Our early experience with iliofemoral vein stenting in patients with post-thrombotic syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Venous balloon dilation and stent therapy have been proposed as effective treatments for chronic iliofemoral thrombosis. In this study, we report our experience and describe the one-year outcome and efficacy of balloon angioplasty and stenting for the treatment of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in iliofemoral vein segments. METHODS: From June 2011 to June 2012, 52 consecutive patients with chronic PTS (59 limbs; 75% women; median age 58 years; range: 23-76 years) referred to our unit for interventional assessment were included in the study. Treatment effects were assessed using Villalta scale, Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) and Chronic Venous Insufficiency Questionnaire (CIVIQ)-20 for PTS, CEAP (clinical, aetiological, anatomical and pathological elements) grading and measurement of leg circumference, before and after intervention. RESULTS: Stenting was successfully accomplished in all patients. Coagulation abnormality was identified in 21 subjects (40.3%). CEAP grades were as follows: C3 in 19 patients, C4 in 24 patients, C5 in one patient and C6 in eight patients. According to Villalta scores, three patients were mild, seven patients were moderate and 42 patients were severe PTS. VCSS, Villalta scale and CIVIQ-20 showed a significant decrease in the severity of PTS signs and symptoms (P < 0.001). The calf and middle thigh circumferences decreased significantly on both sides (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Treatment of iliac venous obstruction with balloon angioplasty and stenting appears to be a minimally invasive and safe therapeutic approach in patients with PTS offering quick symptomatic relief, good patency and minimal morbidity.

The preoperative exclusion of thyroid carcinoma in multinodular goiter: Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging versus ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

BACKGROUND: We compared the diagnostic values of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and ultrasonography (USG)-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the detection of thyroid carcinoma associated with multinodular goiter. METHODS: USG-guided FNAB and DCE-MRI were performed consecutively on 26 patients who had multinodular goiter with dominant nodules and clinical suspicion of malignancy. DCE-MRI findings, cytodiagnosis, and final histopathologic results were correlated. We compared the sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of DCE-MRI and USG-guided FNAB. RESULTS: Of 57 nodules in 26 patients, 16, 37, and 4 nodules showed delayed, plateau, and rapid washout patterns, respectively. Thyroid carcinoma was found in 8 patients (31%). Delayed washout pattern in a nodule was correlated with the histologic diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma (P < .001). None of the nodules with thyroid carcinoma had a plateau or rapid washout pattern. The sensitivity and NPV of DCE-MRI to diagnose thyroid carcinoma were greater when compared with those in USG-guided FNAB (100 vs 71.4%, and 100 vs 91.7%, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSION: When other diagnostic methods are inconclusive, DCE-MRI is superior to USG-guided FNAB to exclude thyroid carcinoma in patients with multinodular goiter.

Treatment of chronic type B aortic dissection by endovascular grafting in a previously CABG patient. Case report.

High mortality rates resulting from the surgical treatment of Type B aortic dissections have played an important role in seeking newer alternative therapy modalities for the treatment of the pathology. Especially since the early 1990s, endovascular grafting has become a popular option in the treatment of aortic diseases and with the increasing experience and advances in technology, it has, in recent years, become an alternative approach for the treatment of aortic dissections. In this report, we present the treatment of a 56-year-old male patient with a history of a coronary artery bypass grafting who presented with chronic type B aortic dissection. Endovascular stent graft implantation was performed with a hybrid therapy type of preliminary right subclavian artery to left subclavian artery bypass, followed by endovascular stent graft implantation to the dilated aneurismal segment of the descending aorta, for the treatment of chronic type B aortic dissection. The procedure and the postoperative course were uneventful; moreover, they were very comfortable for the patient undergoing an investigation of the descending aorta, when compared with the conventional surgical treatment modalities.

Endovascular therapy in the management of moderate and massive haemoptysis.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate 140 patients with severe (97 massive, 43 moderate) haemoptysis treated by bronchial artery embolisation. Between January 1997 and April 2005, 140 patients (120 males and 20 females, aged 23-71 years) with severe haemoptysis considered surgically inoperable because of limited pulmonary reserve were treated by embolisation. The cause of haemoptysis was tuberculosis in 136 patients and malignancy in four. Embolisation succeeded in controlling haemoptysis immediately after the intervention in 138 patients (98.5%) and at 1 month in 126 patients (90%). Severe haemoptysis recurred in 11 patients with prior massive haemoptysis and 3 patients with prior moderate haemoptysis in a mean time of 3.7 months (1-7 months) after the last intervention. The bleeding source was detected during angiography and embolised in 12 of these patients. Two patients with malignant tumour died because of abundant bleeding, following an asymptomatic period of 30 days. There were no procedure-related major complications. Bronchial artery embolisation is a safe and effective palliative treatment alternative in moderate and massive haemoptysis.

Percutaneous transcatheter embolization in arterial injuries of the lower limbs.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous transcatheter arterial embolization (PTE) in lower extremity arterial injuries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January 2000 to June 2004, patients who presented with a penetrating trauma of the lower limbs, along with bleeding and with no sign of ischemia or hemodynamic instability, were included in the study. The injuries were embolized by coils and Gelfoam. The efficacy of PTE was defined as its ability to stop bleeding both radiographically and clinically, and its safety was determined by the complication rate. RESULTS: There were 10 embolizations, which consisted of 5 profundal femoral, 3 superior gluteal, and 2 inferior gluteal artery embolizations. PTE was effective in all patients. There were two inguinal hematomas, which did not require any intervention, and there was a temporary renal function alteration. The mean hospital stay of these patients was 2.67 +/- 0.91 days. CONCLUSION: PTE may be an effective and safe method of treatment in certain cases with lower limb arterial injuries. However, patients should be selected meticulously by both the vascular surgeon and the interventional radiologist, and PTE should be undertaken only in experienced hands.

Case report: Foreign body granuloma mimicking liver metastasis.

In this study, foreign body granuloma mimicking liver metastasis diagnosed on routine follow-up examination in a 41-year-old woman with rectal adenocarcinoma is reported. To our knowledge, this is the first study in English-language literature reporting foreign body granuloma indistinguishable from liver metastasis on radiological examination.

Acute torsion of a wandering spleen: imaging findings.

Wandering spleen is a rare entity characterized by incomplete fixation of the spleen by lienorenal and gastrosplenic ligaments. It can migrate to the lower abdomen or pelvis and can be congenital or acquired. We report a case of torsion of a wandering spleen for which there was correlative imaging by ultrasonography, Doppler ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which all these modalities were used in the diagnostic evaluation.

Imaging in tuberculosis of the skull and skull-base: case report.

We report a 19-year-old girl, who presented with headache and tonic/clonic seizures. Imaging revealed a lytic parietal skull lesion with an adjacent epidural mass, masses in the right parietal lobe and a posterior skull-base mass. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was made after resection of the extradural mass and later verified with culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The parenchymal and skull-base lesions resolved following antituberculous treatment. We present CT, scintigraphic, angiographic and MRI findings.

False aneurysm of the hepatic artery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PURPOSE: A rare complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is defined: iatrogenic injuries to hepatic artery system which may evolve to pseudoaneurysms in the late postoperative period. This rare phenomenon may be overlooked and pose a challenge to surgeons. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We will describe three cases with iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The onset of symptoms and the course of the disease was not uniform. Diagnosis was made after a considerable delay. In the first case, a small, uncomplicated extrahepatic pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated with coil embolization. The second patient who had an intrahepatic pseudoaneurysm with multiple injuries to the common bile duct and portal vein, did not survive despite surgical and endovascular interventions. In the latter, surgical treatment for a large pseudoaneurysm that had ruptured into the liver parenchyma was successfully conducted. Review of the literature reveals fifty-four more cholecystectomy-related pseudoaneurysms. The site of injury was the right hepatic artery in 61% of the cases and the presenting symptom was upper gastrointestinal bleeding (haemobilia) in two-third of the patients. Embolization was performed in 82% of the cases, and surgery was undertaken in the remaining 18%. CONCLUSION: Pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Prompt attention is necessary since the lesion has a high risk of rupture. Embolization is the first line of treatment and surgery is reserved for more complex injuries and cases with life-threatening rupture of the aneurysm.

Palliative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by chemoembolization.

PURPOSE: The efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and the correlation between iodized oil uptake pattern and tumor response were investigated in cases with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: TACE, using sequential intra-arterial doxorubicin, mitomycin, iodized oil and gelatin sponge particles, was used to treat patients with inoperable HCC localized to the liver. One hundred and two patients (aged 16-80) were treated in this manner from 1995 to 2001. The objective response was determined by sequential CT. Iodized oil uptake pattern as well as the relationship between uptake pattern and tumor response was evaluated in each case. RESULTS: The one-year survival rate was 46%. Tumor response was found to be better in cases with dense and peripheral iodized oil uptake in comparison to those displaying scarce and patchy iodized oil uptake. CONCLUSION: TACE is an efficient and safe palliative treatment for inoperable HCC with prolonged survival and good life quality. Iodized oil uptake pattern can be considered a good prognostic marker.

Is selective internal spermatic venography necessary in detecting recurrent varicocele after surgical repair?

OBJECTIVES: Surgical varicocele repair can be complicated by postoperative recurrence. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of scrotal color Doppler ultrasonography (SCDU) and selective internal spermatic venography (SISV) in detecting recurrent venous reflux after conventional varicocelectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 36 men (mean age 30.1 +/- 4.3 years) with a persisting left unilateral varicocele and abnormal semen parameters more than 12 months after conventional varicocele repair were evaluated with physical examination, semen analyses, SCDU and SISV. RESULTS: The median interval between primary varicocelectomy and presentation was 13 (range 12-16) months. Physical examination at that time revealed a grade- I left varicocele in 22 and a grade-II left varicocele in 14 patients. Semen analyses showed oligoasthenozoospermia in 30 patients (83%), asthenozoospermia in 4 (11%) and oligozoospermia in 2 (6%). Although all patients had reflux on SCDU, SISV confirmed reflux in 8 (22%) cases. SISV was not able to document recurrence in 28 cases (78%) that were detected by SCDU. CONCLUSIONS: Considering clinical findings, confirmed with SCDU, and semen parameters as the reference point in the diagnosis of recurrent varicocele, the sensitivity of SISV in the radiological documentation of recurrence was 22%. SISV was unable to document the recurrence in 78% of cases implying that reflux was not through internal spermatic veins. Thus, we conclude that SISV is neither necessary nor sufficient in the evaluation of recurrent varicocele.

[Applications of the inferior vena cava filter for the prevention of the risk for pulmonary emboli]. / Pulmoner emboli riskini önlemede inferior vena kava filtresi uygulamalarimiz.

The most serious and fatal complication of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is still accepted as pulmonary embolism (PE). One of the methods used for PE prophylaxis is inferior vena cava filter(VCF). Between 1999 and 2000, VCF is used in 12 patients (8 male, 4 female) who were hospitalized in Trauma and Surgical Emergency Service of Istanbul Medical Faculty. 10 of the VCF used were permanent and 2 of them were temporary filters. 8 permanent filter were applied to patients with life-long paraplegia or quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury. Two patients to whom permanent filters were applied had malignancy. Patient who had the diagnosis of late stage cervical carcinoma, had DVT. In this patient, because of the high bleeding risk, we applied permanent filter. In the other patient, who had the diagnosis bladder carcinoma, had DVT despite the usage of low molecular weight heparin. In two patients who needed short term PE prophylaxis, had temporary VCF. In one of these patients, primary diagnosis was subarachnoidal hemorrhage due to head trauma. In the 8th day of hospitalization, DVT occurred. Because of high risk of intracranial bleeding, VCF was performed. The second patient had the diagnosis of subdural hematoma and subarachnoidal hemorrhage due to head trauma and multiple lower extremity fractures. VCF were applied in Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Radiology. For cannulation line of permanent VCF (LGM Venatech-B. Braun) right femoral vein was used. For temporary filters (Proliser Cordis-Johnson and Johnson Company), right internal jugular vein was the preferred way. Two multitrauma patients who had permanent filters died due to sepsis and multiorgan failure. In the follow up of other patients during the average period of 7.6 months, any problem due VCF application or by related complication and PE did not occur. Although larger patient groups with follow up period are necessary to evaluate better, we think that in PE prophylaxis, VCF is safe and effective modality.

Pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis: a unique case with atypical clinical course.

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To report and discuss a case of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis in a previously healthy 51-year-old immunocompetent woman who presented with acute onset lower back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: To the authors' knowledge, pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis in an immunocompetent person with no other predisposing factor has not been reported previously. METHODS: The patient was diagnosed to have pneumococcal meningitis 10 days after the onset of acute and severe lower back pain. Significant improvement of clinical symptoms from meningitis was achieved with appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Lumbar CT and MRI scans were performed on persistence of fever and lower back pain. Loss of height and peridiscal inflammation at L3-L4 and epidural and bilateral psoas abscesses were detected. RESULTS: Diagnosis of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis was established after evaluation of the material obtained from CT-guided aspiration of the psoas abscess and biopsy of the L3 body. With appropriate antimicrobial treatment, the patient's complaints resolved completely. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis with meningitis.

Solitary pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking advanced pancreatic carcinoma.

A 40-year-old woman was referred for pancreatic head carcinoma invading the portal vein. The dichotomy between the radiological findings and the general condition of the patient, as well as the laboratory results (no evidence of cholestasis), cast doubt on the diagnosis. There was no history of tuberculosis. The chest radiograph revealed no pathological findings. The anatomic relationships of the lesion entailed a high risk of vascular injury if tissue biopsy were to be done; therefore, diagnostic laparotomy was performed. Biopsy revealed granulomas with caseous necrosis, consistent with tuberculosis. After 6 months of antituberculosis treatment, the lesions had completely resolved. Tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses, particularly in regions where the disease is endemic. The condition usually resembles an advanced pancreatic tumor. Performing a biopsy of inoperable lesions and maintaining a reasonable skepticism in regard to the evaluation of operable lesions (attention to nonexclusive but helpful clues, such as young patient age, history of tuberculosis, absence of jaundice) will lead to the diagnosis in most patients. Diagnostic laparotomy may be required in a small subset of patients. The response to antituberculosis treatment is very favorable. The role of resection (e.g., pancreatoduodenectomy) is very limited.

Vena cava stenting and portorenal shunt in Budd-Chiari syndrome: combination of the 'modern' and the 'classical'.

We have treated a 33-year-old Budd-Chiari patient (due to antiphospholipid syndrome) with a history of myocardial infarction by placing a vascular stent in the inferior vena cava and performing a portorenal shunt with three objectives: (1) to perform a shunt operation on a Budd-Chiari patient with good hepatic functional reserve, (2) to avoid a thoracotomy and manipulation of the heart in a patient with a cardiac thrombus and a history of myocardial infarction and (3) to avoid a synthetic graft in a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome. Vena cava stenting and portorenal shunt make a useful combination which should be included in the armamentarium of the hepatobiliary surgeon.

Palliative treatment of inoperable malignant esophageal strictures with conically shaped covered self-expanding stents.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of conically shaped covered self-expanding (Flamingo) stents in palliative treatment of malignant esophagogastric strictures in terms of patency, improved dysphagia score and survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Flamingo stents were placed under fluoroscopic guidance between August 1998 and December 1999 for palliation of malignant dysphagia in 33 cases. There were 21 males and 12 females aged 40--80 years (average 64.2 years). RESULTS: Stent placement was successful in all patients, with good symptomatic control and no procedure-related complications. Spontaneous esophago-respiratory fistula and perforation accompanying malignant esophageal stricture in a total of 4 cases (12.2%) were successfully closed. In 1 case, tumor ingrowth was detected from the distal uncovered segment of the stent. In 2 cases with esophago-respiratory fistula, gastrointestinal bleeding occurred. The cause of hemorrhage could not be found by angiography. The mean survival time in 17 patients, later deceased, was 129 days (range 9--360), and the mean observation time in 16 patients still alive is 180 days (range 18--365). CONCLUSION: Flamingo stents provide an effective and safe choice of palliative therapy in inoperable malignant esophagogastric strictures.

The transhepatic route for the placement of a duodenojejunal stent: application in a postoperative closed loop obstruction of the duodenum.

A patient who had undergone gastric resection for carcinoma, had closed loop obstruction of the duodenum due to neoplasia at the duodenojejunal junction. The obstruction was relieved successfully by transhepatic placement of a duodenojejunal stent. We were compelled to use the transhepatic route because a Roux-Y reconstruction had been performed. Transhepatic placement may be the only chance of palliation in a small subset of patients with malignant intestinal obstruction.

Primary hydatid disease of the femur: unsuspected and incidental MRI findings with long-term curative results on medical treatment alone.

This report describes the early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and long-term follow-up results of albendazole treatment in a 16-year-old girl with primary hydatid disease of the femur diagnosed incidentally during the course of a post-traumatic knee infection. As far as we know, this is the first report of the early MRI findings and long-term outcome of medical treatment in primary hydatid disease of the femur in this age group.