Combined treatment of nonresectable cholangiocarcinoma complicated by obstructive jaundice.

BACKGROUND: The five-year survival rate for successful surgical treatment of cholangiocellular cancer is only 20-40%, and in the case of an unresectable tumor, the life expectancy does not usually exceed 6 months. Survival decreases with the presence of jaundice, due to the spread of the tumor process along the bile ducts, leading to their obstruction. We report outcomes of patients with nonresectable bile duct carcinoma complicated by obstructive jaundice treated with Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). METHODS: Combined diagnosis and treatment included percutaneous cholangiostomy, intraductal video fluorescence diagnostics, photodynamic therapy, and bile duct stenting. All patients were treated at the Sechenov University Oncology Center in Moscow. The results of treatment of 33 patients have been presented. The intraductal diagnosis of malignant bile duct lesions was performed after cholangiostomy using the endovideofluorescence module for minimally invasive surgery and endoscopy. With the use of this method, it is the first time in Russia that it has become possible to obtain a videofluorescent image of the tumor and to determine the high level of photosensitizer accumulation in all cholangiocarcinoma patients. The preparations Photolon, Radachlorin, and Photosens were employed as photosensitizers (PS). Intraductal photodynamic therapy was used to achieve the antitumor effect. Laser power density was about 200 mW/cm2. RESULTS: We present initial results, improved the diagnostic possibilities in this difficult localization of carcinoma, and demonstrated the feasibility of prolongation of life without significant deterioration of its quality. The average survival time in the treatment group is 9.5 months. CONCLUSION: The treatment of patients with nonresectable cholangiocarcinoma with Photodynamic Therapy should be an available option. In this context, the additional use of intraductal endovideofluorescence diagnostics is a highly specific technique that allows reliable detection of the photosensitizer accumulation predominantly by the tumor tissue and appears promising. As shown by our experience, flourescent localization followed by Photodynamic Therapy, enabled us to improve diagnostic techniques and treat the tumor with improved outcome.

Features of the clinic and diagnosis of chronic heart failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM: To elucidate clinical and diagnostic features of chronic heart failure (CHF) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 239 patients with COPD and 42 patients with CHF without COPD. The first subgroup consisted of 60 patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) and the second subgroup consisted of 79 patients without a history of MI. A general clinical examination, EchoCG, measurements of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), galectin 3, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were performed for all patients. RESULTS: The risk group for excluding HF as a cause of progressive dyspnea in COPD patients consisted of patients with the bronchitic phenotype who belonged to GOLD groups C and D with frequent exacerbations, increased hsCRP, reduced oxygen saturation, and impaired exercise tolerance. Patients with a history of MI constituted a special group of risk. Measuring specific biomarkers, primarily BNP or NT-proBNP, is recommended to confirm the presence/absence of CHF and to evaluate CHF severity in patients with these risk factors. CONCLUSION: A combination of COPD and CHF produces a number of clinical and, specifically, diagnostic problems, which have not been completely solved so far.

Theoretical and experimental modeling of interstitial laser hyperthermia with surface cooling device using Nd3+-doped nanoparticles.

To improve methods of laser hyperthermia for the treatment of bulk malignant neoplasms, an urgent task is the development of techniques and devices that automatically control heating at a given tissue depth and ensure its uniformity. The article proposes the concept of a system for performing hyperthermia with real-time spectroscopic temperature control and surface cooling, which allows to record spectra of diffusely scattered radiation and fluorescent signal from various depths of biological tissues by the means of the variation of the angle and distance between the fiber source of laser radiation and the receiving fiber. Theoretical and experimental modeling of the spatial distribution of diffusely scattered radiation and temperature inside the tissue with a fiber optic device providing surface cooling of the irradiated tissue, and recording spectral information from a given depth in real time, is presented. Simulation of radiation propagation in biological tissues, depending on the distance between the source and the receiver and the angle of their tilt, was carried out using the Monte Carlo method. Modeling of the temperature distribution inside the tissues was carried out by means of a numerical solution of the heat conduction equation. Experimental modeling was carried out on phantoms of biological tissues simulating their scattering properties as well as accumulation of the investigated nanoparticles doped with Nd3+ ions. It was shown that inorganic nanoparticles doped with rare-earth Nd3+ ions can be used as temperature labels for feedback to the therapeutic laser. According to the results of the theoretical simulation, optimal configurations of the relative arrangement of the fibers were chosen, as well as the optimum surface cooling temperatures for the given power densities. The heating of the phantom of the neoplasm containing the investigated nanoparticles doped with Nd3+ ions by laser radiation with an 805-nm wavelength and power density of 1 W/cm2 up to 42 °C at a depth of 1 cm while maintaining the surface temperature within the limits of the norm was demonstrated.

[Prognostic markers for the development of adverse outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure].

AIM: To identify markers of adverse outcomes in patients with a combination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 35 patients with COPD (without an anamnesis of coronary heart disease), 68 patients with COPD and CHF, 28 patients with CHF of ischemic genesis who were on treatment at the State Regional Clinical Hospital of Saratov were examined. The levels of the N-terminal fragment of the natriuretic peptide, galectin-3, the highly sensitive C-reactive protein, the proteins that bind fatty acids, the stiffness parameters of the arterial wall were determined; echocardiography was performed, calculated the index of comorbidity of Charlson. A year after entering the study, patients or their relatives were interviewed for their adverse outcomes. RESULTS: The combination of COPD and CHF is accompanied by an increase in the likelihood of the development of heart failure decompensation compared with the isolated course of COPD. The main causes of death of patients with combined pathology were respiratory failure and cardiovascular complications. Decompensation of CHF was 3,6 times more likely in patients with COPD and CHF of ischemic origin than in patients without previous myocardial infarction. The risk group the development of acute decompensation of heart failure within the next year is composed of patients with COPD and CHF having 3-4 functional classes of CHF, signs of decompensation in the small circulation, angina pectoris, past myocardial infarction. The most significant prognostic echocardiographic parameters were marked dilatation of the left auricles, reduction of the left ventricular ejection fraction less than 45%. The development of cardiovascular complications in patients with COPD and CHF is interrelated with an increase in arterial rigidity. The increase in total mortality is associated with the severity of heart failure and increased 24-hour arterial rigidity. CONCLUSION: The obtained results will allow to form high-risk groups and optimize the treatment-diagnostic process.

[CERTAIN PROBLEMS OF DIAGNOSTICS OF CHRONIC CARDIAC INSUFFICIENCY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE].

Apnea is a commonest complaint in aged patients. It may be due to chronic cardiac insufficiency (CCI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The prevalence of CCI in the general populations and among 65 year old subjects is 1.8 and 6-10% respectively, decompensation being the most frequent cause of hospitalization of elderly patients. Different authors report CCI in 30-62% of the elderly patients with COPD. Combination of CCI and COPD create difficulties for diagnostics and treatment due to late detection of CCI, common risk factors and pathogenetic features of the two conditions their similar clinical picture. This paper is designed to consider methods of CCI diagnostics in patients with COPD. Special emphasis is laid on the thorough analysis of medical histories, specific laboratory tests (BNP NT-proBNP), and instrumental methods (echocardiogram, MRI, spirography, X-ray studies).