Search Results (3)

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, with 10–40% of cases involving portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT), leading to poor outcomes and a short survival. The effectiveness of PVTT treatment in patients with HCC is still controversial. Methods: This prospective dual-center study cohort comprised 60 patients with HCC and PVTT who underwent PVR-EPRFA-ST using a novel intravascular radiofrequency system followed by vascular stent placement across the PVTT stenosed segment under fluoroscopy guidance. Results: PVR-EPRFA-ST was technically and clinically successful in 54/60 (90%) and 37/54 (68.5%) patients, respectively. The mean tumor size, PVTT length, post-ablation luminal diameter, and median duration of the recanalized PV patency were 8.6 ± 3.4 cm, 4.1 ± 2.1 cm, 10.3 ± 1.8 mm, and 13.4 months. Higher technical and clinical success rates were associated with a longer survival (177 ± 17.3 days, HR: 0.3, 95%CI 0.12–0.71, p = 0.04; and 233 ± 18.3 days, HR: 0.14, 0.07–0.27, p < 0.001). A shorter survival was associated with Child–Pugh C (HR: 2.7, p = 0.04), multiple tumors (HR: 1.81, p = 0.03), and PVTT length (HR: 1.16, p = 0.04). Conclusions: PVR-EPRFA-ST was feasible and effective for the treatment of selected patients with PVTT, especially in patients with Child–Pugh A/B, single tumors, or a shorter PVTT length. Full article

We reviewed the reported imaging findings of myocarditis in the literature following COVID-19 vaccination on cardiac imaging by a literature search in online databases, including Scopus, Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, Embase (Elsevier), and Google Scholar. In total, 532 cases of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination were reported (462, 86.8% men and 70, 13.2% women, age range 12 to 80) with the following distribution: Pfizer-BioNTech: 367 (69%), Moderna: 137 (25.8%), AstraZeneca: 12 (2.3%), Janssen/Johnson & Johnson: 6 (1.1%), COVAXIN: 1 (0.1%), and unknown mRNA vaccine: 9 (1.7%). The distribution of patients receiving vaccine dosage was investigated. On cardiac MR Imaging, late intravenous gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was observed mainly in the epicardial/subepicardial segments (90.8%, 318 of 350 enhancing segments), with the dominance of inferolateral segment and inferior walls. Pericardial effusion was reported in 13.1% of cases. The vast majority of patients (94%, 500 of 532) were discharged from the hospital except for 4 (0.7%) cases. Post-COVID-19 myocarditis was most commonly reported in symptomatic men after the second or third dose, with CMRI findings including LGE in 90.8% of inferior and inferolateral epicardial/subepicardial segments. Most cases were self-limited. Full article

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in developed countries. The liver is the most prevalent site of metastasis from CRC. Currently, the gold-standard treatment for colorectal liver metastases (CLMs) is surgical resection. However, depending on the pattern of the disease, a significant number of patients may require different approaches alone or in combination with surgery, including thermal ablation (radiofrequency (RFA) or microwave (MWA) ablation) or transarterial liver-directed therapies, although the latter is not yet part of the standard treatment for CRC liver metastases. Methods and Results: We present the case of a 63-yearold man with bilobar CLM who was treated with transarterial embolization (TAE) and RFA followed by chemotherapy. A post-RFA study of immune parameters revealed the downregulation of CD39 expression in the circulating CD4⁺ T cell population and a reduction of the serum levels of cytokines IL-10, TGF-β, IFN-gamma and IL-17, which positively correlated with the diminished serum level of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and the subdued inflammatory markers: the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Later, the patient underwent chemotherapy. Liver failure developed within two years and nine months following tumour ablation, leading to the death of the patient. Conclusions: However, the denial of adjuvant chemotherapy by the patient gave us the opportunity to assess the immunomodulatory changes following RFA in the absence of any other therapeutic modalities. Full article