Portal-Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis

The importance of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) lies mainly in the complications of prehepatic portal hypertension, which in the chronic state causes bleeding through varices. Acute PVT is the main cause of prehepatic portal hypertension in the Western world1 and the primary cause of portal hypertension of any type in noncirrhotic patients in developed countries. PVT accounts for some 8% to 10% of all cases of portal hypertension

Endolymphatic hydrops severity in magnetic resonance imaging evidences disparate vestibular test results

Objectives: It has been suggested that in Ménière’s disease (MD) a dissociated result in the caloric test (abnormal result) and video head-impulse test (normal result) probably indicates that hydrops affects the membranous labyrinth in the horizontal semicircular canal (HSC). The hypothesis in this study is that based on endolymphatic hydrops’ cochleocentric progression, hydrops should also be more severe in the vestibule of these patients than in those for whom both tests are normal. Methods: 22 consecutive patientswith unilateral definiteMDwere included and classified as NNif both tests were normal or AN if the caloric test was abnormal. MRI evaluation of endolymphatic hydrops was carried out with a T2-FLAIR sequence performed 4 h after intravenous gadolinium administration. The laterality and degree of vestibular endolymphatic hydrops and the presence or absence of cochlear endolymphatic hydrops were recorded. Demographic data, audiometric and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were collected, and video head-impulse and caloric tests were performed. Results: Patients in both groups (NN and AN) were similar in terms of demographic data and hearing loss. The interaural asymmetry ratio was significantly higher for ocular and cervical VEMP in patients in the AN group. There was a significantly higher degree of hydrops in the vestibule of the affected ear of AN patients (x2 ; p = 0.028). Conclusion: Significant canal paresis in the caloric test is associated with more severe endolymphatic hydrops in the vestibule as detected with gadolinium-enhanced MRI and with a more severe vestibular deficit

Repeated stereotactic radiosurgery for recurrent brain metastases: An effective strategy to control intracranial oligometastatic disease

Due to improvements in systemic therapies and longer survivals, cancer patients frequently present with re- current brain metastases (BM). The optimal therapeutic strategies for limited brain relapse remain undefined. We analyzed tumor control and survival in patients treated with salvage focal radiotherapy in our center. Thirty- three patients with 112 BM received salvage stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radio- therapy (FSRT) for local or regional recurrences. Local progression was observed in 11 BM (9.8 %). After 1 year, 72 % of patients were free of distant brain failure, and the 2-year overall survival (OS) was 37.7 %. No increase in toxicity or neurologically related deaths were observed. The 2- and 3-year whole brain radiation therapy free survival (WFS) rates were 92.9 % and 77.4 %, respectively. Hence, focal radiotherapy is a feasible salvage of recurrent BM in selected group of patients with limited brain disease, achieving a maintained intracranial control and less neurological toxicity

A phase II trial of autologous dendritic cell vaccination and radiochemotherapy following fuorescence-guided surgery in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients

Background: Prognosis of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains dismal, with median overall survival (OS) of about 15 months. It is therefore crucial to search alternative strategies that improve these results obtained with conventional treatments. In this context, immunotherapy seems to be a promising therapeutic option. We hypoth‐ esized that the addition of tumor lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DCs) vaccination to maximal safe resection followed by radiotherapy and concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide could improve patients’ survival. Methods: We conducted a phase-II clinical trial of autologous DCs vaccination in patients with newly diagnosed patients GBM who were candidates to complete or near complete resection. Candidates were fnally included if residual tumor volume was lower than 1 cc on postoperative radiological examination. Autologous DCs were generated from peripheral blood monocytes and pulsed with autologous whole tumor lysate. The vaccination calendar started before radiotherapy and was continued during adjuvant chemotherapy. Progression free survival (PFS) and OS were analyzed with the Kaplan–Meier method. Immune response were assessed in blood samples obtained before each vaccines. Results: Thirty-two consecutive patients were screened, one of which was a screening failure due to insufcient resection. Median age was 61 years (range 42–70). Karnofsky performance score (KPS) was 90–100 in 29%, 80 in 35.5% and 60–70 in 35.5% of cases. MGMT (O6 -methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase) promoter was methylated in 45.2% of patients. No severe adverse efects related to immunotherapy were registered. Median PFS was 12.7 months (CI 95% 7–16) and median OS was 23.4 months (95% CI 16–33.1). Increase in post-vaccination tumor specifc immune response after vaccines (proliferation or cytokine production) was detected in 11/27 evaluated patients. No correla‐ tion between immune response and survival was found. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the addition of tumor lysate-pulsed autologous DCs vaccination to tumor resection and combined radio-chemotherapy is feasible and safe. A multicenter randomized clinical trial is warranted to evaluate the potential survival beneft of this therapeutic approach