Measurement of renal extraction fraction with contrast-enhanced CT.

Study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed patient consent was waived. A method for minimization of sources of variability in measuring single-kidney extraction fraction (EF) was determined retrospectively with contrast material-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Ten adults underwent CT of the kidneys; precontrast scans were obtained, followed by postcontrast scanning 2 minutes after contrast material injection. Single-kidney EF was then calculated for each patient with the formula EF = (CT(A) - CT(V))/(CT(A) - CT(PRE)), where CT(A) and CT(V) are the postcontrast CT values (in Hounsfield units) of the systemic blood and renal venous blood, respectively, and CT(PRE) is the precontrast CT value of the blood. Both conventional two-dimensional and volumetric three-dimensional regions of interest were used for determining mean CT values of the blood. By using the volumetric regions of interest, left and right renal EF values averaged 17.3% and 18.0%, respectively, for two observers, compared with the accepted value of 15%-20%. This latter technique also minimized right-left kidney and interobserver variability in the measurement of EF.

Stent-graft treatment of extracranial carotid and vertebral arterial lesions.

Five patients with pseudoaneurysms of the carotid artery (n = 4) and an arteriovenous fistula of the vertebral artery (n = 1) were treated with stent-grafts. Commercially made devices were used in all but one of the patients. In four of the five patients, the pathology was successfully excluded. One patient had a small type-I endoleak. There were no immediate procedure-related complications or neurologic sequalae. All experienced immediate resolution of symptoms. One patient was lost to follow-up after discharge and another died 2 weeks after intervention. The remaining patients remained asymptomatic with patent stent-grafts after follow-up periods of 14, 16, and 46 months, respectively.

Proinflammatory mediator expression in a novel murine model of titanium-particle-induced intramedullary inflammation.

Wear debris from total joint replacement prostheses is implicated in periprosthetic osteolysis and implant loosening. The pathophysiology of this biological process remains unclear. Animal models of particle-induced osteolysis have proven useful in the study of specific tissue responses to wear debris. However, existing in vivo murine models of particle-mediated inflammation do not permit analysis of cortical bone degradation. This study describes a murine model of particle disease using an intramedullary rod in the mouse femur to parallel the clinical situation. The model consists of placing a 10-mm-long Kirschner wire retrograde in both femurs of C57b1/6 male mice via a medial parapatellar arthrotomy. Phagocytosable titanium particles were also implanted unilaterally to replicate generation of wear debris. Mice were sacrificed at 2, 10, and 26 weeks and whole femurs were cultured for 72 h. Levels of interleukin-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and macrophage colony stimulating factor were assayed by ELISA. Transverse histological sections, at the level of the implant, were taken and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Results demonstrated increased expression of proinflammatory mediators at 2 weeks in femora with rod and particles compared to femora with rods alone. Destruction of the endosteum was evident at 2, 10, and 26 weeks in the femora with titanium. This novel murine model of particle-induced intramedullary inflammation may facilitate cost-effective genetic studies and offers investigators a simple, clinically relevant intramedullary model to readily examine the pathogenesis of particle-mediated periprosthetic osteolysis.

TIPS reduction with use of stents or stent-grafts.

This report describes new techniques to perform TIPS reduction in patients with post-TIPS complications. Methods included hourglass-shaped stents and stent-grafts, and parallel stents and stent-grafts. All procedures were technically successful, resulting in increased portosystemic gradients and decreased symptoms, although patient outcomes were mixed. None of the patients experienced recurrent variceal hemorrhage or ascites in short-term follow-up. Stent-grafts have the advantage of immediate exclusion of blood flow outside the reducing stent, resulting in an immediate reduction of the caliber of the shunt. Techniques that allow fine adjustment of shunt diameters may have further advantages.

Novel intravascular ultrasound-guided method to create transintimal arterial communications: initial experience in peripheral occlusive disease and aortic dissection.

PURPOSE: To report our experience using a commercially available catheter-based system equipped with an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) transducer to achieve controlled true lumen re-entry in patients undergoing subintimal angioplasty for chronic total occlusions (CTO) or aortic dissections. METHODS: During an 8-month period, 10 patients (6 men; mean age 73.4 years) with lower extremity (LE) ischemia from CTOs (n=7) or true lumen collapse from aortic dissections (n=3) were treated. Subintimal access and controlled re-entry of the CTOs were performed with a commercially available 6.2-F dual-lumen catheter, which contained an integrated 64-element phased-array IVUS transducer and a deployable 24-G needle through which a guidewire was passed once the target lumen was reached. The occluded segments were balloon dilated; self-expanding nitinol stents were deployed. In the aortic dissections, fenestrations were performed using the same device, with the IVUS unit acting as the guide. The fenestrations were balloon dilated and stented to support the true lumen. RESULTS: Time to effective re-entry ranged from 6 to 10 minutes (mean 7) in the CTOs; antegrade flow was restored in all 7 CTOs, and the patients were free of ischemic symptoms at up to 8-month follow-up. In the aortic dissection cases, the fenestrations equalized pressures between the lumens and restored flow into the compromised vessels. There were no complications related to the use of this device in any of the 10 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of using this catheter-based system for subintimal recanalization with controlled re-entry in CTOs and for aortic flap fenestrations in aortic dissections. This approach can improve the technical success rate, reduce the time of the procedure, and minimize potential complications.