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INTRODUCTION: Thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are either treated by thrombectomy or pharmaco-mechanical thrombolysis with or without percutaneous balloon angioplasty. In this study, we have described an effective and economical technique of salvaging these fistulae using a 20-22-gauge spinal needle and urokinase and have named it direct percutaneous thrombolysis (DPT). MATERIALS AND METHOD: This prospective study comprised of 148 patients out of which 120 patients presented with AVF thrombosis and were divided into two groups; those with no obvious stenosis on ultrasound (n = 38) and second with venous stenosis (n = 82). Remaining 28 patients developed thrombosis post angioplasty for venous stenosis. Percutaneous injection of urokinase into the thrombus was done under ultrasound guidance, followed by balloon angioplasty if there was associated stenosis. RESULTS: In 38 patients who didn't have any stenosis, 32 AVFs were successfully thrombolysed by DPT, with technical success of 84.2%. Remaining six patients required angioplasty because of chronic nature of clot. In 82 patients who had venous stenosis, 80 cases were treated successfully by DPT followed by angioplasty with technical success of 97.5%. In third group (n = 28), who developed thrombosis post angioplasty, 100% success rate was noted. The mean length of thrombus was 31.4 ± 4.6 mm and mean diameter of thrombosed vein was 10.5 ± 1.2 mm. There were no major complications encountered during the procedure. Minor complications were seen in 19 patients which included prolonged oozing from puncture site and local hematoma formation. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound guided DPT with urokinase is a safe and economical option for salvaging thrombosed AVF without vascular stenosis that does not need angioplasty.
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Background and objective Percutaneous balloon dilatation followed by long-term internal-external biliary catheter (IEBC) placement is the standard radiological management for postoperative hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) strictures. The treatment is considered successful when cholangiography shows a free flow of contrast across the anastomosis and the patient passes a "clinical test". However, these tests may not be suitable predictors of long-term successful treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of biliary manometry in the evaluation of successful treatment outcomes after HJ stricture dilatation and IEBC placement and its efficacy as a tool for early catheter removal. Patients and methods A total of 14 patients underwent percutaneous balloon dilatation of HJ strictures with IEBC placement. A two-to-three-month interval was maintained between sessions of exchanging or upsizing IEBCs. Biliary manometry was performed after a mean duration of 6.3 months. Intra-biliary pressure of <15 mmHg was considered as the success threshold. Results Among the 14 patients, 11 patients passed initial manometry and had their IEBCs removed and were followed up for a mean duration of 47.8 months. Of these, one patient developed biliary obstruction after six months and underwent repeat HJ stricture dilatation and long-term IEBC placement. Three patients failed manometry and underwent re-dilatation of HJ strictures with IEBC placement. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the probability of patients remaining stricture-free after HJ stricture dilatation was found to be 100% at three months and 91% at six, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 47.8 months. Conclusion Biliary manometry prevents subjective variations in determining treatment endpoints and helps to assess early catheter removal after percutaneous balloon dilatation of HJ strictures.
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Congenital anomalies of the superior and inferior vena cava result from abnormal embryogenesis of cardinal veins. Duplication of superior vena cava (SVC) occurs in 0.3% of the general population of which only 8% drain into the left atrium. The prevalence of double inferior vena cava (IVC) is around 0.2-3%. The reported incidence of unilateral renal agenesis ranges from 1:1100 to 1:5000, and the association of double IVC with renal agenesis has been reported in only 11 cases in the literature. The conglomeration of such rare anomalies incidentally noted in a single patient is reported in this study. A 32-year-old man was referred to our department for Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the thorax. The patient was found to have dorsal kyphoscoliosis with hemivertebrae. The SVC was duplicated with the right SVC draining into the right atrium and the left SVC draining into the left atrium. The left kidney was not visualized in the abdomen. There was dual IVC with no intercommunicating interiliac vein. The right IVC maintained its normal course, while the left IVC continued as hemiazygos vein and joined left SVC in the thorax. Also noted was the aberrant origin of the right subclavian artery. This is the first reported case of combined superior and inferior vena caval anomalies along with left renal agenesis in a single patient in the literature. A review on the embryological basis is also described in this article.
