Technical report: the Venflon 2 intravenous cannula used for arterial catheterization.

Using conventional guidewire techniques we have found the Venflon 2 (Viggo-Spectramed) to be a safe and effective arteriographic puncture needle. The Venflon 2 offers significant technical advantages and cost savings when compared with traditional needles. Its use and limitations are discussed.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the subclavian and axillary arteries: initial results and long term follow-up.

The early and long term outcomes of 25 subclavian and axillary angioplasties in a series of 19 patients treated at one centre over a period of 10 years were assessed. The eventual outcome was long lasting improvement in most cases. Two of 25 PTAs were technical failures as defined as > 30% residual stenosis. Twenty-three of 25 PTAs were technical successes: 17 of these were first procedures, one was a repeat after an initial failure, two were repeats for restenosis and three were for separate new lesions. Clinically, 13 of the 19 patients were asymptomatic at long term follow-up. Four had only occasional, mild symptoms (in one of those they were due to shoulder arthropathy). Two patients had technically successful dilatations but developed problems with arterial occlusion distally which in one patient required amputation of that limb.

Case report: persistence of lipiodol for 13 months in metastatic deposits in the liver on computed tomography.

The computed tomography (CT) findings in a 17-year-old male student with liver metastases from a primary adenocarcinoma of the rectum are presented. Lipiodol-enhanced CT 4 days after lipiodol infusion demonstrated several metastases not visible on conventional CT. A repeat CT 13 months later showed lipiodol to have been retained within the original lesions and also demonstrated new metastatic deposits free of lipiodol. Although persistence of lipiodol for up to a year has been reported by workers in Japan imaging hepatocellular carcinoma (Yumoto et al., 1985) this experience has not been confirmed in the UK (Raby et al., 1989). There are relatively few reports investigating metastatic adenocarcinoma (Nakakuma et al., 1985), none of which refers to persistence of lipiodol over 1 year. This case report demonstrates the ability of lipiodol-enhanced CT to detect occult metastases and also to facilitate their follow-up and differentiation from newer lesions.

The computed tomographic appearances of lymphangiectasia in the pelvis.

We describe the CT appearances of lymphangiectasia in the pelvis of a 21-year-old male who presented with fever, abdominal pain and swelling of the right thigh. Previous histological examination of a biopsy specimen from the patient's thigh had demonstrated lymphangiectasia.