Magnetic compression anastomosis for the treatment of complete biliary obstruction after cholecystectomy.

Background And Aims: Post-cholecystectomy biliary strictures can be treated surgically or nonsurgically. Although endoscopic or percutaneous treatments are the preferred approaches, these methods are not feasible in cases in which complete stricture occlusion prevents the successful passage of a guidewire. The utility of magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) in patients with post-cholecystectomy complete biliary obstruction that cannot be treated conventionally was evaluated.

Magnetic compression anastomosis for treatment of biliary stricture after cholecystectomy.

Video 1Magnetic compression anastomosis for treatment of biliary stricture after cholecystectomy.

Safety and Efficacy of a Large-Bore Biliary Metallic Stent for Malignant Biliary Obstruction.

Unlabelled: Self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) are typically inserted in patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction. However, SEMSs are susceptible to occlusion. To overcome this issue, we developed a large-bore, dumbbell-shaped, fully covered SEMS (FCSEMS-L) and compared its efficacy and safety with those of a conventional FCSEMS (FCSEMS-C) in patients with malignant biliary obstruction.

Prospective Multi-Center Korean Registry of Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization with Drug-Eluting Embolics for Nodular Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Two-Year Outcome Analysis.

Objective: To assess the two-year treatment outcomes of chemoembolization with drug-eluting embolics (DEE) for nodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: This study was a prospective, multicenter, registry-based, single-arm trial conducted at five university hospitals in Korea. Patients were recruited between May 2011 and April 2013, with a target population of 200.

Short fully covered self-expandable metal stent for treatment of proximal anastomotic benign biliary stricture after living-donor liver transplantation.

Objectives: Non-surgical methods have high success rates for treating benign biliary strictures (BBSs), but treatment of proximal strictures is difficult. Recent studies have reported that fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) are useful for treating refractory BBSs. We investigated the efficacy of a short and removable FCSEMS with an anti-migration design for treatment of proximal BBSs.

Phase I Radiation Dose-Escalation Study to Investigate the Dose-Limiting Toxicity of Concurrent Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Concurrent intra-arterial chemotherapy and radiotherapy (iA-CCRT) can increase the response rate in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but may cause a higher toxicity. We conducted this Phase I study to investigate the dose-limiting toxicity of iA-CCRT for HCC. In total, 52.

Maintenance of the fistulous tract after recanalization via magnetic compression anastomosis in completely obstructed benign biliary stricture.

Objective: This study compared the efficacy of a percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) catheter and a fully covered self-expandable metal stent (FCSEMS) for maintaining biliary tract patency after magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA).

Methods: This study included patients with completely obstructed benign biliary stricture (BBS), which was resolved by MCA and subsequent insertion of a PTCS catheter or FCSEMS. We compared the restenosis-free time after removal of the PTCS catheter or FCSEMS, and the rate of complications.

Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage in a Two-Month-Old Infant with Inspissated Bile Syndrome.

Inspissated bile syndrome (IBS) is a relatively rare condition. Many treatment options are available, including medication, surgery, and surgical interventions, such as insertion of cholecystostomy drain, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, internal biliary drainage, and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). We herein report the first case of IBS that was successfully treated with PTBD in a two-month-old infant in Korea.

Factors affecting survival after concurrent chemoradiation therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) followed by hepatic arterial infusional chemotherapy (HAIC) was reported to be effective for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein thrombosis. However, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is not preferred in this setting. The aim of this study was to assess the factors affecting survival after CCRT, including additional TACE during repeated HAIC.

Effectiveness of Ambulatory Tru-Close Thoracic Vent for the Outpatient Management of Pneumothorax: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the technical feasibility, procedural safety, and long-term therapeutic efficacy of a small-sized ambulatory thoracic vent (TV) device for the treatment of pneumothorax.

Materials And Methods: From November 2012 to July 2013, 18 consecutive patients (3 females, 15 males) aged 16-64 years (mean: 34.7 ± 14.

Salvage therapy using self-expandable metal stents for recalcitrant anastomotic strictures after living-donor liver transplantation.

Background: Recently, there has been an increase in clinical success rates using nonsurgical methods to resolve anastomotic biliary strictures (ABSs) that develop after liver transplantation (LT). However, some strictures are particularly refractory and cannot be completely resolved by an endoscopic or percutaneous procedure. Consequently, the aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and efficacy of using a newly designed fully covered self-expandable metal stent (FCSEMS) to resolve refractory ABS.

Korean Multicenter Registry of Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization with Drug-Eluting Embolic Agents for Nodular Hepatocellular Carcinomas: Six-Month Outcome Analysis.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting embolic (DEE) agents for nodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: The study design was a prospective multicenter registry-based, single-arm clinical trial that included 152 patients. One hundred three (67.

Optimized Performance of FlightPlan during Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Importance of the Proportion of Segmented Tumor Area.

Objective: To evaluate retrospectively the clinical effectiveness of FlightPlan for Liver (FPFL), an automated tumor-feeding artery detection software in cone-beam CT angiography (CBCTA), in identifying tumor-feeding arteries for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using three different segmentation sensitivities.

Materials And Methods: The study included 50 patients with 80 HCC nodules who received transarterial chemoembolization. Standard digital subtracted angiography (DSA) and CBCTA were systematically performed and analyzed.

Balloon-Supported Passage of a Stent-Graft into the Aortic Arch.

A 62-year-old man was admitted, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) procedure was performed to treat an accidentally detected aortic aneurysm, which was 63 mm in diameter. While performing TEVAR, the passage of the stent-graft introducer system was impossible due to the prolapse of the introducer system into a wide-necked aneurysm; this aneurysm was located at the greater curvature of the proximal descending thoracic aorta. In order to advance the introducer system, a compliant balloon was inflated.

Sentinel node mapping of VX2 carcinoma in rabbit thigh with CT lymphography using ethiodized oil.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of computed tomography (CT) lymphography using ethiodized oil for sentinel node mapping in experimentally induced VX2 carcinoma in the rabbit thigh.

Materials And Methods: This experiment received approval from the institutional animal use and care administrative advisory committee. Twenty-three rabbits with VX2 carcinoma in the thigh underwent CT before and after (1 hour, 2 hour) peritumoral injection of 2 mL ethiodized oil.

Liver abscess after transarterial chemoembolization in patients with bilioenteric anastomosis: frequency and risk factors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the frequency of and risk factors for liver abscess formation after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or metastatic hepatic tumors after undergoing bilioenteric anastomosis.

Materials And Methods: From January 1996 to June 2012, 25 patients (21 men, four women; age range, 34-74 years) with hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 12) or metastatic hepatic tumors (n = 13) with an underlying bilioenteric anastomosis underwent 65 TACE procedures. The incidence of liver abscess, predisposing factors (diabetes, Child-Pugh class, leukopenia, tumor number, tumor size, tumor burden, tumor type, portal vein thrombus, lipiodol dose, particulate embolization, embolization selectivity, oily portogram, antibiotic prophylaxis, and occurrence of liver abscess at initial TACE), and clinical outcome were evaluated.

Recanalization of thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis by minimal venotomy.

The present work describes the preliminary results of a new method of minimally invasive thrombectomy in the treatment of thrombosed arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with dilated aneurysm. Data from 25 patients who were treated with this minimal venotomy technique were retrospectively reviewed. The minimal venotomy was made on the dilated fistula, and thrombectomy was performed with forceps and Fogarty catheters through the venotomy site.

Safety of chemotherapeutic infusion or chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma supplied exclusively by the cystic artery.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the safety of chemotherapeutic infusion or chemoembolization by way of the cystic artery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) supplied exclusively by the cystic artery.

Methods: Between Jan 2002 and Dec 2011, we performed chemotherapeutic infusion or chemoembolization using iodized oil for the treatment of 27 patients with HCC supplied exclusively by the cystic artery. Computed tomography (CT) scans, digital subtraction angiograms, and medical records were retrospectively reviewed by consensus.

An anthropomorphic phantom study of computer-aided detection performance for polyp detection on CT colonography: a comparison of commercially and academically available systems.

Objective: The objective of our study was to compare the diagnostic performances of two commercial computer-aided detection (CAD) systems and a CAD system developed in our laboratory, which we refer to as an "academic CAD system," for polyp detection on CT colonography (CTC) and to assess the detection characteristics of the CAD systems.

Materials And Methods: One hundred three polyps (48 polyps < 6 mm and 55 polyps > or = 6 mm; 45 sessile, 33 flat, and 25 pedunculated polyps) were created. Each CTC data set was analyzed using two commercial CAD systems (Computer Assisted Reader [CAR] and Polyp Enhanced View [PEV]) and one Hessian matrix-based academic CAD system.