Ricardo Yamada

First-in-Man Implantation of a New Hybrid Carotid Stent to Prevent Periprocedural Neurological Events During Carotid Artery Stenting

Purpose: To report the initial clinical experience with a new hybrid stent to prevent neurological events during carotid artery stenting. Case Report: A 77-year-old asymptomatic man presented with de novo high-grade stenosis (80%) of the right internal carotid artery (ICA) and occlusion of the contralateral ICA. He was referred for right ICA stenting with a 6/8-mmX40-mm Gore Carotid Stent under cerebral protection using the Gore Carotid Filter. The stent delivery system tracked well over the filter wire and deployment was precise. The result was satisfactory, with 10% residual stenosis. No neurological events occurred during 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Initial clinical experience with this new carotid hybrid stent showed satisfactory results, including ease of use, precise deployment, conformability to the wall, and protection against embolization.

Combined Endoscopic-Percutaneous Biliary Restoration Following Severe Bile Duct Injury During Cholecystectomy

Combined Endoscopic-Percutaneous Biliary Restoration Following Severe Bile Duct Injury During Cholecystectomy

Pretreatment albumin may aid in patient selection for intrahepatic Y-90 microsphere transarterial radioembolization (TARE) for malignancies of the liver

Background Hepatic malignancies are common including primary malignancies and metastases. Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is an important treatment option. We reviewed safety and efficacy of (TARE) in our patients to identify factors that may impact treatment outcomes in a heterogeneous population. Methods All patients that received TARE at the Medical University of South Carolina from March 2006 through May of 2014 were included. Kaplan-Meier estimates on overall survival (OS) from date of first procedure are reported. Potential prognostic factors for OS were evaluated using log rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models. Results In the 114 patients that received TARE at our institution, median follow-up was 6.4 months (range, 0-86 months) with the following histologies: colorectal (CR) n=55, hepatocellular (HC) n=20, cholangiocarcinoma (CC) n=16, neuroendocrine (NE) n=12, breast (BR) n=6, other n=5. At least 1 line of prior systemic therapy was noted in 79% of patients. Median OS was significantly better with NE and BR histology, and in those with normal albumin levels. With an albumin >3.4 median OS was 10.3 months, but was only 3.1 months with an albumin <3 g/dL. Grade ≥2 toxicity was observed in 22 patients (19.3%) including 9 (7.9%) with Grade 3 and 1 (0.9%) with Grade 4 toxicity. Conclusions TARE is a relatively safe and effective treatment for intrahepatic malignancies. Patients with NE and BR histology as well as those with better hepatic synthetic function were associated with significantly better survival. Our data suggest that patients with albumin below 3 g/dL may not derive significant benefit from TARE.