Thermotherapy using magnetic nanoparticles is a new technique for interstitial hyperthermia and thermoablation based on magnetic field-induced excitation of biocompatible superparamagnetic nanoparticles. To evaluate the potential of this technique for minimally invasive treatment, we carried out a systematic analysis of its effects on experimental glioblastoma multiforme in a rat tumor model. Tumors were induced by implantation of RG-2-cells into the brains of 120 male Fisher rats. Animals were randomly allocated to 10 groups of 12 rats each, including controls. Animals received two thermotherapy treatments following a single intratumoral injection of two different magnetic fluids (dextran- or aminosilane-coated iron-oxide nanoparticles). Treatment was carried out on days four and six after tumor induction using an alternating magnetic field applicator system operating at a frequency of 100 kHz and variable field strength of 0-18 kA/m. The effectiveness of treatment was determined by the survival time of the animals and histopathological examinations of the brain and the tumor.Thermotherapy with aminosilane-coated nanoparticles led up to 4.5-fold prolongation of survival over controls, while the dextran-coated particles did not indicate any advantage. Intratumoral deposition of the aminosilane-coated particles was found to be stable, allowing for serial thermotherapy treatments without repeated injection. Histological and immunohistochemical examinations after treatment revealed large necrotic areas close to particle deposits, a decreased proliferation rate and a reactive astrogliosis adjacent to the tumor.Thus, localized interstitial thermotherapy with magnetic nanoparticles has an antitumoral effect on malignant brain tumors. This method is suitable for clinical use and may be a novel strategy for treating malignant glioma, which cannot be treated successfully today. The optimal treatment schedules and potential combinations with other therapies need to be defined in further studies.

PI-RADS v2 improved diagnostic performance for the assessment of suspicious intraprostatic lesions identified in PI-RADS v1 for both readers and led to higher inter-reader reliability. These results suggest that PI-RADS v2 is a reliable and replicable reporting system for the assessment of prostate cancer.

Using a prospectively collected database of patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic angiography via transfemoral access, we sought to determine those patients who may benefit from ultrasound-guided puncture of the femoral artery. One-hundred-twelve patients with normal anticoagulation parameters were randomized in two groups. Fifty-six patients received ultrasound-guided puncture of the femoral artery, 56 patients underwent traditional palpation-guided vessel cannulation. Parameters assessed included procedure-time, number of attempts for successful puncture, intensity of the arterial pulse, previous ipsilateral punctures, history and risk factors of arteriosclerosis and leg circumference at the site of puncture. The data was analyzed by using outcome measures according to evidence-based medicine criteria. Only in patients with weak arterial pulse and thoses with a leg circumference of 60 cm or greater ultrasound guidance significantly decreased the number of attempts needed as well as the time for successful arterial puncture. In both patient subgroups, the number needed to treat (NNT) was 2, the absolute benefit increase (ABI) was 50 and 57%, respectively. In contrast, time for vessel cannulation was increased in patients with strong arterial pulse using ultrasound guidance. No significant differences were found with respect to diminished complications neither comparing both patient groups nor comparing risk subgroups. In conclusion ultrasound guidance for femoral artery access is recommended only in patients with a weak or absent arterial pulse and obese patients.