Amos Ofer

Multidetector CT angiography in the evaluation of acute mesenteric ischemia

The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of multidetector row CT angiography in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia. Ninety-three consecutive studies on 91 patients with clinically suspected acute mesenteric ischemia underwent abdominal CT angiography as the first, and usually the sole, diagnostic procedure. CT was performed with a multidetector 16-row CT system from the level of the diaphragm to the pelvis in two phases: early arterial and late portal phase. CT examinations were reviewed by the duty radiologist. Final diagnosis was established by a senior radiologist. CTA was diagnostic in 92 studies. Mesenteric ischemia was diagnosed in 18 patients, 14 of them were of the thromboembolic type and four from the nonocclusive type. Positive CTA findings were confirmed by surgery in 13 patients and by clinical follow-up in three cases. Other reasons for abdominal pain were diagnosed by CT in 38 patients out of the remaining 74. There were two false positive and two false negative CT results, resulting in an overall accuracy of 95.6%. Multidetector CT angiography is a fast and accurate investigation for the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia and in most cases can be used as the sole diagnostic procedure.

16-MDCT coronary angiography versus invasive coronary angiography in acute chest pain syndrome: a blinded prospective study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to prospectively evaluate the usefulness of CT coronary angiography versus invasive coronary angiography for the detection of clinically significant coronary artery disease in patients hospitalized for acute chest pain syndrome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Sixty-six consecutive patients (52 men and 14 women; average age, 57 +/- 11 [SD] years) who were hospitalized for acute chest pain syndrome underwent CT coronary angiography and invasive coronary angiography within an average time interval of 4 days. ECG-gated CT coronary angiography was performed with a 16-MDCT scanner (0.42-sec rotation time, 16 x 0.75 mm detector collimation). Beta-blockers were not administered routinely, and thus the average heart rate was 71 +/- 11 beats per minute. CT coronary angiographic images were evaluated concurrently by two radiologists, who were blinded to invasive coronary angiography results, for stenoses having a diameter of 50% or more, using a 15-segment classification, including all segments 2 mm or more in diameter. The consensus interpretation was compared with results of invasive coronary angiography. RESULTS CT coronary angiography was technically successful in 59 patients (89%). After exclusion of 20 (3.1%) of 649 coronary segments, which were classified as nonevaluable by CT coronary angiography, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of CT coronary angiography for identifying significant coronary artery disease in the remaining 629 coronary segments were 80% (68/85), 89% (482/544), 52% (68/130), 97% (482/499), and 87% (550/629), respectively. The overall accuracy for the main vessels (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary arteries) was 93%, 88%, 86%, and 86%, respectively. CONCLUSION CT coronary angiography using a 16-MDCT scanner enables accurate noninvasive detection of significant coronary artery disease in patients hospitalized for acute chest pain syndrome. Furthermore, relative high sensitivity and specificity of CT coronary angiography can be achieved without pharmacologic manipulation of patient heart rates.

Epithelioid angiosarcoma associated with a Dacron vascular graft.

Angiosarcoma developed at the site of a Dacron vascular prosthesis 8 years after an aortobifemoral bypass graft insertion. The tumor was composed of epithelioid cells, which showed positive staining for cytokeratin and expression of the common endothelial markers CD31, CD34, and von Willebrand factor. Ultrastructural examination showed aggregates of large cells with intercellular lumina and focal perinuclear whorls of intermediate filaments. The patient, who had abdominal pain and weight loss, died of disseminated pelvic and abdominal disease 6 months after diagnosis. Sarcomas associated with vascular Dacron grafts and angiosarcomas associated with metal or polymer foreign bodies are rare. Their development is probably analogous to the common experimental development of foreign body-associated sarcomas in rodents. Physicians caring for patients with vascular grafts or metal foreign bodies should be aware of this complication.

A First Report of Radioembolization for Hepatic Metastases From Ocular Melanoma

Background: Ocular melanoma (OM) metastasizes to the liver and is rapidly fatal despite aggressive therapy. Yttrium-90 microspheres (radioembolization) delivered via the hepatic artery is an established and effective approach for primary and metastatic hepatic tumors, although 90Y use in OM has not been reported previously. Methods: A retrospective review was performed for all patients with OM who received radioembolization at 5 centers. Results: 11 patients received 12 treatments with a median activity of 1.55 GBq delivered per treatment. Toxicity was minimal, with PET/CT at 3 months posttreatment showing a response in all patients; 1 patient had a complete response. Conclusions: Radioembolization can control hepatic metastases of OM with very few side effects.

Percutaneous Ultrasonographically Guided Thrombin Injection of Iatrogenic Pseudoaneurysms in Unusual Sites

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous ultrasonographically guided thrombin injection as treatment of unusually positioned and unusually large iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms. Methods. Five patients with iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms were evaluated by color duplex ultrasonography. Two patients had additional digital angiography, and 2 had additional computed tomographic angiography. In 3 of the patients, large, painful iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms located proximal (2 patients) and distal (1 patient) to the arteriovenous hemodialysis fistulas had developed, most likely due to erroneous puncture of the arterial side (brachial artery) or venous side (cephalic vein) of the fistulas. An iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm of the anterior tibial artery had developed in the fourth patient after osteotomy of the fibula, and an iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm of the superficial femoral artery had developed in the fifth patient after erroneous puncture during venous transfemoral angiography. With a sterile technique and color duplex ultrasonographic guidance, a diluted solution of bovine thrombin was slowly injected directly into the iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms until cessation of blood flow was seen. Follow‐up color duplex ultrasonography was performed 24 to 48 hours after the ultrasonographically guided thrombin injection. Results. Four iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms were successfully thrombosed during 1 session. Two large iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms necessitated multiple repositions of the injecting needle and several injections of small amounts of thrombin into the residual patent lumen to induce complete thrombosis without an appreciable increase in the total thrombin dosage. Follow‐up examinations revealed complete and persistent thrombosis without evidence of distal embolization. One iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm involving the cephalic vein, distal to an arteriovenous hemodialysis fistula, recurred after apparently successful initial thrombosis. Conclusions. Most iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms are amenable to ultrasonographically guided thrombin injection as long as they are imaged adequately by color duplex ultrasonography.

Pulmonary Arteries Involvement in Takayasu's Arteritis: Two Cases and Literature Review

OBJECTIVES To review pulmonary arteritis (PA) complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in Takayasus arteritis (TA). METHODS Two cases of PA and PAH in TA patients and similar cases published in the Medline database from 1975 to 2009 were reviewed. RESULTS Forty-six cases (females 89.1%, Asians 65%, mean age 34.6 years) were analyzed, 42.2% of which had PAH. Isolated PA was reported in 31.8%. Respiratory symptoms were presented as dyspnea (75.5%), chest pain (48.9%), hemoptysis (42.2%), and cough (17.7%). Hypertension, vascular bruits, and diminished/absent pulses were reported in 48.9% of patients. A diagnosis of PA was based on abnormal uptake on pulmonary perfusion scan and a finding of stenosis, narrowing, occlusion, and irregularity on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and/or pulmonary angiography. Patients were treated with glucocorticoids (77.5%), disease-modified antirheumatic drugs (35%), and warfarin (20%); only a few were treated with biological agents. Vascular procedures were performed in 52.5% of cases, on pulmonary arteries in 37.5% with good results. The outcome was death in 20.5% of PA patient and 33.3% in PAH patients. CONCLUSIONS TA may be complicated by life-threatening PA and PAH. Clinical signs are not specific and may be masked by involvement of the aorta and its branches. Treatment with glucocorticoids and disease-modified antirheumatic drugs has only partial effect, which may be intensified by biological agents. Invasive procedures on pulmonary arteries may be a complementary option. PA and PAH in TA patients should be recognized early and treated promptly for prevention of irreversible vascular damage.

CT diagnosis of traumatic bronchial rupture in children.

Abstract. Bronchial rupture is a rare and serious complication of blunt chest trauma in children. The diagnosis of this injury is challenging and requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. It is frequently associated with other severe injuries that may draw the focus of attention away from this potentially catastrophic but treatable injury. The radiographic findings of bronchial rupture have been reported in very few series. We report the findings in two children with bronchial rupture diagnosed by CT, in whom CT resulted in a significant change in patient management.

Sonographic Evaluation of Vascular Injuries

The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the color Doppler duplex sonographic features of procedure‐related and blunt or penetrating trauma‐related vascular injuries.

Low Infection Rates and Prolonged Survival Times of Hemodialysis Catheters in Infants and Children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hemodialysis (HD) catheter-related complications are regarded as the main cause of HD failure in infants and children with ESRD. In this study, we determined HD catheter infection rates and survival times in children. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We analyzed demographic, clinical, laboratory, and microbiologic data on all infants and children with ESRD who received HD therapy through a tunneled central venous catheter (CVC) in our Pediatric Dialysis Unit between January 2001 and December 2009. Our strict care of HD-CVCs makes no use of any kind of prophylactic antibiotic therapy. RESULTS Twenty-nine children with ESRD (median age, 10 years) received HD through a CVC, for a total of 22,892 days during the study period. Eleven (38%) children were infants (<1 year of age) who received HD for a cumulative 3779 days (16% of total). Fifty-nine CVCs were inserted, of which 13 (22%) were in infants. There were 12 episodes of CVC infection-a rate of 0.52/1000 CVC days. Four (33%) episodes occurred in infants-a rate of 1.06/1000 CVC days. Only three (5%) of the CVCs were removed because of infection. Median catheter survival time for all children was 310 days and for infants was 211 days. CONCLUSIONS Very low CVC infection rates (one infection per 5 CVC years) and prolonged CVC survival times (around 1 year) are achievable in infants and children with ESRD receiving HD therapy by adhering to a strict catheter management protocol and without using prophylactic antibiotic therapy.

Anomalous origin of right coronary artery: Diagnosis and dynamic evaluation with multidetector computed tomography

16 slice multidetector CT findings of an anomalous right coronary artery originating from the left sinus of Valsalva are presented. Multidetector CT depicted the malignant coronary anomaly in great anatomic detail as well as enabled dynamic evaluation through the cardiac cycle, documenting a substantial reduction in arterial diameter during peak systole. This case illustrates the full capabilities of multidetector cardiac CT in the evaluation of coronary artery pathology.