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Although metastases found during head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not limited to metastatic brain tumors, the MRI is a very common method for “brain metastasis screening,” a modality that is being increasingly performed. In this review, we describe MRI findings of nonbrain metastases and discuss ways to avoid missing these lesions. Metastatic cranial bone tumors are among the most common nonbrain metastatic lesions found on head MRI, followed by leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The other less-frequent metastatic lesions include those in the ventricle/choroid plexus, the pituitary gland and stalk, and the pineal gland. Metastases in the head and neck area, as well as cranial and intracranial lesions, should be carefully evaluated. Furthermore, direct geographical invasion, perineural spread, and double cancers should also be considered. While it is important to recognize these metastatic lesions on MRI, because they may necessitate a change in treatment strategy that could lead to an improvement in prognosis due to early introduction of therapy, nonbrain lesions should also be given greater attention, given the increasing survival of patients with cancer and advances in MRI technology, such as contrast-enhanced-3D T1-weighted imaging.

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) is currently used worldwide for detecting bone metastases from prostate cancer. The 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer is > 95%. However, an increase in survival time may increase the incidence of bone metastasis. Therefore, detecting bone metastases is of great clinical interest. Bone metastases are commonly located in the spine, pelvis, shoulder, and distal femur. Bone metastases from prostate cancer are well-known representatives of osteoblastic metastases. However, other types of bone metastases, such as mixed or inter-trabecular type, have also been detected using MRI. MRI does not involve radiation exposure and has good sensitivity and specificity for detecting bone metastases. WB-MRI has undergone gradual developments since the last century, and in 2004, Takahara et al., developed diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) with background body signal suppression (DWIBS). Since then, WB-MRI, including DWI, has continued to play an important role in detecting bone metastases and monitoring therapeutic effects. An imaging protocol that allows complete examination within approximately 30 min has been established. This review focuses on WB-MRI standardization and the automatic calculation of tumor total diffusion volume (tDV) and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value. In the future, artificial intelligence (AI) will enable shorter imaging times and easier automatic segmentation.

A consistency analysis procedure for our previously proposed indirect measurement method for the S-parameters of a multiport reciprocal circuit (e.g. bundle of wires or PCB traces) is proposed. In the measurement method, half of the ports are connected with some known loads and the remaining ports are directly measured by changing the load values to estimate the whole S-matrix. Some linear relations in the transfer coefficient submatrices between the direct and indirect measured ports have been used in the method. Those relations are selected to analyze the consistencies of the method from the theoretical viewpoint.Then, the indirect measurement method is applied to an example target, fixtures to measure the characteristics of wire-harness mounted in a vehicle, to evaluate the consistencies in the calculation process. Also, a method to obtain an improved estimation result using the consistency evaluation is provided.

Many devices mounted on automobiles have a certain distance from the metal body that can be seen as a ground plane. As a result, they should be treated to have floating PCB configurations in high frequencies. In this paper, a novel measurement method to obtain a measurement-based model for a four-port floating PCB as a DUT is proposed. A pair of fixtures are used, each of which consists of a small PCB and short wires to a DUT. The PCB has a pair of microstrip-line patterns and is arranged vertically on a reference ground plane so that it can be fed beneath the ground plane. The characteristics of the fixture, including the coupling to the DUT, are measured by applying our previously proposed ‘indirect measurement’ method. They are de-embedded after measuring the DUT using the fixtures.To show the potential of this method, we compare the results of estimation and measurement for a body-only test vehicle system up to 700MHz. A pseudo-ECU PCB is mounted as a DUT floating in 5cm above an extended body ground with a noise source, and the noise propagation is measured with a testing antenna placed in front of the vehicle.

Background: To determine whether response to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) predicts survival and to identify pretreatment factors associated with TACE response and prognosis. Methods: Between April and September 2010, 50 patients underwent TACE for hepatocellular carcinoma. Response to TACE was assessed using post-treatment computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and tumor marker levels and classified as Response Poor (P) and Non-poor (NP). Time zero was set to September 30, 2010, and survival rates were analyzed by landmarking. Cumulative survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared according to grades using the log-rank test; contributing factors to survival were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Pretreatment factors were analyzed for 109 TACE sessions performed until October 2017, using a multiple logistic regression model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine the best tumor number for predicting response P. Results: Response P patients showed significantly lower cumulative survival rates than Response NP patients (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, tumor number (hazard ratio (HR), 1.475), protein-induced vitamin-K absence-II (HR, 4.539), and the number of previous TACE sessions (HR, 1.472) were identified as pretreatment factors contributing to Response P. Further, pre-treatment platelet count (HR, 0.876) and tumor number (HR, 1.330) were factors contributing to survival in multivariate analysis. ROC curve analysis revealed that the optimal cut-off value to discriminate Response P was 7.5. Conclusions: Response to TACE can predict survival. Pretreatment tumor number is a useful factor for predicting both TACE response and prognosis. J Clin Med Res. 2018;10(10):765-771 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr3559w

A measurement method for the S-parameters of a multiport reciprocal circuit is reported where the majority of the ports are connected with some known loads and the remaining ports are directly measured by changing the load values to estimate the whole S-matrix. First, some of the ports to be connected with the known loads (indirect-measured ports) are terminated with loads to temporarily exclude them from the measurements so that the number of indirect-measured ports equals to that of direct-measured ports. Then, our previously proposed method for a circuit in which the majority of ports are directly measured is applied to estimate the partial S-matrix. Finally, the partial S-matrix is treated as if directly measured and the process is recursively repeated until no ports need to be excluded from the measurements. A numerical experiment with a simple PCB is shown to evaluate the validity and the robustness of this method.

In ordinary Bulk Current Injection (BCI) test, some frequency bands tend to be tested weakly because of the characteristics of the testing configurations. To solve this, desirable conditions to perform more leveled evaluation through frequencies is analyzed applying uniform transmission line theory and evaluated using actual circuits. The conditions for the line length and the clamping position of the BCI probe are analyzed.

Aska Toda,1 Kenjiro Sawada,1 Keigo Osuga,2 Noboru Maeda,2 Hiroki Higashihara,2 Tomoyuki Sasano,1 Noriyuki Tomiyama,2 Tadashi Kimura1 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan Aim: The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the efficacies of uterine artery embolization (UAE) using gelatin sponge for symptomatic uterine fibroids.Methods: A series of 60 consecutive premenopausal women underwent UAE using gelatin sponge particles or porous gelatin particles. Patients were routinely followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12months after the procedure and asked to report any procedure-related complications. At each follow-up, an original clinical questionnaire was completed by the patients to evaluate changes in fibroid-related symptoms. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and at 3 and 12months after the procedure, and the changes in volume of the dominant fibroid were calculated.Results: Bilateral UAE was successfully performed in all the patients. Median age was 45years (range 34–53years), and median follow-up period was 25.2months (range 1–116months). At the 3- and 12-month follow-up, the dominant fibroid volumes were found to be significantly decreased by 33.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 24.9–41.1) and 48.4% (95% CI: 40.7–56.1) compared to baseline volumes, respectively. Excluding patients not having menorrhagia or bulk-related symptoms, at 12 months 49 of 50 (98%) women showed improvement in menorrhagia, and 45 of 47 (95.7%) women showed improvement in bulk-related symptoms. During the follow-up period, ten patients (16.7%) required further interventions including two patients who had undergone hysterectomy. No sequelae were experienced by any of the patients.Conclusion: UAE using gelatin sponge was associated with a high clinical success rate and good fibroid volume reduction compared to UAE using other embolic agents. Keywords: embolic agent, gelatin sponge, uterine artery embolization, uterine fibroid

We report a case of successful magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) for obstructed cyst-jejunostomy in a young woman who had undergone surgery for type 1 biliary atresia (BA) on day 78 of life. A 16-year-old girl was admitted with obstructive jaundice. Jaundice resolved with percutaneous trans-hepatic cholangiodrainage (PTCD) but contrast medium injected from the PTCD tube did not flow through the anastomosis. Magnets were placed on each side of the anastomosis, in the cyst and the jejunum, to compress the partition. On postoperative day (POD) 6, the anastomosis was recanalized and the PTCD tube placed trans-anastomotically until POD 245. The patient remained free from jaundice after removal of the PTCD tube. MCA can be a useful and less invasive procedure for treating biliary tract anastomotic obstruction in patients with BA.

It is a well-known fact that a lot of electronic control units (ECUs) and high-speed communication local area networks (LANs) are necessary for self-driving vehicle systems. Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are interested in Ethernet that has high data rate and low signal amplitude introduced on vehicles. Thus, ensuring immunity performance is one of the main issues in the in-vehicle Ethernet. Therefore we suggested a method to define a criterion for the immunity performance using the mixed-mode S-parameter for mode conversion (Sdc11) of 100Mbps and 1Gbps Ethernet ECU. In this paper, we propose and investigate a test method using highly precise S-parameters obtained applying de-embedding technique.

Due to the fast spread of the electric cars and the advanced driver assistance systems in recent years, it is necessary to reduce the electromagnetic noise from the power electronics, which are usually in high speed and with large electricity, and in the meantime to improve the immunity performances of sensing apparatus and communication equipment. The electromagnetic environmental compatibility in the cars will be of more importance in future. In this work, the behavior of electromagnetic waves generated in automotive cabin was estimated by a use of simulation techniques for the case where electromagnetic waves were irradiated into the simple cabin from outside, and we propose a new method to analyze electromagnetic waves propagating in automotive cabin by using Poynting's theorem.

A method to estimate the multiport S-parameters of an IC device mounted on a PCB is proposed. This method is useful to obtain the actual S-parameters in operating environment. Our previously proposed indirect measurement methods for S-parameters of multiport circuit with some of its ports not directly measured are combined and organized as a self-contained method to estimate the whole S-parameters of multiport-connection consisting of PCB traces and wires. Here, measurement instrument is connected through the multiport-connection and the S-parameters of the target IC device is obtained from the measured result by de-embedding the indirect-measured multiport-connection S-parameters. An example is shown in detail when applied to an actual automotive LAN transceiver IC and its prototype PCB to evaluate the potential of this method up to 1.5GHz.

A partial and an indirect measurement method for estimating the S-parameter of an (m + n)-port fixture and of an n-port device under test (DUT) are presented, respectively. Our model is extended to cases where the fixture and DUT are non-reciprocal, and the number m of measurement ports is less than the number n of DUT connection ports. In addition to the S-parameter between the measurement ports, the remaining diagonal elements and the product of symmetric off-diagonal elements regarding the S-parameter of the fixture and DUT are obtained. The advantage of our estimation method is that the S-parameter can be estimated by solving simultaneous linear equations and second-order algebraic equations without directly solving nonlinear equations. The proposed method can be applied to systems such as IC packages that have difficult ports to connect measuring instruments to, or cases in which circuit grounds are not common.

OBJECTIVES: The repair of extensive thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) is invasive and carries a high risk for spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this study was to assess the early results and collateral circulation to the spinal cord after hybrid repair for Crawford extent II aortic aneurysms. METHODS: Between 1997 and 2013, we performed 128 thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) procedures for TAAAs. This study reviews 12 patients who underwent hybrid TEVAR for a Crawford extent II aortic aneurysm (mean age: 56 years, 6 men, chronic dissection: 10). Aortic arch repair was performed to create a proximal landing zone and visceral debranching bypass was performed to create a distal landing zone at separate stages prior to TEVAR. Subsequently, a stent graft was deployed to cover the residual downstream aorta. TEVAR was generally performed the day after the final debranching procedure. Cerebrospinal fluid drainage was performed, and the mean blood pressure was maintained at >90 mmHg in all cases. RESULTS: The median operation time for TEVAR was 94 min (range: 71–421 min) and the mean blood loss was 300 ml (range: 130–1350 ml). No SCI or in-hospital death was observed after TEVAR. Multidetector computed tomography identified three arteries (subclavian artery, external iliac artery and internal iliac artery) providing collateral circulation to spinal segmental arteries (SAs). In all cases, mid-thoracic SAs (Th5�8) and low lumbar SAs (L2�5) were fed by the subclavian artery and the internal iliac artery, respectively. Additionally, low thoracic to high lumbar SAs (Th9-L1) communicated with the subclavian artery via the lateral thoracic wall and/or the external iliac artery via the abdominal wall. CONCLUSIONS: We achieved satisfactory early and mid-term outcomes with hybrid repair for Crawford extent II TAAAs. Furthermore, collateral circulation to SAs was maintained during and after TEVAR regardless of the extent of the aortic repair.

A novel measurement method for the S-parameters of multiport circuit with some of its ports not directly measured is proposed. We solve this problem by reducing it to an eigenvalue problem. In this paper, the method has been extended to circuits where the number of direct-measured ports exceeds that of indirect-measured ports. A numerical example shows its validity.

An indirect measurement method is proposed for the S-parameters of multiport circuit with half of its ports not directly measured. These ports are assumed to be ‘hard-to-access’ ports. For these ports, some known loads are connected while direct measurements are performed through the remaining ‘easy-to access’ ports to estimate the whole S-parameters. In our previous estimation method, number of measurements has to be increased to maintain the estimation accuracy when the number of ports increases. Here, we propose a novel method that applies known load sets each of which consists of mutually different loads, which is effective to eliminate the number of measurements. A numerical experiment example is shown for a circuit with “case-earth capacitors” that connect PCB ground to the body earth for noise immunity improvement in automobile application. Through the example, the validity and usability of this method is confirmed.

It is a well-known fact that a lot of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and high-speed communication Local Area Networks (LANs) are necessary for self-driving vehicle system. Vehicle manufactures are interested in Ethernet that has high data rate and low signal amplitude, and will be introduced on vehicles. Thus, ensuring immunity performance is one of the main issues in the in-vehicle Ethernet. This paper provides an alternative technique to estimate the immunity performance of ECUs for in-vehicle Ethernet by using mixed mode S-parameter Sdc11. We defined the criteria of mode conversion Sdc11 in order to ensure ECU's immunity performance. We developed two sample ECUs with different immunity performances, and clarified the relation between Bulk Current Injection (BCI) test results and the values of Sdc11.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiography using time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS-MRA) to demonstrate extracranial arteriovenous malformations (E-AVMs). Materials and methods TRICKS-MRA was performed in 33 patients (adults; n = 30, children; n = 3) with E-AVMs. Four different scan protocols were arranged based on the size of E-AVM, and serial images were acquired from the start of contrast injection with a time frame ranging from 1.2 to 7.1 s. Demonstration of feeding arteries and drainage veins, and the extent of nidus was qualitatively graded using a three-point scale. In sixteen patients who underwent DSA 3 days to 15 months after TRICKS-MRA, the comparability of TRICKS-MRA to DSA was evaluated using a three-point scale. In each category, score of 3 or excellent was defined as the positive result. Results Demonstration of the feeding arteries, the drainage veins, and the extent of nidus were graded as excellent in 68%, 65%, and 58% of the patients, respectively. Comparability of TRICKS-MRA to DSA was excellent in 75%, 88%, and 88% of the sixteen patients who underwent DSA. Conclusion TRICKS-MRA is a feasible and useful vascular imaging technique to provide time-resolved analysis of angioarchitecture of E-AVMs.

To investigate the validity of determining the contrast medium dose based on body surface area (BSA) for the abdominal contrast-enhanced multi-detector row CT comparing with determining based on body weight (BW).Institutional review committee approval was obtained. In this retrospective study, 191 patients those underwent abdominal contrast-enhanced multi-detector row CT were enrolled. All patients received 96 mL of 320 mg I/mL contrast medium at the rate of 3.2 mL. The iodine dose required to enhance 1 HU of the aorta at the arterial phase and that of liver parenchyma at portal venous phase per BSA were calculated (EUBSA) and evaluated the relationship with BSA. Those per BW were also calculated (EUBW) and evaluated. Estimated enhancement values (EEVs) of the aorta and liver parenchyma with two protocols for dose decision based on BSA and BW were calculated and patient-to-patient variability was compared between two protocols using the Levene test.The mean of EUBSA and EUBW were 0.0621 g I/m2/HU and 0.00178 g I/kg/HU for the aorta, and 0.342 g I/m2/HU and 0.00978 g I/kg/HU for the liver parenchyma, respectively. In the aortic enhancement, EUBSA was almost constant regardless of BSA, and the mean absolute deviation of the EEV with the BSA protocol was significantly lower than that with the BW protocol (P.001), although there was no significant difference between two protocols in the hepatic parenchymal enhancement (P=.92).For the aortic enhancement, determining the contrast medium dose based on BSA was considered to improve patient-to-patient enhancement variability.

This study was aimed to compare the accuracy, sensitivity, and positive predictive value of C-arm CT (CACT) during selective transcatheter angiography with those of multidetector CT (MDCT) in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).In this prospective study, 30 patients (mean age, 73 years) with unresectable HCC were examined with CACT before chemoembolisation. Images of a combination of CACT during arterial portography (CACTAP) and dual-phase CACT during hepatic arteriography (CACTHA) was obtained and images of intravenous contrast-enhanced, biphasic, dynamic, MDCT was also obtained beforehand. Three blinded observers independently reviewed CACT and MDCT. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by the alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic (AFROC) method. Sensitivities and positive predictive values (PPV) were analyzed with the paired t-test.In the mean area under the AFROC curve (Az), there was no significant difference between MDCT and CACT (MDCT, mean Az value, 0.83; CACT, 0.85, respectively) (P = 0.32). There was also no significant difference between the two techniques in sensitivity (MDCT, mean 0.65; CACT, 0.60) and PPV (MDCT, mean 0.98; CACT, 0.97) (P = 0.40, P = 0.68, respectively).The diagnostic accuracy of CACT was equivalent to that of biphasic CT in the diagnosis of HCC.C-arm CT helps detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during interventional (TACE) treatment. C-arm CT for HCC seemed just as accurate as biphasic CT. TACE can be performed with greater confidence using C-arm CT.

Purpose To find appropriate contrast media to load cisplatin into superabsorbent polymer (SAP) and to analyze the absorption and elution kinetics of cisplatin to and from SAP. Materials and Methods Three contrast media—ioxaglic acid 320 mg/mL, iohexol 300 mg/mL, and iopamidol 300 mg/mL—were tested for solubility of a new highly soluble cisplatin powder. The appropriate concentrations of cisplatin were predetermined according to the solubility in each contrast medium. For each concentration, we assessed the cisplatin elution kinetics with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The SAP particle diameters (106–150 μm dry size) before and after drug elution were also measured. Results The concentrations of cisplatin were predetermined as 2.5 mg/mL in ioxaglic acid, 2.5 mg/mL in iohexol, and 5.0 mg/mL in iohexol. At these concentrations, 100 mg of SAP carried 5 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg of cisplatin dissolved in ioxaglic acid (2.5 mg/mL) and iohexol (2.5 mg/mL and 5.0 mg/mL), respectively. Cisplatin-loaded SAP in ioxaglic acid and iohexol exhibited similar elution profiles, with cisplatin fractions of 15%, 40%, 70%, and 95% at 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours, respectively. By drug elution, the mean particle diameter changed from 0.31 mm to 0.61 mm in ioxaglic acid (2.5 mg/mL), from 0.54 mm to 0.60 mm in iohexol 2.5 mg/mL, and from 0.63 mm to 0.59 mm in iohexol 5.0 mg/mL. Conclusions SAP was confirmed to absorb and elute cisplatin within 24 hours. When mixed with iohexol, SAP carried a ten times larger dose of cisplatin and expanded twice as large as when mixed with ioxaglic acid. Cisplatin-loaded SAP may have potential as a drug delivery system for the clinical treatment of liver tumors.

In living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), bile duct reconstruction is often technically demanding due to the frequently anomalous anatomy of the bile duct, as well as the high incidence of biliary complications. A bile duct branch may also be accidentally left without anastomosis at the time of LDLT and found to be obstructed after surgery. Surgical revision for such cases is sometimes not feasible because of the invasiveness of the procedure. We report a case in which a bile duct branch was intentionally left without anastomosis and was later successfully anastomosed to the cystic duct stump using a magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) technique. A combination of the MCA technique and cystic duct anastomosis is life-saving in certain situations and should be considered as the treatment of choice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of bland embolization using superabsorbent polymer microspheres (SAP-TAE) as an initial therapeutic option for previously untreated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ineligible for resection or ablation. Fifty-nine patients with previously untreated HCC unamenable to surgery or ablation underwent bland embolization using 100- to 200-mum reconstituted SAP particles (SAP-TAE) as the initial treatment. SAP-TAE was repeated as needed based on tumor response but was switched to chemoembolization when necessary to control residual or progressive tumor. Early tumor response was assessed by contrast-enhanced CT according to RECIST and EASL criteria 1 month after the initial SAP-TAE. The overall survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The overall mean follow-up period was 30.6 months (range, 7-59 months). A total of 121 sessions of SAP-TAE were performed, with 1-5 sessions per patient (mean, 2.1 sessions). The mean period of repeated SAP-TAE was 15.6 months (range, 1-51 months), and it exceeded 1 and 2 years in 32 (54%) and 15 (25%) patients, respectively. Thirteen (22%) patients underwent repeated SAP-TAE alone, and the remaining 46 (78%) patients underwent subsequent chemoembolization. No major complication was observed and postembolization syndrome was minimal after SAP-TAE in all patients. Response rate was 14% and 66% by RECIST and EASL criteria, respectively. Overall survival rates were 100% and 83% at 1 and 2 years, respectively, and median survival time was 30 months. In conclusion, SAP-TAE was a safe and repeatable option as the induction therapy for HCC unamenable to surgery or ablation, despite the high incidence of converting to TACE during the total course.

An estimation method for the S-parameters of 4-port connection circuit connecting a 2-port device to its one end is presented with a novel algorithm to improve the estimation accuracy. The 4-port S-parameters for the connection circuit are estimated using indirect measurements where several known loads are connected to the 2 ports at the far end of the connection circuit, where a 2-port device is to be connected, in turn and the reflection and transmission characteristics among the near end 2 ports of the connection circuit are measured. The estimation method is constructed in the framework of linear algebra that eliminates the needs to solve nonlinear equations numerically, which also enables application of theoretical analysis to this method. This method can be applied to obtain the S-parameters of the 2-port device connected at the far end of the connection circuit by de-embedding the estimated 4-port connection S-parameters.

This is a case report of chylothorax after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer cured by intranodal lymphangiography in the groin. A 62-year-old man was admitted to our Hospital with dysphagia. The diagnosis was made of advanced esophageal cancer (T3N1M0, stage IIIA). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, radical surgery was performed. On postoperative day (POD) 9, left pleural effusion drainage increased sharply and changed to a milky white color, leading to a diagnosis of chylothorax. Although chylothorax was managed with conservative treatment, there was an inadequate response to it. On POD 15, lymphangiography was performed. Inguinal nodes were directly accessed under ultrasound guidance and lipiodol was injected into nodes. After the lymphangiography, the left pleural effusion drainage immediately decreased. On POD 40, the patient was discharged. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a chylothorax after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer to be cured by ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography in the groin.

Tubo-ovarian abscess is a rare but potentially serious event that can occur after uterine artery embolization (UAE). We describe herein two cases of severe inflammatory tubo-ovarian abscesses. Two women presented with severe abdominal pain, cramping, and fever several months after UAE. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated an enlarged tubo-ovarian mass, suggestive of an abscess. Percutaneous catheter drainage was performed. In one patient, tubo-ovarian abscess completely disappeared after the drainage, but the other patient eventually required hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy. It is important for clinicians to be aware of tubo-ovarian abscess as a rare complication. Percutaneous drainage might be a useful treatment option.

Transcatheter embolotherapy (TCE), a common procedure for interventional radiologists, comprises transcatheter delivery of embolic agents into target vessels in order to eliminate lesions or lesion-associated symptoms. Good knowledge of delivery catheters and embolic agents is essential to optimize embolization techniques and to obtain the desired therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we describe the principles and techniques of TCE for peripheral arterial and venous lesions featuring visceral aneurysms, peripheral and pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and varicoceles.

To compare irinotecan-eluting HepaSphere (BioSphere Medical, Roissy-en-France, France) and DC Bead (Biocompatibles UK Ltd, London, United Kingdom) embolization microspheres for distribution in tumors, release properties, tolerance, and antitumor effects in a model of liver metastases in the rabbit.Multiple liver tumors were created by injection of a VX2 cell suspension in the portal vein of rabbits. After 2 weeks, embolization of the proper hepatic artery was performed with a fixed volume of bland HepaSphere (n = 5), irinotecan-loaded HepaSphere (n = 6), or irinotecan-loaded DC Bead (n = 5) microspheres. Untreated animals injected with VX2 cells served as control animals (n = 5). Plasma pharmacokinetics of irinotecan and its metabolite SN38 were assessed. Histopathology and gene expression analysis were performed 3 days after treatment.Among all treated groups, there was no significant difference in liver enzymes or liver damage on histology. Irinotecan-loaded HepaSphere microspheres showed a faster release of drug than DC Bead microspheres leading to a twofold higher concentration of drug in plasma for HepaSphere microspheres. HepaSphere microspheres were less frequently found inside tumor nodules on histology than DC Bead microspheres (11% vs 48%, P.001) because of their larger size. Tumor necrosis was significantly greater for rabbits given irinotecan-loaded HepaSphere microspheres (69% of total tumor surface) and rabbits given DC Bead microspheres (50% of total tumor surface) compared with control animals (24% of total tumor surface, P = .006 and P = .047).HepaSphere and DC Bead microspheres loaded with irinotecan caused significant necrosis of tumor nodules in a model of VX2 liver metastases. This outcome was mostly due to irinotecan delivery rather than vascular occlusion by the microspheres and was greater for HepaSphere microspheres compared with DC Bead microspheres.

The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcomes and to identify the predictors ofpatient satisfaction after percutaneous sclerotherapy for venous malformations (VMs) in the extremities. A totalof 48 patients with VMs in the extremities over 10 years of age underwent sclerotherapy to relieve symptoms, such as pain, swelling, functional limitations, and cosmetic problems. Self-assessment questionnaires were sentto rate the degree of symptom improvement and level of satisfaction. Clinical and imaging data from medicalrecords were analyzed to obtain information about VMs and sclerotherapy. The predictors for patientsatisfaction were determined by univariate and multivariate analysis of clinical variables. Forty patients (meanage, 28.2 years; range, 11-69 years) responded to the survey. Sixteen patients had VMs in the upper extremities, and 24 patients had VMs in the lower extremities. In 12 patients (30%), adjacent bone change was seen. After amean of 2.6 (range 1-10) sclerotherapy sessions, good response to pain, swelling, dysfunction, and cosmeticproblems was obtained in 83%, 74%, 79%, and 50% of patients, respectively. Thirty-two patients (80%) weresatisfied with their outcomes. On univariate analysis, absence of adjacent bone change, maximum diameter (

As the number of electronic control units (ECUs) in an automobile steadily increases, the demand for achieving higher data rates and connecting even more ECUs to the Controller Area Network (CAN) also rises significantly. Recently, as a method to achieve higher data rates up to 10 Mbps without change in the existing CAN system, CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data-rate) is suggested. However, it is difficult to establish a CAN FD communication under the conventional CAN network configuration which makes it necessary to limit network size because of shortening in the bit decision timing while the ringing convergence time is the same as in conventional CAN. In this paper, we pick up a typical network configuration where the number of ECUs which can be connected in a linear passive star is less than 4 ECUs when the data rate for the data phase is 2 Mbps. We develop evaluation boards each of which is equipped with a CAN transceiver embedding the ringing suppression circuit which we have proposed and a CAN FD controller. We apply them to CAN FD and show an effect on higher data rates up to 2 Mbps under the conventional network configuration connecting 8 ECUs.

An estimation method is presented for the S-parameters of both a multiport connection and a multiport device. The multiport device is connected to the output end of the multiport connection and a network analyzer is connected to its input end. Here, the multiport device and the input end of the connection are assumed to have different ground levels. Only measurements of reflection and transmission characteristics among the ports of input end of the connection are required for the estimation. Both S-parameters are estimated by solving several linear equations and quadratic equations only. The validity of the proposed method is also confirmed by simple experimental results.

To determine the arterial distribution and ischemic effects of various particle sizes after transcatheter embolization of the small bowel in a dog model.In 10 dogs, selective microsphere embolization was performed in six branches of the superior mesenteric artery. Microspheres were allocated into three size ranges (100-300 μm, 300-500 μm, and 500-700 μm) and four volume concentrations (0.625%, 1.25%, 2.5%, and 5%). For each size and volume concentration, embolization was performed of five branches at the origin of the last arcade. The distribution of microspheres and the range of ischemic changes of mucosa were evaluated histologically. Angiograms were categorized into two groups: group A, only the vasa recta nonopacified; group B, the last arcade or more proximal branches nonopacified.Microspheres sized 100-300 μm penetrated into intramural arteries and 500-700 μm microspheres mainly blocked arteries in the mesentery. There was a significant difference among three sizes in terms of the locations within the vasculature (P.0001). The larger volume and the smaller size resulted in more ischemia. The range of ischemic changes among three sizes and among four volume concentrations was significantly different (P = .004 and P.0001, respectively). The range of ischemic changes with 500-700 μm microspheres in group B was significantly greater than in group A (0% in group A vs 83% in group B, P = .001).In a dog model, embolization of the small bowel limited to the vasa recta with the use if 500-700 μm microspheres reduced the range of ischemic changes.

Purpose To investigate the pharmacokinetics and chemoembolization efficacy of irinotecan-loaded QuadraSphere microspheres (QSMs) in a rabbit VX2 liver tumor model. Materials and Methods Fourteen rabbits with VX2 liver tumors were divided into two groups. In the irinotecan-loaded QSM group (n = 7), 3 mg of QSMs (30–60 μm) containing 12 mg of irinotecan (0.6 mL; 20 mg/mL) were injected into the left hepatic artery. In the control group (hepatic arterial infusion [HAI] and QSMs; n=7), 3 mg of QSMs suspended in ioxaglic acid were injected following a bolus injection of 0.6 mL of irinotecan solution (20 mg/mL). Sequential irinotecan, SN-38, and SN-38G concentration changes were measured in plasma within 24 hours and at 1 week and in tissues at 1 week. The VX2 tumor growth rates at 1 and 2 weeks were calculated from computed tomographic images. Results All rabbits underwent successful embolization. Plasma irinotecan, SN-38, and SN-38G concentrations in the irinotecan-loaded QSM group showed significantly sustained release compared with the control group ( P = .01). Compared with the control group, the irinotecan-loaded QSM group had significantly higher irinotecan concentration in liver tumors ( P = .03) and a tendency toward higher SN-38 concentration in liver tumors ( P = .29). The SN-38G tissue concentrations were below the limits of quantification. The tumor growth rate was significantly lower and the tumor necrosis rate significantly higher in the irinotecan-loaded QSM group ( P = .02 and P = .01, respectively). Conclusion Chemoembolization via irinotecan-loaded QSMs more effectively suppresses tumor growth than chemoembolization with unloaded QSMs after HAI. A clinical feasibility study is warranted.

An estimation method of the three-port S-parameters for reciprocal circuits is presented. In this method, several known loads are connected to two of the ports and reflection characteristic of the remaining port is measured. Therefore, there is no need to connect network analyzer to the ports which are connected to the known loads. S-parameters are obtained by solving a linear system equations and quadratic equations only. In addition, a method for determining the port voltages from the estimated S parameters is also described, Then applying this method to estimate the S-parameters of an immunity test system, validness of this method has been confirmed. The proposed method will be applied when there is no common ground between each ports.

Conventional methods used to clarify electromagnetic noise propagation in a vehicle have mainly concentrated on the measurement of electric and magnetic fields, but if we measure the way in which the electromagnetic energy is being transmitted from the source, this will make it possible to take more effective action against such electromagnetic noise. This paper describes a method using a tri-axial magnetic probe in the vehicle to detect the near magnetic field, whereupon the electric field is obtained by calculating it from the magnetic field and from this, the Poynting vector, which indicates energy flow, is calculated. Using this method, it is possible to visualize the energy flow of electromagnetic wave generated by antennas in the vicinity of the vehicle and electromagnetic noise generated from the vehicle.

International audience; Purpose: To report on polyethylene glycol hydrogel-based resorbable embolization microspheres (REM) that were synthesized to resorb in < 24 hours, before inflammation and vascular remodeling, to achieve a complete arterial recanalization and to compare targeting and recanalization of REM of 300-500 mu m, 500-700 mu m, and 700-900 mu m with hand-cut gelatin sponge particles (GSP). Materials and Methods: Eight pigs underwent polar renal artery embolization with REM or GSP. Angiograms were obtained before embolization and 10 minutes and 7 days after embolization before pigs were sacrificed to determine the occlusion level, the percentage of occlusion, and the recanalization rate for each product. The distribution of embolic material was assessed in pathology, and infarction rate of the kidneys was measured. Results: REM of 300-500 mu m occluded more distal vessels than REM of 500-700 mu pm and 700-900 mu m. At day 7, the recanalization rate was complete for the larger REM, whereas it was about 60% for the two smaller sizes. REM were completely degraded, with no residual material or inflammation. GSP occluded more proximal arteries than REM of 700-900 mu m, were partly degraded at day 7, and were accompanied by a foreign body reaction in proximal and distal arteries. GSP recanalized at 79%. The infarction rate was higher With the two smaller Sizes of REM and with GSP than with the largest REM. Conclusions: REM of different sizes targeted different occlusion levels in kidney arteries. GSP provided an extended occlusion level without actual targeting. Regardless of embolic material used, angiographic recanalization of renal arteries depended On the extent of necrosis. REM of 700-900 mu m demonstrated the lowest infarction rate and the best recanalization rate.