We described anatomical variants of both the anterior and posterior circulations and their specific effects on the hemodynamic balance of cerebral blood flow.

AIM: To present the particularities of the intraorbital foreign bodies from a neurosurgical perspective by summarizing the findings of a case series. MATERIAL and METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted including a consecutive series of 30 patients with intraorbital foreign bodies treated between 1999 and 2017. Statistical analysis was performed in order to characterize the factors that influence the location of the foreign bodies and the clinical signs. RESULTS: The orbital trauma occurred mostly in working accidents. Multiple intraorbital foreign bodies were found in 23.3% of the patients. Metallic foreign bodies were seen in 66.6%, and 30% had wooden foreign bodies. Nonmetallic foreign bodies were significantly associated with displacement of the eyeball, palpebral oedema and upper lid ptosis. Posterior orbit location was associated with displacement of the eyeball and conjunctival hemorrhage. Intraconal location was associated with mydriasis and conjunctival hemorrhage. The posterior orbit was occupied by foreign bodies in 63% of the patients. The foreign bodies were in the extraconal compartment in 55.55% of the cases. Small foreign bodies tend to be retained in the anterior orbit while large ones tend to be retained in the posterior orbit. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis and management of intraorbital foreign bodies must be tailored according to their type and location and to the clinical aspect of the patient.

Aim: Percutaneous radiofrequency (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are currently the best treatment options forpatients with liver metastases (LM) who cannot undergo a liver resection procedure. Presently, few studies have evaluated theefficacy of tumor ablation in beginner’s hands but none at all in hepatic metastasis. Our aim was to report the initial experiencewith ultrasound as a tool to guide tumor ablation in a low volume center with no experience in tumor ablation.Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, on a series of 61 patients who had undergone percutaneous US-guided ablations for 82 LM between 2010 and 2015. Long term outcome predictors were assessed using univariate and multivariate analysis.Results: Complete ablation was achieved in 86.9% of cases (53/61). All MWA sessions (20/20) attained ablation margins >5mm, compared to 79% (49/62) for RFA sessions (p=0.031). Ablation time was significantly shorter for MWA, with a median duration of 10 minutes (range: 6-12) vs. 14 minutes (range: 10-19.5, p=0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in local tumor progression (LTP)-free survival rates between MWA and RFA (p=0.154). On univariate analysis, significant predictors for local recurrence were multiple metastases (p=0.013) and ablation margins <5 mm (p<.001), both retaining significance on multivariate analysis. Significant predictors for distant recurrence on both univariate and multivariate analysis were multiple metastases (p<0.001) and non-colorectal cancer metastases (p<0.05).Conclusion: A larger than 5 mm ablation size is critical for local tumor control. We favor the use of MWA due to its ability to achieve ablation in significantlyshorter times with less incomplete ablations.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder is an uncommon disease. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with a mass located in the gallbladder, whose diagnosis was based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The tumor involved the liver and retroperitoneum, and was histopathologically confirmed by liver biopsy as a neuroendocrine tumor grade 3. The patient received chemotherapy with good response, followed by surgery with cholecystectomy and partial hepatectomy.

Background and Aims: The fully-covered, lumen apposing metal stents are designed for one step placement, facilitating the direct endoscopic necrosectomy into the walled-off pancreatic necrosis. However, the prediction of the number of necrosectomy sessions in these patients is not known. This study evaluated the association between the proportion of solid necrotic material inside walled-off necrosis, as assessed during the endosonography placement of a lumen apposing metal stent, and the number of necrosectomies subsequently required. Methods: Patients from three tertiary medical centers with symptomatic walled off pancreatic necrosis (pain, infection, gastric/biliary obstruction) at more than 4 weeks after onset of acute pancreatitis were retrospectively analysed. Proportion of solid necrotic debris was estimated during endosonography procedure of lumen apposing metal stents placement. Necrosectomy was performed when obstruction or inflammation occurred subsequently. Lumen apposing metal stents were removed after clearance of necrotic content. Results: In 46 patients with successful lumen apposing metal stents placement, necrosectomy was performed in 39 patients (72.78%). Performance of 3 or more necrosectomies was significantly associated with more than 50% pancreatic necrosis (p=0.032), but not with walled-off pancreatic necrosis size or location. Necrotic infection during lumen apposing metal stents stenting was associated with hypoalbuminemia, but not with necrosectomy requirement. Clinical success after a median follow-up of 13.37 months was 87%. Conclusions: Walled-off pancreatic necrosis with more than 50% solid necrotic content were associated with more necrosectomy procedures, requiering longer endoscopy time, intravenous sedations, and higher costs.

Colorectal cancer is a major public health issue, being the third most common cancer in men and the second in women. It is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. Nanomedicine is an emerging field of interest, many of its aspects being linked to cancer research. Chemotherapy has a well-established role in colorectal cancer management, unfortunately being limited by inability to have a selective distribution, by multidrug resistance and adverse effects. Researches carried out in recent years about nanotechnologies aimed, among others, to resolve the issues mentioned above. Targeted and localized delivery of the chemotherapeutic drugs, using nanoparticles, with selective destruction of cancerous cells would minimize the toxicity on healthy tissues. Also, the use of nanomaterials as contrast agent could improve sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the recent achievements of cancer research by use of nanomaterials, in the idea of finding the ideal composite, capable to simultaneous diagnostic and treat cancer.

LSM has a similar performance to HVPG in predicting decompensation at 3 months in patients with early HCC submitted to liver resection. Three-month decompensation is better associated with survival.

Pethidine is a synthetic opioid with local anesthetic properties. Our goal was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of pethidine for achieving the ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane (OSTAP) block in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This prospective, double-blind study included 79 patients of physical status I and II according to American Society of Anesthesiologists, scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups, depending on the drug used to achieve preoperative bilateral OSTAP block: 1) OSTAP-Placebo (treated with normal saline); 2) OSTAP-Bupivacaine (treated with 0.25% bupivacaine); and 3) OSTAP-Pethidine (treated with 1% pethidine). The efficacy of pethidine in achieving the OSTAP block was analyzed using visual analog scale (VAS), intraoperative opioid dose, opioid consumption in post anesthesia care unit, and opioid consumption in the first 24 postoperative hours. The pain scores assessed by VAS at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours were significantly lower in OSTAP-Pethidine than in OSTAP-Placebo group (p < 0.001). The mean intraoperative opioid consumption was significantly lower in OSTAP-Pethidine compared to OSTAP-Placebo group (150 versus 400 mg, p < 0.001), as well as the mean opioid consumption in the first 24 hours (20.4 versus 78 mg, p < 0.001). Comparing VAS assessment between OSTAP-Bupivacaine and OSTAP-Pethidine groups, statistically significant differences were observed only for the immediate postoperative pain assessment (0 hours), where lower values were observed in OSTAP-Pethidine group (p = 0.004). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (p = 0.131) between the groups. The use of 1% pethidine can be an alternative to 0.25% bupivacaine in achieving OSTAP block for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.