Clinical Outcomes of Prostatic Artery Embolization in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Prospective Clinical Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical outcomes of prostatic artery embolization applied to patients with Material and methods: The study includes 30 patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia in the urology clinic between 2012 and 2016, for whom anesthesia was contraindicated due to advanced age and comorbidities and who underwent prostatic artery embolization. These patients were evaluated before the procedure and in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 12th months after the procedure. RESULTS: The mean prostate volume of the patients was 68 cm3 before the procedure and 45 cm3 12 monthsafter the procedure. A statistically significant decrease was observed (P = .001). The mean prostate-specific antigen value was 4.9 ng/dL before the procedure and 2.8 ng/dL 12 months after the procedure (P = .008). The mean Qmax value was 0 mL/s before the procedure and 12 mL/s 12 months after the procedure (P = .001). The mean international prostatic symptom scores value was 35 before and 16 twelve months after the proce-dure (P = .001). While the international index of erectile function value was 8.25 before the procedure, it was8.46 12 months after the procedure (P = .32). The quality of life index value was measured as 3.02 before theprocedure and 3.09 twelve months after the procedure; a statistically significant difference was determined (P = .027). CONCLUSION: Prostatic artery embolization, which is a minimally invasive procedure, can be applied as a safe and effective method to patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who cannot tolerate anesthesia due to advanced age and comorbidities.

Long-term survival with transarterial chemoembolization and radioembolization in a patient with cancers of unknown primary.

Cancers of unknown primary (CUP) are histologically proven metastatic malignant tumors without an identified primary site before treatment. The common characteristics are early dissemination, lower response to chemotherapy and poor prognosis with short life expectancy. Treatment was directed according to the presence of localized or disseminated disease. The most frequent site of metastasis is the liver, which is a suitable target organ for arterial-directed therapies. We report a case of 53-year-old woman who was diagnosed with CUP and suspected with intracellular cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC), presented with a very large, unresectable, chemotherapy-refractory hepatic mass and treated with transarterial chemoembolization and transarterial radioembolization and surprisingly followed for 48 months with minimally progressive and stable disease. Arterial-directed therapies, an important therapeutic option in unresectable liver tumors, can provide survival benefit even for ICC and CUP which are very large in size.

Giant Right Atrial Aneurysm Accompanying Intrahepatic Cholestasis.

Right atrial aneurysms were first described in 1955, and subsequently, only a few cases have been reported. The etiology of this condition is unknown. Its comorbidity with cholestasis has not previously been reported in the literature. An 11-month-old baby female, who was an offspring from a first-cousin marriage, was referred to our hospital for investigation of jaundice. She underwent echocardiography because of a heart murmur, and this revealed a giant right atrial aneurysm. In addition, her liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) type 3. Although both conditions are rare, we found their comorbidity interesting and are thus reporting the case.

A rare case of non-traumatic acute intraabdominal hemorrhage: ruptured superior mesenteric artery aneurysm.

INTRODUCTION: Rupture of superior mesenteric artery aneurysm (SMAA) is a very rare and life-threatening condition, presenting with acute intraabdominal hemorrhage. CASE: The patient was hospitalized upon complaint of nonspecific severe abdominal pain. Diagnosis of SMAA was established by abdominal Doppler ultrasound that showed a pseudo-aneurysmal lesion with size of 76 × 47 mm at the superior mesenteric main branch. Endovascular stenting was not performed because of the wide neck in the segment of the jejunal branches from SMA and the risk of branch loss during treatment. On the second day of hospitalization, the patient developed an acute abdomen. At explorative laparotomy for intraabdominal bleeding, the root of superior mesenteric artery was immediately and temporarily clamped to provide bleeding control. Aneurysmal tissue was resected and affected part was repaired by Dacron prosthetic graft to maintain proximal and distal vascular continuum. Intestinal viability was preserved. The patient survived disease-free as verified by his 18-month postoperative physical examination. CONCLUSIONS: The patient presents a very rare case showing ability to perform emergent intestine-sparing vascular surgery in ruptured SMAA. Surgery or endovascular treatment options should not be delayed especially in pseudo-aneurysms. It is critical to include ruptured SMAA in differential diagnosis of intraabdominal bleeding.

Sorafenib with TACE improves the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with more than 10 cm tumor: a single-center retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, is effective in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an important palliative treatment for unresectable HCC, but TACE-induced ischemic injury can upregulate angiogenic factors and it might be associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of conventional TACE with or without sorafenib in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A-B HCC. METHODS: Thirty patients with BCLC stage A or B HCC who had undergone TACE were enrolled in this retrospective study. Child-Pugh score, BCLC staging classification, size and number of lesions were recorded. Sorafenib was given 1 month after TACE to some patients who responded to TACE. Repeated TACE was performed on demand. Tumor response was assessed every 12 weeks. The primary objective of this trial was the progression free survival (PFS). Secondary objectives were overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR) and total number of TACE interventions. Kaplan-Meier method was used for the estimation of survival and survival curves were compared with Log-rank test. RESULTS: Twenty-five (83.3%) patients had Child-Pugh A and 5 (16.7%) Child-Pugh B, and 24 (80%) patients had BCLC stage B disease and remanining had stage A disease. Lesion size >10 cm was found in 6 patients and 16/7/7 patients had single/two/multiple lesions, respectively. Mean number of TACE was 2.10±1.369. Seventeen (56.7%) patients used sorafenib after TACE whereas 13 (43.3%) patients were followed without any treatment but received consequent TACEs if needed. PFS of all patients was 10 months (range 3-48); it was 13 months for TACE plus sorafenib group and 9 months for TACE group (p=0.081). In subgroup analysis, TACE plus sorafenib group had better PFS (36 vs 12 months) in patients with tumor size > 10 cm (p=0.025). In the analysis of Child- Pugh A cases, PFS of TACE plus sorafenib group was 23 months while it was 10 months in TACE group (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Concurrent treatment in Child-Pugh A group HCC with conventional TACE and sorafenib demonstrates a significant efficacy in patients having tumor size >10 cm. In Child-Pugh A group, PFS was superior in the sorafenib plus TACE group than in TACE alone group.

Tracheobronchomalacia as a Rare Cause of Chronic Dyspnea in Adults.

OBJECTIVE: To emphasize the importance of a careful clinical evaluation to prevent unnecessary interventions and treatments. CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVENTION: A 76-year-old female patient had been diagnosed with asthma during previous admissions to different hospitals. She had also undergone fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) on 2 occasions for evaluation of right middle lobe atelectasis observed on computed tomography. A repeated FOB revealed tracheobronchomalacia and nodular bronchial amyloidosis. A silicone Y stent was inserted, but the dyspnea increased. Excessive granulation tissue developed, and the patient died despite ventilatory support. CONCLUSION: The stenting technique used did not prevent the development of respiratory failure and death in this patient. Hence, a surgical procedure could be considered as an alternative to stenting in such cases.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the triggering factor for massive hemoptysis : Obstructive sleep apnea and hemoptysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with hemoptysis. METHODS: Files of patients who had undergone bronchial arterial embolization due to hemoptysis between 1 December 2009 and 2015 were evaluated and interviews of patients were conducted until 1 June 2016. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), STOP and STOP-BANG surveys were administered. OSA risk was determined with Berlin Questionnaire. RESULTS: Study group consisted of 53 patients and 58 control subjects. Mean age was 46.94 ± 14.36 and 41.97 ± 12.92 in patient and control group, respectively. Of these patients, seven had re-embolization procedure because of recurrence of hemoptysis. High OSA risk was more common among patients with hemoptysis (24.5%, n = 13) than the control group (8.6%, n = 5) (p = 0.023). Percentage of high risk OSA patients with massive hemoptysis, nonmassive hemoptysis, and control subjects was 29.7% (n = 11), 12.5% (n = 2), and 8.6% (n = 5), respectively (p = 0.022). There were more high OSA risk subjects among patients with idiopathic hemoptysis 44.4% (four out of nine), while 20.5% (nine out of 53) patients with a known etiology had high risk (p = 0.127). The number of patients with high OSA risk was also higher in patients who required a second embolization procedure (four out of seven, 57.1%), while 19.6% of patients without need for re-embolization had high risk (p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: OSA is found to be a risk factor for hemoptysis and also may provoke massive hemoptysis. It seems reasonable to consider OSA as an underlying condition in idiopathic hemoptysis. OSA may contribute to embolization failure.

Pulsed radiofrequency treatment of piriformis syndrome in a pregnant patient with malignant mesenchymal tumor.

Cancer is frequently seen in women of reproductive age. Diagnosis, management of treatment, and safety of the therapeutic approach are particularly important for these patients. Presently described is pain management in a case of pregnancy with malignant mesenchymal tumor. A 23-year-old woman in 30th gestational week presented with severe pain in right hip and back of the right thigh. Piriformis block successfully decreased pain and was followed by pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) to the piriformis muscle. PRF, as a non-neurodestructive method, is a safe and effective method to treat cancer pain in a pregnant patient.

Multifocal Insulinoma in Pancreas and Effect of Intraoperative Ultrasonography.

Insulinoma is the most frequently seen functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. The incidence of multifocal insulinoma is lower than 10%. Its treatment is direct or laparoscopic excision. The present case was examined with the findings of hypoglycemia and hypercalcemia, and as there was high insulin and C-peptide levels the initial diagnosis was insulinoma. The case was investigated in terms of MEN 1. During preoperative screening for localization, there was one focus in the head of the pancreas in the abdominal tomography and two foci in endoscopic ultrasonography. No other focus was detected through intraoperative visual or manual palpation. However, five foci were detected during operation by intraoperative ultrasonography. The relation of masses with the main pancreatic canal was evaluated and they were excised by enucleation method. There was no recurrence during the postoperative 18-month follow-up of the patient. As a result, during treatment for insulinoma, it should be kept in mind that there might be multifocal foci. In all insulinomas, the whole pancreas should be evaluated with intraoperative ultrasonography because none of the current preoperative diagnostic methods are as sensitive as manual palpation of pancreas and intraoperative ultrasonography. The intraoperative detection of synchronous five foci in pancreas is quite a rare condition.

Radiological findings and outcomes of bronchial artery embolization in cryptogenic hemoptysis.

Management of cryptogenic massive hemoptysis is difficult, and conservative treatment may be inadequate to stop the hemorrhage. Surgery is not a reasonable option because there is no underlying identifiable pathology. This study aimed to investigate the radiologic findings and bronchial artery embolization outcomes in cryptogenic hemoptysis, and to compare the results with non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. We evaluated 26 patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis and 152 patients with non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. A comparison of the bronchial artery abnormalities between the cryptogenic and non-cryptogenic hemoptysis groups showed that only extravasation was more statistically significant in the cryptogenic hemoptysis group than in the non-cryptogenic hemoptysis group, while the other bronchial artery abnormalities, such as bronchial artery dilatation, hypervascularity, and bronchial-to-pulmonary shunting, showed no significant difference between groups. Involvement of the non-bronchial systemic artery was significantly greater in the non-cryptogenic hemoptysis group than in the cryptogenic hemoptysis group. While 69.2% of patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis also had hypervascularity in the contralateral bronchial arteries and/or ipsilateral bronchial artery branches other than the bleeding lobar branches, this finding was not detected in non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. Embolization was performed on all patients using polyvinyl alcohol particles of 355-500 µm. Hemoptysis ceased in all patients immediately after embolization. While recurrence of hemoptysis showed no statistically significant difference between the cryptogenic and non-cryptogenic hemoptysis groups, it was mild in cryptogenic hemoptysis in contrast to mostly severe in non-cryptogenic hemoptysis. Transarterial embolization is a safe and effective technique to manage cryptogenic hemoptysis.

Urgent arterial embolization of ruptured renal angiomyolipoma.

The most undesired complication of renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is bleeding. Because of tumor rupture, the bleeding can spread to the retroperitoneal field and can be severe enough to be life threatening. We report a case of retroperitoneal hemorrhage caused by a ruptured AML that was successfully treated with transarterial embolization with N-butyl cyanoacrylate.

Extensive vascular and valvular involvement in Gaucher disease.

A 17-year-old patient with type III Gaucher disease was hospitalized for recurrent syncope. Echocardiography showed calcified aortic and mitral stenosis. Three-dimensional computed tomography showed severely calcified plaques on the ascending aorta, arcus, and abdominal aorta. On follow-up, palpitations and syncope were triggered by emotional stress, followed by severe bradycardia that was resulted in cardiogenic shock; the patient died after 8 h despite all efforts. Gaucher disease should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of a young patient with extensive vascular and valvular calcification. Patients with symptomatic severe valvular disease must be referred for early surgery.

Endovascular management of vascular complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND: Bleeding is one of the most common and most important complications of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), which is mainly controlled with conservative treatment options. Transcatheter arterial embolization is required in less than 1 % of the patients undergoing PCNL. There are only a few studies about endovascular treatment of vascular complications of PCNL. The purpose of this study was to evaluate renal arterial complications of PCNL and treatment outcomes with endovascular coil embolization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated 16 patients who underwent endovascular management for complications after PCNL, including diagnostic angiography. We analyzed the angiographic appearances of the vascular lesions that caused hemorrhages, treatment outcomes for endovascular coil embolization, and renal parenchymal loss rate following this treatment. RESULTS: Seven patients had a pseudoaneurysm, two patients had an arteriocaliceal fistula (ACF), five patients had a pseudoaneurysm and an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and two patients had a pseudoaneurysm and an ACF. Of the 14 patients with pseudoaneurysms, five had more than one pseudoaneurysm. Endovascular coil embolization was successful in all patients, and it was able to stop the bleeding. After embolization, 12 patients had less than 10 % parenchymal loss, and 4 patients had 10-20 % parenchymal loss. Mean hospital stay after embolization was 2.3 ± 0.7 days (range, 1 to 3 days). CONCLUSIONS: The injuries seen in the intrarenal arterial system during the PCNL procedure can result in pseudoaneurysms and/or AVFs and/or ACFs, and more than one artery can be harmed. Arterial complications of PCNL can be treated with endovascular coil embolization while preserving renal function at a maximum level.

Utility of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed in carcinoma of unknown primary.

Carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous group of tumors with various clinical features causing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of F-18 FDG PET/CT for localizing the primary tumor, disclosing additional metastases, and changing the treatment in patients with CUP. One hundred and twelve metastatic patients (female = 40, male = 72, median age = 60.5 years) in whom conventional diagnostic work-up failed to disclose the primary tumor were included in the study. F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging was performed in a standard protocol (patient supine, arms on patient's side, vertex to thigh, 369.3 MBq (296-444 MBq) F-18 FDG, a 60-minute uptake period, 6-7 bed position). Histopathology was taken as the only reference standard. F-18 FDG PET/CT correctly detected primary tumor in 37 of 112 (33.03%) patients. The most common site of primary tumor detected by F-18 FDG PET/CT was lung (n = 18), which was followed by nasopharynx (n = 7), pancreas (n = 5), tonsil (n = 2), breast (n = 2), thyroid (n = 1), uterus (n = 1) and colon/rectum (n = 1). F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging disclosed additional previously undetected metastases in 32 (28.5%) and changed the treatment in 33 (29.4%) of 112 patients. There were false positive F-18 FDG PET/CT results in 21 (18.5%) patients. F-18 FDG PET/CT is able to disclose the primary tumor, disclose new metatases and change the treatment in about one third of patients with CUP.

Estimation of the brain stem volume by stereological method on magnetic resonance imaging.

Neuron loss that occurs in some neurodegenerative diseases can lead to volume alterations by causing atrophy in the brain stem. The aim of this study was to determine the brain stem volume and the volume ratio of the brain stem to total brain volume related to gender and age using new Stereo Investigator system in normal subjects. For this purpose, MR images of 72 individuals who have no pathologic condition were evaluated. The total brain volumes of female and male were calculated as 966.81 ± 77.44 and 1,074.06 ± 111.75 cm3, respectively. Brain stem volumes of female and male were determined as 18.99 ± 2.36 and 22.05 ± 4.01 cm3, respectively. The ratios of brain stem volume to total brain volume were 1.96 ± 0.17 in female and 2.05 ± 0.29 in male. The total brain and brain stem volumes were observed smaller in female and it is statistically significant. Among the individuals whose ages are between 20 and 40, total brain and brain stem volume measurements with aging were not statistically significant. As a result, we believe that the measurement of brain stem volume with an objective and efficient calculation method will contribute to the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as to determine the rate of disease progression, and the outcomes of treatment.

Amyloid tumor of the breast mimicking breast carcinoma.

Amyloid tumors of the breast are extremely rare. Few isolated cases have been reported to date. Amyloid involvement of the breast has no specific diagnostic features on mammography; on occasion, this causes diagnostic challenges. In this paper, the case of a 58-year-old woman with an amyloid tumor of the breast, which developed secondary to long-standing rheumatoid arthritis, is presented. She presented with a palpable mass in her right breast, which led to an erroneous clinical diagnosis of breast cancer. The unusual mammography findings are demonstrated and the differential diagnosis, in light of the radiological images and the clinical and pathologic features, is discussed.

Bronchial artery embolization in the management of pulmonary parenchymal endometriosis with hemoptysis.

Pulmonary parenchymal endometriosis is extremely rare and usually manifests itself with a recurrent hemoptysis associated with the menstrual cycle. The therapies proposed for women with endometriosis consist of medical treatments and surgery. Bronchial artery embolization has become a well-established and minimally invasive treatment modality for hemoptysis, and to the best of our knowledge, it has not been reported in pulmonary endometriosis. We report a case of pulmonary parenchymal endometriosis treated with embolotheraphy for hemoptysis.

Color Doppler twinkling artifact in intrauterine fetal demise.

PURPOSE: To determine whether twinkling artifacts on color and power Doppler sonography could be used as a new sonographic sign of intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). METHODS: In this prospective study, 24 consecutive pregnant women with IUFD were included after fetal sonographic examinations. Sonographic examination included gray-scale, color, power, and spectral Doppler imaging. The sonograms were then analyzed for the presence, appearance, and intensity of the twinkling artifacts. RESULTS: Twinkling artifacts on color Doppler were observed in all of the 24 IUFD as a rapidly changing color Doppler signal complex associated persistently with different parts of the fetal body. The artifacts were localized especially in the neck, back, and iliac regions. Artifact intensity correlated with the time elapsed since death. CONCLUSION: Twinkling artifact was noted in all dead fetuses on color, power, and spectral Doppler examinations. Thus, the observation of these artifacts may be considered as a new sonographic sign of fetal demise, which may reflect the time elapsed since death.

Second-trimester diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta associated with schizencephaly by sonography.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a congenital connective tissue disorder characterized with multiple bone fractures, short limbs, membranous calvarium with wormian bones, and sometimes blue sclerae. Osteogenesis imperfecta is rarely accompanied by other major malformations. Although associations with microcephaly, congenital heart defects or anencephaly have been reported previously, association with schizencephaly was not found on literature review. We report a case of osteogenesis imperfecta associated with schizencephaly diagnosed at 21 weeks of gestation using 2-dimensional ultrasound. The present case shows that prenatal ultrasonographic examination is a very important tool to detect such intrauterine abnormalities in which, management of pregnancy would be changed significantly compared to normal pregnancies.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of an extensive fetal axillary hemangiolymphangioma.

Hemangiolymphangioma (HL) is an extremely rare malformation of both the lymphatic and blood vessels. We present a case of fetal axillary HL that was diagnosed sonographically at 36 weeks' gestation. Sonographic examination revealed a large, multilocular, cystic mass consistent with lymphangioma. At birth, a giant hemangioma was noticed involving the right hemitruncus. Based on clinical and sonographic findings, a diagnosis of HL was made. Surgical treatment was considered but was refused by the parents. The neonate died at 14 days of age, possibly due to an intralesional hemorrhage.