Combination of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and antegrade through-the-TIPS coil embolization for bleeding mixed-type ectopic ileal varices.

A 61-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis and a history of severe cholecystitis leading to secondary thrombosis of the recanalized paraumbilical vein was admitted to our hospital for recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and severe anemia. Capsule endoscopy and CT angiography detected profuse bleeding in the proximal ileum from ectopic ileal varices. Hepatic venous-portal gradient (HVPG) measurement was consistent with severe portal hypertension.

Percutaneous low-dose CT-guided lung biopsy with an augmented reality navigation system: validation of the technique on 496 suspected lesions.

Purpose: To validate a CT-navigation system during percutaneous lung biopsy (PLB).

Methods: Four hundred-ninety-six patients underwent low-dose CT-guided PLB. Lesion diameter (LD), procedural time (PT), histologic validity, lesion distance from pleural surface (DPS), needle distance travelled during procedure (DTP), complications and radiation exposure were recorded.

The Role of White Matter Damage in the Risk of Periprocedural Diffusion-Weighted Lesions after Carotid Artery Stenting.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are a common finding in aged individuals affected by carotid artery disease and are a risk factor for first-ever and recurrent stroke. We investigated if white matter damage increases the risk of brain microembolism during carotid artery stenting (CAS), as evaluated by the appearance of new areas of restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted images (DWI).

Methods: We evaluated 47 patients with severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis undergoing CAS, comparing preprocedural clinical, ultrasound and radiological characteristics.

The Liver as Another Possible Target Organ for Infection.

A case of liver abscess due to infection in an immunocompetent 59-year-old man is reported. Percutaneous drainage and antimicrobial therapy, with vancomycin and levofloxacin afterwards, have been demonstrated to be an appropriate treatment, leading to clinical and radiological cure.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of a bleeding pseudoaneurysm during CT-guided renal cancer treatment. A case report.

We describe a new emergency interventional radiology approach in percutaneous procedure complications. We present the case of an 81-year-old male with small renal cancer, approached with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RTA) and complicated by pseudoaneurysm bleeding of a renal artery branch. In the emergency setting, pseudoaneurysm was treated in the CT room by the same RTA needle, without any complications or local tumor recurrence during the next 6-month follow-up.

Cryoablation of lung malignancies recurring close to surgical clips following surgery: Report of three cases.

Background: Minimally ablative therapies are now available for the treatment of lung malignancies. However, selection of the appropriate technique is not always easy and requires accurate preoperative planning.

Aims: To describe the treatment of lung tumors with cryoablation.

Bilateral transrenal ureteral occlusion by means of n-butyl cyanoacrylate and AMPLATZER vascular plug.

AMPLATZER vascular plug is a widely used embolic agent. In the present paper, we present a case of an 86-year-old female patient who underwent bilateral ureteral occlusion by means of AMPLATZER vascular plug II coupled to n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) because of recurring pyelonephritis following cystectomy with subsequent bilateral ureterosigmoidostomy (sec. Mainz type II).

Retrograde fluoroscopy-guided trans-urethral exchange of ureteral stents: Comparison of direct grasping vs. modified snare.

Background: Several different techniques including guide-wire lasso, simple snare, modified snare (MS) and direct grasping (DG), are available for retrograde ureteral stent retrieval and exchange. Choice among them is not always easy and depends on many different factors, including the local level of expertise.

Objective: To compare the MS and DG during retrograde exchange of double-J ureteral stent under fluoroscopic guidance.

Percutaneous lung biopsies: performance of an optical CT-based navigation system with a low-dose protocol.

Objectives: To compare patients' radiation exposure, technical feasibility, imaging quality and complication rate of percutaneous lung biopsies (PLBs) performed with a low-dose (LD) CT protocol under guidance of an optical navigation system.

Methods: Fifty-two consecutive patients with suspected malignant lung lesions were enrolled and randomised into group 1 (PLBs under the guidance of the navigation system) and group 2 (PLBs under the guidance navigation system with an LD protocol). Patients' demographics, lesion features, procedure-related variables and CT image quality for group 2 were recorded and compared.

Diffusion-weighted lesions after carotid artery stenting are associated with cognitive impairment.

The effect of carotid artery stenting (CAS) on cognitive function is still debated. Cerebral microembolism, detectable by post-procedural diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesions, has been suggested to predispose to cognitive decline. Our study aimed at evaluating the effect of CAS on cognitive profile focusing on the potential role of cerebral microembolic lesions, taking into consideration the impact of factors potentially influencing cognitive status (demographic features, vascular risk profile, neuropsychological evaluation at baseline and magnetic resonance (MR) markers of brain structural damage).

Percutaneous computed tomography-guided lung biopsies: preliminary results using an augmented reality navigation system.

Aims And Background: "Augmented reality" is a technique to create a composite view by augmenting the real intervention field, visualized by the doctor, with additional information coming from a virtual volume generated using computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance or ultrasound images previously acquired from the same patient. In the present study we verified the accuracy and validated the clinical use of an augmented reality navigation system produced to perform percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsies.

Methods: One hundred and eighty consecutive patients with solitary parenchymal lung lesions, enrolled using a nonrandom enrollment system, underwent percutaneous CT-guided aspiration and core biopsy using a traditional technique (group C, 90 patients) and navigation system assistance (group S, 90 patients).

Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation involving the duodenum embolized with ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx).

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the pancreas is a rare condition. Most patients are asymptomatic or alternatively may present with a wide spectrum of symptoms. Traditionally, surgery has been considered the treatment of choice; however, alternative approaches, such as transcatheter embolization (TAE), may be proposed.

Detection of postoperative relapsing/residual cholesteatomas with diffusion-weighted echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To assess the capability of echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (EPI-DWI) in diagnosing relapsing/residual cholesteatomas after canal wall-up mastoidectomy.

Materials And Methods: In a blinded study design, we investigated with MRI, including standard spin-echo sequences, 18 patients evaluated with clinical examination and computed tomography (CT) suspected for relapsing/residual cholesteatoma 7 to 19 months after a canal wall-up mastoidectomy. Images were evaluated by two radiologists blinded to patients' identities, CT findings, and clinical data set, who decided in a consensus agreement whether there was a pathologic signal increase in the petrous bone in a single-shot EPI-DWI sequence.

Value of echo-planar diffusion-weighted MRI in the detection of secondary and postoperative relapsing/residual cholesteatoma.

Purpose: To assess the utility of echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (EPI-DWI) in the diagnosis of secondary cholesteatoma of the middle ear and in the differential diagnosis between residual/relapsing cholesteatoma and non-cholesteatomatous tissues (scar, granulation and inflammatory tissue) after conservative mastoidectomy.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four patients, who had previously undergone clinical and CT investigation, were prospectively examined by standard and EPI-DWI magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after conservative mastoidectomy. Secondary cholesteatoma was suspected in 5 patients and residual/relapsing cholesteatoma in 19 patients.