Central vascular catheters versus peripherally inserted central catheters in nurse anesthesia. A perspective within the Greek health system.

Purpose: We present a study comparing the insertion of central vascular catheter (CVC) and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) by an anesthesia nurse at 2 Greek University Hospitals.

Methods: Eighty patients, aged 20-80 years, were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups.

A randomized double-blind trial of anesthesia provided for colonoscopy by university-degreed anesthesia nurses in Greece: safety and efficacy.

There are numerous studies in the literature of anesthesia administered during colonoscopy including various methods, drugs, and monitoring systems; however, none of them has studied whether a university-degreed nurse anesthesia provider (known as a certified registered nurse anesthetist in the United States) is skillful enough to provide safe anesthesia in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures. The aim of our study was to determine whether anesthesia provided by a university-degreed nurse anesthesia provider during an endoscopic procedure is comparable in terms of safety and efficacy with routine sedation practice. This randomized, double-blind study included 100 adult patients who underwent colonoscopy conducted in the Evgenidion University Hospital during a single year.

Greece reports prototype intervention with first peripherally inserted central catheter: case report and literature review.

Placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), definitely offers a clear advantage over any other method regarding central venous catheterization. Its ultrasonographic orientation enhances significantly its accuracy, safety and efficacy, making this method extremely comfortable for the patient who can continue his or her therapy even in an outpatient basis. We present the first reported case of a PICCS insertion in Greece, which has been performed by a university-degree nurse.

Sphenoid wing meningioma and glioblastoma multiforme in collision - case report and review of the literature.

The coexistence of two histologically different primary tumours in the same brain region is relatively rare. The situation where these tumours in collision appear in an area of a previously excised meningioma is even more rare and only two cases have been reported so far. We present the third case of a 73-year-old woman who underwent an uneventful excision of a right sphenoid wing meningioma.

Right procedure, wrong organ, an unusual case report of aortic trauma in a multiple injured patient.

Blunt traumatic injury and acute dissection of thoracic aorta is increasing in incidence in seriously multi-trauma patients, remaining highly lethal. Early identification and repair is the key to a successful outcome. We report an unusual case of a 62-year-old man involved in a motor vehicle accident after subarachnoid hemorrhage due to an intracranial artery aneurysm rupture.

Delayed visual deficits and monocular blindness after endovascular treatment of large and giant paraophthalmic aneurysms.

Objective: Paraophthalmic aneurysms may exert mass effect on the optic apparatus. Although surgical clipping and endovascular coiling of these aneurysms can be complicated by immediate postoperative visual deterioration, endovascular coil embolization has the unique risk of visual complications later (>24 h) in the perioperative period.

Methods: Six patients with a delayed onset of vision loss after technically successful coil embolization of paraophthalmic region aneurysms were identified.

The haemodynamics of endovascular aneurysm treatment: a computational modelling approach for estimating the influence of multiple coil deployment.

This paper proposes a novel computational methodology for modelling the haemodynamic effects of endovascular coil embolization for cerebral aneurysms. We employ high-resolution 3-D angiographic data to reconstruct the intracranial geometry and we model the coiled part of the aneurysm as a porous medium, with porosity decreasing as coils are inserted. The actual dimensions of the coils employed are used to determine the characteristics of the porous medium.

The "hanging technique" of vascular transposition in microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia: technical report of four cases.

The successful long-term outcome of microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia is largely dependent on the maintenance of the isolation between the trigeminal nerve and the offending vessel, avoiding also the development of scar tissue around the nerve. We propose an alternative technique to achieve this target by "hanging" the offending vessel from the overlying tentorium using a strip of autologous tissue without interposing any foreign material.

Haemodynamic simulation of aneurysm coiling in an anatomically accurate computational fluid dynamics model: technical note.

Introduction: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a numerical technique that is used for studying haemodynamic parameters in cerebral aneurysms. As it is now possible to represent an anatomically accurate intracranial aneurysm in a computational model, we have attempted to simulate its endosaccular occlusion with coils and demonstrate the haemodynamic changes induced. This is the first attempt to use this particular porous medium-based method for coiling simulation in a CFD model, to our knowledge.

Embolization of spinal intramedullary arteriovenous malformations using the liquid embolic agent, Onyx: a single-center experience in a series of 17 patients.

Object: The aim of this study was to analyze the endovascular treatment results of using the Onyx liquid embolic system for spinal intramedullary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).

Methods: The clinical and radiological records of 17 patients with symptomatic spinal intramedullary AVMs treated exclusively by embolization with Onyx between 1999 and 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 12 females and five males in the patient series (mean age 29 years).

Late isolated brain metastasis following enucleation for choroidal melanoma.

Brain metastases from choroidal melanoma are rare and usually have a grave prognosis. A case of successfully treated late isolated brain metastasis from choroidal melanoma is described. A 35-year-old man presented with epileptic seizures of recent origin, 9 years following enucleation for choroidal melanoma.