A new technique for superselective catheterization of arteries: preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to introduce a new technique for superselective catheterization of arteries with preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form, and this is useful for superselection of small arteries branching at an acute angle from a large parent artery for the treatment of tumors and hemorrhages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a superselective catheterization technique by using preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form. We encountered six patients in our practice for whom we failed to catheterize the small tumor-feeding arteries that branched at an acute angle from wide parent arteries during chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma; the parent arteries were the right inferior phrenic artery (n = 4) and the left gastric artery (n = 1) from the celiac axis with celiac stenosis due to compression by the median arcuate ligament and the proper hepatic artery from the gastroduodenal artery (n = 1) in a patient who had celiac axis occlusion with collateral circulation via the pancreaticoduodenal arcade from the superior mesenteric artery. In these consecutive six patients, we tested the usefulness of this new technique with employing preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form for superselective catheterization of targeted vessels. RESULTS: The target arteries were successfully catheterized and satisfactory transcatheter arterial chemoembolization was performed in all six patients. There were no significant complications such as arterial dissection. CONCLUSION: We developed a technique that is effective for superselection of vessels with preshaping of micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form, and we successfully applied it during chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma. This technique can be useful for superselection of small arteries that branch from a large parent artery at acute angles for the treatment of tumors and hemorrhages

A new technique for superselective catheterization of arteries: preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to introduce a new technique for superselective catheterization of arteries with preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form, and this is useful for superselection of small arteries branching at an acute angle from a large parent artery for the treatment of tumors and hemorrhages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a superselective catheterization technique by using preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form. We encountered six patients in our practice for whom we failed to catheterize the small tumor-feeding arteries that branched at an acute angle from wide parent arteries during chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma; the parent arteries were the right inferior phrenic artery (n = 4) and the left gastric artery (n = 1) from the celiac axis with celiac stenosis due to compression by the median arcuate ligament and the proper hepatic artery from the gastroduodenal artery (n = 1) in a patient who had celiac axis occlusion with collateral circulation via the pancreaticoduodenal arcade from the superior mesenteric artery. In these consecutive six patients, we tested the usefulness of this new technique with employing preshaping of a micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form for superselective catheterization of targeted vessels. RESULTS: The target arteries were successfully catheterized and satisfactory transcatheter arterial chemoembolization was performed in all six patients. There were no significant complications such as arterial dissection. CONCLUSION: We developed a technique that is effective for superselection of vessels with preshaping of micro-guide wire into a shepherd's hook form, and we successfully applied it during chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma. This technique can be useful for superselection of small arteries that branch from a large parent artery at acute angles for the treatment of tumors and hemorrhages

Comparison of Postoperative Neck Pain and Discomfort, Swallowing Difficulty, and Voice Change After Conventional Open, Endoscopic, and Robotic Thyroidectomy: A Single-Center Cohort Study

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the postoperative neck pain and discomfort, swallowing difficulty, and voice change after conventional open thyroidectomy (COT), endoscopic thyroidectomy (ET), or robotic thyroidectomy (RT) performed by a single surgeon.Methods: From January 2013 to December 2017, 254 patients underwent COT, ET, or RT performed by a single surgeon and completed a postoperative symptom survey conducted in the outpatient clinic by three nurses. The survey collected information on postoperative neck pain and discomfort, swallowing difficulty, and voice change.Results: Of the 254 patients, 169 underwent COT, 32 underwent ET, and 53 underwent RT. The mean age in the COT, ET, and RT groups was 50.1, 44.5, and 41.6 years, respectively. The mean interval between thyroidectomy and survey in the COT, ET, and RT groups was 42.7, 50.2, and 9.2 months, respectively. Postoperative neck pain was significantly higher in the ET and RT groups than in the COT group (p = 0.026). The average neck impairment index score in the RT group was significantly higher than that in the COT group (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in pain scale scores, swallowing difficulty, swallowing impairment index, voice change, and voice hand index among the three groups.Conclusions: There were no significant differences in postoperative voice change or swallowing difficulty among the COT, ET, and RT groups, whereas neck pain and discomfort were more common after ET and RT than COT

A case of focal nodular hyperplasia with growth progression during pregnancy

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is the second most common benign solid tumor of the liver and is usually found in young females. In FNH, spontaneous bleeding or rupture rarely occurs and malignant transformation is unlikely. The etiology of FNH is unclear, but because of female predominance and young age at onset, it seems that female hormone has an important role for the development of FNH. Although the development and the complications of hepatocellular adenomas have been related to the use of oral contraceptives and pregnancy, the influence of oral contraceptives and pregnancy on the growth and complications of FNH is controversial. Most FNH are stable in size and rarely complicated during pregnancy. We describe here a case of FNH with growth progression during pregnancy in a 27-year-old female. Her course of pregnancy and delivery was uneventful. Two months after delivery, the size of FNH was decreased

23-Valent Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23)-Targeted Serotype-Specific Identification Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae using the Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Method

Reports of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae have declined since the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7 and PCV13). The incidence of invasive diseases due to S. pneumoniae that are not addressed by the vaccines, however, has increased in children and adults, creating a global public health problem. Previously, we established the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for a PCV13 serotype-specific assay. In the current study, we developed a rapid, simple, and cost-effective assay to detect serotypes in the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) using the LAMP method. In this study, LAMP primer sets for serotypes 2, 8, 9N, 10A, 11A, 12F, 15B, 17F, 20, 22F, and 33F of S. pneumoniae were developed. The reactivity, specificity, and sensitivity of LAMP assays were determined and compared to those of conventional PCR. The feasibility of LAMP assays in clinical application in patients with invasive pneumococcal diseases was validated by defining the detection limit of the LAMP assay with bacterial genomic DNA-spiked blood specimens. The specificity of each LAMP assay was determined using 44 serotypes of pneumococcal strains. Their sensitivity was 100 copies per reaction versus 103 to 106 copies per reaction for PCR assays. Using DNA-spiked blood specimens, excluding the LAMP assay that targeted serotype 22F (103 copies per reaction), the limit of detection of the LAMP assay was similar to that with purified DNA as the template (102 copies per reaction), compared with 103 to \u3e 106 copies per reaction for PCR assays. In conclusion, a rapid and simple LAMP-based PPSV23-targeted serotype detection assay was developed for use in many countries. This study is the first report of a LAMP-based assay for identification of PPSV23 serotypes. Further evaluation of this assay is needed through surveillance and vaccine efficacy studies