Extrafascial injection for interscalene brachial plexus block reduces respiratory complications compared with a conventional intrafascial injection: a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial.

Background: Hemidiaphragmatic paresis after ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block is reported to occur in up to 100% of patients. We tested the hypothesis that an injection lateral to the brachial plexus sheath reduces the incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paresis compared with a conventional intrafascial injection, while providing similar analgesia.

Methods: Forty ASA I-III patients undergoing elective shoulder and clavicle surgery under general anaesthesia were randomized to receive an ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block for analgesia, using 20 ml bupivacaine 0.

Ten-year clinical follow-up after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation.

Background: Little is known on the "very" long-term incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), target-lesion revascularization (TLR), target-vessel revascularization and stent thrombosis after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation. We present the first study to provide a 10-year clinical follow-up in an unselected patient population who underwent SES implantation.

Methods And Results: We ran a systematic 10-year clinical follow-up in a series of 200 consecutive patients treated with unrestricted SES implantation between April 2002 and April 2003 in two Swiss hospitals.

A propensity score-matched comparison between Cardia and Amplatzer PFO closure devices - insights from the SOLUTION registry (Swiss percutaneOus patent foramen ovale cLosUre in recurrent clinical events prevenTION).

Aims: To compare clinical outcome of Amplatzer PFO (APFO) to Cardia PFO (CPFO) occluder. Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure prevents stroke recurrence in stroke due to paradoxical embolism.

Methods And Results: The primary endpoint was a composite of stroke, TIA, or peripheral embolism at follow-up.

Direct magnetic resonance arthrography of the wrist with axial traction: a feasibility study to assess joint cartilage.

Purpose: To assess the impact of axial traction during acquisition of direct magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography of the wrist with regard to joint space width and amount of contrast material between the opposing cartilage surfaces.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients (12 male, mean age 38.1 years) were included in this Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study.

[Technique and value of direct MR arthrography applying articular distraction].

Direct MR arthrography has a better diagnostic accuracy than MR imaging alone. However, contrast material is not always homogeneously distributed in the articular space. Lesions of cartilage surfaces or intra-articular soft tissues can thus be misdiagnosed.