Initial experience and safety in the treatment of chronic total coronary occlusions with a new optical coherent reflectometry-guided radiofrequency ablation guidewire

The Safe-Cross wire system, which has optical coherence reflectometry technology for navigating and radiofrequency energy provided at its tip for crossing chronic total occlusions (CTOs), provides a promising means to treat hard, organized CTOs. Using this system, we report on a 60% success rate in patients who had long-standing coronary CTOs that had > or =1 failed attempt using conventional percutaneous coronary intervention.     

Portal vein thrombosis after radiofrequency ablation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

Recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) deserves multidisciplinary treatment in addition to surgical resection. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an evolving, localized, thermal ablative treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Though the preliminary results of RFA in clinical studies are encouraging, its serious complications should not be underestimated. Portal vein thrombosis as a result of direct blood vessel injury by RFA is rarely reported and is potentially fatal in patients with limited liver reserve due to underlying liver cirrhosis. We present a case of portal vein thrombosis as a complication of RFA treatment for recurrent HCC and illustrate its underlying possible mechanism.     

Clinics in diagnostic imaging (89). Infantile hepatosplenic haemangioendotheliomas

The ultrasonographical and computed tomography findings of a six-month-old female infant with haemangioendotheliomas of the liver and spleen are described. The splenic lesion had an unusual ultrasonographical appearance of a well-defined isoechoic mass with a hypoechoic rim. Diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination of the hepatic biopsy specimen. Hepatosplenic lesions in the first year of life may be due to a variety of pathological processes. It is important to include haemangioendotheliomas in the differential diagnosis of hepatosplenic masses in an infant.     

An outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Melaka, Malaysia

This paper reports a second outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis due to coxsackievirus A24 in peninsular Malaysia. Between June 2002 and early October 2003, 10,327 patients, comprising 3,261 children and 7,066 adults, were treated for acute conjunctivitis in 11 government health clinics in the Melaka Tengah district of the state of Melaka. The figure grossly underestimates the size of the outbreak; as no patients treated in private clinics in the same district were included. Institution and household surveillance showed that the commonest presenting clinical feature of the illness was eye-discharge (91.2%), followed by foreign body sensation (81.8%), pain (78.3%) and subconjunctival haemorrhage (74.4%). The mean duration of illness was 6.5 and five days for patients with and without subconjunctival haemorrhage respectively.