Color-coded circulation for visualizing swirling flow with a 3-dimensional helical stent in the superficial femoral artery.

Color-coded circulation is a display method that generates dynamic color-coded images based on the time of arrival of contrast agents using parametric imaging to create video displays. By cyclically displaying information in color according to the arrival time of the contrast agent at each pixel, anatomical blood vessel paths and blood flow information can be simultaneously visualized. Three-dimensional (3D) helical stents increase wall shear stress due to swirling flow and prevent intimal hyperplasia.

Evaluation of Local Vascular Perfusion in the Lower Extremities on Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging before and after Endovascular Therapy.

Purpose: To evaluate improvement in local vascular perfusion of the lower limbs on intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging after endovascular therapy (EVT).

Materials And Methods: IVIM imaging was performed on 20 lower limbs of 16 patients with lower extremity arterial diseases before and after EVT. To estimate IVIM, diffusion-weighted lower-limb axial images (number of slices = 25 and slice thickness = 3.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of vancomycin in patients with bacteraemia: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: The trough concentration of vancomycin and the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio are crucial in determining vancomycin efficacy against methicillin-resistant . However, the use of similar pharmacokinetic principles in determining antibiotic efficacy against other gram-positive cocci is lacking. We performed a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis (association of target trough concentration values and AUC/MIC with therapeutic outcome) of vancomycin in patients with bacteraemia.

Three-dimensional velocity vector image obtained via 4-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging for in-stent flow visualization in the superficial femoral artery.

The assessment of stent lumen patency via non-contrast-enhanced 2-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (2D TOF MRA) is complex due to stent-related artifacts. However, an imaging technique using the phase-contrast method, which can reduce susceptibility to artifact, is available. Herein, we report the use of 3-dimensional velocity vector image obtained via 4-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI) for in-stent flow visualization after stent development in the right superficial femoral artery.

Improvement in local vascular perfusion of the lower extremities on intravoxel incoherent motion imaging: A case report.

Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging has its improvement-evaluating ability in lower limb perfusion after endovascular therapy in individuals with lower extremity arterial disease. Here, we present a 70-year-old man with intermittent claudication of the left lower limb, whose microperfusion on intravoxel incoherent motion imaging improved after endovascular therapy. The patient underwent intravoxel incoherent motion imaging of the lower extremities pre- and postendovascular therapy.

Effects of angiotensin II receptor blockers on serum potassium level and hyperkalemia risk: retrospective single-centre analysis.

Objective: To examine the effect of angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) treatment on serum potassium level and hyperkalaemia risk in a clinical setting with inpatients and outpatients using calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as a reference standard.

Methods: The increased risk of hyperkalaemia associated with ARB treatment is known, however only a few studies have used an active comparator to examine this risk. In this retrospective study at a 320-bed general hospital in Japan, the hospital information system was used to identify patients with at least one prescription for an ARB (819 patients) or a CCB (1015 patients) who were naive to these drugs before study initiation.