Postanastomotic transplant renal artery stenosis: association with de novo class II donor-specific antibodies.

In this study, we analyze the outcomes of transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS), determine the different anatomical positions of TRAS, and establish cardiovascular and immunological risk factors associated with its development. One hundred thirty-seven of 999 (13.7%) patients had TRAS diagnosed by angiography; 119/137 (86.9%) were treated with angioplasty, of which 113/137 (82.5%) were stented. Allograft survival in the TRAS+ intervention, TRAS+ nonintervention and TRAS- groups was 80.4%, 71.3% and 83.1%, respectively. There was no difference in allograft survival between the TRAS+ intervention and TRAS- groups, p = 0.12; there was a difference in allograft survival between the TRAS- and TRAS+ nonintervention groups, p < 0.001, and between the TRAS+ intervention and TRAS+ nonintervention groups, p = 0.037. TRAS developed at the anastomosis, within a bend/kink or distally. Anastomotic TRAS developed in living donor recipients; postanastomotic TRAS (TRAS-P) developed in diabetic and older patients who received grafts from deceased, older donors. Compared with the TRAS- group, patients with TRAS-P were more likely to have had rejection with arteritis, odds ratio (OR): 4.83 (1.47-15.87), p = 0.0095, and capillaritis, OR: 3.03 (1.10-8.36), p = 0.033. Patients with TRAS-P were more likely to have developed de novo class II DSA compared with TRAS- patients hazard ratio: 4.41 (2.0-9.73), p < 0.001. TRAS is a heterogeneous condition with TRAS-P having both alloimmune and traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

The role of early ¹8F-FDG PET/CT in prediction of progression-free survival after 9°Y radioembolization: comparison with RECIST and tumour density criteria.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the ability of (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging to predict early response to (90)Y-radioembolization in comparison with contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) using RECIST and lesion density (Choi) criteria. Progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with liver metastases at 2 years and decline in tumour markers were the primary end-points of the study. METHODS: A total of 121 liver lesions were evaluated in 25 patients (14 men, 11 women) with liver-dominant metastatic colorectal cancer who underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CECT before and 6-8 weeks after treatment. Changes in SUV(max), tumour density measured in terms of Hounsfield units and the sum of the longest diameters (LD) were calculated for the target liver lesions in each patient. The patient responses to treatment were categorized using EORTC PET criteria, tumour density criteria (Hounsfield units) and RECIST, and were correlated with the responses of tumour markers and 2-year PFS using Kaplan-Meier plots and the log-rank test for comparison. Multivariate proportional hazards (Cox) regression analysis was performed to assess the effect of relevant prognostic factors on PFS. RESULTS: Using (18)F-FDG PET/CT response criteria, 15 patients had a partial response (PR) and 10 patients had stable disease (SD), while using RECIST only 2 patients had a PR and 23 had SD. Two patients had a PR, 21 SD and 2 progressive disease using tumour density criteria. The mean changes in SUV(max), sum of the LDs and tumour density after treatment were 2.9 ± 2.6, 7.3 ± 14.4 mm and 1.9 ± 13.18 HU, respectively. Patients who had a PR on (18)F-FDG PET/CT had a mean decrease of 44.5 % in SUV(max) compared to those with SD who had a decrease of only 10.3 %. The decreases in SUV(max) and sum of the LDs were significant (p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, respectively) while the decrease in tumour density was not (p > 0.1065). The responses on the (18)F-FDG PET/CT studies were highly correlated with the responses of tumour markers (p < 0.0001 for LDH, p = 0.01 for CEA and p = 0.02 for Ca19-9), while the responses on the CECT studies using both RECIST and tumour density criteria were not significantly correlated with the responses of tumour markers. The responses on (18)F-FDG PET/CT studies also significantly predicted PFS (the median PFS in those with a PR was 12.0 months and in those with SD was 5 months, p < 0.0001), while RECIST and tumour density did not significantly predict PFS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that responses on (18)F-FDG PET/CT studies and decreases in SUV(max) of ≤ 2.0 were the strongest predictors of PFS. CONCLUSION: Early response assessment to (90)Y-radioembolization using (18)F-FDG PET/CT is superior to RECIST and tumour density, demonstrating a correlation with tumour markers and significantly predicting PFS in patients with liver metastases. This could enable early response-adapted treatment strategies to be employed.

Absence of uterine arteries discovered at fibroid embolisation.

Uterine artery embolisation is an increasingly used modality for the treatment of uterine leiomyomata. A 45-year-old woman with menorrhagia due to fibroids was discovered at uterine artery embolisation to have absent uterine arteries. Knowledge of the potential anatomical variants is important for those carrying out uterine artery embolisation, and further investigation of alternative treatment methods is required.

Fatal pulmonary embolus after uterine artery fibroid embolisation.

We report a 44-year-old woman who developed a fatal pulmonary embolus after uterine artery fibroid embolisation (UAE). Bilateral UAE was carried out through a single right-femoral artery puncture. The largest fibroid in the anterior fundal wall measured 4.5 cm, and the largest fibroid in the posterior fundal wall measured 6 cm. The appearances after UAE were satisfactory, and the procedure was apparently uneventful. No immediate complications were noted. The patient developed sudden-onset shortness of breath and went into cardiac arrest 19 h after the procedure. Postmortem autopsy confirmed that the cause of a death was a pulmonary embolism. To our knowledge this is the first reported case in the United Kingdom in which death occurred from a pulmonary embolus after UAE.

Percutaneous transhepatic cholecystoduodenal stent for empyema of the gallbladder.

Acute cholecystitis is treated by antibiotics and cholecystectomy. When the gallbladder neck is obstructed in the presence of infection, preventing pus from draining via the cystic duct, an empyema of the gallbladder develops. Under these circumstances, treatment may be either cholecystectomy or, in the presence of significant comorbidity, by drainage via percutaneous cholecystostomy, followed at a later date by cholecystectomy. We present the case of a patient who presented acutely with an attack of cholecystitis and refused to undergo a cholecystectomy owing to previous respiratory arrest following general anaesthesia. She settled with intravenous antibiotic treatment and was discharged. However, she presented shortly afterwards with a further attack of cholecystitis that was refractory to intravenous antibiotics and so was treated initially with percutaneous drainage. This was subsequently replaced with interno-external drainage of the gallbladder (transpapillary cholecystoduodenal stent) with the use of a J-J ureteric stent, which was then fully internalised. She remained well following this procedure and was discharged home. The long-term patency of the stent is not known and we hope that no further intervention will be required, but if necessary the stent could be exchanged endoscopically, by a percutaneous route, or via a combined approach.

Long-term clinical results of autologous infusion of mobilized adult bone marrow derived CD34+ cells in patients with chronic liver disease.

Evidence is growing in support of the role of stem cells as an attractive alternative in treatment of liver diseases. Recently, we have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of infusing CD34(+) adult stem cells; this was performed on five patients with chronic liver disease. Here, we present the results of long-term follow-up of these patients. Between 1 x 10(6) and 2 x 10(8) CD34(+) cells were isolated and injected into the portal vein or hepatic artery. The patients were monitored for side effects, toxicity and changes in clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters; they were followed up for 12-18 months. All patients tolerated the treatment protocol well without any complications or side effects related to the procedure, also there were no side effects noted on long-term follow-up. Four patients showed an initial improvement in serum bilirubin level, which was maintained for up to 6 months. There was marginal increase in serum bilirubin in three of the patients at 12 months, while the fourth patient's serum bilirubin increased only at 18 months post-infusion. Computed tomography scan and serum alpha-foetoprotein monitoring showed absence of focal lesions. The study indicated that the stem cell product used was safe in the short and over long term, by absence of tumour formation. The investigation also illustrated that the beneficial effect seemed to last for around 12 months. This trial shows that stem cell therapy may have potential as a possible future therapeutic protocol in liver regeneration.

School-based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse is a significant problem that requires an effective means of prevention. OBJECTIVES: To assess: if school-based programmes are effective in improving knowledge about sexual abuse and self-protective behaviours; whether participation results in an increase in disclosure of sexual abuse and/or produces any harm; knowledge retention and the effect of programme type or setting. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic searches of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, Dissertation Abstracts and other databases using MESH headings and text words specific for child sexual assault and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted in August 2006. SELECTION CRITERIA: RCTs or quasi-RCTs of school-based interventions to prevent child sexual abuse compared with another intervention or no intervention. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Meta-analyses and sensitivity analysis, using two imputed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) (0.1, 0.2), were used for four outcomes: protective behaviours, questionnaire-based knowledge, vignette-based knowledge and disclosure of abuse. Meta-analysis was not possible for retention of knowledge, likelihood of harm, or effect of programme type and setting. MAIN RESULTS: Fifteen trials measuring knowledge and behaviour change as a result of school-based child sexual abuse intervention programmes were included. Over half the studies in each initial meta-analysis contained unit of analysis errors. For behaviour change, two studies had data suitable for meta-analysis; results favoured intervention (OR 6.76, 95% CI 1.44, 31.84) with moderate heterogeneity (I(2)=56.0%) and did not change significantly when adjustments using intraclass coefficients were made. Nine studies were included in a meta-analysis evaluating questionnaire-based knowledge. An increase in knowledge was found (SMD 0.59; 0.44, 0.74, heterogeneity (I2=66.4%). When adjusted for an ICC of 0.1 and 0.2 the results were SMD 0.6 (0.45, 0.75) and 0.57 (0.44, 0.71) respectively. Heterogeneity decreased with increasing ICC. A meta-analysis of four studies evaluating vignette-based knowledge favoured intervention (SMD 0.37 (0.18, 0.55)) with low heterogeneity (I(2)=0.0%) and no significant change when ICC adjustments were made. Meta-analysis of between-group differences of reported disclosures did not show a statistically significant difference. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Studies evaluated in this review report significant improvements in knowledge measures and protective behaviours. Results might have differed had the true ICCs from studies been available or cluster-adjusted results been available. Several studies reported harms, suggesting a need to monitor the impact of similar interventions. Retention of knowledge should be measured beyond 3-12 months. Further investigation of the best forms of presentation and optimal age of programme delivery is required.

Clinical and imaging experience with yttrium-90 microspheres in the management of unresectable liver tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is emerging as a new therapeutic modality in recent years for management of non-resectable hepatic malignancies. Our experience in clinical application of this treatment is reported here. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From June 2004, patients whose liver tumours were no longer amenable for any conventional treatment with either chemotherapy or surgery were considered for yttrium-90 microspheres treatment after discussion at our multidisciplinary meeting. A pre-treatment planning was carried out with visceral angiography and technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin (MAA) for assessment of both tumour volume and extrahepatic shunting in addition to a baseline PET and CT scans, respectively. Two weeks later, a second visceral angiogram was performed to deliver the calculated dosage of microspheres into the arterial system supplying the tumour. Patients were then followed up with tumour markers, repeat PET and CT scans of abdomen at 6 weeks and 3 monthly thereafter. RESULT: Twenty-one patients (F=11, M=10; age range 40-75 years, mean=58 years) received yttrium-90 microspheres consisting of liver metastases from colorectal primary (n=10) and non-colorectal primaries (n=8), and primary liver tumours (n=3). One patient received 2 treatments. The mean administered activity of microspheres delivered was 1.9 GBq (range 1.2-2.5 GBq). Injection of microspheres had no immediate effect on either clinical haematology or liver function tests. At follow-up, 86% of patients showed decreased activity on PET scan at 6 weeks (p=0.01). The mean pre-treatment SUV was 12.2+/-3.7 and the mean post-treatment SUV was 9.3+/-3.7, indicating a significant improvement measured with PET activity. Only 13% showed a reduction in the size of tumour on CT scan. For patients with colorectal liver metastases, there was no significant reduction in CEA level (127+/-115 vs 75+/-72 micro/l, p=0.39). Complications were seen in 4 patients (19%) including radiation hepatitis (n=2), cholecystitis (n=1) and duodenal ulceration (n=1). All resolved without surgical intervention. Seven patients died at follow-up from progressive extrahepatic disease (33%). CONCLUSION: SIRT should be considered for patients with advanced liver cancer. It has a significant effect on liver disease in the absence of extrahepatic disease. PET imaging has an integral role in the assessment of patients treated with yttrium-90 SIR-Spheres.

Extraanatomic stents for transplant ureteric stenosis.

Surgical and standard endourology options are limited in transplant patients with severe ureteric stenosis, particularly when access to the transplant renal pelvis is limited. The use of a silicone-polytetrafluoroethelene (PTFE)-bonded extraanatomic urinary tract stent for urinary tract drainage is described in two patients. This technique of ureteric reconstruction in renal transplantation may be considered when standard approaches have failed. It appears to be safe when performed by radiologists and urologists with expertise in percutaneous renal access.

Treatment of primary and secondary liver tumours with selective internal radiation therapy.

When HCC is diagnosed at an early stage or liver is affected by a solitary metastasis they can be curable by surgical resection, but this may not be feasible when an extensive tumoural involvement is present. In these cases, possible non-surgical therapies include systemic chemotherapy, chemical ablation (ethanol or acetic acid), radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryotherapy and transarterial chemoembolisation. All the above mentioned treatments have advantages and disadvantages. In the present paper we reported our experience with selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) of non-operable HCC and metastatic liver using 99Yttrium (99Y) radioactive microspheres, and our data are compared and discussed with those reported in the literature. A MEDLINE-based review of the literature has been made in the period between 1990 and April 2007. Detailed information on patients selection criteria, SIRT procedure, dose calculation, safety and adverse reactions, follow-up schedule, and clinical efficacy are provided. On the basis of our data, in agreement with those of the literature, SIRT has added another effective method for treatment of primary and secondary liver tumours, being successful in a large number of patients in different experiences. Moreover, SIRT is well tolerated and has minimal adverse effects. Despite being regarded as non-curative, it has been associated with improved survival, reduction in tumour marker, and regression in the number and size of lesions. Follow-up with imaging is essential to assess the response to therapy, and in this respect FDG PET has been shown to be more sensitive than CT, particularly in the early stages.

Imaging of the gastrointestinal tract.

Gastrointestinal imaging has undergone immense and profound changes since the days when radiologists had only plain abdominal radiography, barium studies and cholecystography to offer as a means of investigating the gastrointestinal tract. Advances in technology have made huge differences in the ways and means of investigating the various pathologies afflicting the gastrointestinal tract. Ultrasound provides assessment of the solid organs and the intestine without the use of ionizing radiation. Computed tomography (CT) provides unparalleled imaging of congenital, inflammatory, traumatic and neoplastic processes, providing information on the solid organs and tubular structures, including the vasculature. Information is provided to aid immediate management or to stage lesions for subsequent or combined therapies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gives unprecedented multiplanar images and soft tissue resolution. There is still a place for plain radiography and barium studies but this is decreasing as technology advances.(c) 2001 Prous Science. All rights reserved.

Cross cultural tensions. It is challenging to communicate.

A cross cultural environment emphasises the challenges for communication between doctor and patient. The following stories share our thoughts and experience. They aim to illustrate issues and provoke reflection.

The impact of domestic violence on individuals.

There is extensive evidence of the adverse effects of domestic violence across all age groups and cultural backgrounds. The impact of domestic violence may be long-term, affecting emotional adjustment, physical health and subsequent relationships. Health professionals should be aware of the confounding effect of youth, age and cultural diversity on presentation. Shame and isolation militate against disclosure. Specific, sensitive questioning that incorporates awareness of cultural and social issues is essential to detect domestic violence and initiate appropriate assistance.

Nipple pain in breastfeeding women: causes, treatment, and prevention strategies.

This article identifies problems and conditions that contribute to nipple pain during lactation and that may lead to early cessation or noninitiation of breastfeeding. Signs and symptoms of poor latch-on and positioning, oral anomalies, and suckling disorders are reviewed. Diagnosis and treatment of infectious agents that may cause nipple pain are presented. Comfort measures for sore nipples and current treatment recommendations for nipple wound healing are discussed. Suggestions are made for incorporating in-depth breastfeeding content into midwifery education programs.

Urinary diagnosis of gonorrhoea and Chlamydia in men in remote aboriginal communities.

AIMS: (1) To evaluate the acceptability and validity of an intervention based on urine tests for diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhoea and chlamydia in men in remote Aboriginal communities. (2) To provide a prevalence estimate of these infections in the male population in the surveyed communities. METHODS: First-void urine samples from 460 men in remote communities and 33 men in the Alice Springs Gaol were tested for gonorrhoea and chlamydia with at least one of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and culture (gonorrhoea only). RESULTS: One hundred and three men (20.9%) were infected with gonorrhoea or chlamydia. The prevalence of infection for gonorrhoea only was 11.7%, for chlamydia only 4.1% and for dual infection 5.1%. Eighty-eight infected men and 45 of their sexual partners were recorded as having been treated within two months of testing. PCR tests detected the largest number of infections and were the easiest to use. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of these infections was higher than anticipated. Urine PCR tests were acceptable to men and are well suited to the remote-community setting. As an effective alternative to urethral swabs, they permit a range of community-based strategies to address high rates of infection with gonorrhoea and chlamydia.