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.     

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。     

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.     

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     

Hepatocelular Carcinoma with Tumor Thrombus in Portal Vein:Finding in Ultrasonography,Computed Tomography,Angiography and Chemoembolization

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Surgical Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma With Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus

Background. The optimal management of patients with renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus remains unresolved. Traditional approaches have included resection with or without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Chemotherapy has played a minor role except for biotherapeutic agents used for metastatic disease.

Methods. From January 1989 to January 1996, 37 patients with renal cell carcinoma and inferior vena cava tumor thrombus underwent surgical resection. The 27 men and 10 women had a median age of 57 years (range, 29 to 78 years). Thirty-six patients presented with symptoms; 21 had hematuria. Distant metastases were present in 12 patients. Tumor thrombi extended to the infrahepatic inferior vena cava (n = 16), the intrahepatic inferior vena cava (n = 16), the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (n = 3), and into the right atrium (n = 2). All tumors were resected by inferior vena cava isolation and, when necessary, extended hepatic mobilization and Pringle maneuver, with primary or patch closure of the vena cavotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass was necessary in only 2 patients with intraatrial thrombus.

Results. Complications occurred in 11 patients, and 1 patient died 2 days postoperatively of a myocardial infarction (mortality, 2.7%). Twenty patients are alive; overall 2- and 5-year survival rates were 61.7% and 33.6%, respectively. For patients without lymph node or distant metastases (stage IIIa), 2- and 5-year survival rates were 74% and 45%, respectively. The presence of distant metastatic disease (stage IV) at the time of operation did not have a significant adverse effect on survival, as reflected by 2- and 5-year survival rates of 62.5% and 31.3%, respectively. Lymph node metastases (stage IIIc) adversely affected survival as there were no long-term survivors.

Conclusions. Resection of an intracaval tumor thrombus arising from renal cell carcinoma can be performed safely and can result in prolonged survival even in the presence of metastatic disease. In our experience, extracorporeal circulatory support was required only when the tumor thrombus extended into the heart.     

122例肝癌合并门脉癌栓的综合治疗与单纯TACE治疗效果比较

目的:研究肝癌合并门脉癌栓综合治疗的效果。方法:122例肝癌分为2组:A组(72例)行肝动脉化疗栓塞(TACE);B组(50例)行TACE结合外放射治疗。结果:A组1、2年生存率分别为22.3％、4.5％,平均生存期7.5个月;B组1、2、3年生存率分别为39.2%、21.2%、13.5%,平均生存期17.5个月,P<0.05。结论:对合并门脉癌栓的肝癌综合治疗能明显提高治疗效果。     

Thrombus causing fatal left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a heart transplant patient

A 60 year male, orthotopic heart transplant recipient developed a fatal left ventricular outflow obstruction secondary to thrombus at 38 months post transplant. Although he had episodes of mild to moderate rejection at 2 and 16 months post transplant, subsequent biopsies were negative and annual cardiac catheterizations showed mild left ventricular hypokinesis and normal coronary arteries. This case represents a catastrophic complication of transplant rejection and illustrates the problems with identifying rejection using current diagnostic methods.