BackgroundSevere bleeding after blunt maxillofacial trauma is a rare but life-threatening event. Non-responders to conventional treatment options with surgically inaccessible bleeding points can be treated by transarterial embolization (TAE) of the external carotid artery (ECA) or its branches. Case series on such embolizations are small; considering the relatively high incidence of maxillofacial trauma, the ECA TAE procedure has been hypothesized either underused or underreported. In addition, the literature on the ECA TAE using novel non-adhesive liquid embolization agents is remarkably scarce.Patients and methodsPubMed review was performed to identify the ECA TAE literature in the context of blunt maxillofacial trauma. If available, the location of the ECA injury, the location of embolization, the chosen embolization agent, and efficacy and safety of the TAE were noted for each case. Survival prognostic factors were also reviewed. Additionally, we present an illustrative TAE case using a precipitating hydrophobic injectable liquid (PHIL) to safely and effectively control a massive bleeding originating bilaterally in the ECA territories.Results and conclusionsBased on a review of 205 cases, the efficacy of TAE was 79.4–100%, while the rate of major complications was about 2–4%. Successful TAE haemostasis, Glasgow Coma Scale score ≥ 8 at presentation, injury severity score ≤ 32, shock index ≤ 1.1 before TAE and ≤ 0.8 after TAE were significantly correlated with higher survival rate. PHIL allowed for fast yet punctilious application, thus saving invaluable time in life-threatening situations while simultaneously diminishing the possibility of inadvertent injection into the ECA-internal carotid artery (ICA) anastomoses.

Background Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is the method of choice in reperfusion treatment of patients with signs and symptoms of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) lasting less than 4.5 hours. Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) of acute ischemic stroke is a serious complication of IVT and occurs in 4.5–68.0% of clinical cases. The aim of our study was to determine the infarct core CT perfusion parameter (CTPP) most predictive of HT. Patients and methods Seventy-five patients with AIS who had undergone CT perfusion (CTP) imaging and were treated with IVT were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients with and without HT after IVT were defined as cases and controls, respectively. Controls were found by matching for time from AIS symptom onset to IVT ± 0.5 h. The following CTPPs were measured: cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), relative CBF (rCBF) and relative CBV (rCBV). Receiver operating characteristic analysis curves of significant CTPPs determined cut-off values that best predict HT. Results There was a significant difference between cases and controls for CBF (p = 0.004), CBV (p = 0.009), rCBF (p < 0.001) and rCBV (p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that rCBF < 4.5% of the contralateral mean (area under the curve = 0.736) allowed prediction of HT with a sensitivity of 71.0% and specificity of 52.5%. Conclusions CTP imaging has a considerable role in HT prediction, assisting in selection of patients that are likely to benefit from IVT. rCBF proved to have the highest HT predictive value.

An ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm is a potentially lethal complication in aortic procedures. We present a hybrid approach using surgical innominate artery access and the endovascular insertion of an abdominal stent-graft extension to successfully treat a zone 0 ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm in a patient with a prior valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Due to the aging population and increased survival of the patients with coronary artery disease, there is an increasing number of patients with debilitating angina refractory to optimal medical treatment who are not candidates for revascularization. In case of low ischemic load, the treatment of stable refractory angina is aimed at symptom reduction. There are several new treatment methods targeting myocardial ischemia available, including coronary sinus flow reducer (CFR) implantation. Case Report: We report a case of a patient suffering from CCS class IV angina despite optimal medical therapy, with further revascualrization options exhausted, who was successfully treated with coronary sinus flow reducer (CFR). Besides technical skill to reach ostium of coronary sinus, the most important technical tip is precise positioning of the CFR. The reduction of angina symptoms started after epithelisation of CFR frame, usually 6-7 weeks after implantation. At 6-month follow-up, the patient reported a marked reduction of angina symptoms, with CCS grade improving by three classes (from IV to I). At 10-month follow-up, the sustainment of CCS grade I angina symptoms was reported by the patient. Conclusions: We conclude that CFR can be safely and successfully implanted in patients suffering from refractory angina. Considerable improvements in CCS grade may be experienced in certain cases.