Short-interval recanalization after gelfoam occlusion.

Gelfoam® is a temporary embolization agent often used in trauma where permanent arterial occlusion is not desired. Gelfoam occlusions have been shown to resolve by 2 weeks, but shorter intervals have not been studied. We report a case of spontaneous arterial hemorrhage due to ruptured hepatic malignancy where treatment was Gelfoam slurry occlusion of the right hepatic artery.

Activation of stem cell up-regulation/mobilization: a cardiovascular risk in both mice and humans with implications for liver disease, psoriasis and SLE.

Experimentally induced injury triggers up-regulation and mobilization of stem cells in mice that causes accelerated atherosclerosis. mice have chronic activation of stem cell up-regulation/mobilization and accelerated atherosclerosis. In addition, the mice have elevation of serum cytokines G-CSF, IL-17 and IL-23, each necessary for stem cell mobilization.

Hypersplenism in liver disease and SLE revisited: current evidence supports an active rather than passive process.

Background: Active and passive theories have been advanced to explain splenomegaly and cytopenias in liver disease. Dameshek proposed active downregulation of hematopoiesis. Doan proposed passive trapping of blood components in a spleen enlarged by portal hypertension.

Cancer-free survival and local tumor control after impendence-based radiofrequency ablation of biopsy-proven renal cell carcinomas with a minimum of 1-year follow-up.

Objectives: There are numerous reports describing the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat renal cell carcinoma. Many series, however, describe heterogeneous populations, lack histologic descriptions, use various RFA systems, and indicate tumor destruction by different ablation end points. This study examined the outcomes of computed tomography-guided, impedance-based RFA of biopsy-proven renal cell carcinoma clinically staged as T1a with a minimum of 1 year of postablation follow-up.

Implantable subcutaneous venous access devices: is port fixation necessary? A review of 534 cases.

Conventional surgical technique of subcutaneous venous port placement describes dissection of the port pocket to the pectoralis fascia and suture fixation of the port to the fascia to prevent inversion of the device within the pocket. This investigation addresses the necessity of that step. Between October 8, 2004 and October 19, 2007, 558 subcutaneous chest ports were placed at our institution; 24 cases were excluded from this study.

Tunneled hemodialysis catheter outcomes in elderly patients.

Purpose: This retrospective study evaluated tunneled catheter outcomes in patients aged 75 years and older undergoing hemodialysis.

Materials And Methods: Patients aged 75 years or older receiving hemodialysis comprised the study group. A control group of patients 40-60 years of age was randomly selected from the same dialysis quality assurance database.

Dialysis access venous stenoses: treatment with balloon angioplasty--1- versus 3-minute inflation times.

Purpose: To examine prospectively the effects of balloon inflation time on the technical success of balloon angioplasty in dialysis access venous stenosis and on postintervention primary patency.

Materials And Methods: The study design was approved by the institution's Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, and informed consent was obtained. Demographic information and access-specific data were collected.

Selective palliative transcatheter embolization of bony metastases from renal cell carcinoma.

To examine whether transcatheter embolization of bone metastases is an effective palliative option for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCCa). A retrospective review of 21 patients presenting for palliative embolization of painful RCCa skeletal metastases was performed. Details regarding anatomic sites, procedural details, and embolization materials were collected.

Pericardial tamponade in patients with central venous catheters.

Cardiac (pericardial) tamponade occurs when the pressure of the fluid within the pericardial sac is high enough to impair the venous return to the heart. Cardiac tamponade can occur during central venous catheter placements. Nursing members of a central vascular catheter placement team benefit from quickly recognizing this clinical situation and understanding the appropriate clinical response.

Sclerosis of postoperative lymphoceles: avoidance of prolonged catheter drainage with use of a fibrin sealant.

Purpose: To review experience with fibrin-based tissue sealant sclerosis of postsurgical lymphoceles at a single institution.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients who presented with postsurgical lymphoceles were treated with injection of fibrin tissue sealant. Procedures were performed under fluoroscopic and sonographic guidance.

Jugular vein catheter placement: histologic features and development of catheter-related (fibrin) sheaths in a swine model.

Purpose: To evaluate the development and histologic features of jugular vein catheter-related (fibrin) sheaths in a swine model.

Materials And Methods: The proposal was approved by the University Committee on the Use and Care of Animals. Tunneled silicone 7-F catheters were placed via a jugular vein in eight swine.

Conformation of adjacent self-expanding stents: a cross-sectional in vitro study.

We examined the proximal conformation of three commonly used self-expanding stents when the stents were deployed adjacent to one another in a tubular model, simulating a "kissing" stent technique. The stent pairs were evaluated by computed tomogrphy to determine the cross-sectional area excluded by the stents within the model. The mean areas associated with each stent pair were compared and significance evaluated by a t-test.

Successful angioplasty of a superficial femoral artery stenosis caused by a suture-mediated closure device.

We report the successful angioplasty of an acute arterial narrowing after suture-mediated closure (SMC) of a femoral arterial puncture. A 75-year-old woman underwent a cerebral arteriogram via a right common femoral artery puncture. The arteriotomy site was closed with a SMC device.

Histologic changes in the human vein wall adjacent to indwelling central venous catheters.

Purpose: Central venous catheter dysfunction can be caused by thrombosis (of the catheter or vessel itself), fibrin sheath formation, or infection. These sequelae can lead to costly interventions, loss of the access device, or loss of access sites in as many as one-third of patients. This study examined the histologic changes in the access vein and superior vena cava wall that is adjacent to central venous catheters in humans.

Pericardial tamponade complicating central venous interventions.

Cardiac tamponade is defined as an accumulation of fluid within the pericardial sac that is large enough to impair the diastolic filling of the ventricles. There are numerous causes, including cardiac disease, malignancy, and trauma (penetrating, blunt, and iatrogenic). With increasing complexity of percutaneous endovascular interventions, interventional radiologists must learn to recognize the preexisting and iatrogenic presence of cardiac tamponade during procedures and be familiar with its treatment.

Is it necessary to study accessory arteries when screening the renal arteries for renovascular hypertension?

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of isolated hemodynamically significant stenoses of accessory renal arteries when the main renal arteries are patent.

Materials And Methods: In 68 adults (24 men, mean age, 67 years +/- 10; 44 women, mean age, 67 years +/- 12), angiograms that fulfilled the following criteria were studied: (a) technically adequate renal angiograms obtained to evaluate suspected renovascular hypertension and (b) angiographically documented hemodynamically significant stenosis of any renal artery. The percentage of kidneys and the percentage of patients with hemodynamically significant isolated stenoses of accessory renal arteries were calculated.

Intravascular ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of iliac vein compression (May-Thurner) syndrome.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging and venography of the left common femoral and iliac veins were performed in 16 patients. The studies were evaluated for the anatomic cause of obstruction and how IVUS influenced endovascular management. IVUS demonstrated the cause of vessel compression in all 16 patients.