Vascular Extracellular Vesicles Indicate Severe Hepatopulmonary Syndrome in Cirrhosis.

Background: Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a pulmonary vasculature complication in the setting of liver disease that is characterized by pathological vasodilation resulting in arterial oxygenation defects. We investigated the role of extracellular vesicles (EV) in cirrhosis patients with HPS, as well as the functional effect of EV administration in a common bile duct ligation (CBDL) HPS mouse model.

Methods: A total of 113 cirrhosis patients were studied: 42 (Gr.

Percutaneous CT-Guided Cryoablation of the Bilateral Pudendal Nerves for Palliation of Intractable Pain Related to Pelvic Neoplasms.

Objectives: The purpose of this report is to describe the effect of computed tomography-guided bilateral pudendal nerve cryoablations on pain and time to discharge in the setting of acute hospitalizations secondary to refractory pelvic pain from cancer.

Methods: Investigators queried the medical record for patients who underwent pudendal nerve cryoablation using the Category III Current Procedural Technology code assignment 0442T or Category I code 64640 for cases prior to 2015. The resulting list was reviewed, and procedures performed on inpatients for intractable pelvic pain related to neoplasm were selected.

JOURNAL CLUB: Hepatopancreaticobiliary Imaging Second-Opinion Consultations: Is There Value in the Second Reading?

Objective: Tertiary care practices increasingly provide second-opinion consultations on reports from outside practices or institutions. This practice of providing a second opinion has been studied in a variety of subspecialties; however, its potential effect on the management of hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) disease is not known. The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of significant discrepancies between the initial report and the consultation report, the source of discrepancies, and the frequency of repeat imaging recommendations.