Murat Cantasdemir

Computed Tomography-guided Percutaneous Catheter Drainage of Primary and Secondary Iliopsoas Abscesses

AIM To report our experience with computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) of iliopsoas abscesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-two iliopsoas abscesses in 21 patients (11 women, 10 men) aged between 18 and 66 years (mean 36 years) were treated with PCD. Abdominal CT demonstrated the iliopsoas abscesses, which were definitively determined by Gram staining and aspirate cultures. Twenty of the 22 iliopsoas abscesses were primary and two were secondary. All PCD procedures were performed under local anaesthesia using a single-step trocar technique (n=19) or Seldinger technique (n=3). RESULTS PCD was an effective treatment in 21 out of the 22 iliopsoas abscesses. Recurrence was seen in three abscesses as minimal residual collections. Two of them resolved spontaneously with anti-tuberculous regimen. One required percutaneous needle aspiration. The procedure failed in a diabetic patient with a secondary abscess, who died due to sepsis. The length of time that catheters remained in place ranged from 21 to 75 days (mean 59.7 days). Complications included catheter dislocation in four abscesses, which required removal of dislocated catheters and indwelling new ones. CONCLUSION CT-guided PCD is a safe and effective front-line treatment of iliopsoas abscesses. Surgery should be reserved for failure of PCD and presence of contraindications to PCD.

Traumatic Intracranial Carotid Tree Aneurysms

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to elucidate the requirements for angiographic evaluation in blunt head injuries, the timing of angiography, and the selection of appropriate therapeutic approaches. METHODS Twelve cases of traumatic aneurysms (TAs) in the intracranial carotid tree were analyzed in this study. Neurological examination results, computed tomographic scans, pre- and postembolization cerebral angiograms, and follow-up data were included. RESULTS In 11 of 12 cases, TAs were of cranial base origin; in 1 case, the aneurysm was located in the distal anterior cerebral artery. In seven of the cases with cranial base lesions, aneurysms were located in the intracavernous segment of the internal carotid artery; all of the computed tomographic scans for these cases demonstrated sphenoid sinus wall fractures and hematoma in the sphenoid sinus. In two cases, although the initial angiograms revealed no lesions, a second study performed 2 weeks later demonstrated the presence of aneurysms. Nine of the aneurysms were treated with endovascular techniques, two were managed conservatively, and the remaining one patient died with massive epistaxis while awaiting surgical treatment. No morbidity or additional permanent neurological deficits occurred in the endovascularly treated patient group. CONCLUSION Patients with head trauma who present with sphenoid sinus fractures and massive epistaxis should be evaluated for the development of TAs as soon as possible. If the patients exhibit fractures without epistaxis, angiography should be deferred for 2 to 3 weeks; if the first angiographic evaluation reveals normal findings, repeated epistaxis should prompt a second angiographic evaluation. Current treatment of TAs involves occlusion of the main artery through the use of endovascular techniques. Cases involving internal carotid artery TAs of cranial base origin and patients who do not tolerate test occlusion require extracranial-to-intracranial bypass surgery.

Embolization of Peripheral Vascular Malformations with Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Copolymer (Onyx)

PURPOSE To demonstrate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of endovascular embolization of peripheral congenital vascular malformations (VMs) with use of a nonadhesive liquid embolic agent, Onyx. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine patients with a mean age of 20.8 years had local low-flow (n = 4), local high-flow (n = 3), or diffuse high-flow (n = 2) VMs located in the upper or lower extremities. In all patients, endovascular embolization was performed via the superselective catheterization of arterial feeders of VMs with use of microcatheters in a coaxial technique. A total of 15 embolization procedures were performed with Onyx, which was composed of 6%, 8%, or 20% ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. RESULTS In two of four patients with local low-flow VMs, the lesions were embolized completely. In the other two patients with local low-flow VMs, embolizations were incomplete. The remaining five high-flow lesions of local (n = 3) or diffuse (n = 2) types were also embolized incompletely. In all patients with local low-flow VMs and in one patient with a local high-flow VM, clinical signs and symptoms were resolved significantly. Other patients did show clinical benefit from embolization to varying degrees. CONCLUSION In our experience in a limited number of cases, Onyx promises and provides important advantages over conventional embolic agents in the endovascular transcatheter embolization of congenital peripheral VMs. However, as with other embolic agents, it is far from perfect.

Emergency Endovascular Embolization of Traumatic Intrarenal Arterial Pseudoaneurysms with N-Butyl Cyanoacrylate

AIM The aim of this study is to report the effectiveness of selective endovascular embolization with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) in the treatment of traumatic intrarenal arterial pseudoaneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five patients (four males and one female) presented with massive haematuria. Five pseudoaneurysms were detected angiographically, and in all of the cases the aetiology was penetrating trauma. The pseudoaneurysms ranged in size between 7 and 30 mm (mean: 13.8 mm). After the superselective catheterization with a microcatheter-microguidewire system, embolization was performed using NBCA and Lipiodol mixture. RESULTS All the pseudoaneurysms were successfully embolized and excluded from the circulation without any other major intrarenal arterial branch occlusion. There were no major or minor complications related to the embolization procedures. Haematuria ceased in 1-3 days after the embolization, and during the follow-up period both re-bleeding and deterioration of renal function did not occur. CONCLUSION The endovascular management of renal artery branch pseudoaneurysms by embolization with NBCA is a reasonable and an effective therapeutic technique.

Embolization of profunda femoris artery branch pseudoaneurysms with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx)

This report describes the use of a new embolic agent, Onyx, which is composed of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer dissolved in 8% dimethyl sulfoxide, in the endovascular transcatheter embolization of traumatic profunda femoris artery branch pseudoaneurysms in three cases. Two of the cases involved massive thigh swelling after penetrating injury and the other involved massive hemorrhage at the site of a surgical fixator pin. Diagnostic angiography revealed pseudoaneurysm formation of the profunda femoris artery branches in all cases. Immediate control angiography after the embolization procedures demonstrated complete closure of the pseudoaneurysms. During the follow-up period there was no recurrent bleeding. The advantages of Onyx over conventional liquid embolic agents and coils are discussed.

Emergency Endovascular Management of Pulmonary Artery Aneurysms In Behçet’s Disease: Report of Two Cases and a Review of the Literature

his report describes two patients with a known history of Behçet’s disease in whom massive hemoptysis developed from rupture of pulmonary artery aneurysms. The high recurrence rate of complications related to pulmonary artery aneurysms and even the aneurysms themselves due to inadequacy of medical therapy and the disadvantages of surgical treatment make these aneurysms candidates for endovascular management. The pulmonary artery aneurysms reported here were successfully treated with endovascular embolization using n-butyl cyanoacrylate. Pulmonary artery aneurysm embolization in Behçet’s disease has been reviewed in the light of relevant literature.

Posttraumatic nonischemic priapism treated with autologous blood clot embolization.

INTRODUCTION High-flow arterial priapism is rare and characterized by a prolonged nonpainful erection. Autologous clot embolization allows complete resolution of the problem in most of the cases. AIM To review our experience with superselective transcatheter embolization in the treatment of nonischemic priapism. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Advances in the understanding of the nonischemic priapism with the aid of newer techniques have altered the current management of nonischemic priapism. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 2002 and 2006, 11 patients underwent superselective transcatheter embolization of nonischemic priapism with blunt trauma to the penis or perineum. All patients underwent diagnostic evaluation with color-flow Doppler ultrasound and superselective pudendal arteriography, revealing bilateral arteriocorporal fistula and pseudoaneurysm in two cases, bilateral arteriocorporal fistula in one case, unilateral arteriocorporal fistula in one case, and unilateral arteriocorporal fistula and pseudoaneurysm in seven cases. Autologous blood clot was used as an embolization agent in all cases combined with microcatheter guidance. RESULTS The procedure was technically successful in all cases. In three (27.2%) cases, a second embolization was required due to recurrence of priapism. In all patients, erectile function was restored within 6 weeks of the procedure. Follow-ups at 6 and 12 months after the last procedure revealed that full erectile capacity was restored in 10 of 11 patients, and these patients did not experience further recurrence of priapism. One patient reported a slight decrease in the quality of his penile erection. CONCLUSIONS Our experience revealed that superselective transcatheter embolization and transient occlusion of the fistula with autologous blood clot is an effective therapy for the treatment of nonischemic priapism. Furthermore, recovery of erectile function due to recanalization of the occluded vessel occurred weeks after the procedure.

Percutaneous drainage for treatment of infected pancreatic pseudocysts.

Background Infection of pancreatic pseudocysts is a potentially fatal complication that must be treated immediately. Despite numerous published reports about percutaneous treatment, the effectiveness of percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) of infected pancreatic pseudocysts is still under discussion. Methods In this study, 30 patients (17 women) with 30 infected pancreatic pseudocysts were administered local anesthesia and underwent PCD performed with the use of a single-step trocar technique with computed tomographic guidance. The patients’ ages varied from 27 to 74 years (mean age, 45 yr). The etiology was acute pancreatitis in 18 patients, chronic pancreatitis in 11 patients, and surgical trauma in 1 patient. Results No complications related to the procedure occurred in our series. The success rate was 96% (29 of 30 patients), with no recurrence during follow-up, which ranged from 2 to 58 months (mean follow-up, 27.2 mo). One patient had unsuccessful PCD and was subsequently treated surgically. Conclusion Our findings indicate that PCD is a safe and effective front-line treatment for patients with infected pancreatic pseudocysts.

Oxidized LDL and anti‐oxLDL antibody levels in peripheral atherosclerotic disease

Objective. Oxidative modification of LDL (oxLDL) is important in atherogenesis and is proposed as a useful marker for identifying patients with coronary artery disease. Antibody to oxLDL (oxLDL Ab) is detected in human sera, although its biological significance is not well established. We aimed to measure oxLDL and oxLDL Ab in peripheral atherosclerotic disease (PAD) patients, and to examine the relation between them in an attempt to understand the role of oxLDL Ab. Total risk of atherosclerosis was estimated using the global risk assessment score (GRAS) calculated on the basis of age, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (HDL‐Chol), diabetes, hypertension and smoking. Material and methods. Twenty‐one patients aged 63.05±9.13 years, diagnosed by peripheric angiography as PAD, and 21 healthy controls aged 47.67±13.61 years took part in the study. Total LDL and HDL cholesterol levels were determined by enzymatic methods. Levels of circulating oxLDL were measured by monoclonal antibody 4E6‐based competition ELISA. IgG class oxLDL Ab titre was measured by ELISA. Results. Compared to healthy controls, PAD patients had higher levels of oxLDL (p<0.05), oxLDL Ab (p<0.05), LDL cholesterol (LDL‐Chol) (p<0.05), total cholesterol (p<0.05) and lower HDL‐Chol (p<0.05). OxLDL was found to be positively correlated with total cholesterol (r = 0.471, p<0.05) and LDL‐Chol (r = 0.614, p<0.01) and GRAS (r = 0.435, p<0.05) and negatively with HDL‐Chol (r = −0.459, p<0.05), but not with oxLDL Ab in PAD patients. Conclusions. These findings might indicate that high LDL‐Chol levels influence the oxidation of LDL and that oxLDL is a possible marker of PAD. However, the role of oxLDL Ab in atherosclerosis remains controversial.

Dissection of the abdominal aorta in a child with takayasu's arteritis

Takayasus arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily involves the aorta and its main branches. Varying degrees of narrowing, occlusion, or dilatation develop in the involved vessel segments. However, dissection of the aorta is quite rare in this disease, and it may develop particularly after angioplasty. We report a very rare case of Takayasus arteritis with dissection of the abdominal aorta just distal to the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery in a 9-year-old girl. She was treated conservatively with close follow-up. At the end of 1 years follow-up, the dissection of the aorta did not show progression, and new lesions were not identified. To our knowledge, this patient is the youngest child presented with arterial dissection as the initial manifestation of the disease.