Three aging failing hemodialysis polytetrafluoroethylene bypass shunts, average age 44 months, previously percutaneously revised with balloon angioplasty, presented with pseudoaneurysms and recurrent thrombosis. All were treated with percutaneous covered stent placement within their affected limbs. One graft was ligated 1 month after treatment for infected overlying skin ulcer, though this graft was subsequently surgically revised with interposition graft and the covered stent portion remains functional at 19 month follow-up. The 18- and 13- month follow-up of the remaining 2 patients shows that the covered stents remained patent and they are functional and being successfully and routinely punctured for dialysis. In this elderly population, the use of covered stents may prolong the functional life of failing hemodialysis bypass grafts, reducing the number of percutaneous and surgical interventions and further sparing other vascular access sites.
In this feasibility study we found that ureteral stones may be definitively managed in a timely, effective and safe fashion without ionizing radiation in the general population using this novel technique of ultrasound guided ureteroscopy.
Intraoperative ultrasound is an exciting arena for real-time depiction and evaluation of relevant anatomy and pathology. The information provided by this technique often is pivotal to the surgeon, and not infrequently impacts the nature and extent of the surgical procedure. As more radiologists develop an interest and become facile with IOUS, and as more surgeons appreciate the benefits of this modality, the numbers and applications for this technique will continue to expand. This, coupled with continued commercial and technical improvements, and increasing demand for minimally invasive surgery, ensures that the future of IOUS will be a bright one.
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