Computed tomography changes diagnosis, management and surgical planning of ankle fractures.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate how the use of adjunctive Computed Tomography (CT) can modify diagnosis, treatment options, and operative planning of ankle fractures in comparison with conventional radiographs (CR) in isolation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 53 patients diagnosed with an ankle fracture between 2011 and 2016, were assessed with CT and CR. Evaluations of the fractures using CR in isolation and CR combined with CT were compared using different readers. Fractures were assessed in terms of type, displacement, size, associated injuries, treatment, patient position and surgical planning. RESULTS: The medial malleolus fractures characteristics (posteromedial fragment and anterior colliculus), the presence of posterior malleolus fracture and its characteristics (displacement, size, posteromedial or posterolateral segment) (ps < 0.042), syndesmosis injury (p < 0.001), and the absence of deltoid ligament lesion (p < 0.001), were more evident with the combination of CT and radiographs. There was an increase in operative indication (p = 0.007), prone positioning (p = 0.002), posterior malleolus surgical treatment (p < 0.001), posterolateral approach for the lateral malleolus (p = 0.003), and syndesmosis fixation (p = 0.020) with the association of CT and CR, among all groups of expertise, with a high interobserver reliability (> 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The CR may fail to demonstrate subtle lesions, such as posterior malleolus fractures and syndesmotic injuries. The CT evaluation increases the diagnostic precision and improves the quality of information the surgeon receives, what might positively affect patient care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: Retrospective Comparative Study.

Bronchial artery embolization in the management of hemoptysis: technical aspects and long-term results.

Seventy-five patients with hemoptysis were treated with bronchial artery embolization (BAE). The procedure was performed with Hexabrix (sodium methylglucamine ioxaglate), Mikaelson catheters, and Gelfoam particles. Angiographic evaluation of the bronchial artery anatomy revealed ten different configurations, which are described. The embolization attempt failed in three cases (4%); eight additional patients (10.7%) were excluded from the series because of inadequate data. In the remaining 64 patients, 41 underwent BAE alone and 23 underwent either chemotherapy or surgery in addition to embolization. Immediate control of hemoptysis was achieved in 49 of 64 patients (76.6%). Long-term control of hemoptysis was achieved in 46 of the 56 patients included in the long-term follow-up (82.1%). Eight of the 64 patients were lost to follow-up, which ranged from one to 47 months (mean 24.8 months). Hemoptysis recurred in 12 of 56 patients (severe in 10, mild in 2) (21.4%). Twelve patients died (21.4%), five of them due to hemoptysis (8.9%). None of the patients who died of hemoptysis had responded to initial BAE. It is concluded that BAE is an effective treatment for immediate control of life-threatening hemoptysis, allowing long-term control of bleeding in the majority of patients.