Nonfluoroscopic ICE-guided catheter ablation of AF without prior cardiac image integration or angiography is feasible and safe. PVI without fluoroscopy did not affect procedure duration or long-term efficacy.

Experience in diagnosis and treatment of benign pelvic tumors and tumor-like diseases in children was summarized. There were 104 patients, aged 2-18 years. Complex diagnosis included modern radiologic methods (CT, MRT, angiography). The treatment was performed taking into account the nosologic form and pathologic process volume. Vast resections of pelvic bones were performed in osteochondroma, fibrous dysplasia, chondromyxoid fibroma, solid form of aneurismal cyst as well as in aneurismal cysts in cases of failed paracentetic treatment. In tumors of small sized (osteoid-osteoma, osteoblastoma) surgical treatment was performed with computer navigation. Paracentetic treatment was applied in aneurismal cysts, eosinophilic granulema of bone as well as in residual cavities after failed previous interventions. In patients with aggressive aneurismal cysts roentgenendovascular embolization of pathologic vessels in combination with paracentetic treatment or endoscopic intervention were used. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 8 years. Recurrences were noted in 3 (6.4%) patients with aneurismal cyst.

Background The paper covers modern approaches to the evaluation of neoplastic processes with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and proposes a physical model for monitoring the primary quantitative parameters of DWI and quality assurance. Models of hindered and restricted diffusion are studied. Material and method To simulate hindered diffusion, we used aqueous solutions of polyvinylpyrrolidone with concentrations of 0 to 70%. We created siloxane-based water-in-oil emulsions that simulate restricted diffusion in the intracellular space. To obtain a high signal on DWI in the broadest range of b values, we used silicon oil with high T2: cyclomethicone and caprylyl methicone. For quantitative assessment of our phantom, we performed DWI on 1.5T magnetic resonance scanner with various fat suppression techniques. We assessed water-in-oil emulsion as an extracorporeal source signal by simultaneously scanning a patient in whole-body DWI sequence. Results We developed phantom with control substances for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements ranging from normal tissue to benign and malignant lesions: from 2.29 to 0.28 mm2/s. The ADC values of polymer solutions are well relevant to the mono-exponential equation with the mean relative difference of 0.91%. Conclusion The phantom can be used to assess the accuracy of the ADC measurements, as well as the effectiveness of fat suppression. The control substances (emulsions) can be used as a body marker for quality assurance in whole-body DWI with a wide range of b values.

Osteoporosis is a persistent social and medical issue taking into account moral and material losses related to bone fractures occurring against its background. The disease is more frequently examined in women than in men; still, according to EVOS (European Spinal Osteoporosis Study) 13.5 % men older than 50 and 26 % men older than 60 run high risks of fractures in case they have osteoporosis. Risk factors that cause both the disease itself and fractures as its complications have not been examined profoundly, even though men run 1.6 times higher risk of death after a fracture than women. There is an assumption that a reason for this higher mortality is lack of knowledge about risk factors that cause the disease and a fracture as one of its complications. Growing morbidity with osteoporosis among men indicates it is necessary to perform activities aimed at persuading them to pursue healthy lifestyle. Given that, it seems important to assess impacts exerted by smoking and alcohol abuse on risks of fractures among patients with primary osteoporosis bearing in mind prevention of the disease and fractures as its complications. We examined a relation between smoking and alcohol abuse and risks of fractures as osteoporosis markers in 231 patients suffering from primary osteoporosis. We revealed that fractures were authentically more frequent among smoking patients, 90.5 % against 68.1 % (р˂0.001). It was primarily true for fractures of the proximal section in the thigh bone and fractures of vertebral bodies: 20.2 % against 8.8 % and 44.1 % against 27.3 % accordingly. Alcohol abuse also resulted in authentically higher risks of fractures, 89.8 % against 66.2 % accordingly (р˂0.001). Authentic discrepancies were detected only for fractures of vertebral bodies, 43.9 % against 23.6 % accordingly among those who didn't abuse alcohol (р˂0.001). Therefore, we have evidence that there is an authentic relation between smoking and alcohol abuse and risks of fractures of the proximal section in the thigh bone and vertebral bodies. Inclusion of our research results into educational programs may lead to a reduction in frequency of fractures that have the gravest outcomes for health and cause the highest economic losses.