Salvage brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer after radiotherapy failure.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and morbidity of salvage brachytherapy for locally recurrent or persistent prostate cancer after radiotherapy failure. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 49 patients of median age 73.3 years (range 52.9 to 86.9) with biopsy-proven localized prostate cancer underwent interactive transperineal fluoroscopic-guided and biplane ultrasound-guided brachytherapy with either iodine 125 or palladium 103 after prior radiotherapy failure. Post-treatment follow-up was conducted for a median of 64.1 months (range 26.6 to 96.8) and included clinical assessment of disease status, assays of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and documentation of treatment-related symptoms and complications. Determination of biochemical treatment failure was based on two successive rising PSA values above the post-treatment PSA nadir value. RESULTS: The actuarial rate of local prostate cancer control was 98% (95% confidence interval [CI] 94% to 99%). Actuarial disease-specific survival at 3 and 5 years was 89% (95% CI 73% to 96%) and 79% (95% CI 58% to 91%), respectively. At 3 and 5 years, actuarial biochemical disease-free survival was 48% (95% CI 32% to 63%) and 34% (95% CI 17% to 51%), respectively. Post-treatment PSA nadir was found to be a significant predictor of biochemical disease-free survival. Actuarial biochemical disease-free survival of patients who achieved a PSA nadir less than 0.5 ng/mL was 77% (95% CI 53% to 90%) and 56% (95% CI 25% to 78%) at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Of 49 patients, 23 (47%) achieved a post-treatment PSA nadir less than 0.5 ng/mL. The incidence of serious complications after salvage brachytherapy, such as incontinence and rectal complications, was lower than that reported after other types of salvage procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Interactive transperineal fluoroscopic-guided and biplane ultrasound-guided brachytherapy is a novel, potentially curative salvage modality for patients in whom prior radiotherapy failed. In a population of patients with poor prognosis, this modality was associated with a high rate of local prostate cancer control and a 34% actuarial rate of biochemical disease-free survival at 5 years. The incidence of major complications after salvage brachytherapy appears to be lower than that after other potentially curative salvage procedures, such as radical prostatectomy and cryoablation. Salvage brachytherapy warrants further investigation.

Actuarial disease-free survival after prostate cancer brachytherapy using interactive techniques with biplane ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of interactive transperineal brachytherapy under biplane ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance in patients with localized prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Brachytherapy using 125I or 103Pd radioactive seeds either alone or in combination with adjunctive external beam radiotherapy (XRT) was administered to 490 patients at a single institution. Post-treatment follow-up included clinical assessment of disease status, assays of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and documentation of treatment-related symptoms and complications. RESULTS: Actuarial disease-free survival at 5 yr was 79% (95% CI, 71-85%), and the 5-yr actuarial rate of local control was 98% (95% CI, 94-99%). Post-treatment PSA nadir and pretreatment PSA level were found to be significant predictors of disease-free survival. In patients with a PSA nadir < 0.5 ng/ml, 5-yr disease-free survival was 93% (95% CI, 84-97%), compared with 25% (95% CI, 5-53%) in patients whose PSA nadir was 0.5-1.0 ng/ml and 15% (95% CI, 3-38) in patients with a PSA nadir > 1.0 ng/ml. Brachytherapy was well tolerated with few post-treatment complications. CONCLUSION: A broad range of patients with localized prostate cancer can benefit from transperineal brachytherapy with minimal morbidity. A post-treatment PSA nadir below 0.5 ng/ml provides a useful prognostic indicator of favorable long-term outcome.

Anatomic and physiologic measurements of the internal and external anal sphincters in normal females.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation between anal sphincter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements and manometric anorectal vectography pressures. METHODS: Ten healthy, nulliparous women underwent anal sphincter MRI with examination of sagittal, axial oblique, and coronal planes. Anal manometry was performed with a radial eight-channel catheter. Customary functional measurements were recorded, including anterior and posterior sphincter length, squeeze length, length of the high-pressure zone, and maximal resting and squeeze pressures. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to assess correlation. RESULTS: The manometric squeeze length and the manometric length to maximum squeeze pressure were correlated negatively with the posterior sphincter length by MRI (P = .049 and .044, respectively). The manometric high-pressure zone squeeze length was correlated positively with the posterior sphincter length by MRI (P = .042). The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) posterior sphincter length was 27.3 +/- 6.0 mm. Anatomically, the cylindric shape of the anal sphincter is characterized by a gradual increase in muscle thickness cephalad. The external striated sphincter was much thicker posteriorly (24.7 +/- 4.6 mm) than anteriorly (6.6 +/- 1.7 mm) in the proximal or caudal third. The proximal internal smooth muscle sphincter was nearly equal in thickness anteriorly and posteriorly (9.0 +/- 1.4 mm and 9.6 +/- 1.7 mm, respectively). Although variation in the thickness of both the smooth and striated muscle was found, manometric pressures did not correlate with the muscle thickness along the sphincter. CONCLUSION: The length of the anal sphincter correlated positively with the functional information, as determined by manometry. An anal sphincter length of 3 cm is consistent, from an anatomic and functional view, in these ten normal women.

Renal artery stenosis: analysis of Doppler waveform parameters and tardus-parvus pattern.

PURPOSE: The utility of Doppler parameters and waveform contour analysis for diagnosis of renal artery stenosis was studied in a hypertensive population screened for renovascular hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Doppler results were compared with those obtained with angiography in a prospective double-blind study involving 118 kidneys in 46 patients with hypertension and 11 potential renal donors with normal blood pressure. Doppler parameters measured in the distal renal artery included systolic acceleration, acceleration time, peak systolic velocity, deceleration in late systole, pulsatility and resistivity indexes, and waveform features in early systole. RESULTS: Angiograms demonstrated 28 stenotic renal arteries. There was no significant difference between stenotic (> 50% diameter narrowing) and nonstenotic renal arteries for any parameters studied. When stenosis was further categorized as moderate (50%-79%) or severe (80%-95%), significant (P < .05) differences for acceleration time and systolic acceleration were found between nonstenotic and severely stenotic arteries. CONCLUSION: Doppler characterization of the tardus-parvus phenomenon in the distal renal artery is not an adequate screening method for detection of renal artery stenosis.

MR imaging of fat in and around the heart.

MR imaging is useful for characterizing collections of fat in and around the heart. This article illustrates the MR appearance of pericardial fat, epicardial and periaortic fat, intramural fatty involvement and intracavitary fat, with emphasis on the distinctions between fatty and nonfatty tumors.

Erosive spondyloarthropathy in long-term dialysis patients: relationship to severe hyperparathyroidism.

We describe the development of a destructive, erosive spondyloarthropathy in three long-term dialysis patients (mean duration of dialysis, 96 months). In all three patients, the lesions caused symptomatic vertebral pain and developed during a period of only a few months. All patients had extremely elevated levels of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone, and two patients had evidence of severe hyperparathyroidism on bone biopsy specimens. Two patients who underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy had rapid relief of symptoms and no further radiographic evidence of progression of the spondyloarthropathy. The third patient refused subtotal parathyroidectomy and had pronounced progression of the destructive spondyloarthropathy in the cervical spine. The limited experience of others, along with our currently reported findings, strongly suggests that hyperparathyroidism plays a major role in the development of this disorder. Erosive spondyloarthropathy is increasingly recognized in long-term dialysis patients and may be a unique clinical and radiographic manifestation of severe hyperparathyroidism in this population.

Aluminum toxicity in patients undergoing dialysis: radiographic findings and prediction of bone biopsy results.

Aluminum toxicity in patients undergoing dialysis currently requires bone biopsy for definitive diagnosis. The authors retrospectively reviewed clinical, histologic, and radiographic findings in 63 patients undergoing dialysis. In 30 patients, biopsy specimens were negative for aluminum toxicity, and in 33 patients, specimens were positive. In 21 of the 30 patients who had a negative biopsy specimen, absence of aluminum toxicity could be predicted by a high immunoreactive parathyroid hormone level (greater than 2,000 microliter Eq/ml [2,210 pM]) and fewer than three fractures, by the presence of osteosclerosis on radiographs, or if serum aluminum levels were less than 30 ng/ml. None of the patients who had a positive biopsy specimen met these criteria. In 18 of 33 patients who had a positive biopsy specimen, aluminum toxicity could be predicted by a low immunoreactive parathyroid hormone level (less than 500 microliter Eq/ml [553 pM]) and more than three fractures, or if serum aluminum levels were greater than 300 ng/ml. None of the patients who had a negative biopsy specimen met these criteria. Thus, based on the criteria identified, the aluminum status of 62% of these patients would have been correctly diagnosed.