Three days after the administration of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) or methamphetamine to mice, there is degeneration and disappearance of punctate tyrosine hydroxylase-containing synaptic endings in the caudate nucleus. The neuropil is occupied with longer, varicose, branching fibres, which appear to be preterminal fibres. An intense gliosis occurs. The sparsely-occurring glial cells, with profuse lightly-stained (by glial fibrillary acidic protein) processes which are primarily located near blood vessels, become transformed into more heavily-stained star-shaped cells with fewer but thicker processes. These cells are distributed throughout the caudate. Despite apparent differences in the mechanism by which MPTP and methamphetamine cause dopamine depletion, the neuropathological changes in the caudate induced by these substances are identical.

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Background: Endovascular treatment of abdominal wall hematomas (AWHs) has been increasingly used when conservative treatments were not sufficiently effective, and it is often preferred to surgical interventions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and technical and clinical success of percutaneous transarterial treatment of AWH and to evaluate the efficacy of blind embolization compared to targeted embolization. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 43 patients (23 men and 20 females) with spontaneous AWH who underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and embolization, focusing on the presence of signs of bleeding at pre-procedural CT-Angiography (CTA) and at DSA. Furthermore, we divided patients into two groups depending on blind or targeted embolization approaches. Results: The mean age of the study population was 71 ± 12 years. CTA revealed signs of active bleeding in 31 patients (72%). DSA showed signs of active bleeding in 34 patients (79%). In nine patients (21%), blind embolization was performed. The overall technical success rate was 100%. Clinical success was achieved in 33 patients (77%), while 10 patients (23%) rebled within 96 h, and all of them were re-treated. No major peri-procedural complication was reported. The comparison between blind and targeted embolization showed no statistically significant differences for characteristics of groups and for clinical success rates (78% and 77%, respectively, −p = 0.71). The technical success was 100% in both groups. Conclusions: Our study confirms that transarterial embolization is a safe and effective option for the treatment of spontaneous AWHs, and it suggests that the efficacy and safety of blind embolization is comparable to non-blind.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of cementoplasty in the treatment of sacral multiple myelomas. We retrospectively reviewed the records of eight patients (four women and four men; age range 47-68 years; mean age 57.8) who underwent cementoplasty for painful osteolytic localization of multiple myeloma between April 2007 and May 2009. The patients had difficulty walking because of increasing pain. Six patients had persistent pain despite other cementoplasties for vertebral and femoral localization, whereas two patients referred at the time of diagnosis had only sacral lesions. The clinical indication for treatment was (1) a pain intensity score ≥5 on visual analogue scale (VAS) and (2) pain totally or partially refractory to analgesic treatment in patients with a life expectancy >3 months. Technical planning was based on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Six patients had previously undergone radiotherapy or chemotherapy and were receiving varying doses of analgesics, whereas sacroplasty represented the first treatment for two patients. Five patients had monolateral local involvement, and the other patients had massive involvement of the sacrum; Technical success was achieved in all cases. We had only one small and asymptomatic foraminal leak. All patients experienced improvement in symptoms after the procedure, as demonstrated by improved VAS scores and performance status (PS) and decreased analgesic dose constant during follow-up. In our experience, percutaneous stabilization can be used effectively and safely in patients with focal or extensive involvement of the sacrum by multiple myeloma.

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