Publications by authors named "Mercedes Perez-Lafuente"

Objective: To report our experience of using biodegradable biliary stents for anastomotic biliary strictures in pediatric liver transplant patients.

Methods: Analysis of a retrospective data collection from January 2014 to January 2023, including all pediatric liver transplant recipients in our center treated for anastomotic biliary strictures with biodegradable biliary stents (BBS). In phase 1 (2014-2019), there was an initial percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) with anastomotic dilatation followed two weeks after by a second PTC with BBS insertion.

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Background: Interventional radiological procedures have significantly increased in recent years. Most of them are minimally invasive and require a short hospitalization, mainly done in other non-radiological units nowadays. Limited bed availability and high occupancy rates in these units create longer waiting lists and cancellations.

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Purpose: Biliary ductal injuries are challenging to treat, and often lead to severe morbidity and mortality. The first-line approach involves endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy and, in case of refractory leakage, long-lasting percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, endoscopic or percutaneous injection of sclerosing agents and/or coiling can be used. We describe a treatment procedure using microcatheter-mediated percutaneous or endoscopic argon plasma coagulation (APC).

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A 27-year-old man, previously diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, was referred for native kidney biopsy. After the procedure, the patient presented active bleeding revealed by Doppler and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography at the biopsy site. Successful embolization of the cortical fistula, the focus of bleeding, was achieved using ultrasound-guided thrombin injection and confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, and CT angiography.

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Background And Objectives: Transjugular renal biopsies (TRB) are an alternative when percutaneous ultrasound renal biopsy is contraindicated. Few sites are currently carrying out this procedure, with limited literature existing on the indications, complications and diagnostic yield thereof. The aim of the study is to analyse the indications, diagnostic yield, safety and complications of percutaneous transjugular renal biopsies in our site over the last 15 years.

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COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 virus) pandemic was recently declared by the WHO as a global health emergency. A group of interventional radiology senior experts developed a consensus document for infection control and management of patients with COVID-19 in interventional radiology (IR) departments. This consensus statement has been brought together at short notice with the help of different protocols developed by governmental entities and scientific societies to be adapted to the current reality and needs of IR Departments.

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Objectives: Benign strictures of the bile duct may be difficult to treat endoscopically due to altered bowel anatomy. Furthermore, recurrence of stenosis and symptoms remains high. The aim of the Spanish Prospective Registry BiELLA study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of absorbable stents in the treatment of benign biliary strictures and their outcomes on the medium and long-term follow-up.

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Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (CEPS) or Abernethy malformation is a rare condition in which splanchnic venous blood bypasses the liver draining directly into systemic circulation through a congenital shunt. Patients may develop hepatic encephalopathy (HE), pulmonary hypertension (PaHT), or liver tumors, among other complications. However, the actual incidence of such complications is unknown, mainly because of the lack of a protocolized approach to these patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Postoperative small bowel or colic anastomotic bleeding (PSCAB) is usually a manageable complication, often treated conservatively, but alternative methods include surgery, endoscopy, and angiographic embolization.
  • An observational study at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital from 2007-2012 reviewed 44 cases of PSCAB, with a majority being men (56.8%) and an average age of 68.2 years; 61.3% were treated conservatively, while 20.5% underwent embolization, which had a high rate of complications like anastomotic leaks.
  • The study concluded that conservative treatment is effective for most patients with PSCAB, but when this fails, other treatments like embol
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Plexiform neurofibromas are benign tumors originating from subcutaneous or visceral peripheral nerves, which are usually associated with neurofibromatosis type 1. Giant neurofibromas are very difficult to manage surgically as they are extensively infiltrative and highly vascularized. These types of lesions require complex preoperative and postoperative management strategies.

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Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a rare, life-threatening clinical syndrome resulting from sinusoidal congestion, and it is characterized by hepatomegaly, ascites, weight gain, and jaundice. The frequency of this condition after liver transplantation (LT) is low, but when SOS is severe and refractory to medical therapy, the ultimate solution is retransplantation. We describe a patient with SOS after LT who was successfully treated by the placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).

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Background And Aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is superior to push enteroscopy and small bowel barium radiography in detecting the source of obscure GI bleeding. We now compared whether CE has a superior diagnostic yield than CT angiography (CTA) or standard mesenteric angiography (ANGIO) in patients with obscure GI bleeding.

Methods: From June 2004 to October 2005, consecutive patients admitted for OGIB underwent both CTA and ANGIO, followed by CE, performed blindly by independent examiners within the next 7 days.

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Aortic stenosis, or narrowing of the aortic lumen, has many causes. It may originate in coarctation or pseudocoarctation of the aorta, midaortic dysplastic syndrome, atherosclerosis, Takayasu arteritis, aortic dissection, or various intraaortic and periaortic diseases or as a result of aortic surgical repair. The impedance of blood flow through the stenotic segment may lead to the development of various collateral arterial pathways, according to the location of stenosis.

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