Application of hybrid operating rooms for treating spinal dural arteriovenous fistula

BACKGROUND A hybrid operating room(hybrid-OR)is a surgical space that combines a conventional operating room with advanced medical imaging devices.AIM To explore and summarize the technical features and effectiveness of the application of a hybrid-OR in dealing with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas(SDAVFs).METHODS Eleven patients with SDAVFs were treated with the use of a hybrid-OR at the Department of Neurosurgery of our hospital between January 2015 and December 2018.The dual-marker localization technique was used in the hybrid-OR to locate the SDAVFs and skin incision,and the interoperative digital subtraction angiography(DSA)technique was used before and after microsurgical ligation of the fistulae in the hybrid-OR to verify the accuracy of obliteration.The patients were followed for an average of 2 years after the operation,and the preoperative American Spinal Cord Injury Association(ASIA)score and postoperative ASIA score at 6 mo after the operation were compared.RESULTS The location and skin incision of the SDAVFs were accurately obtained by using the dual-marker localization technique in the hybrid-OR in all patients,and there were no cases that required expansion of the range of the bone window in order to expose the lesions.Intraoperative error obliteration occurred and was identified in two patients by using the intraoperative DSA technique;therefore,the findings provided by the intraoperative DSA system significantly changed the surgical procedure in these two patients.With the assistance of the hybrid-OR,the feeding artery was correctly ligated in all cases,and the intraoperative error obliteration rate decreased from 18.2%(2/11)to 0%.All 11 patients were followed for an average of 2 years.The ASIA score at 6 mo after the operation was significantly improved compared with the preoperative ASIA score,and there were no patients with late recurrence during the follow-up.CONCLUSION Compared with intra-arterial embolization for the treatment of SDAVFs,hybrid-ORs can solve the problem of a higher incidence of initial failure and late recurrence.Compared with direct occlusion of SDAVFs in microsurgery,hybrid-ORs can take advantage of the intraoperative DSA system for locating the shunt and verifying the obliteration of fistulae in order to reduce the error obliteration rate.At this point,our experience suggests that the safety and ease of use make hybrid-ORs combined with microsurgery and intraoperative DSA systems an attractive modality for dealing with SDAVFs.     

Non-invasive home lung impedance monitoring in early post-acute heart failure discharge: Three case reports

BACKGROUND Patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure(AHF) are frequently readmitted due to an incomplete decongestion, which is difficult to assess clinically. Recently, it has been shown that the use of a highly sensitive,non-invasive device measuring lung impedance(LI) reduces hospitalizations for heart failure(HF); it has also been shown that this device reduces the cardiovascular and all-cause mortality of stable HF patients when used in longterm out-patient follow-ups. The aim of these case series is to demonstrate the potential additive role of non-invasive home LI monitoring in the early postdischarge period.CASE SUMMARY We present a case series of three patients who had performed daily LI measurements at home using the edema guard monitor(EGM) during 30 d after an episode of AHF. All patients had a history of chronic ischemic HF with a reduced ejection fraction and were hospitalized for 6–17 d. LI measurements were successfully made at home by patients with the help of their caregivers. The patients were carefully followed up by HF specialists who reacted to the values of LI measurements, blood pressure, heart rate and clinical symptoms. LI reduction was a more frequent trigger to medication adjustments compared to changes in symptoms or vital signs. Besides, LI dynamics closely tracked the use and dose of diuretics.CONCLUSION Our case series suggests non-invasive home LI monitoring with EGM to be a reliable and potentially useful tool for the early detection of congestion or dehydration and thus for the further successful stabilization of a HF patient after a worsening episode.     

Protective effects of combined treatment with ciprofol and mild therapeutic hypothermia during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Despite improvement in cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) performance,cardiac arrest(CA) is still associated with poor prognosis. The high mortality rate is due to multi-organ dysfunction caused by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury(I/R). The guidelines for CPR suggest the use of therapeutic hypothermia(TH) as an effective treatment to decrease mortality and the only approach confirmed to reduce I/R injury. During TH, sedative agents(propofol) and analgesia agents(fentanyl) are commonly us...     

A comparison of handheld and standard ultrasound in Swiss medical students

BACKGROUND:The use of ultrasound(US)within healthcare has inspired the development of new US technology.There have been few studies comparing the use of handheld US to standard US for medical education.This research aims to determine whether a handheld US device can provide a comparable primary learning experience to that of a standard US machine.METHODS:Over two days of instruction,participants were taught and evaluated on core US fundamentals.The standard group received instruction on standard US machines,while the handheld group received instruction on handheld US devices.Participants completed a qualitative survey regarding their experience.Six hundred and four images were obtained and graded by two emergency medicine physicians.RESULTS:A total of 119 Swiss medical students were enrolled in our study.There was no statistically significant difference in the US assessment measurements,except for faster endpoint septal separation(EPSS)vascular setup time in the handheld group(P=0.001).There was no statistically significant difference in participants’perceived difficulty of US learning(P=0.198),comfort level(P=0.188),or self-estimated capability to perform US in the future(P=0.442).There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of correctly obtained images(P=0.211)or images that were clinically useful(P=0.256).The median quality score of images obtained by the standard group was eight compared to seven in handheld group(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Our data suggest a handheld US machine can perform as well as a standard US machine as an educational tool despite sacrifices in image quality.     

Standards for reporting interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture:The STRICTA Recommendations

Summary: Acupuncture treatment and control group interventions in parallel-group randomised trials of acupuncture are not always precisely reported. In an attempt to improve standards, an international group of experienced acupuncturists and researchers devised a set of recommendations, designating them.STRICTA: Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture. In a further consensus-building round, the editors of several journals helped redraft the recommendations. These follow the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) format, acting as an extension of the CONSORT guidelines for the specific requirements of acupuncture studies. Participating journal editors are publishing the STRICTA recommendations and requesting prospective authors to adhere to them when preparing reports for publication. Other journals are invited to adopt these recommendations.The intended outcome is that interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture will be more adequately reported, ther     

A validation report about plasma collection by new bowl and tube system

<正>Introduction The plasma collector NGL XJC 2000 from Nigale (Sichuan Nigale Biomedical Co Ltd,Chengdu,China) has been available since its CE certification in Europe and is distributed by the company StradisMed (Stradis-Med,Egelsbach,Germany).Due to its high conformity in design and functionality with the cell separator PCS-2 from Haemonetics disposables,originally produced for the Nigale separator can also be used with the PCS-2 for plasma collection.Therefore,the Plasma Service Tirol under the direction of Univ.-Doz.Dr.Walter Nussbaumer carried out a change control procedure for the usability of the Nigale sets on PCS-2 separators from Haemonetics.The analyzed routine values were compared with the values of standard procedures.In addition,an expanded number of sets (n=214) were evaluated for their performance in routine use.With a positive assessment Nigale disposables could serve as an ideal back-up system for companies working with PCS-2 separators without further operator trainings.This means that the risk of production loss by one company could be minimized by using disposable from a second supplier.     

Percutaneous closure of gastrorenal shunt as adjunctive therapy for esophageal carcinoma

The embolization of gastric varices is an established technique for acute bleeding in patients with portal hypertension. Here, we report an attempt to embolize a gastrorenal shunt to facilitate esophagectomy in a patient with an esophageal malignancy. To our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature to highlight the role of interventional medicine in the treatment of patients with esophageal malignancy.     

高血压性脑出血的内科康复干预

The morbidity of hypertension induced cerebral hemorrhage (HICH) has been increasing due to the total percentage increase of senile population,resulting in the ever heavier burden for the state, the society and the family as well.To increase the therapeutic efficiency of HICH is an urgent affair that needs to be addressed by rehabilitation clinics.The present paper will discuss about some measures that the author found useful in her years of medical practice.     

Irreversible electroporation for liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis;40%–50% of patients have liver metastases at the time of initial diagnosis and only 15%–20% undergo surgical resection. Irreversible electroporation(IRE) is a new, non-thermal local ablation method for solid tumors, which can induce cell membrane permeabilization,resulting in unrecoverable nanoscale perforation and apoptotic cell death without damaging the structural components of tissues.CASE SUMMARY We report the case of a 66-year-old female patient with liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer with a pathological diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was elevated to 420.3 U/m L.Computed tomography showed a pancreas mass of 2.7 cm × 2.5 cm and single liver metastasis of 1.4 cm × 1.1 cm in the S6 area. The patient underwent IRE and arterial infusion chemotherapy and received tegafur. The therapeutic effect of the combination treatment has been evaluated as complete response. To date, the patient has survived for > 12 mo and is receiving tegafur as maintenance therapy(at the time this case report was written).CONCLUSION IRE plus arterial infusion chemotherapy and tegafur may be synergistic,providing a reference for treating liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer.     

Nutritional status of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer: a pilot study

Purpose  

Nutritional status may influence quality of life and prognosis among pancreatic cancer patients, yet few studies describe measures of nutritional status during treatment. We evaluated the nutritional status of locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy who received baseline nutritional assessment and counseling.     

Endobiliary Stent Position Changes during External-beam Radiotherapy

PurposeEndobiliary stents can be used as surrogates for pancreatic localization when using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) during external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT). This work reports on interfraction stent position changes during EBRT for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC).Materials and MethodsSix patients with endobiliary stents who underwent EBRT for LAPC were assessed. Measurements from the most superior aspect of the stent (sup stent) and the most inferior aspect of the stent (inf stent) to the most inferior, posterior aspect of the L1 vertebra central spinous process were determined from daily treatment CBCTs and compared with those determined from the planning computed tomography (CT) scan. Changes in stent-L1 measurements were interpreted as changes in relative stent position.ResultsThree patients showed mean interfraction stent position changes of ≥1 cm when treatment measurements were compared with planning measurements. The sup stent for patient A moved to the right (2.66 ± 2.77 cm) and inferiorly (3.0 ± 3.12 cm), and the inf stent moved to the right (1.92 ± 2.02 cm) inferiorly (3.23 ± 3.34 cm) and posteriorly (1.41 ± 1.43 cm). The inf stent for patient B moved superiorly (2.23 ± 0.49 cm) and posteriorly (1.72 ± 0.59 cm). The sup and inf stent for patient F moved inferiorly (0.98 ± 0.35 cm and 1.21 ± 0.38 cm, respectively). The remaining three patients C, D, and E showed interfraction position changes of <1 cm.ConclusionEndobiliary stent migration and deformation were observed in a small subset of patients. Further investigation is required before confirming their use as surrogates for LAPC target localization during image-guided EBRT.     

Early nontumorous CT findings after irreversible electroporation of locally advanced pancreatic cancer

Purpose

The use of irreversible electroporation (IRE) has been a relatively recent development in the palliative treatment of locally advanced pancreatic cancer. With CT as a key modality in patient follow-up, recognition of nontumorous imaging findings is paramount after IRE.

Methods

A retrospective review of patients having undergone IRE for locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma was performed. A total of 36 patients met inclusion criteria and their imaging studies were reviewed by two radiologists. Nontumorous abnormalities identified in the peri-electroporation bed on Computed Tomography (CT) during the early postoperative period (within 30 days) were characterized and classified into categories.

Results

Our results indicate that the most common nontumorous findings in the peri-electroporation bed were vascular, followed by changes involving the gastrointestinal tract, peritoneal cavity, and, infrequently, the biliary tree.

Conclusions

Interpretation of CT imaging of the postoperative peri-electroporation bed is challenging. This review of CT findings allows the radiologist to recognize and anticipate significant nontumorous findings in the peri-electroporation bed during early follow-up after IRE.

     

局限性胰腺炎的彩色多普勒超声诊断及误诊分析

目的：评价彩色多普勒超声对局限性胰腺炎和胰腺癌的鉴别诊断价值。方法：对8例经手术病理证实的局限性胰腺炎的超声声像图及其误诊原因进行回顾性分析。结果：局限性胰腺炎与胰腺癌在超声图像上有许多相似之处,如发病部位、病灶形态、内部回声、均质程度及邻近血管变化等,但局限性胰腺炎也有其特征性的声像图表现,如内部强回声斑块、胰管和胆总管的阻塞形态、彩色多普勒血流显像等方面与胰腺癌有明显差别。结论：彩色多普勒超声对局限性胰腺炎与胰腺癌有一定的鉴别诊断价值。     

胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤的MRI表现——肿瘤与胰管及邻近结构的细微征象

目的探讨胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤的MRI表现,着重分析肿瘤与主胰管及邻近结构的细微征象。方法收集我院2000年1月-2014年1月经手术病理证实的胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤患者26例和胰腺腺癌58例进行研究。所有病例在行1.5T MRI扫描后综合各个序列图像观察肿瘤的部位、形态、大小、数目、边缘、平扫及动态增强后信号特征,着重探讨肿瘤与主胰管、十二指肠环、胰周大血管的关系。结果26例胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤术前MRI共发现27个病灶,肿瘤最大径为4.2±2.6 cm（0.8-9.0 cm）,主胰管最大径为2.1±1.1 mm（1-4 mm）;肿块〉3 cm的囊实性肿瘤并向胰外突出生长者占33.3%（9/27）。76.9%（20/26）的胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤病例见“主胰管绕道征/主胰管偏移征”、胰腺癌未见此征象（χ^2=58.558,P 〈0.05）;增强扫描胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤有多种强化方式,胰周大血管受压移位且未侵犯者占38.5%（10/26）。结论胰腺单发边缘清晰的肿块、动态增强呈富血供肿瘤、见到“主胰管绕道征/主胰管偏移征”且主胰管管径在正常范围内、胰周大血管受推移而不被侵犯者,需考虑胰腺神经内分泌肿瘤。     

The relationships between pancreatic ductal obstruction and pancreatic secretion in man.

Precise relationships between pancreatic ductal obstruction and pancreatic secretory capacity have not been established. In this study, we describe the quantitative relationships between the lengths of opacified ducts obtained at retrograde pancreatography and the secretory capcity of the gland for volume, bicarbonate, lipase, and trypsin. Forty-five patients (17 with pancreatic cancer, 6 pancreatitis, 5 other malignancies, and 17 nonmalignant, nonpancreatic disease found at laparotomy) were studied with a method of duodenal intubation and perfusion with basal saline perfusion alone or with continuous intravenous infusion of secretin or of cholecystokinin-pancreozymin. Secretory outputs of volume, bicarbonate, and enzymes compared with the length of opacified ducts showed a significant (P less than 0.05) linear relationship for patients with pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and other cancers. The resulting data imply that obstruction of the pancreatic duct is important in decreasing secretion of the pancreas in pancreatic disease. The relationship between obstruction and pancreatic secretion demonstrates that a decrease in exocrine pancreatic secretion cannot be detected until more than 60% of the total length of the main pancreatic duct has been obstructed.     

局限型胰腺炎的超声诊断：附10例分析

局限型腺炎在影像学上的表现与肿有为相似。本文予其声像图较详细的分析，以探讨良恶性病变的鉴别诊断。共收集了我院诊治的１０经病理和细胞学证实的局限型胰腺炎。从５个方面，即病灶、病灶以外的胰腺，胰管，胆总管，邻因管管，回顾性分析其声像图表现。     

Non-enhanced Pattern on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Local Efficacy Assessment of Irreversible Electroporation Ablation of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

The objective was to evaluate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the assessment of the local efficacy after irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma 1 mo after ablation. Fifteen patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were treated with IRE and then examined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound 1 mo after ablation. The contrast agent was SonoVue. Technical efficacy was assessed at 3 mo after IRE and classified as technical efficiency (TE) and technical inefficiency (TIE). Diagnostic performance was analyzed using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Ten patients were considered as having TE, and five, TIE. Complete non-enhancement was observed in seven ablation zones (70.0%) in the TE group, and peripheral heterogeneous enhancement, in all five ablation zones (100.0%) in the TIE group. The non-enhancement pattern differed significantly between the TE and TIE groups (p?=?0.026), with significant correlation with technical efficacy (p?=?0.007). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.85 (p?=?0.008, 95% confidence interval: 0.65–1.05). A non-enhancement pattern using contrast-enhanced ultrasound was useful in the assessment of local efficacy after IRE ablation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.