Detailed cross-sectional study of 60 superficial femoral artery occlusions: morphological quantitative analysis can lead to a new classification.

OBJECTIVE: Current clinical classification of superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusions as defined by TASC II guidelines is limited to length and calcifications analysis on 2D angiograms, while state-of-the-art cross-sectional imaging like computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) provides much more detailed anatomical information than traditional invasive angiography: quantitative morphological analysis of these advanced imaging techniques could therefore be the basis of a refined classification. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-six patients (65% men, 68±11.6 years) that underwent lower limb CTA were retrospectively included, totalizing 60 SFA occlusions. Lesions were classified as TASC II stage A in 3% of cases, stage B in 20%, stage C in 2% and stage D in 75%. For each pathological artery, curved multiplanar reconstructions following the occluded SFA course were used to measure the total length and the mean diameter of the occluded segment. Color-coded map provided an accurate estimation of calcifications' volume. Thirty-nine percent of the occlusions were total. Mean occluded segment length was 219±107 mm (range, 14-530 mm); mean occluded segment diameter was 6.1±1.6 mm (range, 3.4-10 mm); mean calcifications' volume in the occluded segment was 1,265±1,893 mm(3) (range, 0-8,815 mm(3)), corresponding to a percentage of 17.4%±20% (range, 0-88.7%). Shrinked occluded occlusions were defined by a mean diameter under 5 mm and heavily calcified occlusions by a mean percentage of calcifications above 4%. Use of these thresholds allowed the distinction of four groups of patients: heavily calcified occlusions with preserved caliber (56%), non-calcified occlusions with preserved caliber (19%), non-calcified occlusions with small caliber (15%) and heavily calcified occlusions with small caliber (10%). CONCLUSIONS: SFA OCCLUSIONS ARE DISPARATE: this simple morphological study points out TASC II classification weaknesses for SFA occlusions, as quantitative cross-sectional imaging analysis with measurement of mean occluded diameter and percentage of calcifications can refine it. This could be particularly useful in the management of TASC II type D lesions, for which new endovascular revascularization techniques are arising, and where a CTA or MRA-based morphological classification could provide support in choosing between them..journal article2014 Aprimporte

A new approach to wafer level thin-film encapsulation for RF-MEMS Switches

The paper will discuss in detail a new fabrication process developed for the encapsulation of RF-MEMS switches. A shell covering the unreleased switch is created with two layers of PECVD silicon nitride patterned with holes and separated by an aluminum layer which is removed at the end of the shell fabrication sequence. The cavity beneath the shell is then made free burning by oxygen plasma the sacrificial photoresist spacer covering the switch. The mechanical design of the shell and the optimization of the film parameters are reported and discussed. The shell is then covered with a sealing polymer that should not penetrate into the holes. In order to achieve this result a special design for the hole pattern is presented

A new approach to wafer level thin-film encapsulation for RF-MEMS Switches

The paper will discuss in detail a new fabrication process developed for the encapsulation of RF-MEMS switches. A shell covering the unreleased switch is created with two layers of PECVD silicon nitride patterned with holes and separated by an aluminum layer which is removed at the end of the shell fabrication sequence. The cavity beneath the shell is then made free burning by oxygen plasma the sacrificial photoresist spacer covering the switch. The mechanical design of the shell and the optimization of the film parameters are reported and discussed. The shell is then covered with a sealing polymer that should not penetrate into the holes. In order to achieve this result a special design for the hole pattern is presented

68Ga-DOTATOC PET for Treatment Efficacy Evaluation of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

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