Cost-effective analysis of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt versus surgical portacaval shunt for variceal bleeding in early cirrhosis.

Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage carries significant morbidity and mortality in patients with portal hypertension and cirrhosis. The optimal prevention strategy for rebleeding in these patients remains controversial with respect to the safety and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) versus a portocaval surgical shunt (PC). We sought to determine the long-term cost-effectiveness of these two treatments.

Open-cell versus closed-cell stent design differences in blood flow velocities after carotid stenting.

Objective: The differential effect of open-cell vs closed-cell stent design configuration on carotid velocities detected by duplex ultrasound (DUS) imaging has not been established. To identify possible stent design differences in carotid velocities, we analyzed DUS studies obtained before and immediately after carotid artery stenting (CAS).

Methods: In a series of 141 CAS procedures performed during a 3-year period, data from the first postinterventional DUS images and carotid angiograms were evaluated for each patient.