Thyroid Artery Erosion by Esophageal Cancer: Management with Interventional Radiology

Management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding because of erosion of vessels by esophageal cancer may be challenging. We present herein the angiographic images of a 49-year-old patient who was admitted with massive bleeding from a tumor-eroded inferior thyroid artery. Attempts to control the bleeding by means of flexible endoscopy and insertion of a Sengstaken–Blakemore tube had failed. The diagnosis was impressively demonstrated by multislice computed tomography with intravenous contrast in the arterial phase and multiplanar reconstructions (computed tomography angiography) and by digital subtraction angiography. The bleeding was successfully treated with superselective catheterization and coiling of the eroded vessel.     

人胎冠状动脉原位杂交c-myc和jun原癌基因表达

目的研究原癌基因c-myc和jun在人胎冠状动脉发育过程中的表达与平滑肌细胞增殖的关系.方法用原位杂交方法检测,胎龄分别为16周、22周(因治疗需要引产)的胎儿和意外死亡的足月胎儿冠状动脉前降支c-myc mRNA和jun mRNA的表达水平.杂交反应产物用图像分析仪(MIAS300)作定量分析.结果C-myc mRNA原位杂交反应产物与被测血管区域面积的百分比在16周、22周和足月胎儿分别是70、56和10;Jun mRNA的杂交信反应产物与被测血管区域面积的百分比在这三个时期分别是68、53和8.两个原癌基因在不同阶段的表达均具有显著性差异.结论本实验首次报道c-myc和jun在人胎冠状动脉发育过程中平滑肌的表达图型,c-myc和jun在胎儿冠状动脉平滑肌细胞增殖和内膜的形成过程中可能具有重要的调控作用.     

平板运动试验阴性患者最大ST/HR斜率对冠心病的诊断价值

目的探讨平板运动试验阴性患者最大ST/HR斜率对冠心病的诊断价值.方法选择122例平板运动试验阴性而临床有明显冠心病指征的患者进行冠状动脉造影,测定其最大ST/HR斜率.结果平板运动试验阴性患者最大ST/HR斜率诊断冠心病的敏感性为68.2%,特异性为80.8%,准确性为76.2%;运动峰值心率＜预计最大心率之85%组最大ST/HR斜率诊断冠心病的敏感性为92.8%,特异性为86.7%,准确性为89.7%,高于运动峰值心率≥预计最大心率之85%组.结论平板运动试验阴性患者最大ST/HR斜率对冠心病的临床诊断有较高的敏感性、特异性和准确性,尤其是对低运动水平的患者,对减少运动试验诊断的漏诊率具有重要意义.     

Long-term anticoagulant therapy in patients with coronary artery disease.

Secondary prevention of coronary events in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with aspirin is generally accepted because of ease of administration, predictable safety, and proven efficacy. The use of long-term anticoagulant therapy with heparins, vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs), or thrombin inhibitors is, however, more controversial. During the last 40 years, several trials have been conducted in order to evaluate the role of anticoagulant therapy in patients with CAD as a protection against subsequent death and thrombo-embolic complications. The conducted trials are heterogeneous in many ways, concerning comparative medications, patient populations, endpoints and follow-up, which makes a standardized recommendation on the basis of these studies difficult. This review is an overview of the largest and best studies on this topic and discusses the scientific background for a possible use of VKA or an alternative anticoagulant treatment in CAD patients, looking at both the beneficial effects and the risk of bleeding.     

The remucosalizing alar cartilage flap: a reconstructive option for repairing nasal septal perforations

The objective of this study is to assess the results of repairing septal perforations with a vascularized pedicled alar cartilage island flap. Using the external rhinoplasty approach, a vascularized flap of alar cartilage, harvested as a cephalic trim and pedicled on the ascending columellar branches of the superior labial artery was raised. Bilateral mucoperichondrial septal flaps were elevated and the alar flap was transposed and secured within the defect and bilaterally overlaid with temporalis fascia. Silastic sheets were placed and remained in situ until the grafts were revascularized from the peripheries of the defect as well as centrally from the alar flap. The revascularized temporalis fascia acted as a scaffold for nasal remucosalization. The alar flap also increased the long-term structural robustness of the repair. Between 1999 and 2003, 14 patients with septal perforations ranging from 10 to 31 mm underwent septal reconstruction using this technique. There were nine males and five females. The flap was successfully raised in all cases and long-term closure was maintained in 12 patients (86%). The alar cartilage flap is an effective technique for repairing septal perforations in selected patients. It provides vascularized tissue which nourishes the grafts during remucosalization, and a cartilaginous framework, which affords long-term structural support to the repair. It also obviates the need to transpose nasal mucosa and create a secondary defect. The rhinoplasty approach furthermore permits additional nasal deformities to be corrected at the same time. Presented at the British Association of Plastic Surgeons Summer Scientific Meeting, Sheffield, UK (12 July 2006).     

Surgical treatment for coronary artery aneurysm

Two successful cases of the surgical treatment for coronary artery aneurysm (non-Kawasaki disease) were reported. The first case had a saccular aneurysm on the left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) #14. Resection of the LCx aneurysm was performed subsequent to single vessel coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to the distal portion of LCx#14 under the cardioplegic cardiac arrest. The second case had aneurysms on both the left anterior descending artery (LAD) #7 (fusiform) and the LCx#11 (saccular). After double vessel CABG to LAD#7 and LCx#11, ligation or resection of two aneurysms was performed successfully. Postoperative courses have been uneventful with good angiographic results achieved. Since these surgical procedures demonstrated safety, the patients are expected to achieve a good long-term prognosis.     

小脑后下动脉动脉瘤的诊断和治疗

目的探讨小脑后下动脉动脉瘤的临床特征、诊断、鉴别诊断和治疗。方法回顾性分析12例小脑后下动脉瘤的临床表现、影像学特征、手术效果及诊治过程中存在的相关问题。结果12例中有11例因动脉瘤破裂出血而发病,单纯第四脑室出血4例,全脑室系统出血2例,小脑半球出血3例,小脑蚓部伴第四脑室出血1例,侧脑室伴第三脑室出血1例,以后颅窝占位病变表现1例。8例术前行DSA检查明确诊断,4例术中明确诊断。12例均行后颅窝开颅显微手术治疗,其中动脉瘤颈夹闭9例,孤立切除2例,动脉瘤加固术1例,术后2例因脑积水加重行脑室-腹腔分流术。12例中除1例术后留有轻偏瘫外,其余11例恢复良好。结论小脑后下动脉瘤多以第四脑室出血发病,少数以小脑半球或蚓部出血发病,及早治疗效果满意。手术方式应尽量夹闭动脉瘤颈,对于小脑后下动脉末端动脉瘤,可以采用孤立切除术。     

Prevention of Restenosis after Coronary Angioplasty with Low-Density Lipoprotein Apheresis

Abstract: A prospective study was performed to determine whether low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis, when performed only immediately before and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), is effective in preventing restenosis of coronary artery lesions following PTCA. Thirty-six patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypercholesterolemia were divided into 2 groups. The 9 patients in the LDL group underwent LDL-apheresis 1 day before and 5 days after PTCA while the 27 patients of the control group underwent PTCA but did not undergo LDL-apheresis. Follow-up coronary angiography (CAG) was performed 4 months after PTCA. The rate of restenosis of coronary artery lesions was significantly lower in the LDL group (0%) than in the control group (30%). These findings suggest that LDL-apheresis, when performed before and after PTCA, is effective in preventing restenosis of coronary artery lesions in patients with CHD and hypercholesterolemia.     

胸腰椎压缩性骨折的护理要点

胸腰椎压缩性骨折的护理要点福建漳州市中医院（３６３０００）郭燕玲，陈联源我院自１９８９年来对胸腰椎压缩性骨折实行辨证护理，收到满意效果，介绍如下。常规护理：屈曲型胸腰椎压缩性骨折，令病人仰卧在硬板床上，骨折处垫一软枕头，在耐受的情况下逐渐增加枕头高度...     

Endothelial and smooth muscle properties of coronary and mesenteric resistance arteries in spontaneously hypertensive rats compared to WKY rats

Summary— To investigate if the functional alterations observed in resistance arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were also present at the coronary level, in vitro experiments were performed in mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) and in right (RIC) and left interventricular coronary (LIC) arteries taken from 15–25-week-old SHR and age-matched Wistar Kyoto rats WKYs. Using a passive extension protocol, internal diameters corresponding to 100 mmHg intraluminal pressure (D₁₀₀) were determined and vessels were set up to a normalized internal diameter (0.9 D₁₀₀). SHR mesenteric resistance arteries had a significantly smaller diameter compared to WKY arteries, whereas both types of SHR coronary arteries had a greater diameter compared to those of WKY rats. In arteries in the absence of contracting agonist, nitro-L-arginine (NOLA, 100 μM) induced a progressive rise in basal tone, which could be reversed by subsequent addition of L-arginine (100 μM) but not D-arginine (100 μM). When expressed as percent of maximal contractions induced by agonists (noradrenaline, NA [10 μM] in MRA; serotonin, 5-HT [10 μM], in RIC and LIC), these contractions were significantly stronger in WKY compared to SHR coronary and mesenteric resistance arteries. In NA-precontracted MRA and 5HT-precontracted coronary arteries in the presence of indomethacin (10 μM), the magnitude of acetylcholine-induced maximal relaxations (expressed as percent of maximal contractions induced by agonists) was greater in WKY compared to SHR arteries. After a 30-min incubation period, NOLA (100 μM) completely inhibited relaxations induced by acetylcholine (0.01–10 μM) in all types of precontracted arteries. Subsequent additions of sodium nitroprusside, (SNP, 10 μM) induced complete relaxations in all preparations. These results show that a basal release of NO or NO-like compound by endothelial cells is present in isolated mesenteric resistance and coronary arteries of WKY rats and SHRs. The contribution of endothelium-derived relaxing factor-nitric oxide (EDRF-NO) to arterial tone was lower in MRA compared to coronary arteries in both strains and in SHR compared to WKY arteries. In the SHR preparations, the impaired relaxation induced by acetylcholine appeared to be due to a functional alteration of the endothelium in the presence of normal reactivity of the smooth muscle cells.