Surgical Management of Intramuscular Venous Malformations.

Background: Intramuscular venous malformations, often erroneously called "intramuscular hemangiomas," present to pediatric orthopaedic surgeons either as a differential diagnosis of tumor or as a cause of muscle pain. Treatment options include injection sclerotherapy or surgery. There is some literature to indicate that sclerotherapy can reduce pain, but little evidence on the effectiveness of surgery.

Evidence-Based Strategies and Recommendations for Preservation of Central Venous Access in Children.

Children with chronic illness often require prolonged or repeated venous access. They remain at high risk for venous catheter-related complications (high-risk patients), which largely derive from elective decisions during catheter insertion and continuing care. These complications result in progressive loss of the venous capital (patent and compliant venous pathways) necessary for delivery of life-preserving therapies.

Establishing a Platform for Interest and Education in Interventional Radiology Amongst Radiology Trainees.

Purpose: Over recent times, procedural Radiologists have begun to establish themselves as the distinct subspecialty of Interventional Radiology (IR). The Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia (IRSA) was established in 1982 to share collaborative ideas, encourage research, and promote education. IRSA developed a weekend registrar workshop attended by Radiology Registrars from Australia and New Zealand.

Infected (mycotic) aneurysms: spectrum of imaging appearances and management.

Infected aneurysms are uncommon. The aorta, peripheral arteries, cerebral arteries, and visceral arteries are involved in descending order of frequency. Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species are the most common causative pathogens.

Central venous catheter placement by an interventional radiology unit: an Australian experience.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the outcomes of central venous catheter (CVC) placement carried out by an interventional radiology unit. A review of our hospital records identified 331 consecutive patients who underwent insertion of a tunnelled or non-tunnelled CVC between January 2000 and December 2004. Key outcome measures included the technical success rate of CVC insertion and the percentage of immediate (<24 h), early (24 h-30 days) and late (>30 days) complications.

Alternative technique for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in a young child.

Liver transplantation is safer, more readily available and is increasingly being carried out in younger patients. Therapeutic bridging procedures such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt have therefore become more relevant to paediatrics, especially in the group of patients who are too unstable for surgery or in whom a liver graft is not available. We describe a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedure in a 4-year-old child with life-threatening variceal bleeding in whom the conventional procedure had failed.

Endovascular treatment of arterial mesenteric ischaemia: a retrospective review.

Mesenteric ischaemia is a condition that has traditionally been managed surgically. It poses a challenging diagnostic and therapeutic problem, particularly in the acute setting. We review a small series of eight patients managed with endovascular techniques for either acute or chronic mesenteric ischaemia at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, from 1997 to 2002.

Ruptured left gastric artery aneurysm: unique presentation with hemothorax and hemomediastinum.

Although splanchnic artery aneurysms are uncommon and remain mostly asymptomatic, they are associated with a high mortality rate when they rupture. We discuss the case of a 66-year-old woman who had successful embolization of a left gastric artery aneurysm after presenting with acute chest pain and the unusual computed tomography findings of hemothorax and hemomediastinum. To our knowledge, only one other similar case has been published in the literature.

Role of embolization in the management of splenic trauma.

The management of splenic trauma is determined by factors related to a patient's clinical state. Currently, non-surgical management is favoured because of morbidity related to laparotomy and splenectomy. However, the presence of a pseudoaneurysm might necessitate selective splenic arteriography and embolization.

Stenting for obstructing colorectal malignancy: an interim or definitive procedure.

Background: The purpose of this paper is to review and report our experience with colorectal stenting in the management of malignant large bowel obstruction.

Methods: Twelve consecutive patients with malignant left-sided large bowel obstruction between June 1998 and January 2001 underwent insertion of self-expanding metallic stents. One patient required two stents.

Treatment of acute renal failure caused by renal artery occlusion with renal artery angioplasty.

Background: Renovascular disease is a common cause of renal impairment and hypertension, particularly in the older population. Oligoanuric acute renal failure secondary to renal artery occlusion is not well recognized; however, it is potentially reversible if identified and treated.

Methods: Five patients presented to our institution with oligoanuric acute renal failure.

Florid computed tomographic appearance of acute Campylobacter enterocolitis.

A 28-year-old male presented with severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Computed tomographic scan showed marked swelling of the distal ileum and entire colorectum. The patient recovered and Campylobacter jejuni was subsequently grown from his faeces.

Central venous catheter placement.

Central venous access has become a vital element of medical care. Fraught with significant complications, traditional surgical approaches have yielded image-guided techniques. This article reviews clinical aspects and devices used, and compares surgical and interventional radiological approaches.