Successful treatment of refractory Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia (GAVE) in a cirrhotic patient with transcatheter arterial embolisation in a tertiary care facility in Pakistan: a case report

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare but important cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding that may present with refractory anaemia or overt gastrointestinal bleeding requiring multiple admissions and resuscitation. Although endoscopic therapies are considered first line treatment for the management of refractory gastric antral vascular ectasia, angiographic embolisation of the culprit vessel(s) may emerge as an effective and safe treatment modality in the near future. Here, we present the case of a middle-aged gentleman with refractory gastric antral vascular ectasia, who was not responding to repeated sessions of Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) and was successfully treated with trans-catheter arterial embolisation of gastro-duodenal artery. Keywords: Gastric antral vascular ectasia, Bleeding, Watermelon stomach, Argon plasma coagulation, Continuous...

Intra-arterial anaesthetics for pain control in arterial embolisation procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose A systematic review to determine the effectiveness of intra-arterial anaesthetics on post- operative pain and opioid analgesia requirements in arterial embolisation procedures. Materials and methods A systematic review of the literature was performed (Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library) from inception to 10th August 2020. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that utilised intra-arterial anaesthesia during an embolisation procedure for the purposes of pain control were included. Eligibility was assessed by two investigators independently. Results Eight hundred fifty-nine candidate articles were identified, and 9 studies met the inclusion criteria (6 RCTs and 3 retrospective cohort studies). Four studies were of hepatic chemoembolisation and 5 were of uterine artery embolisation. Five hundred twenty-nine patients were treated in total. All studies used lidocaine as the anaesthetic with doses ranging from 20 to 200 mg, and the anaesthetic was delivered varyingly before, during or after embolisation. Pain intensity was converted to a numeric scale from 0 to 10, and opioid doses were converted to milligram morphine equivalent doses. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to analyse the results of RCTs, and the results of cohort studies were summarised with a narrative synthesis. The meta-analyses suggested that pain scores were reduced by a mean of 1.02 (95% CI − 2.34 to 0.30; p = 0.13) and opioid doses were reduced by a mean of 7.35 mg (95% CI, − 14.77, 0.06; p = 0.05) in the intervention group however neither finding was statistically significant. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion Intra-arterial anaesthetic may slightly reduce pain intensity and post-operative opioid consumption following embolisation, however the results are not statistically significant. There is very limited data available on the effect of anaesthetic on length of hospital admission. Whilst no serious adverse events were reported, there are some concerns regarding the effect of lidocaine on the technical success of embolisation procedures that preclude our recommendation for routine use in embolisation procedures. High quality randomised controlled trials are required to elucidate the dose-response effect of lidocaine on opioid consumption and pain following embolisation, particularly in the first few hours post-operatively, as well as effects on duration of hospital stay.

Patent Foramen Ovale Closure: State of the Art

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common abnormality affecting between 20% and 34% of the adult population. For most people, it is a benign finding; however, in some people, the PFO can open widely to enable paradoxical embolus to transit from the venous to arterial circulation, which is associated with stroke and systemic embolisation. Percutaneous closure of the PFO in patients with cryptogenic stroke has been undertaken for a number of years, and a number of purpose-specific septal occluders have been marketed. Recent randomised control trials have demonstrated that closure of PFO in patients with cryptogenic stroke is associated with reduced rates of recurrent stroke. After a brief overview of the anatomy of a PFO, this article considers the evidence for PFO closure in cryptogenic stroke. The article also addresses other potential indications for closure, including systemic arterial embolisation, decompression sickness, platypnoea–orthodeoxia syndrome and migraine with aura. The article lays out the pre-procedural investigations and preparation for the procedure. Finally, the article gives an overview of the procedure itself, including discussion of closure devices.

Massive liver haemangioma causing Kasabach–Merritt syndrome in an adult

Liver haemangiomas are common, but their size very rarely exceeds 40cm. Most people with liver haemangiomas are asymptomatic, and diagnosis is usually made incidentally during imaging for other complaints. When a liver haemangioma is symptomatic or produces complications, surgical intervention may be warranted. Kasabach–Merritt syndrome is an uncommon complication reported in certain rare vascular tumours in children, with only a few cases reported in adults. The syndrome describes a consumptive coagulopathy initiated within a vascular tumour, mainly tufted angiomas and kaposiform haemangioendotheliomas and, less commonly, giant haemangiomas. The process can extend beyond the tumour and become disseminated in certain cases due to trauma or surgery. The definitive treatment for giant liver haemangiomas can include arterial embolisation, surgical excision, hepatectomy or even liver transplantation. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with a 42 × 32 × 27cm (18,870ml) liver haemangioma associated with Kasabach–Merritt syndrome. The diagnosis was challenging, even with proper imaging, owing to the rarity of the condition. It was achieved with an exploratory laparotomy with biopsy.

Transcatheter arterial embolisation is efficient and safe for paediatric blunt torso trauma: a case-control study

Background It remains unclear whether transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE) is as safe and effective for paediatric patients with blunt torso trauma as it is for adults in Japan, owing to few trauma cases and sporadic case reports. The study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of TAE performed in paediatric (age ≤ 15 years) and adult patients with blunt torso trauma. Methods This was a single-centre, retrospective chart review study that included blunt torso trauma patients who underwent TAE in the trauma centre from 2012 to 2017. The comparative study was carried out between a ‘paediatric patient group’ and an ‘adult patient group’. The outcome measures for TAE were the success of haemorrhage control and complications and standardised mortality ratio (SMR). Results A total of 504 patients with blunt torso trauma were transported to the trauma centre, out of which 23% (N = 114) with blunt torso trauma underwent TAE, including 15 paediatric and 99 adult patients. There was no significant difference between the use of TAE in paediatric and adult patients with blunt torso trauma (29% vs 22%, P = .221). The paediatric patients’ median age was 11 years (interquartile ranges 7–14). The predicted mortality rate and SMR for paediatric patients were lower than those for adult patients (18.3% vs 25.9%, P = .026, and 0.37 vs 0.54). The rate of effective haemorrhage control without repeated TAE or additional surgical intervention was 93% in paediatric patients, which was similar to that in adult patients (88%). There were no complications in paediatric patients at our centre. There were no significant differences in the proportion of paediatric patients who underwent surgery before TAE or urgent blood transfusion (33% vs 26%, P = .566, or 67% vs 85%, P = .084). Conclusions It is possible to provide an equal level of care related to TAE for paediatric and adult patients as it relates to TAE for blunt torso trauma with haemorrhage in the trauma centre. Alternative haemorrhage control procedures should be established as soon as possible whenever the patients reach a haemodynamically unstable state.