Comparison of neurologic and radiographic outcomes with Solitaire versus Merci/Penumbra systems for acute stroke intervention.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Solitaire Flow Restoration was approved by the FDA in 2012 for mechanical thrombolysis of proximal occlusion of intracranial arteries. To compare the Solitaire FR device and the Merci/Penumbra (previously FDA approved) systems in terms of safety, clinical outcomes, and efficacy including radiographic brain parenchymal salvage. METHODS: Thirty-one consecutive patients treated with the Solitaire and 20 patients with comparable baseline characteristics treated with Merci or Penumbra systems were included in the study. Primary outcome measures included recanalization rate and modified Rankin Scale score at followup. Secondary outcomes included length of procedure, incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 90-day mortality, and radiographic analysis of percentage area salvage. RESULTS: Compared with the Merci/Penumbra group, the Solitaire group showed a statistically significant improvement in favorable outcomes (mRS ≤ 2) (69% versus 35%, P = 0.03) and symptomatic ICH rate (0 versus 15%, P = 0.05) with a trend towards higher recanalization rates (93.5% versus 75%, P = 0.096) and shorter length of procedure (58.5 min versus 70.8 min, P = 0.08). Radiographic comparison also showed a significantly larger area of salvage in the Solitaire group (81.9% versus 71.9%, P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the Solitaire system allows faster, safer, and more efficient thrombectomy than Merci or Penumbra systems

Two Cases of Spinal, Extraosseous, Intradural Ewing\u27s sarcoma/Peripheral Neuroectodermal Tumor: Radiologic, Pathologic, and Molecular Analysis.

Extraosseous Ewing\u27s sarcoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumors (ES/PNETs) are rare neoplasms that account for approximately 10%-15% of soft tissue sarcomas in children and 5% of soft tissue sarcomas in adults. Primary spinal, extraosseous, intradural ES/PNETs are even less common. The diagnosis of ES/PNET is extremely challenging, because the tumor can have a nonspecific radiologic appearance, and the histologic features are shared by many other small round cell tumors. Thus, ES/PNET should be included in the radiologic and pathologic differential diagnosis, even in older patients and in unusual tumor sites. We report two cases of spinal, extraosseous, intradural ES/PNETs in adults who presented with back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed contrast enhancing, intradural lesions in the area of the conus medullaris. The tumor in Case 1 was partially intramedullary, while the tumor in Case 2 was exclusively extramedullary. In both cases, the radiologic and intraoperative surgical impression favored ependymoma. The diagnosis of ES/PNET was established in both cases by histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular analysis

Treatment of Duodenal Variceal Hemorrhage with Endoscopic Band Ligation

Introduction • Duodenal varices (DV) are a rare but potentially serious complication of portal hypertension and carry a high risk of massive gastrointestinal bleeding. • This is a report of successful treatment of a massive DV hemorrhage with endoscopic band ligation