No abstract

Surgical reconstruction of RAA is a safe procedure that provides good long-term results, prevents aneurysm rupture, cures or improves hypertension in about half of the cases, and can be achieved with autogenous reconstruction in 96%.

Background and Purpose-Our study evaluated noninvasive tests for the diagnosis of atheromatous internal carotid artery (ICA) pseudo-occlusion. Methods-Twenty patients (17 men, 3 women; mean age ϮSD, 64.3Ϯ11.6 years) with angiographically proven atheromatous ICA pseudo-occlusion (20 vessels) were prospectively examined with MR angiography (MRA; 2D and 3D time-of-flight techniques), color Doppler-assisted duplex imaging (CDDI) and power-flow imaging (PFI) with and without an intravenous ultrasonic contrast agent. As a control group, 13 patients (13 men; meanϮSD age, 63.0Ϯ9.0 years) with angiographically proven ICA occlusion (13 vessels) were studied with the same techniques. For the determination of interobserver agreement ( statistics), the findings of each diagnostic technique were read by 2 blinded and independent observers who were not involved in patient recruitment and initial data acquisition. Specificity and sensitivity were calculated for all noninvasive techniques (observer consensus) in comparison to the standard of reference (intra-arterial angiography). Results-Interobserver reliabilities were ϭ0.86 for intra-arterial angiography, ϭ0.90 for unenhanced CDDI,

In patients with malignant liver lesions, the combination of PVE with CD133(+) BMSC administration substantially increased hepatic regeneration compared with PVE alone.