Nocardiosis is a rare, serious disease. Currently it is more common in cats than dogs. Nocardial panniculitis may be clinically indistinguishable from the syndrome caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria. Although the prognosis is guarded, patients with localised infections caused by N nova often respond to appropriate therapy. If definitive treatment is delayed because of misdiagnosis, the disease tends to become chronic, extensive and refractory. Insufficient duration of therapy leads to disease recurrence.

We present the case of a 24-year-old woman with morbid obesity who came to the emergency department with right upper quadrant abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. Her workup included a right upper quadrant ultrasound suggestive of a small gallbladder with cholelithiasis without sonographic evidence of acute cholecystitis. She underwent attempted laparoscopic cholecystectomy with no identifiable gallbladder during surgery. Postsurgical cross-sectional imaging confirmed gallbladder agenesis. This case provides an example of a rare but convincing clinical and radiologic mimic of cholelithiasis. In certain cases of biliary colic and imaging revealing a small gallbladder, a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography may be warranted to evaluate gallbladder agenesis and avoid unnecessary surgery.

This may prove useful for improving delivery efficiency, achieving greater ischemia, and preventing reflux during trans-arterial embolization procedures.

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Purpose: We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for thoracic arterial hemorrhage following chest trauma. Materials: From November 2013 to May 2017, 35 patients were referred to our interventional unit for thoracic arterial bleeding following chest trauma, based on clinical decisions and computed tomography (CT) images. A total of 35 patients (male:female ratio, 26:9; mean age, 52.9 years) who underwent selective TAE of thoracic hemorrhage-culprit arteries were included in this study. Technical and clinical success, complications, and 30-day mortality rate were analyzed. Results: In 35 patients who underwent TAE, the main bleeding arteries were intercostal artery (n¼23), internal mammary artery (n¼11) superior and/or lateral thoracic artery (n¼3), and bronchial artery (n¼3). N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) (n¼21), gelatin sponge particles (n¼7), microcoils (n¼2), and combinations of NBCA, microcoils, or gelatin sponge particles (n¼10) were used as embolic agents. Initial technical success was achieved in all 27 patients, with immediate cessation of bleeding. Eight patients showed rebleeding 1-2 days later and underwent repeated TAE with successful result. Clinical success rate was 85.7% (30/35), and five patients underwent thoracotomy for controlling residual bleed. There were no TAE-related major complications such as infarction or quadriplegia. The 30-day mortality rate was 5.7% (2/35). Conclusions: Our clinical experience suggests that TAE used to control thoracic arterial bleeding following chest trauma is safe and effective as a minimally invasive treatment alternative to surgery.Abstract No. 668 WITHDRAWN Abstract No. 669 A comparison of particle embolization versus alcohol ablation for the treatment of renal angiomyolipoma: a single-center retrospective review Purpose: To compare effectiveness of particle embolization versus alcohol ablation for the treatment of renal angiomyolipoma (AML).