Patency of the supraclinoid internal carotid artery branches after flow diversion treatment. A meta-analysis

Background and purpose

Placement of flow-diverters across the ostia of major ICA branches carries a risk of arterial occlusion. We determined the rate of occlusion of the supraclinoid ICA branches and the related symptoms, following coverage with flow-diverters.

Moderately Hypofractionated Helical IMRT,FDG–PET/CT-guided,for Progressive Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Patients With Intact Lungs

Introduction

The objective of this study was to present the outcomes of moderately hypofractionated helical intensity-modulated radiation therapy (HT) with/without simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) positive areas (gross tumor volume [GTV]-PET) for patients with progressive malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) after previous treatments.

Reoperations in patients with patent left internal mammary artery.

In the past decade the rate of reoperative coronary bypass grafting has averaged 8%. In these patients adequate myocardial protection is often difficult because delivery of cardioplegia is frequently suboptimal when the internal mammary artery graft is patent. We describe a simple technique for performing cardiac reoperation in patients with a patent left internal mammary artery graft through a balloon catheter used for angioplasty and positioned in the left internal mammary artery graft. Our study included 3 patients and there were no operative deaths and complications.     

Radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tissue: a new experimental animal model

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Experimental radiofrequency ablation has already been performed in healthy livers of porcine models, but not in less expensive and easy-to-manage rats, with devices capable of delivering radiofrequency ablation in the 20-30 g liver of such small animals being so far unavailable. METHODOLOGY: We experimented with a modified system of radiofrequency ablation of liver tissue in rat models developing a custom-made needle-microelectrode of very small dimensions (0.3x2 mm) and an electrode-tip cooling technique, based on saline solution infusion. We adjusted duration (seconds) and power (watts) of radiofrequency ablation letting them range between 5-50 seconds and 5-25 W, respectively, to obtain the greatest lesions with the least side effects. After sacrificing the animals, an accurate histological examination of the liver was made. RESULTS: It is possible to establish beforehand the diameter of thermal liver lesion on the basis of joules of applied energy. The greatest increase of liver thermal lesion diameter (8 mm) is obtained with a 250-joule (10 W for 25 seconds) thermal energy cooling the electrode-tissue interface. CONCLUSIONS: Experimental radiofrequency ablation in rat liver is an effective and cheap way to study its effects on healthy hepatic tissues. It might be the first step to treat experimentally caused liver tumors.     

Primary cardiac T-cell lymphoma

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL), defined as a lymphoma clinically mimicking cardiac disease, with the bulk of the tumor located intrapericardially, is extremely rare in immunocompetent patients. Clinical manifestations vary depending on sites of involvement in the heart and include chest pain, arrhythmias, pericardial effusion, and heart failure. Diagnosis is often difficult and may require invasive procedures; in some cases, diagnosis is not made until autopsy. Histologically, nearly all cases of PCL reported thus far have been of B-cell origin. In this report, we describe a case of PCL of T-cell origin in an adult immunocompetent patient, the second reported in the literature to the best of our knowledge, and provide a brief overview of the features of previously published PCL cases.