Renal fornix rupture following diagnostic coronarography

A 31-year-old man with an uneventful medical history presented at the emergency department with complaints of exercise-related chest pain for 3 weeks. ECG showed ST-elevations in the inferior leads. A diagnostic coronarography was performed and showed multivessel coronary stenosis. During this procedure 200 ml of a nonionic, low-osmolality monomeric contrast agent (Iomeron 350®) and 1250 ml of isotonic saline solution was administered intravenously. After this procedure, the patient suffered from a sudden onset and progressive severe pain in the back and the right lumbar region. A plain CT of the abdomen performed 8 hours post coronarography showed contrast enhanced fluid in the renal sinus and the perinephric/peri-ureteral space (Fig. A (scout view), B (coronal) and C (sagittal) reformatted scans). There was a bladder overdistenstion with a CT-based volumetric estimation of 995 ml. No mechanical cause of upper urinary tract obstruction was present. Subsequent urological work-up included insertion of a bladder catheter (24 hours) and administration of peroral antibiotics. Ultrasound follow-up on the next day revealed no abnormalities and the patient was discharged

The critical role of CT angiography in the detection and management of lower gastro-intestinal bleeding

Lower gastro-intestinal bleeding (LGIB) is defined as a bleeding site localised in the colon or anorectum. (1) In the past, the diagnosis of LGIB has been a serious challenge for the radiology department because of its possible intermittent character, making it difficult to pinpoint the bleeding site. Patients with a LGIB will typically have undergone a long diagnostic work-up before they end up on the interventional radiology department. The development of multi-detector computed tomography (CT) has made radiological diagnosis of LGIB easier. CT is not only able to localize the active bleeding site but may also demonstrate the vascular anatomy and the underlying cause, hereby directing further management and guiding therapeutic interventions, as will be illustrated in both of our cases

Biomarkers of fatigue in oncology:A systematic review

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing side effect of cancer and treatment, affecting both patients during active treatment and survivors, negatively impacting quality of life. While its exact cause remains uncertain, various mechanisms such as immune dysfunction, HPA-axis dysfunction, and treatment toxicity are proposed. Inflammatory biomarkers of CRF have been explored in previous research, but non-inflammatory markers have not been comprehensively studied. This systematic review analysed 33 studies to identify non-inflammatory peripheral blood biomarkers associated with CRF. Promising markers included Hb, blood coagulation factors, BDNF, tryptophan, GAA, mtDNA, platinum, CA125, and cystatin-C. Inconsistent findings were observed for other markers like VEGF, leptin, and stress hormones. Most studies focused on adults. Research in pediatrics is limited. This review showed partial evidence for the inflammaging hypothesis (neurotoxicity due to neuro-inflammation) laying at the basis of CRF. Further research, especially in pediatrics, is needed to confirm this hypothesis and guide future biomarker studies.</p

Velocity profiles in simple shear flow of liquid crystalline polymers

The velocity profiles of isotropic and anisotropic solutions of hydroxypro-pylcellulose in water have been measured by a tracer method. The velocity profile is the usual linear one for steady state experiments and also for transient experiments if a short waiting time (less than 3 hours) is left between loading and the experiment. For long waiting times (more than 12 hours), the profile is S-shaped. This could be due to the establishment of a cholesteric superstructur