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epatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and the second-most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide (1,2). For patients with stage T2 HCC who are not candidates for surgical resection, liver transplantation offers the best chance for disease-free survival (3). The limited availability of donor organs and increasing demand for these organs result in long waiting-list times, during which many patients become ineligible for transplantation because of tumor progression beyond stage T2 (4). This has prompted the widespread use of local-regional bridging therapies such as percutaneous ablation, transcatheter bland arterial embolization, chemoembolization, radioembolization, and radiation therapy to maintain a patient's eligibility for transplantation (5,6). The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) is a system of standardized imaging criteria developed for the evaluation of patients at risk of developing HCC. The 2017 version of LI-RADS introduced a Treatment Response (LI-RADS Treatment Response [LR-TR]) algorithm for the assessment of lesions that have been previously treated with local-regional therapies (7,8). These lesions are categorized as LR-TR Nonviable, Equivocal, or Viable according to their imaging features, including focal arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE), washout, and enhancement similar to pretreatment enhancement (9). While similar to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) (10), the LR-TR algorithm clarifies tumor status at the level of individual lesions, rather than making an overall categorization of disease burden (11). However, there are currently no published data that evaluate the performance of the Treatment Response algorithm for predicting the degree of local-regional

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Background and purpose There is evidence that racial and ethnic differences among intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients exist. We sought to establish the occurrence of disparities in hospital utilization in the United States. Methods We identified ICH patients from United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for years 2006–2014 using codes (DX1 = 431, 432.0) from the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition. We compared five race/ethnic categories: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and Others ( Native American and other) with regard to demographics, comorbidities, disease severity, in-hospital complications, in-hospital procedures, length of stay (LOS), total hospital charges, in-hospital mortality, palliative care, (PC) and do not resuscitate (DNR). We categorized procedures as lifesaving (i.e. ventriculostomy, craniotomy, craniectomy, and ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt), life sustaining (i.e. mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, transfusions, and gastrostomy). White race/ethnicity was set as the reference group. Results Out of 710,293 hospitalized patients with ICH 470,539 (66.2%), 114,821 (16.2%), 66,451 (9.3%), 30,297 (4.3%) and 28,185 (3.9%) were White, Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and Others, respectively. Minorities (Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and Others) had a higher rate of in-hospital complications, in-hospital procedures, mean LOS, and hospital charges compared to Whites. In contrast, Whites had a higher rate of in-hospital mortality, PC, and DNR. In multivariable analysis, all minorities had higher rate of MV, tracheostomy, transfusions, and gastrostomy compared to Whites, while Hispanics had higher rate of craniectomy and VP shunt; and Asian or Pacific Islander and Others had higher rate of craniectomy. Whites had a higher rate of in-hospital mortality, palliative care, and DNR compared to minorities. In mediation analysis, in-hospital mortality for whites remained high after adjusting with PC and DNR. Conclusion Minorities had greater utilization of lifesaving and life sustaining procedures, and longer LOS. Whites had greater utilization of palliative care, hospice, and higher in-hospital mortality. These results may reflect differences in culture or access to care and deserve further study.

Background and objectives: Myasthenia gravis (MG) and Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) are autoimmune neuromuscular disorders that may present as neuromuscular emergencies requiring mechanical ventilation and critical care. Comparative outcomes of these disease processes, once severe enough to require mechanical ventilation, are not known. In this study, we compared the patients requiring mechanical ventilation in terms of in-hospital complications, length of stay, disability, and mortality between these two disease entities at a national level. Materials and Methods: Mechanically ventilated patients with primary diagnosis of MG (n = 6684) and GBS (n = 5834) were identified through retrospective analysis of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for the years 2006 to 2014. Results: Even though mechanically ventilated MG patients were older (61.0 ± 19.1 versus 54.9 ± 20.1 years) and presented with more medical comorbidities, they had lower disease severity on admission, as well as lower in-hospital complications sepsis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections as compared with GBS patients. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for confounders including treatment, GBS patients had significantly higher disability (odds ratio (OR) 15.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.9–22.2) and a longer length of stay (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.22–5.48). There was no significant difference in mortality between the groups (8.45% MG vs. 10.0% GBS, p = 0.16). Conclusion: Mechanically ventilated GBS patients have higher disease severity at admission along with more in-hospital complications, length of stay, and disability compared with MG patients. Potential explanations for these findings include delay in the diagnosis, poor response to immunotherapy particularly in patients with axonal GBS variant, or longer recovery time after nerve damage.

Background and Purpose The first pass effect has been reported as a mechanical thrombectomy (MT) success metric in patients with large vessel occlusive stroke. We aimed to compare the clinical and neuroimagign outcomes of patients who had favorable recanalization (mTICI 2c or mTICI 3) achieved in one pass versus those requiring multiple passes. Methods In this “real‐world” multicenter study, patients with mTICI 2c or 3 recanalization were identified from three prospectively collected stroke databases from January 2016 to December 2019. Clinical outcomes were a favorable functional outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2), and the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) any ICH, and 90‐day mortality. Results Favorable recanalization was achieved in 390/664 (59%) of consecutive patients who underwent MT (age 71.2 ± 13.2 years, 188 [48.2%] women). This was achieved after a single thrombectomy pass (n = 290) or multiple thrombectomy passes (n = 100). The rate of favorable clinical outcome was higher (41% vs. 28 %, p = .02) in the first pass group with a continued trend on multivariate analysis that did not reaching statistical significance (OR 1.68 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0–2.95, p = .07). Similarly, the odds of any ICH were significantly lower (OR 0.56 CI 0.32–0.97, p = .03). A similar trend of favorable clinical outcomes was noticed on subgroup analysis of patients with M1 occlusion (OR 1.81 CI 1.01–3.61, p = .08). Conclusion The first‐pass reperfusion was associated with a trend toward favorable clinical outcome and lower rates of ICH. These data suggest that the first‐pass effect should be the mechanical thrombectomy procedure goal.

Objective: The middle cerebral artery (MCA) is the most commonly treated artery in mechanical thrombectomy stroke trials; however, there is no pragmatic agreement about the segmental anatomy and nomenclature utilized. It results in significant clinical-radiological dissociation and introduces bias in research trials. The purpose of the study is to review and compare angiographic anatomy with microsurgical anatomy literature of the MCA with emphasis on the discrepancy. Methodology: Consecutive cerebral angiograms between January 2011 and March 2014 were retrospectively reviewed by endovascular surgical neuroradiologists. Information about the anatomy of the sphenoidal segment of the MCA classified as classic and non-classic pattern, the lenticulostriate artery takeoff pattern, and the course angulation of the sphenoidal segment were studied. Results: A total of 500 patients, 886 cerebral angiograms, were reviewed. We found the classic pattern of the main trunk MCA bifurcation and a straight angulation course in less than half of the cases. The lenticulostriate arteries arose not only from the main trunk but also from its divisions in more than half of the cases. Conclusion: It is important to corroborate our findings and to develop a pragmatic classification to accurately assess MCA occlusions from the radiological and clinical perspective.

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