Efficacy of Lusutrombopag for Thrombocytopenia in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease Scheduled to Undergo Invasive Procedures.

Objective Lusutrombopag is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist that improves thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease scheduled to undergo invasive procedures. However, information on the efficacy of repeated lusutrombopag treatment and factors associated with the treatment is scarce. We analyzed the efficacy of repeated lusutrombopag treatment and the factors associated with a response to lusutrombopag.

[A case of primary epiploic appendagitis of the sigmoid colon diagnosed by abdominal CT and managed conservatively].

A 40-year-old man presented to our department with left lower abdominal pain. Laboratory test showed slight leukocytosis and moderately elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a typical fat density lesion adjacent to the sigmoid colon.

[Case of hepatocellular carcinoma with abdominis muscle metastasis].

A 73-year-old man with liver cirrhosis type C, who was diagnosed as having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), underwent left lobectomy in March 2005. Two years later, intrahepatic recurrence was found, and he was treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization as well as hepatic arterial infusion. In July 2007, he complained of a painless mass over the right abdomen and demonstrated an elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level.

Transcatheter chemoembolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and comparison of five staging systems.

Aim: We compared the ability of five staging system to predict survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with chemoembolization.

Methods: The study subjects were 214 patients with HCC treated with repeated chemoembolization alone using cisplatin and lipiodol. Predictors of survival were assessed by multivariate analysis.

Partial loss of hippocampal striation in medial temporal lobe epilepsy: pilot evaluation with high-spatial-resolution T2-weighted MR imaging at 3.0 T.

Purpose: To determine whether partial loss of the hippocampal striation (PLHS) at 3.0 T is more accurate than the currently accepted methods of using conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to detect hippocampal sclerosis in medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study had institutional review board approval, and informed consent was waived.

Signal intensity of motor and sensory cortices on T2-weighted and FLAIR images: intraindividual comparison of 1.5T and 3T MRI.

We compared the signal intensity of motor and sensory cortices on T2-weighted and FLAIR images obtained at 3T and 1.5T. MR images of 101 consecutive neurologically normal patients who underwent both 1.

MRA of intracranial aneurysms embolized with platinum coils: a vascular phantom study at 1.5T and 3T.

Purpose: To analyze the influence of matrix and echo time (TE) of three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) on the depiction of residual flow in aneurysms embolized with platinum coils at 1.5T and 3T.

Materials And Methods: A simulated intracranial aneurysm of the vascular phantom was loosely packed to maintain the patency of some residual aneurysmal lumen with platinum coils and connected to an electromagnetic flow pump with pulsatile flow.

Detection of brain metastasis at 3T: comparison among SE, IR-FSE and 3D-GRE sequences.

The objective of this study is to compare the detectability of brain metastases at 3T among three contrast-enhanced sequences, spin-echo (SE) sequence, inversion recovery fast SE (IR-FSE) sequence (both with section thickness of 6 mm), and three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D fast SPGR) sequence with 1.4 mm isotropic voxel. First, phantom studies were performed to quantify the contrast-enhancement ratio (CER) with three sequences.

Effect of temporal subtraction technique on interpretation time and diagnostic accuracy of chest radiography.

Objective: Our purpose was to compare reviewing time and diagnostic accuracy in the interpretation of radiographs without and with subtraction images and to examine whether this temporal subtraction technique can contribute to improving radiologists' performance.

Materials And Methods: Thirty cases with newly developed chest abnormalities on chest radiographs and 90 negative cases were selected. All chest radiographs were obtained with a computed radiography system.

Retentive strength of metal copings on prefabricated abutments with five different cements.

Background: Despite their wide use in implant dentistry, there is insufficient information concerning the retentive strength of cement-retained superstructures.

Purpose: This study compared the retentive strength of metal copings on prefabricated abutments with five different luting cements.

Materials And Methods: Eight prefabricated abutments were placed on titanium screw implants torqued to 35 Ncm.

Postsurgical change in the tracheal bifurcation angle after upper lobectomy: radiographic evaluation.

Rationale And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate postsurgical changes in the tracheal bifurcation angle on chest radiographs after upper lobectomy and to determine whether bronchial repositioning after upper lobectomy mimics that in upper lobe collapse.

Materials And Methods: The authors selected 81 patients who had undergone upper lobectomy with complete mediastinal and subcarinal lymph node dissection and in whom chest radiographs had been obtained before operation and at four postoperative intervals. The interbronchial angle and the subcarinal angle were measured on the preoperative and postoperative radiographs and compared statistically.

Combination of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization using cisplatin-lipiodol suspension and percutaneous ethanol injection for treatment of advanced small hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: We evaluated the long-term efficacy of the combination of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using cisplatin-lipiodol suspension and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) for treatment of advanced small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients And Methods: Sixty-nine patients with HCC less than 3 cm in diameter and at most three lesions were enrolled in this study. HCC nodules were confirmed to be hypervascular by angiography.

Improved detection of lung nodules by using a temporal subtraction technique.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a temporal subtraction technique for digital chest radiography with regard to the accuracy of detection of lung nodules.

Materials And Methods: Twenty solitary lung nodules smaller than 30 mm in diameter, including 10 lung cancers and 10 benign nodules, were used. The nodules were grouped subjectively according to their subtlety.

Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration of gastric fundal varices with hemorrhage.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy, feasibility, and complications of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration for patients with hemorrhage from gastric fundal varices.

Subjects And Methods: Between December 1994 and February 2001, 24 consecutive patients with hemorrhage from gastric fundal varices were enrolled in this study. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration consisted of injecting 5% ethanolamine oleate iopamidol through the outflow vessels during balloon occlusion.