PURPOSE: An oblique interface in the right cardiophrenic angle, extending superomedially from rightretrocardiac or supradiaphragmatic region inferolaterally to peridiaphragmatic region, is occasionally observed onposteroanterior chest radiograph. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of visualization of the interface on chest radiographs and to elucidate its nature on radiographic-CT correlation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Posteroanterior chest radiographs from 300 consecutive subjects were analyzed to evaluate the frequency and demographic data about an oblique interface in the right cardiophrenic angle. Thin-section CT scans(1-mmcollimation and 5-mm intervals) were obtained from the subjects with positive interface on chest radiograph for assessment of the nature of the interface. The demographic data in the subjects with and without the interface were tested statistically to note any difference between two groups. RESULTS: Oblique interface in the right cardiophrenic angle was present in 29 subjects(9.7%) on chest radiograph. The age of the subjects with positive interface(13 men and 16 women) ranged from 19 to 70 years(mean +/-SD, 47+/- 12.7 years) whereas the age of thesubijects without the interface from 16 to 82 years (mean +/-SD, 50+/-9.1 years)(p>0.1). The body weight of thesubjects with the interface ranged from 41 to 72 Kg(mean +/-SD, 60 +/- 8.0Kg) whereas the body weight of thesubjects without the interface from 41 to 85 Kg(mean +/-SD, 63+/-10.1Kg)(p>0.1). On CT scan, it was formed due tocontact between the epipericardial fat and the right middle lobe of the lung in 27 subjects(93%) and between the inferior vena cava and the medial basal segment of the right lower lobe of the lung in two(7%). CONCLUSION: Oblique interface in the right cardiophrenic angle is occasionally visualized on chest radiograph. It is formed due to contact between the right middle lobe of the lung and pericardial fat in most cases. The frequency of visualization of the interface has no relationship to age and body weight of the subjects.
Body Weight ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To assess the outcome of tunneled central venous catheter placement via the right internal jugular vein. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2001 and May 2002, 670 consecutive Hickman catheters were placed in 654 patients via the right internal jugular vein. The procedural complications arising and follow-up data obtained from May to July 2002 were evaluated. RESULTS: The technical success rate for catheter placement was 99.9% (669/670). Procedural complications were limited to eight cases (1.2%), including three pneumothoraces, one early migration of the catheter, one clinically unimportant air embolism, one catheter injury, one catheter kinking and one primary malpositioning in the azygos vein. Catheter dwelling time ranged from 1 to 407 (mean 107.1) days. During the follow-up period, 416 catheters were removed for various reasons: treatment had ended (n=334), patients declined treatment or their drug regimen was changed (n=16), late complications arose (n=53), or other circumstances intervened (n=13). Late complications included 44 cases of catheter-related infection (6.6%), five of catheter migration (0.7%), two of catheter occlusion (0.3%), one of thrombophlebitis (0.15%), and one of catheter-related right atrial thrombosis (0.15%). Only one instance of symptomatic venous thrombosis or stenosis was noted , namely the one case of thrombophlebitis. CONCLUSION: Because the incidence of subsequent symptomatic venous thrombosis or stenosis is lower, the preferred route for tunneled central venous catheter placement is the right internal jugular vein.
Azygos Vein ; Catheter-Related Infections ; Catheters* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Embolism, Air ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jugular Veins* ; Thrombophlebitis ; Thrombosis ; Venous Thrombosis

OBJECTIVE: 1) To evaluate the mid-term efficacy and safety of a permanent nitinol inferior vena cava (IVC) filter; 2) to evaluate filter effectiveness, filter stability and caval occlusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective evaluation of the TrapEase IVC filter was performed on 42 patients (eight men, 34 women) ranging in age from 22 to 78 years (mean age 66 years). All patients were ill with a high risk of pulmonary embolism (PE). Indications for filter placement were: 1) deep vein thrombosis with recurrent thromboembolism; 2) and/or free-floating thrombus with contraindication to anticoagulation; and 3) complications in achieving adequate anticoagulation. Follow-up evaluations (mean: 15.4 months, range: 2 to 28 months) were performed at 6- and 12-month intervals after the procedure and included clinical histories, chart reviews, plain film, Doppler ultrasounds, and contrasted abdominal CT scans. RESULTS: In follow-up evaluations, the data analysis revealed no cases of symptomatic PE. There were no cases of filter migration, insertion site thrombosis, filter fracture, or vessel wall perforation. During the study, there was one case of filter thrombosis; early symptomatic thrombosis that was successfully treated in the hospital. Of the 42 subjects, eight died. These deaths were not related to the filter device or the implantation procedure, but to the underlying disease. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the TrapEase permanent IVC filter is a safe and an effective device with low complication rates and is best used in patients with thromboembolic disease with a high risk of PE.
Adult ; Aged ; *Alloys ; Equipment Design ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Embolism/*prevention & control ; Safety ; Thromboembolism/complications ; Treatment Outcome ; *Vena Cava Filters ; Vena Cava, Inferior ; Venous Thrombosis/*complications

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with subintimal angioplasty (SA) for treatment of chronic lower limb ischemia (CLLI) and to assess its effectiveness and durability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2003 through June 2005, we treated 40 limbs in 36 patients with CLLI by SA. Balloons with or without secondary stent placement appropriate in size to the occluded arteries were used for SA of all lesions, except for iliac lesions where primary stent placement was done. The patients were followed for 1-23 months by clinical examination and color Doppler ultrasound and/or CT angiography. Technical results and outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. The presence of a steep learning curve for performance of SA was also evaluated. Primary and secondary patencies were determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 32 (80%) of 40 limbs. There was no statistical difference between technical success rates of 75% (18/24) during the first year and 88% (14/16) thereafter. There were four complications (10%) in 40 procedures; two arterial perforations, one pseudoaneurysm at the puncture site, and one delayed hematoma at the SA site. Excluding initial technical failures, the primary patency rates at six and 12 months were 68% and 55%, respectively. Secondary patency rates at six and 12 months were 73% and 59%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Subintimal angioplasty can be accomplished with a high technical success rate. It should be attempted in patients with CLLI as an alternative to more extended surgery, or when surgical treatment is not recommended due to comorbidity or an unfavorable disease pattern.
Tunica Intima/pathology ; Stents ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Leg/*blood supply ; Ischemia/epidemiology/*surgery ; Intermittent Claudication/surgery ; Humans ; Female ; Feasibility Studies ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Comorbidity ; Chronic Disease ; Angioplasty, Balloon/*methods ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to describe portal stenting for postoperative portal occlusion with delayed (≥ 3 months) variceal bleeding in the afferent jejunal loop. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven consecutive patients (age range, 2–79 years; eight men and three women) who underwent portal stenting between April 2009 and December 2015 were included in the study. Preoperative medical history and the postoperative clinical course were reviewed. Characteristics of portal occlusion and details of procedures were also investigated. Technical success, treatment efficacy (defined as disappearance of jejunal varix on follow-up CT), and clinical success were analyzed. Primary stent patency rate was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: All patients underwent hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer surgery except two children with liver transplantation for biliary atresia. Portal occlusion was caused by benign postoperative change (n = 6) and local tumor recurrence (n = 5). Variceal bleeding occurred at 27 months (4 to 72 months) and portal stenting was performed at 37 months (4 to 121 months), on average, postoperatively. Technical success, treatment efficacy, and clinical success rates were 90.9, 100, and 81.8%, respectively. The primary patency rate of portal stent was 88.9% during the mean follow-up period of 9 months. Neither procedure-related complication nor mortality occurred. CONCLUSION: Interventional portal stenting is an effective treatment for delayed jejunal variceal bleeding due to portal occlusion after hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery.
Biliary Atresia ; Child ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Methods ; Mortality ; Portal Vein* ; Recurrence ; Stents* ; Treatment Outcome ; Varicose Veins*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Hickman catheter placement via the subclavian vein under fluoroscopic guidance with intravenous contrast injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During an eleven-month period, 187 Hickman catheters were percutaneously placed in 167 consecutive patients in an interventional radiology suite. Subclavian venous puncture was made with injection of contrast medium into the peripheral venous line. After subclavian venous access had been obtained, a subcutaneous tunnel was created using a peel-away sheath or a tunneler. The Hickman catheters were inserted through a peel-away sheath, the distal tip of which was at the junction of the right atrium and the superior vena cava. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six Hickman catheters were successfully placed; the one failure was due to an atomical tortuosity of the vein(0.53%). Complications included one case of subclavian vein occlusion (0.53%); three of line occlusion by thrombus (1.6%); one of oozing at the suture site (0.53%); six of infection or inflammation (3.2%); eight of natural removal (4.2%); one case of air embolism (0.53%) and two of malposition (0.1%). Major complications such as pneumothorax or arterial puncture leading to mediastinal hemorrhage did not, however, occur. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that radiologic Hickman catheter placement offers advantages over traditional approaches in terms of safety, convenience, and time and cost savings.
Catheters ; Cost Savings ; Embolism, Air ; Heart Atria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Pneumothorax ; Punctures ; Radiology, Interventional ; Subclavian Vein* ; Sutures ; Thrombosis ; Vena Cava, Superior

PURPOSE: To determine the usefulness of microbubble contrast enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS)for the detection of residual tumor in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) treated by transcatheter arterialchemoembolization (TACE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen nodular HCCs (size range: 1 - 7.3 cm, mean: 3.5) intwelve patients treated by TACE, and on the basis of follow-up liver CT, thought to have a residual tumor, wereincluded in this study. Between July 1997 and April 1998, PDUS examinations were performed with a 2-4 MHz convextransducer before and after intravenous injection of a microbubble contrast agent (Levovist(, Schering AG, Berlin,Germany). Real-time power Doppler ultrasonographic images were recorded on videotape and representative imageswere color-printed. Tumor vascularity was analyzed on real-time images with regard to its presence or absence, andchanges, and two observers reached a consensus. The results were compared with those of other diagnostic tests(three-phase helical CT, conventional angiography, percutaneous biopsy, and/or surgical pathology). RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced PDUS revealed intratumoral vascularity in ten of 14 tumors, none of which showed vascularity onunenhanced PDUS. In the remaining four tumors, both unenhanced and enhanced PDUS showed intratumoral tumorvascularity, which in all cases was more pronounced on enhanced than on unenhanced PDUS. Other diagnostic testsrevealed residual tumors in eleven lesions. CONCLUSION: Microbubble contrast-enhanced PDUS was more sensitivethan non-enhanced PDUS in depicting vascularity within a residual tumor and could be a useful method for thedetection of residual tumor in HCCs treated by TACE.
Angiography ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Consensus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Liver ; Microbubbles ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Ultrasonography, Doppler* ; Videotape Recording

PURPOSE: To evaluate a recently developed technique to place a medium-duration(weeks to months) central venous access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Within three-year period, 635 patients were referred to interventional radiology suite for placement of peripherally inserted central catheter(PlCC). Contrast medium was injected into the peripheral intravenous line and a puncture was made into the opacified vein near the junction of the middle and upper thirds of the upper arm, either the brachial or basilic vein under fluoroscopic guidance. A 5.5-French peel-away sheath was inserted into the vein and a 5- French silicone catheter was introduced with its distal tip to the junction of the right atrium and superior vena cava. RESULTS: Catheter placement was successful in all patients unless there was a central venous obstruction. Catheters were maintained from 2 days to 5 months with a mean of 3 weeks. Complications included infection requiring removal of the PICC in 16 patients(2.5%), acute thrombosis of the subclavian vein in 3(0.5%). Occluded catheters in 4 patients were easily cleared with urokinase in place. CONCLUSION: The PICC system is an excellent option for medium-duration cen- tral venous access. Patients were able to carry on normal activities with the catheters in place.
Arm* ; Catheters* ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Ocimum basilicum ; Punctures ; Radiology, Interventional ; Silicones ; Subclavian Vein ; Thrombosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior

PURPOSE: To evaluate a recently developed technique to place a medium-duration(weeks to months) central venous access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Within three-year period, 635 patients were referred to interventional radiology suite for placement of peripherally inserted central catheter(PlCC). Contrast medium was injected into the peripheral intravenous line and a puncture was made into the opacified vein near the junction of the middle and upper thirds of the upper arm, either the brachial or basilic vein under fluoroscopic guidance. A 5.5-French peel-away sheath was inserted into the vein and a 5- French silicone catheter was introduced with its distal tip to the junction of the right atrium and superior vena cava. RESULTS: Catheter placement was successful in all patients unless there was a central venous obstruction. Catheters were maintained from 2 days to 5 months with a mean of 3 weeks. Complications included infection requiring removal of the PICC in 16 patients(2.5%), acute thrombosis of the subclavian vein in 3(0.5%). Occluded catheters in 4 patients were easily cleared with urokinase in place. CONCLUSION: The PICC system is an excellent option for medium-duration cen- tral venous access. Patients were able to carry on normal activities with the catheters in place.
Arm* ; Catheters* ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Ocimum basilicum ; Punctures ; Radiology, Interventional ; Silicones ; Subclavian Vein ; Thrombosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior

Eight patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis were evaluated with chest radiograph and high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT). Paients consisted of 5 med and 3 women, aged 27-75 years(average, 54 years). Chest radiographic findings were diffuse small nodular densities, linear shadows, and thickened bronchial wall predominantly in both lower lung fields. All 8 patients had pansinusitis. On HRCT, small nodules and branching linear structures, 1-3mm internal to the pleural surface, representing centrilobular bronchiolar lesion, were found along with thickening of medium and small sized bronchial wall. These nodules did not show coalescence. In conclusion, chest radiographs were usually suggestive and high-resolution CT was diagnostic of diffuse panbronchiolitis.
Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Radiography, Thoracic* ; Thorax*