In Asian patients with suspicious liver lesions, the cut-off AFP level of 200 ng/ml is useful to achieve a diagnosis of HCC with high specificity and reasonable sensitivity. The measurement of serum AFP should not be excluded from guidelines for the diagnosis of HCC.

Background and Purpose-We compared the effectiveness of using computed tomographic angiography and venography (CTAV) with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in young or nonhypertensive patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods-We prospectively recruited 109 young (age between 18 and 45 years) or nonhypertensive patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage for this comparative study. All patients had CTAV using multidetector CT with 64 detectors. They were then scheduled to have catheter angiography the next day. Radiological data were collected for blinded analysis. Results-DSA-positive pathologies causing hemorrhage were identified in 37 (33%) patients, which included cerebral arteriovenous malformation in 22 cases.

Background and Purpose-Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) on MRI gradient echo images are hemosiderin deposits, which may predict intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The risk of ICH in patients with CMBs could be exacerbated by the use of antithrombotics. The purpose of our study is to prospectively evaluate the risk of ICH in patients with ischemic stroke who receive dual antiplatelet therapy for endovascular intervention. Methods-We analyzed MRI of 133 patients admitted consecutively for intra-and extracranial stenting for symptomatic large artery atherosclerosis who received aspirin and clopidogrel. Quantity and location of CMBs were recorded by neuroradiologists independent from the angioplasty team. The primary end point was symptomatic ICH as evident in CT of the brain within 12 weeks of procedure. Results-CMBs were identified in 23 patients. Mean number of CMBs was 2.3Ϯ1.6. Four patients had Ͼ5 CMBs.Forty-seven patients had intracranial stents, 84 patients had extracranial stents, and 2 patients had both intracranial and extracranial stents. There was no difference in risk of symptomatic ICH between those with (4.3%) and without CMBs (5.5%) patient with CMBs (Pϭ1.000). Conclusions-The presence of a small number of CMBs does not cause a large increase in the short-term risk of symptomatic ICH in patients with ischemic stroke who undergo endovascular intervention with dual antiplatelet therapy.