Is the tantalum Strecker stent suitable for TIPS creation? Short- and mid-term results in 20 consecutive patients.

PURPOSE: To assess the suitability of tantalum Strecker stents for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation. METHODS: TIPS was performed with Strecker balloon-expandable stents in the first 20 patients of our series. A total of 26 prostheses were utilized (average 1.3 per patient). RESULTS: Immediate technical success was achieved in all 20 cases. Nine patients (45%) died during follow-up. The overall average follow-up period was 18.9 months; the 11 survivors were followed for a mean period of 29.8 months. In 4 patients (20%) the stent dislodged towards the hepatic vein during withdrawal of the balloon catheter, and difficulties in recatheterizing the shunt for routine control portal phlebography were frequently encountered. Rebleeding occurred in 5 cases and aggravation of pre-existing encephalopathy occurred in 2 cases. Shunt occlusions or stenosis required further intervention in 4 and 9 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: In our opinion the tantalum Strecker stent is not particularly suitable for TIPS. Although it has evident advantages, such as high radiopacity and minimal shortening after deployment, the tendency of the device to dislodge and the difficulty in recatheterization during portal phlebography were important drawbacks. Furthermore, the atraumatic ends of the device did not seem to reduce shunt-related complications, which were comparable to those occurring with other types of stent.

Peripheral arteriography with a new nonionic agent: comparison of iomeprol with iopamidol.

Aim of this randomized, double-blind, parallel group study was to compare the safety, tolerance and diagnostic efficacy of iomeprol and iopamidol, both at iodine concentration of 150 mgI/ml, in 100 adult patients undergoing peripheral intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA). All patients underwent extensive pre- and post-contrast clinical, instrumental and laboratory evaluation for safety assessments. The tolerance to the test compounds was evaluated in terms of discomfort associated with the injection of the test compounds. Image quality was prospectively graded by two independent readers according to a five-point scale as 1, insufficient; 2, sufficient; 3, good; 4, excellent; or E, excessive. At the end of the study, two experienced radiologists working at institutions other than the study centre and not aware of patients identity, clinical profile or results of other imaging procedures, jointly evaluated study images using the same ordinal scale. The procedure was always well tolerated. None of the studied patients experienced adverse events. All angiographic examinations were rated as diagnostic. The quality of the radiographs was judged as excellent or good in most individual patient studies, without significant differences between the two study groups. No significant differences between the results of prospective on-site assessment and retrospective external assessment were detected. The results of our study show that iomeprol and iopamidol are equally effective, well tolerated and safe contrast agents when used for peripheral IA-DSA.