Nonfunctioning renal allograft embolization as an alternative to graft nephrectomy: report on seven years' experience.

Purpose: Graft nephrectomy is the treatment of choice in patients with graft intolerance syndrome, but it is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Renal vascular embolization has been suggested as a possible alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of arterial embolization of these nonfunctioning transplanted kidneys.

Percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy: effective treatment of acute cholecystitis in high risk patients.

Background: The mortality rate for cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis in the elderly is 10% in low risk patients and increases threefold in high risk patients. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy may serve as a rapid and relatively safe tool to relieve symptoms of sepsis and decrease gallbladder distension.

Objective: To determine the safety and effectiveness of PTC in the treatment of acute cholecystitis in elderly debilitated high risk patients.

Liver metastases from colorectal cancer: regional intra-arterial treatment following failure of systemic chemotherapy.

This study was designed to determine response rate, survival and toxicity associated with combination chemotherapy delivered intra-arterially to liver in patients with hepatic metastases of colorectal origin refractory to standard systemic treatment. A total of 28 patients who failed prior systemic treatment with fluoropyrimidines received a median of 5 cycles of intra-arterial treatment consisting of 5-fluorouracil 700 mg/m(2)/d, leucovorin 120 mg/m(2)/d, and cisplatin 20 mg/m(2)/d for 5 consecutive days. Cycles were repeated at intervals of 5-6 weeks.

Cervical pregnancy--a conservative stepwise approach.

A case of cervical pregnancy resistant to intramuscular methotrexate therapy is presented, which was successfully treated by intra-arterial methotrexate followed by selective prophylactic hypogastric artery embolization to avoid aggravating the vaginal bleeding. It is suggested that, in cervical pregnancies in which fertility preservation is desired, a stepwise conservative approach should be applied before resorting to surgical intervention.

The role of percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy in the management of acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients.

A method recently developed that may be an appropriate solution for high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis is percutaneous sonography-guided cholecystostomy. We report our experience in 10 high-risk elderly patients with clinical and sonographic diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Immediate regression and resolution of septic symptoms was achieved in all cases.

Early diagnosis and successful nonsurgical treatment of viable combined intrauterine and cervical pregnancy.

Cervical pregnancy is a rare form of EP often resulting in an obstetric catastrophe. We report a case of a combined viable IUP and cervical pregnancy resulting from IVF-ET treatment and which was diagnosed during the 7th week of gestation. Nonsurgical treatment consisting of selective intra-arterial catheterization and administration of MTX directly into the uterine arteries was carried out successfully.

A successful treatment of an intrarenal arteriovenous fistula by percutaneous embolization.

A 37-year-old woman patient, known to have poorly controlled arterial hypertension that was diagnosed following a cerebrovascular accident at the age of 15 years, was referred to our outpatient clinic for investigation in 1987. An intrarenal arteriovenous fistula was diagnosed by selective renal angiography. Embolization of the fistula was performed using four 15-mm/5-cm coils, which induced thrombosis and obstructed the fistula.

Computed tomography diagnosis of primary aorto-enteric fistula.

Primary aorto-enteric fistulae are rare. Preoperative diagnosis is important but is difficult and cannot usually be confirmed by upper gastrointestinal series, aortography and endoscopy. Computed tomography demonstrating an abdominal aortic aneurysm with air bubbles in its wall and "soft tissue" mass posteriorly should raise the possibility of penetration of the aneurysm into the lumen of the bowel and related consequences (hematoma, sepsis, infected operating field).

Alagille syndrome associated with moyamoya disease.

A 22-month-old girl with the typical manifestations of Alagille syndrome presented with acute right hemiparesis. Cerebral angiographic studies demonstrated the presence of complete occlusion of both internal carotid arteries with the formation of a collateral network of vessels compatible with the diagnosis of Moyamoya disease. This rare association has not been reported previously.