Application of ultrasound contrast agents for the characterization of female urethral vascularization in healthy pre- and postmenopausal volunteers: preliminary report.

Objectives: Vascularization of the female urethra is an important factor contributing to the sealing effect responsible for the normal urethral closing system. The aim of this study was to assess whether contrast enhanced ultrasonography can be used to evaluate changes in urethral vascularization between pre- and postmenopausal women.

Methods: We studied the vascularization of female urethra in 11 healthy premenopausal females during the midfollicular phase of the menstrual cycle and 10 healthy postmenopausal volunteers using ultrasound contrast agents with a 2-5 MHz curved-array transducer by a translabial approach.

Blood flow changes in hepatocellular carcinoma after the administration of thalidomide assessed by reperfusion kinetics during microbubble infusion: preliminary results.

Objectives: We sought to investigate whether thalidomide is able to produce tumor vascular changes in patients with untreatable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that can be detected using microbubble contrast agents.

Materials And Methods: Eleven consecutive patients with untreatable HCC underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound before and during thalidomide administration. Real-time destruction reperfusion kinetics was obtained from a representative HCC nodule and from the surrounding liver parenchyma during SonoVue infusion (Bracco, Milan, Italy) at a constant rate of 0.

Color Doppler US of the postoperative penis: anatomy and surgical complications.

A number of surgical procedures that significantly change the penile anatomy and vasculature can be used to manage pathologic conditions of the penis (eg, congenital and acquired deformities, erectile dysfunction, priapism). Phallic reconstruction surgery can be used for sex reassignment and after penile amputation or for correction of congenital malformations. Color Doppler ultrasonography (US) clearly depicts the normal penile anatomy and postoperative changes (eg, changes of the tunica albuginea, extraalbugineal pathologic fluid collections, cavernosal tissue changes produced by scars and fibrosis).

Resistive index in patients with renal colic: differences after medical treatment with indomethacin and ketorolac.

Purpose: To investigate whether colour Doppler US can demonstrate haemodynamic differences in patients with renal colic after pharmacological treatment with indomethacin and ketorolac.

Materials And Methods: We studied 180 consecutive patients with unilateral acute renal colic with colour Doppler US; 90 were treated with indomethacin, 90 with ketorolac. Furthermore, 37 consecutive patients without obstruction (17 treated with indomethacin and 20 with ketorolac) were also examined and considered normal controls.

Evaluation of liver parenchymal blood flow with contrast-enhanced US: preliminary results in healthy and cirrhotic patients.

Rationale And Objectives: To determine whether changes in hepatic parenchymal blood flow in cirrhotic patients can be evaluated with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US) after Levovist administration.

Materials And Methods: Ten normal volunteers, 16 Child A and 16 Child C cirrhotic patients were evaluated with contrast-enhanced US. Frames obtained at progressively increasing pulse intervals of 2, 4, 7, and 10 seconds in the same scan plane during infusion of Levovist (300 mg/mL, 150 mL/h) have been digitally recorded.

Endovascular treatment of external iliac artery injuries after hip arthroplasty.

Purpose: To report endovascular repair of injuries to the external iliac artery during hip surgery.

Case Reports: Two elderly women with histories of chronically infected hip prostheses were found to have iatrogenic leaking pseudoaneurysms of the external iliac artery due to hip surgery trauma in the past. Both were treated successfully with a Jostent Peripheral Stent-Graft.