[COMPLICATIONS OF VIDEOTHORACOSCOPIC BIOPSY OF INTRATHORACIC LYMPH NODES AND METHODS OF THEIR PROPHYLAXIS].

Videothoracoscopy constitute a secure miniinvasive method of diagnosis of intrathoracic lymphadenopathy syndrome. Pulmonary hemorrhage and injury constitute intraoperative videothoracoscopic complications, and pulmonary collapse, hemorrhage, purulent complications ­ postoperative complications. Satisfactory intraoperative visualization, guaranteeing optimal position of the patient's body on operative table and sufficient pulmonary collapse on the intervention side, application of medical аlpha­cyanacrylate adhesive with hemostatic sponge for hemostasis in a biopsy zone, systemic application of antibiotics constitute the main prophylactic methods for videothoracoscopic complications and optimization of conditions for videothoracoscopic biopsy of intrathoracic lymphatic nodes. Application of the methods proposed have permitted to reduce the intraoperative complications rate from 19.2 tо 2.8%, and a postoperative one ­ from 23 tо 2.8%.

[Case of repeated hemoptysis successfully treated with bronchial artery embolization with N-butyl cyanoacrylate].

We report a case of repeated hemoptysis successfully treated with bronchial artery embolization (BAE) with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA). A 75-year-old woman with non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis and pulmonary aspergillosis was admitted with recurrent hemoptysis despite repeated BAE. Considering the ineffectiveness of BAE with Spongel or polyvinyl alcohol, BAE with NBCA was selected. Immediate cessation of hemoptysis was obtained and it has not been seen for 2 years. Although NBCA is the most widely used liquid embolic material to treat brain aneurysm, arteriovenous malformations or gastric varices, there are only a few cases are reported in the treatment of hemoptysis. It seems to be a possible useful treatment for patients with repeated hemoptysis.

Adjuvant Transjugular Variceal Occlusion at Creation of a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS): Efficacy and Risks of Bucrylate Embolization.

Adjuvant embolization of varices may reduce rebleeding in patients with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and the risks of adjuvant variceal embolization at TIPS implantation using bucrylate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The retrospective study evaluated 104 of 237 cirrhotic patients with TIPS for variceal bleeding who received adjuvant bucrylate embolization. For TIPS creation, bare stents were used in 35 patients (33.7%) and covered stents in 69 patients (66.3%) patients. Isolated gastric varices were seen in 10 patients (9.6%). RESULTS: Six patients (5.8%) rebled during a median follow-up time of 26 months (1-57 months). Rebleeding occurred in 14% (5/35) of patients with a bare stent but only in 1.4% (1/69) of patients with a covered stent. The 1- and 2-year rebleeding rates of all patients were 0.9 and 2.9% and of patients receiving a bare stent were 2.9 and 8.6%, respectively. Bucrylate migration was seen in 13 patients (12.5%). In 9 of these patients (8.7%), asymptomatic lung embolization occurred. This was rare in patients with esophageal varices (3.1%) but frequent (60%) in patients with isolated gastric varices and a spontaneous splenorenal shunt. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that adjuvant embolization using bucrylate is effective and delays variceal rebleeding. The general use of covered stents, however, alleviates the utility of adjuvant bucrylate embolization which may be restricted to patients with a high risk of rebleeding indicated by large varices, active, acute or recent variceal bleeding and advanced cirrhosis. Bucrylate should not be used in isolated gastric varices because it bears a high risk of migration into the lungs.

Tissue reactions induced by different embolising agents in cerebral arteriovenous malformations: a histopathological follow-up.

AIMS: Comparative histopathological analysis was performed in 47 incompletely embolised and resected cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). METHODS: Thirty-three AVMs were embolised with n-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA), four with iso-butyl-cyanoacrylate (IBCA), seven with polyvinyl alcohol particles (PVA), one with a fibrin mixture, one with silicon pellets, and one with microcatheter balloons. Maximum exposure time (MET) of the embolising agent (interval between embolisation and surgery) ranged from <24 hours to 80 months. All AVMs were investigated regarding angionecrosis, angiofibrosis, acute inflammation, chronic inflammation, foreign-body reactions, vascular calcification, blood admixture to embolising cast, and capillary recanalisation within the AVMs. These parameters were correlated with MET, comparing different embolising agents, age, and sex. RESULTS: A typical sequence of events depending on MET is observed in all embolised AVMs: acute inflammation with mural angionecrosis is soon replaced by prominent chronic granulomatous vasculitis, which remains stable and is detectable for a very long time, even in AVMs with a MET of more than 6 years. CONCLUSION: Capillary recanalisation is always present in incompletely embolised AVMs, detectable after 3 months of MET, irrespective of the embolising agent used. Age and sex does not influence pattern and time course of tissue lesions and recanalisation in incompletely embolised AVMs.

The effectiveness of isobutyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive for the treatment of corneal perforations.

PURPOSE: To study the results of treatment of corneal perforations with isobutyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: The charts of 20 patients (22 eyes) with corneal perforation

The use of isobutylcyanoacrylate as a tissue adhesive in abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: The use of cyanoacrylate substances as tissue adhesives is of valuable aid in surgery, especially in cases of injuries of the intraabdominal organs, where the haemorrhage is very difficult to control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the efficiency of isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate as a tissue adhesive in the haemostasis and adhesion of different types of wounds in solid and hollow organs. Forty-six dogs underwent single-organ (26 dogs) and combined-organ (20 dogs) procedures; cuneiform excisions of the liver and the spleen, as well as incisions of the small intestine were carried out. The wound surfaces were coated with isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate and approximated. RESULTS: The majority (91.3%) of the surgical operations were uncomplicated, in which a very good macroscopical and histological result was achieved. Histological examination of the surgical injuries, performed 4 months later, confirmed complete wound healing. CONCLUSION: Isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate proved to be a very effective tissue adhesive for both solid and hollow organs, even for high risk surgical operations.

Experimental catheter obstruction of the gastric coronary vein. Possible technique for percutaneous intravascular tamponade of the gastroesophageal varices.

Experimental catheter obstruction of the left gastric (coronary) vein was explored in 10 dogs. Using a transjugular approach, the liver was punctured and the portal vein catheterized. Coaxially introduced catheters were then used to catheterize selectively and produce an intravascular obstruction (tamponade) of the gastric coronary vein. Ballon catheters were used for a temporary occlusion. Injection of a tissue adhesive, isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate, was used for a definitive obliteration. The achieved results show the anatomical feasibility of this approach and give good perspective for development of a clinical method for percutaneous intravascular tamponade of the bleeding gastroesophageal varices in cirrhotics.

Experimental arteriovenous fistula. Creation and percutaneous catherter obstruction with cyanoacrylate.

Arteriovenous fistula models were created of plastic and in dogs, allowing exploration of the intraarterial use of tissue adhesive, isobutyl cyanoacrylate. A delivery system utilizing superselective coaxial catheterization was developed on the model. Carotid artery to external jugular vein shunts constructed in 19 dogs provided a suitable in vivo model. Using varied injection techniques, the shunts were occluded in 17 of 17 treated animals. Three dogs subsequently died because of embolization to the lungs and one carotid artery was occluded. Techniques to avoid these complications were devised. Refinement of the intraarterial use of these adhesives will offer us another mode of treatment of vascular abnormalities.

Preoperative occlusion of the hepatic artery with isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate for resection of the "unresectable" hepatic tumor.

The case of a child with an "unresectable" hepatic tumor is presented to introduce a new technique of preoperative selective tumor vascular occlusion by means of injection of isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate on the morning of surgical resection. This technique provides a well demarcated, significantly smaller, and relatively avascular field, allowing for a safe and total removal of the hepatic neoplasm.

Management of incurable urinary fistulas by percutaneous ureteral occlusion.

Women with large urinary tract fistulas in the presence of advanced incurable gynecologic cancer are a difficult problem. In the past, treatment has usually been either inadequate or highly morbid. We have palliated three women with large incurable urinary tract fistulas by occluding the distal ureters with isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Bucrylate) and implanting permanent bilateral percutaneous nephrostomies. This technique is easily performed and effective, and has few complications.

Massive arterial hemorrhage in patients with pancreatitis. Complementary roles of surgery and transcatheter occlusive techniques.

Massive arterial hemorrhage from multiple sites caused by tissue injury and infection following severe pancreatitis occurred in 12 patients, who were treated with the combination of angiographic embolization techniques and surgery; five survived. Complete hemostasis was obtained in eight of 12 patients who underwent primary angiographic therapy. Bleeding was temporarily controlled in two patients, who then underwent directed surgical ligation of the bleeding vessel under more favorable conditions. In two patients, bleeding was not controlled. The use of permanent occluding materials, particularly bucrylate, resulted in the highest success rate. When the bleeding artery could not be individually catheterized for safe occlusion, balloon occlusion or vasopressin infusion stabilized the patient's condition, with a decrease in the rate of bleeding prior to subsequent surgical therapy. Inadequate control of further tissue necrosis and sepsis was the cause of death in five of the seven patients who died. The other two patients died of recurrent hemorrhage despite attempts at both arteriographic occlusion and surgical ligation.

Dominant-hemisphere arteriovenous malformations: therapeutic embolization with isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

Embolization treatment of 16 patients with dominant-hemisphere arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is described. This group was selected from 50 patients with brain AVMs embolized with isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate (IBC-2) over a period of 3 years. All 16 AVMs were cortical in location; six involved the rolandic and speech areas, and four had a deep component. Ten AVMs were embolized through a transfemoral approach, an intraoperative approach was used for four cases, and a combined transfemoral/intraoperative approach was used in two cases. Complete obliteration of the AVM was obtained in one case. Partial obliteration and complete surgical resection was obtained in three cases. Obliteration of 70%-95% of the AVM was obtained in six cases and 45%-70% of the AVM was obliterated in six cases. IBC-2 embolization of the venous drainage was observed in three cases. After embolization, eight patients remained neurologically unchanged. Three patients had mild neurologic deficits that resolved completely within 48 hr; one had a deficit that cleared up 1 week later; and one had a deficit that disappeared within 6 months. In three patients a mild permanent neurologic deficit was evident 6 months after embolization.

n-Butyl 2-cyanoacrylate--substitute for IBCA in interventional neuroradiology: histopathologic and polymerization time studies.

Despite the development of new alternative embolic agents, the endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations continues to frequently require the use of cyanoacrylic glue, especially in situations where particulate or sclerosing agents are ineffective, such as when flow is very rapid or fistulous. Because isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate (IBCA), the most commonly used embolic glue, is no longer available or manufactured, a real need exists for an alternative fast polymerizing agent. In vivo and in vitro studies were performed to compare IBCA with n-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA, supplied as Histoacryl Blue), a tissue adhesive approved for surgical use in some countries. Polymerization times in static plasma were compared, and the effect of the addition of iophendylate oil or glacial acetic acid on polymerization was assessed. Polymerization times in vivo were compared after intraarterial injection into the internal carotid artery in pigs using a standardized technique. The histopathologic reactions to each glue in the embolized pig rete were assessed and compared over a period of 0-60 days after embolization. Our results show that while NBCA polymerization is demonstrably faster than IBCA in vitro, intraarterial injections of each glue show no significant difference in polymerization times. Like IBCA, NBCA polymerization can be predictably prolonged by the addition of oil or glacial acetic acid, though the effect is less for NBCA. Histopathologic reactions were similar, with acute vasculitis observed, becoming chronic and granulomatous after about 1 month. Both glues showed frequent foci of extravascular extrusion through the embolized rete and recanalization of previously occluded embolized vessels. We conclude that NBCA has clinical and biologic behaviors similar to IBCA, and therefore should be an acceptable alternative to IBCA for intravascular use.

Angiographic follow-up of large cerebral AVMs incompletely embolized with isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

This study evaluated the long-term angiographic results in large cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) partially embolized with isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate. Preembolization, immediate postembolization, and long-term follow-up angiograms were performed in 30 large, partially embolized brain AVMs. Particular attention was paid to the relative size of the residual AVM nidus and the embolized arterial feeders, to recruitment of new feeders, to the size of residual draining veins, and to the speed of arteriovenous shunt. Nine cases with less than 50% AVM nidus obliteration showed no significant morphologic changes. In 18 cases with 50-75% obliteration of the AVM nidus, 11 (61.1%) showed no significant changes, six (33.3%) showed enlargement of the AVM nidus, and one (5.5%) evolved to complete angiographic obliteration. In three cases with 75-99% AVM nidus obliteration, one remained unchanged, one showed an increase in the size of the AVM nidus, and one evolved to complete obliteration. Evaluation by plain film, CT, and cerebral angiography of the isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate deposits showed that when the polymer was positioned predominantly in arterial feeders there was invariably reconstitution of the AVM nidus through leptomeningeal, deep medullary, and/or dural collaterals. This phenomenon did not occur when the isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate was deposited mainly in the AVM nidus.

Preoperative embolization of brain AVMs with isobutyl-2 cyanoacrylate.

The role of embolization in the management of brain arteriovenous malformations remains controversial. The benefits of embolization alone are not clear and surgical removal may be technically difficult or impossible in many cases. In an attempt to facilitate surgical removal, we performed preoperative embolization in 15 cases using a mixture of isobutyl-2 cyanoacrylate and glacial acetic acid. In one case, a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol particles, microfibrillar collagen, and 30% ethanol was used. In 10 of these cases the surgeon felt that the embolization significantly aided the operative removal by decreasing blood loss, reducing the size of draining veins, and removing portions of the nidus itself. In no patient did the embolization result in an unanticipated significant neurologic deficit. The major role for embolization in the management of brain arteriovenous malformations may be as an aid to surgical removal.

Hard tissue barrier formation in pulpotomized monkey teeth capped with cyanoacrylate or calcium hydroxide for 10 and 60 minutes.

Monkey incisor teeth were pulpotomized in groups of 10. After physiological hemostasis, the pulps of group I were covered with isobutyl cyanoacrylate, and those of groups II and III with calcium hydroxide for 10 and 60 minutes, respectively, whereafter this compound was washed away and the wound surfaces covered with Teflon. In group IV, calcium hydroxide was used as a positive control, and Teflon as a negative control in group V. The animals were killed after 12 weeks and the teeth removed in tissue blocks. The material was processed and evaluated histologically with respect to location and continuity of a hard tissue barrier, type of newly formed hard tissue, state of the pulp, and presence of stainable bacteria in the coronal cavity. Seven of nine teeth in group I showed a hard tissue barrier. The corresponding figure for group II was eight out of 10 teeth. All teeth in groups III and IV had a barrier. The incidence of a continuous barrier increased from group I through group IV, as did the incidence of its location below the level of the original wound surface. The condition of the pulp was related to the presence of bacteria and the continuity of the barrier to the presence of inflammation. There was no bridging in group V. The results support the theory that a low-grade irritation is responsible for the formation of a hard tissue barrier in exposed pulps.

Preembolization superselective angiography: role in the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations with isobutyl-2 cyanoacrylate.

Transfemoral and intraoperative embolization of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain with isobutyl-2 cyanoacrylate may achieve complete and permanent occlusion of the AVMs. The preembolization superselective angiogram is an important source of information to decrease potential technical or clinical complications while seeking that goal. The information obtained from the angiogram of each individual feeder may be classified as anatomical, dynamic, and functional. This angiogram is performed either through a calibrated-leak balloon glued to a Silastic tubing, which is capable of negotiating cortical arterial curves, or through a short catheter directly placed into a feeder at surgery. In 64 patients, 175 preembolization superselective angiograms were obtained. Of those, 105 were obtained using the transfemoral technique, and 70 were obtained by direct catheterization after a craniotomy. Complications occurred in eight patients with only one permanent injury. Transient neurologic deficit occurred in five patients. One patient developed a permanent left monoplegia and one patient a subarachnoid hemorrhage without permanent neurologic deficit. In one patient, a delayed intracerebral hemorrhage produced a right hemiplegia and aphasia. The patient fully recovered in 6 months.

Dissolution of isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate on long-term follow-up.

Eight patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the basal ganglionic and deep parietooccipital regions and one patient with an AVM in the shoulder region showed resorption of the isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate cast and recanalization of the arteries after delayed follow-up angiography. All the AVMs were large, had multiple arterial pedicles, and revealed significant obliteration of the AVM immediately after embolotherapy. Although a 50-75% obliteration was achieved immediately after embolization, follow-up angiography 6-20 months later revealed almost the original status. The residual bucrylate cast was disproportionately small compared with the recanalized malformation in seven patients, while in two patients there was no evidence of bucrylate on plain films. Degradation of bucrylate probably is due to the lysosomal activity of the endothelial cells. The results from our nine patients with some degree of resorption of isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate and six with recanalized AVMs 6-20 months after embolization suggest that operable AVMs should be excised soon after embolotherapy and inoperable AVMs should be embolized as completely as possible.

Progressive thrombosis of brain arteriovenous malformations after embolization with isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate.

Embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with isobutyl 2-cyanoacrylate (IBCA) is an alternative to surgical treatment when dealing with large AVMs with multiple arterial feeders. The deposition of IBCA in the nidus of the AVM may produce an active and progressive thrombosis that may lead to complete occlusion of the nidus and/or to progressive thrombosis of the draining veins. Four clinical examples of progressive thrombosis after IBCA embolization are demonstrated, including two cases in which late follow-up angiography showed complete obliteration of a partly embolized AVM.

Cyanoacrylate occlusion of carotid-cavernous fistula with preservation of carotid artery flow.

We report a new treatment for carotid-cavernous fistula. Using a flow-guided, balloon-tipped microcatheter, we catheterize the fistula itself, verify balloon entry into the fistula with fluoroscopy and x-ray films, and then infuse the tissue adhesive isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate with careful fluoroscopic control. Three patients have had their fistulas occluded, with preservation of flow through the internal carotid artery. This balloon microcatheter allows the radiologist to perform a reversible test occlusion. All three patients had neurological changes during or after the procedure, and in one we inadvertently occluded several distal middle cerebral artery branches without permanent neurological deficit. No patient became blind or developed 3rd, 4th, or 6th nerve palsy from the treatment. This technique seems to have promise as another method for the obliteration of carotid-cavernous fistula.