Coronary Artery Embolism: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

Coronary embolism (CE) is an uncommon and unique cause of acute myocardial infarction. In this report, we review 216 cases of CE including 2 new cases from our institution. The mean patient age was 52.5 years and 62% of the patients were males. Chest pain was the most common presenting symptom followed by dyspnea, and the most commonly affected vessel was the left anterior descending artery. Leading etiologies of the embolus were atrial fibrillation, septic emboli, and iatrogenic causes. Treatment approaches varied with thrombus aspiration being used in 30% of cases. In-hospital mortality rate was 36% and 13% of the cases were complicated by cerebrovascular accident. CE is a unique pathology that leads to acute myocardial infarction. It portends a high mortality rate and requires a high level of suspicion as symptoms may be misleading. Further research is needed in order to improve recognition and management and to lower associated mortality.     

Resection of hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus in the major vasculature. A European case-control series

Tumor thrombus in major vasculature is a frequent finding with a poor long-term prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The utility of surgical resection is still controversial. This study compared morbidity and survival after resection for HCC with and without tumor thrombus. Data of 108 patients who underwent major hepatic resection for HCC were prospectively recorded. Patients were divided into two groups. The venous thrombectomy (VT) group included 26 patients who had HCC with tumor thrombus in the portal or hepatic veins. The matched control group included 82 patients who had HCC without tumor thrombus. Surgical technique, early outcome, and late survival were analyzed in each group. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the prognostic value of this feature. Surgical technique was comparable in the VT and control group with regard to extent of hepatectomy, procedure duration, and transfusion requirements. Early postoperative outcome was also comparable. Actuarial survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 38%, 20%, and 13%, respectively, in the VT group (median: 9 months) versus 74%, 56%, and 33%, respectively, in the control group (median: 41 months). In the subgroup of patients with tumor thrombus limited to the portal vein, actuarial survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 50%, 26%, and 17%, respectively, (median: 12 months) and two patients lived longer than 5 years. Multivariate analysis showed that incomplete resection, alphafetoprotein level greater than 100 N, more than two tumor nodules, and tumor thrombus in major vasculature were independent factors of poor prognosis. Survival after resection for HCC with tumor thrombus in the major vasculature is poorer than after resection for HCC without tumor thrombus. However, an aggressive surgical strategy can provide significant survival with comparable morbidity in selected cases, that is, tumor thrombus located in the portal vein only and expected complete resection of the lesions.     

肝细胞癌合并胆管癌栓患者术中癌栓的处理

目的 探讨肝细胞癌（HCC）合并胆管癌栓患者术中癌栓的处理方式和术后恢复过程。方法 对1995年1月-2002年12月手术治疗的27例HCC合并胆管癌栓情况进行回顾性总结和分析。结果 只有59．3％（16／27）患者行肝切除、胆管取癌栓及胆管引流术。全组术后并发症发生率为55．6％（15／27），术后30d病死率为22．2％（6／27）。结论 HCC合并胆管癌栓的预后差，早期诊断和外科手术治疗是改善此病预后的关键。     

OptEase滤器在下肢深静脉血栓形成治疗中的应用

目的：总结8例下肢深静脉血栓形成手术治疗中使用OptEase可回收腔静脉滤器 的经验.方法：通过8例使用OptEase可回收腔静脉滤器临床资料,分析回收方式与并发症.结果：术中、术后无肺栓塞发生,回收时腔静脉造影示：滤器处不完全血栓和健侧髂静脉血栓各1例,成功回收5例,转为永久性置入3例.随访328个月,无肢体静脉血栓复发.结论：下肢深静脉血栓形成手术中使用可回收腔静脉滤器能有效防止肺栓塞,术后可回收的特点有广阔的应用前景.     

CT引导下经皮无水乙醇注射治疗肝癌门静脉瘤栓

目的探讨CT引导下经皮无水乙醇注射治疗肝癌门静脉瘤栓的疗效。方法对20例肝癌伴门静脉瘤栓患者,进行CT引导下门静脉瘤栓内无水乙醇注射治疗。每周1～2次,1～3次为一疗程,每例1～2个疗程,疗程间隔1个月,治疗后随访6个月～5年。结果20例中,17例(85%)瘤栓有不同程度改善,其中2例(10%)瘤栓消失,15例(75%)瘤栓缩小或无进展,3例(15%)无效。结论CT引导下经皮注射无水乙醇治疗门静脉瘤栓是一种有效治疗方法,治疗病例的选择是取得良好疗效的关键。     

Clinical outcome of surgical management for patients with renal cell carcinoma involving the inferior vena cava

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome after surgical management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extending to the inferior vena cava (IVC). METHODS: This study included a total of 55 patients (41 men and 14 women; mean age, 59.3 years) with RCC (39 right- and 16 left-sided tumors) involving the IVC, who underwent radical nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy between 1983 and 2005 at a single institution in Japan. The level of thrombus was classified as follows: level I, infrahepatic; level II, intrahepatic; level III, suprahepatic; and level IV, extending to the atrium. Clinicopathological data from these patients were retrospectively reviewed to identify factors associated with survival. RESULTS: There were 11 and 18 patients who were diagnosed as having lymph node and distant metastases, respectively. Twenty-two patients had tumor thrombus in level I, 20 in level II, 10 in level III, and 3 in level IV. Pathological examinations demonstrated that 34 and 21 patients had clear cell carcinoma and non-clear cell carcinoma, respectively, 42, 9 and 4 were pT3b, pT3c and pT4, respectively, and 6, 35 and 14 were Grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Cancer-specific 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of these 55 patients were 74.5%, 51.4% and 30.3%, respectively. Among several factors examined, clinical stage (P = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.016), histological subtype (P = 0.034) and tumor grade (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with cancer-specific survival by univariate analysis. Furthermore, multivariate analysis demonstrated clinical stage (P = 0.037) and tumor grade (P < 0.001) as independent predictors of cancer-specific survival irrespective of other significant factors identified by univariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with RCC involving the IVC, biological aggressiveness characterized by tumor grade rather than tumor extension would have more potential prognostic importance; therefore, more intensive multimodal therapy should be considered in patients with high grade RCC with tumor thrombus extending into the IVC.     

Testicular cancer with tumor thrombus extending to the inferior vena cava successfully removed using veno-venous bypass: A case report

A 33-year-old man with a left testicular tumor was referred to Shinshu University Hospital for advanced therapy. Radiographic imaging revealed multiple metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes (RPLN) and bilateral lungs, as well as tumor thrombus that extended from the left renal vein to the inferior vena cava (IVC) adjacent to the right atrium. After orchidectomy, a diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma was made with a clinical stage of T1N2M1bS3, which has a poor prognosis, based on the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group consensus. After eight courses of chemotherapy, the patient's tumor markers normalized and the lung metastases disappeared, but the RPLN and tumor thrombus remained. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and thrombectomy were performed using a veno-venous bypass (VVB). The pathological examination of the thrombus revealed a mature teratoma. The patient has been disease-free since surgery.     

Effective segmental chemoembolization of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus in the portal vein

Purpose: Evaluate therapeutic results of transcatheter segmental hepatic artery chemo-oily-embolization (segmental TAE) against advanced hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) accompanied by portal tumor thrombus (PTT). Methods: Segmental TAE was performed in nine patients with hepatic cirrhosis and advanced HCCs accompanied by PTT. Four subsegmental portal branches were obstructed by PTT in three patients, and two were obstructed in the remaining six patients. TAE was performed into the targeted segmental hepatic artery followed by embolization with gelatin sponge particles. Results: In one patient undergoing subsequent resection, a marked anticancer effect on the PTT was demonstrated histologically. In the eight other patients who did not undergo subsequent resection, the cumulative survival rates were 67% at 6 months, 44% at 1 year, and 22% at 2 years. No serious complications were noted. Conclusions: This therapeutic approach is thought to be a useful treatment for HCC with PTT, because it reinforces anticancer effects and can be performed more safely than conventional transcatheter arterial embolization.     

自体动静脉内瘘血栓形成的影响因素

目的：了解动静脉内瘘血栓形成的原因，提出防治措施。方法：81例维持性血液透析患有15例内瘘发生血栓形成。分析病因、性别、年龄、血压、血脂对血栓形成的影响。结果：在内瘘使用的早期(三年内)易发生血栓，内瘘血栓发生率为18．52％。老年、男性、糖尿病、血压低、血脂高的患内瘘易发生血栓．结论：定时监测血管通路，适量使用促红索，缓慢提高血红蛋白，恰当地应用抗凝治疗；减慢透析超滤速度，防止透后低血压；采取阶梯式穿刺法，透析后采取点状压迫，防止力量过大，压迫时问过长和对患及家属进行保护内瘘的宣教均是预防内瘘发生血栓的重要措施。     

肝癌病人血浆和癌组织中血栓调节蛋白的检测

目的　检测肝癌病人血浆和肝癌组织中血栓调节蛋白 (TM )的表达 ,探讨TM与肝癌临床病理特征的关系。方法　用酶联免疫吸附夹心法检测 45例肝癌和 6例肝良性占位病人手术前后的血浆TM水平 ;用免疫组织化学法检测肝癌及肝良性占位组织中的TM蛋白表达水平。结果　术前肝癌组血浆TM水平 ( 10 .2± 5 .7)ng/mL明显高于肝良性占位组 ( 6.1± 2 .2 )ng/mL和正常人对照组 ( 5 .7± 1.0 )ng/mL ,P <0 .0 5 ;术前TM血浆水平肝癌伴门静脉癌栓组 ( 6.9± 4.5 )ng/mL和多发肝癌结节组 ( 8.1± 4.6)ng/mL明显低于无门静脉癌栓组( 11.4± 5 .6)ng/mL和单发肝癌结节组 ( 11.5± 5 .9)ng/mL ,P <0 .0 5 ;40例肝癌病人肝癌切除术前TM水平( 10 .8± 5 .3 )ng/mL与肝癌切除术后 ( 7.6± 4.2 )ng/mL相比差异显著 ,P <0 .0 5。肝良性占位组术前与术后相比差异无显著性 ,P >0 .0 5。肝癌组织中TM蛋白表达阳性的病人术前血浆TM水平明显高于TM表达阴性者 ,P <0 .0 5 ;而术后血浆TM水平两者则无显著性差异 ,P >0 .0 5。结论　肝癌病人血浆中TM水平升高 ,TM水平的高低与门静脉癌栓的形成有关