptoms assessed by Numerical Rating Scale dropped from a median of 7 [IQR 6-8] before the procedure to a median of 1 [IQR 0-2] after cryoablation (p < 0.001). Half of the patients declared a full effectiveness of cryoablation on their symptoms (11/21). No major complications and four minor adverse events (two skin lesions, two patients with neuropathic pain) were reported (19%). Lesional volume significantly decreased after cryoablation (median from 3.7 cm3 [1-10.4] to 0.25 cm3 [0-2.0], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Cryoablation seems to be a safe and effective first- or second-line therapy for soft tissue vascular malformations.

Pharmaco-mechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis versus recanalization and stenting for post thrombotic syndrome after lower limb deep vein thrombosis: a comparative study.

Background: Endovenous interventional procedures can be used in addition to therapeutic anticoagulation to treat deep vein thrombosis in selected patients with proximal vein involvement (vena cava, iliac and/or common femoral). The aim of this study was to compare venous patency and the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients treated with pharmaco-mechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PMT) versus recanalization-stenting for PTS after a proximal lower limb deep vein thrombosis. Methods: Between January 2014 and December 2020, this retrospective and monocentric study included patients with very symptomatic acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis treated with PMT within 21 days after diagnosis (PMT group) and patients with PTS caused by chronic venous obstruction treated with recanalization and stenting (CRS group). Results: A total of 116 patients were included (26 PMT, 90 CRS). The rate of primary patency was 81.8% (18/22 patients) in the PMT group and 78.4% (69/88) in the CRS group (P>0.99). The rate of venous patency at the last follow-up was 76.9% (20/26) in the PMT group and 82.2% (74/90) in the CRS group (P=0.57). The median number of stents was 2 (range, 0-5) in the PMT group and 3 (range, 0-7) in the CRS group (P<0.001). The median stent length was 150 mm (range, 60-390 mm) and 280 mm (range, 120-820 mm), respectively (P<0.001). The median last Villalta score was 2 (range, 0-10) in the PMT group and 2 (range, 0-21) in the CRS group (P=0.55). The rate of venous claudication at the last follow-up was 19.0% (4/21) in the PMT group and 12.0% (10/83) in the CRS group (P=0.47). Conclusions: In this study, there was no difference in venous patency and in the rate and severity of PTS between the PMT and CRS groups. The number of stent and their length were significantly lower in the PMT group compared with the CRS group.

In vivo evidence for transintestinal cholesterol efflux in patients with complete common bile duct obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Beyond the hepatobiliary pathway, studies have demonstrated that direct transintestinal cholesterol efflux (TICE) of plasma-derived cholesterol may contribute to reverse cholesterol transport. The clinical evidence of TICE in human remains challenged because of the difficulty to discriminate the hepatobiliary and transintestinal routes in vivo. OBJECTIVE: To provide the first proof of concept that TICE exists in vivo in humans by demonstrating that plasma labeled cholesterol can be excreted in the feces of patients with complete bile duct obstruction. METHODS: Plasma, bile, and fecal cholesterol excretion was measured by mass spectrometry 24, 48, and 72 hours after intravenous injection of D7-cholesterol in two patients presenting cholangiocarcinomas with a total obstruction of their primary bile duct. RESULTS: No trace of bile acids was detected in the feces of the two patients. Despite this, a significant amount of plasma D7-cholesterol was quantified in the feces of the two patients 48 hours and 72 hours after the intravenous injection. CONCLUSION: Our data bring a direct proof that TICE is an active pathway in humans.

Renal cortical volume: High correlation with pre- and post-operative renal function in living kidney donors.

BACKGROUND: CT volumetry has previously been proposed as an alternative to scintigraphy for the evaluation of pre-donation split renal function and the prediction of post-donation renal function in living kidney donors. The aim of our study was to retrospectively assess the relevance of three CT volumetry techniques for estimating pre-donation kidney function and predicting the risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) at 1-year post-nephrectomy in a French cohort of living donors using isotopic measures of kidney function. METHODS: Kidney volume was quantified pre-donation for 105 donors using three methods total parenchymal three-dimensional renal volume (3DRV), total parenchymal renal volume contouring (RVCt), and renal cortical volume (RCoV). Subjects also had a 51Cr-EDTA scintigraphy to measure glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) pre-donation and 1-year after donation. For each volume, we tested for association with mGFR using univariate regression models, and computed receiver operating characteristics analyses to assess their predictive potential of post-donation CKD. RESULTS: Our population was composed of healthy subjects, who were predominantly female (69%) with a median age at donation of 51yo. Median mGFR was 102 mL/min/1.73 m2 at pre-donation and 66 mL/min/1.73 m2 1-year after nephrectomy. The pre-donation median volume of the preserved kidney was 156 cm3, 163 cm3 and 99 cm3 for the 3DRV, RVCt and RCoV methods respectively, with a high correlation observed between each technique (R > 0.84). For all methods, total kidney volume was significantly associated with pre-donation mGFR (P < 0.001). Preserved kidney volume was also strongly correlated with post-donation mGFR (P < 0.0001), with the strongest correlation observed for RCoV (R = 0.60 vs. R = 0.39 and R = 0.51 for 3DRV and RVCt, respectively). Finally, the RCoV method yielded the best predictive value of 1-year post-donation CKD (AUC = 0.80 vs. AUC = 0.76 and 0.70 for RVCt and 3DRV, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of healthy donors with measured kidney function, cortical volumetry (RCoV) appears as the best volumetric technique to use as a surrogate to scintigraphy for estimating pre-donation split renal function and predicting post-donation renal outcomes.

Evaluation of Doppler-ultrasonography in the diagnosis of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt dysfunction: A prospective study.

AIM: To prospectively evaluate the performance of Doppler-ultrasonography (US) for the detection of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) dysfunction within a multicenter cohort of cirrhotic patients. METHODS: This study was conducted in 10 french teaching hospitals. After TIPS insertion, angiography and liver Doppler-US were carried out every six months to detect dysfunction (defined by a portosystemic gradient ≥ 12 mmHg and/or a stent stenosis ≥ 50%). The association between ultrasonographic signs and dysfunction was studied by logistic random-effects models, and the diagnostic performance of each Doppler criterion was estimated by the bootstrap method. This study was approved by the ethics committee of Tours. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighteen pairs of examinations performed on 87 cirrhotic patients were analyzed. Variables significantly associated with dysfunction were: The speed of flow in the portal vein (P = 0.008), the reversal of flow in the right (P = 0.038) and left (P = 0.049) portal branch, the loss of modulation of portal flow by the right atrium (P = 0.0005), ascites (P = 0.001) and the overall impression of the operator (P = 0.0001). The diagnostic performances of these variables were low; sensitivity was < 58% and negative predictive value was < 73%. Therefore, dysfunction cannot be ruled out from Doppler-US. CONCLUSION: The performance of Doppler-US for the detection of TIPS dysfunction is poor compared to angiography. New tools are needed to improve diagnosis of TIPS dysfunction.

Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Unresectable Liver Metastases of Colorectal Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) is a treatment used for liver metastases (LM) of colorectal cancer (CRC). Because of its technical conditions, it has been used in only a few experienced centers in France. Our aim was to evaluate its feasibility, efficacy and tolerance in 4 centers. METHODS: Clinical, biological, and radiological data of patients treated with HAIC for unresectable LM from CRC in 4 institutions from October 2011 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients with unresectable LM from CRC were included. Patients had previously received systemic chemotherapy in 95% of patients and 82.8% had previous oxaliplatin treatment. Oxaliplatin was administered using an intra-arterial route combined with intravenous (I.V.) Five-fluorouracil (5-FU) with leucovorin alone in 43.3% of patients, or combined with other I.V. chemotherapies or monoclonal antibodies in 56.7% of patients. Grade 3 to 4 clinical toxicities were reported in 16% of patients, including 9.8% of neurotoxicity, and Grade 3 to 4 biological toxicities were reported in 24.6% of patients including 22.2% with neutropenia. Catheter-related complications were observed in 31.1%. Tumor response rate in first- and second-line was 26.5% and third- and fourth-line was 11%. Median overall survival (OS) in first- and second-line was 13.5 months and third- and fourth-line was 8.3 months (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-1.12; P = .1729). Median progression-free survival (PFS) in first- and second-line was 9 months and third- and fourth-line were 6 months (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.18-0.659; P = .0037). A secondary R0 resection was possible in 10 cases (16.4%) allowing a 2-year survival of 80%. CONCLUSION: These data confirm that in centers that recently developed HAIC using oxaliplatin, this treatment is feasible and has acceptable tolerance. The results, in terms of hepatic PFS, PFS, OS, and the rate of secondary resections of LM, are in the range of published data, and they confirm the interest of HAIC in patients in progression after multiple I.V.

Life-threatening hemorrhaging in neonatal ulcerated congenital hemangioma: two case reports.

IMPORTANCE: Congenital hemangiomas (CHs) are rare benign vascular tumors that differ from common infantile hemangiomas in that they grow in utero and are fully developed at birth. While ulceration is a common, predominantly benign complication in infantile hemangioma, little is known about the prognosis of ulcerated CH. However, it has been observed that ulcerated CH may be complicated by life-threatening bleeding episodes. OBSERVATIONS: We report 2 cases of ulcerated rapidly involuting congenital hemangiomas (RICH) that were complicated by life-threatening bleeding episodes in the neonatal period. In both cases, the CHs were fed by high-flow vessels and the ensuing massive bleeding was due to superficial vessel wall erosion induced by the ulceration. Both patients were successfully treated with intravascular embolization; one patient underwent additional hemostatic surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These 2 cases highlight the importance of closely monitoring children with ulcerated CH because of the risk of severe bleeding. Embolization is the treatment of choice in the case of severe bleeding, as the natural history of RICH is to spontaneously regress.

Symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas during pregnancy.

Symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas during pregnancy are rare, as only 27 cases have been reported in the literature since 1948. However, symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas can be responsible for spinal cord compression, in which case they constitute a medical emergency, which raises management difficulties in the context of pregnancy. Pregnancy is a known factor responsible for deterioration of these vascular tumors. In this paper, the authors report 2 clinical cases of symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas during pregnancy, including 1 case of spontaneous fracture that has never been previously reported in the literature. The authors then present a brief review of the literature to discuss emergency management of this condition. The first case was a 28-year-old woman at 35 weeks of gestation, who presented with paraparesis. Spinal cord MRI demonstrated a vertebral hemangioma invading the body and posterior arch of T-3 with posterior epidural extension. Laminectomy and vertebroplasty were performed after cesarean section, allowing neurological recovery. The second case involved a 35-year-old woman who presented with spontaneous fracture of T-7 at 36 weeks of gestation, revealing a vertebral hemangioma with no neurological deficit, but it was responsible for pain and local instability. Treatment consisted of postpartum posterior interbody fusion. With a clinical and radiological follow-up of 2 years, no complications and no modification of the hemangiomas were observed. A review of the literature reveals discordant management of these rare cases, which is why the treatment course must be decided by a multidisciplinary team as a function of fetal gestational age and maternal neurological features.

Novel and simple alternative to create nanofibrillar matrices of interest for tissue engineering.

Synthetic analogs to natural extracellular matrix (ECM) at the nanometer level are of great potential for regenerative medicine. This study introduces a novel and simple method to produce polymer nanofibers and evaluates the properties of the resulting structures, as well as their suitability to support cells and their potential interest for bone and vascular applications. The devised approach diffracts a polymer solution by means of a spraying apparatus and of an airstream as sole driving force. The resulting nanofibers were produced in an effective fashion and a factorial design allowed isolating the processing parameters that control nanofiber size and distribution. The nanofibrillar matrices revealed to be of very high porosity and were effectively colonized by human bone marrow mesenchymal cells, while allowing ECM production and osteoblastic differentiation. In vivo, the matrices provided support for new bone formation and provided a good patency as small diameter vessel grafts.

Intra-arterial injection of 131I-labeled Lipiodol for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a 7 years' experience.

BACKGROUND: Internal irradiation with iodine-131 (I)-labeled Lipiodol is one of the currently available forms of palliative therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite a cumulative experience of more than 10 years with this treatment, only a few studies have reported on its efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of intra-arterial I-labeled Lipiodol injection for treatment against advanced HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (47 men and three women; mean age 64 years) given an intra-arterial injection of I-Lipiodol (5 ml of 2.2 GBq Lipiodol labeled with I; number of mean sessions per patient, 1.3; range 1-4) were retrospectively compared with 36 patients (31 men and five women; mean age 64 years) who were given only medical support. Portal vein thrombosis was present in 86 and 100% of patients, respectively. Efficacy was determined on the basis of overall survival as the endpoint using the Kaplan-Meier method. Tumor response was evaluated with computed tomography according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) and European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria. RESULTS: For patients treated with I-Lipiodol, median survival was 32 weeks, compared with 8 weeks for the untreated group (P=0.007). Survival at 6 months and at 1 and 2 years was 65, 35, and 22%, respectively, for patients treated with I-Lipiodol compared with 28, 8, and 0% for the untreated group. At 1 month, more than 80% of patients were responders (complete response, partial response, and stable disease) on the basis of the RECIST and EASL criteria, and at 6 months 39% were responders. No radiotoxic effect was observed, especially with respect to interstitial pneumonia. No significant difference was observed between survival and α-fetoprotein levels, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer clinical score, and portal vein thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Intra-arterial injection of I-Lipiodol is safe and provides significant survival benefit in terms of overall survival for patients with advanced HCC.

Risk factors and therapeutic strategy after failure of free flap coverage for lower-limb defects.

From 2004 to 2007, 148 limb free flaps were performed in a series of 138 patients at the University Hospital in Nantes, France. Flaps were successful in 127 instances (rate: 86%; group A) and failed in 21 (group B). An analysis of the various factors (pre-, intra-, and postoperative) in both groups that may have influenced the outcome of surgery identified the following: operating time, cold ischemia time, and the interval before reoperation. This report is based on our experience in managing 21 free flap failures during reconstructive surgery of the limbs. The causes of failure were analyzed, and possible therapeutic strategies defined (i.e., a second free flap procedure, a pedicle flap, coverage with artificial dermis, or amputation). In our opinion, careful analysis of the causes of flap failure is essential to an appropriate choice of subsequent therapeutic strategy.

Systemic immune presentations of Coxiella burnetii infection (Q Fever).

OBJECTIVES: Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. Its presentation can be atypical, delaying and complicating the diagnosis. We report 7 cases of Q fever mimicking vasculitis, systemic inflammatory disease, or auto-immune disorder. METHODS: Seven cases of Q fever diagnosed between 1995 and 2007 in Nantes University Hospital (France) are described. They occurred in a nonendemic region and were selected on the basis of initial clinical presentation suggesting systemic immune disease. C. burnetii was detected using indirect immunofluorescence serology. RESULTS: Q fever was acute in 4 of the 7 patients and chronic in 3. None had endocarditis. The initial presentations suggested Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, adult-onset Still's disease, polyarteritis nodosa, giant-cell arteritis, and essential type II cryoglobulinemia. Two patients had antiphospholipid antibodies, 1 had transient IgG kappa monoclonal gammopathy, and 1 had polyclonal T CD8+ large granular lymphocyte expansion. CONCLUSION: Clinicians must be aware of the potential diagnosis of Q fever, and C. burnetii serology is a helpful diagnostic tool in the investigation of fever of unknown origin with atypical systemic symptoms suggesting vasculitis or inflammatory disease.