Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Transvenous Biopsy of Abdominal and Pelvic Targets Difficult to Access by Percutaneous Needle Biopsy: Technique and Initial Clinical Experience.

Purpose: To report initial clinical experience with intravascular ultrasound (US)-guided transvenous biopsy (TVB) for perivascular target lesions in the abdomen and pelvis using side-viewing phased-array intracardiac echocardiography catheters.

Materials And Methods: In this single-institution, retrospective study, 48 patients underwent 50 intravascular US-guided TVB procedures for targets close to the inferior vena cava or iliac veins deemed difficult to access by conventional percutaneous needle biopsy (PNB). In all procedures, side-viewing phased-array intracardiac echocardiography intravascular US catheters and transjugular liver biopsy sets were inserted through separate jugular or femoral vein access sheaths, and 18-gauge core needle biopsy specimens were obtained under real-time intravascular US guidance.

Evaluating Resident On-Call Performance: Does Volume Affect Discrepancy Rate?

Objective: To examinehow study volume affects discrepancy rates for on-call radiology residents. Inparticular, we studied how both total shift volume and volume at a particularpoint in time might effect performance.

Materials/methods: Weretrospectively analyzed 518 weekend call shifts at our institution.

Factors affecting marine debris deposition at French Frigate Shoals, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, 1990-2006.

Data on the amount and type of small debris items deposited on the beaches of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge Tern Island station, French Frigate Shoals were collected over 16 years. We calculated deposition rates and investigated the relationship among deposition and year, season, El Niño and La Niña events from 1990 to 2006. In total 52,442 debris items were collected with plastic comprising 71% of all items collected.