Traumatic Vertebral Artery Stenosis Inflicted by Stray Arrow.

A 17-year-old female presented to the emergency room with an arrow sticking out the right aspect of her neck. Her vital signs were stable with systolic blood pressure of 117 mmHg, without either tachycardia, dyspnea, or signs of active bleeding. She was fully conscious with intact sensory and motor function on all extremities. Computed Tomography (CT) showed that the tip of the arrowhead lodged at the transverse foramen of the third cervical vertebra. Digital subtraction angiography revealed that the arrowhead lies posterior to the right vertebral artery, narrowly missing it by about two millimeters. Emergency surgery was arranged in hybrid operating suite. An occlusion balloon catheter was introduced to right vertebral artery but not inflated prior to extracting the arrowhead. After extraction, oozing from the wound was noted. We then inflated the balloon while the neurosurgeon performed hemostasis with gauze compression and electrocoagulation probe. The right vertebral angiography after releasing of the balloon showed focal narrowing of the artery without contrast extravasation. The patient was discharged on the fifth hospital day, and no anticoagulant was prescribed due to lack of neurological deficit. Pre-surgical planning and partnership with the neurosurgeon lead to the optimal outcome for this case.

Appendiceal Mucinous Tumor Presenting as Recurrent Bowel Obstruction.

Appendiceal mucinous tumors are rare, with variable malignant potential, and they are usually found incidentally. Clinical symptoms are nonspecific. Rarely, appendiceal mucinous neoplasm causes bowel obstruction and makes diagnosis more difficult. We present a case of an 84-year-old female who came to our emergency department having had abdominal fullness and constipation for 5 days. Ileus, due to an affected adhesion band, was diagnosed initially, and symptoms improved gradually under conservative treatment. However, 3 months later she presented to the emergency department again with abdominal pain and distension; small bowel obstruction due to adhesion was again diagnosed. Recurrent bowel obstruction prompted emergent surgery. Operative findings showed a whitish appendiceal tumor adhering to and directly invading the adjacent ileum, with a segment of herniated small bowel wedged in between, causing the obstruction. Upon reviewing the initial computed tomography scan, the dilated tubular structure of appendiceal tumor was misrecognized as small bowel loop; there was no surrounding inflammatory sign, leading to diagnosis difficulty. Instead of a common cause of bowel obstruction, such as adhesion band, this case revealed bowel obstruction can be caused by the direct invasion of an appendiceal tumor. Awareness of this condition with careful image evaluation of small bowel obstruction is essential for diagnosis.

Multidisciplinary team intervention associated with improved survival for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with liver or lung metastasis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with liver or lung metastasis (CRA-LLM). METHODS: We enrolled 161 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed CRA-LLM at Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital between January 2007 and December 2017. In total, 75 patients with CRA-LLM received MDT intervention, and 86 patients did not receive MDT intervention. To evaluate prognostic factors for overall death, we performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the overall death rate in all patients. Overall survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test (P < .001). RESULTS: A multivariate Cox regression analysis of the overall death rate in patients with CRA-LLM showed that age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention are strong prognostic factors. The adjusted hazard ratio of death risk for age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention were 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.92; P = .019), 0.19 (95% CI, 0.12-0.32; P = .001), 0.25 (95% CI, 0.13-0.50; P = .001), and 0.40 (95% CI, 0.25-0.65; P = .001), respectively. The 3-year overall survival rates in patients with CRA-LLM receiving MDT intervention and not receiving MDT intervention were 48.75% and 24.21%, respectively. CONCLUSION: MDT intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with CRA-LLM.

The proper use of coronary calcium score and coronary computed tomography angiography for screening asymptomatic patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

Early detection and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) can reduce incidences of acute myocardial infarction. In this study, we determined the proper use of contributing risk factors and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) when screening asymptomatic patients with coronary arterial stenoses using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We reviewed 934 consecutive patients who received CACS and CCTA between December 2013 and November 2016. At least one cardiovascular disease risk factor was present in each of the 509 asymptomatic participants. Patients were grouped based on CACS into "zero," "minimal" (0 < CACS ≤ 10), "mild" (10 < CACS ≤ 100), "moderate" (100 < CACS ≤ 400), and "excessive" (CACS > 400). Males over 45 years old with diabetes mellitus and hypertension had a higher risk of significant coronary stenosis. In multivariate analysis, age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus remained significant predictors of stenosis. A CACS of zero occurred in 227 patients (44.6%). There were no significant differences between the "zero" and "minimal" groups (p = 0.421), but the "mild," "moderate," and "excessive" groups showed correlations with significant coronary stenosis. Age, sex, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were associated with higher risk of significant coronary stenosis. Asymptomatic patients with CACSs of zero do not require CCTA, and thereby avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.

Assessment of radiation safety in cardiac CT angiography.

This study investigates the radiation dose and image quality of patients not receiving ß-blockers for cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) with or without the optimization of electrocardiographic (ECG) pulsing window. The differences in patient characteristics are also characterized.Normal-weight and obese patients (n = 154) with heart rates between 65 and 80 beats per minutes (bpm) during the prospective axial scanning were enrolled retrospectively. The ECG pulsing windows were set at 50% to 75% (Group A) or 60% to 75% (Group B) of the R-R interval for patients with heart rate variability higher than or not exceeding ±5 bpm, respectively. The effective doses of individual patient were estimated from the dose length product of the CCTA scan. Two radiologists independently reviewed the images and applied a 4-point Likert scale for image quality assessment. The patients' characteristics were compared along with the patients' effective doses between groups.The optimized pulsing window significantly reduced the average radiation dose for normal-weight and obese patients by 33% and 27%, respectively. The CCTA image quality of patients in Group A was not different overall from those obtained from Group B. Nondiabetic obese patients were more likely to be accepted for the use of the optimized pulsing window. Unlike obese patients, normal-weight patients revealed no characteristic difference between Groups A and B.This study indicates an equivalent efficacy of using optimized pulsing windows for reducing the radiation dose for patients without ß-blocker administration between different body weight groups. Nevertheless, gender and diabetic status became prominent characteristics in the obese group when matching up with the optimized pulsing window.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the omentum: multidetector computed tomography findings.

We report computed tomography (CT) findings for a rare case of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the greater omentum from a 47-year-old female patient. The tumor presented ash a palpable mass lesion in the umbilical region for the last two months. Multidetector CT scan of the abdomen showed a 14-cm soft-tissue mass with calcification and necrosis within the greater omentum. As a result, a follicular dendritic cell sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a solitary omentum mass, especially one with coarse and chunk-like calcifications.

Mesentery neurilemmoma: CT, MRI and angiographic findings.

Mesenteric neurilemmoma is extremely rare. We present a case of a 45-year-old man with mesenteric neurilemmoma, with CT, MRI and angiographic findings. The patient was healthy and had had no symptoms previously. CT and MRI images revealed a 2.2-cm well-defined, soft-tissue mass adjacent to the posterior border of the left lobe of the liver. The tumor mass displayed a heterogenous low signal on T2-weighted image and peripheral enhancement after gadolinium administration. Angiography showed a hypervascular mass beneath the tail of pancreas, which was supplied by small branches of middle splenic artery. Histopathology revealed a mesentery neurilemmoma composed of spindle tumor cells.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen: CT and MRI findings.

Inflammatory pseudotumors rarely occur in the spleen. We report such a case with characteristic computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. A CT scan showed an isodense nodular mass with gradual mild enhancement on delayed-phase contrast-enhanced images. MRI showed a mass with isointense signal on T1-weighted images and hypointense signal on T2-weighted images. The tumor mass showed progressive inhomogeneous enhancement on gadolinium-enhanced images. The patient received splenectomy, and histologic diagnosis was compatible with inflammatory pseudotumor.

MRI of epithelioid sarcoma of the thigh.

A 31-year-old woman with epithelioid sarcoma of the thigh is presented. The patient had had a progressively growing mass in her left thigh for 4 months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a subcutaneous mass with a central area of hypointensity and serpiginous hyperintensity in the peripheral portion. Such findings have not been reported before. Histologic findings were compatible with epithelioid sarcoma.

MRI of hemangiopericytoma in the sacrum.

Osseous hemangiopericytoma is rare. We present a case of a 30-year-old woman with low-back pain with radiation to the left buttock for 1 month. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a tumor mass with areas of serpentine signal void pattern in the sacrum suggestive of a vascular tumor. Neither calcifications nor layered blood serum were noted. Histological diagnosis was compatible with osseous hemangiopericytoma.